Shake it!

I do find it very interesting that the average person uses a line from Shakespeare at least once a day and I have to say I believe that is true. Thinking back to the middle of the semester I remember that I had to write a review on the play "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," for my Arts Reviewing class. If I can recall correctly, the first sentence of that review started out with: "To be or not be. Insane?" Now, I know it is not the exact line from Shakespeare, but obviously I borrowed some of the words. Since I have just finished Hamelt for that same class, my mind is on that play and others written by Shakespeare. In Shakespeare's time Hamlet was called a revenge-tragedy. We have seen these same stories throughout the entire time we have consumed media and it's always the same thing. Stop me when it sounds familiar. It's a cold night, and it is dark and dreary. There is a ghost that has been haunting the town and it has finally come in contact with someone. That someone wants to seek revenge on the person that has killed it. So, naturally we want revenge too. We want this person to kill whoever he can, because we think that will solve everything.However, when he does kill someone; it is usually an innocent person. Then we say, why did you do that? In the end there is nothing but bloodshed. The person who was seeking revenge is dead and he has killed everyone in his path. So, the message of that story: Revenge=Bad.It is stories like this that will never get old. And, it was here in plays like Hamlet and Macbeth that these types of stories originated. It just amazes me that he could write these plays so long ago, and still people practically worship his work, today. I think it is important that we ask ourselves what we really consider our standard to be for art. By my defenition, and I believe others would agree with me, most of what we consume from the media is in fact art. So, how do we decide whether it is good or bad? What makes "Gone With the Wind" any different from "Napoleon Dynamite?"

Media Consumer..Hey That's Me!

At the beginning of this class i would consider myself to have been a media drone. What do I mean by media drone you ask? Well, it's simple. I was one of those people that was so used to consuming media that I did not think about the meaning of the media. I can honestly say that I have become more critical since I have been in this class. Sometimes I catch myself nit-picking at little things in the media. Things like advertisments, movies, and even books. In another class, we talked about a canon that was created. The canon included all the pieces of media that were most important- it could be considered the foundation that other media references to from time to time.Also, it was a list of books and things that well-educated people should be familiar with. For instance, last night I was watching some late-night T.V. Ok, so i was watching the movie "Clueless." There's nothing wrong with that. First, I will give a brief explanation of the movie for those who have not seen it. It is a teeny-bopper movie that was created to make fun of all the rich teenagers in L.A. Cher, the main character, falls in love with her step brother, and they live happily ever after. It is a funny movie, but again there is refereces to other media that has been created. Although there is not a very strong plot, I found it very interesting that there was references to Shakespeare. Specifically, the actors make remarks about Hamlet. This i something that I did not pick up on when I was younger, because i did not have the left brain critical media side in me. I've thought about te commercials that are on during certain times. During the day there mostly one group of people that stay home: Retired people. So at this time there are commercials about scooters that help you be more mobile. When school gets out around 3 or 4 in the afternoon the commercials consist of iPODS, and mostly electronic things. At night, aroud 7 or so, there are commercials about food, and cell phones. There is not one commercial about scooters. And, late at night there are commercials about sexy girls that you can call for a good time. Also, Christmas seems to be getting earlier and earlier every year. The very beginning of November set off the Christmas advertisements. Usually, it would be hard to even see that right before Thanksgiving. Saturday and Sunday morning it would be easy to see commercials about barbie and RC cars.

Since When Did I Get Rolling Stone?

Today, I was taking in the mail, and noticed something extraordinary. Well, maybe its not that extraordinary, but I noticed that we get Rolling Stone at my house. On the cover of the December issue is Snoop Dogg. For all the people who know about Snoop, they can probably guess what he is holding. It is a blunt that is shaped like a candy cane. I think it is weird that Snoop is on the cover holding a blunt, but yet the article inside the magazine talks about how he is the head coach of a child's football team. Not only is he on te cover with the candy cane shaped blunt, but the article begins with Snoop in his porsche rolling a blunt with his hands while driving with his knees. Does he send the message to young children that it is ok to do drugs? It seems like it to me. The article says that he is really involved with the boys. He truely cares about each individual child and the boys feel the same way. In fact, Snoop cares about the boys so much he is willing to put his career on hold. I'm quoting Rolling Stone here: "Snoop says,'I don't wanna do no records, I don't wanna do no movies, I don't wanna do shit but football. Until I win the Super Bowl the buck stops here.'" Hmmm, it seems like he really cares about the kids when he says that he is going to win the Super Bowl, not the kids. Snoop probably paid the magazine to put this article in there for him.

