Hey! You Can't Wear That!

1. How do you feel about Michael Jeffries’ view on who should wear Abercrombie and Fitch’s clothing?

      Youths need positive messages about who they are as a people. This comment from Abercrombie & FItch's chief executive officer is so wrong and so discriminating, and it disgusts me. He's practically telling children and youth that nothing else but looks matter. He's also practically promoting bulimia, anorexia and other eating disorders to overweight and plus sized teens who want to be "cool and popular." 

      Physical appearance should be at the bottom of the list of Things That Should Matter because beauty and size is not the centre of priorities and importance. It does not matter if this person is a size 0, or a size 14, or if this person is a size S or XXL. The only priority and concern we all must share is our well being. Happiness and healthiness is at the top of the list of Things That Should Matter because being happy and healthy is the condition of being positive. 

      All stores must sell clothes for all sizes for all customers. It is not fair to exclude a particular group of overweight teens and judge them based on their image! Why disallow plus sizes? Why only sell sizes 10 and below? Why does it matter, huh, Mr. Jeffries? And the worst part is, he sounds extremely proud to not carry XL and XXL clothing. We are all human beings. I strongly strongly STRONGLY disagree with Michael Jeffries. Though, I thank him for being honest to announce his attitudes and beliefs so I know for future reference to stay away from his stores and him.

      I don't think I have ever taken an immediate dislike and been so terribly disgusted so fast by a person with a high ranking position before. Does he even THINK or CARE about what the feelings of the youth he is discriminating against at, like, at all? 

      Don't even listen to them my fellow teens and friends. YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL!! :) As Ellen says, "Beauty isn't between a size 0 and a size 8. it is not a number at all. It is not physical "

      Praise Ellen! Click here

      

2. Is it fair/equitable to target a particular group of teens?  Why or why not?

      It is not fair/equitable because everyone needs to feel good about themselves and what they where. Low self esteem can result from physical appearance and weight. This controversy can cause permanent damage of judgement to oneself and a negative attitude toward oneself. Youth might develop eating disorders in order to fit into a size S and to be accepted in the "in-crowd." Targeting a particular group of teens can cause nothing but damage. Targeting a particular group of teens is very inhuman. Targeting a particular group of teens is not, and will never be fair. 

3. How does this contribute to our already biased perception of what beauty is?

      What we see on media is the "ideal" image of beauty. Flawless skin, perfect body, luscious hair, stylish clothes, sexy trends, model thin, etc. Similar "ideal" characteristics apply to men as well. According to the media, if you're not this particular image you're not cool enough or you're not worthy enough to be part of the in-crowd. The media influences the false definition of beauty. Since when are photo shopped images considered beautiful or ideal? It's bad enough the media is the reason of low self esteem, but corporations such as Abercrombie & Fitch too? It seems like this society's  intentions is too damage youth's attitudes about themselves and their appearances! 

      

      Even though we are surrounded by the influences of media, we do not have to pursue their definitions of beauty. Be your own definition of beauty, however you look, however your size. :D

On a Tweet and a Prayer...

1. Do you think that having twitter accounts will help attract 
youth to take a greater role in the life of the Church?

Yes , I think that having twitter accounts will help attract youth to take a greater role in the life of the Church. The tweets of the Church leaders can discuss interesting topics and concerns about the Church and youth's can share and confide personal concerns about their lives. For example, youth can receive advice from the pope regarding relevant questions regarding Christianity and faith.

2. What are the benefits of having our Church leader tweet?  Are there any disadvantages?

The benefits of having our Church leader tweet are:
-he could reach out to youth regarding their personal and spiritual problems
-he can give out his personal opinions and answers on youth's 
-he could discuss Church related topics and concerns

Some people, especially youth, may not have someone they can talk to; to let their heart out to anyone who would listen. Perhaps they cannot confide to their families or friends because of certain reasons.  However, they can open up to the pope. 

The disadvantages of having our Church leader tweet are:
-bullies
Tweeters abuse Twitter. They can bully or tweet rude comments while hidden behind a computer screen.
-limitations 
the maximum characters in a tweet is 140 characters. Not really enough space to write decent length replies to youth


3. Does your parish take part in the social media world?  If so, please explain.

I am not sure if my parish take part in the social media world. Father Moore does not mention any social media involvement. Some priests probably have twitter accounts. Perhaps  if one needs to reach out to someone, they can speak to the priest after mass. It is more excellent to communicate person-to-person rather than behind a screen. 

