Week 12

Chinese #A4waist 'fitness challenge'

The BBC was reporting about one of may online beauty craze.

Actress Zhang Li was among many Chinese
to post under the hashtag #A4waist

Chinese online user have posted photos on Istagram, twitter,.. to show that they are ‘paper tin’. The whole idea is it hold up a piece of A4 paper vertically, to cover up the waist. This new hype caused many audience responses. One audience group tried to do the same, but the majority tried to criticize this challenge. Many posted their own photos, arguing that a 21cm (8.3 inch) waist is unhealthy and unrealistic.

A Chinese newspaper called ‘People's Daily’ called it as a ‘fitness challenge’.

The craze began on social networks such as Weibo and WeChat, with users such as actress Zhang Li posting photos, before going global on Twitter and Instagram.

In my opinion this sows how connected everyone with social networks is and how a single person start a stupid challenge. I’m glad that many people arguing agents it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-35862281

Week 11

Man dies in Berlin after his car blows up

While he was driving through centre of German capital Berlin his car explode in the middle of the street. The explosion occurred at about 8am (7am GMT) on Bismarckstrasse in the western district of Charlottenburg.

The policeman Carsten Mueller, says that 'investigators are working on the assumption that it was an explosive device'. The police it trying to determine the man's identity.

Its not clear now what exactly happened and if it was a accident or not.

I guess the audience response is to relate this possible attack to other attack like in Paris.

In my opinion it will scare the inhabitants and I hope that this attack is not related to the ISIS or any refuges. Particular if it would be related to the refuges it would case even more trouble and they would get less welcome from many people. It would be a bad representation for all the refuges.

Homework to the 8th of March

Regional & National Identity - Compare &

Contrast

I watched three different TV programs which are good examples of regional and national identity representation.

I sow the first episode of the first ‘The only way is Essex` series, the first period of the first `Made in Chelsea` series and  the first episode of the `Gerodie Shore’ series one. The first common fact about all this three shows is that they are all based in England and all covering the same genre, reality television. But they are broadcast on different senders.

The main story of them all is about young adults their life, friends, problems, work and free time activities. All the characters relay care in their character specific way about what their look like. ‘Looking nice cost money’ [Mark from The only way is Essex] this sentence describes how important it is for all of them to look good. Al three series are advertising, Made in Chelsea the most. All three shows presenting different classes of people made In Chelsea is about the royals, aristocrats and playboys London, ‘The only way is ESSEX` shows you again playboys and gossip girls and the `Gerodie Shore’ includes about party animals, playboys and party queens.

In the end all the shows are pretty similar. Three different group of friends with similar interests, problems, live styles jut in different environments and different classes.

Especial Made in Chelsea and the only way is Essex are very similar. When the Chelsea boys go rowing or playing polo the Essex boys go to the gym. When the Essex girls are gossiping during get their new fake tan in a beauty studio done the Chelsea girls are gossiping during they meet in a coffee shop.  In both shows you have many similar characters like a ‘model’ and ‘singer’.

One example how similar those two shows are is one of the first scenes in both of them where Spencer and Hugo (Made in Chelsea) are driving to a party and talk about their relationship problems. It’s pretty the same Scene and chat with Mark and James. They even look similar.

You can see the class difference between the two shows already after the first minute. The Essex girls love their spray tan, gel nails and fake lashes and the Chelsea girls heat it. The Chelsea girls don’t wear too much daily make up and just clear nail varnish. The Essex girls are very unnatural and overdressed. The Essex people have to underline the luxury and glamour properties. In Chelsea you just see may brand products without accent to the high price of it. But they all are advertising with close ups on the brand products.

The used vocabulary is in Gordie Shore and Essex is similar. In both they use the word ‘birds’ to say girls and both are supporting unnatural beauty accessorising in form of spray tan, fake lashes, false burst, gel nails and so on.

In my opinion all three shows try to present us the normal life of different people. The media tries to make us jealous by showing us the luxury lifestyle of the Chelsea people, they try to make us feel better by showing us the fake life of the Essex people and to make us feel smart or not hopeless with the Georie Shore. If I would have to pick one of them I would go for Made in Chelsea because the people are a bit brighter than in the rest and it looks better in form of mission in seen and the cuts are nicer.

Week 10

Can Starbucks succeed in Italy?

Starbuck announced a few days ago that it would open its first branch in Italy in early 2017. The BBC News explored if this can walk.

In Italy you drink your espresso not just for a third of the high Starbucks prices it’s also a whole different café culture. Mostly you have it standing ate the bar rather than sitting at a table. When an Italian were on a vacation abroad their friend ask 'How was the coffee?' and usually the answer is, 'Awful, of course.’. The Italians invented the first forms of cafe houses and are prude of their café culture. Starbucks is the American interpretation and the total antitheses of the Italian ideal of a cafe. Many Italians are against it but "In an international city like Milan, [I think] it can work. It will probably be full of young people, models and foreigners in town for work," (Dany Mitzman).

