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Loss of Integrity.

Stay tuned. US young American adults need to be aware of our social surroundings and the laws being passed. As of late, a Republican team of five decided to pass this inane act allowing any persons that may come off as being slightly suspicious will be stripped down to nothing but their birthday suit. Yes. Indeed.

Inserting article here.

I use the term 'persons' because that does not exclude illegal immigrants, the darker demographic, your grandmother, your son, your visitor from Canada and so on. At least we're finally all equal in SOME way. I cannot fathom this at all. The US Supreme Court actually enacted this law?! I knew this happened before; it was demonstrated in the 2004 film, Crash. Actress Thandie Newton, who portrayed the character of Christine Thayer, was sexually abused by a police officer after her husband and she were stopped under the suspicion of a DUI.

Another reason why were must be bare naked in order to figure out if we're a "criminal" or not could be, hypothetically, you not paying that ticket you just received. Say sayonora to those under garments of yours! Tell me this isn't degrading?

Please do.

Lets chat,

Farrah @evestament

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A Change in Circumstances

What do you believe in? Religion is a personal choice, and one that a lot of people feel strongly about.  Do you ever wonder though how people came to “be” a certain religion? For myself, I know that the religion I was a part of while I was growing up was dictated by my parents. They were the ones who brought me and my siblings to church services and who enforced our religious class attendance. They were the ones who decided what religious milestones we would partake in. Looking back, it’s easy to see how my religious beliefs were shaped by my parents’ actions. I’m curious to know how many people today who are extremely devoted to their religion really made that choice for themselves. It’s interesting to consider how people’s beliefs might have been different, had they grown up in a different environment or with a different set of parents. Would they have the same belief system or would it be different? This can apply to all areas of a person’s life. It’s almost overwhelming to think of how different our current circumstances could be, had our childhood been different. What we’re raised around really can shape our lives as we grow older. Do you think our parents and childhood are responsible for our choices and beliefs as adults? Or do you think the people we are as adults were already determined when we are born? How do you think your life would be different if you had grown up in a different area, or with your best friend’s parents raising you? It’s something to think about. 

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Bullies everywhere!

More and more we see kids and even adults are being bullied lately, statistics show that 13 million kids will be bullied this year in the U.S..

That's a huge number, and not everyone can get past all the bullying and the mistreatment, so what they do is that they take their own lives because sometimes, and really-- enough is enough.

Sadly, not everyone is aware of this issue, some parents will tell you "they're just kids, they don't mean any harm; they're just playing around" but in some cases somebody will end up hurt or even dead! 

Parents should really be aware of what's going on with their kids and take precautions because it is a serious matter, and is one that shouldn't be bookmarked for later. 

Check out this trailer of a new move about bullying, the movie is called Bully and it just came out last month; parents should really take their kids and watch it with them for education and awareness sake. 

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I adore Mara Hruby. "Take off Your Cool" happens to be one of my favorite tracks on From Her Eyes (EP). She strays away from the mainstream genres. Thank the lord.

FOLLOW

farrah @evestament

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Lets Play a Game!

From this image above, do you see a correlation in how the media plays a large role in deception? Most recent occurrence with the altering of prominent celebrities occurred with Adele on the cover of Vogue. I was outraged by the positive feedback she received for a photo that has no remnants of her actual stature or beauty. Basically, they photoshopped her to the point where there was no return. Then there is Britney Spears, the ex-princess of pop, who was deranged for a bit and who also lost all of "sex appeal." Or did she? According to her most recent music video, "Till the World Ends," she hasn't lost an ounce of sexy. It's incredible what these editing programs, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, can do. Don't even get me started with Madonna; make-up is a girl's best friend, not diamonds.

So the name of the game is to contemplate and guess how many times you have been deceived by the media?

These women, I am sure of it, are incredible characters. The fact that they must be altered in even their personal lives leave no room for factual evidence of beauty, just synthetic. This is what our children imitate; this is why men expect their future girlfriend to be dressed up all the time, with their make-up done and hair just fresh out of the salon. This does not necessarily apply to all men, but you all get the gist. Now other women expect their comrades to always have their hair done and nails up to par because "The Bad Girls Club" told them so. Why emulate such fabricated figures? 

Play the game and email us at [email protected] and you will get the chance to be posted on our blog!

farrah @evestament

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Cartoons Now and Then

It is easy to see that Cartoons have drastically changed over time. We have gone from black and white silent cartoons to fully animated color speaking cartoons. But the quality is not the only thing that has changed. The content has changed drastically from violence and obvious undertones too basically no violence at all and subliminal if any undertones.

For example in the television show Tom and Jerry there was violence every single episode, even more recently TV shows like Invader Zim, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and Courage the Cowardly Dog were canceled because they were to "scary" for kids. I remember watching these shows and laughing i didn think they were scary. Did you? even if they were the violence or scariness of a cartoon has not affected me negatively. I'm not trying to hit someone with a giant hammer.

