AHA Moments

1. Something that really caught my eye earlier in the quarter was about the first prints of books and what kind of paper they used to write on. Papyrus, which is a type of reed that was used to make an early form of paper. I found this to be crazy because it was founded and invented in 3000 BC. It really makes you think that as a species, we have come a long way from just creating paper. There are so many new innovations and inventions still to come too.

2. Another Aha! moment I had was discovering about the Radio Act of 1912. This was put in place because the Titanic sank, and all other ships radios were turned off. For this, it is now that all ships must leave there radios on 24 hours a day. First off, I immediately thought to myself, "Well, wouldn't they already want to leave the radios on anyway just in case something happens?" I found it baffling that they didn't already have something like this in effect already, that's why this was so eye popping to me.

3. Lastly, looking at all the money spent on advertising has blown my mind. We could do so much more with that money than just spending it on one product. Seriously, is it really necessary to spend billions of dollars on an ad that might be thirty seconds long? Just alone, direct mail spends sixty billion dollars a year to get the attention of folks at their house to make them want to go buy their product. I was blown away by some of these numbers. For example: Yellow Pages: $14.2 billion, Radio: $19.6 billion, Newspapers: $47.7 billion. You notice that it doesn't say million, but BILLION! That's just crazy if you ask me. What next, a trillion dollars spent on crap that isn't going to benefit me? HORRIBLE!

Media Ethics/Law

Over the years, South Park has been looked upon as one of the most grotesque and vile television programs that has been on the air. Every season, the creators; Trey Parker and Matt Stone take the show to new limits. In 2010, South Park aired its 200th and 201st episodes. In these episodes, all of the famous stars of movies and television got together to protest against the town of South Park. Their request was that they receive the prophet Muhammad or else they are going to sue the town for slander. 

Previously, about ten years ago, Muhammad was depicted in a South Park and had the power of flames. In 2006, Comedy Centrals Network didn't approve of showing Muhammad due to threats from the Muslim religion. And as of recent, in 2010, they brought back the prophet for another run. A group called RevolutionMuslim.com decided to write the network, but this time they meant business. They sent a passive aggressive threat, stating that if Muhammad is to be shown or to be heard, that the creators would face the same fate Theo Van Gogh did (Theo Van Gogh was an artist that made a film about the mistreatment of women in the muslim religion. He was killed for this). The Comedy Central Network was forced to bleep everything, even a speech by Kyle Brovlofski which was about intimidation and fear which was bleeped because of the fear instilled by the religious group. 

South Parks right to freedom of speech and expression was taken from them. It's sad and have made many people very angry, excluding the Muslim group that originally made the threat. In the past fourteen seasons, South Park has been full of racial and religious bigotry that has never been taken to this aptitude. For the creators, they're disappointed that the muslim group didn't have any sort of repercussions for the threat they sent. But, the FBI refuted their argument because no ones life was at risk at the time.  

Propaganda in Advertising

As you can see, if you get this VW Touareg, you will be the "Man," and everyone will be out of the way and fearful of your vehicle when you'r driving to work. While this vehicle is compelling and a wet dream to some men in this world, it's complete nonsense. As we can see, this advertisement is presenting an issue that is compelling and irrelevant to the argument at hand, but also validates the argument as well. This is known as red herring propaganda. The VW Touareg is a great family vehicle that is safe, very sturdy, and has great features and specs. Here in this photo, the vehicle looks "extremely safe" and ready to take on everything. As the advertisement states:"Touareg Mad Max means never get cut off on your way to work again." That's an understatement if you ask me. If I saw that thing on the road, I would get over immediately and get out of the way. Another type of propaganda that is being used in this ad is oversimplification. Oversimplification is favorable generalities that are used to provide simple answers to complex social, political, economic, or military problems. Well, as we can see here, getting to work shouldn't be to hard anymore if you buy the "Touareg Mad Max" because you'll just pulverize everyone in your way. Get to work safely, and look like a "badass" at the same time. Simple and perfect solution to getting to work on time everyday.    

Internet Addiction

Just about three years ago, I discovered Amazon.com. I use to go on the website just about ten times a day, and I would purchase at least one item everyday. It became such an addiction that my beginning purchases were only twenty or thirty dollars, which then led to purchases that were hundreds of dollars, and even thousands. I started having no room in my house to put some of my purchases, and then I had to start giving away some of the things I got. Also, my credit card bill came in each month, and I realized that I had a "Champaign taste, with a beer pocketbook." After being a pretty penny in debt (I would prefer not to say how much I was in debt, it's embarrassing to me) I realized I needed to stop. I'm finally making my last payments on my credit card, but it was a lesson that I will never forget.

