Can you say Mah-Loo-Lah-Knee?

What Kind of Media Consumer am I Now?

2006-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

I went back and read my first post prior to writing this. I found that I am definately a more concious consumer. I find myself criticizing almost, if not, everything that I watch, especially commercials. Commercials have never irritated me so much. I have no idea who comes up with the commercials, but they have been just awful lately.

Even when I watch television shows I find myself criticizing and analyzing the small things. Questioning how they could miss those little mistakes.

I found that my view as a media consumer has definately changed. I am more critical and more concious of what I am watching. I find that although I may still consume the same media, I am much more annoyed with it all.

I think that this class has definately changed my perspective and my views. I definately would be the same consumer without this class.

For Your Career

2006-12-11T22:45:00.000-08:00

On my home page is a list of the latest top stories. Well the top stories aren't always the most important stories or the most controversial, sometimes they are just the most interesting.

When I logged on to check my email today, I found an article entitled 2006's Career Dos and Don'ts as somewhat of a last goodbye, to the class anyway, I suggest reading the article.

It is exactly what it says--a list of dos and don'ts to further your career.

I would have to say that the most important "don't" that they list is to not compromise your ethical judgement.

I beleive, that especially for the line of work that most of us are interested in, the ability to retain one's ethical judgement is extremely important.

Although the semester is ending, I am sure that most of us will still continue to blog because as Lilly has pointed out, blogging will be a vital part of all of our careers. Times are clearly changing and blogging is becoming mainstream, so it is with that knowledge that I recommend my own "do" for your career.

Do - write. Whether you continue to blog, keep a journal, or even write for the Spartan Daily. Writing can help your future, so why not?

Kawakami Shines Some Light

2006-12-11T22:21:00.000-08:00

I need you to bear with me on this, several of my posts are going to happen within the next few minutes, mostly because I have a lot of opinions and I haven't had the time to share them.

The first thing I want to share is that blogs are quite interesting. Well, I actually think that I may have said this several times over the course of the semester, but this time I say it with a positive tone. I am very optimistic about the way the world of blogs seems to be heading. Although I am not a big fan of regulated writing, I have found that when there is something to write about, the posts seem to fly by.

Well, I must say that I have finally found a blog that will suit me just fine. It is a blog that is published by a sports writer for the San Jose Mercury news. I have found that often times when I find myself reading the sports page it is usually an article by Tim Kawakami and it is usually about the 49ers or, when the season permits, the San Francisco Giants. That is my dream, well not really. But I do love reading about my teams.

Although it may have taken me all semester to learn this--blogs are good. They can be used as learning tools (Lilly's blog) and they can also be used for entertainment purposes (Kawakami's blog). I can honestly say that I may be finding myself reading a few more blogs.

Why Men Cheat

2006-12-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Today I logged onto SBC Yahoo (or excuse me, it is now AT&T Yahoo) to check my email. At the top of my home page there is a list of the top 4 news stories and articles. At the point that I logged on today, I found myself staring at a title that stated Mystery of the Sexes: 4 Reasons Why Men Cheat.

I clicked on the link because its title intrigued me. I have found that people blog about just about anything. One of those topics being Why Men Cheat. I have always wondered why they cheat. Not that women don't cheat, but in my experience, men have a tendency to cheat more often. When I saw the link that supposedly explains the phenomenon, I began to wonder how they would justify a man's inability to be monogomous.

The reasons that they eventually came up with seem to be excuses--at least to me.

Take for instance their reasoning of a need to fulfill his biology. What kind of reasoning is that? I would like to know where in their biology it says that they are going to cheat.

Now I have taken chemistry and I have studied the cell and the brain and many other parts of the human body, including the deoxyribonucleic acid, otherwise known as DNA. And I am pretty sure that we didn't study the part where a man's DNA comes with the "cheating cell."

I have never been cheated on myself, but I know women that have been, so this blog makes no sense to me. There is no pre-destined reason for a man to cheat, they cheat for reasons that I myself cannot explain, but I highly doubt that it's because their DNA says so.

You're a Brave Motherf*****

2006-11-29T13:15:00.000-08:00

Over a week ago, Michael Richards, was the topic of all conversation. The former Seinfeld star was performing at a comedy club when hecklers apparently broke him down. In the middle of his show, he began yelling back at a black heckler.

This normally would not be a huge ordeal. A heckler at a comedy club, what news. Richards made himself the headline in many online stories when, instead of ignoring the heckler, he allowed himself to be bothered by the comments and he lashed back.

He shouted, "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f****** fork up your ass."

Crude comments show what can happen when a comedian loses control on stage. Under normal circumstances, with an unknown comedian, this would not have been an issue. There would be no story because no one would care about a random comedian making a racist comment, I'm sure it happens all the time.

Richards' former co-star Jerry Seinfeld appeared on the Tonight Show with David Letterman a few days after the incident with Richards occured. He encouraged Richards to appear on the show to submit a formal and public apology. It was then that Richards, via satellite, apologized on national television.

Racist statements stem from racist thoughts.

In his apology he stated, "I'm not a racist, that's what's so insane about this."

Or so he says.

The fact of the matter is this; Richards was pissed and in the heat of the moment he made some racial comments. Richards may insist he is not a racist, but for now, until society figures out the truth, I suggest they stick him upside down with a f****** fork up his ass.

Post Black Friday

2006-11-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

Black Friday was HELL!!!!

Or at least it was supposed to be.

Can I first say that Thursday night (Friday morning) was probably the coldest of the season up to that point, yet when I came to work at 4:30am, there was still a line all the way around the building and out onto the sidewalk of El Camino Real. My first thought was that these people are insane. I froze my ass off walking into the building so there is no way I could even imagine standing in the freezing cold over night just to get a good deal on a television. Is it really worth it?

Apparently it was, at least to those that were standing in line.

Here’s how it worked at Best Buy.

The most prominent items we had on sale were plasma and LCD televisions and laptops. At 4am we handed out tickets to the people in line that wanted those items (we handed out as many tickets as we had of the items). Once the store opened, the only way to get a television or a laptop was to have a ticket for that specific item, if you didn’t have a ticket, you were shit out of luck.

Now prior to our doors opening at the shinning hour of 5am, we had a staff meeting where our managers explained to us, that the day was about having fun and they told us not to worry if customers complained, because it was going to happen and there was nothing we could do about.

As the doors opened, I prepared myself for a stampede; however, I was in no one’s path to the product that they wanted and to be honest there was no stampede. What I did see was amusing. The first few people through the door walked—really no thrill there. Then the people with carts started coming in. My co-worker and I laughed, because really, why would you take a cart when there is hardly any room to walk in the store let alone bring a cart. Then we saw the funniest thing. A couple had taken a cart and used it to put there blankets and chairs (that they had been using outside) on. They attempted to run while pushing the cart, but each time they hit a corner they had to stop to put their blankets and chairs back on the cart. They wasted more time trying to keep their stuff in the cart then actually shopping.

I must say, I was entertained just watching people come in the door. Then the interesting stuff started. I have no idea how many customers I pissed off that day, but I guarantee that number is high. I did not intentionally piss them off, but as the day went on, it just happened.

I worked Black Friday about 3 years ago and from what I remembered it was so much fun. People were all over the place and product was all over the place, but no one cared, it was a day for wheeling and dealing. It was a blast.

This year, Black Friday was not the thrill that I remembered it to be.

Yes it was busy and yes it was crazy, but not quite what I expected.

Overall, I must say I am very disappointed in Black Friday, because it really was not that bad. I wanted it to be crazy. I got normality. I wanted a stampede. I got a nice stroll. I wanted something different. I got the same every day routine only with more people.

Maybe next year will be different, but at that point, I may not be in retail any more (at least hopefully).

