Blog Entry #11: Blogging

For my last blog entry, I want to address the subject of blogging.  I started this blog because it is part of my grade for English 102. When i first heard about the blogging project i thought to myself " might as well get out while you can." I thought this because I don't like expressing anything that comes to mind especially if its going to be read and judged by complete strangers. Also, I myself am not one who likes the whole concept of blogging. However, that has changed.For me, I think that in the future i would like to find something that i am passionate about and start my own blog about it. Blogging has gave me another outlet in which i can express my opinions and share my personal experiences with whoever wants to hear and or read them.By doing this project, not only do you get a feel for what you are passionate about, but you get a feel about what your fellow classmates are passionate as well. If you are like me, you might even create a bond with some of your classmates as well. The blogging project definitely has its challenges though. For me, the challenge was coming up with a new topic every time. It would have been easier to have something to talk about if I had a topic that I was more passionate about. To be successful with this project as well as anything else in life, the key is to find what you are passionate about. Once you find what you are passionate about find a way to make your opinions vocal! This project gives you a starting tool to do just that. See you soon ladies and gentlemen!

Entry #10 Women's Exercising

Ladies, I am almost 100% sure that all of us can say that all of us tend to become overwhelmingly stressed everyday. Some of us are moms, students, employees, volunteers, etc. Then there are some of us that are all of those in one person. At times its very hard to get out and do something by ourselves or with our peers. But in order for us to take control of how stressed we get its important for us to do so.


  There are a variety of workouts for women to do that can either be done at home or with a group of friends. If you are more of a person that likes to stay at home and be in her own environment you can do things such as yoga or weight lifting exercises. Yoga has become a very popular exercising technique for people. it helps clear your mind all while enhancing you flexibility. Weightlifting also does the same as well as giving you more of a heated work out.

If you want to be more active while doing so with friends you can try walking, biking, or even participating in fitness classes. This is more of an ideal thing to do due to the fact that you get to do something that helps your mind and body all while getting the social interaction that every human being needs.

Ladies do what you are comfortable with and run wild with it! Let yourself de- stress but by all means DO NOT over do it!

Blog Entry # 8

Here's a question for all of you gentlemen out there that are reading this post. Do you guys ever feel soo stressed to the point where you can feel your testosterone rising and you just want to yell, or do something physical? If the answer is yes then i want to take a moment to tell you that yes you should do something physical. However, doing something physical to relive your stress doesn't mean that you should do something violent. Instead you should do some exercises that help clear your mental health as well as help the rest of your body. Exercises such as, hiking, biking,weight lifting, and group sports are a few examples.

 Hiking  and or biking are great exercises that help distract your mind from your stressor. When males build up testosterone its important for them to find relief due to the fact that excess levels of testosterone can cause men to do overwhelming things that can sometimes be violent. Choosing to take a hike, or bike ride, enables you to explore a change of scenery and lets your mind think of something else that relates to the scenery. While your mind is taking a break the rest of your body is getting some much needed exercise which benefits all of the body systems,, especially the cardiovascular system.

  Group exercises such as playing basketball, or baseball are extremely beneficial due to the fact that you are interacting with others and helping your body. Not to mention friendly competition between friends is always a good treatment for the mind and body.

Its important to note that you should never over work your body. Doing so will cause more harm than good. Find an exercise or group activity that suites you Gentlemen and have fun with it and let your mind take a break. Always take care of yourself!

Blog Entry #7 Dumb Men

For this blog post, I will be analyzing the website http://www.dumbmen.com/. I am  first timer when it comes to viewing this website and its content. I have to say that from the moment the page loaded i can tell that this website was going to be interesting to look at. I say that because, you hear a lot about how women are portrayed and stereo typed in today's media but you don't hear too much about men.

 In my opinion, I think that what the author of this blog was trying to do is say " hey look this is how men are being portrayed, is that right?" The author shows many instances in which men are being portrayed as idiots which causes people who see these videos in the media to have the idea that men are idiots. The author makes it intriguing by having the layout as pictures. I personally love the layout because its having something that is under appreciated siting right in front of you and it needs to be brought to your attention and something needs to be done. The rhetoric that is used is mixed with a little bit of sarcasm, humor and seriousness which is perfect for the audience.