The issue in this scenario is that the Italians want to keep their own café culture. They don’t want big chains as Starbuck ruin little private bars. Their opinions about Starbuck are spitted. Some are supporting the idea especial because of the free Wi-Fi that every Starbucks provides catches many costumers and tourists.

In my opinion it’s not bad having a few Starbucks in Italy but I think they should hold on their own café culture. Starbucks is already too big and powerful but I think it’s now problem having a few American café bars in Italy. As long they keep the vast majority of traditional café shops.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35728428

Homework to the 4th March

Untouchable – Analyse

Film Poster

The Intouchables (French: Intouchables, UK: Untouchable) is a 2011 French comedy-drama film directed by Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano. The Movie is about the friendship between the quadriplegic luxury older man Phillipe and his unconventional carer and later best friend Driss.

Placed is the drama in Fracne, Paris. Phillipe presents the stereotypical life of a rich white man and fits with all his characteristics in to the vision of a hyperperdomic old man. He likes classical music, goes to the opera, is interested in art and has expensive hobbies such as paragliding. Driss is the opposed. He comes from a bad are in Paris, and satisfies the stereotypical representation of black mans in the media. He tries to receive a welfare benefits, he does drugs and he steals.

Tow man from two worlds that couldn’t be more different. But this drama shows us how good it is to be open minded and not to judge the people by what their look like ore where they come from. Phillipe is wants to hire a new career. Arely in the first job of the whole job interview we can see that Driss doesn’t fit into Phillipe’s world. He is the candidate who has no ambitions to get hired. He is the only one who is wearing trainers and jeans. But in the end he gets the job because he treats Phillipe like he wouldn’t be quadriplegic. He has no pity for him and that is exactly was Phillipe is looking fore. No pity.

Driss and Phillipe start to benefit from each other and Phillipe gets happier and back alive. All his `friends’ are worried about him because they know that Dirss hasn’t got the best passed. They want him to be careful about who he lets in his house. But Phillipe doesn’t care about their thoughts. He likes Driss exactly for those facts. He treats him as if he wouldn’t be disable and often he event forgets that he is disable for example when he passes the telefon to Pfillipe and forgets that he can’t even hold the telephone on his own.

You can see the represented class difference for example in the scene where Dirss goes to the Opera with Phillipe. Everyone is wearing suits, pays attention and is quit. Driss is sitting there in his jumper and lather jacked and laughs laud about the singing tree he doesn’t fit in to that world.

By the time the relationship between those two different people grows to an extraordinary friendship. You can see how their influence each other. For example when Diss goes back to his ‘hood’ to meet his old friends. You still hear the classical background music what shows that he changed. Also at Phillipes Birthday party where Driss starts to play his music and made the guest t dance you can see that Phillipe adapted to Driss interests.

I really like the movie especially because it’s based on a true story. It presents a real story. No explosions, no extraordinary events just live. You can relate to it because it tells a story about a possible and beautiful friendship. If Phillipe wouldn’t be disable this two people would never have meet.

Week 9

Top 10 exam rituals from stressed students across Asia

We all start to feel the pressure of different upcoming exam dates. The BBC reports about the top 10 rituals from stressed Asian students.This article represents nationality because it’s about Asian students. The pressure on the Asian students is even higher because they have to achieve sky-high results.

KitKat in Japanese has become a good omen for exams

They all have their personal rituals from paling a lucky song, over eating special food or even wearing lucky pants. Some of them are culture connected some just personal.

On example ritual is eating KitKat. The chocolate bar KitKat has in Japan been marketing itself as a bringer of good luck. Pronounced as "kitto katto", the chocolate's name is similar to the phrase "kitto katsu", meaning "surely winning", making it a good candidate for a good luck charm.

The report includes 10 different sort explained rituals.

In my opining the BBC gave us this sorry because it’s a resent problem from many students. And a concerned of they parents. Its good to show how people in other countries cope with this problem and to open our mind to try new rituals.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/4news/business-35614030

Week 8

Bizarre upside-down image of Adele

An upside-down photo of Adele caught the attention of many viewers. In a short report the Daily mail explains what exactly happened to the front image Adele’s new Album Cover ‘Adele 25’.

Beautiful as ever: This upside-down photo of Adele has taken the internet by storm

The image flipped right-side up, it is revealed
 that her eyes and lips have been edited to upside-down on her face

The audio response to this edited version is interesting, because no one noticed the optical illusion. The image has been edited to look like something far more sinister than the singer's beautiful face when turned right side up.

Unfortunately it is unclear how altered the image first.

This picture is captioned and shows how many people the media reaches. 

For me it’s interesting to see how the easy manipulated picture got so famous. It took me a while to understand the editing but it just shows how we believe in everything that we see. In my opinion the daily mail reported about this social media high truing point because many people were impressed by the image.

Original portrait:
The edited image was taken from Adele's latest album, 25 (pictured)