Degrassi

2006-11-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

If you have never heard of Degrassi, then I am honestly not suprised.

Degrassi: The Next Generation is a television show which is set in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the story lines focus on the lives of students that attend (originally) Degrassi Junior High and more prominently Degrassi High School.

The show focuses the trials and tribulations of teenagers in school. Although there are many televisions show on tv which ultimately focus on such topics, Degrassi goes beyond traditionally topics to cover school shootings, lesbian relationships, a gay male struggling to come out to his family, and many other very controversial topics, at least here in the United States.

Degrassi airs on CTV (Canadian Television) and is rebroadcast on The-N, a channel in the United States owned by MTV Networks (Viacom).

Although this show focuses on the lives of teenagers in Canada, I have found it to be extremely relevant to situations we have here in the United States. Issues with teenage drinking, pregnancy, bi-polar disorder, and even child abuse are often discussed on this show. And it is their controversial topics and sex appeal on the show that continues to draw in viewers. Teenagers and young adults today seem to be more interested in a more "real" depiction of teenagers and in today's society that means, sex, drugs, and even more sex. Now although the show never actually shows people having sex, it does allude to the idea or more than one occasion.

As mentioned before there have been many episodes in which controversial themes have presented themselves. These themes are realistic and show ALL the angles on a dangerous and controversial situation. When an episode aired involving a school shooting, Degrassi should the events that led up to the shooting, the thoughts in the shooters head, and the dangers and reprecussions that occured becuase of the event.
A number of different episodes aired in which one of the characters was pregnant. The episodes tracked the girl's relationship with her boyfriend building up to the pregnancy and the events that unravel during, and what they ultimately decide to do with the baby in the end and the reprecussions and emotions involved in the entire process.

Some of the episodes are heartbreaking, their messages are so strong and resounding, that it is hard to imagine that things like this happen in high schools every day inside the country, and based off the fact that Degrassi is based in Canada, I would assume these things even occur outside of the country.

This television, although maybe not the only one of its kind, has a strong message to send to its viewers--you are not alone. If you are ever thinking that you are alone in thinking what it is you do, then think again. Wherever you are, whatever you are thinking, someone else is thinking the same thing too.

For me personally, I may be a lot older than the target audience, but I find the show somewhat on point for how high school was. Okay, so maybe I didn't have a school shooting and I didn't know someone that was bi-polar, and I didn't get pregnant in high school, but I will tell you this. I knew someone that shot himself the night of prom, my sister got pregnant in high school, and the star football player died in a car accident the summer before our senior year (and these things are just the tip of the ice berg).

So my theory is--my school my not be nearly as exciting as Degrassi, and Degrassi may be a little over dramatic, but it is as close to real as you can get without having to put a camera inside a highschool. They cover real issues. They cover what for many people is real life.

So the next time you are channel surfing and you see Degrassi stop and take a look, it may over do it just a bit, but you'll laugh, you'll get involved, and you'll understand.

PS3...The Newest High

2006-11-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

Before I get too deep into my post, I must first ask a few simple questions.

Have you ever been camping?
Have you ever played a video game?
Have you ever wanted to buy or bought a video game console?

Now, the tricky question...

Have you ever wanted to buy a video game console so badly that you went camping over night just to be the first person in line when the store opens?

If you have, I must say, you are crazy.
Well, maybe not you, but there are some crazy people out there.

As I arrived at work yesterday (remeber I work at Best Buy), I walked around the corner of the building, from my car to the door, and I almost fell over a tent.
YES! A tent!
Random, right?

Why, you ask?
Well in case you have been living in a bubble for the last few weeks, the only way to explain why they were waiting in line is to simply say, IT'S COMING!!!

Yes, PS3 is on its way.

It is set to be released on Friday, November 17, 2006.
Yes, that is this Friday.

So, please enlighten me as to why people are camping out for almost an entire business week just to get one.
The answer:
MONEY!!!

The systems are selling for $500 and $600 the difference in price being the difference in memory of the player.

Why so expensive?
The newest birth of Playstation has actually become part of the next generation DVD family. Capable of playing Blue-Ray discs, it will be the cheapest Blue-Ray player on the market (the rest starting at $999).
The PS3 will be the highest resolution on the gaming market. It will be the only gaming system to harbor 1080p compatiblity (the highest television resolution in the market).
Yet, does that make the system worth camping out for?
Why not wait?
As I said before, the answer:
MONEY!

Money is the answer because I can almost guarantee that every single one of the people waiting in line outside my work are going to purchase the PS3, turn around, and sell it on E-Bay for two if not three times the price they paid for it. It is like having a black market for video games, with many people willing to pay top dollar for the latest high.

You are probably thinking to yourself how I can possibly relate video games and consoles to drugs. It is simple.
They are both ADDICTING.
They truly are.
When I was younger, and sometimes even now, with my old school (Super) Ninentdo, I have found myself, procrastinating homework by picking up the controller and turning the system on. Each time knowing that I had homework that needed to get done. Each time saying only one more level. After each level, I would tell myself only one more level, one more life, one more secret. After each "one more" time goes by.
Life passes you by.
Soon I look out the window and it is dark.
I check my clock and it's past midnight.
Where did the day go?

Now if that can happen to me, with the insanely old graphics that the SuperNintendo has, I can only imagine what will happen to the people who purchase the PS3.
I can only imagine what is already happening to people in this world.
People so consumed with video games and sitting in front of a television to play a virtual reality role playing game (or for those video gamers out there, an RPG) that they miss the world around them.
I do not understand how people can let real life pass them by for video games.
For--VIRTUAL REALITY.
Is reality that bad?

My suggestion...

Get out of line.
Get a job.
Go back to work.
Stay in school.
Get an education.
And maybe, just maybe, one day you will see that there is more to life than video games.
And if you don't see that, then go work for a video game company, and create video games, at least that is ultimately somewhat productive; however you would be contributing to the addiction.
If nothing else, please just stand up and walk away.
It is not hard.
As I said before,
It is actually

VERY SIMPLE.

Chicken Little says, "The Sky is Falling"

2006-11-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

Chicken Little is a genius.
An Evil Genius

He predicted our future.

The Sky truly is falling.
But maybe not for the reasons you think.

It is needless to say that the world is coming to an end.

The world's most perfect couple has filed for divorce.

If you are unaware who I am talking about, I ask you this:
Where have you been all week?

The man known as "Mr. Spears" is no more.
On Tuesday, November 7, 2006, Britney Spears filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences." Spears has filed for full custody of her children allowing Federline visitation rights. She is not requesting child support and would like the court to have each party pay their own attorney's fees.

In case you didn't know, the soon-to-be former Mr. Spears, is none other than Kevin Federline, or better known as K-Fed the almost up and coming rapper.
I say almost up and coming, because he is attempting to launch his career, however, in my opinion he is only feeding off of his marriage to pop mogul Britney Spears.

Spears and Federline married in 2004 and their relationship has since been the focus of Hollywood gossip.
Their relationship has been compared to the relationship between Spears' former beau, Justin Timberlake and Cameronn Diaz.
And now the gossip about a possible reconciliation between Spears and Timberlake is the talk of the town.

I am not sure if people realize it, and maybe I am adding to the hype, which I am sure that I am, but do people realize that there are more important things in life than the divorce of a couple that was doomed to dissipate.
When Timberlake was asked if he had anything to say about the divorce of his former Mickey Mouse Clubber, he simply stated:
"Yeah, there's a war going on in Iraq."

Point Taken

Our society has become so engrossed in the lives of celebrities that we have lost sight on what really matters.
More people vote for the next American Idol than vote for the next President of our country.
Is that something that we, as a country, are proud of?
Me, personally, no.