Pepto-Bismol

Well, it really concerns me when advertsiers start turning stomach problems into song and dance. Some of the new commercials for Pepto-Bismol contain some sort of sign language with the actors dancing and singing about their stomach problems.The picture above shows a Pepto-Bismol advertisement from 1955. I think this type of advertisement explains everything. Why do we need giant monsters, and in a previous commercial, break dancers, telling us about upset stomachs and diarrhea? But, I have to admit the commercials are funny. Maybe by making these kinds of advertisements into comedies, the advertisers hope to help people feel better about having the symptoms that Pepto-Bismol cures. Then, more people will buy their product instead Pecid AC, or other name brand stomach medicines.
It seems funny that I would think this deeply about a Pepto-Bismol commercial, but since I've been in this class, I've become so critical of everything. But, that's not the only reason, because people with stomach problems don't usually go out telling the world they have diarrhea or indigestion. Just like sex has become something that people talk about openly, and in public, maybe it's time we start talking about our explosive diarrhea. Some things are better left unsaid.

The O.C.

What will they come up with next? I was a huge fan of the show when the first season came out, juts like all the other teenage girls were. But after the second season, the storyline got really old. It was always the same thing, Marissa would get caught up in some bad situation, and Ryan would have to come rescue her every single time. Since Ryan's character was some bad-ass wannabe, of course he could only solve Marissa's situations by kicking someone's "butt". Not to mention that Marissa was so stupid! She had the dumbest character on the show, and that's pretty hard to beat when her co-star was Summer, the bubble-headed brunette. The reason I use past tense for Marissa's co-star is because Marissa died. She was killed in a tragic "accident". This, I believe, is the reason for the show's utter failure. With Marissa being the star of the show, alsmost every show had been based around her, this move by the writers set the show up to fail. Then again, I can't blame the writer's because it was probably Mischa Barton's choe to leave the show. Coming to my conclusion, I know the show is doing really bad when my little sister read in Cosmo Girl that there is a new fragance, it's called the OC fragrance. Wow, now you can smell like the people on the show! I predict that the show won't last for another season, actually it might not even last in its current one.

The Saar family, "Mixed-Media" Artists

Standing at the beginning of the art exhibition there is a sculpture of a young girl carrying the heavy weight of cloth above her head. Immediately, I could feel the weight the little girl was carrying on her head. As she greets visitors, the weight of sorrow sits heavily upon her, but probably not by request. This piece was done by Betye Saar; it represents the burden that her father had bestowed upon her at a very young age. Her father had asked to her to take care of the family when she was only 5. Later on, she would try to come out as an artist, but it was not always so easy, because she would have to follow her mother’s golden footsteps. The sculpture led the way for themes of depression and oppression alike as I continued through the rest of the exhibit. The sculpture that represents these themes most accurately is Sapphire by Alison Saar. Betye, and her two daughters, Lezley and Alison Saar have very similar materials in their artwork. They call themselves “mixed-media” artists. Their pieces consist not of beautiful, colorful paintings, rather they are a collection of “things” that the artists have found at flea markets and garage sales.
The sole piece that caught my eye was Sapphire by Alison Saar. The glowing, red light mesmerized me as I walked closer to it. The light captured me like some kind of hypnotist. As I got closer there were a multitude of tiny little belongings that the young lady was so willing to show. A red light is usually an indication of prostitution, the red light would be lit up outside to let people know that the business inside was prostitution. However, when I looked inside this young lady’s chest there was a whole life story. Pictures and gadgets, needles and combs, cowboys and railroads were placed throughout her chest. Even though this girl is a prostitute, this piece shows that she is still young and vulnerable. There are many good times that she has had in her life, but by opening herself up to anyone who is willing to look she has let her guard down. She is no longer able to defend herself as she journeys through life. Even more importantly, she is so young, and like a lot of girls in her culture she has chosen to take the difficult journey. She has chosen to use her body as a tool, instead of special belonging that only she has control over. All of the memories she once knew and loved can only live inside of her now.
Alison Saar has captured the problem with our society today. There are young girls that live on the street everyday, that are lost with no where to turn but, prostitution. Unlike her mother, Alison chooses to use the heart and soul when she is dealing with her pieces, rather than the mind. Alison depicts this prostitute as being sexual on the outside, but the on the inside she is nothing but a little girl who is lost and confused. If the sculpture is closed, the nipples on the outside will light up red, but when it is opened it reveals all that is inside. Like any lost girl, it seems as if her heart is pulling her in all different directions.
All together, the exhibit exposed the dark, melancholy emotions these artists have experienced in the last few years. After losing a loved one in the family, these women have continued on with their life by expressing their emotions through their art. The women experienced sorrow, depression, and anger. But their art work shows us that with time, life does go on.

