Final Blog: What Kind of Media Consumer am I?

This is my final blog, and as such, I would like to first and foremost thank everyone who took the time to read my thoughts and opinions (especially Lilly since she had to read ALL of them). I feel like my writing had improved immensely and as such, I am grateful for the experience. You might ask why then I won't continue to blog after this, and here is my answer: although I have learned a lot this semester about blogging and am grateful for the experience, I don't particularly like blogging as a way to express my thoughts and opinions. I still prefer the old fashioned paper to pen feeling, perhaps I was born in the wrong century (haha).

On the thought of what kind of media consumer am I, and how have I changed over the semester...well, I still consume about the same amount of media (178 days a year with the media in some form or another, 65 days on average that I spend without the media per year). However, how I consume the media has changed drastically. I am now much more aware of the type of Media that I am consuming, who the target audience is for that media, how that media is distributed, and the history of that media. I am also now much more aware of the kinds of propaganda that I consume everyday, and thus, am much more prepared to handle them.

I now look more closely at the media that I am consuming. I am much more critical as to what its real motives are and how truthful it is. I now think about things like: for what purpose was this produced, and what story isn't this media telling?

I think that although the amount and types of media I consume hasn't changed, what type of media consumer I am has changed drastically because I am now more aware and educated on all the forms of mass media.

Thanks everyone--for a great semester! And congratulations to anyone who is graduating this semester!

Bye guys :)

Movie Review: World Trade Center

In the movie "World Trade Center," director/producer Oliver Stone and screenwriter Andrea Berloff tell the story of two of only twenty survivors who were pulled from the ruble and the story of their families and a world watching the horror unfold on television. With a combination of painstaking detail and tactful emotion, they depict an event that is overwhelming on its own.

In the 2006 drama “World Trade Center”, the four lead actors all give wonderful performances, as people dealing with the emotions of being trapped.

Peña and Gyllenhaal, as the eager rookie cop and his headstrong and practical wife, are especially compelling adding even further to the reality of the movie.


This well-crafted World captures the panic and confusion surrounding the tragedy and serves as a worthy tribute to the heroes of that day. But it's not the devastating, gut-wrenching experience you might expect. With a unique look and feel and a jumpy script that removes the watcher from the drama is a great, but at the same time difficult to accomplish. Stone's safe “World Trade Center” is a fine film, but not what was expected by me and stands what I think as a respectful tribute.

Stone uses great camera angels, and special effects. An example: In one scene where the men are trapped in the tower, the camera pulls back from Cage and Peña's motionless body, sails through the hole in the wreckage above them, and continues to rise until it shows us all of Lower Manhattan and, finally, the whole Earth from space, as seen by a satellite. I think this special effect is symbolic for a “scar” on the earth. More so, how this wasn’t just effecting New York, but the world.

It’s a vividly designed piece of cinema, with equally brilliant acting by Cage and Peña, who have only their faces and voices to work with through much of the film, while trapped under the debris. While they wait, they whisper tales of their families and their lives, and at one point the image of Christ appears to Jimeno which is an emotional moment in the film.

Stone weaves the story back and forth also taking us outside the building to witness the after effects of the disaster on bystanders, rescuers and the families of the trapped men. Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal are terrific as the McLoughlin’s and Jimeno’s wives, who are angry, terrified, and helpless as their husbands are in the building.

Overall I would give this film an A-, and I would highly encourage anyone to go see it.

CWIT Computer Mania Day

Hey guys, continuing on the same theme, I stumbled across CWIT-The Center for Women and Information Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) who hosts Computer Mania Day to encourage girls' increased involvement with information technology. While boys are welcome, the focus is on girls because of their continuing under-participation in information technology classes and careers. This program is designed to provide an introduction to information technology applications to different and exciting careers. Students get together in small groups of no more than 25, and the groups rotate between information technology demonstration stations. At each station, the students learn about the application of technology to the world of work through fun and interactive activities. Students also visit tables where high schools present information and encourage recruitment in IT programs.

