DJ - 2/18

[brook...@gmail.com]

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/0bc5c503-68f7-4612-8b0e-8e78732d4538.html

Personally I thought this political cartoon was hilarious. Maybe just because I am a huge fan of AMC's Breaking Bad. However the combination of the AMC drama and the current state of economy is humorous to me because the two are in no way connected. It shows a cartoon of Walter White, an unstable, successful emperor of the meth industry. A speech bubble explains, "I can't stop cooking..." He is also holding up a "recipe" for a fiscal crisis. Obviously the statement is clear when his jacket reads "Congress." I really just thought the comparison between Walter White and the government and economy's fiscal cliff was interesting. Pop culture is becoming extremely prominent in almost everything now.

 http://movies.yahoo.com/news/box-office-report-die-hard-rebounds-25-mil-050000193.html;_ylt=AnTt8RrffDJ7Aunzfg9ViG_R_3YA;_ylu=X3oDMTNpcGloZ2NoBG1pdAMEcGtnAzk3ZWMxMDNhLTc5NWEtMzZlZC05MDQzLWU0ODJkNDBiZjUwMgRwb3MDOARzZWMDbG5fTGF0ZXN0TmV3c19nYWwEdmVyAzI2NjFkZjUxLTc5MjctMTFlMi1iOWY0LTg1MmQ2MzcwYzVkMg--;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3

So this weekend was a big weekend for going to the movie theater. Three huge movies premiered around Valentine's day: "A Good Day to Die Hard," "Safe Haven," and "Identity Thief." Pamela McClintock writes "A Good Weekend to See 'A Good Day To Die Hard." The title suggests and the article shows that "A Good Day To Die Hard" rocked the box office this weekend making a great amount and surpassing it's two competitors. I have never seen a Die Hard movie (I am not sure if that's sad or not), however I have seen many Nicholas Sparks movies (Big fan of "The Lucky One," judge me) and I did see "Safe Haven" this weekend and it was very kick ass. And honestly, I cannot imagine any of those two movies REALLY making as much of an impression on anyone as Sparks did in his new movie. Just SO GOOD! To those that have seen any of these movies this weekend or those looking to see one, I highly recommend "Safe Haven." No tone shown as the statics are simply giving the facts, "A Good Day to Die Hard" is still displayed on top.

[merstriolo]

http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/S/6/5/Path-to-Citizenship-Politics.jpg

This cartoon suggests that the path to citizenship in America is deceptive and full of political traps. The illustration shows the treachery of the “path to the path to citizenship” with quick sand, an alligator, land mines, and Merrill’s favorite “bobbed wire.” Obviously the cartoonist believes that immigration laws and citizenship requirements are too demanding and restricting.  

http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/L/6/5/Gun-Safety.jpg

My bias aside, this cartoon is on the topic of gun control. It suggests essentially that we are safer without guns and that they should be removed. The cartoon depicts this by distancing a gun from its owner, moving it from a nightstand, to a closet safe box, and then the bottom of the ocean. It gets the cartoonists opinion across successfully with limited text by taking a visual approach. 

[Matt Saba]

I personally liked this cartoon for the fact that it was not only critical, but it also uses humorous quotes to enhance its message. Reading the speech bubbles clockwise initially brings to mind how terrible it must have been for those people stuck at sea, but as the last bubble is read the true meaning of the cartoon comes to light. The cartoon is obviously criticizing the American Congress's inability to act in dire situations that require immediate attention. The stranding of the Carnival Ship was and still is a huge event that the cartoonist uses to show the gravity that the problem with congress has. 

http://world.time.com/2013/02/18/russian-scientists-recover-meteor-fragments/

This article is about how after the meteor that broke up over northern Russia struck a lake creating a hole in the ice 20 feet across and only now are scientists beginning to find pieces of it in the lake. A meteor of this magnitude is a in a once in a century occurrence that happened to take place on the same day as another far larger meteor passed 17,100 miles away from earth, and another smaller meteor passed over the West coast of the US(surprisingly these three events were completely unrelated).  Even though this was a relatively small meteor (it was only around 2 feet in diameter), it still caused tremendous damage, hospitalizing 1,500 people from just its sound boom. The author of the article used statistics and eye witness information in explaining this topic so there was basically no tone to the article.

[grace miller]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/17/16996283-thousands-rally-in-dc-against-keystone-pipeline?lite

 

In this article, Andrew Rafferty reports a huge and empowering rally that has just occurred on Sunday February 17^th. This was the biggest climate rally in American History. There were approximately 40,000 people from all over the country nonviolently speaking their opinion to urge Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. The rally goers see it as destruction of our environment and thank president Obama for finally addressing the climate issue and urge him to keep his word on moving ‘Forward on Climate’. Being a strong believer on moving forward on climate myself, I went to D.C. and walked right along side of many people who share my same belief. It was inspiring to be a part of something so larger than life and admire the people who put it together. This article was very factual on both sides of the argument but had a very progressive tone.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/18/us/michigan-fatal-fire-children/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

In this article, Rick Martin reports about three children who were killed in Michigan in a house fire. Two of the children were 3 years old and the other was 1 and they were left home without supervision. The fire broke out at 2 p.m. and the cause is unknown. This somber article is very cut to the chase with information very sad. After reading this article I was shocked that adults would ever leave two 3 year olds and a 1 year old home alone.