 One video on the site titled "Stupid Dad Grilling Commercial" is one that specifically caught my eye because one of the main thing that men are bullied about in the media is their cooking skills. In the video you see an older father making food for his family and they are frustrated with his cooking skills. Shortly into the video a Papa Murphy's representative comes out with better food and makes a speech about enjoying the food without the hassle all while signaling towards the father food being bad. I think that the intended idea of the commercial based on the rhetoric was for buyers to enjoy the food without having to lift a finger on their part. However, the rhetoric they used came off to me and maybe other viewers is that the father could't do the right things to feed his family. They didn't even give him the opportunity to completely fail and then attempt to succeed. instead of giving people an idea of where/what to eat it gives many people the option to believe and portray in their own minds that all men are like that.

 

Media Synthesize Blog Entry #9

Media in any shape or form is and or can be a necessary evil. Media can provide us with tools to become successful. because of new technological advances and the media we are able to find and spread awareness for cures for diseases. Because of the technology we are able to have and build equipment for mass production to provide citizens with household items, cars, food, etc. Because of the media we are able to be up to date with things that are going on within our nation as well as things that are happening out of our nation. These are just some of the reasons as to why I believe that media is a necessary evil.

Just like I said previously, the media is a necessary evil. It is evil in the sense of how it causes people to act and feel. In this day and age people have access to facebook, twitter, instagram, tumblr, email, etc. Millions of people have these accounts. Some and or most of the people on these media pages are scrutinized to cyber bullying, addiction, violence, lies, etc. A lot of girls and even boys are exposed to body shaming. You practically can't log into a social media site without someone calling  someone else fat, skinny, ugly, sexy, and much more. Social media has become a place for people to bully one another. You even see that in the news as well. The news has always provided us with a means of being in the loop with local and national events and now we see news headlines about kim kardashians jewelry. 

Social media will always be beneficial. However, it will always have it's downside. I think that more people should focus on using social media for good rather than what it has become, 

Extra Credit- Capitalsm

Recently in class we watched a documentary by Michael Moore called "Capitalism; It's a Love Story." Already at the age of nineteen I can tell you that I do not like to listen to anything involving politics or economics. I will be completely honest and tell you that i was indeed one of those kids that fell asleep and daydreamed in government/econ. in high-school. However, for some reason when I saw this movie I kept my eyes wide open the whole time.

The whole movie was completely factual. It was the kind of movie that bores you to death with a bunch of stats and other numbers and figures that are like a whole other language. They were facts that you were able to completely sympathize with. In the movie you see various cases in which people are getting there homes taken away without the banks giving them a fair amount of time to get the money they need to keep their home. One day the bank tells one of the couples that they have a certain amount of time to get out and the next they say a whole different story.The movie opens your eyes to the possibility of this happening to you one day. To me, that is a very frightening reality. to have something that you have worked soo hard for to have your whole life taken from you is one of the worst things in the world. Someone else profiting from your loss is even worse.

Michael Moore definitely uses a lot of slanted reporting in the movie. He uses it for good. Instead of giving facts and says that you have to agree with him he shows you first hand the reality of capitalism. He makes his audience want to learn more as well as investigate and establish their own opinion. What he ultimately wants you to do is to find your voice and to protect what is yours. When it comes to what you have worked for, you are your own superior!

The Brain at Low and High Levels of Stress

 Alright guys! I saw this video a few days ago and i wanted to share it with you guys! The video talks about the brain at low levels of stress and at high levels of stress. In the beginning of the video, the narrator talks about two of the main parts of the brain that are affected dring stress, the hippocampus and the amygdala. Just like he said in the video, when stress causes cortisol to flood the hippocampus the volume of it decreases. When this happens, you start to experience more emotions, anxiety , and you even start to forget things. At this point, I bet that any of you who are reading and or viewing the video are all remembering a time when you have experienced this. I remember the first time I presented a major assignment in my reading class and long story short I was soo nervous that when my teacher had asked me if my book was fiction or non-fiction I told her that I didn't know. At the time i was really nervous that I forgot what fiction and non-fiction were. Further in the video he talks about how the prefrontal cortex responds when certain levels of dopamine and norephrinephrine are involved. When the levels are low, we are generally bored and don't perform as good as we need to. Even when the levels are high we don't perform like we need to because we are highly stressed and emotional. Which is way they say to stay in the "flow" zone. Some of you are probably thinking " that's easier said than done." I know I am. Lets face it most of us are either too stressed or too bored and are almost never in between. However, what this video has taught me and what I hope that you guys learn, is to find a way to establish a "flow" zone. Don't let yourself get over stressed. Plan ahead accordingly so that you have what i call "wiggle room" to make mistakes, and fix things if need be so that things can go the way you need and or want them to. When you're bored and have nothing to do try something that is out of your comfort zone or is something you don't normally do. NO, that does not mean to start picking up nasty habits.What that means is to do things that stimulate your brain. things such as reading, writing, watching funny videos, exercising, volunteering, etc. Do something for you!