An adult program complements the day by providing information about causes for girls’ low enrollment in technology courses and what adults can do to encourage girls to embrace technology. I would highly encourage these courses for anyone interested (what a great way to try and make an impact in our already busy lives)

During the afternoon, parents and teachers participate in a series of breakout sessions covering a variety of topics, which help parents better prepare their children to enter careers in IT. Adults receive advice from IT business professionals, state education leaders, and school and college educators. Parents also have the option of visiting several special topic seminars and taking a tour of the campus. To enroll your self or a girl you know please go to http://www.computer-mania.info/

Girls Go Tech Campaign

Recently Girl Scouts of America has launched their Girls Go Tech Campaign that is trying to raise awareness about the short supply of females in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers. The did a complete launch of advertisements including television, radio, magazines and newspaper ads.

They partnered with the AD council and have since then branched out to develop their own website for girls including interactive games, a resource library, and exciting information and about the possibilities of where a STEM career can take you. Check it out at Girls go Tech

Females currently receive almost 59 percent of all bachelor degrees, and yet intolerably, only receiving 28 percent of all computer science degrees, 18 percent of all engineering degrees, and 11.4 percent of all electrical and computer engineering degrees. In addition, computer occupations are projected to increase by more than 66 percent between new and 2014, adding close to 1 1/2 million jobs. Creating and maintaining a comprehensive female talent pipeline in order to help assure diverse recruitment and the ability to retain top talent worldwide is not only important, but necessary to secure the future success of top innovative companies world wide.

There are several ways to get involved in this exciting project-for more information please visit the girls go tech website mentioned above or email me for other sources.

Please leave any thoughts you guys have about the ads or the campaign...

The Book Titles...

Opps...in the post below I review two books but I forgot to mention the actual titles!

The first book is called Twilight
The second book is called New moon

Love, Vampires, and Teenage Hormones--Could Anyone Ask for More???

Stephenie Meyer--the new Anne Rice? If you haven't heard of her yet-don't worry because you’re about to. Stephanie is a budding new fiction writer that has recently topped the charts of the New York Times bestseller list, and is sweeping the hearts of science fiction fans everywhere. She has two books out thus far (which were both absolutely fabulous), and is currently writing her third.

Her book was a New York Times editor's choice, an Amazon "Best Book of the Decade", a Teen People "Hot List" pick, and a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year--and that’s just the first novel!

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight (the first novel), is a love story that grips you and won't let go. In addition, Meyer's talented writing make the reader fall head over heals for her characters in an incredibly addictive habit (I read both books, which are both well over 500 pages, in two days).

Both novels revolve around the characters of Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen. Isabella is a high school junior who has been forced to move into her estranged father's home in the small town of Folks somewhere on the west coast. Edward is an almost 100 year old vampire, who will forever appear to be 17, who lives his eternity practicing abstinence from drinking blood. His struggle to be good despite the overwhelming odds against him capture the reader immediately. Both books revolve around their lives, their love, and the struggles (both human and super natural).

Overall I would give these books an A-. Their story lines are wonderful and they are exceptional at drawing the reader in. However, Stephanie's writing style is a tad bit inexperienced--but I have nothing but high hopes for her and her future works.

United 93

The heroic story of the members of flight United 93, who stood up to the terrorists trying to hijack the fourth plane on September 11, was portrayed in the movie “United 93” in April of 2006, only five years after these tragic events took place. The film was very controversial: Is it too soon? Will this film offend anyone? The answers to these questions are all on a personal level, and can only be fully answered if the individual sees this movie. Although Oliver Stone’s, “The World Trade Center,” was to be released later this year, “United 93” was expected to “soften the blow” about movies made regarding September 11, and would receive outrageous press. In the trailer for this movie, there is no announcer, no recognizable actors. While sitting in the theater, watching previews, viewers were alarmed by what they saw. The movie clip starts off by watching people load onto an airplane, very peacefully. All of a sudden, the plane is hijacked, and a sense of terror runs throughout both the passengers of the plane, and the audience in the theater. Due to these shocking previews, many theaters pulled the trailer from showing. Both articles and stories in the news started streaming throughout the country, and “United 93” opened in theaters with mixed feelings from America.

The first time that I saw this movie was in the theater a year ago. The main scene that has stayed in my head, and that was still alarming when I watched this movie for the second time was as the plane was going down, the camera would cut to different passengers reciting the prayer, “The Our Father.” The almost disturbing thing about this was that as they were saying it, the terrorists were praying to God as well. While watching the movie, the viewer would see and hear a passenger recite a line from the prayer, and then hear a hijacker respond in Arabic. The passengers were praying, because they hoped that they wouldn’t die, or that perhaps they simply wanted to die peacefully. On the other hand, the terrorists were praying because it was their mission from God to do this, and they simply wanted to end their lives for something they felt was right. Different cultures and religions were depicted, making it clear that no matter what culture or religion one has, death is something that scares most.



