“They used the name Lindsay,” Ovadia said. “They’re using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn’t they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody’s talking about it and saying it’s Lindsay Lohan.” Stephanie Ovadia is Lindsey Lohan’s lawyer.

If you have never heard this story before Lindsey Lohan is suing E-Trade for a commercial that was aired during the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympic finals. The commercial is about a baby girl named ‘Lindsey’ being called a “milkaholic’. Now is that ridiculous or what!?! Why would Lindsey even relate this particular commercial to herself? Many celebrities get slack about being on drugs and having the title of being alcoholics and much worse, but no one is guilty until proven. And I think she has proved to the world that she just may be all thee above. The press has put plenty of allegations against Lindsey but I guess because she has a particular target now, she feels the need to take her aggravation out on someone. She is suing E-Trade for $100 million for ‘pain and suffering’.

She filed the lawsuit March 8th and yet as anything happened in her favor but I will be tuned in to see the turn out. Her lawyer states that Lohan is owed $50 million in exemplary damages, plus another $50 million in compensatory damages. Her lawyer can’t possibly use the evidence of ‘subliminal message’ to get this case won for Lindsey’s sake… I say GIVE IT UP!! She’s such a baby….

Milkaholic or Alcoholic!?!

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/lohan_such_baby_jVdQWABj9z0MgXzCv1Nh1O#ixzz0lvQ0ZC5B

With my final project my overall view of painting as definitely grew from knowing nothing to actually realizing that it means more than just paint on a wall, canvas or paper. The project taught me the use of capturing real life art, no matter if it a perfect portrait or painting what you see or feel. Painting is not about being perfect it’s all in the passion you put in behind it. The dramatic question for the professor I interviewed, Mark Swain, was what is the philosophy of painting for him? With being a part of many art classes painting had never been my nitch. But after talking with Mark even after the interview was complete he was really down to earth about the whole aspect of art. The main phrase that really stuck out to me about painting is patience. It’s an understanding with one’s self that is expressed through art.

The struggle I could say with the recording was the amount of students that was in class and wanted to participate. Some were extremely shy and some looked real focus on getting the work done before the 50 minute class over. The enjoyment I had was being able to see other’s work. To see the different artistic value in each painting was amazing. None of the painting was bad, they looked as if each student was going to school to get there Fine Arts degree; but majority of the students take the course for an elective. If I could recommend this class I would, and definitely recommend Mark Swain as a very interesting teacher.

Mona Lisa .... One of the well known paintings.

Dance Off!

        On “Dancing With the Stars”, celebrities are the spot light of the show as well as their dancing.  They are chosen to be a part of this dance reality show and each couple performs a number of their choice, that it be hip hop, line dance, or waltz. Whatever they decide to do they have to wow the audience and the judges. The last season Donnie Osmond won.  Even though he shines with his singing, he made more than impression on the show. In a last minute surprise, he nabbed the night’s top score in the three finalists’ last dances, for a steamy tango with partner Kym Johnson that judge Carrie Ann Inaba called “artistry in motion.” Osmond’s victorious turn on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” was Thanksgiving week’s most popular prime-time TV program, narrowly beating CBS’ “NCIS.” The “Dancing” results show came in third, the Nielsen Co. said. For the week of Nov. 24-30, “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, brought in 20.41 million viewers. So with dancing becoming the “newest” trend, celebrities are pitching in as well as the video game industry. Dancing is becoming worldwide….. So let’s DANCE!

Facebook in China

 Now I don’t know if I am just naive but I did not know I could reach people outside of this country; but only on certain days!

 In China the government has the right to block certain sites when every they feel the need. Now I don’t know how well that will fly in US, but on Tuesday June 7 of 2009 an article in the Washington Post  was written about the western region of Xinjiang, China. Apparently the prior weekend a deadly riot broke out and to prevent any blogging or gossip about the incident the central government took all the usual steps to block citizens from accessing foreign web services. The authorities blocked Twitter, removed unapproved references to the violence form search engines and had apparently move to bar its citizens from accessing Facebook form most parts of China Mainland.  The Chinese government is not shy about censoring the internet.  As tension rose over Tibet before the 2008 Olympics, sites like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and even Wikipedia found themselves blocked.  After the Olympic frenzy, the government seemed to relax and many sites become accessible again.  Youtube and most major blog sites, however, were re-blocked this spring when a video of a Buddhist monk being beaten surfaced. Even sites that have not been blocked have been closely monitored.   Any content made by either government supporters or Uighur sympathizers that is deemed controversial is immediately taken down by officials. Now if that isn’t strict I don’t know what is. If the government can see what is being done your computer, I wonder what else is being monitored! That is kind of creepy when you think about it.

