By Casby Bias
Apr. 28, 2012 President Barack Obama teaches a Marquette University student Tuesday by "slow jamming" his message. Obama announced his re-election campaign in 2011: social media helped him spread awareness. But the skit Obama participated in with Jimmy Fallon was not only an entertaining way to gain publicity and votes: it also informed the public about Obama's advocacy against increasing interest rates on Stafford loans. Lynn Bias, a journalism major in the Diederich College of Communication, voiced her opinion on the video. "Oh good Lord no," Bias said. "You know this was all for publicity." But Bias also said the video was entertaining and educational. "I loved the 'Oh Pell No' joke: I also hope that I don't run into having to pay any loans in the future."
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By Casby Bias
Apr. 28, 2012 Judge Wade McCree's half-naked text to a married co-worker Wednesday leaves a college student disappointed. Half-naked texts aren't expected from people who have influencing status. The student said that she thought judges were meant to be "role models": not encouragers of sending photos that reveal his or her own body to the public. "And then (the judge is) married, too?" Lynn Bias, a journalism major from Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University, said with disgust. "And you're not even ashamed that you took the-I'm done." The husband of the co-worker planned on filing a complaint. McCree may end up losing his job. "Yeah, he's going to lose his job," Bias said. By Casby Bias Apr. 12, 2012 You push open a door. Behind this door there are seven people, sitting in wooden desks: the desks are arranged in a circle. On the left side of the room, an African-American woman turns toward you: her black suit jacket brushes against her desk. She peers over the rims of her glasses as a warm smile emerges across her face. “Well, hello!” she says. “Come in!” You walk in as she, still smiling, continues her conversation. You can tell this lady means business. You can tell this woman is the fit description of today’s “boss lady.” You can tell that she is Congresswoman Gwen Moore. People don't first think "woman" when it comes to politics. "White older male" is the usual stereotype and face of governmental systems. But Gwen Moore proves otherwise. She was one of the 40 students that participated in EOP when "all those white kids and those few African-American basketball players" came together and fasted for diversity in 1968. A political science major granted her access to opportunities that included fundraising, writing proposals and helped the city of Milwaukee, state and nonprofits. She even met Barack Obama and wrote a poem for his grandmother two days before the election. So you can’t say that all women have a specific stereotype. Moore sports a true image of a political role model. Moore also said she became successful by promoting awareness for social issues. "I won my positions by going door to door talking about my vision," she said. That's right: she talked to people and took what they had to say in perspective for improving communities. Moore also said social media such as Facebook and Twitter made an impact of awareness. "Before, (people) had no idea what was going on without awareness," she said. "A little bit can tell a lot." She also said shared interests with other people (e.g., block parties, food) bonded communities. "If you say you’re going to have free food, trust me, they (are going to) be coming," she said. But the room got quiet after someone asked about how Moore promoted awareness for the Trayvon Martin case. Gwen Moore sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. She was quiet for a little while. Moore then said she tried helping without adding more political drama to the situation. "I think I didn’t engage in a way that would threaten," she said. She said she had a hoodie with her for a soon-to-be-canceled rally at Capitol Hill. She also said she got the opportunity to listen to Trayvon Martin's parents and attorney in congress. She sat there. She listened. And sometimes that’s the best thing you could do without conflicting a situation. Moore told students do whatever they could for a cause: even if there might be limiting ways of voicing an opinion. "Just go do something wonderful,” she rose her hands in the air. “Just get something started." By Casby Bias
Apr. 17, 2012 Folks, let's be clear: Tupac is not alive. And people should keep it that way. A 2D hologram of Tupac Shakur performed Sunday with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre at Coachella. The event gained publicity for finding a new way to bring the rapper back “to life”: the Tupac hologram may even go on tour in the future. The idea has potential (who knows how much wider a girl's jaw would drop at the sight of an actual hologram instead of just seeing it on YouTube?). But the hologram should not go on tour. That particular 2D image shouldn't have “stepped foot” on that stage. The production process used a person's image for financial purposes. You might say that the method is OK—that it’s an artist's job to promote his or her skills for money. But here's the thing: this guy is dead. You shouldn’t go around and rip a guy’s talents off for your own personal gain. That would be like having someone take a body out of its coffin, “walk” it to the bank and use it as a puppet for money withdrawal. The producer and the other artists would be the only ones getting the Benjamins out of the opportunity. It's also unethical to replace a person's presence with a creepy hologram that looks right through people. It would not be cool if you were on your death bed and someone bothered saying, “Oh, it’s all good: we’ll just have a hologram take your place.” Just another example of how technology is taking over the world in an unwanted manner… And the sales of today's singers could also suffer. Music from the past could make a comeback and take the fans and money of current music artists. But having good music (e.g., less profanity and cursing, more positive-influencing messages) making a comeback could be one positive out of the situation. Justin Bieber would stand no chance competing against a Michael Jackson hologram. Sorry. Let those who are still alive make their own holograms: but only of themselves. An artist should have say in the matter. A dead artist should be left alone. http://blogs.marquettejournal.org/2012/04/19/trending-topics/dear-2012-leave-tupac-alone/
