Monday, October 19, 2009

This Bird Was Never Meant To Soar.

The whole world watched as clips of the 9/11 attacks played on tv in 2001. The whole world watched as the Columbia Space Shuttle crashed over Texas in 2003. And in 2009 the whole world watched as a little boy stuck in a balloon flew over Colorado... or at least they thought they did.
The most recent article I read about this situation was Sheriff: Boy-in-balloon was hoax, charges expected by Dan Elliott. The Heene family, who appeared on Wife Swap, apparently wanted more then their fifteen minutes of fame, so what better way to do that then by claiming your child is stuck in a balloon? Apparently anything could have been better. This claim led to the five hour search for six-year-old Falcon, the shut down of Denver International Airport, and spending $14,500 on the use of two military helicopters to aid in the 'rescue' of the boy.
When it first came out that the boy had hidden in the attic of their home, I was not so surprised. I really didn't think that this child, no matter how light, could be soaring in the air for 50 miles across two counties. However, I didn't think that this event had been planned two weeks in the making. Apparently, during one of the interviews of the family, Falcon was heard saying "We did this for the show." And this is now being called the "Aha" moment in the whole investigation. [Personally, I think this moment should have come earlier when the public found out that instead of calling the police first to report the missing child, Mr. Heene called channel 9 news. Hmm... ya think?]
I personally couldn't believe how low some people would sink to get their moments of fame. Using your 6 year old son? Did they honestly expect for him to understand what was going on? It's no wonder they got caught. All of this had been done to gain a deal for a reality tv show? I understand that people will do a lot to be rich and famous, but at what point does it seem okay to extort your child?
I think this proves how much of a high priority media is in our lifestyle. It's everywhere we look and it's becoming a part of everything we do, and people will go to great lengths to be a major part of it.
As for me? I think the only logical thing to do is have a son named Pigeon, and claim he was abducted by aliens in order for our up-coming shoe line to take off.

Media Take Over- People Are Catching On


So this may not be the best picture ever because I had to scan it, but I thought it was really necessary to blog about. This "Mutts" comic-strip (by Patrick McDonnell) was in last Sunday's Newsday (10/11/09). Looking at it, I think it is pretty self explanatory. Advertising has taken over everything! McDonnell is not using his comic to advertise something, but to show how ridiculous the industry has actually become.

Seeing this made me automatically think of the hot summer days lying on the sand of Robert Moses field 5 and seeing the planes fly over head with big banners advertising a type of beer or a sale at a local store. It never really clicked on how absurd that really is until now.

Leave it to 'man' to take something as serene and natural as nature and inundate it with media. Thinking more into it, I realized how advertising is literally EVERYWHERE.

Driving into the city, I get so excited to go shopping or see a play, and for half of the ride there I'm stared at by hundreds of billboards. Listening to the radio, I hear the hosts talk for twenty minutes about their phones before I realize they are trying to sell me something. It seems like companies will buy whatever space they can to get their name out there. Before we know it cars won't be available in black or red, they will come in either a McDonalds, or a Wendy's. Clothes (other than advertising the store or brand that makes them) will have pictures of new inventions that minimize the use of your washing machine, or the blanket with built in cup holders. Competition in the advertising world has yet to make its peak, which is frightening because no one will know how far it will go.

So I COMPLETELY agree with what McDonnell is trying to say. This industry has outstretched itself so much that there is nothing that it can't do. Just like Mooch (the cat in the comic-strip) I have to ask... Where does it end?

Monday, October 12, 2009

Oh Boy Obama

(Video Clip from nbc.com) So the newest and hottest information is about Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. A lot of controversy is flying over this topic because many people feel that he has accomplished too little (or almost nothing) to deserve this award. While he may donate the money to charity, I can't help but to wonder if he should have won it. To be completely honest, I never really kept myself up to speed on any politics until this election, partly because I had to, and partly because I was so close to being able to vote that I thought now would be a good time to pay attention.
However, with that said, I know that I myself am very impressionable by the media. Its not a bad thing, it happens to everyone, but when I came across the NY Times article Another Fine Mess: Comics Whack Obama by Mark Leibovich, I was immediately interested in how easily it is to be swayed by the media. The video above is of a recent SNL skit [Oct. 3rd 2009], which was mentioned in this article. Here, "Obama" defends himself against the allegations that he turned the US "into something that resembles the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany." However, he defends himself by saying that this isn't true as he has done nothing in office. The video goes on to show that he has done nothing that he promised while campaigning such as closing Guantánamo Bay prison, or bringing home troops from the Middle East.
The video goes on making anecdotes about the 2016 Olympics and so on, but I couldn't help but to think of how many people this could have angered. How many people probably voted for him and then saw this only to feel like he really has accomplished nothing? And it doesn't just stop there. Shows on television, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, is also mentioned in this article. A point made by Stewart is when he addresses the president by saying, "All that stuff you've been putting on your plate? It's chow time, brother. That's how you get things off your plate." Implying that while the president has a lot to deal with at once, he can take care of it if he started to work on them.
The president will always be a popular target with the media. Whether he's calling Kanye a jackass (yes I had to bring that up) or winning the Nobel Peace Prize, he will always be in the limelight. Bob Lichter, of George Mason University's Center for Media and Public Affairs, put it best when he said, "The danger is that Mr. Obama is going to be defined by inaction and not living up to expectations."
I personally believe that it is whether or not people believe everything they hear on the news or in the media that can draw or repel people to follow the president. I believe that if he continues to do what's best for our country, than he will truly be a good leader. Results are more important then how he is portrayed to us.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Rule Revolution...What technology is doing to our home life

Today I read what can only be described as an anecdote about cell phone use at home. How many times have you been yelled at for texting during dinner? Or when you're with your family? Well this Newsday article "No texting at dinner! Parenting in the digital era" by Karyn D. Collins targets this issue exactly.
Texting has become so explosively popular, that it's almost strange to know someone (13 or older) that doesn't text. While this luxury is almost impossible to live without, parents are targeting it as reasons for new rules.
Holly Kopczynski, the mother interviewed in this article, states, "I grew up with rules, the 'no elbows on the table' kind of things. And I've raised my kids with that." However, lately Holly finds herself creating more and more rules to accommodate for the changes in technology. She now emphasizes more on not texting during dinner, and not using the phone during family outings.
While I was able to completely identify with this, I couldn't help but to think that with these new rules comes a lack of drive towards enforcing the others. Personally, my mom could care less about my elbows being on the table if I'm too busy texting to even pay attention at dinner. What really made me think was the fact that increases in technology are not only making our daily lives easier, but can sometimes be seen as a beast of burden. If so much emphasis goes into proper cell phone etiquette, will less time be spent on other decorum during family activities?
Aside from that, am I the only one who finds it amusing that new rules come from this technology? I know that when my mom takes away my computer it hardly phases me because I can just use my itouch to update my facebook or listen to music. Cell phones now harvest more than just phone calls or texting. With their wifi connectivity, built in mp3 players and more, I think it's becoming more difficult for parents to punish their children and cut them off from technology.
I think this article explains a lot of what most of us have already been noticing, but I still felt it was important to shine a light on it...especially when it is something that everyone can relate to.

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(picture from newsday.com)