ignore the man behind the curtain...everyone else does

not sure what the topic for this week is so here's a cool thing I found

Check out www.megaplanet.com. Its a unique art project that involves the entire world. This guy, Simpson, makes orbs of glass that contain intricate patterns designed to enhance creative thinking. Now I have seen these "planets", they are amazing. He makes them, then travels the world depositing them in random places. Its a unique way of making connections between people, and I believe shows art at its truest form, making connections.

Vot banan!

Ok, when I was in Moscow there was a really weird commercial that used dual coding. I did not understand it for awhile but as my Russian improved I realized it was a very clever commercial. There were different versions, but one of my favourites started with a man carrying so many boxes he could not see where he was walking. He walks up to an open manhole and falls in, hurting himself. Then a cyclist runs him over and consequently gets thrown off his bike and ricochets off another car damaging it in the process. Then the commercial cuts scene to a banana where this evil music is playing. Suddenly the camera zooms in so the entire screen is filled by the banana and the music peaks in its evilness. Then the scene cuts to an army of people lead by a beautiful woman who always said, "Vot banan!," and then she bites the banana as does everyone else. "Vot banan!" is basically the Russian equivalent of "Oh my God there's a banana!" This was a commercial put forth by the Russian banana business. The premise of the commercial was to say that bananas are evil and out to get us, so we should destroy them before they can destroy us. Now every time I see a banana I think about how they are hurting people, and I need to do my part to eliminate this threat. Eat a banana, save a life.

this is a project i'm trying to get off the ground. this is the first part of my proposal.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this campaign is to inform the population of Northern Moscow (mainly around the metro station Petrovsko-Razymovskaya) about the dangers of using tobacco. Russia has a terrible problem of tobacco usage and this campaign is geared towards offering a solution. At the conclusion of this media campaign, the audience will be able to identify the dangers of using tobacco as well as recognize it as the problem that it is.

OBJECTIVE

As a result of this media campaign the audience will be able to:

· Stop themselves and others from starting to smoke tobacco and chew tobacco. This will be achieved through an aggressive campaign designed to take away some of the mystique associated with tobacco usage. Also by showing what can really happen to you if you begin to use tobacco.

· Quit smoking. This can be achieved by informing the public as to the real dangers of tobacco usage. Also this can be achieved by offering current users alternatives (i.e. nicotine gum, patches, ect…)

· Educate others as to the ill-health effects of tobacco.

· Improve the general health of the Russian population by reducing the amount of tobacco usage.

· Create a healthier atmosphere for all people in the Russian Federation by decreasing the amount second-hand smoke.

BACKGROUND

The smoking is a traditional problem in Russia equally with alcoholism. Russia has the fourth largest smoking population in the entire world. Every year 300,000 Russians die from smoking related ailments. About 72% of the male population smoke, with 27% of the female population. About half of all teenagers smoke in Russia. As much as 46% of Russian schoolboys and up to 40% of schoolgirls who attend senior classes in secondary school smoke (Bobak, 2006). Many of the smokers, smoke poor quality cigarettes, and most don’t even have filters. Sellers in Russia will even sell cigarettes to small children, and nobody even looks for it. There is however a growing number of Russians who acknowledge the harmful effects of smoking. In the world, about 5 million people die per year of smoking related ailments. The Russian government realizes the importance of the fight against tobacco addiction. “Russia is plagued by so-called ‘lifestyle diseases’ that have resulted in extremely elevated rates of circulatory, heart and cerebro-vascular disease, particularly among males in the country, whose average life expectancy has fallen to only 59 years of age.” (RHPA, 2007). It is estimated that for every year one smokes, it shortens their life by about 3 months. Smoking can also yellow your teeth and fingernails. Smoking can also cause your breath to stink. Smoking can cause problems with your breathing as well as increase your risk of heart disease. Once you start, and addiction sets in, if you try and quit, you may experience such symptoms as:

· Irritability and aggressiveness

· Depression

· Poor concentration

· Increased appetite

· Light-headaches

· Cravings

Many assert that smokers do damage only to their bodies and, as free individuals, they have that right. We believe this to not be the case. As a paternalistic society we constantly outlaw and deter forms of self-destruction. We wouldn’t stand-by while someone tried to eat plutonium and, while this may be an extreme example; tobacco usage should be strongly discouraged as well. Second-hand smoke is also a very dangerous factor of tobacco smoke. People inhaling the tobacco smoke are at risk from a variety of ailments, from birth defects to respiratory ailments.

Mock-Interview Reflection

My interview went very well I believe. I was calm and collected. I was not nervous and very confident in my tone and abilities. I basically went into the mock interview pretending it was real. I also pretended that I already had the position and had nothing to worry about or strive for. This allowed me to feel very confident and composed throughout the process. I endeared myself to the interviewer by telling antecdotes about my childhood. She told me that this made my interview memorable, and if she interviewed 40 more people I would still stick out amongst them. I honestly went into it with a plan on what I would talk about, but quickly shifted my approach. I felt that the spontaneous approach would be much better, and it allowed me to adapt to her questions and expectations. At the end I asked her blunt direct questions about the position. I felt there was no sense in dancing around important issues like compensation, so I straight up asked the questions I wanted to know about. I feel really good about my interview.

travis ard's presentation

There were quite a few presentations that strike me as memorable. personally, I believe that all the presentations were adequate if not excellent. Travis Ard's presentation made the most impact on me. the fact that he spoke about a topic that he was so interested in he mentioned starting a business. Despite his taste (vinegar soooo beats mustard) he was impassioned and knowledgeable on his topic. He even spoke as to the origins of the word barbecue. I love barbecue and now I know so much more about my passion! Well done Travis!

epic battle

so i had some burritos in the pisgah forest. freaking delicious. anyways, i guess my extra sour cream might have attracted the bears. minutes after enjoying my mexican delight, i was rushed. leaving my burritos (and sour cream) i made a dash for my car. getting in i realized i had outrun the bears....but not the zombie in the backseat of my car! a terrible battle ensued...i ended up like saving a princess, putting out an orphanage fire, rescuing some dolphins, ect...so i'm kinda a big deal.

