Laugh Tracks

Laugh tracks have been party of our everyday lives and I somehow seem to block them out. While I’m watching a show, like Friends or Two and a Half Men, I honestly do not realize that there are laugh tracks. I remember growing up and watching I Love Lucy and The Brady Bunch with my parents and all I could focus on was the obnoxious, fake laughter that was going on in the background. Throughout the years I have learned to block it out and not even realize it. I agree with Klosterman that throughout the year’s laugh tracks have been phased out but I also think that the intensity of the laughter has been toned down too.

I have to disagree with Klosterman about the whole Germany portion of the article. Every country thinks that different thinks are humorous, I’ve seen shows from England and Britain and I think their version of comedy isn’t funny. Also I think that Americans use laughter as a cover-up for their nervousness. While he was in line at the grocery store in Germany he chuckled to cover up his embarrassment for not having the exact amount of change for the cashier, not because he thought it was a funny situation. I know sometimes when I get nervous or embarrassed I laugh to cover up my true emotions. 

Topic Introduction

The topic I am going to focus on for the rest of the semester is Family and Consumer Science(FCS). My major is to become an FCS teacher and this is a subject that means a lot to me. I am going to write my research paper about why FCS should be a mandatory field of studies in all education systems. I believe that it is a crucial subject that deals with everyday life and survival. Everyone needs to know how to properly launder their clothes and how to properly make a well balanced meal to stay healthy. Without FCS in our lives I know I wouldn't have been able to adjust to college life and living on my own. If girls are required to take wood-shop then boys should be required to take FCS. I've heard that some school districts are cutting the FCS programs from their schools due to budges and I believe that that should change, it is a necessity to learn these skills.  

Annotated Bibliography

Stage, Sarah, and Virginia Bramble Vincenti, eds. Rethinking Home Economics: Women and the History of a Profession. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1997. Print.

The author of this book basically talks about the strides women have taken over the years to have others realize that Family and Consumer Science is a legitimate career. It’s important to know how we began and where we have been as a profession in order to shape where we wish to go. Throughout the text the documentation talks about issues from dietetics and parenting, teaching and cooperative extension work, to test kitchens and product development. This book also reveals the influences that gender, race and class have effected women’s options in colleges, hospitals, business and industries.     

Technology in Our Everyday Lives

I started reading this article online but halfway through it I had to switch to the printed out version. There were too many distractions. Throughout the article there were hyperlinks leading to examples and activities to test your focus. These features, which some might thing as creative or helpful, distracted me the most. I couldn't not take the quiz or watch the video of what Mr. Campbell saw. I also had to switch to the printed copy because too much reading off of the computer screen gave me a headache.

I think this article shows us a very accurate outcome of what our society is coming to. Mr. Campbell's life is a good warning sign of what we don't want to happen to our families. For example, he has burned hamburgers on the grill, forgotten to pick up the children and lingered into the bathroom playing video games on his iPhone. Also his children think that this is a proper way to grow up, they are technologically friendly and they don't have the same opportunity to be kids like past generations. I know my cousins would have mental breakdowns if they lost their phones, they act like they are extensions of their hands and if they lost them it would be the end of the world. The distractions in Mr. Campbell's life not only effect his family, but also his business. Not only once, but twice, did Mr. Campbell overlook an important email regarding investors for his software. Also Mr. Campbell has signed the company up for the wrong business account which cost him $300 a month for a six month period before he corrected the mistake. Not all businesses can afford mistakes like this, multitasking leads to distractions which leads to mistakes. Things need to be done correctly the first time so you don't have to waist time in the end going back to fix all the mistakes you made in the beginning.

-Emily

It's All About Me...

My name is Emily Dalton and I'm a sophomore at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The reason I chose to go to a school so far from home is because of my major, which is Family and Consumer Science Education. After graduating, I plan on moving back to my home in Yardley, PA, and starting a new chapter in my life there. The thing that I cherish the most is my family. I'm an only child, so when I get the opportunity to spend time with my extended family, I will do anything to make it happen. During the summer I work as a camp counselor at a local camp. On weekends during the summer I go down to the Jersey shore, and no not Seaside Heights were Jersey Shore is filmed. If I could, I would live at the beach all year round, it is basically my sanctuary. Finally, I love sports! Baseball is my favorite, and I am obsessed with the Philadelphia Phillies, well actually anything to do with Philadelphia sports teams. I applied to be a Phillies ball-girl, but things didn't work out. I plan on re-applying within the next year or two.      

-Emily