Folks, let’s be clear: Tupac is not alive. And people should keep it that way. A 2D hologram of Tupac Shakur performed Sunday with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Cal. The event gained publicity for finding a new way to bring the rapper back “to life”: the Tupac hologram may even go on tour with Dr. Dre in the upcoming months. The idea has potential, (who knows how much wider a girl’s jaw would drop at the sight of an actual hologram instead of just seeing it on YouTube?). But the hologram should not go on tour. That particular 2D image shouldn’t have “stepped foot” on stage. You might say that the method was OK—that it’s an artist’s job to promote his or her skills for money. But here’s the thing: this guy is dead. You shouldn’t go around and rip a guy’s talents off for your own personal gain (ahem, Dr. Dre and Snoop). That would be like having someone take a body out of its coffin, “walk” it to the bank and use it as a puppet for money withdrawal. The producer and other the artists would be the only ones getting the Benjamins out of the opportunity. It’s also unethical to replace a person’s presence with a creepy hologram that looks right through people. It would not be cool if you were on your death bed and someone said, “Oh, it’s all good. We’ll just have a hologram take your place.” Just another example of how technology is taking over the world in an unwanted manner… And the sales of today’s singers could also suffer. Musicians from the past could make a comeback in hologram form and take the fans and money away from current (and living!) music artists. But having good music (e.g., less profanity and cursing, more positive-influencing messages) make a comeback could be one positive out of the situation. Justin Bieber would stand no chance competing against a Michael Jackson hologram. Sorry. Let those who are still alive make their own holograms: but only of themselves. An artist should have say in the matter. A dead artist should be left alone. By Casby Bias
Apr. 9, 2012 A Marquette University student lost patience and $3-worth of candy Friday with a vending machine in Cobeen Hall. Lynn Bias said that she spent two hours trying to think of creative tactics to get her candy unjammed and out of the machine. Her final product resulted as three sheets of paper; taped, folded and stuck up the automated door. Security cameras recorded Bias shaking the machine and repeatedly saying, “I just want my Sour Patch Kids.” But she never retrieved her candy. No one could get anything out of the machine without a key for the door. The student could not be reached for further comments. By Casby Bias
Lynn Bias walked up to the voting table in the AMU Tuesday, and looked at the general information board. “I took one look at that board and thought to myself, ‘(What) the heck is this mess?’” Bias said. “Eventually I sort of knew what would happen (not really), and I had enough information to at least make it to the registration table.” The Marquette University student then walked to the line, and waited to be called up for registration. She sat down at the table, and looked into the face of a grinning teenager who had the fashion style of a New Boyz rapper. It was not yet 20 minutes into arriving to vote when a man tried to flirt with her. Apr. 3, 2012, marked the day Bias, 19, voted for the first time in a primary election. She ran into a few challenges; a registration person hit on her, she didn’t know where basic supplies were, and she had trouble turning in her vote. Bias listened to the man telling her how cool her last name was. She sat through comments about her “cute” ID picture. She wondered if she was ever going to vote. “His use of language made me feel like he would probably shout, ‘Aye, girl’ down the street for your attention,” Bias said. “Before, I skipped out of line just to avoid him: that obviously didn't work out in my favor." But the man explained to Bias the whole voting process, and then sent her on her way to the booths. Bias said she thought of voting ever since she was little. She looked at the adults standing in the little blue “stalls” as her mother took her home from school. Her mother told her the voting activity was a part of being an adult. “But you’d think an adult who now knows a little more about elections would be able to find a pencil by herself,”Bias laughed. “All that rope tied to the pencil and the booth: did they think someone was going to steal them?” She slashed a pencil line through one of the voting arrows on the voting poster. Bias then looked around in the booth for some deposit box or electronic slit to put the form in. “I thought that the booth was going to be electronic: like I’ve seen on TV,” Bias said. “But there’s this electronic box that we stuff our votes into that makes a beeping sound whenever you’d put a voting poster in.” Bias watched