Rock ‘N Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution: Heavy Metal Remains

As someone with a minor in Music Industry and a life long lover of music, I am always willing to listen to new and emerging artists. However, one thing will always remain and that is my love for heavy metal.

I cannot remember when exactly it started, but I remember my love for Motley Crue began the very first time I heard “Girls, Girls, Girls.” I was entranced by it, I loved the sound and it made me crave more. Over the years my love for the genre has expanded, I frequently listen to Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Motorhead and of course my favorite, the Crue. While some metal purists may argue that my taste isn’t truly respective of the genre, I believe we can all agree on one thing: metal is here to stay.

Recently, I read this WSJ.com article about heavy metal. One thing that really stood out to me was guitarist Slash’s (formerly of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver) remarks about how much passion there is for the music among metal fans. The article supports these statements by discussing how metal fans have been loyal to purchasing music over illegal downloads, as well as reading leading publications in the genre, like Revolver magazine. This is especially outstanding considering many newspapers and magazines are dying as many get their news from social media, news sites and blogs.

There are those I am sure who view metal as screaming and guitar thrashing, but the genre has and will remain. According to Revolver magazine’s head of business developer, Josh Bernstein, it is because metal is "…never in style or out of style." So, what are your thoughts? Why has metal remained throughout the years?

Featured Designer: Assad Mounser

Today I was introduced to an amazing designer, Amanda Assad Mounser while reading one of my favorite fashion blogs Refinery29.com. She is a New York Designer, residing in Brooklyn with her photographer husband, Henry Mounser. Her line is Assad Mounser and you can read her blog here.

Anyone who can personify my favorite music genres in gorgeous fashion earns my utmost respect and Assad Mounser does this flawlessly. Her new Fall 2010 collection is inspired by fiercely dressed 1970's rock wives including Jerry Hall and Angela Bowie.
Angela and David Bowie in the 70's


Mounser's collection is all things glam rock - think music such as Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, T Rex, Alice Cooper (pictured) and The New York Dolls. Spikes, chains and studs that have recently ruled fashion trends are done absolutely right in this collection. There are plenty of cross pendants, silver, gold and bullets as fringe in these pieces. Personally I would love to own any of these pieces and can see them being the perfect addition to any rock maven's wardrobe.



All images via refinery29.com:

The Importance of Job Shadowing

Also posted here.

Have you ever been certain that you wanted to do something, only to try it out and find out it is not at all what you expected? Perhaps your freshman year you declared a major you were certain you wanted to pursue as a career. However, as soon as you started taking introductory courses you realized that it simply was not for you. Thus the importance of experience, my friends, and in particular, job shadowing.

There have been plenty of television shows and movies over the years that have showcased public relations professionals. Of course there is the well-known character of Samantha Jones played by Kim Cattrall in Sex and the City (pictured) and most recently, a PR reality show, Kell on Earth, which gives viewers a glimpse into the world of high-powered fashion PR. As much as I enjoy these shows, at the same time I realize what I see on TV is probably not what my experience in public relations is going to be like. Thus why it is important to shadow a real life industry professional for a day or so, to get a feel for what that job is actually going to be like.

If you have had an internship, you may already have a pretty good feel for what your chosen career path is going to be like. However, maybe you want to see what another aspect of your chosen industry is like, or observe another career entirely. This is where job shadowing is extremely beneficial. You get to spend the day experiencing life as that person. You get a feel for what their challenges and responsibilities are and can apply them to yourself. For example, how would you handle what they are faced with on a day-to-day basis if you were in this position? You can learn a lot about yourself in a day participating in this sort of interaction.

For those of us approaching graduation, it’s very important to shadow someone in an entry-level position. It might be more exciting and intriguing to job shadow someone in a higher level within the company, but shadowing an entry-level professional will give you a better perspective on what your career is going to be like following graduation.

How do you feel about job shadowing? Is it important or inessential to your future career?

Ask for Help

Also posted here.

It’s no wonder that so many job hunters are becoming increasingly frustrated with the search. According to this New York Times article, only 3-5 percent of jobs are found online. When I read that, my heart sank. That’s primarily how I have been looking! I know a lot of my peers have been searching this way also. So what are we to do now?

