The media and celebrity worship

Last time I talked about Today Tonight and the Fallen Stars segment. Now this is about the media and the celebrity hype in general.

Today we are living in a society that glorifies celebrities. Well it is mostly the media that does that. They do a perfectly good job at it too. However it doesn't mean that it is an accurate portrayal or they are perfect. In fact, far from it. For example, the person that we see in front of the camera on our favourite TV show is most likely different that the one we see out on the weekend spending time with those close to them. I don't think some people tend to grasp that concept at all.

Some people tend to take being a fan too far as they may begin stalking them at their homes. In a couple of cases, they have even tried to assassinate them. Remember the John Lennon, Jodie Foster and Rebecca Schafer cases. These are just some examples of when people take celebrity worship a step too far. This may not be a popular opinion but I believe the media is somewhat to blame.

Why is the media to blame perhaps. Everywhere we go whether we are doing our grocery shopping at the local supermarket or watching TV at home,we see faces of celebrities. They are portrayed as these superficial beings and when they don't live up to our expectations, the public begins to scruntinise them and some even resort to hateful messages. Umm..seriously first and foremost, celebrities are human beings just like us. They need security, shelter, food etc like we do. The only difference is that their jobs are publicised. Now I know that they will earn higher wages than the majority of us will in our lifetime but that does that mean that they are superior beings.. of course not. Sometimes, the media don't even get their facts straight about certain issues regarding celebrities or they sensationalise it as I said in my previous post.

 A typical Woman's Day cover

(Courtesy of Newswire.nz)

It is even worse when celebrities die. After a lifetime of humiliation by the media, some of us tend to glorify them to the point of sainthood after they have passed on. Some examples include "they were lovely, always generous" etc. I mean if they were really that type of person, fine but unfortunately some of them weren't really like that at all. I think we should have respect for the dead but not to the point of glorification. It is kind of scary if you really think about it. As much as I have admiration for some celebrities, I don't want celebrity worship to become a religion. 

The media and celebrity hype tends to be worse in some parts of Asia than in the Western world. One time I read about an actress who passed on from cancer and the media reported a few months prior to her death "that she was cured from cancer because she went to a concert with her boyfriend" or something along those lines. I was like WTF, you can't be serious. That is called enjoying the best quality of life as possible. If this was true, then there would a cure for cancer now but currently there isn't.

It doesn't end there as in the last few years or so, this worship has extended to social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram. Some fans consistently ask their favourite star "please follow me back" or "Can I get a follow". In most cases, this is not going to happen as the purpose of some of these celebs is not to interact with their fans but to promote their CD, DVD, book etc to you. 99.9% of the time, this seems to be the case as their ratio can be 500 k followers : 300 following. You almost have zero chance of these celebs following you back unless you happen to know someone they know or it may come down to pure luck. In fact when a celebrity posts a status on their site, you don't generally see them responding to their fans. Yeah I know they are busy people, but at least make some time for those who helped them be where they are today. 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but celebrities are part of a business. They are there to make the product more appealing. Or if you would like an intangible example, when you attend one of their concerts, it is a service as you are paying and they are performing their end of the bargain for you by giving you an enjoyable few hours of entertainment and fun. 

Don't get me wrong, it is great when a celebrity influences your life for the better but just don't fall for the media hype to glorify and worship them. Maybe not all media outlets do this but there are many that do. 

Do you think the celebrity hype by the media is a distraction from something much bigger or is it a good thing?

Until next time,

Laura xx

Current Affair Shows

The other night, I was watching a Today Tonight segment titled as "Fallen Stars". Now I don't usually watch these kind of shows as I think most of the segments are of poor quality but it just happened I watched this particular one.

This segment was about some TV stars who claimed that they were falling on hard times. It was some previous aired clippings about Rowena Wallace selling her logies and other stars at the brink of homelessness yada yada yada. As much as I hate to say it, I don't sympathise with these so called stars as I think they should have been wiser about their investments and now have to face the consequences of poor decisions. However, it can happen to anyone at anytime.

Now here is where I'm going to criticise this segment. There are some facts that have been left out. Why you ask...perhaps it is easier to leave it out as it will make these people look like tragic figures that we should feel sorry for. These days, the media seems to love reporting stories about "woe is me". I don't exactly know why, maybe there is a demand for it who knows. Another reason is because we can relate to these people as they are going through what we go through everyday. In the past, we probably would have not known about situations like these as there were no media outlets. It is an evolutionary novel concept to care about those or report about people we have never met.

