My Favorite Web Site

I visit Youtube a lot. I use it not only for video searches, but also for music. I really like the fact that the latest videos are always posted on the home page as well as what is trending. This allows a person to keep up with what others are thinking and the attitude of the general populace. The suggested video or "related" video section is now remembering what I last watched and it brings up videos from my past viewing. This is convenient as I don't have to search for whatever video I last saw to find one that I was interested in. you don't have to be logged into Youtube either to view most videos and that is also a plus. YouTube is very user friendly as well. It doesn’t take much to figure it out and set up a customized video that includes imbedded links, comment options and more. Because we are in an information age most companies feel compelled to keep up with the modern trends and this often leads to many updates/changes in the platform. YouTube does a great job of keeping up yet not annoying there audiences with so many drastic changes that you have to learn all over again (like Facebook)

On the flip side I really dislike how the new player doesn’t buffer while you pauses it. The old ones would buffer as long as the page was up. This allowed a person to have multiple pages up and view them as they loaded back to back. To save bandwidth they now only load so far and quit. This is very annoying when you are trying to watch a documentary or something along those lines. I would suggest that they find another way to conserve bandwidth as there are other forms of compression. I really wish they had another way to rate if a video should be restricted to mature audiences. Most videos aren't a problem, however, there are many that you have to log in for that are fine for regular audiences.

Matthew Perry sells Hollywood Hills West home for $4.685 million

Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the sitcom "Friends," has just sold his Hollywood mansion for $4.685 million. This was just above his buying price of $4.475 in 2008 according to public records. The 4,100 square foot house features white floors, retractable walls, pool with spa, and canyon views with much more.

Hollywood and China: Revenue and Responsibility

Previously Hollywood viewed China with weary eyes. Moth eaten theater screens, a land of piracy and censored to the hilt begged hands off for the center of American film. Events have taken a suprising turn as china has become the second largest international market growing at a staggering 31 percent to $2.75 billion. Up to 10 new screens are opening a day according to Christopher Dodd, who heads the Motion Picture Association of America. This number is set to double by 2015 he went on to say.

'Despicable Me' attraction coming to Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios is planning on opening a new attraction in the distant future. While it is to soon to know any specific details, we do know the attraction will be a be a motion simulator ride, featuring high-definition 3-D effects and much like the current Simpsons ride. No one knows where it is going to be build but they just closed the Terminator 2 ride at the end of 2012.

State of the Union 2013

State of the Union

I sat down to watch my quarterly fill of comedy as I tuned into the State of the Union Address. One thing I noticed right off the bat was the President’s change of gears. Obama moved from pushing policy, to more of a family oriented talk. It is as if he has finished putting all the necessary policy in place and is now focused on the social side of how the society will accept it. Obama started out his state of the Union citing Kennedy, “The Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress.” He used this as a means of drawing all the parties’ together with a unifying theme of uniting to “make America great again” and cloaking his power conquest. He motions to put aside the things that divide us as he dives into his dividing agendas.

Obama did an excellent job of hitting it off emotionally with his mention of bringing our troops home by the end of the year. This received a standing ovation from both sides as he prepared the audience for what he has in mind. Recapping the economy, the President continued with the reports that our economy is growing with the stock market looking up as the dollar bubble is nearing a pop. I took a trip down memory lane as Obama recounted our past history of innovation and entrepreneurial pursuits that made America great. With emotions buzzing, he incorporated government at the head of these innovations of the past and providing these opportunities the middle class. “We don’t need a bigger government we need a smarter government that invests in growth,” he stated, as a means to relabel his big government push.

 Obama couldn’t seem to make up his mind on the military. Leading to a false conclusion, he presented us with cutting education or the military. Yet he said “.... As long as I'm commander-in-chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military the world has ever known....” Defending his healthcare he proposed to cut the armed forces as our (his) health is more important.

The new taxes imposed by obamacare were played up as a part of the original problem that needed to be solved. As a part of “balancing” the budget, he proposed more taxes on the rich as a means to punish them for creating wealth in America and to drive them to foreign countries. This will help keep America great. Apple, Caterpillar, and Apple are set to bring jobs back from overseas due to raising tariffs and lowering taxes here. The president wants continue such reform and bring jobs back. Such legislation was proposed to create government driven “hubs” of manufacturing; where “Businesses will partner with the DoD and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs, as Obama put it. This will ensue to make Americans more dependent on the government and ingrain interventionism in our communist state. This view is defended by it being compared to the space race. In short, growth and bringing back the middle class equals more government involvement.

