Jan
4
2010
When I happened upon this survey conducted by Glamour that asked 1,013 men questions about a variety of topics, I had no intention of it becoming a blog post. I wasn’t even thinking about my blog. But, some of the results surprised me. Mainly when comparisons were made to how men responded to the same questions in 1995.
Since I often call to light the unfairness bestowed upon women, I wanted to pass along some good news. We have come a long way for women’s equality.
The questions that I found the most interesting:
Will a woman be elected president in the next 20 years?
- Possibly. I’d certainly consider voting for a woman – 78%
- Possibly, but she won’t get my vote – 15%
- No way. Americans will never elect a female president – 7%
In 1995, only 29% said they would elect a female president. Nearly 50% more men would consider voting for a woman! That is progress.
Complete the following statement: Breast-feeding in public is…
- Natural and a mother’s right – 78%
- Really gross – 22%
I don’t even know how I feel about this topic. Part of me thinks there is always someplace you can go to be discrete.
If it were painless, safe and free, would you encourage your wife or girlfriend to get breast implants?
- Yes – 25%
- No – 75%
In 1995, 55% of men said they’d go for bigger boobs. Hooray for the flat chested!
Nice work, men. Way to be empowering.
Photo Credit: Walter Parenteau on Flickr
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Dec
13
2009
The next best of 2009 blog challenge topic I felt compelled to write about was actually last Thursday’s topic. Album of the year: What’s rocking your world? For whatever reason, Thursday got away from me and I didn’t get a chance to write the post. But, this blog is called Natalie’s Wire and I do what I want; so here it is, a few days late, but right on time in my world… the album that rocked my 2009.
Actually released in 2007, In Our Bedroom After the War is the fourth album from Canadian band Stars. In an interview with MTV Live, Stars frontman Torquil Campbell indicated that one of the goals of the band was to create an album that came across as a unified whole through careful sequencing and thoughtful storytelling instead of simply sounding like a collection of tracks.
Mission accomplished. This album went with me everywhere for nearly half of 2009 and I don’t know if I ever skipped over random tracks to get to a favorite song. The album as a whole is just too damn good. The story is captivating and the juxtaposition of male and female vocals carries you along through an enchanted journey.
Following a mostly instrumental first track, The Night Starts Here kicks off a trip that has sucked me in time and time again.
Honorable Mention – Other artists who rocked my world in 2009:
Bon Iver - Having gone to college in his hometown, frontman Justin Vernon has been on my playlist since his Mount Vernon, Black Pirate days. But, it is his latest venture with band Bon Iver that has grabbed the rest of the world’s attention. The story goes, after a breakup with both band and girlfriend, Justin came home and spent three months at his father’s remote cabin in northern Wisconsin. It was there that he wrote most of the music for Bon Iver’s debut album For Emma, Forever Ago; and developed the concept of Bon Iver, derived from the French “bon hiver“, or good winter. Anyone who has ever lived through a northern winter and came out a better person will be able to relate to Bon Iver’s songs and sound.
Kid Cudi – As Kanye West’s protege, Kid Cudi has worked with everyone from Jay-Z to Black Eye’d Peas to Asher Roth. I’m currently obsessed with a number of tracks off his 2009 debut album Man on the Moon: The End of the Day. He has been nominated for three 2010 Grammy Awards for his singles, Day ‘n’ Nite and Make Her Say. I predict Cudi is going to continue to explode onto the celebrity scene in 2010.
Dec
8
2009
At the suggestion of my good friend, Kristin Gast, I have decided to participate in Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. The basic deal is that Gwen encourages bloggers to reflect on 2009 by providing a different topic each day to ponder and write about. I will not be writing on each of the 31 topics, but rather picking those that resonate the most with me.
Today’s prompt asks what was your best moment of peace in 2009.
Last year my family and I decided to skip the hustle and bustle of the holidays and head south to Ixtapa, Mexico. The entire week was amazing, but there was one moment of the trip that took the cake in terms of peacefulness. I decided to leave my family at the beach and head back to the condo to relax before dinner. After making myself a drink, I settled in to watch the sunset on the patio overlooking the ocean.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so rather than try to describe the scene I want to share a couple photos I captured during this moment of serenity. But first, I must explain that I have an intense spiritual connection to the ocean. Something about the massive size, powerful strength and the fact that so much of it remains a vast mystery, I never feel more connected to the world, or at peace with myself, than when I am near the ocean.
Feel free to leave a comment and share your best moment of peace in 2009. I would love to hear it!
