More Love Fur Dogs

Stella Captivates Audience

It is too easy to jump to the conclusion that the on the rise pet pampering trend is due to the upperclass societies such as the North Shore of Chicago.  It was easy to assume that the three privately owned pet stores within 10 minutes of each other is because it is the community that will pay for the services. While as I mentioned in my blogpost "We Love Our Pets" that it is true that there is a bigger market for it here, pet pampering is a trend all over the country. 

After further thought I remembered the dog that plays a bigger role than some of the other characters in the cast of "Modern Family", a hit ABC show. The show is about the typical modern American family, believe it or not. The dog is a French Bulldog named "Stella". The attention on the dog has grown immensely over the course of the show and has even starred in an episode. Stella has become a favorite and has even made her way into her very own article in People magazine.  

Stella in Bed

The purpose of the show is to remind viewers of their own family and memories. It is so successful because it parallels our own families so much and allows us to laugh at ourselves. By adding Stella into the show, she reminds viewers of their own pet. The dad starts off not wanting the dog but later ends up being her best friend, she gets a fancy collar, she sleeps on the bed--all things that could easily happen in many families. 

While pets are of huge importance in American families, things are very different in other countries on the pet-front.  When I was in Peru a few years ago there were raggedy mutts everywhere, ownerless and scrounging for food. This was the norm in Peru and in many other countries alike. My reaction to the wandering dogs in Peru alone showed me how much we as Americans value our pets. As a kid, every time I saw a dog wandering without an owner within a few feet was a time to play rescuer, check its tag, and return it to its home. In Peru, we were warned about petting the dogs because of potential disease and infection. What has led to the difference of the value of pets in different countries?

We Love Our Pets

Shopping Dogs

Less than a week ago,  I was walking through the mall and what I saw only half caught me by surprise; two white lap dogs in their very own stroller were shopping with their owners. As I thought more and more about pet society in America, countless examples of pet pampering popped into my mind. Dogs and cats on planes, shopping, in hotels--pets are nearly everywhere we go and their value is only increasing. 

Not more than two days later while I was driving past the familiar shops in my local town, an addition to the bunch caught my eye. "Love Fur Dogs", the newest addition to the area is has moved in less than a mile away from our other luxury pet store, "Noah's Ark". Some of the fancy pet products such as doggie froyo advertised at this store in particular were brought to my attention in Callie's blog post written earlier this year. The addition of this pet store is far from necessary but due to the choice of location, it is likely to be of use.

New Pet Shop in Town

According to Time Magazine writer Dan Hirchhorn, Americans spent "a record $55.7 billion on their pets last year" and are likely to spend even more in the coming year. One comparison that Hirchhorn gave was that Americans spent $10 billion more on their pets than Germany did on its defense budget last year. This figure goes to show the values of different countries and the money that America, not just the northshore, puts into their pets. 

Nearly every home I walk into there is a dog there to greet me, or a cat curled on a sofa somewhere. In my own home, my dog has his own chair with a blanket on it strictly for him. We perceive him as nearly human and is pampered to a great extent. It is peculiar to investigate the rise of pet spending in America especially when taking into consideration the growing economic inequality gap. The most probable explanation for the increase of pet spending is because pets are a sign of wealth. The pug, for example, was a breed that was for royalty because they are such lap dogs. The increase of spending comes from American's desire to be in the upperclass secret society by faking their way there. Why do you think pet spending has been on the rise in America? 



http://time.com/23451/pets-dogs-cats-spending-americans/

New Trier News

In the past two weeks, all of the graduation festivities for New Trier's seniors have been in action. Starting off, the most popular school newspaper of the year came out. It was the issue which declared every senior's next four years. The issue is a New Trier tradition which advertises and shows off its graduates. Going through the pages and searching for the most selective schools names seemed to be the mindset of many juniors. I started to wonder whether this advertisement was a theme specific to New Trier or whether it is more of an American theme.

After some quick research, the statistics that I came across were quite literally jaw dropping. According to www.classroom.synonym.com, in 2011 68.3% of high school graduates enrolled in college but nearly half of those kids were enrolled in a community college. PBS then revealed to me that only 40% of working-aged Americans hold a college degree. In striking contrast to these stats was our school newspaper. Only one (two if I missed one) graduate is attending our local community college, Oakton where as everyone else will be attending college, university, or taking a gap year.

It turns out that the college binder sitting on my desk which reads; "College is not a prize to be won, it is a match to be met" is truly a New Trier or maybe on a more general scale, an upper class motto (see my education inequality blogpost). This phrase has always bothered me, ever since my parents placed it on my nightstand. College to me is a prize to be won, it is what we work towards but that in itself is an upper class theme. Many Americans do not have the money to attend such selective pricy institutions. Growing up, college has always been an expectation. Dinners and run ins with family friends--the question nearly always arises; "where do you want to go to school?" or "where are you looking?" The New Trier theme of college expectations leads to further questions of class divides.



http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/percentage-americans-college-degrees-rises-paying-degrees-tops-financial-challenges/

Handwriting is Lost in Surging Technology

This morning, the front page of the science section in the New York Times sitting on my kitchen table caught me by surprise. The issue that I had written about just a month ago turns out to be a bigger deal than I previously believed. “What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades” by Maria Konnikova pays particular attention to the difference between handwriting versus typing but also addresses cursive versus print. Through a variety of studies, Konnikova concludes that writing by hand increases the proficiency and speed of reading and the ability to retain information. Further research revealed that the messiness of handwriting, the difference of each letter you write, triggers the memory. In addition to the benefit to all people, it can particularly benefit kids with dysgraphia and alexia, diseases affecting the brain and ability to read and write. Since cursive and print affect different areas of the brain, each are beneficial in their own way.

Contrasting to the beneficial affects of handwriting are the negatives of typing. According to Konnikova, typing “may diminish our ability to process new information”. This goes to say that taking notes by hand is much more beneficial than typing them. When I tied this into New Trier, it is interesting to see how iPads are being incorporated into the school. Many kids are already using their iPads to take notes and next year, every student will have the option. While the technology advance seems to be what New Trier is striving for, is it really worth it to take away the benefits of hand writing? 

The image that Konnikova chose to put with her article (left) was very interesting because of the color changes and the overlapping. The black and white side at first seemed to be the equivalent to the keyboard but the actual keyboard in the photo over laps both the black and white side and the color side. In addition to this, the print is on the black and white side where as the cursive is on the color side. The division is clear but what is its purpose? Where do print, cursive, and typing all lie?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html?_r=0