Donna Moderna

For those of you who were in class, you heard my short presentation about the Italian website, Donna Moderna. It is a magazine in Italy that is pulished once a month, and its target audience is mainly women, with some other general interest. The modern pictures and art in the magazine are very vivid. The word modern leads me to believe that the women reading this magazine are probably interested in fashion, and they are anywhere from 20-35 years old. It's not likely that a 60 or 70 year old women is going to pick up this magazine,because they're interested in fashion; I said unlikely not impossible. In last month's copy there was an article about how to quit smoking. Even though most of the European culture smokes, I think they are finally realizing that it is important that they quit smoking. After all, smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, not to mention it takes countless numbers of lives every year. This leads us back to the point of who decides what people read in magazines, and other media. Unlike the US, Italy has much more restrictions on their media. A lot of what is written is controlled by the government. But, that is a whole other tangent. Back to the magazine, it features a lot about health, and how to keep your children happy. Did I also mention that there is an article about jeans that you can wear while you're pregnant, and you even wear them while you're not. Most of these articles could probably be found in like a Cosmo, but the Italin touch is highly enjoyable.

Borat

one of the most disgusting
pictures i have ever seen






Most of you are probably wondering who this Borat character is, well I'm not really sure myself. But, here is what I can tell you. He is a made up character that leads his viewers to believe that he is leaving his hometowwn to make a documentary about America. When he arrives in America he dicovers that there is television, and that television provides this show called Bay Watch. It doesn't stop there, he he falls in love with a particular character in show called CJ, otherwise known as Pamel Anderson. He is determined to venture across America to California where he hopes to meet his one true love. This is great anf all, but why would anyone with any intelligence spend their hard earned money on such stupidity. It makes me wonder who the target audience if for this movie. Could it be the youth of our nation? Or maybe it is the unemplyed internet nerds that have nothing better to do than watch some idiot try to find Pamela Anderson.
Looking on the other hand, this Borat guy does some pretty outrageous stuff that causes others to cringe when they see his actions. Most of the critics are saying this movie is the funniest movie of the year, but what does it have to compete with? Jackass? I think not. Similarly, some critics say that is a lot like the humor of Jackass, however it is a mockery of all documentaries. "I highly recommend 'Borat' to anyone like myself with zero emotional I.Q., those with a thick skin for when former friends decide you're a moron by association, and the wise people who believe in their souls that "Jackass" was shafted for the 2002 Oscar," said critic Micheal Booth. So, in the end of this blog I guess I have answered my own question. The target audience for this movie is none other than the audience for Jackass. I would say that the common audience member would be a male, anywhere from 13-19 years of age.

Did Fox really steal Prison Break idea?

How many of you watch Prison Break? Probably quite a few, it has become a very popular show on Fox, airing on Monday nights. Two brothers say that they had actually lived the story. So, they thought it would be a good idea for a show. When the sent their idea to Fox, Fox rejected it. But, last year Fox put on a show called Prison Break. The two brothers are claiming copyright fraud. And, they are suing the producer of the show. Ironically, the brothers in this article are two men that are living on disablility and social security. More importantly, the lead in the show is super hot! He is he only reason that I would watch the show. But, even more importantly this show could possibly affect prisoners if they saw it. There is always prisoners that think they can escape from jail, and some of them succeed. But, couldn't this show be used as an example for prisoners, showing them how easy it is to get out of jail. The viewers of this show could be on the outside, trying to get their loved one out of jail. This show could be a "recipe for disaster."

Post a Secret...

Post secret it's out there. It is a blog that you can go to to tell your secrets to. This blog is one of the top 10 viewed blogs right now. Frank Warren, the man who created it, gets mailed these secrets on post cards, and then he posts them on his blog. His blog is very interesting, because it has socially relevabt issues. This blog gets 3 million visitors a month, and he posts about 1,000 secrets a week.

Yahoo!

Yahoo is constantly changing, there new thing is Current Buzz. It is a fast and easy way to get news that you, as a Yahoo searcher, are most concerned about. It mostly features news about media. Which is really interesing, because you can find out about anything you want to know about the media today. The fast news clips are not only informative, but entertaining as well. It takes the top things that are searched on their search engine, and it reports on these issues. Some of the features are: P Diddy and Burger King, Al Yankovic, Kevin Federline..the list continues. Not all of these things are socially important, but they do give you certain topics to think about. Like, why are people famous? Why does America always have to be the #1 country? This "Buzz" makes fun of Americans in way, by using what they search on the internet. But, it's all in good love. I think as media consumers we should watch this, not with a totally serious look on it, but rather a question the media that is so popular right now.

