To Use, or not to Use?

I would have used the information supplied by the Virginia Tech killer, Seung-Hui Cho. I think that NBC news did the right thing when the network broadcasted some of the items the killer gave them. I feel that concealing the materials would have not been protecting anything. Instead, concealing the “manifesto” materials would actually make things worse because people would just know the half truth. People would just know the basic fact—there was a killer at Virginia Tech who killed others as well as himself. No one would know the full story and the “W” and one “H” questions—who? What? Where? When? Why? And How?—would not be covered to the fullest extent. People would just be wondering about what caused the killer to commit such a deranged act.
The “manifesto” materials might show the killer’s behavioral patterns; therefore, people could get a hint of what signs to look out for in the future. After all, the materials are informative and it is news. People have the right to be informed fully. Although the event was incredibly tragic, concealing the “manifesto” materials would be like denying that an event occurred. I arrived at this decision because I believe that people need to see the real deal behind the massacre. What is done in the dark will come out in the light. I bet that someday whatever tapes are hidden will be found and shared by some means. No one should be left in the dark.

Oh so many Commercials!

Today, I watched Tuesday’s Oprah (it was DVR’d). Tuesday's episode was about a 12-year old boy who is 7ft 3in tall and is called, "The boy who never stops growing," a 3ft 3in lady, and a lady whose memory is ultra good--she could remember things from 30 years ago, but she does not mean to; it just happens. The ultra-memory lady remembers all the little details of a day--whether the day is boring or not--and good and bad experiences. Wow! Dr. Oz was on this episode. Tuesday's Oprah was very interesting. As you know, Oprah is one hour long; out of one hour, 39 commercials played! Some even played twice or more. The commercials that played were:
1) Ross
2) ABC 11’S Heart of Carolina Food Drive
3) Brantley, Jenkins, Riddle, Hardee & Hardee
4) Broadway
5) Stewart Nissan
6) Ross
7) Ihop
8) The Secret Life of Bees
9) Kohl’s
10) Nelson Orthodontics
11) All my Sons Moving & Storage
12) Cato
13) The Secret Life of Bees
14) Oprah
15) ABC 11 News
16) Christmas at Biltmore in Asheboro, NC
17) Attorney Sema Lederman
18) Mary Kay
19) World News with Charles Gibson
20) Oprah
21) Hardison & Associates
22) Charles Boyd Cadillac
23) Oprah
24) Nothing Like the Holidays
25) K-Mart
26) Ghirardelli
27) Carrabba’s Italian Grill
28) Empire Today
29) V-Tech
30) Hallmark
31) 94.7 QDR
32) ABC 11 News
33) 94.7 QDR
34) UPS Store
35) Kohl’s
36) Airborne
37) Carnation
38) Leapfrog
39) Brantley, Jenkins, Riddle, Hardee & Hardee



What was advertised?
1) Items they sell, such as clothes and accessories, etc; how you could but the items and have money left over
2) Fundraiser for raising food for hungry people of Central and Eastern North Carolina; Plan to raise 2 million lbs of food by Dec 10th
3) Law firm; speaker speaks about company and how it will help battle legal problems
4) A musical called, “A Chorus Line”
5) Nissan brand cars
6) SEE #1
7) Streusel Coffee Pancakes
8) A PG-13 movie with Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and Dakota Fanning
9) 50% off sale; Seniors save an extra 15% off items
10) Braces and straight teeth
11) Trucks that help people relocate
12) Clothes
13) SEE # 8
14) Dr. Oz on how to live agelessly; on next Tuesday
15) The news for Ch. 11
16) A family enjoying Christmas at Biltmore
17) Legal firm; can help you get your social security benefits
18) Makeup
19) “Spirit of America”—a look into the lives of simple Americans making the most out of their lives
20) Beauty Secrets
21) Law firm, legal rights
22) Cadillacs
23) Brad Pitt, and Cate Blanchett
24) PG-13 movie withDebra Messing
25) Toys and stuff for the holidays
26) Chocolate—Milk and Peanut Butter
27) Risotto Di Mare—seafood with Italian spices
28) Caret installed next day
29) V-Motion—learning device like a video game system that help kids learn
30) Recordable Christmas cards with music
31) Today’s Best Country music
32) SEE #15
33) SEE # 31
34) Pack and ship promise
35) SEE # 9
36) Dietary Supplement that help boost immune system
37) Instant breakfast drink
38) Learning system for kids
39) SEE #3