Blog Entry #5- Arizona Republic.

  This article in the Arizona Republic talks about ASU's possible decision to change the schedule and times of their classes. The article provides general information about the topic without taking a specific view point about the topic. Clearly, just like any other debatable topic their are two or more opinions about the topic. In this case, Some people are against it due to the fact that they believe that different courses require more time to learn. Some people think that its a good thing and that professors and students would highly benefit having shorter classes to catch up on homework and research. Then there are those who haven't quite exactly formed an iron clad opinion about it yet. Reading the article made me one of the people who have a split decision about shorter classes. On one hand only having a 7 week course sounds like an absolute dream. However, on the other hand 7 weeks of having to cram all of that work and knowledge in a short amount of time is absolute hell. Especially if you are someone like my self who struggles in either one or more subjects. For me math is a struggle. So, if i were to cram all of that algebra into 7 weeks I would definitely be having some serious doubts as to whether I would pass or not. However, i still think that 7 week courses is a good thing for students. If they were  to completely do that though they would definitely need to scale down the work load for the courses.

Entry # 4: Effects of stress

 Besides the obvious depression, anxiety, headaches, etc, ever wonder what kinds of long term effects that stress can cause? Here are some of the things stress can do.

 Stress can potentially cause heart disease.People who tend to be more hostile, competitive, impatient, etc. are more susceptible to heart disease due to their response to stress.. When you think about it, most people react to stress by having bad food habits, smoking, and or drinking. Which all happen to be leading causes in regards to heart disease.

  Hypertension can also be a side effect of stress. When someone is properly diagnosed with hypertension, they generally run the risk of  stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and even kidney failure. It is important to manage hypertension due to the fact that at any moment and of these instances can happen. Stress levels need to be at a level in which your body can react without over doing it.

  Everyone has an immune system. For those of you that don't know, the immune system is in charge of diseases and what not. When you are under an extreme amount of stress, your body's immune system is actually suppressed which lowers its ability to fight off diseases. Stress can also effect the recovery period of ones disease.

    These are just a few of the MANY problems that stress can bring. Some stress is healthy for the body . It helps the body exercise its pressure. However to much stress causes the body to have a lot of problems both physically and mentally. Which is why it is extremely important to distinguish what stress your body can and cannot take.

Entry #3 : Slanted Reporting.

When I say  "slanted reporting" how many of you imagine it meaning that whatever you write is slanted? Some of you who are reading this may or may not be saying " me, me, me" however i know that that's exactly what I was thinking when I first heard about this a long time ago. Spoil alert, that is far from what it actually means. Slanted reporting is a writing technique in which an author persuades their audience to agree and or disagree with a certain oping without the author actually stating their opinion.


WATCH :https://youtu.be/2JnYcuRW_qo


 I stumbled upon this Nike commercial featuring this boy named Nathan. In the video, they show Nathan running and they continue to talk about greatness and how its for everyone throughout the video. Then they proceed to end the video with "Find your Greatness." Nike uses slanted reporting in this commercial not only to promote Nathans greatness but to also promote their brand. By showing that Nathan is being supported by them by wearing their gear and what not shows the audience that they are doing what other brands aren't. They are trying to get people to think that their brand is great and is the best without having a completely biased opinion.

Blog Entry #2: College, Stress, College, Stress, Stress, Stress!

At this moment do any of you feel as though college is like being in a never ending maze? Do you guys feel as though the "maze" that you are in gives you soo much stress, and anxiety that it makes you want to throw your hands up? Some of you may answer yes and some of you may say no. To those of you that say yes,  I can relate to you 100%. Having a job, going to school, helping out around the house, doing homework, and having friends at the same time is VERY stressful. Which is why in this post i want to talk about some things that you can do to help relieve your mind of stress, even if it is short term. These are some of the things that I like to do.

