GOP campaign ads

So I've been thinking a lot about the discussions we've been having about the rhetoric used in the campaign ads. I am not really into political debates or political issues. I guess I should be because these issues could potentially and probably are affecting my everyday life right now. For that reason I'm glad we have been talking about the current candidates and what methods they are using to get people on board to vote for them. From the way we analyzed the ads it made every candidate seem silly and kind of desperate to get attention even if they have to make ridiculous exaggerations or attack other candidates in the running. It makes it really hard for me to trust anyone let alone take the time to actually listen to what they have to say. Eventually I'm going to have to sort through the sea of lies and pick out what I would like to think of as the truth. Whoever has the most of that, gets my vote I guess. At least that's the way I'll do it until they candidates start being blatantly honest (highly unlikely) or someone gives me a better way to do it....I still have like one hundred words to go....
So I guess I can talk about the Occupy UC Davis event. I was going going to save the for my next post but I guess I can use some of it for this one. So yeah...that was pretty lame spraying all those kids in the face like that. The cops using the notion that they were just following orders is a pretty weak excuse for way essthe were so..oh what's the word?...brutal, with the pepper spray.  I wonder what I would do as an officer given the order to remove protesting students from a side walk? 

Final Weeks!!!

Oh man this semester flew by soo fast! I only have one more visit to L.A.R.A to finish my volunteering program. I fell kind of bad not going back to see all the people I worked with again. I'm tempted to sign up for it again next semester, but that would be a terrible idea because I will be soo loaded with classes. I'm really gonna miss everyone there. They were soo nice and interesting to talk to. I loved hearing their stories. Each person had a fascinating story about how they came to the United States and why they were trying to learn English. This program really helped me see the Lafayette coming from another perspective. After having moved to Lafayette I've discovered that living here isn't enough if you really want to find out more about the poeple who live here or the social climate of the community, volunteering at community centers like this one is vital to process of getting to know your community members.
I really appreciate everything L.A.R.A. is trying to do for the community and all the resources it offers to the community members. I'm so happy I got to be a part of this program. At first I was upset that we were required to have service hours for this class but know I see the true purpose behind the hours. It was to get each student to realize the importance of service and how it connects the community on a personal level and teaches use how service is vital to a healthy community.

Beauty in the media and fashion world

     OK.. so this blog has nothing to do with service learning, but I had to bring this up. So on Monday we watched a clip showing the transformation of a model from "normal" to "picture perfect" and then a few people made some comments about Beyonce's skin color changes for different magazine covers. I had to say something because this is ridiculous. But let me first say, I could care less what Beyonce does, not hating, I'm just not a big fan. On the other hand, when something like this happens it grabs my attention.
     If I were a model making thousands of dollars for each photo shoot I wouldn't care what they did to my skin just as long as I could take it off. Let's face it, I'm sure Beyonce and tons of other models make a shit load of money for those photo shoots and the fact that their natural features are altered and society's perception of beauty is scewed is the last thing on their mind. I have made a personal choice not to wear make-up or straighten my naturally curly hair because I want people to see who I really am. I know, it's not what's on the outside that matters, instead it's your genuine personality that counts, but I feel more comfortable knowing that when a person sees me, they see what I really look like. I don't like the idea of my natural hair being straightened by chemicals or my face being covered by make-up.  
     Some people think that models used in make-up and fashion ads don't portray what the average person looks like and so average women are buying all these products thinking that they will eventually look like these models. It's very sad, but if I can look at these ads and still love myself and my God given beauty I think anyone can. So altering faces or making skin lighter or darker for the sake of a magazine doesn't change my perception of beauty. However, I cannot speak for all women in the world. I think that the more people find how the media changes a woman's natural appearance, the more people realize that that isn't true beauty and that you have to define what beauty is within yourself and not in a magazine. LOVE YOURSELF! and don't hide you beautiful face with make-up!
However, if I was a model, they could do whatever they wanted to me just as long as I could take it off at the end of the day, and I got PAID!