Swiffer, Starbucks, satellite radio, JetBlue Airways and Ikea. According to a report in Business Week, these are just a few examples that reflect a trend of creative and innovative products in today’s marketplace. As the article puts it succinctly, “The game is changing. It isn't just about math and science anymore. It's about creativity, imagination, and, above all, innovation.” Now that engineering, computer programming and other areas of the “Knowledge Economy” are moving overseas, businesses see that growth is all about catering to demands for new and surprising products. The trend of innovation has also been spurred by a small number of creative companies that have forced other companies to re-think their approaches to design and production. And companies are finding that they need to meet the challenge if they want to effectively compete against other companies.

An Iraqi woman with ties to terrorists was arrested yesterday for trying to bomb a hotel in Jordan. The story sounds a lot like other recounts of violence in this area of the world, but unlike past cases, the woman’s confession was broadcasted on Jordanian television. Now, it seems like her face is a representation of terrorism in mass media. The blog Mass Media Deception calls her the face of Muslim madness. The blogpost Plaster Her Face Global (it seems racist to me and I don’t agree with it, but it illustrates a point) says: “This woman should become the picture of the wicked of the wicked.”

The IRS is currently investigating All Saints Episcopal Church, where a reverend delivered a sermon criticizing President Bush’s war policies two days before the 2004 election; the church risks losing its tax exempt- status because the IRS says the sermon may have constituted political campaigning from the pulpit. The federal tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns and elections. But people are questioning why the IRS is suddenly investigating a church that made anti-Bush remarks, and ignoring all the Christian evangelical groups and churches that actually told their parishioners to vote for Bush. There is an article in the Los Angeles Times summarizing the situation.

My favorite genre of movies is comedy, but sometimes, I feel like it’s so cheap. Funny movies are always entertaining to a degree, but some are just stupid and even disgusting, i.e. “Scary Movie” and “Deuce Bigalow.” I’m not objecting to shallow movies; they can be amusing, but they make me appreciate movies that can be amusing and have a point, or at least a trace of a purpose.

Some of the movies that come to mind are “Forrest Gump” and “Saved!” and coming of age films like “Sixteen Candles. I’ve heard that “Forrest Gump” is much more popular in America than in other countries, where people think the movie is ridiculous. Maybe this is because one of its major themes is the American dream. Forrest is mentally retarded, but manages to do amazing things in his life without even knowing it. At the same time, he sees the world in such clear and simple terms that the normal people he meets are the ones who seem messed up.

Speaking of fish on this blog, the dynamics of fishing operations are totally changing. As the blogger writes, fisheries are shifting from traditional catching methods to fish farming. When I think of fish, I imagine boats, nets, reels and lobster traps. Can you imagine farming fish as though they were carrots or cotton? This is the current reality of fisheries because of decreasing fish populations and the desire to increase efficiency. And these changes have serious implications for our environment.

I recently heard about a really disturbing situation in Juarez, Mexico (located across the Rio Grande) where 400 young women have been killed in the same series of Juarez murders over the past ten years. The women are workers in maquilas, which are border factories that operate because of NAFTA. They are kidnapped, raped and then killed; many are also mutilated and subjected to sexual violence. People find their bodies in ditches or on the side of roads. This is especially tragic because local authorities aren’t taking appropriate action, and the United States State Department isn’t either. Also, press coverage of the problem is probably low. Have you heard about the Juarez Murders? They have been happening since 1993.

There was a Popular Science article about the possibility that the Cavendish banana (the one common in the American diet) is going to be extinct in the next ten years. The gist of the story is that after so many years of human cultivation, Cavendish bananas lack the natural defenses against dangerous plant diseases and fungi (as in Darwin's "survival of the fittest" didn't apply because humans were cultivating the plant). A strain of Panama disease has been wiping out banana plantations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Taiwan and parts of Southeast Asia. Scientists are now trying to either develop a new type of banana that tastes similar to the Cavendish, or genetically engineer the Cavendish to make it more resistant to diseases. Though no one is sure when or if bananas will really become extinct, the article says that the Panama disease destroyed the banana crops in Malaysia in less than five years.