Target audience
1) Anyone who wants to buy clothes, jewelry, etc
2) Anyone who cares about the hungry
3) Anyone involved in legal problem
4) Someone who likes musicals
5) Anyone who wants a Nissan car
6) SAME AS #1
7) Anyone who is hungry
8) Anyone who wants to see the movie or who likes Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, or Dakota Fanning
9) Anyone who wants to catch the 50% off sales to buy something
10) Anyone who want their teeth corrected and can afford it
11) Anyone who is about to relocate
12) Anyone who wants clothes, jewelry, etc
13) SAME AS # 8
14) Anyone who usually watches Oprah or likes her show
15) Anyone who is interested in ABC 11 news
16) Anyone who wants to go there
17) Anyone who needs help battling a legal problem
18) Anyone who likes makeup
19) Anyone who wants to watch
20) SEE # 14
21) Anyone who needs help with legal problems
22) People interested in Cadillacs
23) SEE # 14
24) Anyone who wants to watch the movie or who likes Debra Messing
25) People who want to go X-Mas shopping
26) Anyone who likes chocolate
27) Anyone who wants to go
28) Anyone who want carpet installed the very next day
29) Parents who want their kids to have fun while learning
30) Anyone who wants to record their voice over a song in a card and give as a gift
31) Fans of Country music
32) SEE #32
33) SEE # 31
34) People who want to go directly to UPS to get their stuff shipped somewhere
35) Anyone who likes clothes, shoes, etc
36) People who want to protect their immunity to keep from getting sick
37) People on the run; those who want an instant breakfast
38) Parents who want their kids to learn while having a dandy time
39) SEE #3

I was able to identify with the people who were advertising by the categories of each as a whole. For instance, most of the advertisements basically advertised clothes, news, makeup, food and upcoming shows (on the current station). I can relate because I am a consumer and a viewer. I can choose whether or not to buy the product, or participate in the activities shown. I also assumed the age range that each commercial targeted; if I fit into the age range that the commercials is targeting, then I will relate a little more.

Mmm...Magazine Analysis!

The magazine I have chosen is Our State North Carolina (October 2008 issue). It is basically a magazine about events(travel, food, etc)—NC based--different NC locations and what is going on in NC. The publisher is Bernard Mann. The magazine is published monthly by Mann Media, Inc. Our State magazine was founded in 1933 by Carl Goerch. It costs $24.95 for a one year subscription, $44.95 for two years and $59.95 for three years. The cover price of the mag is $4.95. In my opinion, it is better off if you buy the one year subscription instead of buying them individually. I think that the target audience of Our State magazine are people who want to know more about North Carolina and older people. I say people who want to know more about North Carolina because the articles are all NC based. I say older people because the magazine seems calm and relaxing and it has a lot of beautiful scenery pictures. Artists would love the magazine, too, because of the pictures. This issue of Our State magazine contains 220 in all, about 130 pages of advertisements, and about 96 pages of articles. I think that the articles do relate to some of the advertisements because all of the ads are NC based and the magazine is all about NC. NC is the main topic. For example, there is a NC Seafood Festival advertisement in the magazine. There is travel ads in the magazine that are all NC based. Also, most of the articles in the magazine involve a different part of NC (ex:Salisbury,NC). I do not really think that the ads influence the magazine’s contents. Instead, I think that the magazine influence the ads that are put into it. The kinds of ads placed in a magazine depend on the target audience and the basic main point of the magazine. Since Our State magazine is strictly about NC, the ads have to relate to NC. I picked this magazine because the cover is absolutely beautiful. The vivid blue sky and the crisp, yellow fall leaves of the trees drew my attention immediately. The cover brings a place of relaxation into mind.

U.S.A Today & Washington Post Online Edition Discussion

On Tuesday, both USA Today and Wahington Post had a head story on the stock market and how it is still plummeting. On Wednesday, USA Today and Wahington Post yet had another head story on the economy about the Feds cutting some rate of something to 1%.On Thursday, USA Today and The Washington Post News both had a story about how the economy shrinks at 0.3% Pace in third quarter( whatever that means). Basically, throughout the course of three days both news sources had similar stories of significance. I can tell what USA Today considers the most important news because the important story has its title in bold lettering--bolder than the other stories. Also, the most significant story is usually in the "Top News" section. I can tell what stories the Washington Post considers most important by the stories being in the "First Story" section. I think that the Washington Post reports its news in a more dramatic way than USA Today. For an example, on Wednesday, both newspapers had a story on Barack Obama and his 30-minute infomercial. USA Today's headline for it was, " Obama set for primetime infomercial.," a headline that sets a serious, non dramatic tone. On the other hand, the Washington Post's headline for Obama's infomercial was, " Obama takes to the air." In my opinion, the Washington Post's title sound pretty dramatic. That title reminds me of an announcer of some sort announcing an astronaut about to take off in a rocket. Also, what adds to the dramatic title are the contents in the story that follows it. Somewhere in the story, the Washington Post says, " Obama aims to be everywhere a TV signal can reach..." I think that statement sounds like a semi-critical, dramatic opinion. Although both USA Today and the Washington Post are reliable sources of news, I think that USA Today represent the stories that the reporters cover in a (as said before)more serious, not dramatic style.

