Decision Not to Feature An Easter Doodle Sparks Outrage
As much as I hate to admit it, one of the things I look forward to on any holiday is seeing what type of innovative doodle Google has come up with. It is always an interesting experience to see how creative the different doodles are and how imaginative Google proves to be over time. Therefore, you can only imagine my surprise when I saw that Google’s homepage on Easter Sunday did not feature an Easter related doodle. Instead, the website chose to honor Cesar Chavez who would have been 86 years old.
Although I was surprised, I got over it and moved on. In fact, I thought I would be one of the few people who noticed. It wasn’t until the next morning that I realized that I was not alone in my observation. Not only did others notice, but much to my surprise, some were furious.
The controversial decision to forego an Easter doodle sparked outrage among many, ranging from conservative publications to those on social media, many of whom praised Bing for featuring an Easter egg picture.
Fox News host Dana Perino Perino tweeted, “I thought the Chavez-google thing was a hoax or an early April Fool’s Day prank. Are they just going to leave that up there all day?”
Other Google users were so angry they threatened to stop using the search engine, tweeting, “Unbelievable! Their true colors are showing! Yahoo here I come!” “Booo!! to Google for making their holiday doodle about Cesar Chavez’s 86th birthday instead of Easter,” “Google uses Cesar Chavez on Easter instead of using something Easter related? Okay, I’m switching to Bing.”
One Student Shares a Touching Experience of a Spring Break Trip to Guatemala
Some things in the world are universal: kindness, a smile, laughter, a hug. These are the things I experienced while in Guatemala despite an enormous language barrier between “las amigas” (my friends) and I.
As part of an independent study project with Dr. Christopher Hirschler, assistant professor, four other MU students and I journeyed to Guatemala during spring break to deliver health education on a variety of important topics, including the health effects of tobacco use, alcohol abuse, proper lifting techniques, stress management, and dehydration.
Although we had prepared for months in advance by completing readings, research papers, and viewing documentaries regarding the political and cultural history of Guatemala and the Mayans, there were not truly understood until actually visiting Guatemala.
Culturally, I noticed differences in the things we prioritize, such as the value of sleep and the types of foods we are willing to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On the other hand, there were many similarities, such as the mutual appreciation of breaks to get outside, enjoy the sunshine, and play basketball.
Ironically, I went to Guatemala assuming I was going to be the one teaching, having packed the materials for an entire health lesson. In reality, I think I learned more from the friends I made in Guatemala than I could ever dream of.
Just when I thought we were separate, there would be a reminder of how we really are all the same. Sitting in Pastor Juan’s classroom as he taught las amigas y amigos of the Salud y Paz community health program what it means to practice good health. I couldn’t help but think just how universal his teachings were and that when it comes down to it, we are all human with the same needs to be healthy, to be loved, and to belong.
The aspects of health, he said, are not comprised of only the physical, but of the social, emotional, environmental, and spiritual as well. It occurred to me at that moment how much our culture focuses only on the physical, and that a healthy life truly does take much more than that.
We held “devocion,” or prayer services, every morning by the lake to express gratitude for what we have, and to pray for those who have less than us or who face challenges such as illness, poverty, and grief. Heartfelt prayers were voiced aloud for family and friends suffering from a variety of health maladies, including diabetes, cancer, gastrointestinal disease, and stress.
By taking a moment each day to step back and appreciate, I felt more and more responsible to help and teach what I knew would help “las amigas” to better do their job as community health care workers and to make a difference.
My time at Salud y Paz taught me the ability each person has to make a difference and confirmed my desire to become a physician.
For example, on the last day of delivering health education to “las amigas,” as we said our goodbyes and hugged, one woman had tears in her eyes and she told me how important the lessons we taught were and how she will share them with others in her community.
Another woman was emotionally moved by the lesson we taught about proper lifting techniques. She explained how crucial the knowledge we taught is to her community, and reflected on how her mother died of a back injury, having been bedridden for 15 years because she did not know how to lift properly.
So, the saying is true. Time flies when you least expect it. Yet, how is it that time can always be slipping away from us?
We’re only human; we run late, miss deadlines, and occasionally forget to do things. But it all revolves around time. Students at MU are trying to master the ways of time management to rid themselves of any lateness whatsoever.
I know that if I could have one super power (other than flying), it would be the ability to control time. I would be a “time-bender.” If I had to meet a tight deadline but was short on time, I would magically give myself an extra two hours to get it done.
What a perfect world.