In my Urban Culture and Society class, we're learning about cities in relation to consumption and production. Yesterday, the prof's presentation included a visit to the website about the development of Destiny USA, which is going to be one of America's biggest malls once it's built. It's planned to have hotels, theaters, office buildings, and industrial park and thousands of shops.

I read an article in the Metro the other day about traditional newspapers cutting newsroom jobs because printing costs are increasing while less people are reading newspapers. The New York Times is firing 500 people. To keep up with trends, which I think can really be reflected among college students, it's shifting its focus from print to its website. Even though this seems to accommodate people who get news online (seems like most of us), NYT changed its free website access policy so that users now have to pay to read the op-ed pieces.

I don't know what other people really expected of the Bi-College (Bryn Mawr and Haverford) academic/social partnership, but I definitely think that it's falsely advertised. Even though the Bi-Co wasn't that important to me when I applied to Bryn Mawr, I got the feeling that it was advertised as something that really enhanced the college. This is kind of true, with the Blue Bus that goes between the two colleges and people taking classes at both schools, but the Bi-Co community isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Barbara Bush on Hurricane Katrina evacuees:
"Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them."

I'm not extremely liberal or anti-Bush, but after the government's slow response to the disaster and READING THAT QUOTE FROM BARBARA BUSH, I don't know how anyone can not feel at least a little angry about the administration's approach and attitude towards Hurricane Katrina. When I first read that quote, I couldn't even believe that someone could say something so stupid. I want to know what's going on the mind of this woman. How is it possible that people can be this ignorant?!

I don't usually follow any particular blog, but I like to read blogs about New York City, naturally because that's where I'm from. When I googled "blog about new york," i found Gothamist.com, which has a lot of information about obscure happenings, political issues, and things that major area newspapers/television stations don't report on. The format of this blog is also nice because it lets people search for blog posts under a certain category. It covers stuff that I've never even heard about, some material that is very specific, and to non-New Yorkers, probably insignificant.

I'll admit that I never really thought about "the other side of the screen" before, but Chris Pirillo makes a brilliant point when he talks about the importance of supporting websites that provide free services. I can't count the times that I've visited sites for song lyrics and fonts, and to generate text banners. Most of them had ads that I thought were annoying, and that I never clicked on. Pirillo provides the perspective of the people who maintain the websites that allow us to get free stuff, and it's not pretty. A lot of them put in substantial effort, but don't get adequate support from users who just use the services without clicking on the ads or buying website merchandise. I'm probably one of those people who should support sites more often... but while I understand Pirillo's perspective, I'm also skeptical of clicking on ads, especially ones that flash "Win $1,000,000!" or "Who Is This Celebrity?" Some of them look like scams, and others just seem pointless. If there were safer and more purposeful ways of supporting websites, like buying merchandise, I think people would be more inclined to show their appreciation; I know I would. Ad hosting is probably lucrative for websites, but I think alternatives need to be derived. Sometimes, a message on the website reminding users that they can show their appreciation is effective. I know PinkMonkey.com used to have a similar message, and I knew several loyal users who sent them money.

[I came to the CSEM late..]

In our lifetimes, we all find ourselves belonging to certain communities, whether we want to or not. One of the communities I always thought I would want to leave is Brooklyn Tech, my high school. It's the fifth largest high school in America, as well as one of New York City’s specialized high schools. As a Tech student, I saw beneath the hype: administrators who hated their jobs, an inefficient bureaucracy of assistant principals and supervisors, etc. Tech's lack of cohesion and support for its students is one of the reasons I chose to come to Bryn Mawr. It's ironic though, because now that I'm here, I'm reminded more than ever of the Brooklyn Tech community. In the discussion about diversity during Customs Week, I listened to people describe how homogeneous their high schools were. I couldn't imagine their experiences; Brooklyn Tech is composed of 4200 students, most of whom are minorities. Being at Bryn Mawr has made me really think about just how unique the urban high school experience is, and I appreciate it.