"Apology for Reading"

Today's post actually was written by my awesome little sister, Jaimie Anderson! She graciously allowed me to share it with you.

Apology for Reading

This is not a “Hey, man, I’m sorry that I hit on your wife, but did you really have to break my nose? That’s my best feature!” kind of apology. I feel neither contrite nor inclined to apologize for the fact that I read. This apology is defined as a defense, most commonly associated with Socrates, but please don’t expect a great dialogue because it isn’t going to come from someone whose favorite book is probably Lady Lovely Locks. I don’t care what anyone says. That book is a classic.

I was indoctrinated at a very young age to appreciate books. Whilst I delighted in Pokémon, Winnie the Pooh, and the adventures of Gumby and Betty Boop, I was also being taught to adore books like Peter Pan, the Chronicles of Narnia, and Gus Was a Friendly Ghost (man, he let that mouse stomp all over his non-existent feet.)  I was in training with James Herriot to become a vet. That was, of course, prior to realizing that the sight of blood makes me woozy all over. Reading was a journey into a magical land, not quite the terrifying depiction in the Pagemaster, which just gave me an intense fear that a whale was going to show up in the deep end of the swimming pool. I was thrilled to be given a real grown-up excuse to re-read The Wizard of Oz in my junior year when my history teacher claimed it was a social commentary on the populist movement. Who cares if I believed it or not? There is the problem that prompted this. At this point in my life, I feel like I need an excuse to read.

I cannot stand the question, “Then why are you reading that?” Why do you think I’m reading it? This question is most frequently asked after when you reply, “No,” to “Is that for a class?”  Honestly, people- my dentist does not appreciate it when you ask me that. When I grind me teeth, he probably dies a little bit on the inside. I will freely admit that part of my problem is a penchant for non-fiction books. But, it doesn’t matter if I’m readingPorcupine’s Pajama Party (which is such a clever use of alliteration) *, or War and Peace(which will make anyone religious enough to pray about 50 pages in that Tolstoy will say, “Just kidding, these characters are really named Dick, Jane, Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy." I feel like that really would have improved my comprehension); I’m reading whatever book it is because I want to. Reading sends me to a happy place where there’s a string quartet playing, and it’s like in Anastasia when she and her sisters and brother are frolicking through the meadow. Before the part with the creepy demon-y thing.

                                                                                                                    

The government spends billions of dollars a year on schooling (yes, I know there have been budget cuts, but it’s still a significant amount of money). These schools, from Pre-K to 12th, teach you to read and to comprehend (usually) what you’re reading. Ya think that maybe it’s a wee bit important?

People read. It’s a fact of life. Whether they are reading an article on quack-quack shoes,The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, Stupid White Men, or Playboy (although, from what I hear, that’s less of a reading thing. . .) they are still reading! You can memorize theBombshell Manual of Style or learn to knit for all I care. There are so many things that books can teach us, and it’s not quite like the fascinated clicking on links via Wikipedia that will take you from Cary Grant to the Christian views on the old covenant, which is convenient for the ADD in all of us, but not always the best way to process information.

In fact, some books are brain candy. Those books that we all like to pretend have literary merit, but really don’t. There’s something for everyone out there. You can like fluffy, light romances, gothic novels (mostly these are romances with a mustache-twirling villain and a castle), cars, boats, planes, masculine rhymes, or bananas, and you can find a book to read about it. And, now, thanks to Stephanie Meyer, we can read inane words from a mopey and dopey (or any other of the seven dwarf names that apply) girl, who just wants to be loved. And, also has a death wish. I'm just saying, clearly, there are options beyond what we read in school. Because we don't always like books assigned for classes, but we make it through them, and if you don't, and you're like me, you feel REALLY guilty about it, and end up reading the thing anyway. They can't pick books that everyone will like because, to be totally frank, there is no book in the world that every student will enjoy. It's just something to consider that there is a world of books, plays, and short stories outside of the closet of books that English teachers have.