Good old Al

That's right Al Yankovic has done a lot in the past 30 years. His parodies range from Snoop Dogg, to Justin Timberlake, to Nirvana, and he could not forget about ebay, there is one for them too. For those who do not know who Yankovic is, he makes parodies of almost all the new songs that come out. These parodies are hilarious, and he actually makes compelation CD's with all kinds of artists featured on them. On VH1, there was a show that featured a clip from Nirvana, it was nearly 10 years old. When Nirvana's song Smells Like Teen Spirit, came out, Al made a parody. At first, Nirvana was upset about this because they thought that it was going to make the sales of their CD go down. But instead it did the opposite, there were more people buying the CD than ever before. As Al continues to do parodies, he continues to make capture the comedy of each song. He has also been very big on the internet lately. He has his own myspace which features his videos and songs. He is really trying all kinds of ways to reach his target audience. Most of his listeners are probably range from ages 13 to 19. So, what better way than to reach them on myspace.

Oprah and XM radio??

That's right Oprah is joining that "hot shot" Howard Stern on XM Satellite radio. She announced on Thursday that she is now going to be reachable on Satellite radio. Read this article about Oprah's big pay and her work on Satellite.

T.V. shows are important too

Reba was an important show because it showed the importance of family during a time when divorce was very common. The parents in the show fought a lot, and got divorced, the teenage daughter got pregnant when she was 17, and the youngest child was learning how to cope with it all. To make matters worse, the ex-husband got a young, new girlfriend who wasn't really all there. Somehow Reba, the wife, managed to pull herself together for her family, and get along with her husband and his new girlfriend. Socially, there were many families that could relate to this show because, it was common for situations to happen like this. However, I think the writers of the show had a hidden agenda. Although it was common for divorced parents to move on quickly after a divorce, it was very uncommon for the opposite parent to like the new girlfriend or boyfriend. The writers of this show had Reba becoming friends with the new girlfriend, and focusing on her kids more than anything else. In reality, it is very hard for the opposite parent to except the new changes in their life, let alone their ex-spouse moving on so fast. I believe the writers were trying to show that it is more improtant to focus on the kids during a divorce, than anything else. Because of that I think many people would agree it is an important show.
Another important show is 60 minutes. It talks about the problems that our country is having during any given time. Granted there are some shows on 60 minutes that are not really very pressing. However, there are many shows that are important to the society has a whole. For example there was a show about internet predators. Along with the amazing medium called the internet, there comes a lot of problems with it. 60 minutes said that the problem of internet predators has grown tremendously within the past 5 years. Pretending to be a 15 year-old girl, people working for 60 minutes contacted older men in chat rooms. Then, they would get the predators to come to a house where 60 minutes had hidden cameras that were watching the reaction of the predators when they found out it was not real. When confronted, almost all of the predtors lied, and said they had no idea the "girl" was 15. These stories are very important, because these kinds of things are happening more and more. Society needs to be aware of these predators and the other stories 60 minutes air on their show.
The Cosby Show was a very impotant show of its time because it dealt with many social issues of the time. Not only did it talk about the social problems of parents, but it also talked about the problems of young teens. Plus, the family that the show was based on, were african american. Cosby had been seen previously on the I-Spy show, and was well known as a comedian. There were no sterotypes in this show, the african-american family was rich and they dealt with the same probelms that any family could have during this time. The show still shows re-runs because the probelms are still relevent to today's families. If you were a parent watching this show, you could probably relate to the feelings the parents had when their children went on thier first date, cheated on a test, or stole from a small store. If you were in your youth you could relate to all the probelms the kids had to deal with while they were growing up. This showed aired in the 1980's although it was not that ling ago, this show is still socially relevent to people today. If this show is not important, I don't know what is.

Howard,Howard,Howard

Howard Stern was very popular during my elementary years in school. But, he was really just a phase. When my father used to take me to school in the morning, the first thing he would turn on in the morning was the Howard Stern show. Some people might think that he was wrong to let me listen to the nasty comments that Howard Stern had to say, but honestly I had no idea what Howard meant when he talked. And, to this day I still don't remember. During this time Howard, the self promoter that he was, was everywhere. His movie, his posters, his television show, his radio show. Almost everywhere you looked there was Howard Stern's long face and sraggly, black hair. This show was not meant for everybody, because like every piece of media there was a specific audience his show was directed at. That audience was the working man. Generally, Howard's show would come on early in the morning, chances are if you didn't have a job you probably wouldn't be up early listening to his show. Also, these listeners range from being highly educated to somewhat educated.
Stern could get away with saying anything to anyone. He would have political people, celebrities and even porn stars on his show. If people wanted to make something of themselves all they had to do was go on Stern's show, and that was it. He created a whole new medium for people to come out and make celebrities of themselves. He was THE Johnny Carson of his time. If somebody wanted to put their name out there to the public all they had to do was go on the Johnny Carson and they would be known. It was the same with Stern, people used his show as a stepping stone to show their celebrity status.