Some facts that have been left out of this segment particularly are how the stars decided to rectify their situation. For example the two former Wheel of Fortune Australia hosts. Yes they fell on hard times but the last time I checked, Baby John was a radio host in Perth while Adriana was studying to become a make up artist and work behind the scenes in television. Speaking of this when she passed on in 2010, the media once again decided to make her look even more tragic than she really was. For example "looking at the magazines about herself". Erm where is the evidence? If you are not in the spotlight anymore why would the media be interested. I mean once your 15 mins of fame is up, no one really wants to know what you are doing anymore. While this woman did have tragedies, like anyone else I'm sure there were positive moments in her life too. But no, let's focus on the negatives so we can get a story and make $$$ rather than see her as an individual.

Actually they did mention a star who was going to star in a Grease musical but as usual, TT made it look like that it was a menial job. Any job is better than no job right as it pays for our needs in everyday life. But sometimes, I don't understand why these people went to TT in order for their situation to be aired. There are many reasons such as perhaps teaching us to be more savvy with our savings and don't make the same mistakes or perhaps some are sympathy grifting. In my opinion, a couple of them are even making a career out of airing their woes on TV.  Despite this, I'm still a fan of some of these people too as no one is perfect.

Once again, this segment is over sensationalised and exaggerated. It made these stars look more desperate than they really were. I guess the media would not have much to report about without tragedies. Now I'm not against watching the news, in fact I think it is vital to know what is going on around us but there are two sides to every story. Not just what the mainstream media feeds us.

Do you think segments like these are accurate or are they exaggerated?

Oh and here is the link by the way, just so you know what I mean.  http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/celebrity/article/-/18466722/stars-fallen-on-hard-times/

Stay tuned for the next edition!

Until next time,
Laura xx

Traders Hotel Brisbane

I must be suffering from amnesia already as I stayed at the Traders Hotel Brisbane about a month ago but didn't review it until now.

Anyhoo.....the Traders Hotel is part of the Shangri-La hotels and resorts group. It is a 4.5 star hotel so it is not far off from a 5 star experience. If you are wondering how can I afford it on a budget, I used lastminute.com to book it. They are great for hotels for a fraction of the price. I have never tried them internationally so I can't tell you if they are reliable or not for that.

The location is great as it is next to both  Roma St Station and the coach terminal. This is great especially if you have spent a whole day travelling or want to find your hotel without a fuss from the airport.

Check in experience is quite good as it is fast and efficient. The staff will ask you for the usual things like your credit card and some other form of ID. But then again when I went to Asia, nobody asked me for my credit card so I don't know if this is just a policy in Western societies. Oh, they may ask you if you want to upgrade your room for about an extra $50 a night. If you are on a budget like I am, it is no sir!!

Once I found my room, I didn't realise how spacious it was. It wasn't a 3 bed room apartment or anything but it is still spacious for one person. It had a dining table, couch, queen bed and an adequate bathroom.

Here are some pictures by the way.

Now for the in room dining experience. It is not bad if you don't feel like going outside for dinner but it is quite expensive. It is about $22.00 for a mee goreng like noodle. I say that because the noodle was not worth that much. I mean it wasn't bad or anything but it wasn't spectacular either. It also had potato in it which I found quite strange. Oh well. However, the breakfast is awesome. Also if you do not order everything in the menu, you do not pay the set price. Go figure!!

Pros

• Central Location
• Great customer service
• Meals are delivered efficiently and on time

Cons

• The meals can be a bit of a hit and miss
• The bathroom could do with a renovation

I would stay here again as there are more pros than cons.

Have you had the 4 or 5 star hotel experience and if you have, how was it??

Until next time,

Laura xx

The Bell Curve and Real Education Charles Murray

Today this post might be slightly controversial to some but here goes.

A few weeks ago, I read some online articles and part of the book about the Bell Curve by Charles Murray. This scholar is known to be quite controversial as he believes that everyone has their place in society and no amount of education is going to change that. In other words, your intelligence or "g" factor are both genetic and environmental with a leaning towards genetic. Also your IQ will determine what career is in store for you.