So, honestly, given that, I don't understand why people brag that they don’t read, or that they managed to make it through high school on CliffsNotes. Self-imposed illiteracy is not a ‘two thumbs up, let’s celebrate with a kegger’ accomplishment in my world, but I don't really care whether you read or not. You could watch a movie that has basically the same effect on your hearing that spending that hour and a half to two hours in your backyard blowing up rubber ducks with fireworks** would. Unfortunately, usually these movies aren’t nearly as amusing or intellectually stimulating (exactly how much gunpowder does it take to blow up a rubber duck?). It doesn’t really affect me. It isn’t any of my business. To each his own, whatever floats your boat, yada, yada, yada, any more of those clichés, but I think you catch my drift. I won’t hassle you for not reading; please don’t hassle me FOR reading.

Please just let me read in peace. I appreciate it.

* Just to clarify, no one has ever asked me if I was reading Porcupine’s Pajama Party for a class. I can only imagine that that would be the best class ever.

**This is not a suggestion because: 1. It’s cruelty to animals (Rubber Ducky has feelings too.) and 2. I don’t trust you goobers with anything more dangerous than silly putty.

Ect.

Giveaways from Silhouette!

The Idea Room: Magnetic Paper

I Heart Naptime!: Etching Materials

Giveaway Technique

I warned you that I was a huge advocate for social media, and this is one technique that increases your blog readership... GIVEAWAYS. Check out this one on Tatertots and Jello...

Same Time, Same Place

For all of you frequent readers, I would like to take this moment to say "thanks." As far as experiments go, this one has been a doozy from the beginning. Will it continue to garner the same intrigue? Who knows, but let us continue.

If you have forgotten, social media is a big part of my discussions (although if you were lucky enough to read the last post about princesses you just lucked out). I have been reading a lot of articles about optimizing your social media strategies, and I think it can be boiled down to a few key points.

1. Know which groups you are targeting to get a more accurate picture of which mediums to use.
2. Update constantly: In the world of today, we search for new. If you have a page that is old and kind of boring... you may want to consider breathing fresh life into it
3. Speak directly to your audience: One of the beautiful things about social media is that it is a way to level the playing field. Your audience can know you, and better yet, you can know your audience. This makes communicating with them directly easier, and they will appreciate it.
4. Keep on top of it: If you post and post and post but never follow who is reading or looking or consuming, what good did you just do? People may know you, but was it what you had been trying for? With the internet we have the ability to see how many people are viewing the content.
5. Employ open conversation... people will trust you and your product (be it you, a service, or a good) more if they feel like they can talk to you about it, and that you will do something. If you want an excellent case study of a product that did not do this, check out Emeril's Cookware. For every positive review, there are another five-ten negative ones... and the negative ones are frightening.
6. Connect your mediums to each other. Give your consumer the chance to link to you in more ways... as long as those ways are establishing your brand rather than giving you more stuff to worry about that wont matter anyway.

These are just a few tips that I found. What are some interesting articles you have read?

26. For Who Could Learn to Love a Beast?

Classic Disney, where have you gone?

Where did the days go when people saw the Disney princesses and thought, "YEAH!" In different media outlets recently, I have seen a turn around on Disney princess and their lives. In an effort to become bra-burners, the ultra-feminists (or as I like to call them, anti-feminists), have decided that the princesses have to go. Being a girl myself and growing up with these icons, albeit significantly less present than they are these days, I would like to put in a defense for the princesses that are taking a bashing from princess haters.

I loved the princesses as a kid. Well, I did with the exception of Snow White (due to the fact that her voice was way to breathy for me... bleck). I dressed like a princess. I must have driven my mother mad at times with my little airs and graces. I had "tea," and of course I owned my own castle - even if it was a slightly raised garden of my mother's. However, I never waited until some Prince Charming came into my life. It was way too much fun to just be a princess. The pretty clothes, the fairies... way more tempting to my little mind then some hardly temporal prince that would save me from myself.

The princess fallacy states that little girls are taught to simply wait until some handsome prince comes around to live their lives. Well, do you give your daughters dolls to play with? Or worse, Barbies? Well, there is no going back now. Plastic surgery and anorexia are the only course of life that your daughter can now take. I hope you are happy with yourself!