Griffith's canny is very uncanny

This classic movie is one that will be relevant no matter what generation views it. The revolution of mass media is carefully construed in this dramedy about "Mr. Lonesome Rhodes." Makin’ it big isn’t always going to make it better. The Sloppy, boisterous, rude Lonesome Rhodes (Andy Griffith) who was a relief in “A Face in the Crowd,” that is until he made it big almost immediately. Lonesome Rhodes was found in a jail, by the young, naive Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal) who wanted to hit the jackpot, and prove to her small-time Arkansas radio station that she was really something special. The idea seemed perfect poor old Lonesome Rhodes could connect with housewives and ordinary workers through song. Before long, Lonesome had his own television show, his rating had sky-rocketed, and he was controlling the outcome of local politics. Simultaneously, Marcia and Lonesome struggled with making it intimate and making it big. However, nothing good lasts for long; Lonesome’s life began to spiral down when the fame went to straight to his head.
Andy Griffith had an eerie way of pumping up the volume with his energetic laugh, during numerous scenes, especially in the scene when he was first discovered by Marcia. From that moment on, he had captured me. I came to wonder if he had ever damaged a vocal chord during the filming of this movie. His overpowering character in the film left everyone around him surrendering to his authority. Mel Miller (Walter Matthau) is one of the many faces behind Lonesome’s success. Walter Matthau’s careful, but demanding role makes the audience root for him as he struggles to reveal the true personality of Lonesome. Patricia Neal lends herself to the overworked, underpaid “mistress” who is desperate for love. She does not stop there; she is able to change character when her soft personality turns courageous and she is forced to make a very daring move.

What cuckoo's nest?

Well, the story is...I happen to be taking a class on writing and reviewing the arts. The name says it all; we watch and review different arts. Movies, books, plays...you name it. Interestingly enough, today we had a visit from the Director,Laura Long, of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She gave us a lot of insight on here role as a director and her team that helps her put the whole show together. When I was in high school, I read the book and watched the movie. However, today when Long spoke, she said that there is always a theme in a play, otherwise there would be no point to even have a play. She also mentioned that the "thought" she is trying to get across in the play is: Who determines whether a person is insane or not? I am very excited to see this play because her intereptation of the book has never really been done before.

Access

Interestingly enough, I happened to pick up a magazine before class yesterday. It was called Access, it is targeted mainly towards college girls. It has many topics that pertain to the events that are going on right now. These are events that are important to college right now. for instance they had a stroy about to people getting married at the age of 20. For me, it was a neat story to read because I, myself, am in a serious relationship, and I ahve always wondered what it would be like if I did get married sooner. Anyways, there are many different magazines that I like for various reasons. A few weeks earlier, my mom brought home a magazine that cotained all kinds if recipes for vegetarians. Also, different faires and things that you could go to, to learn how to make these vegetarian meals. When i was younger I used to like reading Seventeen magazine. But then, it started publishing all these articles that were telling young girls how they should eat. I thought it was way too early for young girls to think about how fat they were and how skinny they had to be.