When the passengers assembled together and devised a plan to redirect the plane and fight back to the terrorists, a sense of relief exudes. Ramming the cockpit and stabbing the hijacker with the bomb (which they found was not real) almost makes the audience feel as if the plane would be landed safely, and that everything would be all right. This is what everyone hopes, even though the viewer already knows the ending. This scene defines the entire movie, and why this film was made. It showed the heroic efforts made by the 40 passengers and crew that died that day. They did everything they could; although they could not save themselves, they saved the Capitol Building.



The first time I saw this movie, it was by accident in a way. The movie my friends I wanted to see was sold out; I had a slight hesitation to see “United 93,” mainly because my uncle had passed away a few months prior to its release, and also because I felt it was too soon to see it. After the film, I had mixed feelings about what I had just seen. It was really hard to imagine that ordinary people had the courage to stand up to others that were ultimately going to kill them. “United 93” made me appreciate life a lot more, and helped me to not take things for granted. During the part in the movie where people were calling their families from SkyPhones and cell phones, it made me think about my own family. I could deeply relate with these people, because I knew that if I was in the same situation as they were, I would have been doing the same thing.

New Cisco Field!

Lew Wolff, Athletics owner and managing partner, announced Tuesday the A's have reached an agreement to purchase a 143-acre parcel from Cisco Systems with the intent of constructing a baseball park in the City of Fremont. The state-of-the-art baseball-only stadium will be named Cisco Field as part of a 30-year naming rights agreement.



The Ball Park will include state of the art technology and be the first of its kind (and I am sure not the last!). The development will feature a Baseball Village with residential housing, restaurants, retail shops and other community attractions.Cisco Field, when completed, will be showcase an integrated IP network built with Cisco technology, and will be the forum for a massive amount of applications that will hopefully take the fans' experience to the next level . For instance, digital signs could ensure "smart" and futuristic traffic flow and fans might even be able to purchase merchandise or concessions while in their seat by ordering from a mobile device. How cool is that?!!!!!!! And for those big spenders out there--luxury suites will have the opportunity to include multi-media amenities for premium video content, and Cisco TelePresence technology may even enable new forms of player-to-fan communications.


For those of you who are big A's fans', this new contract is a huge deal! It is completely revolutionizing the way that we will watch and interact at and with the game! I have nothing but wonderful thoughts surrounding this development...but what do you guys think?

Hotel Rwanda: The kind of Movie that Could Change the World

The film, based on a true story, tells the story of the devastating event in recent world history, one that not enough people knew about--the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The movie details the long-simmering war between the ruling Hutu tribe and Tutsi rebels turned into civil war. The war where 1 million Rwandans, the majority of them women and children, were massacred within one single summer. Almost as incomprehensible as the killings, the film points out, was the lack of world intervention. This message made me think about the power of mass communication, but moreover, the power of a lack of mass communication, and what can happen when an event or circumstance is properly communicated to the world with the priority that it should have.

The focus of the movie is an ordinary man, a hardworking hotel employee named Paul Rusesabagina (Cheadle), an man with no political affiliations, who summoned the courage to shelter more than 1,000 people as the slaughter summereged their world. A Hutu married to a Tutsi, Rusesabagina took in people of both tribes. (Rusesabagina, who is now living in Belgium with his family, was a consultant for the film.)

Just for some background real quick--up until the mid 1900's Rwanda was a colony of Belgium (a colony that was awarded to them after the WWI from Germany as reparations). Belguim actually created the superficial division between the Hutu (people who have more Affrican faetures), and the Tutsis' (who have more "white" features, such as having lighter skin, thinner noses, etc.). The government before the civil war was Hutu, and after, Tutsi.

The film heartbreaking captures the lack of international involvement. It makes you truly think about the power the media has and how they decide to use it. In fact, very few people know that we actually had troops (UN & American) there the entire time, but since they had no orders, they just stood and watched as an entire group of people were massacred. How could this have been allowed to happen? What went wrong? Why didn't we intervene? Well, there are a lot of possible answers to these questions, and I would love to hear some of your thoughts on it?