Do we take these positions without giving them thought? Maybe the parents should concentrate more on what their reactions teach their daughters. A lot of information can be conveyed through the way you live your life, and if you don't invest the time, she might just take herself into a fantasy world where she will someday have somebody who really cares about her!

Now, I know that this is my personal opinion, but this is media that I have consumed. It was also my childhood. I like to think of myself as a competent adult now. I am not waiting for my prince to save me. I can save myself! As for waiting for life to begin with my prince, I would just like to say for the record that my life began the day I was born, and it can only get better from here! Happiness is where you find it, and if you attach too much influence on what the media says, those you can about will see... and act accordingly.

Interested in this Topic?
Princess Prophecy?
Cinderella Ate My Daughter
Disney's Princess Page

25. Angry Eyes and Happiness

Are you one of the people who when they feel a strong emotion has to turn to music? Do you have a song for every word people say? Do you occasionally wonder if you might go nuts if you didn't hear a song... and soon?

Well, join my happy throng of Angry Eyes and Happiness!

You might wonder what sparked this name. It is very simple. There I sat, in one of the most craptastic moods that I have ever experienced. My frustration was undiluted. I needed an outlet. So where does one turn? Me, I immediately turn to my angry music. It may seem trite, but there is something about people singing out all their anger that makes me relax when I am stressed. In fact, I have a mix that I never listen to unless I am super upset. With the ability to vent my emotions through the music, I can then move on to happiness. 

For me, music amplifies everything for me... unless in the case of anger, it dissipates the emotion. No matter what has happened, there has been a song for that, and I am the queen of finding that song. 

What do you turn to when you get upset? Are you willing to let the music wash over you, or do you turn to something else? Just curious.

(By the way, do you like the images? I like the title, but I am not sold on that smile. Let me know of other ideas for happiness!)

24. The Power of Mass Media

The power of mass media is undeniable. You may know what you are looking for, but those in the media have the power to turn your head with a simple word. As long as it is a word that has meaning to you, that practitioner may have you hooked. How do they use this power though? Are they creating nations of media zombies that only act on what is said in the media?

So what I guess I am trying to say is that if the media doesn't want it covered, you will be hard-pressed to locate the information you are searching for. The media sets the agenda.

It is present in society's today as Egypt tried to pull the plug on the internet because of the power found therein. It is seen in Ghadafi's efforts attempt to squish the voice of the common man. It was present in the propaganda/ media blackouts from war times. You can see the wash of media affect cultures such as those in the Middle East (we have discussed this, don't worry)!

But what about those places that do not fall under tyranny and autocrats? What about in our own dear United States of America where the eagle flies and the flag waves and the sun always shines? The media still sets the agenda. Is it newsworthy? Is it presented fairly? These are questions that should be asked, but let us be honest, how many times do we not see something because it is unpopular or does not have the same impact that might be had.

For a (very) brief case study, I would like to introduce fall of 2005. August of 2005, Louisianna was hit by Hurricane Katrina, resulting in the loss of about 3,000 lives. President George Bush was criticized for his tardy reaction. In a blow that nearly completely wiped out New Orleans, the USA was devastated. A mere two months after this tragedy, an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude brought Pakistan to its knees. With over 900 aftershocks in the next three weeks that often reached over 5.8 on the Richter scale and nearly 75,000 lives lost, Pakistan suffered horrendously. Where were the stories though? How many heard about this devastation? The press knew that the citizens wanted to know more about Katrina effects. So they fed the desire.

Who makes the news?

While disintermediation is allowing more people to have an effect on what is covered, the people who make news are the people who care.

“The media chooses the underdog and wants people to connect” Mosharraf Zaidi

23. Twitter = Awesomeness

There has definitely become a trend in my blog recently: social media. Since you have been dying to know even more than you already do about the absolutely amazingness of social media, and don't worry because we will be covering them (all), but the time has come to discuss different parts. I could probably talk about social media all day, but I want to open the discussion for Twitter.

In a presentation I went to recently given by Nick Dragon, he broke down the three main social mediums for us, and this is how he categorized it:

Facebook = Friends (more personal)
LinkedIn = Professionals (no explanation needed... yet)
Twitter = Awesomeness (everything that doesn't fit into the other two)

Since you want to find excuses to network as a communications professional, Twitter raises awareness of you. It explains you. It can assist others.

