Protect the Wildlife Public Awareness Campaign by WWF

In the summer of 2010, the World Wildlife Fund ran a public awareness campaign in Turkey on the importance of protecting our environment. Three advertisements were published as a part of this campaign. Each of these ads took an animal that we consider threatening (a vulture, a snake, and a shark) and showed us how much scarier the world would be without them. The advertisements in the campaign read, "Exploiting the ecosystem also threatens human lives. For a living planet: wwf.org."

I found this ad campaign to be very effective. It uses a comparison technique on two images to make a strong statement. It takes very simple photographs that focus on one animal and makes them even simpler by eliminating the animal. The message is so powerful that those images and a few words are enough to make a strong impact on the viewer.

When I saw the ads in this campaign, I felt really bad for these animals. I couldn't imagine what the world would be like without them, as the second picture in each ad shows. The ads actually inspired me to go to the website wwf.org and see what I could do to make a difference. I think the point of these ads is to encourage viewers to go to the website and take action to protect the environment/wildlife, so they were definitely a success in my opinion.

The Culture of Vienna's Coffee Houses

Coffee shops are a simple pleasure of mine. I enjoy sipping a sweet and spicy cup of chai on a cold winter's night and drinking a refreshing, iced cold vanilla latte on a hot summer's day. There's something about enjoying my drink in a warm and cozy coffee shop that makes the experience all the more pleasurable. Whether I'm alone and people watching, or gathering with a group of friends, it is always a special treat. Coffee shops are a friendly, casual, and comforting atmosphere for me. One where I can relax and let loose.

The February issue of Travel + Leisure magazine features a piece on "Vienna's Cafe Culture," by Michael Z. Wise. Until I read this article, I never realized that my idea of a coffee shop is only unique to the US. The article describes how customers "puff cigarettes between sips of espresso" in Vienna, and waiters, dressed in "jackets and bow ties," "provide excellent service, not with a smile, but rather with a serious attitude." The coffee shop culture in Vienna is a 300 year old tradition, but does not seem to fit in with today's society.

I found this article to be interesting because I never realized how different a coffee shop could be in another part of the world. Although I am always open to trying new things, I don't think I would feel relaxed or comfortable sipping a cup of coffee with waiters in bow ties at my service, especially when they are not smiling! Casual and cozy coffee shops are one American tradition that I would certainly miss in Vienna.