First of all, do not stress and do not give up. If you continue to read the article, you will discover that while it is extremely difficult to find jobs online, it is not impossible. You are going to have to do some serious work. For example, if you see this on a company Web site, “For employment opportunities please contact careers@thiscompany.com,” don’t just settle for that. I learned this by asking for help from my internship supervisor, Heather Huhman.

Heather confirmed my questions about going out of your way to contact an actual person at the company. This goes back to the idea of “doing your homework” and researching. I really cannot stress the importance of this, as it will make you stand out from the rest of your peers inquiring about a job with the same company.

The point of this post is to really emphasize the point of asking for help during the job search. Just as I asked Heather for help on how to contact prospective employers, I have also turned to my peers, co-workers and professors for help, too. In regards to my resume, I asked all of the previously mentioned people for their opinion. Lucky for me, I work as the student publicity assistant for Career & Academic Planning on campus, so I have experts on resumes around me when I am working. Visit your on campus career and academic advising office, they can be an excellent resource for help with resumes.

Another thing to ask for help with is networking. You might not think you know anyone in your chosen career field, but it just might happen that your mother’s friend has a cousin that works for a company you would love to work for. Ask people you know to introduce you to people they know that can help you. Sometimes weak ties can land you in that interview room quicker than someone you have known for a long time.

How have you asked for help in your job search? Do you have any advice on asking for assistance when you need it?

Networking When You Are Introverted: How I Came Out of My Shell

Also posted here: http://internblog.comerecommended.com/2010/01/networking-when-you-are-introverted-how-i-came-out-of-my-shell/

For the most part, until my senior year of high school, I had issues with being shy. I did not really enjoy speaking in front of people and sometimes felt very uncomfortable when interacting with new people. However once I got to college, I quickly learned what is key in public relations, and that is networking. Networking can be difficult if you tend to be introverted, but the connections you make can be vital to your future career. Even though I have come a long way since my high school days, at times I still have the tendency to be reserved. Here are some things I have done in order to pull myself out of my shell, especially in regards to networking.

* Volunteered to coordinate an organization event. I started becoming very involved in James Madison University’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America during my junior year. One of the first things I volunteered to do as a member was to be a consultant for our organization with a large public relations firm, and arrange a visit for JMU PRSSA members with their Washington, D.C. offices. This allowed me to make a contact at this firm considering we planned the event for three months. Even if we did most of the planning through e-mail, I had the opportunity to meet the public relations professional I coordinated the event with beforehand. I made sure to connect with her after the event on LinkedIn, which brings me to my next point…
* Began connecting with people via social media. I believe that social media is an excellent way to network for introverts. Especially considering there is no face-to-face interaction, which can be the most intimidating thing for shy individuals. Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs are excellent ways to exchange messages with industry professionals and to offer your opinion without feeling a lot of pressure.
* Offered to attend an event where I would have no choice but to network. Last semester, someone from the executive board of JMU PRSSA needed to attend a luncheon for our sponsor chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. I was elected as Historian of our chapter in April 2009. Every member of the executive board had a scheduling conflict and could not attend, except for yours truly. This meant I would have to attend the luncheon alone, with no peer support to rely on. Though I was a bit nervous about going by myself, I am glad I agreed to go. Not only was I forced to introduce myself and speak with people I had never met before, unbeknownst to me I had to speak in front of the entire luncheon and give a status report of what our chapter of PRSSA had accomplished in the past year.

Do you have the tendency to be introverted? If so push yourself to go out of your comfort zone and put yourself in situations you may normally be resistant to, especially when it involves networking. It will offer you a sense of accomplishment and a self-confidence boost, plus you will be making some great contacts that could possibly be very beneficial to you in the future.

So Lagerfeld, Open Mouth Insert Foot?

You don't have to be a fashion guru to know that the stigma surrounding plus size models has been around for quite some time. However, there have been leaps and bounds made in progress for "larger" models. I think most would agree that plus size model Crystal Renn has played a large role in this progress. I once saw Crystal described on a blog as "the Jay-Z" of the plus size modeling world. Crystal has walked the runway for high fashion designers such as Vena Cava, Heatherette, Elena Miro, and probably most widely known for Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Despite Crystal paving the way, there are still those who are adamantly against plus size models being used in high fashion runway shows. For example, during London Fashion Week in September 2009 designer Mark Fast chose to use three plus size models in his show. The models ranged from size 12-14 (just to give you some perspective the average U.S. female is a size 14), members of Fast's team were so outraged by the designer's choice that they quit. However, Fast stuck to his guns and the models walked the runway in his stunning knitted creations.