Kite Runner and propaganda

Nicole McMorran, teaberries8@yahoo.com
9/24/06
Kite Runner and Propaganda
868

The Kite Runner is a very powerful, moving novel. The novel is based both in 1970’s Afghanistan and modern day Afghanistan. A small boy named Amir, witnessed his best friend and servant being raped by a neighborhood bully. Throughout his entire life, he lives with this haunting secret; it tears him apart like a monster. Shortly after, Amir and his father leave to America to escape the Russian invasion. While living in America, Amir receives news that an old friend of the family is dying. Obligated to pay his respects to his friend, he returns to Afghanistan. Upon return, Amir is informed that his childhood friend/servant has had a child. This child was left fatherless and put in the hands of Amir’s childhood bully. Amir decides to confront his childhood bully. Interestingly, the bully has become one of the sole leaders of the Taliban.
This novel highly influenced my thoughts and opinions. Therefore, by definition of propaganda, this book was written as means of propaganda. I feel strongly that is bad propaganda. Before I began reading this book I had a different opinion of the Taliban. All I knew was that they were using religion as a means to control people. And, they had planned out the entire 9/11 tragedy. While I was reading this book I remember having a conversation about Afghanistan with my father. I mentioned that I had never realized how horrific life truly was in Afghanistan. I mentioned, also that I did not comprehend how awful the Taliban was. There is going to be media pertaining to the Taliban for a while. However, this book gives the impression that every member of the Taliban is a murderer, child rapist, and a robber.
It is very difficult for me to believe that all the members of the Taliban conform to these kinds of actions. When I was studying the Nazi regiment and the Holocaust in High school; I learned that all of the Nazis were heartless killers. For example, a book called Night was published shortly after the Holocaust. It was about a young boy that had been taken from his home and his family, and put into a concentration camp. The author describes all the terrible things the Nazis did to the poor Jews. The book highly influenced my thoughts about the Nazis. I believed that all the Nazis behaved this way and there were not any “good” Nazis. Later, in a documentary on a history channel, I learned that not all Nazis thought one way. There were many other reasons they had joined the regiment. They were scared for the lives of their families and the lives of themselves; if they did not conform there was no telling what the regiment would do to them. In the case of the Taliban it is hard to realize if there are any members that feel different from the whole of the Taliban government. Unfortunately, the Taliban has not been around long enough for anyone to do a documentary on the Taliban, and I do not think anyone wants to.
On the other hand, there is some feeling inside me that says that I should believe this book. From what I have heard from the media, such as news and magazines that I have read, the Taliban is an awful government. That type of government controls people solely by the kind of religion that they believe in. Also, they use religion as a means of controlling women, and they are willing to die for the cause that they believe in. Not only had they killed themselves in the 9/11 event, but they are continuing to kill themselves with multiple bombings. It is very hard for me to believe that if there were members of the Taliban that did not want to be in it, they would not be in it. Who is calling the shots and deciding who should die, and who should live to keep the Taliban going? The answer must be obvious, because there are still people very much a part of this government. However, I do not think it is obvious to many of the people around the world.
Even though the book was a little exaggerated, it still has some truth to it. It highly influenced my opinion of the Taliban and its members in general. I am highly influenced by the book because I only know about the Taliban from what I have heard from the media. Instead of the Taliban using race as a basis for control they are using religion. Before reading this book, I did not think about the Taliban that much. All I had heard was that they were a big part of 9/11, and they used religion to control their followers. The book made me feel sorry for the main character, and therefore it had a stronger influence on my opinion. In other words, if I had heard a story on the news about the Taliban, I would not have been so easily influenced. It was not until I read this book that I began thinking more about the Taliban, and their actions. Had I never read this book, I do not think that my opinion would have changed.

hmmm

As many of us know the adertising companies are very good at using different techniques to lure us into buying their products. The most commonly used technique is the scare tactic; used to make consumers scared of being the only ones NOT using the products. I read an article in Seventeen magazine a while back that kind of disturbed me. The article explained the proper way to eat a meal. The time, the place, the reason. It analyzed different ways young girls eat, and the solutions for eating better. I thought to myself: As if it isn't bad enough that young girls see all of these deathly skinny models. Now the media is implying that young girls are njot eating right, and they need to stop. If this article was possibly in a magazine directed towards middle age women, I could understand. However, young girls do not need to constatly worry about what and when they are eating. There is a point where it becomes very ridiculous.

America wants to be entertained

Reading the newspaper in print is like reading a book in print. There is something about being able to hold the newspaper in my hand while I am reading it that makes it more real. The same people writing the newspaper are the same ones that write the internet news. However, it goes both ways. I still like to read the internet news sometimes, because I do not always have the time to grab a newspaper from the stand. But, I am always on the computer, and all i have to do is type the website in. The news pops up and it is quick and easy to read. Plus, you can watch video which is much more entertaining than just reading the newspaper. Reading the newspaper in print tends to get tedious, the print is small, and boring. The news can be made more exciting on the internet. After all, Americans always want entertainment. Media=entertainment; at least it does today.

Well It's News to me..

The other night I sat down to have a nice evening meal with my family; unaware of the Ecoli monster that had swept into the Salinas county. The meal for the night was Raviolis with spinach and cheese. To join it, were green beans and fluffy white rice. For all who do not know spinach is one of my favorite things to eat. After all, I am a vegetarian. After feeling full and content, I decided to watch the 10 o'clock news before going to bed. The very first story was that of the outbreak of Ecoli in Salinas/Monterey area. Millions of dollars worth of spinach was being thrown away because of Ecoli. The reporter warned not to eat spinach, cooked or uncooked. "If you have it, throw it out," he blurted. My stomach immediately dropped to my feet. Hadn't I just eaten spinach for dinner? All of a sudden i started feeling nauseous. Uh, oh did I get Ecoli? The next morning I woke up perfectly normal. I had comletely forgotten all about the terror of Ecoli. That is until I went to MCOM 72, the topic happened to News. The Ecoli spinach story was brought up once again, and my stomach began to feel dips and churns of knots being tightly wound inside. I whispered to a friend next to me, and told him that I had eaten spinach the night before. We exchaged a giggle, but underneath I still felt the worried emotions. In the evening, I talked to my mom about the outbreak in spinach. Her reply was, "Oh, yeah that's been going on for weeks." Wow, I hardly listen to the news, and the one time I do, it happens to be a little too late. "Wait, a minute don't you realize that we ate spinach last night?" I said. "Oh, yeah don't worry about it Nicole; you'll be fine," my mom said confidently. Well, today is the third day since I've eaten spinach, and still there is no overwhelming symptoms of Ecoli in my system. So, what's news to me, may not be news to others, but the moral of the story is: pay attention to the news.