Some advice for the new Twitter fiend: do not get discouraged if no one follows you at first. You have to follow people. You have to post on your Twitter. You have to provide a reason for people other than the ones who truly love you (Mother) to follow what you are doing... at every second of the day. Do NOT abuse the power of Twitter awesomeness unless you are willing to lose credibility.

22. Crazy Little Thing Called ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

I love, love, love this video that was shown at the PR conference. In our current society, social media is vital. We cannot ignore it. I know I wont. The conference had a least one social media lecture in each session. Most had more than that! So why is social media so vital in the wonderful world of PR where I seem to be spending my time (and you should just see my twitter feed as it is littered with links from awesome people in the industry) so vital to our needs as communications professionals? If you don't get involved, you get left behind. Scott Duehlmeier actually said, "Once a new technology runs over you, if you aren't part of the steamroller, you are part of the road." (Scott Duehlmeier is a renowned PR social media practitioner. You can follow him on Twitter at @Paco_Belle)

Here is the deal, friends. GET INVOLVED! Don't become part of the road!  Join us in the webosphere now!

*Tune in later for exciting Twitter-ness.

21. Public Relations and Social Media

I am a PR major, so I often see things from a public relations perspective. Combine that with an article I read about PR practitioners using social media, and you have a blog post. Stick with me friends, this may be a bumpy one!

How is social media/internet changing how companies are viewed? On one side, there is a rise of non-traditional companies. Businesses that would have never survived on the street where you live because the demand was not great enough in one localized area, not only survive but thrive. After all, nationalized is another kettle of fish entirely. People can buy and sell, create and sell, essentially ANYTHING and sell! The key is to link yourself into their lives. With giveaways, many companies create a place for themselves in your life with you volunteering that space.

The flip side is represented by traditional companies. While you don't see many full-fledged campaigns for say, Volvo, you do get some very exciting viral videos. Old Spice... need I say more? If I do, here it is!

20. Complete Integration

I was working on a project for my mass media class when I realized that as I am now, I could not effectively accomplish it. What was the problem? Well, we should start with what the question was. Log all of your time with the media, and separate them by the medium that you utilized for it...

I started off all bright eyed and bushy tailed. I had my pen and paper. I was ready to go. I strolled off to school... only to realize that I forgot to chronicle my i-pod listening. Oops.

Resolved to do better, I got into class. Oh, NO'S!!! I did not understand one of the terms my teacher used. Quick! Look it up online! Oops...

It did not really get better from there. As I used my computer throughout the day without even thinking about it, I grew to realize what a difficult job this was. In the wonderful world that we currently live, we come in contact with some form of the media every day. YouTube or conventional videos in class, music playing before closing in the library, or the internet for EVERYTHING ELSE litter your life. A simple cell phone can be one of the most powerful media tools right now. Unless you go out for cocoa with the Yeti, you will probably be saturated in the media.

Who knew?

19. Jeepers Creepers!

Scooby-dooby-doo, where are you?
We've got some work to do now.
Scooby-dooby doo, where are you?
We need some help from you now!

When Scooby-Doo came onto the screen, produced by Hanna-Barbera, in 1969, I doubt that anyone saw what it would become. With only TWO seasons of the original series, consisting of 25 episodes, the question became "How in the world did a show that only lasted two seasons become a phenomena that has lasted to today"(since 1998, there has been a Scooby-Doo movie released everywhere with the newest planned for this year)?

Well, I can't really say for sure why it has become what it has. After all, Huckleberry Hound or the Magilla Gorilla Show are not really common anymore. Part of it might be the brand's name though. Yogi Bear, The Flinstones, and The Smurfs are all shows that came from the Hanna-Barbera company. Even then, I think we can safely say that none of them have been as illustrious (which by the way, the new Yogi Bear and new Smurf movie... gross).

It may be the nonviolent aspect of Scooby-Doo. Parents don't mind showing this show to their children because nothing bad really ever happens. It may be that there is a formula. Kids can follow the formula easily. BUT it might be that the mystery aspect. It is always fun to try to guess whodunnit, especially when you have such goofy and fun characters.