Yes, I am taking the time to write about the divorce of one of Hollywood's hottest couples, but do I do it on a regular basis.
No

My life, or at least this last week, has been overtaken by "news."
I have not been able to turn on the television or the radio in my car with out hearing about the latest divorce in Hollywood.
Is that news?
Again, my answer is No.

In the words of Justin Timberlake, "...There is a war going on in Iraq."
Forget about what is going on in Hollywood.
Step outside the bubble.
Do not be taken over by the "news" we know today.

Stop caring about the insignificant moments, and create significant ones.

As the title of my post says, "The Sky is Falling." It truly is. Today's society is more involved in the goings on of Hollywood, than the reality that is the future of this country.
From war with Iraq to nuclear threats from North Korea, why is it that we find more people reading gossip columns or magazines than the World section of the newspaper.
What is our World coming to?

And so I say again,
The world is ending, not because Spears is filing for a long awaited divorce, not because Benifer has not existed for years, not because Jen and Brad are no longer together, and certainly not because Justin Timberlake will eventually stop bringing "Sexy Back."
The world is ending becaue no one seems to care.

I leave you again with the words of the famous and rather small
Chicken Little,

"THE SKY IS FALLING"

A Day of Giving, Taking, and lots and lots of Waiting

2006-11-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

My last post was not exactly related to the media, it involved more venting about society than relating society to the media. So this will be my post. Hopefully I can find something equally entertaining to discuss.

I've got it.

BLACK FRIDAY!!!!!

For those of you who have never worked in retail, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. The day, at least for workers, from HELL!

It is a day, for some consumers, that is anticipated all year long. A day when products are sold well below cost to draw consumers in to meet revenue budgets and find a new consumer base for the holiday shopping season.

For retailers, it is a day that never ends. A day that marks the beginning of the end. It means no more vacations, no more slow days, no more relaxing during the slow season of retail. It also means more customers, more problems, more returns, more rude customers, and more people looking to get a "deal."

Now, I work in retail, I haven't always, but I did once before and I remember Black Friday well. To me, it means long lines, a long day, and a whole bunch of paperwork (my next post will probably be about weekly ads from an advertisers perspective...I have the idea now, we'll see if I remember it for next time).

Am I prepared for it this year, not at all. Am I looking forward to it, hell yes. I will miss having slow days where all we do is watch football all day long (Sunday's in an electronic store are great). But the fun that comes along with long shifts that go by quickly is exciting and something that I look forward too. Yes, I know, I am a dork, and probably one of a kind, but I don't care. I am okay with it.

I look forward to Black Friday, because it brings back memories. I remember when I was younger, going shopping with my mother first thing in the morning, sleeping in the line until my mom woke me up because the line was moving. However, now, with school and work, waiting in line for a sale seems silly.

Black Friday has become something like a holiday in the United States. People camp out at all the hottest stores waiting for the doors to open. Running like a stampede to get the latest and greatest for the lowest price anyone has ever seen.

Families get together on Thanksgiving to enjoy a wonderful turkey dinner and afterwards, at least in my family, we look at the ads. Not because we plan on shopping in the morning, we just want to see what's out there. We got tired of being one of the crazy people getting up at 3am just to go shopping. It doesn't seem worth it anymore.

Being a full-time student and working full-time has definitely made me appreciate my sleep. Not that I could shop if I wanted to, I work at 4:30 in the morning, but even still, would I if I could. Probably not. But it sure is fun just thinking about the day. And even though I know I can't shop, and knowing that I work all day long, I still look forward to seeing the ads, as I am sure millions of other people do too. Are you one of those people?

Each year, Black Friday is getting more and more dangerous. If y ou are one of the people going shopping that day, or even if you are working, be careful. Watch your feet, protect your belongings, and hang on to your kids--or better yet, leave the unnecessary items at home, that includes kids. Put the credit cards, cell phones, and keys in your pockets and leave everything else at home, its the safest place to be on Black Friday.

Look out, the closer it gets to Christmas, the more advertisers attack.

As for me, I like danger, bring it on!!!

1 + 1 = 2, or does it?

2006-11-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

My friend and I were walking around campus today, in between classes, and we came across a stand for the San Jose Spartan Cheerleaders. Apparently, they were having a bake sale. Now my initial reaction to cheerleaders, I must say, is not good. I immediately think that they are not that bright, but in today's society, people can surprise you. So lately I have been trying to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that cheerleaders are smarter than I have always stereotyped them to be.

So my friend and I walk over to this stand to check and see if they are selling anything good. It turns out that they had rice krispies treats and my friend wanted a donut too. So we end up getting two rice krispies treats at $.75 each and one donut at $.75 each. Can you do the math? I will tell you one thing, the cheerleader that helped us sure couldn't.

.75 + .75 = 1.50 + .75 = ???? Oh, yeah, $2.25.

My friend hands her a twenty dollar bill and the look on her face was priceless, she froze, it seemed as though she was unable to comprehend the situation.

$20.00 - $2.25 = ????

So my friend tries to help her out. He hands her $.25. Which to most people would make the math easier. But to a cheerleader, apparently it causes even more confusion.

So the math has come down to this...

$20.25 - $2.25 =

In her words..."he gets $18, right?" After saying so, she looked at her fellow cheerleaders trying to find her answer.

My friend and I both looked at her with shame and disgrace.

As we walked away, we couldn't help but laugh. We both felt bad, but as much as we both try to eliminate the stereotypes we place on cheerleaders, it seems as though, whenever we give them the benefit of the doubt, they shoot us down and make the stereotype worse than it already is.

Is it possible for a cheerleader to make it to a California State University and not understand how to make change for a simple transaction. It confuses me, no wait, it completely baffles me. I worked hard to get my Associates Degree to get here, the only public school in California, that at the time of application, to offer Public Relations as a major. But is it so simple to get in to this school that you don't even have to know how to do math? How does it happen? How do they do it? What has the world come to? It is no wonder why the adults of today's society are so concerned for the education of our youth. I am too.

Not My Cup of Tea

2006-11-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

So, apparently metablogging is not my cup of tea, I tried, but I failed. I read Scoble's blog about companies blogging and I attempted to write my own blog about it, but honestly, I either don't have much of an opinion about it, or I'm just have blogging block. I'm not quite sure.

Let me try one more time. Company blogging seems to be something that should be determined on a case by case basis. If a company has even one employee that would be interested in blogging, why stop them. In my opinion, stopping them from blogging would make the company appear to be the bad guy, in a sense.

Blogging is all about opinions, sharing them with others or just writing it out for yourself. Sometimes it is venting, sometimes it is based on something seen, read or even heard. But is it harmful if an employee vents or rants about a hard day at work? NO. How could it be? I work for Best Buy and every once in a while I have a bad day at work. If I were to blog about my day and the crappy customers that I had to deal with, do you really think that would effect the company at all? Probably not. There are some days that I have great days at work and I want to come home and tell someone about it, would it be wrong if I decided to blog about it? No. What if I wanted to blog about the goings on at work, the lastest and greatest things happening, would that be bad? No.

So why is it that Apple does not allow their employees to have a company blog? I don't know, but I will say this, I don't understand what the big deal is; if they want to blog, let them blog. It is not going to hurt any one.

And I must say, blogging about blogging is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Si tu quiere que me coma...que?

2006-10-31T00:45:00.000-08:00

Esa hevita esta enterita tiene tremendo CULO!
esta tan linda, esta tan rica, tiene tremendo CULO!
que rica chiquita, pero que importa si tiene tremendo CULO!
Has me el favor y meneate chica tienes tremendo CULO!