One Best Movie

Before I start this, I must say that I have so many movies that I like to watch—so many favorites. One of the best movies I have seen was High School Musical. All of the dancing and cheesy music just gets me in a good mood. On top of that, did I mention the eye candy? Whoa! That Corbin Bleu—Curly hair guy—is something else. He is just absolutely hot. The plot of the movie had something to do with the most popular girl in school—Sharpay—not wanting a "brain"--Gabriella-- to take over “her spotlight” in—you’ve guessed it—a musical!!! The elements of High School Musical that makes it enjoyable are as I mentioned the dancing and "gummy" music. I am glad the music does not send a negative message. It is loaded with fun, great singing, dancing and great eye candy. The dance moves in the movie makes me want to get up and dance. The moves are great.The movie is like two hours long.I like HSM because at the end, everyone gets together, settles their differences and SINGS! I like musicals! Believe me, this movie is definitely not boring. In my opinion, the acting is pretty good for the type of genre--not phony or too over the top. I give my props to the main actors--Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, CORBIN BLEU, and Monique Coleman. When I am feeling down, I would definintely watch HSM. I rate HSM a 9 out of 10. High School Musical is a hit, indeed. If someone is not into musicals, then they probably would not enjoy HSM that much.

I'm Talkin' Talk Show

On Tuesday September 30th, I tuned in to the Bill LuMaye Show around 3:05pm up until 4:40pm. Bill LuMaye had a guest named Dr. Campbell Harvey, who is an Economics professor at Duke University. LuMaye and Dr. Campbell were discussing the economy, specifically the Bailout Plan. Bill says that it is hard to understand what is going on. They were explaining how the Bailout Plan is a plan in which the government spends up to $700 billion to buy distressed mortgages. It involves buying up nearly all outstanding debt from some of the biggest investment firms in the world. Part of the plan is to buy up bad loans so that investment banks could start lending again. The Bailout Plan is aimed at preventing Wall Street from collapsing. Dr. Campbell and Bill discussed that the plan would result in taxpayers paying much more on assets or something. He says that the plan is misleading and that it will affect mainstream—families and businesses. Economic hardship is in progress. They announced that there may be a revised Bailout Plan that will be voted on sometime soon. Honestly, I kind of dozed on and off during some of this talk because of the “monotone-ness.” Not only that, but I was tired. I attempted to stay awake. I noticed that there was not any music and very little commercials. That is not a problem. This is the information I have gotten from the talk. If you ask me, I'd say that I have received a sufficient amount on the account that my eyes and brain was semi-alert, semi-not alert. Wouldn't it make more sense to just take that $700b and pay off the mortgages of people in trouble? The mortgage companies would still get their money and people's homes would be saved. Would the rich be affected by this rejected plan in any way? (I do not quite comprehend events like this.) Regardless of whatever plan of action the government decides to take, nine times out of ten, there are ALWAYS pros and cons. For any move that is made, there are ALWAYS going to be resulting consequences for everyone. I hope that the government does not take the dead wrong path and screw everyone up. I really hope that the economy can boost its way up to the top of the peak. In the future, I think that there will be satellite robots in which people can own and listen to talk radio. Or, there will be wall talk radio touch pads in which people can press a button to listen to talk radio. Talk radio will definitely still exist in the future, but the ways of accessing it will probably be different since technology is continuously flourishing. Why wouldn’t there be robots or touch pads or some other “futuristic” thing-a-ma-jig? What a weird prediction. I know.

Randomly Speaking

There are a lot to chapters to read inside of the Media and Culture book, but I will do whatever I must to pass this class with a 'B'(or higher). I need to get started on that book I have chosen for that book review. Oh man, I have a lot of crap cut out for me to do. Here comes "stress-mania!!!" I just need better time management to overcome all of these negative thoughts. Anyhow, I kind of miss high school because I miss all of my friends. To be honest, high school (at least mine) and college still require people to do loads of work. Hmm, that's life. Life is definitely NOT getting ANY easier. I already knew that. I like the fact that this blog is extra credit. I always take advantage of extra credit, even if I do not need it because I put effort into everything I do. One person I know here has nine classes and STILL manages to ace all of them. I ponder to myself, "Wow! How in the world does she do it? Is she robotic? “What a brain that girl has!! I find it interesting how some people can have work piled all the way up to the ceiling and STILL manage to complete it "as light as a feather." Hmm...beat's me. Oh yeah, this thing has to relate to media in some sort of way. So, I heard something about McCain and Barack.....NOT. If I did, then I must have forgotten already. I drove home Wednesday night and it was windy. The wind almost pushed the car across the yellow line. Back then--around Jr.High school--I heard that a news forecaster have to take Meteorology. Gee, I wonder if that's true....

