Internet Dating

I personally agree with Ana. There are plenty of fish in the sea, and finding them on the internet is fake. However, I do think that internet dating can be beneficial for older people around the age of 50. Usually around that age, people should have themselves figured out. They probably wont make stuff up in their "about me" section of their profile. The ones that do are probably the "freaks" like Daniel said. People around that age are also less likely to have photographs of them posing like a model or holding up some kind of sign. If they do, it is probably not them. They are more likely to have a simple head shot or a picture of them with their kids.
Divorce is a common issue for many people nowadays. If people are busy with a full time job and too old to go out on the town, then I think that they probably have an exception to post a profile on E-Harmony and etc. Although, they should not depend on it! They should keep their options open as well as try to date someone that they meet face to face.

Partners can't be searched for in search engines.

To begin with, I have never had and don't have a myspace or any face book junk because people online are not people; they are photos, blurbs and stories. people online want to show off certain aspects of who they are. These aspects don't normally include flaws. I have never dated online, but I have had my fair share of boyfriends and what made me adore them more and more were not there moments that would make a good picture. The moments I loved were the moments you could find beauty in what isn't considered pretty. When I say this I don't mean how girls chose to not smile in pictures, but make a "cute" ugly face. It's when the person you are physically attracted to, have things in common and just have chemistry do something like slip and fall, pick their nose or even let out a big stinky fart and somehow make you smile from these things. These things are what traditional dating have that online dating cannot have because you have time to think of your words, some ones eyes are not making you nervous and they can be farting and picking their nose the entire time your talking and you will never know. Traditional dating is the way to go because dating should not be a hobbie or a hunt it just flows when it is suppose to and where its supposed to.
I also believe that you can never become comfortable with someone you only chat with. I am a huge fan of Pulp Fiction and as Uma Thurman said in the movie "you know you are really comfortable with some one when you can just shut the f... up." How can you know that you could go on vacation with some one that you only know through an internet site? How can you decide you want to spend time with someone you have never spent time with before? Dating takes too much time, money and emotions to think that you can find it all by punching in what you want in a search engine. People are more complicated than street addresses and should not be found the way you find the closest pizza place to your house.

RU 4 Online Dating?

I have been contemplating the way(s) that our increasing devotion to technology has affected the ways we communicate with each other and develop realationships. One obvious part of this discussion is the issue of Internet dating. I am really curious to hear your opinions on this topic. There are, of course, convincing arguments for dating online (you can find who/what you are looking for a lot easier; it gives you access to a larger "dating pool"; you can communicate and find out if there is any real compatability beyond physical attraction), but there are also a lot of reasons not to do it (first and foremost, there are a lot of freaks in the world, and many of them spend a lot of time online; the people you meet often live too far away for a real relationship; you can't know if you have chemistry with someone until you meet that person face to face; people are fake online, putting forth a false, or idealized, version of themselves). These are all arguments I have heard, not necessarily my own arguments. I'm sure you have heard these arguments, or similar ones.

So my question to you is this: Is online dating a good thing? Is it improving or hindering the way we meet and fall in love? Is it speeding up an outdated process or taking all of the fun and tradition out of what my grandparents would call "courting"? Feel free to share personal experiences. Do you meet people online? Do you have success stories? Horror stories? I am really interested in hearing your views on this topic, as well as your own diverse experiences.

~D

A little piece of history

September 21,2008- A little piece of history came to an end tonight. The New York Yankees faced off against the Baltimore Orioles. They ended up winning the game by a score of 7-3. Don't get me wrong, I despise the Yankees. I don't care who is playing the Yankees I hope they win. But, I found myself glued to ESPN watching the introduction of the legendary yankees. I couldn't turn away during the game. I was watching the final game ever to be played in the house that Ruth built. Not only has great baseball been played there. Three different Popes visited yankee stadium, Billy Joel performed there, Muhammad Ali fought in center field. Yankee fan or not, the closing of this staduim pulls at the heart strings.

Are You Sold on Sex?

This week we had a really great discussion about visual rhetoric, and one topic that generated a lot of conversation was sexuality in advertising. "Sex sells" is a truism that we hear from time to time, but we went a little deeper than that today. We discussed what ads that appeal to human sexuality say about us. Do they reveal how far we've come, to a point where we can openly celebrate the human body and our sexual nature, or are they gratuitous appeals to base impulses that exploit and objectify the body? Do they promote unrealistic ideals to consumers, especially young consumers? Or do such images depict common fantasies and impulses that we no longer, in 2008, have to keep hidden? And, from a rhetorical point of view, do these ads work for you? Does this image at all persuade you to buy these jeans? I would love for any of you to sound off on this.

A poem I wrote, thought I would share it.

Dreaming
In sleep my eyes are stolen, in a world that I am caught.
The dreams take me inward, as I become lost in thought.
The endless realm of darkness, it's pulling down at me.
My commitment is weak, but I should try to be set free.
This vision takes me deeper, engulfing my desires.
A fantasy awakened, a truth that’s told by liars.
With these words I struggle, find it hard to express.
The different ways I feel, and why I must confess.
To a changing life with terror and appeal
Because of this allusion the past became real.

Obama vs. McCain

I just finished watching a part of John McCain's speech. It is so much different than that of Obama's. Even the crowd was immensely different, McCain's seemed to include more white collared men and veterans while Obama's had a more diverse crowd, younger adults, blacks, whites, etc.
While I am not sure whether I support McCain or Obama, I would much rather hear Obama speak than McCain. McCain seemed less confident and charismatic. The truth of the matter is the charisma can only go so far, whether there is any promise behind McCain's or Obama's speeches is what is really important.
While it is argued that neither of them give out any real information, how much does America really want to hear? All they want to hear is that they're going to cut taxes, or bring the troops home. They don't care how or what the consequences will be, at least not in that moment. They might later when it hasn't happened or they have a tax increase, or it starts a war.

President John McCain

Announced in the news this morning was something along the lines that John McCain was to be the next president. If any one has heard the full story I would like to hear about it!