Cartoons now a days are much more PG and one dimensional than they have ever been. 

what do you think?

Is this a good change?

How do you think its changed?

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Occupy Fail.

Beginning around September of 2011, a movement was starting to develop across the United States. We heard the rumblings of Occupy Wall Street as well as stories of protests that were springing up in other areas around the U.S. and the rest of the world.  Soon, the movement reached Boston. It was interesting to see how many people became involved and attended the protests. The Occupy Movement was something to become involved in; it was something that became a sort of novelty.  Protesters occupied Dewey Square and marches were held regularly. This movement was a major talking point for a period of time, but what has happened to it now? We saw protesters in the campus center at UMass Boston, but now those protesters have since moved outdoors, where they are barely seen.  There is no longer a tent city in Dewey Square. Marches have ceased, the stories have stopped, and we are left wondering what happened to the movement that seemed to be supported by so many people. We are left to question how much people cared about the protests and the ideas of the occupy movement if it was so easily abandoned by those involved. What do you think caused the movement to die? Or did the movement ever really die? Do you think that the ideas of the movement are still being sought after?  Share your thoughts. 

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Her Silent Strength

Gazing upon the ebb and flow of the ocean, I couldnʼt help but feel a part of me would remain here, on these shores. The sound of the crashing waves began to tell a story in a once foreign language, one I could not understand a month before. At first, it spoke in a whisper, a delicate voice that found its way to my ears upon a steady breeze gradually increasing in strength. This voice had a message for me, one I could not ignore. 

She described the way sheʼs suffered, sharing intimate secrets with me. I immediately felt her trust; they say the soul can sense ones intention. She confessed that sheʼs been trusting to a fault. She has held her arms open wide, welcoming all who desired warmth, and her deepest regret lies in the traicion of those she nurtured most. She spoke to me of fate and destiny (things one can never fully comprehend), and of the way she watches loved ones dance upon the horizon. She told me of the way she beckons them close, her loved ones, trying to hold them forever in her loving embrace only to swallow them whole. She weeps because she loves them, but will forever be relegated to brief visits and distant waves. 

 Her silent strength taught me the value of a warm sunʼs kiss upon my cheek; it taught me to understand others in their reality and not in the context of mine; it taught me to seek perfection in flaws, because man propels himself forward only after forsaking stable footing for the perils of imbalance – this is how we progress. 

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These were lessons I learned on the shores of Puerto Rico, inspired by self-reflection and thought, on a trip meant for leisure rather than a quest for knowledge. The voice and its story serves as a metaphor for the historical experience of the people and lands of the Caribbean that have endured many struggles during the colonial, imperial, and post-independence periods.

@Abel Rey 

3.31.2012

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What's Your Aura?

If you're anything like Walter Benjamin, you will find that art has become repetitive and easily accessible! To him, modern day art has lost its aura, its originality and authenticity. Here's a video for you about what aura means to Benjamin!

I am tired of viewing the same old, same old reproductions of the same exact concept or plot! Harry Potter goes from being a novel onto the big screen! Same as Twilight and any other saga that has become a ravaging sensation throughout the community of avid readers. Here is a list of the top ten novels transformed into films; keep in mind that this may be outdated!

Not only are novels reproduced to mold the duration of 160 to 300 minutes but so are songs! The fact that one can simply sample a song means the originality of this new song has already been lost. What happened to concocting completely new ideas? All television programs seem to mimic each other. Songs seem to echo the same meaning or beat. Films represent their former past as pages with literal translations.

I don't know about you guys but I am getting quite sick and tired of the reproduction of the SAME concept. We are, essentially, the products of what we create or, in this case, what we recreate. That means we are just mere clones.

How original can we get? Really. I barely turn on the television, radio or go to the movies anymore due to this fact. Can we change this and bring art to its aura? Or are you, the youth, okay with this automatic reproduction? Are you original? What's your aura?

Lets chat!

farrah @evestament

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The Pretty Good Problem

When it comes to electronics mainly cell phones and laptops there is always competition between brands. For example Mac vs PC or the iPhone vs a Droid. However all of these devices are so similar that there are only a few differences that don't make either much better than the other.

Yet, we all buy into the branding.

Some people are strictly Mac users or HP users but really there is not much of a difference. Both devices do pretty much the same thing the only real difference is the brand and if its a "good" brand they hike up the price. The design of the products varies and there may be some different features but all in all your paying for the brand not the quality of the actual product.

This Pretty Good Problem does not only apply to electronics it ranges from cars to refrigerators.

We are given the illusion of choice.

 Is there really that much of a difference? What do you think of the pretty good problem?