Three Top TV Shows of all time...

In class we discussed such shows as MASH, All in the Family, The West Wing, and Roots as being among the most important shows of all time. Well, if they are, then I am in desperate need of catching up on some good old fashion TV time, because I have NEVER seen any of these programs.(And by the looks of some of some of my classmate's blogs, neither have a lot of them). Therefore, it is a little hard to say what were the best of all time, because I wasn't around to witness or even see the shows or direct/indirect effects that older shows have had on society. So perhaps a better question to ask is what are the three top TV shows of all time as it relates to the my generation (age groups 18 to late 20's). If addressed from this standpoint, then I would have to say that the three greatest TV shows of all time (at least of my time) would have to be...

1.) FRIENDS
Ok, sure, you might not think that Friends is or was an important show. But let me ask you this...isn't one of the most watched and popular shows of all time
important? I mean who didn't come home after school and watch reruns of friends, or know what someone was talking about when they said the words "Phebe" or "Monica"?
The show entertained an entire nation, world, and influenced an entire generation. A show that has that much viewership and popularity carries a lot of power. Besides, one could always make the argument that from even a pure entertainment standpoint Friends was a very important show in that satisfied one of our cultures basic needs--to be entertained.

2.)Simpson's
It's only natural that the longest running and most popular cartoon series should be on the list of most important TV shows. There obviously must be something to the show--its been around for over 13 years! In addition to its popularity, the show also showcases some serious problems in our society through the use of sarcasm. It
provides a comfortable forum to speak about prominent cultural and global problems. It often holds a mirror up to our society, and showcases through humor, the ugly truths.

3.) Buffy the Vampire Slayer/ Xena the Warrior Princess
Ok, so my last one is really a tie. I have chosen these two shows because they were some of the most influential shows of our time in terms of displaying feminine heroines.
They displayed that not only are women/girls beautiful and smart, but that they are also strong and capable. They broke grounds in terms of how our culture defines "femininity".
In addition, they helped to provide young girls with positive role models helped and entire generation place a female face on the traditional "hero".

Howard Stern...Love Him or Hate Him!

Howard Stern...you either love him or you REALLY REALLY hate him! Can you guess which side of the fence I fall on? However, my personal feelings aside, I can not deny that he has helped to shape radio as a mass communication and in part, has aided in the evolution of radio jocks. Before Howard, there had never been someone so blatantly pushing the envelope as far as the "rules" of what is appropriate or inappropriate for radio communications. It is because of his blind "courage" if you will, that his name is a household name known by nearly everyone!

So why is his popularity so speedily dwindling? Why didn't his followers ACTUALLY follow him to satellite radio? Well there are actually a couple of good reasons:




1.) People are LAZY by nature, especially Americans: No one want to have to switch their daily routine around to listen to Howard Stern! Howard is, at best, someone you listen to for a quick laugh, or a cheap joke. And is it no big surprise that no one followed him, because there is such an abundance of radio jocks that can provide the extract same cheap jokes and quick laughs without having to go through the trouble of switching to satellite radio.

2.) Everyone only take so much of him!: Howard Stern is not a personality that can be taken in big doses, and in fact, it could be argued that it might even be detrimental to a listener's health to listen such crap everyday! In addition, he is the type of personality that once the novelty wears off, whats really left? Not much!



3.) Too much of an inconvenience: Somewhere between finding out what satellite radio is, how to get it, operate it, finance it, and then install it...continuing to listen to Howard Stern doesn't seem to have the appeal it once did.

So whats going to happen to Howard Stern? Honestly, I don't know, and if anyone did know...well, then he wouldn't be Howard Stern! Somehow, I think he will pull through this, reinvent himself again, and find yet another way to shock us!

A Look at Spiritual love in A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

Shakespeare once said, “ Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments.” This statement that true love is between two minds, or spirits, not bodies, is in congruence with John Donne’s poem, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning. Donne uses similes to convey the message that true love is spiritual love that transcends the mere physical world, and therefore, is not affected by distance. Donne invokes the nature of spiritual love to discourage “tear floods” and “sigh-tempests” that are usually associated with departures from loved ones. All of Donne’s comparisons and exaggerations delineate the idea that genuine love is on a spiritual plane separate from the earthly, carnal desires of mankind.

