Reshmi Kaur Oberoi
Though extinct members of lung fish are more analogous to tetrapods than are coelacanth, based off of yesterday’s genome analysis, the latter fish is a key informant regarding the evolution of marine-animals to land breeding animals. Obviously, anatomical analysis, such as the similarities in joints an bones that can be detected in both lobed fins and tetrapod limbs, can only reveal so much information. For this reason, the decoding of African coelacanth’s genome is a feat.
On April 15, 2013, explosions went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Monday was also the anniversary of the revolutionary battles of Lexington and Concord, observed by Massachusetts as Patriot’s Day. The dynamic duo that is The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, aired back-to-back on Comedy Central, prove forever patriotic and respectful of American sentiment. On this week’s broadcasts of both shows, Stewart and Colbert expressed their solidarity with the people of Boston in 2 very different ways.
Dove has uploaded the newest addition to commercials that touch on women’s self-esteem, after 2 years. The full video, at just over 6 minutes and 30 seconds, begins with women stating their facial flaws and what they would want to change about themselves. At the end of the video, 2 sketches, one as described by the woman and one as described by the person she met, were hung up side-by-side. The former sketch was far less forgiving than the latter because the women described themselves with a number of flaws they did not necessarily have.men stating their facial flaws and what they would want to change about themselves.
There is a recent fascination with the NYC subway system. A very popular New Yorker infographic has been making the rounds on social media platforms. The infographic shows different NYC train lines and their corresponding stops. From stop to stop, on each line, a graph shows the average household income. The New Yorker wanted to shed light on how there are significant differences every few blocks across the 5 boroughs. According to The New Yorker, " if the borough of Manhattan were a country, the income gap between the richest twenty per cent and the poorest twenty per cent would be on par with countries like Sierra Leone, Namibia, and Lesotho." Also, On April 15th, The New York Times posted an article discussing the habits people have on the subway, such as the preference to sit next to a door.
The Barbie doll's measurements, when drawn to a life-size scale, is equivalent to a dying human being. There is also an infographic floating around comparing a life size barbie to the average woman.
Since the hey-day of mall kiosks, apparel customization has become a lucrative business venture. Personalizing apparel was originally intended as the one surefire way to ensure that you and someone else won’t be wearing the same blouse. Yet, today, personalizing clothing items has evolved into something more. A simple t-shirt can help shed light on social issues you believe in.
A discussion of the possible reasons for why American women are increasingly uncomfortable with maxi-length apparel.
As far as the "Latina" experience is concerned: I was thinking of writing a piece about how hispanics and non-hispanics interact with me without even suspecting that I am half Puerto Rican. Examples include the people who are closest to me and yet seem to forget that I'm Latina due to my physical experience. I feel like others could relate to this interesting phenomenon.
Overcoming the celebrity exception: I wanted to write an article that speaks to fashionistas who are not necessarily in the headlines. More than ever, the public is expressing themselves through clothing. There are hipsters who wear large glasses frames and then there are the prepsters who prefer a more crisp button-down shirt and khakis kind of look. Despite this phenomenon, when a non-public figure dresses in a bolero, a jumper, and stilettos, she is bound to get the stares. Even today, it is considered acceptable if celebrities sport certain out-of-the-box looks but it's not acceptable for the salesperson to do the same.
How packaging of clothing has to be changed: I was thinking of writing about how when we make a new purchase, more times than not, we're buying damaged goods. Some of the most-expensive brands that are sold at well-reputed retail stores are hung up, draped, and caught on plastic hangers. Especially when a clothing item is made from quality textiles, such as silk and cashmere, you don't want to have to pay the full price for a blouse that has been pulled or undone at the seams. Some retail stores, like the GAP, attempt to cushion your financial fall because instead of paying full price for damaged goods, the items sold for a discount price. I wanted to present the readers with this predicament and initiate some conversation by seeing how they feel this should be remedied.