This speech didn’t finish without energy being addressed.  After cutting the pipeline and many permits for American drilling, Obama stated that we produce more oil here and should be making use of it. This wasn’t without the responsibility of our “carbon credits” and global warming. “But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future…” he spoke truly like a king. This attitude represents much of the hard feelings that congress has exhibited toward Obama’s ultimatums. On the subject of gas, he wants to get us off oil and on to unreliable renewable energy sources like wind. Despite California going bankrupt with this vision, converting the entire state of Kansas into a wind farm wouldn’t be a bad idea to supply the nations’ power when the wind is blowing. Being very familiar with power generation, I can attest to the problem wind poses and the brownouts is causes when the air stops moving. We can all be assured, however, as long as Obama is in Washington, the hot air will blow constantly to feed our nation’s turbines. Leaving oil also doesn’t take into account that our rapidly inflating dollar, that the President is dependent on, is propped up by OPEC and it will be impossible to leave it without a collapse.

Obama is a huge supporter of immigration and strengthen our borders. So much so, that he sued Arizona over arresting illegal immigrants and has mandated that our air missile defense system over Mexico be decommissioned by mid-April. We all know that He is pushing for our good by strengthening our borders and keeping America safe with his Comprehensive immigration reform.

We can’t stop there. By putting our wallet in the government’s hands, we can pass the paycheck fairness act to help with the discrimination against women. This way you can be entitled to a good living no matter if you work at McDonalds or the ER. To strengthen the poor, he proposes tying minimum wage to cost of living and raising the minimum wage to nine an hour. By doing this, you aren’t creating more wealth for the poor. This is backward economics and will drive business to not hire as you can’t create more on the supply side than demand. Businesses won’t go bankrupt because they can’t afford to pay more. This will drive them away and have the opposite effect of putting more people out of work.

Family was the last issue on the Presidents list. He wants your kids sooner by adding another government sponsored program for “high quality” preschool programs. This is in the hope of reducing “violent crime” because no child will learn that at home from its parents. Restructuring the high schools was also mentioned, to bring them up to par with international levels. He presented more hoops for schools to jump through to make our young brighter. Giving high-schoolers degrees to make them more marketable for the huge government driven machine that will be waiting for their contributions.  The government will show you the way!! The emotion of Sandy Hook drove the lasting impressions of this speech. Guns that deprived so many must be taken from Americans to improve safety. Even though knives, hammers and limbs kill more, we need guns severely regulated so we can have a higher crime rate like Europe; this is for the good of us all.

Over all, smaller government is what we need. Obama is redefining American history by tying it to government. He is seeking to downsize the problems and pitch the same old thing that got us into this mess. More programs, give up more freedom, trust the government for your future was the message and it was presented in such emotional way (without hardly any evidence) that who wouldn’t be for restoring America?

5.11 HW

5.11 HW

Curriculum Changes:

University President French, set to change graduation requirements this fall. A recent study showed only 15 percent of students took a foreign language and 20 percent a math course. The college responded by adding a math, computer science and foreign language class requirements to all majors. “We feel that these new course requirements will allow us to turn out better educated persons.” Said French.

Arrest:

Homecoming queen arrested for driving under the influence. Cathy Bensen, a 22 year-old Vanderbilt senior in biology, was arrested for the third time driving drunk in six months. The straight-A cheerleader has refused to comment at this time.

Record Weather:

A 1888 record broken for hottest temperature in Port Columbus. The high yesterday was 82 degrees around 3:30 pm.

Chap 6 Sum

Summary

Photography has been long in the making; since the early days it has served an important role in society. The brain responds to images with intensity depending on the situation. Point in case, this is why pornography is so popular among men as the brain translates it into chemicals in the body. Pictures convey messages as the old saying, "One picture is worth a thousand words."

