ABC's of Pop Culture

O: One Day Without Shoes (One for One)

Elizabeth — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:49:47 +0000

TOMS shoes: shoes for tomorrow. If you buy 1 pair of TOMS shoes, you give a pair of shoes to a child in need. These shoes are sweeping the nation, especially for young adults. Why wouldn’t someone feel good buying/wearing these shoes knowing that they gave a pair of shoes to a child in need. According to the TOMS shoes website, “A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential”. (http://www.toms.com/movement-one-for-one). Therefore: one for one, you get a pair and a child gets a pair. Talk about a sweet deal.

This new generation is becoming aware of their injustice others are experiencing and this fashion statement allows many people to make a difference. TOMS shoes started a solidarity movement in which people across the world are encouraged to go one day without shoes so as to become more aware of the effects of having no shoes. That day, this year, is today, April 8th. And I am participating.

So far my experience with One Day Without Shoes has been fun. I haven’t worn shoes all day, except I am forced to wear shoes in the dining halls and where they serve food as it is a health hazard not to. I was in line to go into the dining halls and I was told I could not enter without shoes. So I went back up to my room and grabbed a pair. I put them on right before I went in and took them off as soon as I came out. It’s kind of liberating not to wear shoes, but I don’t think it would be as safe if I wasn’t on a college campus. I have to pay attention to where I walk and have stepped on some uncomfortable things so far. My favorite moment thus far has been when someone asked me why I wasn’t wearing shoes. I was able to share my reasons and a bit of the TOMS shoes story and mission and I felt like I was able to make a difference.

It’s definitely a worthy cause!!

http://www.toms.com/

N: Nicholas Sparks

Elizabeth — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:38:08 +0000

Nicholas Sparks, the author of modern-day classics, like A Walk to Remember. Recently, two of his novels have been turned into movies. Dear John has already come out in theaters and The Last Song comes out later this month. I’ve loved his books so far and am just about to start The Choice and am looking forward to it! His books are so moving and truly have a great story line and plot. His novels and movies are perfect if you’re looking for a good cry. Dear John, the movie, was not as great as the book, but that is typical of books turned into movies. I recommend everyone to read his books, because they are much better than the movies!!

The Last Song Trailer…

M: Miley Cyrus

Elizabeth — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:56:02 +0000

Miley Cyrus, disney star gone pop star…

Hannah Montana – the role that got Miley out there. She got her break from the Disney channel show in which she played a dual-roled character (Miley by day, Hannah by concert). Recently Miley has shed the Hannah Montana name, appearance, and sound and has gone completely pop. Miley went from wearing bright, conservative clothes, to skanky shorts and shirts that allow her bra to show. This has created quite the controversy! Let me explain…

Miley started out as a Disney star and thus was a role model for young girls and tweens. Miley made a dramatic change to “adulthood”, but she is still a role model for many young girls. But, parents are upset because their daughters are now looking up to a girl who is dressing in clothing that barely fits. She has also taken some controversial photos and “pole danced” in a performance at an awards show. I can definitely understand why parents are in an uproar over, but at the same time, this would have never been in issue if Miley wasn’t a Disney star. But then again… would she have been famous?

Hannah Montana Miley Cyrus

Hannah Montana –

Miley Cyrus –

L: the Luge

Elizabeth — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:03:02 +0000

The Luge is one of the many Winter Olympic events and has been since 1964. According to the official olympic website “Luge riders hurtle down a slippery ice track at great speed, relying on reflexes for steering. Unlike bobsleigh, however, they have no protection should they make an error”. And no protection indeed. Just days before the opening ceremony, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili flew off the luge track and hit his head on a steel pole. He subsequently died from the injuries occurred during this accident. Talk about a somber way to start of the 2010 Winter Olympic games, which are currently being held in Vancouver, Canada.

The most controversial part of this entire situation is that the accident was caught with both video and photograph and have been circulated on the internet and in the news. People were able to watch the crash over and over and over again, even before the Olympics started.

Truly an unfortunate circumstance for a young athlete.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/12/nodar-kumaritashvili-cras_n_460474.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6202459n

K: Kanye West

Elizabeth — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:36:59 +0000

Kanye West: the music artist, recording producer, and true class act. Okay, well only the first two are correct. After Kanye’s stunt at the 2009 MTV Video Music awards, he changed how people think of him. If you are unfamiliar with this instance, I will explain. Taylor Swift beat out Pink, Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce, and Katy Perry to win the Best Female Video award. During her acceptance speech, our classy Kanye stormed on stage, took the mic from Taylor and said that Beyonce had deserved to win this award. Taylor and everyone watching was shocked, to say the least. See for yourself:

J: Justin Beiber

Elizabeth — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:30:30 +0000

The 12 year old, actually he’s 15. But still, this kid sings about love… Can he really know what love is at 15? Doubt it! His songs are very apparently written by someone else. But, don’t get me wrong, his songs are quite catchy. Who can’t not like One Time and One Less Lonely Girl?? In his videos, the girl(s) that he “pursues” are taller than him and look about two years older. In the video One Less Lonely Girl, he leads a girl on a scavenger hunt and surprises her at the end. It’s adorable, but really Justin, you’re 15!! I will leave you with these thoughts and links to the videos so that you may watch them yourself…

One Time –

One Less Lonely Girl –

I: iPad

Elizabeth — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:24:56 +0000

The iPad, Apple’s newest product. Recently, Apple has been coming out with a new product at the beginning of every year. On January 27, 2010 Apple released their “innovative”, new product. If you ask me, the iPad is just a bigger iPod touch just with (in only some of them) 3G capabilities. The iPad is just a little smaller than a regular piece of paper and only .5 inches thick. So, just take your iPod touch and multiply its size by about 2.5 and you’ve got an iPad. What I don’t understand is why this is so special. It offers the same things as an iPod touch, but has 3G or it’s the same thing as an iPhone, just without the phone. I don’t think this would be convenient to carry around when you have the touch, which will fit in your pocket or purse.