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[elizabeth.smith.24]

http://news.yahoo.com/thanks-lincoln-mississippi-finally-definitely-ratified-thirteenth-amendment-024920825.html

This Yahoo! article explores the fact that Mississippi never actually ratified the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution until a citizen did some research after seeing the new movie 'Lincoln". Being a southern state, they never ratified the ammendment in the 1860s, and when the state finalliy voted on the amendment in the 1990s, the correct paperwork was never filed so the ammanement was never officially passed. State officials stated that the ratification was long overdue and they were happy it was finally accomplished. 

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/texas-mom-delivers-quadruplets-two-sets-identical-twins-195924976--abc-news-health.html

This matter-of-fact article states that a Texas mother reciently delivered quadruplets, but these weren't your everyday-not-so-typical quadruplets, these were two sets of identical twin boys. Identical twins are extremely rare as it is, and the fact that this mother had two sets is outright crazy. I can't imagine having a twin, let alone three, but at the same time I think it would be cool. The couple was hoping for a sister for their son, and still state that are going to try for a girl, something I personally can't imagine- having 6 kids!

[Alexandra Chin]

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/18/technology/burger-king-twitter-hacked/index.html

In a rather hilarious turn of events Burger King was hacked by an anonymous person for the course of a full hour. Over the course of the our BK was sending out tweets saying that they had been sold to McDonald's and that their patties were made with horse meat as a reference to last weeks article regrading the horse meat investigation in the UK. All in all it seemed that no harm was done, all that was changed was the icon and a few tweets that needed to be removed.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/18/news/jewelry-heist-four-seasons/index.html

This article talks of a jewelry heist at a Four Seasons Hotel. In total $160,000 was stolen from a display case. Unfortunately the jewelry has not been recovered and the hotel is currently working with the police to help find the stolen jewelry. With Four Seasons 20 year track record of no crime,  I hope that the jewelry is recovered.

[brook...@gmail.com]

I feel that adults have become sort of neglectful of their children... This does not go for all parents, however, I feel that a leading cause of neglectfulness is the dependence on technology now-a-days. Parents are always keeping a close eye on their Twitter account their iPhone is running but not if the children are playing with the stove, running risk of a fire inside their house. Again, this does not go for all parents as well as this is not the only reason parents have grown increasingly neglectful of their children, but it is just a theory or idea I have. Parents, get off the internet. It is extremely tragic that these kids died the way they did, when they did. Prayers go out to the families.

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[brook...@gmail.com]

I think this cartoon makes a good point and stands as good representation for popular opinion. I don't feel that guns should necessarily be banned all around, but maybe have more security or stricter licensing to those who can own guns. Clearly, it has been proven that many have been immorally utilizing the weapons and causing damage and trouble all over the country. The concern is real, and as this cartoon does not pick fun at anyone involved in the argument, I think it is a lighthearted and simple display of what many people want in solution to this national issue.

[jamiemelville1]

http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/18/17004414-russian-meteorite-rush-targets-rocks-valued-more-highly-than-gold?lite

I found this article really interesting, because after the meteorite fell in Russia a few days ago, there has been a "meteorite rush." Each gram of the meteorite is worth $2,200 dollars. Each gram. After describing that is about 40 times the price of gold, the article describes the insanity that has taken place in Russia, with people constantly searching for meteorite chunks. It says that over 20,000 people initially searched for meteorite fragments. It also caused tons of internet ads claiming they had "meteorite fragments" (mostly fraud) and would try to sell them for as little as $30, because people will jump on the opportunity if they think they can turn around and sell it for much more. 

[jamiemelville1]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/18/17007798-guard-gets-two-years-in-prison-for-failing-to-protect-belarus-from-teddy-bears?lite

This bizarre article happened to catch my attention as it was headlined as a man sentenced to two years in prison for failing to protect a town from teddy bears. It became less ridiculous as I read into it, but apparently a Swedish plane crossed the Belarusian border, and a border guard did not report this. The plane dropped hundreds of teddy bears on parachutes with "democracy protest" messages. The guard was sentenced to two years in prison for not reporting the plane crossing the border. I thought this was kind of ridiculous  

[Dylan Panicucci]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/17/mother-boy-slapped-on-plane-is-now-apprehensive/

            On a plane ride to Atlanta, 60 year old Joe Hundley slapped a crying baby, and told the mother to, “Shut that n***** baby up!”  The mother, Jessica Bennett, has said that her son is now very apprehensive around strangers, as one would imagine.  Bennett also said that Hundley was drinking and became increasingly more belligerent.  What this man did was utterly appalling, and he should face the consequences.  I just cannot imagine slapping a baby, let alone calling it a n*****!  Hundley is currently suspended from his job, and he somehow plans to plead not guilty.

http://music-mix.ew.com/2013/02/17/harlem-shake 

            You have probably heard of the song “Harlem Shake” by now.  After the original video was posted, thousands of different versions were made with millions of views.  Like “Gangam Style” earlier this year, this song and its video offshoots have gone viral.  “Harlem Shake” is now Number 1 on iTunes and looks to stay there.  It will be interesting to see how this turns out because I’m sure many people are done with the craze by now.

