The MDST 485 Blog has moved!

Hi everyone. I've really enjoyed reading everything here, and hope you have too.

As of today (August 24th, 2013) this blog has moved to : mdst485class.wordpress.com.

Please head on over and sign up if you'd like to add a post there. All of the posts here on Blogger have been copied over to Wordpress, so you can still read them.

I'll probably delete this blog in a few months.

Yours in media - Andrew

GMOs and Chipotle

Chipotle and I have a love-hate relationship. My stomach loves Chipotle, but my wallet cries every time I buy one of their ever so delicious bowls.  Chipotle is on the expensive side for "fast" food, but I also know that I am getting quality meat, vegetables, and of course, guacamole!   Recently, Chipotle began labeling GMOs ( or, genetically modified objects, or in this case ingredients) making them the first restaurant to do this type of labeling.  If you didn't already know, GMOs in food are crops that have been modified through genetic techniques, GMOs are kind of a big deal right now and there's a lot of controversy surrounding whether GMOs are good or bad.

Understanding GMOs is important to me because I care what I put inside my body and because it's a fairly new type of cloning, and not all the information is available to us.  According to this CNN video, GMOs lack nutrients and are modified through a process, taking them out of their natural state.  Chipotle is proud of this due to the fact that they have always had an open relationship with their customer, keeping things honest and real in hopes to create loyalty.

Chipotle is setting an example for other restaurants because we deserve to know what goes in our food and in our bodies.  Chipotle has admitted in interviews that they know they could potentially lose customers because of their new labeling, but compared to other restaurants I definitely think they are doing something positive for the consumer.  And as consumers, everyone should do their research on GMOs and whether or not they are ok having them in their food, and I think Chipotle is attempting to help raise that awareness.

My Experience Dumpster Diving

Before attending Metro State this summer I had completed 4 years at Saint Mary's University in Winona. During my final week as a student on campus, my friends and I decided that we would have a little fun and go dumpster diving since almost everyone else had moved off campus at that point. We figured we would find at least one or two things worth keeping that people had left behind, and boy were we right!

We went from dorm to dorm collecting other student’s discards and ended up filling up my roommate’s car except for the driver’s seat. Things that we ended up finding: furniture (which was great because a couple of us were moving into apartments after graduation), unopened cleaning supplies, windshield washer fluid, lots of clothes that had no place being in the dumpster, perfectly new light bulbs, a really nice sleeping bag (don't worry I washed it), nice blankets (we washed those too), and a Sega Genesis with games and controllers. It was a pretty nice haul and suffice it to say, we were pretty proud, but also kicking ourselves for not dumpster diving in prior years!

To help you visualize at least some of what we ended up with, in the picture below everything I am wearing came from the dumpster dive along with the sweatshirts my friends are wearing.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The great thing was that we scored big that day and lessened the amount going to the landfill. Now, we didn’t take everything that could have been salvaged, but we made a positive impact. The experience also gave me a more conscientious perspective on what I throw away. Now I make sure that if I am done with something that is still useable, I donate it. 

If you ever have the opportunity, I would recommend going on a dive of your own because even if you end up with one thing, that is one less thing sitting at a landfill.

Has anyone else ever dumpster dived before? What was your experience like?

Seeing is Doing

Something that I think everyone can agree with, and something we have talked a lot about in class, is how frustrating it is when information is being controlled by those in power, in the right position, and in a lot of cases those with the most money. That can be from companies only telling you what they want you to know about their activities, lobbies influencing the beliefs of our leaders, and now the government not informing us how much they have been monitoring our lives. Transparency and information are everything - that is why exploring your curiosity is so important and in some contexts the internet can greatly fill that role.