So I guess all that is left is, "I would have gotten away with it to if it weren't for you meddling kids"

18. Etsy and the power of the market

Imagine.

You are surfing the internet, swimsuit and all. All of a sudden, you hit a wave of absolute awesomeness in your own area of interest. Intrigued and now off your board, you swim a little closer to what just might be the PROMISE LAND of the internet. Whatever it was piqued your interest, and you quietly wonder to yourself how in the world YOU CAN HAVE ONE. It is not available in your area. You simply cannot make it yourself. So what do you do, marooned on an island without the one thing you really, really want?

Obviously you turn to the great purchasing power that the internet currently represents. Is it really expensive? All you have to do is check prices and see if you are really paying the best price. It was awesome, and now it is yours!

The internet and its ability to spread information and interest across the globe touches everyone. Companies are not the only ones who have the power to sell and the internet market is ripe with possibilities. If you take Etsy for example. It only offers things that are handmade, vintage, or a supply for a craft. It does good business though. Since it is online, it does not have to rely on finding enough people that possess that interest in one small area. In this way, a business that would probably not survive in a community is thriving on the web.

The abilities that are provided to us through the internet are truly spectacular... what will come next?

17. Niching in Blogs

I was just talking about blogs, but check this out!

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaway-monday-buttons-and-badges.html

The ability to make money through a blog continually astonishes me. How does it make sense? But when you start to actually look into the blogging world, you see that there are thousands of people reading certain blogs. Most blogs are already very niched audiences, so the company does not have to pay to see if their investment will pan out. In fact, the ability of the sales staff to pick the most effective means to reach their audience is amazing. I would have never heard of this product if it had not been advertised on the blog, but with the abilities that the internet provides us, I not only know about it, but if I had a little more "disposable income," I would certainly be all over them.

So what is the lesson to be learned in this circumstance? The internet can be a friend to everyone. Dive in!

16. How-To Books: A Dying Art

Many things are "dying" in mass media today. Or is that only how it appears? As the accessibility and knowledge base of the internet grows, other mediums struggle to survive. Paper newspapers are dropping readers like flies, and books are not really doing any better.

So what is going to happen? A reinvention is taking place as some of the guidelines change. Kindles and e-books are becoming popular! Newspapers are found online and on such readers. But what about the actual content?

As blogs spring up discussing everything under the cosmos, how must the content of the other mediums change to compensate? This is merely speculation so bear with me! We will be using one of my favorite forms of blogs to create a basis: the DIY or how-to.

Do It Yourself blogs offer creative alternative to purchasing DIY books. Benefits of getting it off the web rather than out of a book include:
          -Color can be incorporated more easily
          -Images are more prominent (very helpful in for things that simply do NOT translate to words)
          -Ever changing. If a way is discovered that makes it easier, it can be passed on
          -Easily references to earlier lessons (instead of having to turn 20 pages to incorporate, you can open it in another window with a mere click)
          -If you need something to finish the project, you can simply check out how much things will cost before getting too invested
          -Easier to personalize (Books lend to the idea that it must be THIS way. Blogs are a little more free spirited)
          -Free!

So how will the book compensate? Actually, many bloggers are publishing their work. In a true American way, they are using both mediums to their advantage, and the books can cover things that may be missed in the blog. It may not change completely, but it will offer a new view to be certain.

For an actual example, you can check out http://www.prudentbaby.com/. One of the writers recently published her own book, Prudent Advice.

15. Disintermediation and my Ability to Craft

Crafting can be an expensive hobby. When you add up the cost of DIY books, any lessons, supplies, and THE BIG STUFF, it can be come to the grand sum of: TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WORDS. So, this little blog will be a thank you note to the internet and more specifically, blogs, for lowering the cost just enough to make it plausible.

There are blogs for everything. Blogs tell you how to beat your video games, they tell you about movies, and they can provide you with ideas that are spectacular. I used to think that blogs were the cast off remains of journalism if you couldn't get a job in the profession, you filled your time with the lesser art. 

