Response to Beauty Backlash

The campaign for Dove I think was a very successful campaign but I find it funny that they are pushing to have an image that is contrary to their own product.

I think it is important that people feel comfortable with their own bodies.  However, there are a lot of people in the United States who still feel uncomfortable with their bodies.  Dove's campaign I think was a step in the right direction.  They wanted to show their audience that they think any body, no matter the shape, is beautiful.  It is a direction I think more products need to move in.

Even if it is a step in the right direction if you look further into where this message is coming from it is hard to believe that they truly believe that; the message is completely contrary to their products.  If everyone is beautiful why would they need beauty products to make them look even better.

This campaign is much like the cigarette companies creating a campaign for smokers to stop smoking.  In my mind it hardly makes any sense.  Overall, it is a message that needs to be heard but it is coming from a source that is hard to take serious.

It's JUST a car with wings... Oh wait, it can fly too?!

Well, it looks like we are getting a little closer to the Jetson family.  For years, people have been dreaming of what it would be like to have a personal car that could take flight; that day has come.

TERRAFUGIA has created the vehicle called Transition^®.  It is a completely street legal car that has the ability and potential to fly over it's competitors (literally).  The picture to the left shows the cars ability to fly over buildings.  So, it actually reaches heights that make this a flying car.

This car plane street legal plane is also fairly impressive on the street; it get's 30 mpg at highway speeds.  The specs for this vehicle can be found here.  It is looking as if this might be one of the first viable options for a relatively low cost plane/car combo.  The anticipated purchase price still might seem a bit high at $194,000 but considering most would easily spend $300k+ on a personal aircraft $194k is a reasonable price.

As, the years move on I am sure this car/cars like it will come down in price making this an affordable option for many.  When looking at training this vehicle requires as little as 20 hours of flight time in a Transition®-specific course.  If you are already a pilot all you need is a quick familiarization training it comes with every Transition® vehicle.

Maybe the Jeston's world is closer to us than we realize.  As a product I think this one shows a lot of promise.  With a relatively low price of $194,000, the need for only 20 hours of training, and the possibility to use this plane as a car on roads makes this, in my mind, one of the best products of 2010.

Hamline Univeristy - Fictional Press Release

Mystery, Inc. Debunks Ghost Sightings That Drove Students Out of Manor Residence Hall

For many years, students have been experiencing ghost sightings in Manor Residence Hall which forced Hamline University to consider closing the building.

St. Paul, MN (Hamline University) March 21, 2010 – At Hamline University, Manor Residence Hall has been part of many ghost stories. Each class that has gone through Hamline has their own story to tell about ghostly images and strange events that have occurred to them or a friend. As of recently, the stories had risen to a tipping point where students would had rather moved off campus than live in Manor Residence Hall.

Hamline University refused to believe their building was haunted. To prove to the community and campus that Hamline is ghost free Hamline University called on the help of a group of teenage detectives and their dog to debunk the mystery.

Mystery, Inc. arrived early Monday morning on the 15th of March. Hamline University, provided rooms for the detectives as they and their dog searched for clues behind the stories of the haunting. The last day of their visit they had come up with enough clues to finally know who or what was behind the haunting.

The man behind the haunting was Mr. Jenkins, a local land owner, hoping to increase the interest of his apartments; which were located very close to Hamline University. He was quoted, “And I would've gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids!”

After the man behind the haunting was found many students were able to relax and now the occupancy of Manor is on the rise. Even though the stories have been debunked the ghost stories are still being told by upperclassman trying to deter first years from moving into Manor Residence Hall.

Hamline University:

Hamline University is Minnesota’s first university and one of the first coeducational institutions in the nation. It provides education to nearly 5,000 students within its undergraduate, graduate, and law programs. Hamline University is also located in a very centralized area which is known as the Midway. The Midway is positioned right between Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Contact:
Christian M. Swanberg
Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104-1284
651-523-2800

For information:
Website: http://www.hamline.edu
Phone: 651-523-2800

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War Made Easy

Watching the film "War Made Easy", really opened my eyes up to how easy it is for a government to control what the population sees and thinks.

The messages conveyed no longer have areas or shades of gray. Things are now black and white; people must pick sides. When trying to get people to think a certain way this could be a very helpful tool. It creates a binary that you are right or wrong; patriotic or unpatriotic; good or evil. The binaries continue on and if you are not on the side of the majority you will be ridiculed and made to look obscure. Even though this may be really effective I do not consider it to be ethical.
 
To create an environment where things cannot be questioned is to create a stagnant community. There will no longer be growth or self exploration. To be able to really help the population the government needs to seek out those that are willing to be the devil’s advocate; we need a voice of reasoning. A voice of reasoning will create an environment where people can ask questions and not be afraid of the outcome. They will not be censored and they will be hailed as the ones who are trying to get to the truth. If something is justifiable it should be able to be backed up by information and facts that will withstand the tough questions.

I do not think that this questioning happens enough in our everyday life. It is important to know why things occur a certain way; or who owns that radio station you listen to and their other affiliations. We need to work at creating a generation that will ask the critical questions. I challenge all of you to ask hard questions of authority if ever you are confused. Do not follow blindly.

--Final Version--

About Christian

Well, normally bloggers will introduce themselves before they start blogging. I am doing things in a bit of a mixed up order so you will have to just go with the flow on this one.

My name is Christian Swanberg and I am a Communication Studies student at Hamline University. This blog is used for the reason of completing assignments that I have for classes. The blogs that I have written prior to this were for my Mass Communication class thus they will probably have a little bit different focus than the ones to come. The posts that are to come will be done for my Public Relations class.

This seems to be a tad bit boring so now on to the more important part of this post; me! I like long walks on the beach, moonlight strolls, cooking and baking, making my significant other happy, smiling, and working out. Outside of class, I am involved with things like Residential Life, Track and Field, Relay for Life, and many other various things. I like to be involved around campus and helping out others when I can.

I am the type that most would just assume that I would blog; most likely becuase of my heavy usage of the internet. I am truly addicted to social networking and social gaming. These things I will pour hours and hours a week into; probably close to 60 hours a week combined. I am trying to reduce this usage considerably but it is just too easy to lose yourself on the internet and to all it has to offer. One thing I am addicted to besides Facebook and Youtube is a game called Ikariam. I have a prior post that talks about this game a little bit and if you like the game Civilization I am sure you would enjoy this game.

Hmmm… It seems as if I have turned to rambling about myself which I wanted to avoid. I just wanted to write about myself and that’s, for the most part, what I did so I hope you can handle the adventure into my rambling world. If you did I think you will enjoy my posts to come.