Resume tips

The first article I reviewed was "How to Pinpoint Accomplishments that will make your Resume Shine." This article was about how to tout your accomplishments effectively. I learned a lot from this article. When I'm writing about myself I try to stay humble, writing great things seems so pretentious to me. The article said to throw modesty out the window when writing a resume. I guess that makes sense. Also to cite all awards and commendations.
The second article I reviewed was "How to Create a Resume for Foreign Markets." I'm particularly interested in this one because I hope to work overseas. This article had tips like writing the resume in your own hand-writing. Also, to list things in the resume like marital status, and other information that may be not included on US resumes.

COMMENTS ABOUT MY RESUME

My resume was reviewed by Brian Jones, Thomas Goodwin, and Travis. I was told to cut down on the size of my resume to one page. I was told to use a more professional font. I was told I had a good objective. I'm going to condense 3 sections into my Activities. I'll be more specific with some notes on my resume. I'm greatful for their insights and help.

edison and curies jumped me

2 day old sushi before sleep:

sooo...i dreamed i invented a time machine and decided to travel back to the past. along the way i picked up thomas edison and marie curie. we journeyed to 1833 and began to work on a project. by 1835 we had completed our perpetual energy machine. defying all the laws of thermodynamics we had created a work of pure genius! i was soo excited i exclaimed, "wait till i bring this invention back to the future!!! i'll win a freakin nobel prize!!". then tom (edison let me call him tom) said, "whoa whoa whoa, y'aint takin this nowhere." i said, "well it would be irresponsible to change the course of the past! we can't possibly introduce this thing at this time". tom said he didn't care and he would do what he thought needed to be done. i asked him what he meant...and thats when curie jumped me and held me down while tom kicked my teeth in.

commenting on the web 2.0 video

Hmmm...the video itself is thought provoking and i do agree that this is the way that our species is going. we're "going digital". personally i think the title refers to the major (i don't like to call them advances, but i'm unable to think of another word) advances in internet and truly other technologies. intervals between changes in technology have been steadily shortening over the course of our species existence, to the point that it has become almost a daily occurrence. i admit to using myspace and facebook, and a slew of other web-based programs, but again i hesitate to label them advances. they all rely on one thing, the web. in agriculture this could be likened to what we call a monoculture, and it is a dangerous thing to have. the potato famine of ireland was so devastating because the grew a monoculture, so to speak they all relied on one thing, and when that thing was destroyed so was the population. i don't mean to say that if the web failed we would be in mortal peril, but i could see devastating things happen if we all begin to rely to heavily on the web. for instance (and this may seem like a dramatic example to some), currency has all but become digital. people rarely carry cash and rely on their digital money (through visa or whatever). if all this ethereal cash disappears...well you see my point. anyways i think we need to diversify as a species and become aware of the dangers of a digital monculture.

All about me.

Hi, my name is John Weston, let me tell me you a little about myself. I was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in the year of our lord 1984. It was a chilly november afternoon that hosted this spectacular occasion. At 3:30 p.m. I was born in St. Francis Hospital. At this time my family lived in a neighboring town called Mt. Pleasant. About 18 months after I was born my mother gave birth to another boy whom they called Andrew.

My father soon bought a store in downtown Charleston, and we lived above the market on the second floor. My father and mother worked the store and my brother and I did our best to frustrate them! When I was about 3 my father sold the store, and we moved back to Mt. Pleasant. Here they bought a house behind the local elementary school, and this is where they still live today! Their house is a beautiful 1 story brick structure.

My brother and I loved the neighborhood and we met with many friends to play and generally wreak havoc. From an early age, I was always interested in plants and gardening. My father used to get so angry with me because he would grow tomatoes and I would always eat them all while they were still green. When my brother and I were old enough, we started our own garden and would cut neighbors grass for money. Growing up near the ocean was awesome. We would fish, shrimp, and crab all the time. Sometimes we would sell our extra catches to tourists or other people. We would always swim in the ocean and spend a lot of time in or near the water. I attended Mt. Pleasant Academy and First Baptist elementary schools for the first 5 years of my education. I then went on to Moultrie Middle school and was a very different person back then. I was very calm and collected and I was generally a good child. I played the flute and switched to the trombone about halfway through my schooling.

When I graduated middle school, I tried to get into the School of the Arts for singing. They rejected me and instead I was sent to the Academic Academy. This place is a school for the academically gifted or so they claimed. My parents sent me here thinking that it would keep me out of trouble, but most of the students there were pretty much party animals. This is where I made many friends, some I still hang out with today. I was not a very attentive student, and in my junior year I was asked to leave and not come back. Then I attended Wando High school for my last year of eductaion. Here I excelled in grades because the comparison between this school and my old one was ridiculous. When I graduated, I took a year off to work at a moving company. I had spent my time in high school working various jobs, mainly as a cook or line cook. The moving company was quite and experience. Working 16 hour absolutely brutal days. It makes any job that comes after it seem paltry by comparison. Eventually I went to college to study horticulture. I had always been interested in plants so I went to the local Technical College to get my degree in horticulture. During this time I worked landscaping for a whole variety of people

After getting my associates degree at the technical college, I decided to continue my education. So in January of 2006, I moved to Clemson University, and got a house up there. I have studied there for about a year and I have found it very interesting. I spent some time living in Moscow, and now I'm back!