[sian.barry]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/16/21-people-having-fun-with-nature_n_2582957.html?ir=Comedy#slide=more277729

 

I saw the title of this article and was instantly captivated into reading. “21 people having too much fun with nature”; that’s just instantly hilarious, so props to whichever Huffington Post writer came up with the name. This article takes on a comical and satirical tone as portrayed through the pictures and short caption that accompany them. Here, the Huffington Post has captured a series of people that have evidently “taken adventure to the next level.” From the image of a man that looks like he’s vomiting up a waterfall to people falling off of the Grand Canyon, this piece truly entertains its readers and hypnotizes its audience with a single glance. I really enjoyed looking through these pictures in conjunction with the blurbs; these people really did have too much fun with nature.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/16/oscar-pistorius-revive-reeva-steenkamp-shooting_n_2702344.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

 

This article from the Huffington Post sheds light on a story that is reminiscent of the London 2012 Olympics. Olympic Track runner Oscar Pistorius appeared at the magistrate’s court on Friday where he was officially charged with one count of murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend and model, Reeva Steenkamp. Allegedly, he killed his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day after he thought there was an intruder who he shot four times. In my opinion, that makes him automatically guilty, but he is pleading that it was an accident (yeah right). I respected Oscar Pistorius after watching his Olympic race in London this past summer, especially for the fact that he was the first athlete to run with two prosthetic legs. However, once I learned this information, all my respect for him has gone out the window. I think it is shocking for an Olympic athlete to commit such a crime, while they are viewed as paragons to all that support them. I think he should be convicted and hopefully his career following the prosecution is ruined. 

[stephen.voc]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mcdonald-claims-innocence-burger-king-twitter-hacking-211930675.html

This article was extremely entertaining to read.  Jason Sickles of Yahoo News reports on an incident regarding internet hackers breaking into Burger King's Twitter account and giving people everywhere the impression that McDonald's bought Burger King.  The hackers changed BK's profile picture to the iconic Golden Arches as well as its header to the golden, crispy chicken nuggets that are sold in McDonald's stores across the globe.  Sickles accomplishes his goal of simply explaining the facts of what happened to his online readers.  However, his humorous tone makes the article worthwhile.  In the beginning, he states: "Don't blame the hamburglar."  He uses this play on words to introduce the fact that McDonald's is not, in fact, behind the hacking scheme.  This article made me laugh and also gave me some concern as to who can hack my own accounts.

On Monday, February 18, 2013 4:18:04 PM UTC-5, brook...@gmail.com wrote:

[stephen.voc]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/child-assured-it-will-be-long-time-before-he-dies,31337/

This brief article by Onion reporters made me laugh and also got me thinking about societal standards.  In this fictional piece, parents are ridiculed for disclosing to their son that he will eventually die one day.  The boy then was,"...lying wide-awake in the darkness of his room calculating exactly how old he would be when he died."  I enjoyed this satirical piece because it sheds light on the way Americans feel about death.  For whatever reason, Americans have grown to fear death, just as the little boy in this article was.  However, the purpose that The Onion writers were trying to accomplish here was to point out the fact that Americans need to stop worrying about when and how they are going to die and to just get on with life.  I agree with the authors of this piece; perhaps Americans should be less concerned about their undeniable mortality and more concerned about savoring every last precious second they are given.

On Monday, February 18, 2013 4:18:04 PM UTC-5, brook...@gmail.com wrote:

[katherine...@gmail.com]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/chris-browns-agent-suggests-suicide-could-be-great,31342/

While the public's opinion of Chris Brown has gone down in a hurry, I think it's in bad taste that the Onion put out an article like this. In the world we live in now, where suicide is becoming more and more common, I don't think it's very funny that they make a large joke about a person killing themselves. Perhaps I'm being a little too sensitive, because it is the Onion after all, but I think they could have pursued a myriad other anti-Chris Brown jokes, and made a serious mistake in going with one involving suicide. The joke went even further into inappropriateness by concluding with a statement saying that people would be willing to watch it all go down. I don't think that's funny at all, and is really just pushing it way too far. No matter what a butthead Chris Brown is, I don't think that anyone should be telling him to go kill himself.

On Monday, February 18, 2013 4:18:04 PM UTC-5, brook...@gmail.com wrote:

[rippeyrachel]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/19/opinion/abell-apple-prospects/index.html?hpt=us_t5

With a biased opinion towards the demise of Apple, John C. Abell endorses the future triumph of today's "lesser" corporations such as Microsoft, Android, and Samsung.  The writer presents an argument that Apple, while tremendously expanding, will eventually face a fierce competitor, similar to how Microsoft, the Palm Pilot, and Blackberry were all beaten by Apple.  Abell centralizes on Apple's current lack of new ideas and technologies with the loss of Steve Jobs, and makes a speculation that Apple will "lose its cool" without the production of new technologies with innovative ideas.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/19/health/fda-bionic-eye/index.html?hpt=us_t4

Alexandra Sifferlin covers the new Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System with an opinion in favor of the new technology that will allow enhanced light perception for individuals with retinitis pigmentosa, an eye condition that deteriorates light perception over time.  Sifferlin cites a test done to see if the implementation of this technology will help those with retinitis pigmentosa, and the results say that it will be the only available option to those with the eye condition.  Sifferlin states that the surgically implanted eye will be a bit pricey, but that insurance could possibly cover it in the United States.  Sifferlin also states that it is currently available in Europe, while it will make its first appearance in the United States soon.