For those of you not familiar with the fiendish stylings of Pitbull, he is one of the hottest people in the music industry right now. He has total command of the newest wave of rap music--REGGAETON--a style of music that contains a mixture of hip hop beats and the latin beats of salsa. He has brought us this music through songs like "Culo," "Toma," and "Dammit Man." Pitbull, along with other artists--Paula Deanda, Yung Joc, Mistah Fab, Danity Kane, Brooke Hogan, Ludacris, and none other then the Bay Area's own, E-40--hosted Wild 94.9's BOO BOMB concert last night at the HP Pavillion.

Let me just say that I can hardly speak, I have a ringing in my ears that just does not want to go away, and for some reason, lets just say I need my inhaler (my being an asthmatic and bothered by smoke).

I was in school yesterday and as I was waiting for the lightrail to come, I was on the phone with my friend who was attending the concert (at the time, my plan was to go home and get some homework done). She informed me that she and her cousin may have an extra ticket--need I say that I jumped at the opportunity to procrastinate more homework and attend a concert with some of the hottest names in the music industry.

So, come 7 p.m. I find myself sitting in the upper level of the HP Pavillion listening to music and waiting for the concert to begin. Although Wild 94.9 announced that the concert had sold out in a mere 5 hours, looking around, more than 75% of the seats were empty with a little under a half an hour before the concert began.

At 7:30 p.m. the show began with its opening act, Paula Deanda. There were a few technical problems and the first song was barely audible over the screech of the microphone, the second song I had never heard and it was at this moment that I found myself rather bored. During her third and final song, a man walked on stage and began to sing with her, to my surprise, amazement, and excitement it was Baby Bash (I can honestly say I was no longer bored, he sexy, sultry voice brought me to my feet, screaming and yelling like I was a teenie bopper again). But as soon as he began, he just as soon ended and I was back in my seat.

Next up, Yung Joc. He is still somewhat new to the music industry, however he does have a huge amount of popularity, especially amoung this crowd (from what I noticed). I am not familiar with many of his songs, so much like with Paula Deanda's appearance, I found myself in my seat much of the time (bored and unamused).

Then, the smooth talking Chingy appeared on stage and I found myself evolving back to my younger self once again. Standing up, cheering, singing, having fun (a new concept to me--at least recently anyways).

Then the concert changed, at least for the moment. The concert at that moment, became not only fun, but exremely intense. My friend and I found ourselves at the bottom of the stairs (still so far away, but feeling so much closer), screaming our lungs out, dancing up a storm, and having the time of our lives. And for who do you ask? The love of my life, or at least for the moment, PITBULL. He was only on stage for 20 - 30 minutes, but it lasted a lifetime and I never wanted it to end, but it did, and it ended badly.

The apparently popular Mistah Fab followed Pitbull, disappointing me and allowing me to find my way back to my seat to, shall we say, calm down. Now, I am sure I have heard of his songs, because I found myself reciting some of the lyrics, however, I am not good with artist names and song titles, so before this concert I could not tell you who he was or what he sang/rapped, and to be honest, I probably still couldn't.

Then the concert changed, for the worse. As I said before, there were a few artists preceding this point, which did not amuse me as much as I think they should have, but the next artist, almost killed me. It could just be me, but I am fairly positive that artists are supposed to keep people going, dancing, screaming and having fun, but at this point, I think almost the entire arena took a bathroom break, because the goings on in the halls and in the bathrooms were much more exciting and entertaining than DANITY KANE. They had to be the least exciting performers, they spent most of their time on stage talking, and when they did sing, dare I say that it was horrid--they cannot harmonize, they cannot dance, and worst of all they cannot entertain a crowd, hence the going to the bathroom. When they exited the stage, I must say, I cheered, loudly. And then the arena went dark.

A spot light came on stage, and there was a man. One needing no introduction, one by the name of Hogan, Hulk Hogan. This, for me, was a complete turn around from the previous act, because Hulk Hogan is an icon. I remember watching him when I was younger, in the good 'ole days of the WWF and the WCW. He was one stage for a matter of minutes as he introduced his daughter, singer Brooke Hogan. She is very new to the industry, and she has a few issues with dancing and singing at the same time, but at 5'8" she commands the stage and did as good of a job as can be expected. I suspect she may not leave a legacy quite like her father's, but she will definately make a name for herself (hopefully a good one).

Then my heart skipped a beat as the one and only Ludacris walked on stage. And I found that kid in me one more time. Dancing, screaming (or at least attempting to, at this point I think I had lost my voice during the first song), and enjoying what I hoped would not end, at least any time soon. But my hopes came crashing down, when his performance finally ended.

The stage was then taken over, by the Bay, or excuse me, the Yay Area's own E-40. And I must say that the entire crowd was going, well stupid. Until it ended, with a round of "Tell me when to go" and ending with the lights coming up and E-40 walking off stage. That was it, that was the end, I honestly expected more, at least for the ending.

Overall, the concert was a blast, with a few drawbacks in the beginning and a few near the middle, but the good points outweighed the bad. The arena was sold out and and I had almost forgotten what it was like to attend a concert, until that night. But one thing I can tell you I haven't missed over the years, is the people smoking weed, blacks and even cigarettes. Most people there were probably about my age, if not older, so why is it they have yet to grow up? But that is a different post for a different time.

Let me leave you with this--concerts are for entertainment, they bring you back to your youth (or as I call them, the good 'ol days). But when at concerts, although they may make you feel young again, remember you are still an adult, and you should always carry yourself in such a manner.

The Tropics Create Controversy

2006-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

I originally wanted to write about the press conference that was held yesterday, but I have recently decided otherwise. In my Media Law class this morning we had a guest speaker, Mangus Toren. He is the foremost expert on a man named Henry Miller. For those of you that are unaware, Henry Miller was a writer in the '50s and '60s. His most famous books Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn were banned, citing that the book did not promote puritan values. Miller fought a long and hard battle over the issue of censorship and it is this case that has changed the world of censorship.

Now, I had honestly never heard of Henry Miller before this class and I still have yet to read his books, but our guest speaker did read a passage from the book; a passage that was only on page five of the book, but was the reason that many people on the side of the prosecution decided to, in fact, prosecute Miller. At the time that these books were published and Miller was prosecuted, the society was much different from today. It was not as open and, in a sense, understanding as today (not to say that today's society is understanding, just more so).

As I said, I had never heard of these books before, but my interest is now sparked and I look forward to finding out why people wanted this books banned. It seems to me that the more people try to prevent you from doing something, the more you want to do it. And in this case, I specially hold that to be true. Maybe you'll be like me too and have some new reading material.

But I Like the Cookie...

2006-10-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

Originally released to theatres on May 19, 2006, the film did not go over too well with critics, but how often to most people actually agree with critic's opinions. For me, I have yet to agree with a critic.
I had been anticipating the release of Over the Hedge for months. I love cartoons and with Dream Works I usually never go wrong. However with Over the Hedge I am still undecided as to whether or not I am satisfied. The movie is about a group of animals that live in a local forest, and hibernate over the long winter. When they wake up in Spring, they find that the local habitat that they have grown accustomed to is gone and has been replaced with the lastest in suburban homes. They meet a new friend, RJ (voiced by Bruce Willis), an overly confident racoon, who is indebted to a bear for stealing his food. Verne, a very timid turtle, has his reservations about allowing RJ into his life and the lives of his friends, Stella, (voiced by Wanda Sykes), a skunk with attitude; Hammy (voiced by Steve Carrell), a hyperactive squirrel that goes into overdrive with the tiniest bit of sugar, and many others.

The movie, although a little slow in the beginning, takes its audience into a world of animals that survive off of searching for their food--animals that people constantly find digging through their trash. I found the movie to be mildly entertaining, with certain characters drawing more interest than others. Often the conflict between passive Verne and aggressive RJ creates an interesting story line on its own. This cartoon, like many others, invites its audience to care for the animals in such a way that concern is soon drawn to their survival.