Photo Journalism has had a long evolution over the years. From big, heavy and delicate equipment of the 1900's, to the point and shoot cell phone cameras we have today, we have come along ways. What use to be weeks of expensive work is now mere seconds from getting millions of views worldwide. Many of the techniques have also evolved in relation to the picture and written text.

Basic concepts of photojournalism aren't as simple as snapping a picture of interest and publishing it. Many different characteristics must be taken into consideration. What kind of photo is it, Drama, action or unusual? These different categories demand specific shots depending on what you want to capture. Long range shot may be useful for a drama, but a close up would do for a John kicking his first soccer goal. The rule of thirds is a good starter for anyone seeking to pursue a professional path in photojournalism. It involves drawing a tic-tac-toe grid over your viewing area and centering your photo in one of the boxes. This sets for a more interesting picture than centered. Ethics is also important as you peruse accuracy, clarity and simplicity in the overall message of your photo. Are the individual false posing or is this representing the "natural" nature of the story?

Posting captions and charts to cosponsored the story/pictures is also important. A caption sets the attitude of the shot. Charts can inform the reader of the facts behind the story. If you are at a graduation and you take a shot of the graduating class, a graph representing the number of seniors would give the reader an idea how many are actually present. Always make sure you are getting names correct and sighting your sources.

Swedish Ice Pole Sitting Contest Has 6 Winners

Two women and four men share the $3,100 prize for remaining atop eight foot tall ice pillars. They remained poised, in the annual ice pole-sitting contest in northern Sweden, for a total of 48 hours. Accept 10 minute bathroom breaks every other hour, they aren't allowed to come down. The worst part was the boredom and not the -18 degree temperatures, said the competitors.

Harvick holds off Biffle to win NASCAR Sprint Unlimited

For the third time Harvick has won the NASCAR race known as the shootout. A wreck at the beginning took out six contenders which gave him the advantage. He ended up killing his engine trying to do a burnout and had to be pushed into the victory lane. You can read more about it here.

Steer Wrestling record set again at San Antonio Rodeo

In SAN ANTONIO, Texas several records were set. Beau Clark was real happy when when he tied for the arena record with 3.2. He started a four way tie with the ending being Duvall finishing at 3.1. What is the coincidence? It was all done with the same steer. Duvall had won on the two steers previous but not anything worth counting. He came from a family of champions and he is happy to make them. 

Solomon Islands earthquake triggers tsunami

A 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Feb. 6. The wave was five feet high and damaged 70 to 80 properties. While only four people are missing, more reports are expected to pour in. The region of Santa Cruz has been flooded and residents are dealing with the damage by moving to higher ground.

An arachnophobe's worst nightmare? It’s 'raining spiders' in Brazil

Brazil is having its annual "spider" season. Thousands of spiders can be seen in the sky networking their webs to maximize catching prey. Scientists say that this type of "social" spider produce sheets of webbing. The video can be seen here and is worth the watch as many black specs can be seen suspended in the air.

French Communist party says adieu to the hammer and sickle

French communists have decided to update their party. They plan on changing the hammer and sickle symbol to a five pointed star. This would represent Europe and the other loosely associated branches of the party. Many elder members are outraged by the move as the historics go back to World War II. To read more click here.

Jerry Falwell Jr. Mock Interview

Interview Jerry Falwell Jr.

Angle of interview: Is Liberty University leaving its vision ties as Yale and Penn did?

Sources: A comprehensive sample poll of the students using the Psych department, Dr. Towns on Falwell's original mindset, Yale's history of decline, Liberty's modernization in relation to mega chruches.

Ten questions:

1. How do you see yourself carrying on your fathers vision?

2. How do you pose to deal with the students concerns (survey results)?

3. Are you familiar with what Yale's legacy was?

4. If so, how do plan on guarding Liberty against spiritual bankruptcy?

5. Two part question, would you say modernization of academics is a good thing and if yes how do you preserve the heritage of LU?

6. Lately Liberty being the largest Christian University seems to be a driving force at LU; how does this compliment training champions for Christ?

7. How important is popularity with the press/outside world to upholding training Champions for Christ?

8. How are LU students different from other University students today?

9. How is LU responding to the recent legislation ( health care, gun control) and what position would you take if values Liberty stands for becomes illegal?

10. It has been shown that every organization eventually falls, what is your long term plan on preserving Liberty?