Popular Article week 3
The article I'm discussing this week is Pelini turning things around in Lincoln, it talks about college football. It states that one of the disadvantages the North division has is the geographic locations. As shown in my three icons I think that football is one of the top three picks when it comes to popular culture. Most of the time it is the only time a family spends around each other. It is when fathers, mothers, sons and daughters get to communicate and debate without getting mad at one another. College Football I think gives young kids icons to admire, especially kids with no role models.
When it comes to the article it shows how the North schools such as Ohio State, can be underdogs in competitiveness. Allot of fast, skilled, and good athletes tend to go to schools that are down south. In my opinion this is mainly because of the weather. Students either want to get away from the cold, or the want to stay in the warm climate where it is comfortable during football season.
In order for the North division to get better athletes they are going to have to recruit successful in the southern territory. Once again in my opinion once there are more schools with diverse players it will be more competitive against schools.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/football/news/story?id=3848678

Assignment 2-1

A popular culture topic that I found interesting was an article talking about how the memorial of Dr. King’s birthday and the Inauguration of the first black President will come to life this week. This is very important to me it shows that Dr. King’s dream did not fail, even though he was killed his legacy still lived on. In the article, “History Links King Holiday, Obama Inauguration; focus shared by King’s Atlanta hometown and DC” by Errin Haines, talks about how Georgia and the nation’s capital will be observing two very different but connected days. This article shows how Dr. King had a dream, and Obama fulfilled that dream.
The article also discuss how there will be a big celebration in Atlanta on Monday, as the article states “the torch will be passed to Washington on Tuesday”. I think this article represents popular culture, because it represents American History. The dream that was embraced by Martin Luther King Jr., was thought to be a failed thought after his death. But all will witness the passing of the torch which first burned during the Civil Rights Movement, where the rights of Americans, specifically African Americans were not honored on the basis of their skin. We will witness the first African American hold the highest position in the United States Government. The realization of Barack Obama becoming President is very significant to the history of African Americans, but significant to all of Americans. The victory must go to all Americans, because they chose to move beyond the Jim Crow Laws, they decided to move beyond segregation, they decided to move beyond and move towards equal rights for all Americans. Me being an African American am proud to be an American this day. For years to know how my grandparents were treated and their parents, hurts my heart still when I think about it, but I know that America is still growing up and the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. was not a dream but a prophecy spoken to the future.
We must continue down the road of maturity. We must continue to respect and love each other. I think the reason Dr. King’s dream became reality is because it was a proposition for love of all people, no matter what race, ethnicity, or nationality. We are all connected, and when we learn to love and work with one another prosperity can be achieved for all.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/37732644.html

An Icon to me is things, people, or ideas that have emotional connections that are significant to our lives. For me I choose three icons, which are football, pizza, and Disney. All of these things pull out certain feelings in me, in which I am able to recognize every detail of the situation that occurred when experiencing one of these things. In this paper I will illustrate will these in particular are icons to me and how they make me feel.

My first Icon is football. American Football is a huge icon to me. When it is football season it’s like the only thing that exists on television. You can tell it is football season based on the sounds around the house, the smell of the fall air outside, the leaves falling from their branches, and the boys are outside playing. Something about the display of toughness, skill, strategy, and teamwork a lot of Americans and me relate to. For me it’s relative to how I have experience life at times. There times when life hits you with adversity, being resilient, clear minded, and a never give up attitude, you can press forward and get the victory. So like football I to have been able to overcome the odds and so have many Americans.

Second Icon is Pizza. Pizza is probably the most popular food item in America. The aroma, the cheese, pepperoni, and hand tossed crust, it like a mix of a perfect combination. Pizza has a way of making an event really a fun event. The ability to use your hands is another reason why it is a favorite. You can be yourself when you’re eating pizza. You don’t have to be elegant, or proper, you just do whatever you need to devour that piece of pizza. Pizza allows you to be creative. You can add anything to a pizza. You can design a pizza to meet all the taste buds that you have in your mouth. I don’t think there is any other food like it. My favorite is a pepperoni pizza fresh from Papa John’s. Pizza is definitely an American icon.