                 But there is always the negative that seems to squeeze its self on through. Not only is YouTube used for entertainment and learning purposes but it also used to wreck the image of some schools as well as people. It may not be on purpose but when students are carelessly sending videos to share with the world it becomes a problem. You can find all type of ugly things that relate to college life when watching one of these videos. For instance, one of the first things that pops up if you search on YouTube about a public school in Western Maryland is a video that starts:  FROSTBURG STATE UNIVERSITY. ITS GREAT!  An edgy new-wavy punkish Electric Six song cranks in, and the camera lurches as people down shots, chug beer and do keg stands. One guy climbs unsteadily out a window, grins at the camera, then drops through the dark to the ground far below. The video is not available now because of the new image that the University doesn’t want to portray but not only is that ruining the image of the school, but the students as well. Some may look at it and think its funny, but I wonder how hilarious it is to parents.  

                With knowing that YouTube is one of the largest visited sites people are taking advantage of the usage and turning it into a marketing and advertising method as well. To attract more advertising, YouTube is striving to add more professionally produced video.  You can take URL’s and post it right on a site as well as make videos to distribute the “good” of your school or product. “Marketing in higher education is really at a crossroads,” said Nora Ganim Barnes, director of the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. “Those that don’t engage and manage social media are going to be left behind.”  Something more parent friendly!

     Just like our Facebook now and or Twitter, Tagged allows users to send messages, leave comments, browse photos and watch videos. But what makes this site different from the rest? Well one, when you are “tagging” someone you are sending a friend request so it’s a little different from viewing a profile and deciding to befriend them or not; you both have to decide if you want to be each other’s “tagging” buddies. Another difference is they just got sued out of the kazoo. They were accused of tricking users into providing access to their address books.

Watch Out!

     While proper social networking sites like Facebook and yes, even MySpace, don’t access your address book without your permission, up-and-coming sites like to steal your contacts and trick them into joining so that they can increase their user base and appeal to advertisers. And this is why I state that I doubt that Tagg.com is the 3^rd largest networking site. I have not heard of anyone being a part of this site in years. As stated in the news report, and I too can agree, just the other day my grandmother was sent an email that bamboozled her in away to sign up for something that ended up leading her to join a social networking site, and as well send out emails to people in her contacts inviting them to join as if it was her. I received the email and was stunned that my grandmother had even opened an email as well as sent one out to over 120 people.

     Tagged.com had to pay a lump sum of $250,000 over something that seems so small. Be careful who you “trick.”

Pay up!

Not sensible at all in my opinion.
There are many sites out there that allow children to participate in being part of the social networking world; MySpace and Facebook being two of them. With Facebook they have a site called FBFkids.com “strictly for kids 13 and up.” But the problem I have with that is what is stopping a 9-year-old from joining. What law is there that stops them immediately and say “oh son your too young.” There isn’t any. Only thing they have to do is change the year they were born and there a member.  Majority of the children in our day in age is more technology savvy then the adults. According to Answers.com there four sites that are made just for children; other than FBFkids.com (Facebookforkids) there are Yunti, Imbee, and KidsWorl.

One view about FBFkids.com is “I believe FBFKids is the best for your children as they are fully monitored and moderated without any outside linking. You have to be aware that the site you let your children onto may be good, but if they allow outside linking, you’ll never know where your children will end up clicking to. Most of the above sites are riddled with outside linking to questionable material for children. FBFKids has a strict no linking policy; it is non commercial, privately funded and non profit. This may be so but what is keeping a predator from joining? It doesn’t take a genius to change their age to make their selves suitable to become a member as well. I know because I’m a member and I am well over being a preteen or teenager. With this site you have the ability to chat, join groups and even blog.

Watch out he is out there!

Reading more into children sites, I came across CNET.com, where Larry Magid, an expert in social networking sites and blogging, that authored “MySpace Unraveled: What It Is and How to Use It Safely,” was interviewed. According to Magid parents cannot force any social networking sites from banning children from the network. Reading some of his answers, and going over this interview constantly in my head I’ve come to realize that these people must do not have children. The U.S. Department of Justice, in a report called Highlights of the Youth Internet Safety Survey, has estimated that one in five children between the ages of 10 and 17 years old receives unwanted sexual advances online. Breaking that down, at least half of those solicitations originate from other teens and are not aggressive, meaning they aren’t urging the child to meet in person. Magid said those added details can put the risk in perspective: The vast majority of kids online will go about their business unharmed. I would guess because the “vast majority” go unharmed that makes it ok for those children that are harmed. That does not add up.