As I said earlier, one of those content augmenters are lobbies, one of the biggest in my estimation has us eating right out of its hand. The TV/movies/music lobby is huge. It spent over 117 million last year and 31 million so far this year in its lobbying efforts. Personally, I think it runs deeper than that with public displays like Michelle Obama being a part of the Oscar award presentation, which is not exactly the picture of impartiality. Where I am going with this is that through all of these discussions about the increase of violence being perpetrated onto others in the context of mass shootings, stabbings, and bombings in America, the influence of TV/movies/music on our actions is never called into question. After some recent findings I am not sure science necessary backs up this lack of connection.

As first explored by Albert Bandura in the Bobo Doll experiment and now further understood by the recent discovery of mirror neurons, humans are social beings that not only interact with others but also observe and feel what others are going though, and learn from their actions as well. That is why TV, movies, video games, videos on the internet, theatre, and sports are put on such a pedestal in our culture. It is in human nature to watch, feel what others are feeling, and in our daily lives integrate new things we have seen, most of the time subconsciously. That is why when I play pick up football I run like AP, sometimes when I get frustrated with someone I just want to lock in some wrestling submission on them, or when I am leisurely hanging around my house I act like my cat. It also can inspire us to follow in the footsteps of a personal hero. Why, even if you’re not willing to admit it, you are so much like the person who raised you! This uniquely human trait has helped us advance as a society building on the success of our predecessors.

Though there can be another side to this where violence breeds violence, whether from video games, movies, violent sports, or the news. Video games show that there can be enjoyment/thrills from committing harm to others, movies can rationalize the actions of killers, violent sports may perpetuate that it is acceptable to participate in similar violent behavior, and sadly one downside of the global society is that we hear about the atrocities around the world. Just as mirror neurons can help us grow and succeed they could also lead to our downfall as a society depending on our values.

Now with that all said, I am not saying that we need to ban all of the movies, TV, or video games that have violence, lude behavior, swearing, or other undesirable human activity in them, but just make sure you know your intentions and give you some food for thought.

I admit that I don’t have all the answers and that there is still more research that needs to be done but I would love to hear what you think.

Check out the links I have provided below and sound off, respectfully, below.

The Wikipedia article about the Bobo Doll Experiment:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobo_doll_experiment

A Nova Science Now video about mirror neurons:
http://dai.ly/x87351

TCGSL

Twin Cities Goodtime Softball League is one of the largest leagues in the NAGAAA – the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Open Division.  This is their 35^th season and there are over 550 GLBT athletes on 35 teams.  The season goes from early May through the end of August.  I’ve been a part of this league for the last four years and it’s been amazing!  This year I haven’t been able to play yet due to working full time and taking two summer classes, but now that classes are basically over I’ll be able to join my team again!  For the last two years our team name has been Balls N’ Dolls.  Love it.  The first year we were Lucky Dogs (a small dog walking company sponsored us) then we were Bottoms Up (what, we like to drink!) 
 

I joined the league because my brother’s boyfriend at the time told him about it and he didn’t want to do it alone so he signed me up without me knowing.  Great brother.  Good thing is I played slow pitch softball from 6^th – 11^th grade on a community league so I knew how to play.  And to this day I’m so glad he signed me up because I have met so many amazing people throughout the last four years.  Games are every Sunday and it’s a great time to enjoy the outdoors and hang out with friends.

Now I don’t want you to get confused when you read “amateur” in the league’s title.  Most of the athletes have been with the league for 10 plus years and they are phenomenal athletes.  Even those who haven’t been a part of the league for that long are great players.  My team is in the lowest division (whomp whomp), but last year we did win the division title so that’s awesome.  But when you go watch the teams in the first and second division it is insane!  Everyone is so great and on point.  It’s just natural to them.  It really is fun to watch.

One of my favorite events of the season is the drag show fundraiser held in July at Solera downtown called Miss TCGSL.  It’s not mandatory, but each team has the opportunity to put together an act and perform at Solera.  It’s a blast and a great way for teams to raise money for equipment, jerseys and league fees.

