Media Control

This morning,  I was enjoying some breakfast and some Stephen Coldbert. And in the middle of the episode, my grandmother looks over at me and says, "Don't listen to that garbage." I didn't say anything back, having been in an early morning trance. However, it did make me think, how much the media, even the comedic media influence America's youth? At 16 years old, I'd like to think that I'm not influenced by the news or anything at all, but I couldn't help but wonder if my grandmother's concern was indeed well founded? You can find an anti media argument here, and a pro media argument here. One article demonizes the media, while another says that Television aids a in a child's development. Where is the truth here? What do you think of the influence of the media on America's youth?

More Controversy on Obama's Adress to Students

I discovered another very intruiging cartoon today, which is actually quite funny. The kids in the cartoon are stating the positive message that was present in Obama's speech, and the parent, like many parents, including my own, who are oppossed to Obama 'telling students what to do', are telling their kids the opposite. While the reaction in this cartoon may be an exageration, it isn't far from the truth. Parents don't want their kids to listen to any message where the president is directly telling them something, whether it is positive or not. This article I found in the East Valley Tribune is one example of parents' outrage, and going to great lengths to  censor what their kids see. What do you think about this issue?

NFL Players Get Out Easy

After hearing on ESPN one morning how Cleveland Browns receiver Dante Stallworth had been involved in a DUI accident that killed a 59 year old person, I said to myself, 'his career has got to be over'. But I recently read an article, that said he is only serving 30 days in jail, when he faced up to 15 years for DUI manslaughter to which he pleaded guilty. While there are other things tacked onto his punishment, including a fine, house arrest, and probation, I think he should do much more time that 30 days. And there is no way that the fact that he is an NFL player didn't affect his light sentence. If this happened to any normal person they would be put away for the full  15 years. And I'm sure after he serves his sentence, he'll be allowed back into the NFL after whatever penalty the commisioner gives him. Missing a few games isn't near to the debt that needs to be paid.

Obama's Language in Healthcare Speech- Revolutionary?

In our American Studies class, we were discussing President Obama's adress to Congress and the language he used in it. A transcript and video can be found here. In class we discussed how bad it was to use the word 'lie' in a speech, and how Obama was the first president to do so. And also he referenced famous Republicans like John McCain, which I found quite interesting. What is he trying to do using this language, I wondered. He could just be living up to the expectation that he is a sort of 'hip and new' kind of president who is going 'change' the whole country. Or is he doing something smarter? Perhaps Obama is referencing Republicans more cleverly, to get the Republicans in Congress to listen to him. Maybe he is trying to show that its not about Liberal or Conservative, but that we're all under one flag regardless of political views. Is Obama trying to bridge the gap between the two political parties? Or is there another motive at work here? Also the way he uses the word 'lie', Mr. Bolos claimed that it was the first time a president used the word lie. Whats up with that? What does he stand to gain by using such a controversial word?

How Censored Should Schools Be?

In our American Studies class today, we were discussing and analyzing Obama's adress to the 'Students of America' today. You can find the President's prepared speech here. But that is not what I'm going to talk about today. While discussing this issue we touched on how in the Wheaton School District 200--where Mr. Bolos' students go to school--  in order to show a video clip in class a teacher must send it to the Department Chair who then sends it up the food chain to the Principal, then Superintendent, then the School Board. I thought to myself, ' Is this really necessary?' Wouldn't it be more effective and make more sense to have a group of teachers look at the clip and determine if it is appropriate and supplemental to the curriculum? I think it would be better to have a group of teachers who actually care and know about the material presented in class to analyze and determine if a type of media is OK to use in a class. Where are our schools headed now? How should we determine what is appropriate and what we should show in school?

The Google Vaccum

I came across another interesting cartoon while searching the web today. This shows how some people believe that Google controls everything, from the Publishing business, to books, and to newspapers. I think it is true that Google does seem to have a stranglehold on most types of media, where they take countless websites and online PDF's (which are basically online books) and almost 'repackage' them. But, one must ask, is this all bad? Google is, in fact convenient, easy to use,  has an effective way to get good search results, and most importantly- fast. They have acquired many sites and tools to use for such purposes as enhancing their search engine, improving video compression  and improving Google Maps. Not only that, but according to a Fox News article, Google is looking to acquire Twitter, and on top of that, Google owns the site I am blogging on right now! The question is, where will it end?  And is having a monopolized search engine business all bad?