Everything is not for kids. Children can be sneaky but there should be limitations and boundaries on computer use when you are such a young child, and that responsibility lands in the hands of the parents.

Lets Keep Our Kids Safe

How often do we feel like doing this?

If there was a dollar for each person that just wanted to scream out loud on a daily basis, and the profits went to me, I think I’ll be rich. Some people are not blessed with the skill of speaking on how they feel so they write it down. First people had journals, diaries, where their journal was their secret place and that journal heard everything and understood. Sometimes as individuals, though, we desire a second, third and sometimes forth opinion, so we put our business on networking sites and wait for the replies. Interested in what other people think, or if they have been in the situation. And instead of me being rich the maker of LiveJournal, Brad Fitzpatrick, is.

 LiveJournal would be on of the perfect sites. Some may feel that with Facebook and MySpace that we have enough networking sites that explode our personal business, but with LiveJournal you can be anyone. You are as anonymous to the world as you like and express the deepest thoughts. Their motto is Express Yourself, Share Your Life, Connect with Friends Online. LiveJournal is used all around the world but most popular countries, the top 15 countries are United States, Russian Federation, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Ukraine, Philippines, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Finland, India, Belarus and France. It looks as though people all around as something to say, and who would have thought that you are sitting in your home relating to someone else millions of miles away from you. Interesting!

LiveJournal has not been around that long, since 1999, and it might not be as popular as other networking sites, yet, but people that are on this site really praise it. They have “In Spotlight This Week” and you would think you would read about how someone’s ex husband messed them over but it’s all blogs that are giving honor to the site. I think if I was new the site and seen that I would want to see some ‘juicy’ information; But maybe that’s just me.  And for someone new to the site, the fact that someone else’s husband is lowdown is probably the last thing they care about.

Let's Begin Venting

  Imeem is here for us all!

     Imeem is a social media service where users interact with each other by watching, posting, and sharing content of all digital media types, including blogs, photos, audio, and video. Some say Imeem is a copy cat of YouTube or Facebook, but to me it’s a mixture of them both. It may not be as popular as either one but millions of people visit the imeem website every month to discover music and build playlists to share across the world. I know people that do not have an account with Facebook but love Imeem. Imeem was used as a MySpace until it was blocked to embed music on the profiles. Imeem has a large variety of music and even have applications for your phone to listen to your playlists as you go. Watch out IPods!

     Only glitch that I would have with Imeem is you can only upload 100 songs for free. When you sign up it is free and you can share and comment on others playlists but after 100 songs they’re charging you. How fair is that? It makes the person think they are allowed to share unlimited songs and share interests with others, and then billed after so many songs. But I guess they have to make money one way or another. Since it’s not as popular as these other networking sites everything can’t be free. No one has yet to buy them out for billions of dollars, they have to survive too. If you wanted to upload more songs you are consider “VIP” when you get on the imeem plan of that allow you to upload 1,000 for $29.99 a year or upload up to 20,000 songs for $99.99. What a price difference! I wouldn’t trade my IPod or MP3 player in.

     Some videos on YouTube are strictly for promoting. If someone wants there business to be noticed or wants their talent to be recognize why not put it on YouTube where you can be found. In today’s time YouTube is definitely the haven where everyone goes for online videos. If it’s word around town that a friend or family is online, everyone will view it. While it might not be the best featured or even best quality service for video producers, it is by a long shot the most popular. If you are a blogger, marketer, film maker or any other kind of online publisher or entrepreneur, you stand to gain a lot by getting some exposure on YouTube.

      For example, even though the David Letterman show is one of the most popular shows on television, after expressing his foul ways on the air and it being posted on YouTube, the 5.7 million viewers who tuned in to Letterman Monday more than doubled the audience for NBC’s “Tonight” show with Conan O’Brien, according to the Nielsen Co. It was slightly less than the 5.9 million who watched Thursday when Letterman broke the news of the alleged extortion attempt. The ratings are a testament to the power of the Internet after Letterman’s representatives released details of the scandal to the media about three hours before his show aired Thursday. His audience that night was more than a million more than usual, meaning word spread quickly and encouraged people to tune in. After then watching the show it was posted on YouTube October 2, 2009 with 183,396 views as of today and 1,226 comments. He has a good marketing team!

 If he can make it happen so can you! Just post it….