However, the purpose of this post is to focus on comments made by genius head fashion designer and creative director for the house of Chanel. I have quoted Mr. Lagerfeld before, and frankly I think his work is stunning and he deserves the utmost respect for what he does. I also have respect for him for working extremely hard to shed weight and achieve the body he truly wanted. However, Karl Lagerfeld had this to say about plus size models on high fashion runways in October 2009...

“No one wants to see curvy women...You've got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly.”

Hmm...so Mr. Lagerfeld, if that is truly how you feel, why on earth would you photograph a plus sized woman for the recent issue of V magazine...in Chanel pieces nonetheless? It seems to me if you truly felt that way you would not involve yourself in such a photo shoot, but perhaps I am wrong here. In my opinion high fashion pieces are gorgeous, no matter what sized body is wearing them. I am not completely on the plus sized side of the argument, nor am I completely for straight sizes only.

My thoughts are that designing clothing and putting together runway shows are extremely tiring and brutal work for designers. I could understand using a sample size of a 2 or a 4 due to the fact that it is simply less fabric to have to piece together and work with. Especially when you are doing many looks and pieces. However, I do believe Lagerfeld's comments now seem quite hypocritical on two accounts, firstly the fact that he himself used to be "plus sized" and knows how that feels and secondly, that he took photos of a "curvy" woman for V Magazine's size issue.

The size issue of V Magazine hit newsstands on January 14th if you want to check out Karl Lagerfeld's photos in person. I think that they are stunning, like everything else he does. I wonder if he agreed to do this shoot since there was such an outrage from many members of the plus size community? Perhaps his team thought it would be a smart PR move? I doubt it, but still it's interesting to think about.

"Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made of..." : Predictions for NYC in 2020

Today I read an article from NYDailyNews.com, The future of the city: Ring in the new New York in 2020, forecasting what life in The City will be like 10 years from now.

You can read the article in its entirety here, but I just thought I would re-post the portion titled "20 Predictions for NYC 2020."

1. There are more than a million New Yorkers over the age of 65, up considerably from 2010.

2. Across the metro area, people use one "smart" card for all mass transit, including subways, buses, PATH trains, NJ Transit, LIRR and AirTrain.

3. In his final year before retiring, Lebron James delivers the Knicks their fourth NBA championship in 10 years.

4. Staten Island's population exceeds 500,000 for the first time.

5. Greatly expanded wireless coverage allows New Yorkers with a laptop to get online just about anywhere, from park benches and ferries to the backseat of a taxi.

6. Congestion pricing is now a reality, with user fees on all bridge crossings into Manhattan.

7. There are several thousand fewer school-age children in the city in 2020 compared with 2010.

8. Only one national bookstore chain is left in New York, with less than a dozen stores.

9. The former Fresh Kills landfill is home to a wind farm, the city's first major wind power generator.

10. The NYPD now routinely videotapes the interrogation of suspects.

11. A majority of apartments in the city have smart electricity meters, giving New Yorkers more control over their energy usage.

12. Twice as many city charter schools exist as in 2009, bringing the total number to over 200.

13. New York has its first Asian or Latino mayor.

14. Thanks to new technologies, the city converts some of its waste into renewable energy, reducing the amount of trash going to landfills while creating jobs.

15. CUNY enrollment is 50% higher than the level of 2009, with much of the growth at community colleges.

16. The city's unemployment rate still hasn't returned to the levels of 2007-2008, when it was below 5%.

17. A majority of New York City doctors have converted from paper-based medical records to electronic records.

18. The city's poverty rate still hovers at around 2%.

19. Security cameras are much more prevalent, a result of city efforts to prevent terrorist attacks.

20. The Dow is again above 14,000, but it didn't top the highs of 2008 until 2016.


The article does mention that much of the city's population will be attributed to young professionals, artists, and other young people attracted to the idea of big city life and the opportunities it can bring, but I think it is interesting that people age 65 and up will make up quite a bit of the population.

What are your thoughts on the 20 predictions and the article in general?