Prop-a-what?

We've seen propaganda since we were little minds just beginning to learn about the history of the U.S. Looking back, I actually remember thinking that Great Britain was a horrible place. The way it was written in the history book, it seemed like the British government was so oppressive. All they wanted to do was make money off the Americans that had moved here by imposing ridiculous acts on them. The Americans were the good guys trying to make it on their own in a free land. Finally, the Americans were heroes in the war and we got Britain to leave us alone. All the way up to my senior year in high school, it was the same kind of propaganda; the Americans were the good guys and the british were the bad guys. What about all the Fast Food Nation books and the Super Size me documentary? These propagandas were highly influential to people all over the nation. They focused primarily on the bad things about fast food. Once I was finished reading the Fast Food Nation, I could not step foot into a fast food restaurant. It would make me sick to my stomach thinking about the kind of stuff that they were putting into my food. Super Size Me was even worse. This man did nothing but eat McDonald's 3 times a day for 30 days. Everything that could possibly go wrong with his health, did. He gained anywhere from 25-30 pounds, his liver started having problems, and the biggest tragedy: he lost his libido. He couldn't even perform for his girlfirend anymore, and apparently this caused some serious problems in their relationship if you know what I mean? Uh, oh this seemed like a problem people had to get rid of. Well, these propagandas seem to be the big talk when they first came out. They were the discussion in two of my classes, sophomore year in high school. All of a sudden nobody wanted to eat meat or go to Jack in the Box to pick up a quick burger. I am not saying that this propaganda is a bad thing. Actually, I think it is very good; people should be aware of what kinds of things are going into their meals. Especially when there are mass amounts of people consuming fast food. In my opinion, Fast Food Nation= good propaganda; which nowadays is very hard to come across.

p.u.b.l.i.s.h.

Publishing has taken a long course in the U.S. starting from the beginning when it really did not exist. Then it took its course and it came what it is today. But, answering the question about publishing in the future is a very difficult one to answer. A few companies (like Sony, from what I heard in class) are trying to develop something that looks and reads like a book but it is on the computer. Or, there is the computer that looks like nothing but a set of pens. This computer displays the screen on to any white surface. This way, if you really want to read a book on the computer you can dispaly it on your wall. However, in my case I really like to read books at the beach sometimes. Where am i going to find some white wall to display my book on so that i can read it? There is something about be able to have that special, physical relationship with my book that makes it fun to read. I think publishing needs to stay around; according to the majority of the students in our class, most of them like to physically have the book to read. Yes, I will pass on books to my grandchildren. One of the most important things to me as a child was being read a bedtime story before I went to bed. It was nice, quality time that I got to spen with my parents and even my granparents. In the future, I don't want to have to say, "Hey, why don't i send you this book online, and you can print out and read to your kid". It's just not the same, all the pictures will be lost, the tecture and smell of the book will disappear.

eh..

From what I understand there are many bands that do not use the record company to help them distribute music. So, they are working full time jobs in order to make money to support their band. There are a lot of online companies that can help make posters, shirts, and CD's. A local band that I know has been working hard to promote their band. They joined up with a guy that has bought recording equipment to record their music. This guy knows everything about recording music and his equipment can spit out CD's, from what I understand. This is a great way to get the music distributed. It does not cost that much and the band couold sell their music for more than it cost them to make it. Also, the other company that makes the buttons and shirts provides them at a low cost if you make a certain amount. These shirts and buttons can be sold at their concerts, too, for a fixed amount. There could be certain performances where they hand out free CD's to keep the fans coming back. Then, they could start charging $5 for a CD. At local shows if a person really likes the band they will definitely be willing to buy their music, because they can not get any other way. This is the same with shirts, button, and anything else the band wants to distribute at their shows. This is how they will be compensated for their music. This will probably work because I have been to a show where i bought the CD and a shirt from the band. It helps when people know the money is going directly to the band.

media/art

Currently, I am taking a MUSE class with professor Fosdick called Visual Arts, writing and reviewing. If any of you know him, he is an expert at what he does. I've learned a lot from him so far. He brought up the question: "what is art?" I found that this was a very hard question to answer because there is no real answer. However, i thought it tied in wtih the media tremendously. I think the way we look at art has a lot to do with the media, and how it is changing all the time. This might change the definition of art for some of us. Do you think media affects the way you view art? And if so, do think your view of art has changed along with the technology of the media?

media consumer

There really is media everywhere I look; it's really hard to escape from it. I thought about it last night and even when I'm reading a textbook from school I'm still tapping in to the media. That thought seemed weird to me, because I had never really looked at it that way. If anyone has started reading the text for class, there is a section in chapter 2; the 5 different ways of publishing. When i think about what kind of media I consume it would have to be: books, radio, recordings(not so much), television, and films. Some of these I consume more than others but all the same I still consume them. When school is in session, i do not consume that much television, but when school is out it becomes a totally different story. During the summer I saw films once a week, and i watched t.v. everyday. Now, there is no time to watch t.v. So, I mostly read books and listen to the radio.