Donne uses many similes to convey this theme. For example, Donne states, “Though I must go, endure not yet/ A breach, but an expansion, / Like gold to an airy thinness beat”.This simile is comparing Donne’s separation from his lover to gold. Gold, which also represents purity and perfection, is used here to illustrate how their souls, which will be separated physically, but, like gold when stretched, will not really be separated because their spiritual love keeps them connected at all times. Donne also states, “ Such wilt thou be to me, who must, / Like the other foot, obliquely run;/ Thy firmness makes my circle just”. This simile compares his lover to the foot of a compass. This illustrates a picture that basically demonstrates that by her being true to him, it keeps him true to her because as long as she doesn’t falter his circle can’t falter either.

This is a prevalent theme in numerous poems, novels, and movies from all time periods. For example, Shakespeare wrote about “the marriage of true minds, as well as more modern authors such as Anne Rice in The Tale of the body Theft, where she writes about a man who switches bodies with a female, but those who truly loved him previously were unaffected by the change because their love transcends the physical. In summary, the theme of the poem is very universal and is something that everyone in some way can relate to.

So what do you think...does true love transcend physical appearance? Or does it only happen in poems?

Patriotism--Arrogance at its Worst as seen in Achebe's Things Fall Apart

George Bernard Shaw once stated: “Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it”. Patriotism—has there ever been a more deadly assassin, a more successful killer? How many lives have been claimed in the name of patriotism? Almost every war that has ever been fought in the history of mankind has had countless soldiers that have given up their very lives in the name of this so called “patriotism”; patriotism for their country, for their leader, for their people, for their culture, for their way of life. The very idea that they are fighting people that are fighting for the very same reason seems at the tip of iceberg deeply ironic, but once submerged under the sea level the irony disappears and is replaced by a profound sorrow and sadness. The realization that throughout all of known history the human race has been plagued by this brainless notion of “patriotism” and as a direct result has massacred entire groups of people, lost countless lives, and all in the name of something, that when you get right down to it, the other side is fighting for as well. In fact, the only things really separating the two sides engaged in combat are lines that are arbitrary and ambiguous at best. This raw truth of “patriotism” parallels one of the prevailing themes in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things fall apart in which Achebe demonstrates the utter arrogance and deadliness that this notion of “patriotism” can lead to, and indeed how capricious and arbitrary the lines are that are drawn to separate one “patriotic” group from another.

Patriotism—is it really such a noble ideal? Should anyone be proud to be a “patriot”, especially considering the thousands of years of bloodshed that lay behind that word? The character dynamics portrayed in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and the prevalent theme of how patriotism can lead to arrogance, and arrogance of arbitrary issues no less, issues such as the practices and ideologies that one is born into, and how the dynamics of power and control rapidly come into play, demonstrates the fragility of human nature and its ability to be easily swayed by matters that if even the surface is scratched in the slightest way—the foolishness and inanity shine through with the utmost of clarity. Patriotism—the pathway to war, oppression, and injustice.

The Kite Runner--Great Propaganda!

September 11th 2001 is, and will always be, a day that haunts America, its people, its hearts, and most importantly—its culture. On that sad horrific day the attitude, beliefs, and ideals held by the majority of the American people were forever changed—and most for the worse. Suddenly America wasn’t as isolated as everyone had thought, wasn’t as safe, and wasn’t as loved. The American people were shocked, left speechless, and taken aback. America had never faced such horrific terrorism on its own soil, never felt the un-wrenching pain of a terrorist attack, or experienced its aftermath. As most victims, America wanted someone to blame, someone to lash out at, someone to hurt as bad a we had on that godforsaken day of September 11th. And soon we had our target—the religious fanatic Osama Bin Laden and the country that was harboring him: Afghanistan. Sadly, a lot of the American population became so consumed by their pain and hatred that they lost sight of who was to blame, who was the real monster, and sadly by association the Afghan people and the Islamic religion were deemed evil and deserved to be blamed as well for the ghastly acts that forever changed our country. The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hossenini, dares to change that false opinion harbored in the depths of American’s heart by illustrating the similarities common to all people regardless of region or religion, and by shedding light on the true situation in Afghanistan and who are the real monsters. Through this phenomenal attempt to change the opinion of the American peoples’ views on Afghan people and Islamic religion Hossenini by definition is using The Kite Runner as a vessel for positive propaganda; propaganda being defined by the Webster’s Dictionary as "the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person".