However, when I lived in the Philippines, my dad has told me the priest at my Church used a tablet to prepare his homilies and lectures. 


4. Are there any other ways that the Church can encourage our youth to get more involved?  Do you have any personal experiences related to this?

Some examples the Church can encourage youth to get more involved:
-the practice of attending Sunday mass regularly
-attend mass with parents
-have youth related activities 
-more volunteering jobs ie. helping to pack perishable foods, working in soup kitchens

The gift of the the Holy Spirit was given by to everyone, believers and nonbelievers. It is up to them to strengthen their religious beliefs and their relationship with God. We pray to God to help us look within ourselves and to influence ourselves. It is up to us have faith.

I recently volunteered in the Scott Mission for a religion retreat and it opened my eyes to the needs of families and individuals. The purpose of the Scott Mission is to serve Christ the Lord by putting positive action through spiritual and social services to men, women and children.

SCOTT MISSION SITE

Social Media – The Good, The Bad and the 'Not-So-Private'

1. Are you a member of a social networking website?  Why or why not?

Yes, I am a member of a social networking website because:
1) I want to stay in contact with my old friends especially the ones whom I probably won't see ever again or for a long period of time.
2) I want to be able to chat with people and/or webcam them. 
3) My parents and I want to see pictures and updates of my relatives in the Philippines.
4) I want to see pictures, updates and doings of famous people.

2. Have you checked your privacy settings lately?  Who can see the information that you put out there?

The minute after I watched the "Amazing mind reader reveals his 'gift'", I checked my privacy settings.
On Facebook only the people I accepted as friends can see my information.
On Twitter, everyone can see my tweets. (I don't post personal info about myself though!)

3. What kind of information are you allowing others to have access to?  Have you thought about this before?

I don't post an personal information like my home address, phone number or stuff like that.
The only information I post, on Facebook, for my friends to see, are my high school, gender and my birthday; nothing super personal.
I used to have an 'About Me' description but I deleted it years ago.

4. What kinds of things are safe to post?  Unsafe?  List some unsafe information that you should keep to yourself and not allow others to see online.

Some safe things to post on social networking sites are:

• Safe vacation pictures 
• Compliments to people people
• Certain life achievements
• Safe pictures

Any harmless, non-private information is safe to post.

Some unsafe things to post on social networking sites are:

• Inappropriate pictures
• Negative comments about people
• Your home address, city, town
• Your home phone number, cell phone number
• Your passwords 
• Your financial numbers like credit card numbers

Any private information about yourself must not be shared online.   

5. How can we become more responsible users of social network websites?  Why is this so important?

We can be more responsible of social networking sites by protecting ourselves and not letting strangers see information about us. Social networking sites need to be a safe environment for everyone using it. Beware of strangers trying to communicate with you and asking for any personal information because you do not know them. Just ignore them. Don't even talk to them. By signing up in a social network website, what we post there, will stay there, even if we delete it because someone might have saved the picture to their computer, so beware of that also. This is very important because it regards our safety. The less information out there, the safer we are. 

Twitter Trouble

1. Do you think that Khadijah’s comments about her teacher, that he “lives at home with his mom, eats fish sticks for dinner, and all he talks about is Star Wars” were appropriate?  Explain.


It is not appropriate however, it is not that bad either. She was entitled to her own opinion. It is not bad to comment but there are certain limitations. Although she is free to do whatever she wants, she must respect people older than her, like her teacher. It was not appropriate to tweet that tweet on a social networking site. It is an offending, insulting and embarrassing insult. Like she said, "Sometimes you just, it's like in the heat of the moment and just say whatever you want and people don't think about the consequences." She's right, but she must know her limit and have one because she has to respect her teacher. 

2. What is your opinion on the suspension of these students? Was it reasonable for the school board to enforce 
such a punishment? Why or why not?

The suspension was put on the students because their tweets were insulting to their teacher. That's probably why they were punished. They did not think of any consequences once they hit the button that will post that tweet for anyone to see. I suppose they should have been more careful on their actions. 

