Tattoo Barbie

Toys R Us is selling Totally Stylin Tattoos Barbie for $22.99.

I heard the tease for this story while watching American Idol on FOX and gasped out loud! Mattel made a tattoo barbie? What?!

Well, they did sell that "math is hard" doll before...Seems like Mattel likes to surprise.

BTW, congrats to the Boricua on American Idol on making it to the top 12. American Idol is going Latino!

8Xs the Fame

Octo-Mom Nadya Suleman permeated news reports since early February. It was a human interest story that involved a unique birth of multiple children, but now her reputation has changed, especially with the release of Radar’s video. This is when grandmother Suleman reprimands and publicly argues with her daughter in regard to the number of children.

The public is most outraged by Suleman’s financial situation. Suleman is unemployed and living off her student loans, but that money will run out quickly. Her parents’ house is in danger of foreclosure. This raises eyebrows because the public does not want to support her children with taxes.

To add to the outrage, Suleman has been offered a pornography deal by Vivid Entertainment. If she made a porn film, they would give her $1 million. Additionally, if she becomes a regular by doing several videos, they will provide full dental and medical insurance for her entire family.

I believe that Suleman should have thought about her children’s lives before she made the decision to have eight more children. These children do not have a male figure in their lives, unless the grandfather is a consideration. Several studies conducted by sociologists prove that children living in a single-female headed household are more likely to get into legal trouble as they grow up. I think that the Christian perspective is most prominent in this aspect because these children will not be living in a house as God demanded with a mother and a father. She has not even raised her children because she is at school, working on her Masters. Suleman depends on her mother to take her children and raise the children as her own.

NBC was able to visit the Sulemans at their home giving an inside look. The house was filled with toys and children overflowing while the eight babies are still in the hospital. During this footage the audience was able to see that neighbors and other samaritans have donated food and money to help Suleman out. I think that she is also taking people’s generosity for granted. She accepts donations without being humble. In fact, she even posted a donation link on her website for the public to give support.

American Idol in Puerto Rico

This is the first time that American Idol hosted auditions in the US territory Puerrrto Rrrico. Orale! Good job American Idol for recognizing that Latinos, well maybe just Boricuas, are a important audience to target. I was suprised to hear that the people were able to sing in Spanish and even more suprised that those songs would also get broadcasted.

Props to American Idol, even though I dissed reality tv shows in my last blog. Eh, we all watch 'em, no? Hasta Luego.

Reality TV: Oxymoron

There are too many reality tv shows that provide useless information and give unrealistic expectations about stardom (and other real values) to ignorant audiences.

To name a few: American Idol. ANTM, Survivor, The Hills, The Biggest Loser, So you thin you can dance, the real world, dancing with the stars, but the list continues to go on.

James Poniewozik wrote an article for TIME called “Why Reality TV is Good for Us.” He states that although there’s hardly any reality in them, the shows provide “involving human stories.” Poniewozik also added that “reality shows don't just reach tens of millions of viewers but leave them feeling part of a communal experience.”

What kind of communal experience? The experience to waste time away from each other instead of having good relationships as God intended?

Reality tv was interesting and fun before. It started in the early 90s when producers wanted to make shows that were cheap and easy to make. The Real World was one of the first ones. Audiences were attracted because they could really identify with the people on tv. It was like they were watching themselves.

But now this phenomenon has turned into an obsession. Networks either have reality shows broadcasted every other day or are overflowing with them.

These shows have also become annoying because we see the same people and producers. America’s Next Top Model has reached its 11 cycle and Tyra Banks still goes and makes another show called Stylista. Also, American Idol’s Randy Jackson branches off and does a dance show, does he seriously not have enough money with just one? I guess not.

Then there’s the issue about authenticity and performance. Shows are becoming scripted and are dramatized. That means that they are no longer real! Annette Hill, author of the book Reality TV calls this a paradox. The more entertaining a factual show is, the less real it appears to viewers. But I guess people don’t care if reality tv shows live up to their name. They just want to be entertained.