another woman take her vote to the electronic machine in the center of the room. She said that she thought everything would go OK from then on out because she knew what to do. “So I didn’t want to be looking stupid,” Bias said. “But I ended up looking stupid.” She tried putting the voting poster into the machine faced down. But a voting helper told her that the paper needed to face up in order for the machine's approving "ding." Bias fixed the position and waited for a sound. "Ding": the helper called Bias toward him. She handed him a pink slip, and he handed her an “I voted” sticker. Bias: “I was strutting down the hall, like yes. I voted today.” She learned that television couldn’t provide all the facts of voting. She also said that she planned on voting in the future, but it didn’t feel like her vote mattered. “Now that I got the opportunity (to vote), I’m like, eh,” Bias said. “(Voting is kind) of like voting at a high school, only it’s for people who will probably never know your name or single you out individually for voting for them.” By Casby Bias
Mar. 17, 2012 Don't describe a Civil Rights Pilgrimage as “fun": you stumble out of bed at around eight everyday for a week and get ready for another day of learning about those who sacrificed their lives for equality. But having the experience of going down south for a week and learning about the Civil Rights Movement definitely served as inspiring. Gaining insight about historical tactics, such as sit-ins and marches, can influence you into developing new techniques for preventing social issues (e.g., Racism, Sexism, Classism). New techniques can help Marquette students create more of an alliance between each other. One technique for improving social issues according to the current Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (place where four African-American girls were killed from a bomb in the 1960s) pastor is that all social issues could be solved with a church’s help. The Rev. Arthur Price Jr. said that with such practices as fundraising and listening to people within the community, today’s members could have just as much strength today, even without political help. And Jackson, Miss., teaches you to prepare, or always have what you want for the future planned out. Staring at the dry, blood-stained “Welcome” mat in front of Medgar Evers’ (a Civil Rights leader) home can remind you that working out all the details for your followers for the future will help if your own plans hit a fork in the road. But squeezing into a picture with 22 students and a group that consists of one of the 1960 Freedom Riders can imply the most important technique of all: organizing, or taking what you’ve prepared and pursuing its action. The smell of perspiration may fill the room, but you don’t care. No. You just look down and can’t believe how all these inspirational people who sit inches away from you, including Freedom Rider Dolores Williams, fit into one photo. Oh, yes. You know you want to go on this trip next year. The Civil Rights Pilgrimage is an alternative spring break opportunity that allows 22 Marquette University members to go down South and visit six cities that involved the advance of the Civil Rights Movement. The group learns about the people who helped develop and promote social awareness for the Civil Rights Movement. I’d recommend people go on the trip, but be warned: coming back, you won’t help but feel different. Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in the U.S., so after the unity-shock fit into one week, you can’t help but to cringe at all people with different races, sexual orientations, religions, etc., laughing, walking on campus, and only interacting with people who look and act like them when you come back to school. Consider the tactics- using church, working out details to any plan and forming the plan in respect to the society- for a cause that you’re passionate about. Remember: it’s one thing to keep talking about change. It’s another thing when someone stands up and does something about it. By Casby Bias
The 16th Street Baptist Church’s pastor stressed Sunday that all social issues could be solved with church. Church could play a more important factor in ridding of social issues on Marquette University's campus. The Rev. Arthur Price Jr. stated that the church helped with school integration and civil rights. The pastor said that with such practices as fundraising and listening to people within the community, today’s church members have just as much strength today, even without political help. “(God) didn’t give my authority to donkeys and elephants,” the pastor said. “It is the church that gets folks off (etc.)” And the pastor exhausted in his speech that people can't be helped by the Oprah Winfrey or Dr Phil’s Show. He says that with “power, love and a sound mind,” people had the power to defeat any oppression.” “I got victory,” the pastor pointed his index finger to the ceiling. "Victory over (social issues).” By Casby Bias
Three police officials scared a Marquette University student Saturday during a Morehouse College visit. The male student said that he thought the officals were ganging up on him. “They (are) about to lock us up,” the male student said. “(Explicit).” The student received the wrong message of what Morehouse’s security really were: friendly and safe. The officers went on their way after minutes of talking. The male student relaxed out of the “search” position on a nearby tree. |
Meet Casby.Majoring in journalism with an entrepreneurship minor at Marquette University. WILL be known nationally as a powerful positive influence! Archives
August 2012
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