[isabella.cuan]

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2013/02/19/107274

This political cartoon created by Gary Varvel on February 19 humorously characterizes the gas crisis of the 21st century. Throughout Obama's presidency, gas prices have risen tremendously, posing a daunting fate for Americans. In the cartoon, an "automatic gas price economic pain machine" is depicted; figuratively, it reflects the very financial suffering occurring nationwide as most Americans are dependent on gas in one way or another. The cartoonist used a satirical and very critical tone, expressing the absurdity the gas situation has achieved. As a new driver, gas has become a big responsibility and now more than ever, I have realized how detrimental gas can be to your own economic affairs. I hope that in the near future we Americans can begin to see a little hope for our finances. 

On Monday, February 18, 2013 4:18:04 PM UTC-5, brook...@gmail.com wrote:

[isabella.cuan]

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2013/02/16/107227

Illustrated by Steve Kelley, this political cartoon is a simple and straightforward, yet very powerful, representation of the current state of the union. The cartoonist depicted debt as a meteor, comparing the gigantic crater to the earth itself from the view of the galaxy. While Obama argues consistently that our debt will indeed decrease with time, it has yet to undergo advantageous consequences; rather, it has become the American basis of unemployment and fear for the future. Though exaggerated in the cartoon, debt is, in fact, consuming every aspect of life and in essence, the world. This cartoon not only speaks to the American public, but more significantly, the world, as countries are frequently plunging into the same debt we know so well. Kelley effectively conveys the magnitude of this problem, but primarily, he forewarns readers about the formidable fate debt may have if we never find a way to perpetually terminate it. 

On Monday, February 18, 2013 4:18:04 PM UTC-5, brook...@gmail.com wrote:

[Orion Farr]

http://media.caglecartoons.com/media/cartoons/95/2013/02/19/127441_600.jpg

This comic depicts a role reversal between pro gun americans and soldiers over seas. The soldier, upon reading a pro-gun article wishes that someone so intensley obessed with guns should be able to switch places with him. This plays with an interesting viewpoint on how americans are detached from what soldiers have to deal with as well as the "Gun nut" in america. It was funny, and it got the message across very quickly.

http://media.caglecartoons.com/media/cartoons/39/2013/02/18/127404_600.jpg

This politcal cartoon has a crossover between the recent movie, Zero Dark Thirty, and the carnival cruise disaster that took place last week. Besides the play on words, I really don't see how this relates to each other, and it was probably more of a joke than a political message. 

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[Ben Skalla]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/19/17019005-successful-hacker-attack-could-cripple-us-infrastructure-experts-say?lite

This article explains one of the serious downsides to the rapidly improving technology.  A Chinese military hacking group may be capable of computer attacks that this article claims to be "... cyberterrorism that makes 9/11 pale in comparison."  These cyber attacks may threaten America's energy pipelines, water supplies, and banks.  The US defense secretary was quoted saying that she believed the attackers are plotting.  The article explains that a successful hacker could be capable of shutting down part of the nation's power grid for several days, causing widespread blackouts.  Although large scale cyber attacks have not been carried out yet, they may be a serious issue in the near future.  

http://www.upworthy.com/see-the-scientific-accident-that-may-change-the-world-or-at-least-your-battery-l?g=2

This news video explains a discovery that may dramatically change our societies technology in the near future.  It explains the possible use of super capacitors in the future to power electronic devices rather than batteries.  Batteries are effective at retaining a lot of charge, however they charge slowly.  On the other hand, capacitors are capable of charging extraordinarily quickly, but are less efficient at holding a charge.  The idea behind this video is to create a device that combines the best aspects of both.  The capacitor used in their experiment lit a lightbulb for 5 minutes after only charging for 2 seconds.  In the future, there is a possibility of electric cars becoming more popular if this discovery is further developed.  This could lead to the creation of cars that could stop at "charging stations" rather than gas stations, and within 2-3 minutes be fully charged and ready to go.  

[Julie Daniels]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/19/us/missouri-gas-explosion/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

The last thing this country needs is another horrible accident but that is just what we got. Recently, in Kansas, a gas line exploded which tragically injured 19 people. The gas also exploded and ignited another fire alarm and levelheaded a nearby restaurant. The walls had collapsed inwards on the civilians which resulted in their injury. A witness said that costumers of the gas station smelled gas and the workers reacted immediately. They turned all the pumps off, measured what they could, and commanded people to quickly evacuate. Even some people from blocks away heard the explosion. It is unfortunate that such a thing had to happen to so many innocent people. Lately, there has been to many tragic events in the news and it makes me wonder if things will ever get better. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/science/space/mercury-home-to-ice-messenger-spacecraft-findings-suggest.html

“On closest planet to the sun, NASA finds lots of Ice” 

It seems to go against everything you ever learned in your elementary science classrooms; the planet closest to the sun should be the hottest right? Well in reality, it was found to contain enough ice to engulf the entire Washington DC area. The planet Mercury, ranks among one of the hottest in the solar system, so how is it possible to contain so much frozen ice? Journalist Kenneth Chang reports that scientists have recently found deep craters in which the sun never shines. These places tend to dip as cold as -370 Kelvin. Scientists and readers alike are intrigued by their new findings and this could lead to the possibility of the nest NASA mission to be sent up to Mercury to see what all this Ice is about. However, this might take decades to set in motion so for now all we can do is wait to find out what is really up there on this hot planet. 

