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Celebrities & Politics

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by ashleytwigg on February 21, 2012

I don’t hate or even dislike celebrities. I value genuine talent in acting, music, crazy Youtube stunts- whatever propels people to earn fame. However, I also believe that people need to form their own opinions. It’s no secret that, these days, Celebrities use their platforms and status to promote political figures.

This is a free country and they are welcomed to do so, but if Lady Gaga tweets to her nine million followers that she’s going to vote for whomever, that doesn’t mean the rest of the “little monsters” should jump on that bandwagon. Anti-bullying bandwagon? Absolutely. Voting people into office you have no knowledge about? Please don’t.

Pro-Voting- YES:

When it comes to any type of power, people can use it for good or they can use it for evil. As much as I am not a fan of Puffy Daddy, P-Diddy, Shawn Puffy Combs- whatever his name is, he did a lot of work  with the Rock the Vote campaign and urged people to go out and vote. The celebrities involved in that campaign weren’t pushing youth in any political direction- they were simply promoting the importance of voting. Whether we like to admit it or not, a great deal of the population can be swayed by celebrities and the media.

For those of you who don’t think we live in a “monkey see, monkey do” society, you may want to take another look around. We all have minds of our own and I wish more people used them ALL the time, but if celebrities are promoting something GOOD- it will only benefit the rest of us “little people”.

Copy Cat Voting- NO:

People need to be informed on issues and about candidates. I’m sure some celebrities do take the time out to research and truly understand the candidates they support, however, just because you like their movies or music doesn’t mean you see politics on the same level. We are talking about celebrities with huge sums of money. How can we assume their political values would necessarily even compare to ours?  You are adults and I’m sure  (like me) you are more than familiar with our old friend Google. Learn about the candidates on your own and vote according to the TRUTH that you learned.

Welcomed Attention:

Now I don’t want to completely rag on celebrities because, like I said, power can be used for good. Instead of celebrities simply supporting a candidate, they sometimes use their power to support a CAUSE. The money celebrities have donated, the awareness they have brought, and the impact they have had on AIDS, cancer research, homelessness, and thousands of other causes in the past few years is incredible.

These are the things people should be jumping on board for and following. Politics and “your vote” should be a personal endeavor. Family members, celebrities, boyfriends, girlfriends- what have you, these people shouldn’t effect who and what you vote for! You are an adult, form your own opinion don’t take the easy way out by following someone else’s.

Do you vote based on celebrities? Do you gain political awareness from TV, Twitter, and the media? Do you think celebrities affect the way people vote?

 

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Seems like a new social network arrives everyday (or maybe it just seems that way because Facebook keeps changing layouts). Have you heard of Pinterest? It’s a site where users can “pin” (or post) anything they find interesting for the world to see. It works like Twitter, so you can follow people you like, but it also has all kinds of categories of different stuff. So this week I logged on the home design section to see new ideas to decorate those boring old dorm rooms.

Faux-Pet

Fish are a great way to liven up your dorm room, but who has the time to care for the fish and clean the tank? Or the money to pay for it? Grab an old jar, a handful of gravel, a paperclip, your best “Jesus fish” outline- and you’ve got yourself a free, faux-friend you’ll never have to flush down the toilet.

 

 

 

All-in-One Charging Station

Ever notice how many chargers you and your roommates have plugged into that one power strip on the wall?  Wouldn’t it be great to ditch the messy looking cords and go for a more organized look? Check out this cool charging station made out of a bread box. Great way to stay organized and go wireless… well, sort of.

 

 

 

Stub Jar

If you’re like me and you save every ticket stub, you’ll love this. Instead of piling them up in a random spot, put them in a glass jar. You can make all those stubs a piece of modern art and a time capsule of memories.

 

 

 

 

 

Makeshift Chandelier

You can make your very own chandelier with just a hula hoop and some Christmas lights. It provides a different kind of lighting that will make everyone on your floor say “wow” every time. This is easily one of the most creative thing you could do in a dorm, but you might want to check with your RA before you start hanging stuff from the ceiling.

 

 

 

DIY Bathmat

Now this one might not seem worth it, but hear me out- if you have a ton of old towels you’ve used WAY too many times or even old t-shirts that don’t fit you anymore, you can save yourself from spending money at Bed Bath & Beyond and make a bathmat of your own. Collaborate with your roommates and see if they have anything they don’t mind cutting up. Tie the scraps onto a plastic grid frame, and you’re good to go!

 

 

 

Are you on Pinterest yet (if not, leave your email below and we’ll send you an invite!)? Do you have any other creative ways to spice up your dorm room?

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We students are practically required to be fully equipped with a laptop at all times for “schoolwork” purposes- which really means “aimlessly surfing the web.” While most of us tend to stick to the three essentials (Facebook, Youtube, and Wikipedia), there’s actually a whole bunch of sites out there that can make a student’s life much, much easier.

MEETING PROFESSORS IN PERSON IS SO 2010

So you have your schedule all picked out and your curious about what your professors will be like. Instead of taking a major risk and accidentally signing up for the hardest teacher on campus, check out Rate My Professor to find out what other students have to say. While it may seem a bit judgemental, the various ratings and comments definitely help you make better scheduling decisions.

STUDY HAXX0RZ

Back in the day, we had to use notebooks and pens to take down all the key information from textbooks and lectures, but popular online collaborate note services like WikiNotes and Sparknotes do all the work for you. And though it’s best NOT to use them as your primary study material, going over them will definitely help you to review and maybe even pick up a few things you didn’t notice.

KEEPING UP WITH YOUR CASH

The harsh reality for many of us as students is that it is extremely difficult to save money while trying to handle work, school, and your social life. Mint.com helps you keep track of all of your earnings, pay bills online, and lets you make personal budget plans to fit your lifestyle. They even have a mobile app!

BORED?

Ever just been sitting online for a crazy amount of time searching for something, but not sure what? College students usually have a lot of free time and rarely know how to use it. Hop on to Stumbleupon.com and you will see a whole new way to surf the web. This site will jump you to any sites you may find interesting and will change to your tendencies. Defintely useful- and fun!

 

What are some other helpful sites you use? Do you think Rate My Professor is a good or bad idea?

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