If you are ever bored on a Sunday and are looking for something to do, come on over to the Northeast Athletic fields and watch some games!  I promise you’ll have a great time.  Check us out on Facebook too!  https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/92927947792/?fref=ts

MN Lynx: Gotta See 'em, Gotta Love 'em

There is a professional team in Minnesota that currently holds a record of 5-1, has back-to-back Western Conference Championships and was League Champion in 2011, but somehow is barely featured on national sporting websites or even our local ESPN website, and is only starting to get the recognition it deserves from the local newspaper. The team I am referring to is Minnesota’s WNBA franchise, the Lynx. This is a team loaded with talent and is led by arguably the best coach in the league, but since it is not one of the big four sports (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA) it is not known or given the respect it deserves. In this post I am hoping to convince you to at least attend one game, because in my experience, that was enough to get me hooked.

I am going to be honest right off the bat, my family has season tickets to the Lynx so I am a little biased, but you could also say I am very knowledgeable on the subject. Our love for the Lynx started two years ago when the Lynx were on their first playoff run since 2004. I had taken notice on how good they were playing and since I was a huge fan of Seimone Augustus, I decided to attend a game with some of my friends towards the end of the regular season and I had a blast!

There is something about attending a WNBA game when the team is as dynamic and thrilling to watch as the Lynx, though there are probably only 9,000 fans on average night. Size does not matter because the fans are there for their team: representing, getting loud, and always having their heads in the game. And as I said earlier, since this is a WNBA game there are fewer annoying, unoriginal, promotional gimmicks or TV time-outs so the focus is on the wonderful/exhilarating game play and the funny antics of B-Rod and Prowl. Now I mention them because they are a huge part in the experience as well, interacting with the crowd, leading sing-alongs, putting on crazy competitions, and always knowing the right thing to say to get the crowd pumped up. You can tell that they care about this team as much as you do, and they are given the full opportunity to share that passion and it is infectious!

After having that first experience, I convinced my parents to go to the first round of the 2011 playoffs when I was home for my birthday. After that game my parents were hooked. They went to every playoff game and the season ended in a WNBA championshi which they were so proud to be a part of. After that they signed up for season tickets immediately and the rest is history. My dad has a huge crush on Lindsay Whalen, both parents own tons of Lynx gear, and the season never arrives soon enough.

This is a franchise run right: they have great players, great coaching, great customer service, great entertainment, are a proven winner, and really just play the game the right way. So if you need a break from or don't like baseball, want a place to go with friends and family of all ages, and are looking for a good time that doesn't break the bank, I would recommend checking out at least one Lynx game this summer.

For more info on ticket sales check out: http://www.wnba.com/lynx/index_main.html
- With your Metro ID you would be able to go for $5 on weeknights

And here is one final pitch: what is not to love about a team that has their mascot kick the other team’s mascot in the crotch as a playoff promotion?

Blog Post 2: Excuses, Excuses

Since the economic downturn of 2008 the most commonly uttered excuse has been "because of the economy..." This is quite possibly the most annoying phrase I could ever hear at this point. Luckily, over the past year there has been substantial progress made in the unemployment and market activity that I don't believe we need to use that excuse anymore.

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20130516/BUSINESS/305160044/Minnesota-unemployment-falls-lowest-rate-5-years

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closing_milestones_of_the_Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average

The first article specifically addresses the unemployment rate for Minnesota in the month of April. In this article it explains that Minnesota was at the lowest unemployment rate since the downturn in 2008. The rate of 5.4% is almost 2 percent less than the national average. If we were still in economic turmoil we would be much closer to, or even higher than the national average.

The second article illustrates the record highs for the Dow Jones Industrial Average this year. With multiple all-time high records set in May 2013 I would say it is hard to justify saying we are in a tough economy. This has not been the only positive economic activity that can justify the light at the end of the tunnel. We have been in a bull (rising) market since 2009. Quite a different story on paper than the public would have you believe.

After looking at the unemployment rate for the great state of Minnesota and reviewing the market activity for the past 4 years I would say it's unjustified for people to keep using the economy as an excuse for things being the way they are.