On Monday, February 18, 2013 4:18:04 PM UTC-5, brook...@gmail.com wrote:

[katherine...@gmail.com]

http://www.cagle.com/2013/02/cupid-gives-up/

I found this cartoon, published on Valentine's Day, to be quite funny. It critiques the relationship between Speaker of the House, John Boehner, and President BArack Obama, and on a higher level, the relationship between Republicans and Democrats. The artist of this cartoon, Marshall Ramsay, displays that even Cupid, who is notorious for making people fall in love, cannot get these two (men and parties) to get along and work together. I think the symbolism can further be extended to say that Ramsay is critiquing all of America's politicians, and how it is necessary for them to get along and work together in order to benefit the future of America.

On Monday, February 18, 2013 4:18:04 PM UTC-5, brook...@gmail.com wrote:

[Mikaela Litchfield]

The biggest climate rally that took place last Sunday was a great experience and was really eye opening to the passion that encompasses so many Americans. Climate change is real and happening, and I especially l liked that there were many older people at the protest too; we don't have to be the only ones who worry for the future of the planet. 

On Monday, February 18, 2013 8:39:43 PM UTC-5, grace.miller07 wrote:

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[Mikaela Litchfield]

That Texas mother deserves an award, my mom always tells me how hard having one infant was hard, I can't imagine someone having four. In addition, I can imagine that it would e hard to differentiate between the sets of twins. I also wonder if their view of having another child will change as they become adjusted to parenthood. 

[Matt Saba]

It is incredible that in this day and age of extreme technological connectivity that a state can forget about one of the most important laws in American history. The fact that no one ever thought to check whether or not their state ratified this monumental law is truly mind-boggleing. This is just another example of how bureaucratic red tape is an enormous hindrance to progress of any kind. All that I can say is thank goodness for the movie "Lincoln" because without it, who knows how long this gaping hole in equality granted by the constitution would have remained. 

On Monday, February 18, 2013 8:52:22 PM UTC-5, elizabeth.smith.24 wrote:

[Matt Saba]

This idea of massive cyber attacks on the United States government and economy is not as far off as many people think. Think about it, there are kids now-a-days that can hack into their schools websites and change grades on a whim; imagine what an entire cell of people who are masters at this art could do. There is a clear connection between this concept and the movie "Live Free or Die Hard". In this movie, a team of domestic terrorists manages to shut down the economy, government, and defense network, all in order to prove the flaws in American cyber-defence. This situation is very similar to what the Chinese hackers have the potential of doing. The worst part is if this kind of attack does happen in America, it is unlikely that Bruce Willis will be able to swoop in and singe-handedly save the day.

[sian.barry]

In reply to the Burger King Twitter Hack:

Upon searching for my article this week, I too came across an article, however from the Huffington Post, about the incident regarding internet hackers breaking into Burger King's Twitter account, giving everyone the impression that McDonald's bought Burger King. Similar to this article from Yahoo News, the one I read also utilized a humorous tone that made the article captivating and worth reading, in addition to a comical concept. I have to agree with Stephen that the author, Jason Sickles, does a great job "simply explaining the facts of what happened" in his seemingly short piece. However, I believe that sometimes short and sweet is the best way to convey a potent message without boring your online audience whilst still achieving your purpose. And Sickles does exactly this. I think this whole scandal is quite funny, but it does instill some fear about online hacking and how real and easy it is, especially if a major corporation was hacked. It is interesting to see how companies are making huge efforts to reduce the risk of hacking, which I noticed when I recently signed up for the SATs and had to make an account and password with a capital letter, numbers and had to be at least 8 digits. This just verifies how serious online hacking is. 

[sian.barry]

In response to Demise of Apple Article:

I thought this article had an interesting perspective on the technology world. In theory, the electronic arena seems to be dominated by iMacs, iPads, iPhones, iPods and iPad minis, but in reality, Apple are just maximizing their profits by making slightly different products upon the same premise and fooling its consumers. If you look at the similarities between all of Apple's products, it is easy for critics like John C. Abell to argue that they are lacking new technology and new ideas. Some may attribute it to the loss of one of Apple's most inventive minds, Steve Jobs. However, Abell makes the point that eventually a fierce and overpowering competitor will make Apple "lose its cool." Typically, I am a huge fan of apple. I have an iPhone, iPod and MacBook, however, I must agree that some of their latest technology is repetitive, which is annoying to the avid consumer like myself. I hope they are able to keep up with the competition and continue to innovate new products that revolutionize technology, but if not, I am excited to see what new companies have to offer. 

[isabella.cuan]

I thought this article was really interesting because it offers a different and cautious perspective regarding technology. We have all read articles both condemning and praising technology, but this one rather shows very realistically the pure malicious motives technology can have. I was completely shocked after reading the comment that juxtaposed 9/11 with this new kind of cyberterrorism; 9/11 was a traumatic time of fear and hardship that no American particularly likes to recall, so to even propose that something involving the Internet could have more magnitude than that of 9/11 is extremely unnerving and in a way, seemingly fictitious. Yet, the reality of this is growing ever more powerful as technology continues to unremittingly subjugate society.