Overall, the movie is not made for an attentive audience over the age of 12 (unless you are some one like me, a really big kid). There are few parts of the movie which may be amusing to adults, but unless the movie is watched with children, I find it hard to believe that the audiences attention will be held.

(This is my opinion of how the movie will be viewed, however, I am still a grown up child, so my opinion of how the movie will be viewed is different from how I actually viewed the movie)

Weird Al

2006-10-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

The other day I created a post about Weird Al and today I found that he is actually in the news. It is an interesting article, check it out.

Viewer Discretion is Not Only Advised, It's Required

2006-10-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Over the past ten minutes it has become clear to me that chosing a relevent topic, that associates both media and society, but at the same time is an entertaining subject to even consider discussing, is going to be a rather difficult task.

So I began to ponder the question "what is relevant?" To answer this question, all I had to do was turn to our notes and focus from last week. Radio and television are two forms of media that over the more recent years have been changing. You're probably thinking, "duh?" Well, have you ever thought about the fact that the censorship of both mediums has changed? If you've never thought about it, that does not mean that it hasn't happened.

Think about this 50 years ago I Love Lucy was airing on television and during their long run on the air, did you ever see Lucy and Ricky kiss the way you see people on TV today? That seems like an odd question, but it is true. At the time it was controversial to give one another a "peck," but today only giving your significant other a "peck" would classify you as a prude. About 20 years ago, Full House premiered in a time when family shows were what people wanted to see. There was absolutely no sex, no violence (except for an episode that airred discussing domestic violence), and no foul language. They shows of the time revolved around "real families," "real situations/issues," and what was considered to be "real life." But it wasn't any of that, at least to me.

It has been interesting to see how times have changed over the years. For instance, today, you have the ability to watch one of the hottest shows on television--Nip Tuck and in one episode you will probably learn more about sex than you ever could have learned on television before. Nip Tuck takes you into the world of sex and plastic surgery. What was once inexcusalbe to discuss, let alone watch on television, has now become somewhat of a standard on some cable channels, and even local channels (those that consumers do not have to pay for) are continuing to push the limits of what is and what is not allowed to be viewed or heard on television.

It is amazing to see how media is adapting itself to society. Although this is not a new concept, it is one that continues to baffle me. We are an ever growing society; we are becoming more and more sophisticated, yet, we in order to entertain ourselves we watch television shows that promote, for lack of a better term, that "sex sells." My question to you is, what is this society coming to? What happened to the "good 'ole days," you know when things were simple, easy, and care free.

Be Not Afraid of Greatness...

2006-10-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

I watch TV. Not as often as when I was younger, but probably just a little bit more than I should. There are shows that I am an avid fan of and wouldn't miss for anything. If I am out when the show airs, I have it recorded so I can watch it at my discretion. Now, although there are a few shows that I currently watch, and over the years there have been quite a few that I have adored, I have found the task of naming three great shows increasingly difficult. I love the shows I watch, but are they great? I would have to say no, they have no underlying message, they have no purpose other than to entertain and for a short period of time, they do somewhat educate, but does that make them worthy of greatness? William Shakespeare once wrote, "Be not afraid of greatness, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" (from his play The Twelth Night).

It is hard, not impossible, to find someone that does not recognize the picture to the right. But when people see this picture what images come to their mind? For me, I imagine a woman in her early to mid-thirties with bright red curly hair and an even more vibrant personality. Her name is Lucy, she is married to a strapping young man named Ricky.

The show was somewhat "of the time." I say this because, although the show was in black and white, there was one line of color that was crossed, a line had never been crossed before (at least to my knowledge). The show began in the early '50s and ran through to the late '50s, it was a time when there was no such thing as the term interracial and the thought of the word was never discussed. But "I Love Lucy" both defied the 'norm' and enhanced a stereotype by creating a television show based off of the real life relationship of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. In today's society this television show would be completely acceptable, but in the '50s this show made way for the television and the open society that we currently know today.

"The Cosby Show" came along about 30 years later and, like "I Love Lucy," it shared a message that not many other television shows of the time did. "The Cosby Show" was about an all black family and their daily lives. Prior to "The Cosby Show" there were other shows which focused on black families, but none took up quite the popularity of "The Cosby Show." It showcased the idea that although the Cosby family may have a different skin color, they can still be of middle to upper-middle class, they can have a big family filed with love, and they can most certainly lead their lives just as other families do. The Cosby family presented the idea that a black mother can have a successful career while the husband has a successful career and they can successfully raise a family. "The Cosby Show" although not the first of its kind, it created a message that resonated with a much larger and broader audience.

In today's society it seems to be getting harder to find a "Great" television show. That is not to say that there aren't many shows still left to name that are great, but not that I can find myself familiar with. My unfamiliarity with "Great" television shows leads me to my third choice. I have to say that there are so many others that preceed this show on the list of "greatness" but without the knowledge of these shows, I find myself in no position to judge. So the show I find myself calling my third choice for great television show is "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." You may be asking yourself how I can find this television show to be "great," well I say to you that I watch the show almost religiously and it is from this show that I have learned about how crime scene investigation works. Now, this is not to say that the show is true to the core,
But, nonetheless, it teaches you, if nothing else, how to commit a crime and get away with it. This show has made way for numerous other television shows of its kind, as well as ones similar in style. Although this television show has not made a great impact on society itself, it has done incredible things for the world of television.

Shows have changed since the early days of television, but one thing that has not changed is the ability of many televisions shows to capture an audience and influence society. Television shows are like books, they invite you into their world and take you away for a short period of time. Whether it is a world of darkness and murder, or light-hearted comedy that keeps you laughing from start to finish. Television is just like the technology that surrounds it, always evolving, always changing, and forever leaving imprints and memories of our favorite characters in our minds. I mean, who could possibly forget to take their "Vitaveatyvemeanyminimoe."

A Voice of Reason

2006-10-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

So I haven't heard anything about Howard Stern since his movie Private Parts was in theatres. I don't remember how old I was when all the big hype about censoring Howard Stern was going on, what I do know is that for some he shaped the idea of uncensored radio, for others, he was just a crazy man ranting on the radio about who knows what.

For me, Howard Stern was the latter. I never knew much about him, and to be honest, I never really cared. Thinking about it now, I do understand that he had an influence on what radio has become today. He used the radio to not only send out news information, but to communicate with his viewers how he felt, what he thought, and what generally pissed him off. He didn't care who heard or whether people wanted to hear what he had to say, he just turned on the microphone and talked to whomever would listen. Does that make him noteworthy? In a sense, yes. He did what no one else was willing to do--FIGHT. When the radio stations wanted to censor him, he just got louder. When he made the switch to uncensored radio, unfortuneately, I hate to say it, but with this switch he lost his audience. Satellite radio may be uncensored, but unlike AM/FM radio, it is not free and although he may have had many listeners before his move, he lost those who were not willing to pay to hear him rant.

Regardless of what type of radio we are able to hear Howard Stern on today, he opened the way for uncensored radio. So where do you stand; with free CENSORED radio, or UNCENSORED radio that has to be paid for? Me? I'll take my chances with free radio, it may be censored, but what can I say? I'm cheap.

"Lonesome Rhodes" are Often Lonely Places

2006-10-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

A Face in the Crowd, a movie filmed in 1957, starring Patricia Neal and, the infamous, Andy Griffith, begins in a small town in Arkansas where a women, Marcia (played by Neal), is the host of a radio show entitled A Face in the Crowd. Marcia takes her show into the local jail to interview men that are being held there. It is in the jail that she encounters a man known only in the beginning as "Lonesome." Marcia interviews him, on the premise that the interview is not on the air. He sings a song that tells the story of his time in jail, and although Marcia agreed not to put him on the air, she hides the microphone and secretly sends his song over the radio. He becomes an instant star, people want him for radio shows, then his radio shows become so popular that television stations want to put him on TV. His television show becomes the most watch television shows in the country, but the bigger he gets, the more he forgets about the people who got him there, and the ride from the bottom to the top and back again is rocky, hard, and, as his name states, lonesome.

