Final Blog

Last blog of this class and I don't know what to write about so I am just going to write about the class as a whole. Out of all my classes Mass Communications was the one class that actually related our studies to everyday life. For this reason I didn't dread going to class like I do other classes. Talking about everyday issues among the class was interesting. It was fun hearing other peoples ideas and views on the things happening in our life today. In all this class helped me realize exatly how the media effects me everyday. I would not have never believed before this class that on average I am emersed in the media eight plus hours a day. That's rediculous. I enjoyed the class very much and liked the way it was taught.

Youths smashed windows and threw rocks at police in central Athens Friday, the seventh day of clashes that erupted after a police officer killed a 15-year-old boy last Saturday.Protesters, described as mostly students, were seen smashing the glass doors of a Citibank, throwing a metal barricade at police lined up along a street and scuffling with police wearing white helmets. Many of the officers were wearing riot gear. One image showed a something that looked like blood on a curb. Tourists were advised to stay in their hotels while thousands of demonstrators shouted and police outside. Journalist Anthee Carassava said the protests were expected to continue into the evening. The official ballistics report from last weekend's shooting was expected to be released Friday. The teen who was shot and other youths had been throwing stones at a police patrol car.The riots that followed soon became an outlet for simmering anger about the economy, education and jobs. The unrest is threatening the government's hold on power, with some opposition groups calling for fresh elections. The two officers involved in Saturday's shooting were remanded into custody Wednesday pending trial. One is charged with premeditated manslaughter and the other with acting as an accomplice.

Indian Woman Gives Birth at Age 70

A 70-year-old Indian woman gave birth to a girl last month, apparently becoming the world’s oldest mother, a report said Monday.Rajo Devi gave birth Nov. 28 after undergoing in vitro fertilization, The Telegraph newspaper in Britain reported. We longed for a child all these years and now we are very happy to have one in the twilight years of our life," she said, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper quoted Dr. Anurag Bishnoi of the Hisar fertility center in Haryana state as saying that Devi and her 72-year-old husband, Bala Ram, came to the facility for treatment. "Both the mother and child are in good health," Bishnoi said.
The doctor did not disclose whose egg or sperm was used in the procedure.
The Telegraph said Devi and her husband had been married 50 years. After 10 years of childless marriage, he wed his wife's sister, but there were no children from that union, it said. The new father said he wasn't worried about what would happen to the baby if he and his wife died before she grows up.
"The upbringing of the child is not a problem. We have a joint family as is common in rural Haryana," he said.Previously, the world's oldest mother was believed to be a Spanish woman. Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara gave birth to twins in December 2006, days before her 67th birthday. She allegedly admitted that she lied about her age in order to receive fertility treatment from a U.S. clinic.

Government to Bailout Auto Industries

The White House said today it would be "irresponsible" to let Detroit's automakers collapse and suggested it will use a bailout fund it had previously said was not meant for the sinking car industry. The revised view came the morning after senators killed an effort to provide $14 billion in emergency loans to Detroit automakers when a last-ditch attempt to renegotiate the deal collapsed. The House had passed its version of the measure on Wednesday night but the Senate was unable to follow suit. "We will consider other options if necessary, including use of the TARP program, to prevent a collapse of troubled automakers," White House press secretary Dana Perino said today.

Final Project

For me the end of the year project was something I was freaking out about. I don't like pubic speaking to much so standing up in front of a class for ten minutes just about killed me. I liked the projects themselves mainly because they were so informational. In accomplishing the project you had to understand and know your topic pretty well. This aspect of the project was intriguing to me. In all this project helped me in my steps to get over my fear of public speaking.

Black Hole Confirmed in Milky Way

There is a giant black hole at the center of our galaxy, a 16 year study by a German astronomers has confirmed. They tracked the movement of 28 stars circling the center of the Milky Way, using two telescopes in Chile. The black hole, said to be 27,000 light years from Earth, is four million times bigger than the Sun.
Black holes are objects whose gravity is so great that nothing, including light, can escape them. Dr Massey said: "Although we think of black holes as somehow threatening, in the sense that if you get too close to one you are in trouble, they may have had a role in helping galaxies to form. Not just our own, but all galaxies. The researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany said the black hole was 27,000 light years from the Earth.

Back to School

I think everyone was exited to have a much needed break last week, I know I was. Now that we are back in school though I am finding it hard to get back in the swing of things. The motivation factor is just not there. The ridiculous thing though is that for the next to weeks I will probably not see the light of day. Exaggeration I know but seriously. It seems like everything is due in these last two weeks of class. It's alright though, the end is near. I can't wait until the end of this semester!

A non-profit group called "We The People Foundatio" headed by anti-tax activist, Robert Schulz of New York, along with several other individuals all over the US, has raised questions whether President-elect Barack Obama is infact a natural born US citizen. In order to be the president of the US, as stipulated by the US constitution. They have also questioned the authenticity of Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate, with the foundation running a series of ads raising doubts about Obama's citizenship and whether his birth certificate is authentic.

