Friday, March 13, 2009

In many universities and colleges, graduate programs require students to complete a six-week internship for the field they are studying. This is usually during the last year of their college career in which the student takes a job, paid or unpaid, and trains with a company to get jopb experience. "For students an internship today, leads to a job tomorrow. For businesses, an intership allows companies to try out potential employees at a minimal cost. And for the state, it means keeping more young knowledge-workers with jobs here in Cincinnati," Channel 9 News anchor John Popovich explains.
Pitsco's new web-based CareerPorts take students on nine-week virtual internships in nationally recognized career cluster areas, helping them hone their real-world career experiences and independent learning skills. The program allows students to complete their virtual internships by finishing assignments and participating in hands-on activities that can be implemented from anywhere with Internet access.
Students participate in these courses while staying in touch with an advisor, who assist and monitor their progress and performance, and subject mentors, who are experts in the specific field of study. ”Now critical information to help UC students and businesses find each other is just a click away on many internship career websites, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
Many journalism students at UC believe that internships have changed from what they used to be and are now actually available to keep students open to real life tasks.
“An internship used to mean making copies and getting coffee. Those days are gone. Today the experience of an internship is considered practically a pre-requisite for a full-time job.," says Christina Green, a journalism student who currently interns at KISS 107.1 radio station. "Some companies say they will consider interns as early as high-school graduation so the sooner students get started with their internship, the better,” adds Green.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Brown cuts name from award show

The 2009 Kids Choice Awards decided Wednesday, March 11 that they are dropping Chris Brown's name from the list of nominees for the annual award show, according to Defamer. After the couple's physical altercation in February, where Brown was charged with two felonies of assault for brutually beating singer Rhianna, they have previously been seen together around the studio and his L.A mansion.
Since the incident, it has cost Brown most of his deals with Wrigley's and the California Milk Processor Board's "Got Milk" campaign. This sort of puts him in the category with other famous celebs that lost endorsements due to headline controversies in the media.
Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant, and Whoopi Goldberg all lost their endorsements from incidents that took place, which involved criminal material. Spokesperson for Wrigley gum stated in Entertainment Weekly, "Wrigley is concerned by the serious allegations made against Chris Brown. We believe Mr. Brown should be afforded the same due process as any citizen."
Being in the spotlight and setting the example for young aspiring artists seems to put you in a huge position to maintain the responsibility as a mature person and Brown has failed due to his actions. He should be pulled from these sorts of advertisements that raise him up for people to admire and look up to. This shouldnt be what our kids look at as the everyday role model rather, he now needs to learn from what he has done and clean up his act.
People is reporting Rhianna and Chris Brown are back together. According to the magazine, the pair has reunited nearly three weeks after the incident and only have been spotted in a couple of places.
Brown was reported calling Rhianna on her 21st birthday to wish her happy birthday and then ended up apologizing and recently spotted settling the dispute. In this case, Rhianna needs to take things slow and really evaluate what she is getting herself into. She is young, naive and in love but these things pass the older you get and if some issues are not settled with the help of counseling, it could cause more problems in the future.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Just TEXT me....

Technology today has jumped into high gear and is running everything that we as Americans live on everyday. In our offices at work, we use computers to file data and email to communicate with clients. At school, we use laptops to write essays and research papers while texting our friends on our cell phones. At home, our eyes are glued on the t.v. or checking out the new dvd's while using the Internet to chat on AIM.
Are you noticing a trend here? There is no interpersonal communication. As a society, we have taken advantage of picking up a phone and easily calling someone. Instead, we would rather take the easy way out and send a quick text message or shoot an email. Students learn and take classes on how to communicate better in the real world and the work place for better personal skills. What they really should be teaching to students is how to correctly spell and write professionally before the younger generation looses everything we have built up in the English grammer. Students at the University of Cincinnati have a few thoughts about how they communicate and how technology has changed their lives today.