This movie was originally released in 1957 and is being re-released on DVD this Tuesday. There is only one way to describe this movie, it is an Andy Griffith classic. Griffith brings to life a man who transforms on the screen, from a man of humble and traditional beginnings to become somewhat of a monster. I have found that Griffith gives us the ability to see what celebrity does to an already lonely man; it creates a hole big enough for only one person that is hard to find a way out of. Neal, who plays Marcia, brings a completely different emotion to the movie. Neal shows the audience how it feels to love someone who does nothing but hurt you emotionally. She puts herself into the character and makes me feel sympathetic for her pain. Griffith and Neal do an amazing job of creating a relationship that an audience is able to follow and relate too, although not everyone is a rising television star, most of us have been emotionally hurt once or twice in our lives. Although, nearly 50 years has passed since its original release, the message of the film is still relevant today.

The DVD itself has been fully restored to its original magnificance and has additional special features which only add to the movie. Whether young or old, rich or poor, Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal do an excellent job with this movie, and no one should miss the opportunity to see this film.

Backstreet's Back, or Not?

2006-10-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Please do not be scared off by the pictures that have been added to this post, they are not meant to harm you in anyway. However, these pictures may bring back memories of your past, some good, some probably bad. Bear in mind, that I am posting these pictures with good intentions.

I've touched base on Weird Al's influence on American Music, but what about the wave of music that hit the world in the late '90s. You remember the music trend I am talking about. That's right, BOY BANDS. I may have denied it when I was younger, but I am too old to be embarrased of my younger days, so now that it has been almost ten years since the assention of the boy bands that I will happily, or at least confidently, say that I was one of the crazy teenagers that was absolutely in love with the boys bands.

I was about 13 years old when boy bands got really popular, and needless to say I got sucked into a black hole. I was 13 and in love, and they loved me back, in the same respect that they loved every other 13 year old girl who ever so faithfully purchased every album they made. It has been quite a few years since my teenie bopper years, but I still remember waiting for their music videos to come on everyday. When they finally did come on, I would stand in the middle of the room and belt out the lyrics and dance (because of course, I, like every other girl, knew all of the words and all the dance moves).
Each band had their typical personalities and each one catered the different personalities of the girls who loved them so. There was always the heartthrob, the older brother, the cute one, the shy one and the rebel. These personalities were most obvious with the biggest bands, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. I was in love with the rebel, but that was just me.

In the never ending rivalry of boy bands, there were two bands that consistently rose to the top of the game. The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC seemed to be the two groups that made way for many others. Although they were not the original boy bands, they were the leaders of the time. They opened up a window to a world of POP music that we never knew existed. Without boy bands, in my opinion, much of the music we know today would not exist, or at least be what it is. Would American Idol even exist if it wasn't for the pop wave of the late '90s. With the boy band era there came groups like 98 Degrees and the ever loveable Hanson. No one who was around for the boy band era could possible forget its effects on the music industry as well as the effects it had on MTV. The boy band era was unforgettable. Everything about it, the bands, the music, and what came of it. We all may want to forget, but I doubt any of us ever will. Just say boy bands, or give someone the name of a boy band, and you'll get flashbacks too.

Is this for Me?

2006-10-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

I do not read magazines on a regular basis and I am not fond of what some may call "Tabloid Fodder," but when I do read them, I get my fix from People magazine and Sports Illustrated. When asked to do a critique of my favorite magazine, I have to admit that I was stumped. I mean, when I don't read them on a regular basis, how do I choose one to critique. I thought about picking one I used to love when I was a "tween" like Tiger Beat or Bop, or even the ones I used to love when I was in high school, like Seventeen or Teen People. Then I began to think that a critique of those magazines would become somewhat biased because although I used to love them, I no longer have any interest in them, and I think I might find myself a little bored with them.

I decided to choose Sports Illustrated because it is a magazine I am familiar and often find myself reading. I chose to critique this issue based on advertising and the assumed audience of this advertising. Care to take a guess at what I might find?

If you guessed that most of the ads are geared towards men, then do I even need to say that you were right? After careful examination, I found that although there were a few ads that seemed to be for women, the ads were not for women's products. There seemed at first to be for men, were actually being advertised to both sexes, and only one ad was geared specifically towards women. The one ad for women, was of all things, for a car. It was the idea that although it is not a convertible, your hair will still blow in the wind and give you a rush. What I notice is that although it could be assumed that all ads in Sports Illustrated are geared towards men, it is my belief that there should be more for women, because women read it to.

There are ads for cigarettes, alcohol, sports events, sports gear, and "manly" cars, so why is it that these ads cannot be geared towards both sexes. Would it deter a man from buying a bottle of alcohol because women drink it too? Would it deter a man from watching or attending a sports event because women are there as well? My answer to these would be no. So why is it that most, if not all, of the advertising in this magazine is gender based? Does it really make a difference?

The Kite Runner

2006-09-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

“La illaha il allah, Muhammad u rasul ullah,” a phrase not heard or spoken since Amir’s childhood, but when the son of his childhood friend is dying, he finds himself kneeling with his head on the ground almost thirty years later looking to his God for answers--for help. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a story of a boy born and raised in Afghanistan who flees to America with his father when wars begin to rage in his homeland. The story is taken through the important steps of youth in Afghanistan in the ‘70s, through escape from war ridden land, and the struggle to be true to oneself and ones culture in a new land and the struggle to go back home to save yourself. The Kite Runner brings an entirely different view of Afghanistan into the readers mind, but in the wake of September 11, 2001, is its purpose to influence the reader’s opinion of Afghanistan and its people? Propaganda, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, is “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumors for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.” Now assuming this is a universal definition, it would be my disposition to say that The Kite Runner is not propaganda and I am not quite sure that I could understand how anyone could consider it to be.
The Kite Runner is a book, that although written to tell a story of life in another country, is not meant to persuade the reader’s opinion of the country. The book tells a story of how life was, how it is, and how it has changed over the years. Just like in America, there are times when everyone was happy, and life was good and there are also times that were not so good. Amir’s life in Afghanistan was great, although he struggled to please his father, he had a good life. He had a good friend and he had his family. The story that is told in The Kite Runner is one of life.
Propaganda, to me, is more of an ad. It is something that tells you what to think. Propaganda is something that makes you think that a certain product, thought, or concept is better than what someone is already thinking. But who is to say that anyone is right? A story of life and of love, is not a book of persuasion, it is a book of reality. The Kite Runner shows its readers that there is life in other countries, it may not be as glamorous as life seems here, but it does exist and it is necessary to open our eyes to it. This book does just that, it opens our eyes to what is already there.
With the story that is told, it is up to the reader to interpret what is being said. It is in my interpretation that I have found the book to be moving and touching, but not to persuade any opinion that I have already formed of Afghanistan. Before reading this book I knew very little of Afghanistan and now after reading the book, I know the same. Afghanistan is a country that although there are many who have money, there are even more that do not. It is a country that has its own problems.
A book of this caliber is moving and it captivates an audience. Although I do not view this book as propaganda, I do understand why it could be considered as such. It tells a story of a world most of its readers do not understand. A world in which little boys get raped by other little boys, a world where fleeing seems to be the only way to survive, and a world in which an orphanage is even more dangerous than the streets. It would seem based on these ideas that the story of The Kite Runner is propaganda, but after careful consideration I have determined that the book was not intended to change the reader’s opinion of Afghanistan, only to open the reader’s eyes.
When considering the story, the reader must see that there are terrible things that go on in Afghanistan, both decades ago and in recent times, but it must be realized that things like this occur everywhere. Not to say it is any less terrible, but it does occur. Anyone could write a story about America and tell almost the exact same story, it does not matter where the story is set, it can happen anywhere. It just happens to be set in Afghanistan. Many people who read books, read them to get away from the reality that is life, we read to escape the world we are currently and divulge ourselves in a world that is far beyond and inescapable. Finding ourselves in the Amir’s life is an experience that someone can never forget, because it was often difficult to put his life story down. He takes us on a journey through his young childhood to mid-adulthood, where he finds himself happy for the first time in nearly 25 years. He is definitely a character, but unlike a character in an ad, or maybe like a character in an ad, I think we know better than to let a book persuade us in such a way to completely change our opinions of what we know.