Dec
7
2009
For the second year in a row instead of waking up early on Black Friday to get a jump-start on my holiday shopping, I decided to splurge and buy myself a new tech toy. Last year I bought my MacBook, which is probably the closest thing I have to a child.
This year, I entered into the Smartphone world with T-Mobile’s Motorola CLIQ. Since this is my first Smartphone, I am FAR from an expert on this topic. But, that won’t stop me from writing a review after playing around with it for a little over a week.
What I love:
- The complete and utter capability to customize – Just like my computer desktop I am able to customize every aspect of the phone. From what news outlets I want included in my news feed, to how I want my apps displayed, everything is in my control. Man, do I love having control.
- The slide out keyboard – This one surprised me a bit as having an actual keyboard (as opposed to just the touch keyboard) was not really a priority to me, but I find myself using the real keyboard most of the time when sending text messages, e-mails or simply searching the Web.
- The battery power – A frequent complaint of touch-screen phones is how much the battery life sucks. I, however, have not yet had an issue with the CLIQ’s battery life. I have spent the day using my phone to listen to music, catch up on my news, send e-mails and text messages and check in on my social networks. Oh, and talk on the phone too. The CLIQ battery has lasted with me well into the evening and night. Additionally, an upgrade was just rolled out to further improve battery life by allowing you to customize the battery settings.
- The App Market – Having access to the Android App Market is wonderful. Apps I use regularly include:
- Twidroid: After first trying Seesmic, I settled on Twitroid for my Twitter app. It makes updating both messages and pictures a breeze. And I am considering upgrading to the pro version so that I can make my links bit.ly links and can shake-refresh. I don’t know why, I just think that feature is freaking sweet.
- Gmail, Facebook, Foursquare, Yellowbook and Pandora for all the obvious reasons.
- NetaShare: Linked with my Google Reader this is how I keep up on all my favorite blogs. Updating the feed is a bit slow, so I’m keeping my eyes out for an upgrade.
- Shazam: Want to know a song’s title and artist? Simply hold your phone up to the speaker and get complete details of the song.
- The next Apps on my list to explore include augmented reality app Layar and video sharing app Qik.
- What I don’t:
- The camera – Yes, it is a 5 mega-pixel camera, but it doesn’t have a flash. And seeing as I take most of my pictures indoors, this proves to be a bit of a problem. I would love to see a phone company partner with Nikon or Canon to make a phone with a really stellar camera.
- The size – The phone is a bit heavier and more bulky than I would have preferred.
- Synched social networks – The CLIQ has been advertised as being the phone that syncs all your social networks. However, by syncing you automatically upload everyone in your network into your contact list. This seems absolutely ridiculous to me. There is NO WAY I want my 271 Facebook friends or my 283 Twitter followers in my phone book. Luckily, this feature is easily turned off.
All in all, I have very few complaints about the Motorola CLIQ and would recommend it to others.
Photo credit: Geeky Gadgets
Nov
22
2009
I have been debating whether or not I should write this post for a couple of weeks because (a) I largely want my blog to be positive, and (b) working in the public relations industry, it can be risky to publicly call out any company in a negative light.
However, the more I saw the commercial below, the more I found myself getting upset; and a good rant never hurt anybody, right?
Okay, enough justification, onto the commercial.
It is a Reebok advertisement for its new “easy tone” sneaker. The first thing that stuck out to me was the tag line “better legs and a better butt with every step.” Isn’t that what happens when you, oh, I don’t know, walk, run and take steps in general? Apparently the shoe is made with balance ball technology. I’ve been to the gym, I’ve used a balance ball, so okay, I’ll assume this claim to be true.
After watching the ad a few times I realized what it really was that made me so upset. It’s the fact that this commercial pits a female’s body parts against each other. It is no longer enough for me to be jealous of the Photoshopped women in magazines, or the beautiful woman walking down the street. I now have to be self conscious that my ass looks better than my tits?
Whereas the shoe itself actually piques my curiosity, the advertisements completely miss the mark.
I was talking to my friend, Stephanie Lentz, about the ad and she said “it reminds me of the movie What Women Want where the Mel Gibson character’s male brain cannot comprehend what a woman would look for in a work-out shoe.”
Sport companies have a unique opportunity to portray women as strong, determined and athletic. I’m sorry Reebok, I just do not appreciate your decision to portray us as self-conscious and body obsessed.
About Natalie
Public relations and communications professional who specializes in online communications, media relations and event coordination.
Other passions include traveling, listening to live music, reading, playing card and board games, and experimenting in the kitchen.
"Woman cannot discover new oceans unless she has the courage to lose sight of the shore." -Andre Gide
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