Ok now, really? How in the world would this not have been brought up before he began to run for president. I'm sure that is one of the biggest things they look for in choosing a presidental canidate. It sounds to me like these people are upset about the results of the election and just can't exept the fact that we now have a democratic African American President.

Where will the Virgin Mary pop up next?

Pamela Latrimore, a 42-year-old woman from Florida, plans to sell an MRI scan of her brain - a scan in which some say they can see the Virgin Mary. Perhaps what we are looking at is the blessed mother's hypothalamus. But how should I know? Then again, what we might also be looking at is a sign of the times. Latrimore has cancer and liver ailments. On top of this she also has no health insurance. She blames her condition on dioxin exposure. For that reason alone, it might be worth bidding on this medical scan, if and when it goes up for auction on eBay.

Sony to cut 8,000 jobs

Sony has announced plans to cut 8,000 electronics jobs - 5% of the division - as well as shutting 10% of its manufacturing sites. The company said the jobs would be cut by April 2010, but did not say in which countries the staff would go. Sony said it would also cut at least 8,000 temporary and contract staff jobs in the same sector. It said it had been trying to reduce production because of the downturn, but warned it still had to do more. The news came as Japan said its economy had shrunk between July and September by much more than initially estimated. The Cabinet Office said the economy had shrunk at an annual rate of 1.8% in the quarter, compared with its original estimate of 4%. Sony said the cost-cutting plan was aimed at responding to "the sudden and rapid changes in the global economic environment". Sony aims to generate cost savings of about 100bn yen ($1.1bn; £730m) by the end of the next financial year. It will cut its investment in electronic operations by 30% and shut down about 10% of its 57 production facilities. "The number sounds big, but this staff reduction won't be enough," said Katsuhiko Mori, a fund manager at Daiwa SB Investments. Last month, Sony reported a 71% fall in net profit for the three months to the end of September, compared with the same period in 2007. Its net profit for the quarter was 20.8bn yen, down from 71.8bn yen for the same three months last year. Sales were down 5% at 2.1 trillion yen.

Pirate Threat Forces Cruise Ship Evacuation

In Berlin a cruise ship will evacuate passengers before sailing past the Somali coast and fly them to the next port of call to protect them from possible pirate attacks, German cruise operator Hapag-Lloyd said Tuesday.Hapag-Lloyd said the detour was a "precautionary measure," given rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia that has targeted cruise ships as well as commercial vessels, including a Saudi oil tanker carrying $100 million in crude and a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and other weapons.In addition, Pirates last week fired upon a cruise liner carrying 650 passengers and 400 crew members. Luckily the massive ship outran its assailants. Other ships have not been so lucky.An official with the European Union's anti-piracy mission said separately that it would station armed guards on vulnerable cargo ships. The first such deployment of military personnel during the international anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

Mind if I light up, Officer?

Police said a woman was arrested after asking a state trooper whether she could smoke — and then trying to light up a marijuana joint. Honesty Knight, 32, was a passenger in a vehicle that Trooper Eric Perkins pulled over for a traffic violation early Friday. While the trooper was talking to the driver, Knight obtained the trooper's permission to smoke.Police say Perkins then asked to see the cigarette, which contained marijuana, not tobacco.Knight faces a preliminary charge of possession of paraphernalia. She was released from jail on bond.

Obama Wins!

Sen. Barack Obama was elected the next president of the United States after defeating Republican candidate Sen. John McCain on Tuesday night. Obama, who will be the first African-American to lead the White House, defeated his opponent in both popular and electoral votes, though with significantly different margins. He led McCain 349 to 147 in electoral votes, but only 52 percent of the popular vote, as of press time. The victory of the Illinois senator was due in large part to huge shifts in the outcome of traditionally red states such as Virginia and New Mexico. He also carried swing states including Florida and Ohio. After Obama's clear win John McCain thanked his supporters and congratulated Obama. At the end of the night there was one main topic both candidates hit on. This was the unifying of our nation. Hopefully this comes to pass.

Election Day!

From the get go today was a crazy day. It seemed the election was weighing on the minds of every person I came in contact with. No matter what room I walked into, the election was topic of discussion. Voting wise for me wasn't that difficult. I only really ran into one major difficulty. I filled out a mail in ballot about a week ago and happened to include a copy of my Texas driver’s license not knowing it was my school ID i really needed. To fix the problem I had to hand deliver a copy of my school ID to the court house before the polls closed. While at the court house I noticed things were going pretty smoothly. There didn't seem to be any misunderstanding or long lines to deal with. Together I think it was a successful day for all who participated.

