"One Nation, Under Nothing in Particular..."

The religious references in the Pledge of Allegiance are only one part of a bigger problem hitting America today - although it is definitely not exclusive to this country. The separation of church and state seems a great problem in the great US of A, where culture, politics and all codes of conduct are deeply rooted in their puritanical roots. Yet, as Samuel P. Huntington writes in his essay entitled Under God, there are atheists in America, as well as Christians. Obviously, when the Pledge of Allegiance proclaims that everybody is united "under God", eyebrows will be raised.

The idea is cheekily played with in the Gary Markstein's cartoon, where a group of children proclaim to their teacher, "One nation, under nothing in particular..." The joke is obvious - the "God" in the allegiance is no more than proverbial - nothing in particular, really. Religious imagery is just another way of bringing people together under a singular idea, and although it may have positive effects, the singular idea should be that of state, and not of religion, of God. The cartoon expands the idea by contrasting two generations - the teacher is obviously religious.

Many American Christians feel that Christmas is being taken away from them by the politically correct phrase "Happy Holidays". The Pledge of Allegiance issue is of similar character. Huntington states that atheists could feel as outsiders if they were to forced to be united "under God". Obviously, the same goes for non-Christian people. Yet, ultimately, he takes the easy way out and proclaims that atheists "do not have the right to impose their atheism on all those Americans whose beliefs (...) have defined America as a religious nation." If the keyword of the article is outsider, I guess no one wants to be "it".

When a Beverage Is Not Just a Beverage... It's Viral!

Every great shift in people's habits and thoughts requires the world around them to change as well - and this includes pitching them products as well. Gone are the days of simply persuading your audience to buy something because they need it. Now, people need to be able to laugh about commercials, share them with friends and download them from the internet. In other words, they need to willingly watch your commercial in order for the message to sink in.

This is how viral marketing was born. The name refers to those multimedia materials that become popular and thus spread from one user to another, using such available technologies as blogs, ad spaces, social networks, etc. In a nutshell, it is the marketing form of the 21st century. Not only does the sharing component increase the number of views an advertisement gets, it also allows the ad to bounce off people with similar interests and thus have better exposure to target audiences.

A good example of a viral marketing campaign is that of the hit HBO show True Blood. The name of the show refers to a fictional drink that the characters drink - synthetic blood that allows vampires to "come out of the coffin" and integrate with people without fear of biting them. The early advertisements for the show exploited the drink as if it was real - mixing fiction and the real world until people could not stand not knowing what Tru Blood was anymore.

The fake drink campaign was coupled with a real world campaign, where anonymous black envelopes sealed with red wax were sent off to horror movie bloggers. Inside, there were messages written in dead languages, such as Babylonian and Ugaritic. Needless to say, fans of the genre had a field day deciphering these messages. The most extreme version of the campaign was in the form of fake websites advertising concepts from the show as if they really existed - not just Tru Blood, but entire church groups and bars that figure prominently in the show. Real-life performances (people acting as if they were vampires stopping people on the street, telling them that they are coming back) and prequel comic books were also part of the campaign. It ultimately paid off - a strong audience of 1.5 million viewers tuned in for the first episode and True Blood soon became HBO's strongest show, its success comparable to that of The Sopranos and Sex and the City.

Is viral marketing here to stay? No reason for it not to. It seems the appropriate form of advertising for our day and age. Lately, the very idea of viral marketing has been exploited in order to sell more products. The advertisement for the product SmartWater, featuring actress Jennifer Aniston, is a prime example of an (3-minute!) ad that is not only to be actively sought out, but also shared with friends. The humorous ad spoofs many viral videos that have appeared online, while at the same time promoting the product. After all, whenever we share a music video on Facebook, we help those artists sell more albums. Why not do the same with bottled water?

Invention Notes: Use of Technology in Classrooms

Definition

Use of technology in classrooms is...

• a way of using more resources.
• a tool to teach the students how to use resources.
• good motivation for students to pursue a deeper understanding of their lessons.
• an excuse to slack off.
• a way to closely communicate with students and follow their progress.

Examplification

• By using the internet and the multimedia, the students are actively learning how to compile and sort through information efficiently and thoroughly.
• Not all internet resources are valid; by teaching the students how to use online resources, they will be able to filter incorrect or irrelevant information, as well as critically asses them, thus improving their knowledge of the matter.
• The use of internet and multimedia tools helps students find more interesting, tailor-suited information related to their courses. A literature student may watch a film adaptation of a work, or a comparison of different cover art, thus raising his or her interest in the topic.
• Students may use this wide array of resources in order to avoid getting the necessary studying done. A literature student may only watch a film version of the book, thus limiting his or her knowledge, or resort to plagiarism.
• Technology offers a way for students to ask their teachers questions in real time, get answers more quickly and share their work with the world. Teachers are able to post the necessary information online, more efficiently correct their students' homework, or file it more neatly.