(Courtesy of the Savoisien)

Not only does this book argue that everyone has their place in society, Murray and Herrnstein also argue that the "cognitive elite" are becoming isolated from the masses. These authors believe that there will always be an elite in society and these are the people with higher IQ's as they have well paying careers. I would have to disagree with these authors to an extent because not everyone who has a higher IQ has a well paying job. In fact in some cases, it is quite the opposite. I have read about some people who are supposed to be geniuses working in jobs that pay just above the minimum wage whereas those of average intelligence are CEOs of companies. 

I almost forgot to say that the title of the book stems from the idea of the bell curve as the average IQ is 100, 50% will be below and 50% will be above. 

To me the "Real Education" book is almost a sequel to the "Bell Curve" as it discusses education of children. Murray states that the "No Children Left Behind" act in the U.S is a fallacy and we need to be realistic and get the education system back where it should be. I'm not sure if Australia has a similar policy but the design of the education system is similar as we believe that most children should aim for higher education. Unfortunately I have read in forums that some believe that TAFE and vocational schools are not as good and university is the key to success. While I chose to attend university, that is not true as TAFE is just as good but it is just a different path that prepares people for different careers. Murray also states this as there are too many people going to university and that people with IQs of 100 to 115 should not attend university at all. This is a difficult one to comprehend because I don't know what the strengths and weaknesses of these people are. Neither does he. Additionally, Murray states somewhere that the end of high school will be as far as your academic talents will take you if your IQ is 100. 

(Courtesy of wmbriggs.com)

Now to the part that many of you may not want to read but sadly it is true. Half of everyone is below average in intelligence. As much as I hate to say it, I have to agree with him on this one. For example a child's IQ may be 85 and no amount of education is going to enable it to grasp the law of physics or read Shakespeare plays. As I have mentioned earlier, Murray argues that many educators have succumbed to the idea of "educational romanticism" that everyone can be above average when this is false. Everyone has a ceiling and no amount of help will make little Johnny grasp more vocabulary than what his IQ states. I'm not a teacher but I do know many people who are so maybe I can find out their input on this. 

Although he mentioned those of low average intelligence, he seemed to leave out those who have intellectual disabilities. He didn't seem to mention what their abilities are. While I don't live in Lake Wobegon, I'm sure that these kids still have some things that they are capable of. For example, I know some people with an intellectual disability that work in retail and are quite good at it. Murray also mentions that people of low average intelligence cannot read beyond the 4th grade level but yet it states that people with a mild intellectual disability can learn up to the upper primary level. Hmm..that is confusing but I'm sure that these kids that I have mentioned above can learn up to at least the end of the compulsory school years which would be about Year 10. I know some people that did exactly that. 

I think Murray may live in a bit of a Disneyland too as he states that if we get back to reality, almost everyone will be able to work a job that they A. Enjoy and B. that is within their capabilities. My pessimist self may be talking but aren't many of these jobs being taken over by robots?? I have read about a few already in South Korea where the robots work in fast food jobs. Also I saw a vending machine that squeezes juice. 

Ok that all for now about this. If you want to read more about it, I will provide the link to another blog that talks about this in more depth. 

http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=993

So what do you think, do you believe that everyone has a ceiling or we can go beyond our capacities?

And remember....be the best you can be!!!

Until next time,

Laura xx

In the mood for mint fashion

I have seen some trends come and go as a child but there is one trend that seems to have been missing. That is mint fashion. It is coming in many forms such as jeans, top, pants with pockets and anything else you name it. Since I have never worn it before, I decided to see what it would be like.

This is the result of the mint fashion trend on myself. Let's start off with the mint jeans. It was ok and I like bright colours but apart from the neutral colours, it may be difficult to make an outfit that matches. Nevertheless the fit was slightly tight but if the jeans stretch according to what the saleslady says, then the outcome may not be so bad after all.

The top...well it may be easier to pair it with a nice pair of jeans, dressy pants, shorts or a skirt even. I do like minty kind of colours so this might be a purchase that I will consider in the future. Not today though.


Oh in case you were wondering where the outfit came from here it is.......

Emmie longline printed tank from Forever New $59.95

Carmel Super Skinny Jean at Forever New $79.95

Can you get into the mint fashion trend?