Thankfully, I have done a 180 since then. My sister introduced me to the power of blogs, and now I follow several and (obviously) have at least one. Blogs provide a different look. They allow the people with knowledge provide their information to people who could never be able to access it otherwise. In fact, in recent years, I have gotten more ideas from blogs than from the crafting books that I flip through. 

Does this mean the illustrious How-To book is dying? Stay tuned next week to hear my own view on THAT!

14. Well, Old Boy, Let's Dance!

Love of Shakespeare makes me bring up the next point of interest: Shakespeare. Plays might not fit into mass media immediately (since they are a performing art), but when they are published into books, suddenly they can be massively distributed. Maybe not as much in Shakespeare's day, but in our own those things are everywhere, as evidenced by high school English classes.

What does Shakespeare offer the world that is not present in other works of literature? I suppose you can find all the pieces of Shakespeare in other pieces, but the language of Shakespeare stands above so much common literary language. Even Jane Austen referenced Shakespeare as her character, Miss Marianne Dashwood, quotes, “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds...”

However, brilliant though Shakespeare is, we must realize that there is good beyond his tragedies. There is a reason that the youth as a whole in America are depressed. Have you looked at one of their high school reading lists recently? Tragedies bleed onto the page, and while “To be or not to be” may be the question, there are so many other questions to ponder. Introduce the students to the comedies! Make them see the action. Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not read in stale classrooms by stale teachers. (I say this, but my own teachers were incredibly interesting and made the works intriguing, but I have heard many students express their hatred of Shakespeare for similar reasons.)

arvind1187.wordpress.com/. ../blogging-syndrome/

13. If Only, if only...

Oh, to have lived in the days of radio programs...! I was watching an old movie called A Tragedy at Midnight, where the main character works on cases the cops are having difficulties with. He then broadcasts his findings over the airwaves. The cops listen, hate him, but they still use his tips. I have only had the good fortune to listen to one mystery radio programs. Sadly, I was too young to remember it, but old enough to remember that I enjoyed it. Another excellent movie, Something in the Wind, has Donald O'Connor singing about radio programs and sitting down with a good mystery program.

Now it might just be me, but I wish that the rush of human life still could accept a radio program that did more than talk about the latest celebrity ridiculousness or political commentary with music tossed. If there is anything drier than radio political commentary, I have been lucky not to run across it yet. I would probably end up acting out!

To sit down and enjoy something as fun as a radio program, where you have to use your own imagination to discover what the characters look like, now that sounds like a genius idea! 

I have a plan: radio program or podcast, in the feel of the old mysteries.

(Radio version of the movie, The Ghost Breakers. The movie is amazing... the radio show is hysterical. This is only part one. To find part two, click here)

12. Gloss

In my Mass Media class, we were discussing the medium called MAGAZINES. 

While trade magazines may be what is keeping it afloat as much as it possible can, the consumer magazines offer so much. I may be a sucker, but I will admit that I love the look of a glossy advertisement with classy-looking people doing classy-looking things. The older ads are priceless. In fact, they are downright inspirational. With ads like that it is no small wonder that magazines were able to get away on advertising better than newspapers. Newspaper ads just leave me cold. The classifieds make me feel cross-eyed after a while. The glossy feel and beautiful images might not sell me to smoke or buy Pepsi but just looking at them helps me realize how so many people might want to.

11. Game It Up

While the Atari controversy plunged video games into a nearly non-redeemable hole, since they renewed their popularity through Nintendo, they have become a staple in households. In fact, according to latest statistics, 65% of US households play video games! The nationwide video game capital is monstrous! If New York is to be believed, however, US video game sales have dropped 4% in January.

What do video games provide us, other than a nation full of addicts? Creating vast worlds and complex story-lines certainly has no place in our current media. Oh, wait, did this creation process not exist in books? As for providing the participant moving images to accompany the story, movies already have that in the bag. What do video games provide then? What makes them a hot commodity? Video games enthrall their participants by offering them the chance to interact in a world outside their own. It is may be true that some take this to the unhealthy extreme of not having a life outside of the game, and their avatar has more friends than they do. For those that use this entertainment medium to expand their creativity, video games can provide an awe-inspiring world. One that I am willing to occasionally plunge into!