On Tuesday, February 19, 2013 7:52:53 PM UTC-5, Ben Skalla wrote:

[isabella.cuan]

Like Stephen, I completely agree with the message the Onion was attempting to convey through their typically satirical article. Death is a very frightening notion, I will not deny that; however, it is too often that we as society live our lives in fear of this one thing. If we all must die in the end and every human being must face this fate, why should we be so preoccupied about death when we know we cannot change it? Shouldn't this very idea propel us to take full control of our lives because we know for certain that we are only given one chance? Nonetheless, it is still difficult for many to accept this end as truth and thus, live life for what it's worth. As simple as death may be, it proves to be an undeniable source of complexity, consternation, and confusion for most of society. 

[OliviaPasserini]

I am completely amazed by the fact that a man would hit a baby, especially in a public place like an airplane. Obviously a crying baby on a plane can be excruciatingly annoying and the thought of just smacking the child may quickly cross ones mind,  actually following through with the action is horrible and unexcusable. He deserves to be suspended from his job and there is no one he could possibly be found not guilty.

[OliviaPasserini]

I also found this article to make a very good point about the way that not only Americans, but humans in general view death. Death should not be feared, it should just be accepted as part of the natural cycle of being a part of this earth. People should not live their lives under the anxiety and fear of how and when they will die because that will lead to a miserable and stressful life. Everyone needs to accept the fact that they inevitably will die at a certain point which will come whenever it is meant to come and that is all that can be said about it.

 
On Monday, February 18, 2013 9:56:57 PM UTC-5, stephen.voc wrote:

[elizabeth.smith.24]

I, like Jamie, was quite confused when I first saw the title of this article, but after reading, my confusion became cleared up. Though my confusion eventually disappeared, although the article was quite stupid in my opinion, not because of the way it was written, but because of the topic. I get that Belaruse did not want these messages dropped into the city, but the guard should not be punished for not reporting the plane. On the other hand, I find the teddy bears to be a very creative way for Sweden to get their democracy message out to the Belaruseian population.

[elizabeth.smith.24]

I also find this article to be awful and even though I fully understand how annoying a crying baby on board a plane can be, I cannot imagine ever hitting one. Not only is the baby hurt, the hit would surely make the baby continue to cry, the other passengers must now suffer due to this one man's choices. I agree with Olivia in regards to the fact that there is no way that he should be found not guilty and that he deserves to be suspended for his job for hurting the baby, not only in that moment, but in the future due to the fact that he is now wary of strangers. 

[Ben Skalla]

It seems crazy to think about something like that happening.  The blast from this meteor crashing into the earth caused about $33 million worth of damage.  What amazes me the most about this meteor is that it was traveling an estimated of 19 miles per second.  Scientists believe that the meteor could have been up to 55 feet wide when it reached earth's atmosphere, weighing about 10,000 tons.  One person actually estimated the pieces of the meteor being worth up to $2,200 per gram.  That would be more than 40 times higher than the current price of gold.  This may be the only time a meteor like this hits earth in our lifetime.

[Ben Skalla]

It surprises me that our nation which has come so far in order to create a country in which all men and women are created equal, took so long to get its last state to ratify the thirteenth amendment.  It also surprised me that this was unknown until a random person did research about it.  Its bad enough that it took until the 1990s for Mississippi to vote on the amendment, but of course the proper paperwork was not taken care of and the amendment was not ratified until 2013.  

[Julie Daniels]

Like Dylan I am completely shocked by the actions made by this man on the plane. Not only was he totally inappropriate but he was also belligerent. The Child did nothing wrong other than act like any other kid would do during a tiring day of flying. No matter what kind of troubles this man had run into before boarding the plane, it does not give him the right to use such brutality to a child that was not even his. This makes me wonder about the current state of the world and what will come of it. 

[Julie Daniels]

Like Grace, I love what happened in this article. This was not a protest against the government but rather a rally to further thank president Obama for addressing the climate change problems. This is a subject that I personally care very deeply about. Not only do I want to help but I also want to pursue this topic as my major in college. The fact that it is finally being talked about makes me very happy and gives me hope for the future. It is also my hope that something will be done soon so conditions can improve as quickly as possible.

On Monday, February 18, 2013 8:39:43 PM UTC-5, grace.miller07 wrote:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/17/16996283-thousands-rally-in-dc-against-keystone-pipeline?lite

 

In this article, Andrew Rafferty reports a huge and empowering rally that has just occurred on Sunday February 17^th. This was the biggest climate rally in American History. There were approximately 40,000 people from all over the country nonviolently speaking their opinion to urge Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. The rally goers see it as destruction of our environment and thank president Obama for finally addressing the climate issue and urge him to keep his word on moving ‘Forward on Climate’. Being a strong believer on moving forward on climate myself, I went to D.C. and walked right along side of many people who share my same belief. It was inspiring to be a part of something so larger than life and admire the people who put it together. This article was very factual on both sides of the argument but had a very progressive tone.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/18/us/michigan-fatal-fire-children/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

In this article, Rick Martin reports about three children who were killed in Michigan in a house fire. Two of the children were 3 years old and the other was 1 and they were left home without supervision. The fire broke out at 2 p.m. and the cause is unknown. This somber article is very cut to the chase with information very sad. After reading this article I was shocked that adults would ever leave two 3 year olds and a 1 year old home alone.

On Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 7:32 PM, Matt Saba <mdsab...@gmail.com> wrote:

I personally liked this cartoon for the fact that it was not only critical, but it also uses humorous quotes to enhance its message. Reading the speech bubbles clockwise initially brings to mind how terrible it must have been for those people stuck at sea, but as the last bubble is read the true meaning of the cartoon comes to light. The cartoon is obviously criticizing the American Congress's inability to act in dire situations that require immediate attention. The stranding of the Carnival Ship was and still is a huge event that the cartoonist uses to show the gravity that the problem with congress has. 

http://world.time.com/2013/02/18/russian-scientists-recover-meteor-fragments/

This article is about how after the meteor that broke up over northern Russia struck a lake creating a hole in the ice 20 feet across and only now are scientists beginning to find pieces of it in the lake. A meteor of this magnitude is a in a once in a century occurrence that happened to take place on the same day as another far larger meteor passed 17,100 miles away from earth, and another smaller meteor passed over the West coast of the US(surprisingly these three events were completely unrelated).  Even though this was a relatively small meteor (it was only around 2 feet in diameter), it still caused tremendous damage, hospitalizing 1,500 people from just its sound boom. The author of the article used statistics and eye witness information in explaining this topic so there was basically no tone to the article.

--

[stephen.voc]

In response to the article on slapping babies:

The entire title to this article sums up its outrageousness.  I cannot believe that a grown man would go so far as to slap a baby on an airplane just for crying.  Although it is true that this article is biased and does not cite any evidence to defend the man, there seems to be zero justification for such a crime.  The fact that the man also repeatedly shouted out racial slurs only adds to the validity of the mother's story.  I, for one, am not a fan of crying babies.  I might roll my eyes and complain, but never would I ever slap an innocent baby, especially that of a stranger.  This article makes me wonder what is becoming of the world when there are people like this.

[stephen.voc]

In response to the gas price cartoon:

I completely agree with you, Isabella.  This cartoon perfectly summarizes the hardship faced by millions of drivers of all ages across the nation in light of the ever-increasing gas prices.  Although the artist might not have literally meant that a shoe will kick you in the buttocks or a bowling ball will drop onto your head each time you pay for gas, he does depict the figurative pain that most people feel at the pump.  As a new driver, I despise the gas prices.  There is nothing worse than watching your hard-earned tips pour into your car over and over again.

[rippeyrachel]

The article about the children who were killed in a house fire is very disheartening. Nonetheless it is their supervisors fault that this happened because maybe if responsible babysitter or adult was there with them, this fire would never have broken out. I agree with Grace that the overrall tone was very cut-to-the-chase and I am also shocked adults would leave these young children home unattended. 

[rippeyrachel]

It's funny that this was unknown for all of these years. I mean, seeing Mississippi is one of the most racist states in the US, I feel relieved that it was finally ratified. However it is ironic in the fact that the 13th amendment was never ratified in the home state of "Mississippi Burning"  and it is almost like it was done on purpose. This may just be a crazy theory but weirder things have happened.

[merstriolo]

It's incredible how much damage such a small meteor could cause. Just think, what if something such as the asteroid that passed through our satellites' orbit was to strike Earth. That would cause immense devastation, and although this is, as you said, a once in a century occurrence, science is now capable of predicting events such as this which, at least in my case, makes the viewer more apprehensive of such devastation. Now, if the end of the world was truly around the corner, we would know, and I'm not sure whether I would want to know its coming or just to have it hit all at once, in whatever form it may take. 

[merstriolo]

Technological warfare? That sounds interesting. The question is, would they really be willing to launch such an attack on America, given our potential and the potential of modern warfare? The Chinese have no idea what they would be getting into and it seems as though this would just be one big nerd battle at the people's expense. Which, in all honesty, would be freaking awesome in theory, but as you said this could pose serious issues in the future. 

On Tuesday, February 19, 2013 7:52:53 PM UTC-5, Ben Skalla wrote:

[Dylan Panicucci]

This is really crazy that a state never actually ratified the Thirteenth Amendment.  You would think that the state government or even the federal government would notice this.  Then to not properly complete the paperwork either?  I think this just says something about the racism in Mississippi, to have something so important put off for so long.

[katherine...@gmail.com]

It's scary to think that kids that young are being left in a house to fend for themselves nowadays. I strongly feel that parents should take more personal responsibility for their little ones in all areas of life. Parents nowadays are too lenient with their children, especially in discipline. When I was young, I wouldn't consider doing half of the things that kids I've seen are allowed to do today, and I think that's mainly because of a lack of parenting. Parents are far too ready to blame everyone else for their mistakes and the mistakes of their children, and know that if something doesn't go their way, they can send an email and have everything fixed for them. This article is just another example of parents not taking responsibility for their kids, but in this case, that negligence had fatal consequences.

On Monday, February 18, 2013 8:39:43 PM UTC-5, grace.miller07 wrote:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/17/16996283-thousands-rally-in-dc-against-keystone-pipeline?lite

 

In this article, Andrew Rafferty reports a huge and empowering rally that has just occurred on Sunday February 17^th. This was the biggest climate rally in American History. There were approximately 40,000 people from all over the country nonviolently speaking their opinion to urge Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. The rally goers see it as destruction of our environment and thank president Obama for finally addressing the climate issue and urge him to keep his word on moving ‘Forward on Climate’. Being a strong believer on moving forward on climate myself, I went to D.C. and walked right along side of many people who share my same belief. It was inspiring to be a part of something so larger than life and admire the people who put it together. This article was very factual on both sides of the argument but had a very progressive tone.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/18/us/michigan-fatal-fire-children/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

In this article, Rick Martin reports about three children who were killed in Michigan in a house fire. Two of the children were 3 years old and the other was 1 and they were left home without supervision. The fire broke out at 2 p.m. and the cause is unknown. This somber article is very cut to the chase with information very sad. After reading this article I was shocked that adults would ever leave two 3 year olds and a 1 year old home alone.

On Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 7:32 PM, Matt Saba <mdsab...@gmail.com> wrote:

I personally liked this cartoon for the fact that it was not only critical, but it also uses humorous quotes to enhance its message. Reading the speech bubbles clockwise initially brings to mind how terrible it must have been for those people stuck at sea, but as the last bubble is read the true meaning of the cartoon comes to light. The cartoon is obviously criticizing the American Congress's inability to act in dire situations that require immediate attention. The stranding of the Carnival Ship was and still is a huge event that the cartoonist uses to show the gravity that the problem with congress has. 

http://world.time.com/2013/02/18/russian-scientists-recover-meteor-fragments/

This article is about how after the meteor that broke up over northern Russia struck a lake creating a hole in the ice 20 feet across and only now are scientists beginning to find pieces of it in the lake. A meteor of this magnitude is a in a once in a century occurrence that happened to take place on the same day as another far larger meteor passed 17,100 miles away from earth, and another smaller meteor passed over the West coast of the US(surprisingly these three events were completely unrelated).  Even though this was a relatively small meteor (it was only around 2 feet in diameter), it still caused tremendous damage, hospitalizing 1,500 people from just its sound boom. The author of the article used statistics and eye witness information in explaining this topic so there was basically no tone to the article.

--

[katherine...@gmail.com]

When you open your company up to a social media site like Twitter, I think it should be expected that people will attempt to mess with it in some way. In this case, there was really no harm done- just a few harmless jokes. In no way do I see this harming Burger King's image. If anything, I think that maintaining a sense of humor about this situation will help the company, especially after their recent horse meat incident in the United Kingdom!

On Monday, February 18, 2013 9:00:47 PM UTC-5, Alexandra Chin wrote:

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/18/technology/burger-king-twitter-hacked/index.html

In a rather hilarious turn of events Burger King was hacked by an anonymous person for the course of a full hour. Over the course of the our BK was sending out tweets saying that they had been sold to McDonald's and that their patties were made with horse meat as a reference to last weeks article regrading the horse meat investigation in the UK. All in all it seemed that no harm was done, all that was changed was the icon and a few tweets that needed to be removed.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/18/news/jewelry-heist-four-seasons/index.html

This article talks of a jewelry heist at a Four Seasons Hotel. In total $160,000 was stolen from a display case. Unfortunately the jewelry has not been recovered and the hotel is currently working with the police to help find the stolen jewelry. With Four Seasons 20 year track record of no crime,  I hope that the jewelry is recovered.

[Dylan Panicucci]

Like Stephen, I find this both funny and entertaining.  These hackers, I guess you could say, were good natured, and simply wanted to pull an elaborate prank.  However, at the same time you worry about what more sinister people with even better hacking skills can do.  Let's just hope they stick to messing around with fast food chains.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mcdonald-claims-innocence-burger-king-twitter-hacking-211930675.html

This article was extremely entertaining to read.  Jason Sickles of Yahoo News reports on an incident regarding internet hackers breaking into Burger King's Twitter account and giving people everywhere the impression that McDonald's bought Burger King.  The hackers changed BK's profile picture to the iconic Golden Arches as well as its header to the golden, crispy chicken nuggets that are sold in McDonald's stores across the globe.  Sickles accomplishes his goal of simply explaining the facts of what happened to his online readers.  However, his humorous tone makes the article worthwhile.  In the beginning, he states: "Don't blame the hamburglar."  He uses this play on words to introduce the fact that McDonald's is not, in fact, behind the hacking scheme.  This article made me laugh and also gave me some concern as to who can hack my own accounts.

[jamiemelville1]

In response to graces second article, I can't even fathom how someone can bring themselves to kill people, even more so children. I think it just represents the instability in the minds of some people in the world

[jamiemelville1]

In response to Matt's cruise ship cartoon, I think it's funny Because it actually does a very good job depicting the situation from the passengers perspective and provides lots of criticism toward Congress.

[Orion Farr]

In response to your first article

Thats just plain gross, It's not even like they are trying to hide the fact that they are selling very unhealthy products to children nonetheless  It seems like its their job to get kids addicted on caffeine and such. This underscores the responsibilities of parents to refrain from buying such products, but as we can see from Appalachia, this drink will be popular.

On Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 9:23 AM, jamiemelville1 <jamieme...@gmail.com> wrote:

In response to Matt's cruise ship cartoon, I think it's funny Because it actually does a very good job depicting the situation from the passengers perspective and provides lots of criticism toward Congress.

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[Orion Farr]

In the second article, that was something out of the outsiders; a fight right in the middle of the street. I'd never expect to see something like that at Sparta but I guess the cities are different. Those parents are extremely irresponsible for doing that, but I guess one of the parents began fighting and the others joined in. It was a hot mess, but I don't really know what to say about it.