White and Nerdy

2006-09-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

I was scouring the internet attempting to find a topic for my blog today and I somehow found myself on Robert Scoble's website. I came across his posts for September 21, 2006, and at the top of the page was a post about Weird Al Yankovic. When I was reading, although it was a short post, I was still reminded of when I was younger and I used to see Weird Al video's everywhere. As a kid I remember growing up and watching the video's by the original artists and then not long after Weird Al's spoof would premiere and make me laugh. I think that is what he is all about. Weird Al is one of the very few artists who has made his career by creating spoofs of other artists, and he is only artist to become successful because of it.

He started his career in the late '70s, he made a name for himself in the '80s, kept it big in the '90s, and is remaking himself today. He was a pioneer in the music field and when everyone else was idolizing big names like Madonna and Michael Jackson, he was making fun of how they got there. While Madonna's "Like a Virgin" was a huge hit, Weird Al created his Like a Surgeon. Michael Jackson made hits like "Beat it" and "Bad," Yankovic created hits like Eat It and Fat. His career has spanned generations and he does not appear to be slowing down. He made hits that spoof off of Madonna and Michael Jackson, he kept his name strong in the '90s by creating Amish Paradise (a spoof of Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise"), and he is keeping his name strong today with the September release of his latest album, Straight Outta Lynnwood, which hails tracks like Canadian Idiot (a spoof of Green Day's "American Idiot") and White and Nerdy (a spoof of Chamillionare's latest hit "Ridin' Dirty"). Throughout the years, Weird Al has proven himself to be a strong presence in the musical industry and he has shown that he is not going any where.

Weird Al has changed the music industry in more ways than one. He has created an entirely new genre of music that is all his own and he has proven that he can make a very successful career out of other people's music.

If you have never heard of Weird Al before, or even if you've just never heard his music or seen his videos, then please take a look. Take his lyrics lightly, they are meant to entertain, but he is a serious artist and he is good at what he does.

Completing the Picture

2006-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure how to approach reading both the San Jose Mercury Newspaper and the Online version of the paper. It wasn't the reading part I couldn't handle, it was the approach to comparing the two that seemed to pose a problem. Now, I generally try to read the paper version of the Mercury everyday, but realistically, it happens about every other day. On the day I decided to compare the two versions, I sat down at the kitchen table, with the Saturday paper and my laptop. On my laptop I had the internet opened up to the Mercury News . As I sat there, I seemed to be swimming in a world of current (or at least daily) news. It was at this time that I decided to narrow down my search to determine the differences in printing. I set my sights on the Sports section.

Let's face it, on Friday night (for the Saturday edition), there isn't much going on in the wideworld of sports. The biggest news was baseball in the Bay Area and golf. On the front page of the sports section there was a story involving the Oakland A's hunt to clinch their division title. There was a picture with captions letting readers know that Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record by hitting yet another home run. There was a huge picuture of Tiger Woods which took up almost half the page. What seemed to be most prominent about the front page of the sports section was that the reader can actually begin to read the article to get an idea of what it is about and then they have the option of whether or not to turn the page to read the rest or the article. After finally getting passed the front page of the sports section, I got to the "insides." What I found inside is that, it is the heart of the section. It is on the "inside" that you find articles that are not local. I found articles on many key sports teams/people that are not in this area. I also found that there are one page dedicated to each Bay Area baseball team, yet all other teams have small articles and share the page with quite a few advertisements.

When it comes to the online version of the Mercury News (at least the sports section), the online version seems to fall short of the print version. What you find on the sports page is group of links, all the same size, color, font and they stand out in no way shape or form. There are only two articles that are introduced with a paragraph proceded by a link to find the rest of the story. To me, the online version lacks the ability to give the reader the experience of reading a newspaper to get current events that are tied in with pictures and something that the readers can relate to. Although there are local articles within the online version, they seem empty because they are being read through a computer screen that makes your eyes go fuzzy when you stare at the screen for too long (or maybe that's just me).

Whichever version a reader decides to read, they choose the version for their own reasons. My loyalty lies with the printed version because it, to me, creates an experience that cannot be compared to staring at a computer screen.

Can a Caveman do it?

2006-09-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

As I came to school on Wednesday, I noticed print ads all over the campus ground. From what I saw they were ads for GEICO'S campain, "So easy a caveman could do it." On first impression I was not sure whether this was an attempt at advertising to college students gone bad, but as I grabbed a copy of The Spartan Daily on the way to class, I realized that it was actually an advertisement that was incorporated in the newspaper.

When I got to my seat before class started I pulled out the print ad and took a good look at it. What I found was that not only was this an advertisement, it was an advertisement geared toward gaining a new audience, not maintaining one. On the back of the ad I found a new pitch "Actually, a caveman can do lots of things. For example, this easy peasy little puzzle." Below this statement you see a picture of a Sudoku puzzle, which is the latest and greatest in the puzzle crazed world.

Sudoku is a game that has "blown up" in recent times. It has been stereotyped as an "Asian" game, but I have seen many different people playing it. It is a game of numbers and logic, in which the ultimate goal is to have 1 through 9 in each row, column, and 3x3 box. It is a challenging game and almost always come in different difficulty levels.

As I was saying, on the back of this print ad for Geico there was a sudoku puzzle. This interested me because although many of these ads ended up scattered on the grounds of the campus, I knew, many people, like myself, who wouldn't normally take a second glance at this advertisement, would most certainly take the time to do the puzzle. I am not a big fan of inserts or leaflets in magazines or newspapers, but when these advertisements allow me to entertain myself, if only for a few moments, is worth my time.

From my own experience, I have determined that the goal of this print ad was to reach college students that do not normally look twice at these types of ads. Although many papers were on the ground, if two or three were kept and the puzzles were done, then the ad was successful. I say this because I kept it, it is in my backpack as I write this. I am waiting for the perfect time to amuse myself with a puzzle that is so "easy peasy" even a caveman could do it.

Can you Handle the Mint?