1. One thing that has helped reduce my stress levels throughout high school & today is time management. Time management needs to be a huge part of your schedule. Take the time to figure out what needs to be done first and what can be done later. What I personally like to do is get all of the things that I know will take me the longest time done in the beginning of the week and do the " little things" and the end of the week so that way I have time to do things that are strictly for my mental health. 

     2. Another thing that i like doing is setting small goals for myself to complete throughout the week. When you set little goals for yourself it gives you more motivation to complete bigger goals. Not to mention it gives you a great sense of satisfaction when you achieve what you put your mind too!
     3. TAKE A BREAK!  I know, I know this is might be hard to do but taking short 5-10 minute breaks here and there to scream, talk, read, listen to music, or whatever gives your mind a break from stress will help you a lot in the long run. Just remember, some stress is good. But too much stress can lead to a breakdown. So, take some time and do something for you!

Blog Entry #1: How Do I Feel About Blogs?

How do I feel about blogs you ask? Well ... I don't quite know yet. However, what i can tell you is that as an outsider I believe that some blogs are put together really well and capture their point to their intended audience. I think that when someone is capable of making their audience relate to what their specified topic is, the audience will be intrigued and will want to know more which is what you want.
                                                             

I was doing some research on some different blogs and i stumbled upon this one called,"http://ww2today.com/." For some people who aren't all that into history, and probably fell asleep through every history class in high school, this blog may be extremely boring to you. But for someone like me who ABSOLUTELY LOVES history especially anything about WWII this blog is definitely something i would read everyday. I love how he starts from the beginning of the war and fills in the stuff that they didn't mention in previous history classes. When he writes about each topic he writes in a tone in which can be related to how the people on The History Channel talk (which again can be boring for some). He doesn't write paragraphs upon paragraphs either. He gives you enough information to keep you interested which is important because you don't want to give your audience a whole history book to read in one post. I absolutely love this blog and i would definitely give it high ranks!

Another blog I looked at called "http://maddieonthings.com/" is another blog i like as well. I like that the blog is very positive and it gives you the vibe to be happy and to enjoy the company that you have in your life. Its like one of those pages that you stumble upon that literally "turn your frown upside down." In my opinion, this blog deserves 4/5 stars!

Now, on to the last blog. The last blog i went through is called "http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com/2008/10/dfire.html." To be honest, this blog was absolutely boring. It is helpful but it doesn't provide a way for the audience to connect with anything besides enhancing their blog. All it gives you is different things to download to your blog. I think that the author should at least describe the benefits of each affect and how they can be used as attention grabbers. To me, this bog isn't something I would continue to look at.

Getting to know The Queen.

   

   Who am i you may ask? Well, I am Rayna Monique Maldonado. Just like most women in this world, I am a queen, daughter, sister, grand-daughter, niece, friend, co-worker, college student, and most recently a blogger thanks to Prof. Nielson. Those are just a few brief words of who I am. As you get to know met, and as i continue to ride this roller coaster called life you will see that I am more that what you see at first.

I am a very curious person. At times I obtain the curiosity level of a two year old. If something shines, smells, functions, or looks a certain way I am interested in it. Aside from that, what interests me the most is anything involving the medical field. If i could I would sit and read an anatomy and physiology book all day. 

    I haven't discovered a distinct list of things that I am passionate about. However, one thing that I am extremely passionate about is being a role model. One thing about me that people are always stunned to find out is that i have a three year old sister and we have a fifteen year age gap between us. most people who have a younger sibling like I do tend to not really see the importance of being a good role model for the next generation. Nobody says that we have to give them the "perfect" example to look up to. We do however need to show them the importance of being good people, strive to have a good future, and to show them that it is okay to make mistakes.

      My goal(s) for attending college are to be successful. Not to become successful in the fact of having a lot of money. Having money is nice but i want to be successful in the sense that i worked hard to get what I want. I want to be educated,have a career, and to know things about many different aspects than what I am subjected to. Going to college may or may not be a challenge for me to get to where i want to be but in the end when I am successful it will all be worth it.