Khaled Hosseinie implores the readers to forget their prejudices about the Afghan people and the Islamic religion by narrating the story about the life of a privileged Pashtun, Amir, and his Hazara servant, Hasaan to show the parallels between the American and Afghan people. For example, in the beginning of the novel Amir, the narrator, refers to Hassan and states that “…we were the kids that learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that…”(p.25). This passage and the relationship that Hosseinie goes on to illustrate is a relationship that the American culture in particular can strongly identify with. One of the main beliefs in the American culture is that “all men were created equal” and that everyone should have the right to be friends with and/or marry who they wish. Therefore, by portraying the main characters in this light Hosseinie captures the reader’s heart by having them mirror aspects of our culture, by having them mirror a relationship that a lot of American’s can identify with. This in turn, draws the parallel that the Afghan people and the American people are not all that different.

Hosseinie also tries to make the connection between the two different cultures by portraying the similar struggles that Afghan people and American people face. For example, the author uses the power of the rape scene to draw parallels between the two cultures. Amir, the narrator, states:

Assef knelt behind Hassan, put his hands on Hassan’s hips and lifted his bare buttocks. He kept one hand on Hassan’s back and undid his own belt buckle with his free hand. He unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn’t struggle. Didn’t even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb (pg. 76)

This scene plays on the reader’s emotional appeal to recognize that the Afghan people are just like American people; they also feel pain, suffer, have regrets, and regretfully, also have to endure tragedies. Through this scene, a scene that maps the rest of the narrative, the author uses propaganda to show how similar both cultures are, therefore, changing the way that a lot of American people feel towards Afghan people, because it is extremely hard to hate or hold prejudices against a culture or a group of people that the reader can easily identify with. How can you hate someone just like you?

Hosseinie also uses propaganda by drawing attention to the fact that the Taliban are the real monsters; that they are the ones who have perverted the Islamic religion for their own sadistic reasons, and that it is not the Afghan people who should be blamed or hated as a result of their actions. For example, when Amir, the narrator, returns to his homeland to find Hassan’s son, Sohrah, he is in complete shock about the poverty and devastation that he witnesses. For instance, he narrates, “we had crossed the border and the signs of poverty were everywhere. I saw children dressed in rags chasing a soccer ball outside the huts” (p.231). In addition to the severe poverty that Amir witnesses, he also witnesses the extreme oppression that the country is facing as a result of the Taliban. For example, when he returns to his home neighborhood, he is shocked that it is still in decent shape and states that the reason for this is because “most of the important people live [there] now, [the] Taliban” (p.260). This horrible description of the situation in Afghanistan, and the mortifying poverty that the Afghan people must endure illustrates a world of severe oppression, injustice, and devastating indecencies. A world that attempts to change the way the average American person sees and/or feels about Afghanistan, its people, and the Islamic religion by showing that what happened on September 11th was not as a result of an entire nation or religion, but rather the result of small group of unscrupulous powerful people who twisted the Koran and the Afghan culture o fit their own sick needs.

The Kite Runner, whether for the better or worse, is propaganda because it attempts to change people’s point of view on Afghanistan, its people, and the Islamic religion. The book attempt to accomplish this through multiple channels, fronts, and contexts and supplies each with an arsenal of fully loaded examples and emotional appeals. I believe that this book, although not openly communicated as propaganda, is one of the most successful pieces of propaganda that I have ever had the experience to be persuaded by. Although I was not prejudice against Afghan people, or the Islamic religion before reading this novel, it has given me new insights and lessons that I will never forget and will continue to be touched and influenced by long into the future.

A critque of The Protector

So, this past weekend my boyfriend dragged me along to watch The Protector, you know the crazy martial arts movie by Quintin Terantino.

At first I though the movie was a bit crazy and a bit corny (for example, the movie opens up with a story line about a bunch of people called "the protectors" in Asia whose job and lives are spent raising and protecting elephants for their King. Basically, they raise the elephants, protect them from hunters, and then deliver them to their kings. Then, when there is a battle, the king will ride into battle on the elephant and the protectors are suppose to protect the elephant from being harmed so that the king doesn't fall).

