Russian Vodka (How many said it in an accent?)

Growing up with a Russian family, I have always heard the comments from my parents and relatives about how Americans perceive them in movies. For example, in the cartoon movie, Anastasia, Russians in St.Petersburg are singing about the mysteries of the lost princess. Although I love the movie, my mom always points out that when they sing their tongues stick out excessively. No movie producer would put that in just for nothing. It makes American children subconsciously think Russians are stupid because only people who are making fun of someone who is not as smart makes those faces. When in fact, American speak more with their tongues than Russians, and neither cultures stick their tongues out while talking.

Another movie that has had a lot of controversy in eastern Europe is Chernobyl. Chernobyl was a terrible disaster that affected millions in many countries and for many generations. My grandpa was the head doctor treating the patients once the accident happened and my family is well known for for that. Being said, once the movie came out about the Chernobyl victims turning into zombies, a lot of people were angry. In their eyes, it would be like making a movie about the 9/11 victims turning into zombies, doesn't seem like a good movie idea when you think about it like that.

Gangs, drunks, villain, and prostitutes: that about sums up the roles Russians play in American movies. In most American movies, Russians are up to no good. With the help of the movie industry, even children associate a Russian accent with a villain. Even if a movie shows a Russian as someone smart, they backfire by making them evil or drunk. Growing up, I didn't understand why my parents would get mad, but looking back, they didn't want me to associate being Russian as something bad.

NPR- Not Persistently Rad

One of the most diverse radio, in my opinion, would be any station that is part of NPR (Naional Public Radio). WKU Public Radio is an extension of this programming and comes on a few channels. Many people down grade NPR and say it is boring and only old people listen to it. Every time I listen to one of the stations, I learn something new. The topics will range from a five-year-old talking about her outlook on parents getting a divorce to women empowerment in foreign countries.

WKU Public Radio is a commercial-free station whose mission is to "to enhance the quality of life in this region by presenting unique, non-commercial programming of exceptional quality." Because it is part of a national radio station, you get information pertaining to all sorts of people, making it so diverse. Music stations only play their specific genre of music because people tend to have a favorite. WKU Public Radio is like being able to listen to  all the genres without changing the station, although WKU Public Radio does not have as much music.

News Satisfaction

Growing up I remember seeing adults reading newspapers, but it never seemed appealing to me, possibly because I was too young and worried about riding my bike faster than everyone. Years passed and the newspapers started being replaced with magazines. The next time I actually read a newspaper was in my high school business class. Our teacher ordered the Lexington Herald and The New York Times every week for us to sum up certain articles and keep up to date with what's happening around us. Out of class, instead of reading the actual newspaper, I always had some sort of app.

With an app, I can look up not only this weeks news, but the news from months previous. Apps also allow you to be able to watch a video and see the report they gave when aired. It's very easy to go from local news in my hometown and then clicking one button and seeing an article that deals with a national issue.

The Lexington Herald has a print issue, app version for free,and a website that needs no subscription. No matter where I am, I can always be connected to my hometown and what is happening. They meet the needs of both local and national news and that's why I believe they are striving. A smaller town may see it differently and not enjoy it as much, but for the people who live in Lexington, I would say that if it's free, the people must be liking it enough to keep it that way.

#AVerenich

12 Hour Sanity

For those who read titles, no, I do not have a typo. My twelve hours without social media or my phone went better than expected. Sure, I had about ten mini heart attacks that day because I thought I had lost my phone, but that quickly passed. The experience would have been different if I wasn't with my boyfriend. I was not trapped in my mind with no communication to others. As long as I have another person around, I would say that going without social media and my phone is very beneficial for me.

Normally, Instagram and Facebook flood my brain before I eat breakfast. In this case, I ate breakfast in a frenzy, thinking I was out of time. The only instance I'm not on my phone in the morning is when I'm running late and I have to prioritize. Although, I had missed new updates like who is now pregnant and who got robbed last night, I was in a better mood. Primarily, when I scan my Instagram, I'm looking at new outfits and all the events that took place in Lexington. At times I'll complain that I wish I had money to go buy that new shirt or I wish I had the looks to go take a silly picture and still get 100 likes on it. That morning was different; my confidence wasn't crushed by social media. You're probably thinking, "Well, you shouldn't worry about looks and all that crap anyways. You must be way too self-conscious." You got it. Social media has made me reconsider what beauty is. I'll see a picture that I think is beautiful and I'll notice it only has ten likes. My brain registers that as it wasn't good enough compared to the other picture that got twenty likes.

I know, it's not all about looks. My day goes on regardless. The same day I had gone to the mall and to make things go by faster my boyfriend had told me to go to Victoria Secret and get what I needed while he did his shopping. This was fine with me until I remembered I didn't have my phone. What if I couldn't find him when I'm done? What if someone tries to kidnap me? What if there's a fire and the whole mall gets burnt down and I can't find my way to his car? My iPhone isn't just a way of communication; it is a security blanket. With it, I know that my chances of getting out of a situation are pretty high. I shopped as fast as I could and once I found him I realized that my "security blanket" has made me crazy. Being raised in a generation where you're taught if you have your phone in your hand at night, no one will grab you, has made me paranoid to not have my phone with me.

Thinking more into it as we left the mall, I thought about how even if our parents can't reach us using our phones, they assume we've died. We rely on phones to keep us safe in some instances, but in return for our safety, we have given phones our sanity. Realizing that I am perfectly OK without my phone gave me some of my sanity back that I didn't know was missing. I probably won't go anywhere still without my phone, but twelve hours without it has made me think more about how I need to be in control of things and not let social media and iPhones dictate certain aspects in my life.

#AVerenich