"We as a society take advantage of technology. We need more face-to-face communication, but that takes work and time, and we dont always have them! It has made things more convenient for me and it is easier to manage multiple priorities, complete work and do research. I usually use my cell phone to communicate like texting and I cancelled my land line because it was never used."
Cheryl MacDonald, full-time UC A&S Student, 40 year old mother of 2

"I utilize my computer and the Internet daily, and cannot imagine life without it. But my real connection is to my Iphone. I love it! It does everything! It is easy to let technology break down the lines of communication between people. It seems like an increasing number of people have forgotten how to interract with one another face to face. Were much more comfortable these days adding friends to our Facebook pages than inviting friends over for a meal or to play a game. When it comes to friends that do not live close to me, e-mail is a great tool for keeping in touch. As a journalist, technologies such as Facebook and other networking sites makes it easier for me to find out quick facts, to contact people I have never met, and to be able to tell a multifaceted story from the comfort of my desk."
Jathan Fink, full-time UC Journalism major

"I use a computer in my everyday life to communicate and do tasks but I do not have a cell phone. Yes I know it is 2009 but I dont want to spend the money on one if I dont have to have it. Some people may use technology as an excuse to neglect interpersonal communication, but I think those are the same people how in 1990 were glued to the TV and in 1950 were bookworms. Technology can be used for socializing ( like organizing an event through Facebook)or avoiding people( tweaking your Facebook profile for hours) so you dont have to talk to them.
Craigslist gave me so much free and cheap used furniture that I was able to furnish an apartment for less than $300. I would never give up using these tools because of the advantages they give me."
Elizabeth Lasky, full-time UC A&S student

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Slumdog Millonaire Review

"Slumdog Millionaire" and its director, Danny Boyle, with their modern-day fairy tale about hope and hard times in the slums of Mumbai, pushed aside big-studio contenders to sweep top honors at the 81st annual Academy Awards on Sunday.
The rags-to-riches story is set in the grubby backstreets of Mumbai. Half the script is delivered in Hindi. And the plot is sort of destructive and hits home hard.
This being a Danny Boyle movie, the precious answers are nailed to brutal scenes. They involve frantic scenes through Mumbai's crowded markets and flashbacks to dirty slums where the nine-year-old Jamal, and his older psychotic brother Salim, spend most of their childhood fleeing the clutches of pimps and gangs.
Indeed, "Slumdog Millionaire" is guilty of all sorts of twists like a long-distance romance between Jamal and a sultry beauty Latika forced into prostition. It keeps you engaged in the excitement that is going to happen with the two characters.
The two young actors, Dev Patel who plays Jamal and Frieda Pinto playing Latika, are very appealing and sympathetic. The images are pleasing even when they shouldn't be and it's unsettling to watch the young nonprofessionals playing them enact such a pantomime. It doesn't help even if you remember that Jamal makes it out alive long enough to have his 15 televised minutes.
Beautifully shot with great sensitivity to color by the cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantel, in both film and digital video, "Slumdog Millionaire" makes for a better viewing experience than it does for a reflective one.
The swirling, excitig Indian-music-based Pop score by A.R. Rahman recieved Best Sound at the Oscars Sunday Night respectivaly with high nominations.
Boyle has a restless artistic spirit tht guides him from one challengng, unusual project to another. Not all his past projects are winners, but "Slumdog Millionaire" is definitely one. A big one. GRADE: A-