Some pretty awesome games:

           Legend of Zelda

           Mario (My dad loves MarioKart)

           Diddy Kong Quest

           Pokemon 

10. The Power of Music Is Strong with this One

I may love music, but there is a certain amount of power in the power of mass produced music that cannot be denied even by music haters.

A few songs to think about:

              "Blowing in the Wind" Bob Dylan            

              “American Pie” Don McLean

              “Maxwell's Silver Hammer” The Beatles

              “Strange Fruit” Nina Simone

              “Another Brick in the Wall” Pink Floyd

              “Defend Atlantis” Flobots

              “No Handlebars” Flobots

       and Tori Amos's “Silent All these Years”

Some of these songs are classic. Some of them should be. Some of them will be. If you search for a compelling emotion, turn to these lyrics. Watching the music video for “Another Brick in the Wall” calls one to question what is really going on in schools. It may be a dramatic example, but it shows the mindless, non-individualist schooling that is coming into play these days.

We have discussed yellow journalism that was able to create change policies by letting the populace know what was going on. Music has the same power. “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” is an example of one call to arms.

Do not discount the power of an ideal set to music. If the tune is catchy and the thought true, you may have a hard time removing it from the people's mouths.  

9. Twitter Revolution. Ha!

In the news, the revolutions taking place in Tunisia and Egypt are blamed on social medias. There is something in this, but I believe that it is placing too much power in the hands of the medium. The people are the ones that are truly behind the call to arms. If it were left up to the medium, nothing would be there in the first place. The medium is merely a conduit to the actions of the people. With the information provided by social networks, one of the key points in a objective reporting comes into play, freedom of speech. When the voices of the people are not cloaked by governmental blackouts, there is enough information to find truth. There may be a lot of junk to sift through, but the main idea is to allow the people the right to hear themselves and share this ability.

          If you want to blame anything for the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, blame corrupt governments that gagged their citizens for years. Without those gags, the occupants would have found the corruption sooner. Truth cannot be stopped.  

8. Media Messages

Thus far, we have had some fun chatting about different types of media influences, but I will be remiss if I do not at some point cover the interesting influence on personal image that media possesses. A constant bombardment on what is the “right” way to look constantly sweeps through the media. Only too often consumers do not see that the media is filling them with lies. Now don't get me wrong, because I believe that the media provides a lot of good. Every time they show the facsimile of a person touched with tools to show something just outside of the reality, they are causing damage that may be impossible to ever truly remove from society. Airbrushed and photoshopped is not the way that we live on earth. We have allowed the media to create a Wonderland for us, and we want the image on the flip-side of the looking glass rather than the one that we can experience. This is a call to get up off your tails to find the truth that is lurking in a currently unwelcome corner of our lives. You do not have to an airbrushed model to live a happy and meaningful existence. In fact, I would say that your chances increase dramatically for a happy life when you are willing to be yourself!!!

7. Germany: Part Three of Control and Propaganda

         I swear I am about to run gamut through my little rampage against horrifying propaganda and control of the media, but I simply cannot stop without addressing that media stoppage that prevailed in Nazi Germany. The free media lid was closed so tight that you faced death if you broke out of the acceptable channels of information. The case of Helmuth Hubener stands out for what the media can do for a person. Hubener was a young man in Nazi Germany who originally believed in the call of Nazism. In fact, he was a member of Hitler's youth. A chance broadcast he heard from BBC on the radio changed this thought. Hearing what was really happening rather that what the media of his own country had been feeding made Hubener realize that the Nazi plan was not the best of ideas. Indeed, with the free information provided by BBC - the democratic media – Hubener saw how misled his people were. He created a news flyer weekly – yet another form of democratic media – to tell his countrymen what he was hearing. Tragically because he was in a state against free media, he was eventually charged with crimes against the government and executed at the age of 17. His contribution to the media was so damaging to the Third Reich, although he was simply a young man with a voice and a medium.