So you can see why at first I wasn't too into the movie???

However, if you are a martial arts movie fan, then this movie is a MUST SEE!!!!!! The Protector puts martial arts legends like Jackie Chan to shame. None of the fight scenes look "fake" or unrealistic (I mean, I am sure they are, but they at least don't LOOK that way). Some of the fight scenes are just out and out crazy!!! For example, in one of the scenes the main character, who is maybe 5'9 and 180 pounds, fights three men (and kicks their butts!) that are somewhere close to 300 pounds and way over 7 feet tall. I mean my jaw dropped to the floor in most of the scenes.

My overall opinion of this movie--go see it for a kick-ass martial arts movie, don't go see it to see good acting or a decent story line.

The Future of Books...or is There One?

It is safe to say that what we consider to be a "book", has been pretty consistent for the past few hundred years. Nothing much has changed for the book industry, except the addition of the electronic book and the audio book, which for the most part hasn't been hugely successful with the general public.

Is the book industry the exception to the changing media world that we know? I mean the music industry has done so many changes over the past 40 years that it's hard to keep track of how many mediums they have used to sell their products. Television and movie industries have also had to endure the evaluational process to keep with changing times and technologies. Will the book industry have to do this as well, or are they the exception to this evaluational process that seems to be sweeping every other media industry?

Well, I would say that no one, at least no one in my lifetime, will ever have to worry about the book industry being swept up into this technological tornado that is causing all of the other media industries to evolve their mediums for distribution. And why not? Well, the answer is actually really quite simple...

No one wants to have to read a 390 page novel from their computer screen! It is uncomfortable(who wants to sit in the bathtub with their laptop), it is not easily transportable (its not like you can just throw a laptop in your purse for when you have a couple of free minutes to read), it is not easily markable (you can't write notes in the margins, highlight the important passages, or fold the page back to mark your spot), and most importantly, it is not personal! Let me explain this last point, because this one is the truly the most important one..

Who ever heard of having your electronic book signed by the author? No one, probably because it is not possible (or at least not to my knowledge). In addition, it is nearly impossible to have sentimental attachments to a book that is on your computer. Also, and I know that I am not the only person to feel this way, I love the look and feel of a new novel. Having the novel be tangible is a huge part of the reading experience-why else do so many people have personal libraries?

So as far as I am concerned, I don't see any real evolution in the novel/book industry happening any time soon. However, I do see electronic books and electronic audio books that you can download growing, which I think is a good thing. Maybe this reach into the electronic world will help to grow the interest in reading with our youth. Who knows, it could happen!

Putting an End to Illegal Downloading!

Advertising to stop illegal downloading: You see it everywhere! Every time you go to watch a DVD, go to a movie and now even television has commercials for it! So what's the problem? Why isn't it working? Is the marketing campaign not being exposed to its target audience? Is there not enough exposure for the campaign? Are the advertisements themselves of poor quality? Is there not enough capital to back up the campaign?

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

The problem is the marketing campaign itself! The entire campaign is based off the notion that "downloading is illegal" and that it is "morally wrong". I mean how many times have we seen the advertisement that rambles on about how "you wouldn't steal someones purse would you? You wouldn't steal someones car would you?... Well, downloading illegally is stealing. Piracy: it's a crime". Let me just say this: WHO CARES????? Obliviously, no one since it's still such an epidemic! Why should anyone care? I mean are the police going to storm your house and whisk you off to prison, or even give you a ticket at that matter? NO! In addition to that, the current advertisements don't even address who is being hurt by this so called crime. In fact, more than likely, the general public doesn't feel too guilty for taking a couple dollars from the wallets of bands like U-2 or artists like Brittney Spears. Why should they?

This is my first journalism class. Before this class, I had no idea that the top acts of a specific record company subsidize the acts of many, many others, and I would be willing to bet that the majority of the general population doesn't know this either, or at least, doesn't understand the repercussions that illegal downloading has when considering this.