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Reality has nothing to do with it

I still have not figured out why they call it "reality" television; there's nothing "real" about any of those shows. The shows are staged so they excite people. Media consumers today live to see other people be humiliated, cheated, hurt, and broken-hearted. For all of those "reality" T.V. watchers, that's what excites you. If it doesn't have those aspects on the show then forget it; you might as well be better off walking the dog, or doing your homework.
Fear Factor has people eating, walking, and breathing disgusting concoctions that nobody has ever heard of, or even thought about before. American Idol, people are competing to show that they possess they best talent. In the end, it is up to Simon Cowell to humiliate the contestant and send them on their long journey back home. It's even better if that conestant makes a huge fit after his or her audition crying, yelling, they might even go as far as to ask random people on the street if they think he or she should have been the American Idol. That is when the show gets really funny, the contestant is literally willing to humiliate themselves no matter what the circumstance. What about the shows where there is a group of complete strangers put into a house and they have to live there together for a certain amount of time. The goal is to compete for what ever it is they are on the show for( a husband, wife, or the ultimate: money). The word "Compete", in a standard dictionary, means to strive against another or others to attain a goal, such as advantage or victory. The contestants demonstrate this definition to the extreme by doing all of the above. Does this sound familiar? Well, it is the plot of about 10 different "reality" T.V. shows: Flavor Flav, Big Brother 1, 2,3... Bachelor/Bachelorette, Survivor, Amazing Race, The Real World, The Vault, Celebrity Fit Club. The list is endless but they all have the same exact "reality" about them. I took this oppurtunity to look up the definition of reality. Everything I saw contained words like "fact, actual, independent". This brings me to the next question: "What is reality?"

music distribution

There are so many variables involved when it comes to this form of entertainment. There are the distributors who distribute the music, their ultimate plan is to make money, after all it is a business. However, there are also the customers that want the music for the cheapest price they can get (free). So where is the happy medium? Well, the answer is there isn't one. The truth is, these distributors have the "dinosaur" technology(CD's) that can no longer sell because no one is using it.
Take the iPod for example. It is the newest, easiest piece of equipment that can be used for playing music. Almost everything is based around the iPod: Purses, pants, shirts, entertainment centers, cars. That's right this little piece of equipment can go anywhere with you. How many people like to fall asleep with their iPod? Well you can do that comfortably now with the new "pillow for your iPod". All you have to do is plug that iPod in your pillow and you're set,the music comes right out of the pillow. Why aren't the record companies trying to promote this wonderfu; technology? They should promote buying of music over the internet. It is possibly the best thing that ever happend to them. They don't even need CD's anymore! Wow, what a concept.

Response to AdvertisingAge

This time of year usually starts off with a call from my grandma asking me about my first day of school, and oh yeah, "The Emmys are on this Sunday at 8, are you going to watch them?" But this year I didn't get that same call. There was only one question, "How was your first day of school?" Had my grandma forgotten about the Emmys or was she no longer interested in the same lame awards that don't seem to matter to anyone, except the person who is receiving it. Well, i have to agree with Simon Dumenco. Sunday was my break from work and school, so i decided to flip through some channels on TV. I just happened to run into the Emmys, which honestly, I had no idea it was even airing at that time. I enjoy see the stars with Gucci designer dresses and $1500 hairdo's, so I was content for a little while. However, there were some shows that won Emmys that I've never even heard, where did they come from? Dumenco states, "But nevermind the ever-increasing apathetic absentee audience." It's true, I probably watch the ceremony for a half an hour, during that time period the announcers apologized for 3 stars not being able to attend.

finance

Well, i just turned 18, and my grandpa came to me with a great idea. He said why not open a roth ira account? I've heard him say this a million times to me; it probably started when i was about 10. However, it never really sunk in until now. Anyhow, for all of those who don't know what a roth ira account is...it is an account that you can put money in for retirement. The money is compounded and tax-free. Therefore, if you do things right, you should have more money than you put in. However, the catch is that you can not withdraw your money until you are 59 and a half without a 10% penalty. My grandpa helped put money in it, but in return i have to learn about the stock market. I'm still new at the whole thing, and still very nervous about handling money in the market. The market can be a lot like gambling, if you turn your back for a second you could lose all of your money. Well, i'll keep you posted on what happens. If anyone wants to talk about finances, or have any words of wisdom feel free to post a blog.