Last Icon is Disney. Disney is really the place where a kid can be a kid. To me this goes for anyone no matter how old they are. We all have something inside of use that wishes we could go back and be kids again and Disney allows you to do that. Either though its theme parks or though there cartoons that I use to watch when I was a kid. Disney has transcended time on the idea of being a kid. This has been successful, I think because when we think of being kids we think of pureness, no cares, no responsibilities, and a lot of fun. This makes us feel youthful, energetic, and spirited. Thus, we look to get back those days when we could go and get ice cream, penny candy, or $0.25 soda. We also think of jungle gyms, monkey bars during recess time. We all know how it feels to be kid and Disney will always be the place no matter how old we get, we can be kids in the most genuine sense of the word. That’s why Disney is an America Icon.

Diona Ross
HUMN 341
Assignment 1-2
Professor Nixon
Popular culture to me is described as a common lifestyle to a group of people. What a certain demographic does, such as their likes in music, movies, and style in clothes. For example, age groups from 14-16 popular culture could be the certain type of clothes everyone is wearing in high school, gossiping, having good grades, or being a part of a sport. I also believe popular culture deals with the culture in which we stay. If in your culture religion is very big then it is also part of popular culture. I think popular culture many times is imitated by what people do.
Understanding popular culture is important when it comes to the business environment because different groups have different beliefs and customs. It makes you knowledgeable about how people are not all the same, and how what some people do is normal to them because it is part of their culture. I think popular culture is important when it comes to business because you have to know how to interact with other cultures. For example is it okay to have a business lunch with someone from another country? Is it okay to shake hands or hug? I think these are very important especially in the business community.
As in my blog I believe taking care of someone is an example of a popular culture artifact, I think this because it is norm in all cultures. Being a mother/guardian is part of most people everyday life.


Diona Ross
HUMN 341
Assignment 1-4
Professor Nixon
This week I’m going to discuss a movie which is called Not Easily Broken. It is about a married couple going through a tough time. The husband is having difficulties because he wants a family, but the wife feels as though it was not the right time. She was becoming very important in her career, until she had a bad car accident. The wife’s mother blamed the husband. Eventually it shows them showing faith in one another. I thought this movie had excellent timing, because statistics show January is the most popular month for filing for divorce.
The article I chose to tie with the movie is called, Tis The Season it states “January is the month for people who deferred things over the holidays -- either because they don't want to spoil the family's celebrations, or because they feel they will be able to work things out over the holidays," said divorce attorney Jay S. Baum, based in New Dorp.” I felt that the movie ties in with this month very well, especially since the divorce rate is up so high this month.
When it comes to popular cultures as Profiles of Popular Culture A Reader states, “Some aspects of culture are positive, some negative, some beneficial, some detrimental” Browne, Ray p.8, 2005.
References
Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press

http://oc-divorce.typepad.com/california_divorce_and_fa/2008/01/tis-the-divorce.html

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/noteasilybroken/site/

Popular Culture to me is being a mother/guardian who is strong, respectable, caring, obedient, God loving, and admired. Being a good mother/guardian is very important to me, I know that it is no such thing as being a perfect mother, but I will strive to be that even if it takes a lifetime. I think all mothers/guardians are important in a child's life, stay at home mothers, and working mothers to me it is all the same as long as the love is shown.

The free encyclopedia Wikipedia defines part of popular culture as “The views and perspectives most strongly represented and accepted within a society". I know so many mothers/guardians that would agree to this definition. This is one reason I have to finish my college education, I feel it is very important for me to show that I tried and succeeded.

I have two pictures of two mothers, one is Michelle Obama.Even though she is the wife of the president elect she graduated with a Juris Doctor from Harvard University, she actually mentored Barack Obama. She always talks about putting her kids first.

The second mother is Kate Gosselin, she is a stay at home mother taking care of sextuplets, and twins. I can barely keep up with two, she takes care of eight! I reiterate being a mother is popular culture to me.














http://tlc.discovery.com/search/results.html?query=multiple+blessings


http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/jon-and-kate/jon-and-kate.html

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