I also had friends that had a problem as well. They were addicted to WOW (World of Warcraft). I remember two friends that were just ADDICTED!!! We would make plans early in the day to go to the movies, hockey games, or baseball games. When it would be time to go (mind you, tickets were already purchased), they would say: "Bro, I can't make it. I have some things I need to get done." This happened a couple of times. After the third time, I started to get suspicious of what was going on. I went to both of their places to see what was happening, and there they were, sitting in front of their computers playing World of Warcraft. It made me really upset that I did all this work to collaborate these things together, and they decided to play some game that wasn't going to go anywhere. I stopped talking with both of them for about six months. They both finally came to the realization that they should quit and do something better with their time considering they both gained about twenty-five pounds, and their friends stopped talking with them. Plus, both of their computers continued to crash, so they weren't able to play anymore.

Lets Read It Now
I Just Read A Book For Nothing
Length between the two videos: 2:34
Description: The boys of South Park (Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman) are asked to read: Catcher in the Rye, by Mr. Garrison. He forewarns the class that the book is filled with vulgar language and risque parts. The boys read the book, but didn't understand why the book was banned or suppose to be vulgar or risque. Butters on the other hand is influenced by the book and see's a deeper meaning in what he has read.
Chapters: Media Impact and Books (Chapters 2 and 3)
Quiz Question: What model of "Force of Effects" did the book play on Butters after he read Catcher in the Rye?
Answer: Powerful-Effects Model.

Inside the World of Warcraft
Length: 2:05
Description: The boys are at it again on the internet playing World of Warcraft. In this clip, it shows how children pick up newer technologies and its lingo faster than there parent counterpart and how these games can be very addictive if played for a certain amount of time. Also, the guy that is going around killing is a hacker.
Chapters: Media Impact and Internet (Chapters 2 and 10)
Quiz Question: What does MMORPG stand for?
Answer: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games.

Recording

Just as of a couple weeks ago, Talib Kweli released his album "Gutter Rainbows." The whole album is amazing. Each song has a great sound, flow, and beat. "So Low" is my favorite track on this album because his word play and rhyming skills are so superior to those that are in mainstream rap. Also, the sound and the beat of this track is mellow and soothing. 

Talib Kweli: "So Low"

My favorite recording artist of all time has to be Murs. He started off with the group Living Legends, then broke off to do his own thing. His music is easy to listen to, one of a kind, and inspirational. One of my favorite verses is from his song "Can It Be (Half A Million Dollars And 18 Months Later):

And a wise man old me man like life

is like a table full of like glasses of water
and your job is to keep them all full
you know what I'm sayin 
so everyone’s happy but at the same time
you got to keep your pitcher full of water 
so you can fill everybody else up
and it’s like damn

Murs is a unique artist of the underground scene and I hope there are more albums to come from him and his producer 9th Wonder. 

Murs Freestyle

Murs: Can It Be (Half A Million Dollars And 18 Months Later)

Talib Kweli I got from itunes, but I've been purchasing Murs CDs for years. I also have the Murs albums on itunes as well. 

My Magazine

Title: Cocktails
Concept: In this magazine, we are going to look at how people can improve cocktails, cocktail of the month, top bars through all fifty states (new state and bars each month), how to start up your own bar (new tips each month), look at pubs of the world each month, recipes for cocktails, different spirits, wines, and beers, and food pairings.
Readers: My magazine would attract men and women from ages of 21 to 55. It would attract people that enjoy traveling, those who have a great taste for wines, spirits, and beer, and also for businesses (bars and restaurants) that are looking for new ideas on how they could improve there selection of cocktails and recipes. I would say this magazine would attract more of a white audience, but I believe it can entice everyone.
Competitors: "Cocktails" would be more informative on every subject which pertains to spirits, wine, and beer. Also, each issue will give insight and tips for starting your own bar (in home and business), and lastly, each issue will have new recipes for cocktails from different spirits.
Five Advertisers: I would have Rideell glassware, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Sierra Nevada Brewery, Skyy Vodka, and Alexander Valley Wines.

Five Articles: How to improve your Bloody Mary, Is Crystal better than Glass?, New Wines for 2011, Top 25 Skyy Vodka recipes, and Difference between Whiskey and Bourbon.