The marriage and dating shows are some that I don’t believe at all. How can someone marry someone else that they’ve only known for a short period? How can they be in love? I would think that marriage has a high value to society but this show proves otherwise.

The makeover shows are really horrifying. Doctors make a list of what’s ugly or wrong with you and will fix you up with lots of plastic surgeries. Moving on, celebrity tv shows are the most unnecessary of all. We can see celebrities scratching and clawing for fame and money.

Poneiwozik also said that reality tv is “discomfort TV--[it] lives to rattle viewers' cages. It provokes. It offends.” But why are we watching shows that offend and instigate fights? I can understand that people have a innate human interest in conflict, but we have to draw a line. I personally don’t want to watch TV shows that make me feel uncomfortable. Can American audiences stand up for some values?

So the moral of today’s rant is that members of the American society should stop centering their lives on other people’s lives. And do something else more worth while.

Final: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in JRN 215

The title of my blog is my own stylistic interpretation of the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by David Caldwell. Ok, so I just changed the last part, not much creativity involved right? But there's truth to the title. Here are some things I learned in my Journalism 215: Newspaper Production class that could be applied to pretty much any aspect in life.

1. Deadlines are important: I already came to this class with an understanding of newspaper production. I went to Poly High School and was on the newspaper for two years. However we only had one issue per month. JRN 215 taught me that deadlines are vital for collaborative works. I had to have my articles turned in on time so the section editors can edit them, so the copy editors can edit them, and (finally) so the managing editor and EIC can edit them. There's this entire line of people depending on me to turn something in. This reminds me of all the other deadlines in my life. I cannot miss the FAFSA deadline under any circumstance because then I (or any other student for that matter) will not be offered federal aid. Bills are other deadlines people have to meet. You have to pay your bills on a specific date or you get penalized and have to pay a late fee! Ew!

2. Be a good team player: Working on a newspaper means working with other people. I learned that I need to be considerate of others. The first reason for this is because we depend on each other through deadlines. Not only that but we need to respect each other, something The Banner staff does well. Prof. Pearson is writing her disstertation on collaborative work in journalism classes. This is a vital concept. And I myself personally experienced this when I got sick the last week of October. I was assigned to do an article on Homecoming. I conducted the interview with Wanda Price and was ready to construct my article. But with a 102 degree fever and a viral infection (explained as "the chicken pox's cousin" by the doc) my article wasn't going anywhere. So I emailed Prof Pearson, Jill and Amanda and quickly Serena was working on it. This collaboration had a great final result too! This also applies to any one who has a job. Not getting along with people who you work with creates a bad situation. I pray to God that it never happens to me.

3. Practice makes Perfect: The first article I wrote for The Banner was on Fall TV Show Premieres. When I finished this article I thought it was so good. But now that I re-read it I see that I could improve in a couple places. And with every other article I wrote I began making adjustments. Now as the semester comes to an end, I think I've learned a lot of AP stylebook stuff (from quizzes in JRN 215 and 170) and also on how to structure my articles. Interviews were also difficult for me to do. I'm usually quiet and well stuck inside my shell, true to my crustation birthday (Cancer is my zodiac sign). So my first interview was a little rocky. I've myself noticed that I still get nervous before interviews, but not as much as before. I've grown a little confident. All of this practicing will help me so much for my career. But the habit of practicing has also helped me in other areas of my life, like cooking. Well I bake more than cook, but it involves the same steps. I used to burn pancakes, but now they come out the perfect golden brown shade thanks to my "internal timer." Practing also makes perfect when playing Guitar Hero. I've been playing F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X. on medium and I can pass with a mediocre score. But if I keep practicing (of course after my hw) I can get a higher score.


These are just a few of the lessons I learned while during my semester. I'm sure I'll learn more next semester.