2006-09-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

The question posed today, is what propaganda have you read lately? When reading a magazine, or a newspaper, or even a book, not many people think, "Wow! This ad is just feeding me with propaganda." Before today, I never would have even known that propaganda could be almost everywhere. As far as I understood, it was a form of news meant to create a dislike for the enemy in times of war (that may not be the best way to phrase that, but it is the only way I can think to explain it). What I learned today is that propaganda is just about everything that attempts to persuade your opinion or your behavior rather than just give you the news. Propaganda can be found in any form of media. It can be anything that you look at, a billboard, a magazine ad or article, a television commercial or show, and even a book that you read. I am constantly reading books and, when I get the opportunity to, I watch TV, but I have never thought about the propaganda that I am consuming. Looking on it now, I see that many of the commercials I see attempt to make the consumer believe that their product is ultimately the best in the market. My main concern is that although I do not consider what I view propaganda because I would like to believe that I am not so easily persuaded, but the truth is, who isn't? I may not give the ads in, well let's say, Vanity Fair a second look, because I know for a fact I can hardly afford the 400 page magazine, let alone the clothing and products advertised within, but I have glanced back at products that I would not normally buy that are advertised in other magazines. The second glance to me does not mean much, but when discussing the topic of propaganda I learned that that "second glance" is exactly what the advertisers were aiming for. I may not be the target market for that product, but the more times I glance back at the advertisement for that product, the more likely I am to go out and buy it, because the ad is persuading my opinioning of the product within it. For instance, this website, The Curiously Strong Mint is the ad gallery for the print ads for Altoids (branded "The Curiously Strong Mint"). These ads draw my attention, because although I would not normally purchase these mints, looking at these ads makes me consider purchasing the product because the ads are so entertaining. I hate to say it, but what I have learned today is that with all the media I consume everyday, propaganda is within all of it and there is probably no way around it.

Spike Lee

2006-09-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

"When the Levees Broke" a mini-series type documentary by Spike Lee is one of the most educational shows I have ever watched. In it you get commentary by many of the survivors of the hurricane, as well as many reporters and others that were involved in the relief process. You see the aftermath of the hurricane in a different aspect than normal news reports showed. Many news reports showed the devastation, but this was truly in depth coverage. People dead in the streets, houses completely destroyed, streets flooded for miles, and it seemed as though the damage would or rather could not be repaired. Within the show you hear many times "where was the government?" or "where was FEMA?" You see news reports with reporters interviewing those around them to find out how mad they were at the President, but my question is, what were those reporters doing to help? How come no one asked why the camera men were just standing behind the camera, why not put the camera down and help someone? Now I am in no way attempting to defend the government in their slow effort to provide aid, because as the President of our country, over looking people dying from a plane and not coming into "ground zero" for two weeks was inconsiderate and inhumane. When people see that picture, do they really think that someone 14,000 ft in the air is really sympathetic to those dying below him? The documentary by Spike Lee is wonderful in the sense that it shows its viewers the details and the first hand experience of the situation. I would definately recommend viewing the show, or at least checking out the website.

When the Levees Broke

Throughout the events of Hurricane Katrina, the residents of Louisianna (mainly New Orleans) were referred to as REFUGEES. This is a name the media generally gives to people fleeing countries during times of war to avoid persecution. Yet, this is a name that we gave to people simply seeking shelter and normal living conditions. This name was given to people simply needing help. This documentary shows you how the citizens of Louisianna feel about the entire situation. It is eye-opening and educational. If you do watch it, please make sure you pay attention to the segment about the President's mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, because she makes a comment that few will forget.

Katie, the Final Frontier?

2006-09-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

So I didn't realize until today in a diversity in the media class that Katie Couric's broadcast tonight was as important as it really is. Her broadcast will apparently signify the first broadcast to have a female news anchor. There are other news stations which have female anchors, but this is a World news report, it is available to the entire country, if not a wider span of viewers, unlike our local telecasts. I have to be honest, I am not to keen on the idea of watching World News on American television channels. In my experience they have a tendency to be biased and when I look for news, I want truth and honesty, regardless of my feelings or whether or not I can handle the truth. I think that Katie Couric's taking on the CBS Evening News is definately a step forward, but at the same time I'm not sure whether or not that is a good thing. I didn't get a chance to watch it when it aired so I actually went back and watched it online, and what I noticed is that hardly any news stories were covered. The few stories that were covered, were introduced by Katie and run by someone else and the one story covered by Katie was an interview with the President. I'm not quite sure how I feel about all of this, because I think I expected more. With as much as goes on in this world, especially with the "War on Terror," you would think that the new's stations would have something else to report on besides the precious and already infamous "TomKat." Why is it that our news stations look to celebrities for the latest in "world news," but it is other countries that know what is really going on in the world? Are we ignorant enough to believe that we are getting the "real" news or do these news stations just hope that we are?

Click here to watch Katie

Ayudame!

2006-09-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

HELP ME!!! So I am trying to work the blog roll. I did the help thing on blogger and I still have no idea how to add links to my blog roll...If anyone has any clue how to help me, please do.

In the Words of Jack Sparrow, Are You Savvy?

2006-09-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Are you Savvy??? Since the last class meeting I have been trying to get onto my internet here at home, but it hasn't been working. My uncle, The Whiz, was in the mountains for the weekend and no one else in the house knows how to fix our wireless connection. Now this wouldn't normally be a problem, but since I had an assignment which required the internet, I was a little stumped. My situation this weekend made me wonder how much media I actually consume and how much I know about the technology that brings me that media. The answer to that question seems to be that I consume quite a bit of media, but I have no clue how any of the technology works. It seems to me that throughout the day a person can see or here commercials for the newest and latest technology. A person can see a billboard or scan an ad or article in a newspaper or magazine, but when it comes to understanding how to work the technology behind the media we tend to leave that to the "Geeks." Hence the creation of Best Buy's "Geek Squad." Now I don't know how many people are like me, in the sense that I do not enjoying spending too much money on one thing (Some may call it cheap or frugal, but for sake of the argument, I will call myself a money saver). I don't like spending money on things that do not seem all that necessary, however, I am more likely to go to Best Buy's "Geek Squad" than even attempt to understand how to fix a computer myself. Why is that? I love learning new things, but when it comes to technology, I just need to know how to work it, not fix it. I know there are plenty of other people out there like me. But why is it that although we need it, we don't want to know how to fix it???

What Media Are You?

2006-08-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Apparently in our first post we were supposed to write in response to some of the questions on the handouts we received on the first day of class--My Bad.
Well, I am exposed to the media everyday, obviously. I enjoy reading the San Jose Mercury News, especially the sports section. I listen to my Ipod on the way to school. I listen to the radio in my car and I turn on the TV when I'm at home just to have background noise. I used to work at a movie theatre, so I've seen a lot of movies and now I work at Best Buy where media is constantly around me.
As much as I use computers, and although I do have a Myspace, I hate the internet. Not because I do not understand, but because I cannot stand sitting in front of a computer screen staring at information. I would much rather read a newspaper or a book or even watch tv. However, there are two shows that I do try to watch because I am completely addicted to them. Prison Break, Monday nights on Fox and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation whenever it comes on are my favorite shows.
Media is all around me, everyday.

Remember these bad boys?

Step it Up

2006-08-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

So I couldn't think of something to write about for this blog and then I realized that I was able to write about movies or things I've read. Well a few weeks ago the movie STEP UP came out. Before its release there were commercials all over radio and tv claiming that it would be the movie to define the generation. What I was wondering, is what generation is the movie claiming to define? Throughout the movie it is never clear at to how old they are. The girl, Nora (played by Jenna Dawson), attends the Maryland School of the Arts, but her age is never clear. As for the male lead, Tyler (played by Channing Tatum), you see him exiting a school, which appears to be a high school, with a friend.

Now I would normally not have to much of a problem with a movie saying it defines a generation, however, I believe that in this day and age defining a generation in its entirety is impossible, or at least illogical. I also have a problem with this film saying that it defines a generation because I am completely stumped as to what generation it claims to be defining. Here is what I know. The Director, Anne Fletcher, and the writers, Melissa Rosenberg and Duane G. Adler, are far out of their high school years, therefore they are not apart of the current high school generation. The stars of the film, Channing Tatum (25) and Jenna Dawson (26), may not be that far removed from high school, but I would none-the-less consider them part of a separate generation or at least to old to be defined. So I ask again, with no one in the film (or at least with a significant role) under the age of 20, what generation is this film defining? Can anyone help me to understand this???