That is where an advertising campaign should be focused! The advertising campaign should be focused on how illegal downloading limits the talent pool of new artists, on how it cuts short the careers of many, many new musicians, how many artists chances for success are taken away by the repercussions of illegal downloading because it greatly limits the amount of "subsidy" that can happen. The new marketing campaign should focus on how illegal downloading is killing the creative music possibilities. It should also focus on the smaller bands and artists, show their side of the story. An average person is much more likely to feel guilty or wrong about taking away from a budding band or artist, than say, Madonna.

Any thoughts?

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Is Imperialism Alive and Kicking?

Chinua Achebe's masterpiece "Things Fall Apart" gets its title from W.B. Yeat's famous poem "The Second Coming", which is based on the aftermath of World War One. In Thing Fall Apart, Avhebe, through the use of his grand talent to capture the human qualities that are common to everyone across the globe demonstrates his profound opposition to imperialism.

This simple novel about a man (Okonkwo) whose life is ruled by his own short comings and fears almost majestically demonstrates how foolish the Western and European cultures have been (and still are.?). For the first 3/4ths of the novel, Achebe entrenches the reader in the everyday lives of the a Nigerian tribe. The reader becomes immersed in the lives and customs of a culture that almost seems like it comes from an episode of the twilight zone; a culture so different that, at first, the reader connects such words as "savage" and "uncivilized" to it. However, after the British empire arrives to "civilize" it, it suddenly becomes unclear as to who is "savage" and who is "civilized".

Reflection: Has America learned from the mistakes of the past...or are we merly repeating them? For instance, the way that we seem to so freely march into other countries and declare what is right and what is wrong, how we tend to think that we are bringing them the correct form of "civilization"... What are we really doing, and what are we really saying? What message are we giving off to the rest of the world?

What do you think?

Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth--Still an Issue Today?

For those of you who aren't familiar, Frantz Fanon was a writer born in 1925 in Martinique (which was, and still is a French colony). He is known most famously for his novel Black Skin/ White Masks, in which he gives his views about how a black man must put on the mask of a white man in order to be "successful" in life. In addition, his writings were some of the foundational tutelage's for Malcolm X.

In his essay, The Wretched of the Earth, he writes about "cultural banishment" as it applies to "colonized" people; how the colonizer's come in and suddenly establish the new approved culture and anyone who chooses not to follow these cultural norms are then culturally banished. Meaning, that in order to be accepted or successful in the new society, one must let go of their old culture and become submerged in the "white" culture.

Is this issue a theme even today in 2006 America? Are minorities still made to submit to the the dominant culture in order to feel accepted or to achieve success?

Unfortunately, I believe so. However, I do believe that we are making huge leaps toward a more inclusive and diversity accepting nation--or at least I would like to believe this. For example, in corporate America new "inclusive" policies are starting to emerge that insist on diversity being present in organizations--more diversity means more perspectives, which means higher levels of innovation; it's just good business sense. These inclusive policies range from cultural awareness training for managers, flexibility for working mothers, leadership training for women and minorities, diversity standards for equal representation among all levels employees, and much much more...

What does that mean for our culture as a whole? Will our present "dominant culture" go under dramatic changes as a result to become more representative the multi-cultural nation we are? What do you think?

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Media Use Inventory...WOW

I calculated that I spend an average of 178 days a year with the media in some form or another.

This combined with the fact that I spend approximately 122 days a year sleeping, leaves me with the staggering figure of 65 days on average that I spend without the media per year.

Can anyone say OMG?!!!!!!

George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"

I just finished reading George Orwell's short essay "Shooting an Elephant" for (I think) the third or fourth time. However, I don't remember the essay having such an impact on me before. Perhaps I was too young to truly appreciate or realize the message before. Reading it again made me almost want to cry at the barbaric truths that seep through each passage.

I especially love the passage in which the main character reveals that he knows very clearly that he should not shoot the elephant, in fact, he cringes at the thought; However, the thought of looking like a fool in front of the "natives" is just more than he could possibly bear. In essence, he realizes that he has in fact trapped himself into a mask that he chose to wear; that he must act a certain way because it is how the "natives" expect him to act and doing anything contrary to that would somehow take away from him and his perceived image. What is so ironic about the story is that the "natives" literally despise him, and yet he is willing to perform an act that would haunt him for the rest of his life, an act he knows is utterly and completely immoral to him, so that he doesn't have to deal with the "natives" criticism.

I think what I find so haunting about this essay is the blinding truths that bind the story, and how sadly they reflect the majority of the human race.