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Help Me, I'm Melting

Global warming is a term that many people have heard of, but few actually understand. It sounds pleasant in theory, the earth will become warmer, our winters will be milder, what’s so bad about that? The majority of people would welcome an endless summer, where shoveling snow and scraping ice are things of the distant past. As nice as infinite warm weather sounds, there are a couple of consequences of global warming that people may not consider. One problem arises when the polar ice caps begin melting. This also doesn’t sound like a major problem. Some ice melting, what’s the big deal? The big deal is what happens when the ice caps melt. The extra water from the melting of the ice caps starts filling up the oceans. The sea level then starts rising. When the sea level starts rising, land will begin disappearing.  Then what? Not only do sea levels rise with global warming, but ocean temperature also rises, creating stronger ocean storms and hurricanes. We’ve all seen footage of the destruction that Hurricane Katrina caused; it would be devastating to have to deal with that more regularly and on a broader scale. It’s important that people start taking action to prevent the warming of our earth from progressing any further.  If we don’t have a place to live, what happens then?  Another viewpoint that I haven’t discussed yet is the view that global warming isn’t real. While taking an introductory meteorology course, I was introduced to the possibility that global warming is not a real threat. A presentation was shown that gave a counter claim to all the evidence of global warming. The presenter showed the class charts that displayed the variations in Earth’s temperatures over thousands of years. According to the presenter, the variations in temperature that we are experiencing today are just a natural fluctuation that has occurred in previous time periods. Due to all the other evidence I had heard that supported the theory of global warming, this presentation had little effect on me. It did expose me to a new idea though, as I had not known previously that people even contested the warming of the Earth as a problem. What are your thoughts? Do you agree with the theory of global warming, or do you think it’s false? What could be done to reverse the problem or prevent it from progressing? 

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The Viral Cases of Trayvon Martin and Troy Davis.

When I say viral, I mean how has the judicial system proved their citizens that they free in all ways? It seems to be an infectious agent to target a certain race and specimen and to not take charge of persecuting the right person. When I say viral, I mean the cases of Trayvon Martin and Troy Davis has reached the nation and hearts of many through the help of media outlets. First, it was the campaign for "I Am Troy Davis" when he was persecuted for a murder that happened over 10 years ago with no substantial evidence of him committing this. He was sentenced to death not too long ago. Wasn't this just the episode that occurred in September? 

Now we proceed, as life goes on, to another debacle. This being looked upon as of a grave   occurrence yet slowly surfacing topic, it took about 3 weeks for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin to surface amongst the public. "Why is that?," I think to myself as I read this tragic story. I know KONY 2012 made a splash most recently but it so happens that phenomenon is already null and void and The Invisible Children Organization is being questioned for their reliable sources and ethics. Typical. As the world thinks of deceptive ways to gain notoriety and monetary substances, we still fight for our rights. This child was walking with Skittles in his hand as well as an Arizona Iced Tea. The murderer, George Zimmerman, walks free as his treacherous act receives no kind of punishment. Bear with me, as this is a difficult topic to write about nonetheless to understand, so if this comes out a bit discombobulated don't say I didn't tell you. 

George Zimmerman happened to volunteer to be the neighborhood watchman. He took it in his hands to deem young Trayvon as suspicious due to him wearing a hoodie. Within a week, more than a million people have heard and reached out to the family of Trayvon. More than a million people have petitioned, rallied and spoke on behalf of a voice that was last heard through petrified screams and heavy panting. Really, the investigation just started when the nation started taking notice?! The government, the Sanford officials weren't going to do anything about this until it became VIRAL? 

What's your opinions, guys? Do you think we live in a world filled with freedom or is it just an illusion? Was it a good thing to take it to the net? What other ways can these injustices be stopped because Troy Davis wasn't saved, we don't know if they'll take action on Trayvon Martin's case and who knows about the future. . . What do you think?

Feel free to chat,  

farrah @evestament 

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I've been hearing lately a lot about this new phenomenon called 'The Hunger Games' . My roommates are talking about it, It's all over the internet and TV, I see everyone reading about it on the T. So I gave in and had to check it out myself. You're wondering what I'm talking about? Well, for those of you who haven't heard about it yet (you must be living under a rock), it's a book written by Suzanne Collins that has been made into a movie, which is coming out this upcoming Friday. It's really good, I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna say much about it since I'm still reading it myself but here's the trailer.

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HE'S GAY, SO WHAT?

Just because they're gay, doesn't mean they can't get married. As we all know, more states are legalizing same-sex marriage and it's becoming more and more acceptable. Well, I tend to have a bit of a problem with the fact that it needs to be accepted by society to begin with. Why do we need society to accept or deny us anything at all? What right does society has to deny a non-heterosexual couple from adopting a child? what makes them less capable than anybody else to raise a child? who decides that a family 'have' to consist of a mum and a dad? What is so wrong with having two mums or two dads? Why do we give them much trouble than a single parent who is raising a child or two?

Marriage is supposed to be a union between two people who love each other and are planning to spend the rest of their lives together. Some people are born with a different set of hormones, that doesn't make them any less eligible to find love and get married too, they didn't ask to be born the way they did; so let them marry and live their lives like everyone else, why do we even have to discuss such a silly matter...

what are your opinions on gay marriage? should we punish them by not letting them get married because they're gay? do you think it's an important subject in today's society? why or why not?