Facebook Is Stronger Than Ever

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/07/24/fb_q2_earnings_facebook_stock_spikes_because_everyone_s_clicking_newsfeed.html

In a professional or competitive basketball games, it is always entertaining to watch one team try to catch up and make a comeback. The odds may be stacked against them, but the losing team certainly will not give up. Just earlier this year, Facebook received backlash over privacy issues, which is a component to the reason their stock fell. Facebook is the team hoping for a comeback and a win; this is exactly what they got.

Facebook’s stock has risen through the roof, contrary to the belief that the popular social network was going to plummet in regular users. After Facebook’s first stock plummet and many counts of privacy backlash, many of the general public believed that Facebook was going to lose many users and eventually have to be sold. However, those beliefs have all been falsified with evidence, showing  a growth in stock price, advertisement clicks, advertisement prices, and new users.

These statistics are shocking for many, including myself because I had recently started to use Facebook less often. Facebook’s purpose to me is a simple way to connect with friends and plan events; although, I did not want to see the fall of Facebook, I did not care for the social media site all that much. However, many others in the teenager age demographic apparently do. After finding out that their stock crashed earlier this year, coupled with the fact of the release of graph search, a debated tool on the social media site, I was almost certain that I would witness the fall of Facebook. However, Facebook has proved many doubters, including me, wrong.

Facebook’s comeback has made many doubters and critics step aside. Facebook came back, walking into the social media game again full stride. These miraculous turn of events have shown Facebook’s longevity in the social media game. However, this is only for 2013. What can the general public expect from Facebook a few years down the line? Will Facebook still have the same amount of users?

Zimmerman Saves Family In Overturned Truck

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/07/22/zimmerman_accident_george_zimmerman_helped_pull_an_individual_trapped_in.html

Can good deeds make others overlook your past? While this may be the case sometimes, the past cannot be erased. This example can be applied to George Zimmerman, who rescued a family in an overturned truck that was also reportedly on fire. Zimmerman, who was involved in the controversial case of the murder of Trayvon Martin, was in deed trying to do a good deed.

While the article merely states the facts regarding the event that took place, I want to delve deeper into the situation. After looking at the facts regarding the details of the Trayvon Martin case, I thought that Zimmerman would surely be placed in jail for counts of second-degree murder and manslaughter. However, he was proven innocent.

Although George Zimmerman may be deemed innocent and his actions of murdering Trayvon Martin justified, he was still acquitted of the murder. It was openly stated that Zimmerman did fire upon Trayvon Martin. This being said, anyone in our society that fires upon another may instantly be deemed as “evil.” The big question is, “Will Zimmerman’s good deeds make the general public overlook his past?”

This may be interpreted in several different ways. One of which ways is that Zimmerman’s good deeds and continued good behavior will allow him to assimilate back into society. However, on the other end of the spectrum, Zimmerman’s good deeds cannot simply overlook what he has done in the past. Due to the his acquittal of the murder of Martin, gun control laws have been questioned. Disturbances throughout the country have also been provoked by Zimmerman’s actions. Zimmerman’s good deeds will be noticed, but they will not overlook his past actions due to the ruckus he has caused in America.

Rolling Stone’s Boston Bomber Cover

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/17/boston_bomber_rolling_stone_cover_with_dzokhar_tsarnaev_is_good_journalism.html

The first thing I would like to point out about this article is the use of sarcasm in the title of this article on Slate.com. Mark Joseph Stern, the author of, “Rolling Stone’s Boston Bomber Cover is Brilliant,” portrays only one side of this situation. Although, the idea of putting a suspect of a bombing on the cover of a popular culture magazine is anything but brilliant from the empathetic standpoint of the family of the victims.

Rolling Stone’s cover for this month is a selfie picture of the Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with a filter added on as a ploy to make the cover more appealing or to romanticize the idea of his actions. This cover has been released for only several hours, but a few companies including CVS and a UK chain store have already banned or restricted the sale of this magazine in their stores.

Even with this backlash, Rolling Stone is getting attention for this cover. On one side of this ordeal, Rolling Stone is a clever and cunning company, using controversial pictures of a suspect as a business ploy. Erik Wemple of the Washington Post points out this instance as, “smart, unnerving journalism.” Rather than the usual depiction of a terrorist suspect, Tsarnaev is being portrayed as a normal citizen on the cover. However, on the other side of this ordeal, this cover might have caused the family of victims of the Boston bombing even more pain. Although this is not the first time Rolling Stone has released a controversial cover, the question still remains. Are the actions of Rolling Stone justified?

Rolling Stone’s actions are unjustified in the sense that they bring more pain to the family of victims of the Boston Marathon bombing incident. However, from a business standpoint, these actions were justified in the sense that Rolling Stone wanted to stir up a ruckus to get attention from the media and furthermore, popularize the magazine. Although these actions cannot be undone, next time, Rolling Stone should take into consideration the audience that is affected by the controversial covers they release.