It was reasonable for the school board to enforce the punishment because they needed to be disciplined. That situation can be considered as cyber bullying. The punishment will be like a future reminder for the students when they want to do something similar like that again. More thoughts on the consequences of their not-so-good actions. 

How do you feel about the reaction of the students – that they should be able to share their opinions freely?  Is it okay to post this sort of thing on social media websites like Twitter?

I absolutely agree with the students that they should be able to share their opinions freely. There is no rule that says we can't. We share our opinions with our friends and families and they do the same. But it is another story to post our negative opinions about someone on social media networks. It is considered cyber bullying and it is also an insult to the victim. It can damage their lives and self esteems. Other people might join in and it will just get worse and worse. 

Paparazzi : Scandalous?

PAPARAZZI GIF :3

1. Do you agree or disagree with the way celebrities are treated by the paparazzi?

In some ways, I agree and in some ways I disagree.
Celebrities are not ordinary people like us. Ordinary meaning undistinguished and not above average. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's the truth. Their lives are more open to the public. They capture our attention because they are famous. Whether they are rockstars, actors, actresses, etc. The paparazzi's attention are captured as well. However, I disagree with the way celebrities are treated by the paparazzi when they are butting in their too personal lives. It's unpleasant for their personal actions to be announced and advertised around the country/world. 

2. How far is too far?

An example of the paparazzi's action gone too far is the death of Princess Diana.
Paparazzi was chasing her and she died in a car accident.

Read all about it here!

3. Why would the paparazzi use media networks to their advantage to post personal news about famous individuals?  Is this right?

Obviously it's rude to post personal information about famous individuals. It is not right, unless those individuals give them permission. They should just leave them alone when it comes to personal business. It's uncool.

Media networks are the fastest way to spread the news. Much faster than magazines and newspapers. Lots of youth go online and they read the latest news and they share with their friends. The paparazzi is depending on youth to read the information they posted and spread the news faster. 

4. Research an appropriate paparazzi scandal that has occurred within the past few years.  Do you agree or disagree with the way the celebrity was treated?  Why or why not?

Demi Moore Gets Hit With Paparazzi Attack Scandal


Demi Moore was seen losing her temper with the paparazzi after leaving a nail salon on October 28, 2011. However, Gossip Cop claimed the story was opposite. The photographer upset Demi: invading her personal space, entrapping her so she couldn't walk to her car and shoving his camera up her face. The photographer, "Demi was crazy; she was totally losing it. I was just standing on the sidewalk, trying to get a few shots of her and she was going completely mad. She tried to jump on me and swipe my camera."


Read all about it here!

I disagree with the way the actress was treated! Some stranger was totally invading her personal space and told everyone he was acting all innocent and Demi was the one who started it.

5. How would you feel if someone invaded your privacy (cell phone, laptop, etc)?  Explain.


No one has the right to invade any of my stuff and privacy, unless I give them permission; we all need our privacy. If it was someone I knew, I would say that that is betrayal. I would feel absolutely, totally and unbelievably VIOLATED. 

 

iPhone Crazy..... or not?

1) Are you the type of person that wants/needs top of the line electronics?  Why or why not?

No, I am not the type of person that wants or needs top of the line electronics. 
I don't want to invest in products that will have a newer version in the near future. For me, a phone is used for the basic stuff like talking, texting, music, taking pictures, browsing. I'm not interested in the iPhone's extra features and apps. I have a perfectly fine, working phone and as long as my needs serve the purpose I'm alright with that. 

2) How do you feel about Apple’s bank of material that will be released over time?

I think Apple's bank of material that will be released over time will benefit us consumers. New products from the Apple company will have a healthy competition between other phone companies. Us consumers, will be able to see which phone is better. Whether it will have the greater quality, more fabulous performances, better services and whether it will be affordable in the markets.

3) How do you think the iPhone might change in the years to come?  What other applications/functions would you like to see incorporated into new versions?


I think the future iPhone(s) will make our lives easier and simpler because of the new and advanced technology. They will have a more speedy performance, additional apps and perhaps the length of the phone will also change. New, future iPhones will be more convenient and dependent in our lives. I guess I would like the new versions to be less fragile and longer battery lives.