Until next time,

Laura xx

The other side of cancer charities.

I have been meaning to post this for months but never got around to it, until now that is.

I'm sure most of us have seen breast cancer merchandise such as ribbons whether it be at the local shopping centre or on commercials, The main outcome of this is for us to buy the items in order to raise money towards research and even a cure. In Australia, there are even some cricket events that fans and players alike wear pink to support cancer charities such as the McGrath foundation.

Wait a minute, where am I going with this???

While awareness and trying to raise money are moving forward in a positive direction, there are a number of critics that believe that the breast cancer campaign is taking a step in the wrong direction. They believe that the pink ribbon campaign has become more about marketing than trying to achieve awareness and support for those women who are living with breast cancer. To an extent, these women have a point as the media seems to focus on smiling faces and those who have managed to beat the disease. A feelgood story is always a good read but unfortunately this not the reality. The women in this documentary above which is called Pink Ribbons Inc see this as "pinkwashing".

I think that the women from Pink Ribbons Inc are not against people donating to cancer charities. In fact, this documentary encourages it. However what they are trying to say is that less than 5 percent of the money raised actually goes towards where it should be going. Instead the money raised has been going towards administrative and affiliate costs. Of course some of the funds need to go towards administration but I am sure that costs do not exceed benefits. In the United States, some of the affiliates with the Susan G. Komen foundation are not healthy either as one of the sponsors is KFC. Most of us know that KFC is unhealthy and full of trans fats so how can an organisation that is trying to promote health and well being accept a sponsor that just does the opposite of that. This goes back to the fact that some charities seem to focus more on marketing than actually trying to prevent the disease.

Example of an event (Courtesy of Susan G.Komen and Africletic)

Another topic that is not directly associated with this video but has been mentioned is celebrity role models. The celebrities that are associated with breast cancer seem to have a feelgood story to tell which is great as it can give inspiration to many to try and fight the disease as best as possible but again not all celebrities or as a matter of fact everyone are as fortunate. In fact, as many as 30 per cent will experience a reoccurance and sadly it is usually Stage IV. Maybe this is because Stage IV is not the happy side of cancer so therefore it is easier to push these people aside as it is getting in the way of the romanticisation if you say. However, I believe it is important that these people get the recognition they deserve. It is a bit better in Australia as celebrities are acknowledged that they are living with Stage IV but sometimes we tend to pity them rather than acknowledge that they are trying to live the best quality of life as they can.

Ok we have definitely have come a long way since the 1990s with breast cancer awareness and all that jazz but unfortunately there has not been a lot of emphasis on the cure. As one of the ladies from this documentary says " We're living, we are human beings, we are not little pink ribbons'. That is very true and hopefully those with Stage IV also get recognition that they are living with the disease and exist. I wonder if charities that support other cancers do this practice as well.

So what did you think of the documentary. Do you agree with what they are saying?

I could write a novel about this but let's leave it at this for now.

Until next time,
Laura xx

Costello Syndrome

I have read about many syndromes such as Down, Prader-Willi and Williams but there are quite a few that does not seem to gain a lot of attention from the media. One of those syndromes is Costello Syndrome.

Costello Syndrome is a disability that physically affects the body such as loose skin, distinctive facial characteristics such as large mouth and flexible joints that are not considered normal. Heart defects are also common as well which includes an abnormal heart beat. By adulthood, people with Costello Syndrome also have shorter stature than average.

Additionally, delayed development and intellectual disability are prevalent with Costello Syndrome.It can range from mild to severe. This may be caused by the mutation in chromosome 11. Although the mutation can be inherited from a parent, it is not likely that healthy siblings will be affected by the syndrome or the future generations.

Unlike other syndromes, people with Costello Syndrome are at risk of developing cancers such as Rhabdomyosarcoma and a certain cell carcinoma which is a type of bladder cancer. However, there are many people with Costello Syndrome that do not develop cancer but can also develop wartlike skin growth. Similar to cancer cases, some may never endure wartlike skin growth.

Although I have given you a brief description about Costello Syndrome, this website is very detailed if you would like to learn more:
http://costellokids.com/sites/default/files/Costello_Syndrome-GeneReviews-NCBI%20Bookshelf_0.pdf

Until next time,
Laura xx