 

J.K. Rowling Is Hiding

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/07/15/j_k_rowling_used_a_male_pseudonym_to_publish_the_cuckoo_s_calling_stop_hiding.html

When I first read the title, “Stop Hiding, J.K. Rowling,” on Slate, I was pleasantly surprised because I wondered what she could be hiding from. Some publication error in her famous Harry Potter series? A new book that received criticism? However, when I found out she was writing under another name to get earnest feedback and criticisms for her new book, I felt as if I understood her motives.

J.K. Rowling had taken on another name in the world of literature: Robert Galbraith. She even went so far as to invent a new name and biography for the fake Galbraith so the name would seem to have more credibility. Although she remained hidden for quite some time, she came out today to the public that Robert Galbraith was actually Joanne Rowling.

To understand her position, you must step inside of her shoes. She had huge success on her Harry Potter series, entertaining a wide audience that spanned from children to adults. Her next book would obviously be held in very high expectations because the general public believed that she should be able to create another blockbuster book that would sweep the globe and top charts. Although personally I agree with Rowling’s actions, these recent events have raised a question.

Is it justified to have keep a pseudonym as a famous author? Although some argue that a world-class author such as Rowling should be able to continually produce enrapturing literature, she should not have that kind of pressure put on her shoulders. Among the general public that enjoyed her Harry Potter series, it is safe to assume that doubts existed on whether or not she could ever produce a series that topped her tales of wizardry. The expectations on her books following the Harry Potter series would prove to be a “make-it or break-it” turning point in her writing career. Although her new book’s sales have skyrocketed since she revealed her name, I believe Rowling’s intentions were more than just financial.

Mexican Obesity Rate Surpassing the United States

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/mexico-obesity_n_3567772.html

When I first heard about this news, I was shocked that it was not a small population or and island in the middle of nowhere that had surpassed the United States of America. However, the country that had surpassed America was Mexico. According to the Huffington Post, Mexico has,”A 32.8 percent adult obesity rate, according to a study released last month by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.”

My first reaction to this event was how they could have surpassed the United States because as a resident of the US, I have been exposed to first-hand experience of how bad our eating habits have gotten. Many reports have speculations on how this could have happened. The Huffington Post relates Mexico’s increased obesity rate to, “[…] less manual labor […] more convenience […] and terrible eating habits.”

Although my understanding of Mexico’s economy and eating habits are limited, I do know that Mexico has been a country on the rise in recent years. However, the poor and homeless exist as in every country. These poor and homeless also make up for a part of the overweight and obese in Mexico because they promote bad eating habits with malnourishment. However, the malnourished are not the only ones to be blamed for the recent rise in obesity rates. On the other side of things, the wealthy live a,” […] sedentary lifestyle.”

Like the United States, this growing health crisis is dangerous for people of all backgrounds. Although the United States can no longer be called the most obese, Americans should not begin to take this statement lightly because the US is still a contender for this title. Both the United States and Mexico have flaws, but Mexico needs to begin to treat this problem as a serious threat to national health. Mexico should be able to witness all of their North American neighbor’s shortcomings and spring back into a less sedentary lifestyle within the next few decades.

Guantanamo Bay Force-Feeding

Video of Yasiin Bey undergoing US Regulated Force-Feeding: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/jul/08/mos-def-force-fed-guantanamo-bay-video

Article on Guantanamo Force-Feeding: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/opinion/nocera-is-force-feeding-torture.html?_r=0

I would suggest against watching the video of Yasiin Bey, also known as the famous rapper Mos Def, undergoing regulation force-feeding as the video is quite disturbing. 

My thoughts prior to watching the video and reading the article made me question how force-feeding could be considered a form of torture. However, after watching Bey’s experience, I was appalled at the type of treatment Guantanamo Bay residents received twice a day. Even though they are detainees, their hunger strike has raised awareness for not only their freedom but the method of force-feeding that should be applied. 

The issue of force-feeding was first made aware when many of the prison’s residents began going on a hunger strike. Currently, there is still speculation on the cause of the hunger strike. Few of the residents have said that their Korans were being searched much more thoroughly after a series of harsh new measures were put into place. Although not confirmed, many believe the reasons behind the hunger strike are the residents’ diminishing hope of freedom because as many as, “fifty-six men from Yemen have been cleared to leave the prison” since the hunger strike began. 

Whatever the case may be, this hunger strike has raised awareness for force-feeding regulations. The regulation force-feeding document explicitly states: “the detainee [is] shackled to a special chair(which looks like the electric chair); the head restraints if he resists; the tube [is] pushed painfully down his nose; the half-hour or so of ingestion of nutritional supplements; the transfer of the detainee to a “dry cell,” where, if he vomits, he is strapped back into the chair until the food is digested.” Detainees are also given a special anti-nausea drug, Reglan, that has potentially fatal side effects if taken over a long period of time. 

After reading over all the details, I have begun viewing this type of force-feeding as torture and no longer a way of keeping residents safe and healthy. Although this regulation was intended for residents to be kept healthy, the way the process is being utilized should be considered torture.