6. The "Pravda"

           When I was commenting on the current situation in Pakistan, it made me think of the situation of the Pravda in Russia. After reading Animal Farm, by George Orwell, each person in my high school class had to choose a figure in the book and relate it to its Russian counterpart. I chose Squealer, a pig who represented the Pravda. Animal Farm is a social commentary about the Russian Revolution and the effects on the people of Russia. The Pravda were the gatekeepers of information, and their gates were almost always barred. The only things that seeped out were what the leaders of the communist party wanted the people to know. Media cannot work to provide anything useful to the public if it is not allowed to operate freely. To this degree, I would like to propose an old, reliable call to arms: Freedom of the Press. Then I shall add: Democracy for all mediums! Through the control of the media, the Russian government did not allow its people to know of the horrors that were taking place, keeping the people in check. The thought makes me ill.

5. Propaganda in Pakistan

Media does not have complete control over the minds of people is a generally accepted idea. Unfortunately, this is less true when you leave democracies. When the government is allowed to take control of the media completely, the people will suffer. The propaganda that is found in Pakistan, and before that, the Russian Pravda, demonstrates what media should never be allowed to become. Using a constant bombardment of faulty information, the people can never find truth. If they do somehow manage to discover what is really happening, they are severely punished. Radio bombards the Pakistanis as the Taliban lists their demands. One man in a PBS interview said that no one listened to the radio for fun. It was merely to find out the demands of the Taliban. Videos and commercials are produced glorifying suicide bombers, and songs call the children to the “right way.” One song in particular that made me want to cry,

"If you try to find me after I have died

You won't find my body whole

You will only find little pieces

And if God approves

He will put my body back together again."

"Why the Taliban is Winning the Propaganda War" Time

"U.S. Stuggles to counter Taliban Propaganda" Washington Post

4. Ice Fishing and... Huh?

          The Post Register fell on the doorstep of the apartment below mine (due to confusion on the part of the delivery man). Before dashing off to my classes, it has become my custom to stroll down to the level below mine to collect my paper.

          I perused the details of Obama speaking at the funerals of those that passed away in the shootings in Arizona, Giffords opening her eyes for the first time since the incident, the proposed changes to the education system, only to run against an article about ice fishing.

          Not being from the north, I shuddered in something akin to horror at the thought of fishing in weather like this, but then I got to wondering, “ How big a deal is this if it was the cover page of one of the sections?” Talk about your niche audiences (unless a substantially significant portion go ice fishing in Idaho)! The paper really wanted to reach out to all different groups.  

3. YouTube and the Power of Copyright Law

          Sitting in my i-Comm class, the last thing I suspected was to be shown the flash mob/ lip dub video from last year. In fact I started wondering why we were watching it. Then our professor told us that the university was in trouble from three record companies because the YouTube video violated copyright laws. Oops.

         When watching a YouTube video, it can be difficult to find a video that does not violate copyright law in some form. One of the most amusing would be the awful virus of the Rickroll. Some apologetically explain that the content of their video is not theirs but rather such and such company.

          What brings companies down on certain issues and not others? Popularity would be the best answer. Catching everything online would be crazy, so they have to show force through specific cases. YouTube touches a huge amount of viewers.

2. Book Into Movie: The End of an Era

It is the complaint of the reading public that movies are poor representations of books. It is too easy for those writing movie scripts to only catch the main plot points instead of focusing on the nuances that make the text. In fact the nuances that are hidden in the original text are often lost in a dumbed down edition for movies. Before people get too bent out of shape, it needs to be noted that movies and books are completely different mediums. One cannot expect that these two different mediums will give the same product. They were not meant to, even if we wish that they could be more similar.  

1. Text Over Time

It was just a moment ago that my roommate turned on Emma, BBC's latest and - in my opinion - greatest attempt to bring a masterpiece of literature to the television screen. When Jane Austen first picked up her object for writing, her audience was severely limited by transportation issues. From the original audience, it has spun into something past a mere reading audience. As an avid reader, I have perused this text multiple times, so it saddens me when I see it condensed into main plot points for SparkNotes. It may speak to more people, but it does not make it a better product. There was an article I read in high school that I found in a newspaper speaking of cell phone novels. It may just be me, but to see beautiful language confined to “Emma could c Mr. K. b4 any1 else” makes me want to cry. Media needs to think of the good of the product before changing its distribution. Creating inferior products reduces interest in the product as a whole!