Being Latina in the United States (MIDTERM)

I chose this topic because one of my career goals is to have a magazine targeted to young Latinas. I would include political, social, college, “real life,” beauty, fashion and cultural sections to assist the ladies in any of the situations they might be facing. And plus it's hard to live biculturally and bilingually. :)

http://loteriachicana.net

In Loteria Chicana, writer Cindy Mosqueda discusses a wide variety of topics that are some way related to her Chicana roots. Her biography notes that she went to UCLA and is currently working on her PhD. She is now my new role model. And one her goals are to have more Latinas graduate from college, as is mine!
One of her posts that captivated me was one she did about Ugly Betty. This is one of my favorite shows because Betty is a Latina herself and her character is portrayed as a hardworking, superwoman, and compassionate young woman. Yet the post was about Halloween and she was asking the audience if she should dress up like her.
Another post that caught my attention was one that talked about Ruben Salazar. Salazar was a journalist who gained attention by writing articles about the farm workers. He is one of my other historical idols. Because of his contribution to the Latino community, he got a stamp named in his honor. How cool is that? But what Mosqueda points out is that schools do not teach their students about him. And it’s true, I never learned about him until one of my teachers at school, who knew that I wanted to be a journalist enlightened me with this information.
Her posts don’t really have any global news, it’s more of a national blog.

http://vivirlatino.com/

Vivir Latino is blog that mostly talks about politics and international news, but it also includes some entertainment and cultural posts.. The managing editors are Jennifer Woodard Maderazo Maegan "la Mamita Mala" Ortiz. The targeted audience is for second and third generation Latinos (parents were already born in the United States and so are they). However, I am a first generation Latina (my parents are from Mexico and I was born in the United States)
The first post that intrigued me because it discussed something that no one, neither on the news nor internet, talks about. The post was about the Green Party Presidential ticket of Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente. I’m a permanent absentee voter and when I got my ballot I opened right away and low and behold I saw the names of two women, and one with a Latino surname. The post describes how these women take racial justice seriously and they want the federal government to invest money in low income communities of color. This blog is more feminist than the other ones because a lot of their topics include awareness for domestic abuse.

http://blogamole.mtvtr3s.com/

The last blog that interested me was “blogamole,” by MTV 3. The icon for this blog is a avocado shouting “blogamole.” This blog seems to cater to young men and women and teens in the United States. Most of the posts deal with music, celebrity news of both Latino and American descent and basic entertainment. The first post is about a telenovela (soap operas) that are a vital part to Latinos.
An appealing aspect of this blog is that they also talk about Kayne West and Estelle. Then this blog also talks about Mana, a legendary Latino rock band. So the mix of cultures is really apparent in this blog. But I like that! It shows that our cultures are blending but we aren’t losing the individual culture (American or Latino).
Although this blog is the most juvenile of the three, it hits good topics that are interesting.

Welcome Baby Boy!

This is the new member of my family. He is almost a week old and a Chihuahua mix. He was born last Monday and now shares a birthday with a cousin of mine. The weather isn't helping too much right now because the little baby is cold even though he sleeps in a warm bed with a blanket and his mommy. He was born with a brother but his brother passed away. My family and I don't plan on keeping him because we already have five dogs (Lady, the mom, Gigio, the dad, Bambi, the son, and Lucy and Nala, the baby girls). So it's going to be hard to watch him grow and have to give him away. :(


It's a bittersweet time when the mommy, Lady, has puppies. In her first litter, she had
five boys and sadly two died. Well one was stillborn and my family and I think that she might have squished the other one. Then in the second litter she had six girls and two died. Now in her third litter she only had two and one died.


But it is truly a miracle from God when the babies are born! They arrive so little. Their paws, heads, nails, tails, eyes, ears are tiny. And then the babies grow up in such a short time. We kept two from her second litter. Lucy and Nala were born February 28 of this year and are already big girls. But they are so lovable, even though they sometimes make messes.


I haven't seen that new Chihuahua movie and I heard it made a lot of money. But the public has to know that these doggies need a lot of love and care. You can't ignore them because they'll be heartbroken. I'm sure this is the same situation with any pet. So love them.


I introduce you to Lucy (L) and Nala (R). They were born in Feb. This picture was taken in April. They're bigger now, but I love these pictures.