Comparison

Classrooms with technology: 

• Students are able to use a variety of sources to get information.
• Information compiled using technology may not be valid/relevant.
• Technology allows individual interest in a certain subject by using a variety of mediums.
• Possible instances of counterproductive uses of technology, students using the technology to cheat.
• Faster communication among peers and with teachers, closer examination of a student's work, better picture of a particular student.

Classrooms without technology:

• Students are restricted to the resources already in the classroom.
• Information compiled using classroom resources should usually be valid/relevant.
• No technology in classroom implies that a student's exploration of a certain topic is less individual.
• Less space for students to cheat, less ways to go around doing one's workload.
• Slower communication among peers and with teachers, a student's work and efforts may not be as clear.

Casualty

Using technology (mainly, but not restricted to computers) is a new trend in teaching that is evolving rapidly. Most schools and teachers are trying out this new way of conveying information, but it is too soon to judge whether the results are satisfactory or not.

The use of technology in classrooms is a way to closely communicate with students and follow their progress because it allows the teacher to assess the student's qualities, talents and effort on a more frequent, deeper level.

Effects

Use of technology in schools leads to a better understanding of both core and extracurricular subjects, thus allowing the students to further develop their skills with more solid base knowledge.

My Literary Childhood

I believe some events or habits that one may have in his or her childhood have a major impact on the way their lives will turn out. At the very least, they may contribute to a person's array of interests and creativity. Reading is something that started rather innocently with me. It is hard to locate the point in time when I started reading, but I am able to recall certain factors that came into play.

The first, and probably the most important factor, was Disney. Those wonderful movies that  I watched again and again were never dubbed. Instead, I was hearing the same phrases over and over again, and was slowly starting to pair them up with the letters that appeared on the bottom of the screen. Even today, if I watch The Little Mermaid, Aladdin or Pocahontas, I can remember the lines even before the characters utter them. The love for Disney was further developed by means of comic books. Comic books are fun for every age, but when you are a seven year old Disney enthusiast, Mickey Mouse is a major figure and a hero. I still have boxes full of Mickey Mouse comics in my old room in my dad's apartment. Revisiting them is like seeing dear old friends again after a very long time.

I would often hear my parents say to their friends that I was reading ferociously. This would always be accompanied by praise. Thus, my love for reading was forever cemented. The comic books and the movies paved the way to more serious things. I believe that it helped my perception of the written word - by combining the text with colorful images, I was quickly able to, in my head, turn what I read into action. Those first books were usually my mom's old childhood favorites. Enid Blyton was my favorite author back then, and The Famous Five was a book serial I could never get enough of. Other favorites included Heidi, as well as Emil and the Detectives and Little Women.

Thinking about this now, I must have been very lucky in the upper grades of my elementary school. I would guess that, for most children, this is the time where reading is the absolute last thing on their minds. Of course, I too had friends that I played or went to the movies with. But I was also bullied at school. And the only refuge I could think of at the time was the library. The two librarians - one a young woman, always in tune with the newest trends in literature, and the other approaching retirement, but still very hip - grew so accustomed to me, that they taught me how to use the library system not only to check out books by myself, but also to other pupils. At the time, I was also allowed more risqué books they would rarely allow the other students to check out. My favorite one was Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, and the gritty reality of young Christiane's life made me appreciate the security I felt in my own.

However, no talk of my literacy would be complete without mentioning the hero of my childhood, Harry Potter. It may seem silly talking about it now, but Harry was more than simply a wizard for me and my generation. He also had to do his homework, socialize with his friends (even fight them sometimes!), find a date to take to the prom and, ultimately, grow up. With Harry, in fact, came the toughest lessons.

Throughout my young life, I never stopped reading and I do not think I ever will. Reading is fun, but also educational. Every book I read helps me be more perceptive of the world around me, as well as more analytical and critical. Books give me a sense of security and possible solutions to my problems. Reading makes me literate - be it in the library, or in life.

Homework #1 - Description

My pillow is one big paradox of my life. It is an object I use on a daily (or, more specifically, nightly) basis, yet that I never pay much attention to. After sleeping on it for such a long period of time, I still haven’t learnt to acknowledge it in the mornings. Finally, no matter how much I enjoy sleeping on it, I rarely think about what it would be like not to have it. Its firm, yet gentle support is its best feature. It is not too big, nor is it too small. I can sometimes be very rough with it, punching or twisting it around, yet it always seems to welcome me into its cuddly softness. Like many people I know, it can be inconsistent in its appearance. Right now, it is clad in a striped blue outfit. Yet, every two weeks it decides to put on a white outfit with a heart pattern on it. I do not know where this fashion influence comes from, or how it is kept clean. Yet, I suspect my mother has something to do with it. In fact, I am certain she is an accomplice. She is the one who bought the pillow – and along with the pillow case, it might just be another way of tricking me into never leaving the nest. Parents and pillows are tricky like that.