The Illegal Downloading Files 101

Illegal downloading has its up and downs. The "ups" about it is that you do not have to pay like $10 or more for a CD. What if the CD is crappy, then what? That would sure be a waste of money, wouldn't it? I know this from experience. Years ago, I purchased the Charlie's Angel's CD and let's just say that it is not that great. I dread buying that thing to this day. People are downloading music because:

a.) They are unsure of how the CD will turn out

b.) Just in case the CD is crap a least they have the song(s) they like

b.5) They might not like the artist, but they might like the song the artist made

or....

c.) They just do not want/ do not have the funds to buy the CD

The downs of illegal downloading are that the artist does not gain any profit. I know a majority of artists are rich as crap, but they still deserve to make a profit since they stay maximum hours in the recording studio just to record songs for us. Also, a bad thing is that you could get caught and sued or fined. That would be bummer!! It is okay to share files without buying them because they are "free"--well, you do not have to pay for it, but someone does, right? and very easy--, but I do not think they should be shared that much because it is unjust. I think that is what "bootleggers" do. They go around selling knock off albums--probably from them downloading the CD and mass producing copies-- and sell them for like $5. I do not agree with that because where is the profit going? Maybe to themselves, I bet. It should be illegal...why?...just kidding. Oh yeah, because it is stealing from an artist. Now if you are downloading and the artist makes a %age of the profit, then I guess that would be just dandy.

Three alterizations in Washington

Three changes I think should be made in Washington that should first claim the attention of whomever wins the presidency are: taxes, our troops and gas prices. I believe that if high income tax payers paid a higher tax rate, then most people would probably have money in their pockets. If our troops were pulled out of the war, then they would be able to spend more time with their families and their families would not have to worry about them getting "their heads blown off." Besides, I think they have seen enough people dying and countries being ruined. I think that maybe if the oil companies were taxed a high rate, then maybe, just maybe, the gas prices would go down...a couple of cents, but every cent makes a difference. I am not really a political person, but these are the changes that I feel are important since many people are in debt nowadays and many people are worried about their loved ones at war. Who wouldn't be? Who does not agree these things are vital?? Money problems are all around and are causing quite a difficult time at the moment.

Opinion of Obama's and McCain's running mates' exposure

After doing quite a bit of internet surfing, I believe that John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, is receiving the most media coverage. As soon as I logged onto http://www.politico.com and http://www.politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com the headline stories had something to do with Sarah Palin and her 17-year old daughter, Bristol's(weird name...to me), pregnancy with boyfriend, Levi Johnston. Then, after all of the "Palin coverage" was an article or three about Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden. I did not see too much coverage about Joe Biden, but I have seen a few articles about him(and Obama) at http://www.msnbc.msn.com and http://www.wilsondaily.com/news/election . (Of course these head stories/ side stories were subject to change being that I looked for the VP media coverage like 3 days ago.). Personally, I think part of Palin's coverage is because of her daughter's early pregnancy. I guess "scandals" keep the critics raving. The Republican party says that Bristol and her boyfriend are going to get married like that is going to solve anything. That is only going to put more tension on them because they are still young. I do not comprehend how Palin is promoting abstinence and is against birth controls and sex ed, but yet her daughter is now another publicized statistic. Ok, Bristol is pregnant....can we move on and talk about other important political stuff? She's just another teenage pregnancy statistic. Not that I do not feel for her, but I am just saying. I do not understand how Palin can pose for the covers of OK! and US magazine and be such a hypocrite. This may not be the only reason Sarah Palin is receiving more attention than Joe Biden, but I think she is receiving way too much at the moment.

Sources of news

I usually listen to the news on television(ch. ABC 11), so I guess I would consider television my primary news source. My dad is like the main one of the house that watches the news frequently. I honestly do not watch the news much because sometimes the topics are not interesting to me, but I do check out the weather. The television is my primary source of news because I watch television daily, but I am definitely not a couch potato. No one ever knows whether or not their source of news is bias unless they were at the event that occured and really know what is going down or if they were at the news station(s) that is/are reporting the event. I can only assume that ch.11 news is unbias. I do not really know if ch.11 is presenting a balanced coverage of the news I am receiving, but from tuning in to it daily, they seem to cover a variety of topics--from sports, to world events, to deaths,etc. The news that interests me the most is health news and weather because I like to be aware of new health related things and I like to know the weather so that I can have an idea on what to wear for the upcoming days. If television or ch.11 were not available, then I'd use the internet to keep up to date with the world's happenings since you can log onto the news sites themselves just in case you've missed something.