One thing that someone might use the iPad for, as my roommate pointed out, is if you’re on the subway. Someone may want to check their email when going to work and could use their iPad with 3G capabilities to do so. But, the screen is so big, everyone on the subway will be able to see your personal mail. Also, most people who need to check their email at any given moment have a phone that will do that for them, whether it be an iPhone or Blackberry.

Also, the iPad is not even ready to order and won’t be until approximately March or April. I really do not see how this iPad will really be that popular…

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

H: Hipsters

Elizabeth — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:11:36 +0000

According to Urban Dictionary:

Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20′s and 30′s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively. Although “hipsterism” is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too “edgy” for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumer. The “effortless cool” urban bohemian look of a hipster is exemplified in Urban Outfitters and American Apparel ads which cater towards the hipster demographic. Despite misconceptions based on their aesthetic tastes, hipsters tend to be well educated and often have liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and sciences, which also require certain creative analytical thinking abilities.

Hipsters are apart of today’s culture, just as emos, preps, etc. My friend Grant introduced me to this word and now I see that he is clearly a hipster himself. This definition is literally a definition of him.

Grant’s favorite music:

Biirdie, Brand New, Dear and the Headlights, The Fall Of Troy, The Flaming Lips, Fun, The Format, Daft Punk, The Gay Blades, Gospel Claws, Manchester Orchestra, Miniature Tigers, Minus The Bear, Peter Bjorn And John, Portugal. The Man, Reubens Accomplice, The Snake The Cross The Crown, Steel Train, Kinch, The Sound Of Animals Fighting, Tv On The Radio, Weatherbox, Fleet Foxes, Wilco, Menomena, Ra Ra Riot, Mstrkrft, Thievery Corporation, Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes, Silversun Pickups, Sigur Ros, The Shins, Rx Bandits, Ratatat, John Vanderslice, Great Lake Swimmers, Fatboy Slim, Eels, Daniel Martin Moore, Cold War Kids, City And Colour, Chad Vangaalen, Chiodos, Cinematic Sunrise, Cassino, Cage The Elephant, Band Of Horses, Audrye Sessions, Agent Sparks, Ace Enders.

How many of these band have you really heard of? His favorite things are music, politics, and religion. Grant is definitely defined by the above definition of hipster.

Included below are other hipsters…

** Photos courtesy of Google Images**

G: Givoogle

Elizabeth — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:21:28 +0000

Ok, so this may not be very pop culture, but I think it’s really cool!

GIVOOGLE. It’s just Google, but every time you use it, it gives money towards cancer research. How it works is that there is an ad on the Givoogle home search page. Every 1000 people who visit that page, the company the ad is for pays Google, which in turn gives the money to fight cancer.

Givoogle is recent, it started June 23 of 2009. As of January 23 of this year, $4,428.97 has been given to the American Cancer Society. It’s a simple thing everyone can do!

So, go to your browser settings and set GIVOOGLE as your home page. USE IT!! Just by using this search engine, you help give back to the fight against cancer! Do what you can, NOW!!

http://www.givoogle.com/

F: Facebook

Elizabeth — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:40:32 +0000

Let’s be honest, most of us have a facebook. And, most of us are on it approximately one hour a day, if not more. Logging onto facebook has become part of a routine for me. Everytime I turn on my computer and internet, I check my email and then proceed to check my facebook. When I’m doing homework, facebook is usually up. I’m not always on it and looking at it, but it is usually open. Facebook is sadly an addiction that many teens and young adults suffer from. It is such a time waster, with all the applications and games one can play via facebook.

One phenomenon was/is Farmville. I, thankfully, did not get sucked in to the time-consuming, pretty pointless game of Farmville. I would sit in class and see people “tending” to their farm. They even had animals and trees and other ridiculous things. I knew people who would get up at 4 in the morning to harvest their blueberries. There were even articles written about strategies to being more effective and successful on Farmville. Quite ridiculous if you ask me!!

Creeping. Another advantage or disadvantage of Facebook. Not only can you be friends with every acquaintance and acquaintance of acquaintance, you can also creep on people from your classes or just people in general.

Often being “friends” with certain people can be quite annoying as I do not need to know what is going on their life, nor do I care. Now that I think about it, I should delete those people as my friends.

There are things about facebook that I do like. Such as being able to better keep in touch with friends off at college. I don’t think it could be easier to conveniently keep in touch with friends and feel at least a little bit a part of their life. Another positive thing, I think, is that I find new music to listen to all the time. People have the option to list their favorite music and if I’m tired of what I’m listening to, I’ll look on people’s profiles and see what kind of music they like.

Something I’ve heard one too many times is that potential employers will look on facebook to see what their potential employee is like. This can be smart but harmful all at the same time. I know I watch what I put on my facebook because of this and I think facebookers should be wary of this.

All in all, I am a facebook addict, to some extent. There are advantages and disadvantages, but it is definitely something that has taken over the world!