Our obsession with Plastic Surgery is Getting Worse.

An interesting editorial on our (dangerous) cultural obsession.

The dark side of pretty and pink: how choices we make for our toddlers can influence their teenage years and beyond.

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-01-27/peggy-orenstein-cinderella-ate-my-daughter

A fascinating article of potential interest to those in our class, especially Saira (whose research project last semester on  media, sexuality, and female bodies was really interesting). Ask her about it!

Never Let Me Go

The motifs in Blade Runner reminded me of a film released in 2010 called Never Let Me Go. I have not seen the film, but I became intrigued after seeing the trailer a few months ago. It's about three children that are raised at an exclusive boarding school. They are clones made from "originals," and their only purpose in life is to be organ donors. Eventually, their lives will end with their final "donation," but along the way the children grow into a complicated adolescent relationship of love and betrayal. It is based on a book by Kazuo Ishiguro. Since the children are clones, there are questions about whether they have souls, and it brings up issues of what makes us human.

Here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kymQcM4ej3w