However, I have created some great tips to managing time and making time your friend, not your worst enemy. You do not have to do all of them- unless you want to be super-crazy organized, then by all means, go for it. But just by doing one of these, you will find that time will become your friend.
Keep your long-term goals in sight: I find that making a to-do list for the week is a good way to achieve your long-term goals. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but crossing things off of the list will alleviate stress and keep you focused and driven.
Schedule anything that you are aware of for that week: In your planner, write down any work times, social events, and even some study breaks to give yourself some down time. Scheduling on a calendar helps you see your weeks and allows planning accordingly.
Website Continues to Expand
On March 20, YouTube announced that it had reached a staggering 1 billion users per month. The site is continuing to grow, with higher production content for users, and with mobile devices becoming more prominent, it seems a shift could be in the near future. What will YouTube’s next step be to continue their consumer growth?
Among most members of my generation, YouTube has become more than just another site to see cat videos and people failing horribly at dares and physical activities. I’ll admit I have spent my fair share of time on YouTube, sometimes more than I probably should, but putting a limit on how many videos you watch is like being at a buffet and only eating at the salad bar. YouTube is a smorgasbord of something for everybody.
Since the site launched in 2005, there have been those that have created tutorials, dramas, music videos, and the list can go on and on. YouTube has reached over 1 billion users, which begs the question: What will this mean for video content in the future? It seems that if I want to watch a clip of a television show, the first place I run to is the Internet. YouTube is only one of the several sites that has been attracting consumers for years.
It’s not really hard to see why YouTube has become so popular. There are millions of videos and “YouTubers” that create weekly and daily content that is suggested by their viewers. It seems to be the best of both worlds: creators can make videos that they know will be viewed, the consumers get what they desire and can give feedback so they know that they are being heard. Imagine doing that with your favorite television show. With these trends, I can imagine that in a few years, if not sooner, content from bigger networks will be making their way to the site. Actors such as Neil Patrick Harris and Ricky Gervais already have their own channels that viewers can subscribe to with original content. It is a fast, easy, and fun way to quickly get content to the masses.
It would be of great convenience to watch shows for free online whenever you want, and wherever you want if you have a tablet or a smartphone. Sounds to good to be true, right? It probably would be. That is one of the elements users and the site itself would have to work with. Hopefully, YouTube could follow after Pandora and offer more mainstream content so viewers who do not want to pay will not have to, but there would be limitations on what they had access to. Let’s just hope that there is not a rebellion in the process. There were several complaints when Facebook changed their timeline design, but once people get used to the change, they learned to embrace it.
I like to think that networks such as CBS and NBC could eventually publish full length content. With technology constantly changing at such a fast pace, there may be a day when I can watch my make-up and hair tutorials and then catch up on the latest episode of “White Collar” all in the same place. I know that I would not be the only one to enjoy that.
Deciding When to Begin Working After College
Some may disagree, but I think change is good. Whatever those changes may be, I firmly believe that a person is able to make changes to his or her life by taking a step back to look at things with a new perspective.
For seniors graduating in May, life is going to throw us a curveball, and we have to be ready to hit it out of the park. Graduation day is the beginning of the rest of our lives (I know, so cliché). Realistically, each and every one of us students hope to have a job lined up upon graduating. Knowing we have some financial security when we leave school would be an extremely comfortable feeling.
However, if those of you reading this are anything like me, job hunting is not the only difficult part of seeking full-time employment. The other is when to begin our lives as full-time employees.
Many of my friends that graduated last year have given me the following advice: do not start working right after graduation. Each of them decided to enjoy their last summer “off” and postpone their lives as working women until August or September.
They spent the few months after graduation vacationing and traveling. They also used that gap between college and the “real world” as a transition period. However, there are many graduates that begin working the week after graduation. So, when should a recent college graduate begin working full-time?
The good thing is that there is no right or wrong answer to that question. In my mind, it really boils down to two things: the kind of person you are and the hiring employer.
Your personality, attitude, and decision-making abilities help decide when you really want to start working. If you are the kind of person that cherishes all of the free time you can possibly have, especially during the summer, then waiting until beach season is over is probably a better choice.
If you are the kind of person that doesn’t like having too much spare time on your hands, then you may want to start your job sooner than later.
Some people do not begin their job search until the middle of the summer with intentions of postponing any stress of interviewing and working until after beach season. Some started searching in January in hope of securing a job immediately upon graduation.
From what I have noticed, patient people wait until a few months after graduation to begin working. The more eager people, like myself, want to secure a job immediately and start right away.