Friday, February 20, 2009

Pop singer back to reality

Jessica Simpson recently was spotted promoting her upcoming country album in Florida while also sporting a "not so hott" fashion fauxpa. Wearing high waisted jeans, a black tank top and a Marc Jacobs cheetah belt, Simpson was criticized by the media about adding on some extra pounds. There are also rumors that she is pregnant by boyfriend Tony Romo but this doesnt't look at all like it's the case. She actually looks like a happy, healthy woman like you would see walking around anywhere. No one relly knows the reason why she has recently put on some weight but because she has been in the spotlight for so long, weight issues will never go
unnoticed.
This epidemic has troubled millions of teenagers all over the world. It shouldn't matter if she gains weight or losses weight every now and then, it's how she feels about herself and how heathly she is. That is what she was so upset about when she realized what the media had turned this fiasco ito. She doesn't want her fans or other young people who look up to her worrying about what they look like or thinking that looks matter more than anything. Rather, she advocates inspiring others with her music and being a role model for other aspiring singers.
"My fans have been amazing through my career and that is all that matters to me right now," Simpson says. "The message I am trying to send to young singers isn't about what they look like, it's helping them to make their dreams come true like I did."
In a business where people are going to constantly scrutinize your looks and judge any and everything you do, it is hard not to comment about something like that. Good for her that she doesnt't care to dip her fingers into some wings or drink a beer every now and then, but she shouldn't be put down for showing some curves when that is what women are supposed to have. Two thumbs up to those in the spotlight in Hollywood who live life to the fullest and are not concerned with outside opinions becase that is what life is about.

Monday, February 16, 2009

How far should you go???

Due to the recent change in privacy services with the popular social networking website Facebook, the issue of posting innapropriate photos and information is being talked about not only with users but serious corporations and businesses. These sites have become everyday activities for many people, especially college students, to keep in contact and up to date with friends and family. The privacy issues with some of the social networking sites has become a problem with many students who have innapropriate photos posted on their page.
Many students are having to take notice of what they are posting of these sites because of safety issues. "If they want to post pictures of themselves that could be deemed as inappropriate, that is their prerogative," says UC student Duane McDonald. "If I find it inappropriate, I just won't look at their pictures."
One recent issue with innapropriate photos has put a few UC students reputation in jeopardy because of their affiliation with the athletic department. Photos that were posted from an event put together by a couple of students from the spirit squads have been declared as innapropriate because of the alcohol in the photos. This of course brings up the issue of underage drinking because of these students drinking illegally.
"My dancers are not allowed to put any innapropriate pictures on any sites that involve drugs or alcohol because of the reputation of this team," head coach Lisa Spears explains. "We are representing this university and are role models for many young dancers and I take great pride in that."
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg explains the new terms of service for Facebook provides users to delete photos they do not want shown but they are still saved through databases for them. "The trust our users have in us to provide the best safety terms is important so we would never share personal information if they didnt want us to," claims Zuckerberg.
Businesses and corporations have also gotten to experience these social networking sites as well by using them for hiring purposes. Many CEO's and managers look at interested employees pages for backgroud information and other personal things to help them in deciding whether they are good candidates for the job.
"Although I don't post inappropriate pictures on my profiles I don't feel like my Facebook or Myspace should have anything to do with how I perform at my job or should factor into whether or not I should be hired or not," UC student Amy Wray says. "I keep my profiles on private to begin with and only add people I know and consider friends."
So we have to decide how we want to be portrayed in the eyes of others. These social networking sites have become so important to some for contact purposes but they also have to remember they are putting themselves out there for everyone to see.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

MySpace and Facebook Networks!!!

The popular social networking web sites like Myspace and Facebook have recently been the center of privacy-related issues. According to a recent study from Louisiana State University, every profile clicked and every message sent is logged into a database and saved for future reference. Frequent users of web sites may want to think again when putting personal information on these sites for the public to see.
Most of these users do not know what they are getting themselves into when using these sites to post their pictures. Many college students use these sites to keep up with their friends and family but dont realize that other people are actually reading what they are saying. "I dont usually think about what's at risk when I am exposing my personal life online," says UC student Paula Barclay. "If your profile isnt set to private and is available to anyone, you are putting yourself in danger."
Some peope try to get their careers started on these sites by exposing themselves through pictures or even putting their contact information on there. This could get anyone into some deeper issues because of the recent problems with predators, pedophiles or even child molesters.
These social networking sites have become the most popular way to communicate and most recently have turned into ways of getting into someone's personal business.
Parents, teachers, coache, manages, coworkers ad even businesses are taking it upo themselves to view someone's personal information and do whatever they want with it.