Strength of Friendship

I've been sitting here trying to come up with a topic that pertains to mass media but nothing comes to mind. So instead tonight I am going to talk about whats been weighing on my heart. The past few weeks have been ridiculously crazy and it seems to me the pace won't be slowing down any time soon. I understand that college life but sometimes you just need a little bit of encouragement to keep going. I found that this Tuesday in my best friend from home Cristina. Thinking about it today I realize I'm ridiculously blessed in having someone that will listen to me no matter how retarded I sound. How is it that a single human being can have such a dramatic affect on another persons life? I can't answer that question but I'm so glad that they can even if it happens to be for the worst. Friendship in my mind has to be one of the strongest bonds we can create. A strong friendship can see you through all the hills and Vallie's of life and still consider you to be one of the most amazing people on earth. Could we make it through life without a connection such as this? What kind of people would we be without the aid of another?

Reaction to Monday's Discussion on the Hit and Run

What are the chances of capturing the footage shown on Monday? Talk about right place right time. The same couldn’t be said for the people involved. The question proposed to the class was what exactly she should do with the footage. In my mind the action that should be taken is exactly what happened. If it were me who happened to film the accident I would have turned it into the authorities in hopes that it could be of some help to them. As far as the publicity of this event goes, I think it’s ridiculous that there was none. I just don't understand how the only coverage on this issue was a simple paragraph. Are the lives of these people not significant enough to be reported on? Out of respect I think they should have at least reported on the conditions of the people involved. All in all, this is just a jacked up situation.

IOUSA

Tonight the movie IOUSA, a documentary on the fiscal responsibilities of our nation, took the big screen at the Abby theatre. The movie pin pointed the faults of the American government and ways we in which we as individuals can aid in the relief effort. By using detailed graphs and charts I learned how social security, health care, and taxes are draining our governmental profits. Taking this more detailed look into the problem at hand I realized how ridiculous the problem really is. It's sad to look at this countries financial profile and see the direction we are headed. Walking out of that theatre I felt empowered and inspired that I can make a difference in this financial crisis. One educated voice can lead to the land slide of thousands of others bringing together a united front that can't be over looked by the government.

McCain Comes to Durango

After campaigning in Denver Friday morning Senator John McCain plans on continuing his campaign here in Durango. He will speak at Durango High School football field 5p.m with doors opening at 3 p.m. This Durango stop will be the first one by a major party presidential candidate since John F. Kennedy in 1960. With Durango being a part of the Albuquerque media market McCain gains two-for-one media coverage in both Colorado and New Mexico. In addition to advantage in media coverage Durango is home to about 12,000 unaffiliated voters which both campaigns have been targeting.

Belly-busting 20 lb burger

Brad Sciullo, a five-foot-11, 180 pound western Pennsylvania chef is the first person in the history of Denny's Beer Barrel Pub to completely finish eating their famous Beer Barrel Belly Bruiser: a 15-pound burger with toppings and a bun that brought the total weight to 20.2 pounds. For finishing this massive burger under the five hour time limit Sciullo received $400, three T-shirts, a certificate, and a "burger hangover." When asked why he would attempt such a stunt Sciullo said that he just wanted to see if he could do it. Included in the burger were a bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese onions, mild banana peppers, and a cup each of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and relish.

Plant-Derived Gasoline

The so called "green" gasoline is chemically derived from corn and other grains or from cellulose found in tough, woody parts of plants. Unlike most other biofuel, this new form of gasoline requires no change in your car’s engine. The National Science Foundation has aided in several projects developing green gasoline. These projects found that by just a simple difference in the creation process you can produce gasoline components out of wood chips and other plant refuse. Doing so involves a chemical agent called catalysts which reformulates plant sugars into energy packed molecules. Making hydrocarbons from plat materials is more efficient than making ethanol. This is because hydrocarbons separate themselves from water automatically, compared to ethanol which requires energy-intensive distillation. This efficiency will translate into lower costs estimated at 20% lower than a gallon of ethanol produced from corn.

Topless Activists Protest Bull Fighting

In Brussles, Belgium animal rights activists staged a topless protest outside the European Parliament on Thursday, against the union supporting and aiding bull fighting. They laid on sidewalks covered in face blood accompanied with spears sticking out of their backs, highlighting their opposition. These protestors planned on putting new pressure on lawmakers at the European Parliament. I thought this was cool and funny. I thought others might too.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Lately it seems the movies released to the big screan keep deteriorating. Completely falling below the bar. Never satisfy the ten bucks I spend on a movie. Time and time again I go to movies with hollow acting and no plot and i am tired of it. Just when I am about to get fed up with going to sub-par holywood bs I found Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. This movie isn't like the movie's of today with their predictable endings. Instead, throughout the entire movie I was on edge guessing the next direction of the movie. I highly recomend this movie but if your looking for something other than a chick flick this movie isn't it. If you have time and feel like catching a movie this should deffinately be the one.

Vice Presidental Debate

Tonight at 7 o'clock Mountain Time Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin faced off in the first and only Vice Presidential debate. I had the opportunity of watching this debate on campus with a group of students and professors all brought together by their yearn for wanting to become a better informed voter. When I walked into this room tonight I was both exited and anxious for what the night held in store and for also being able to talk about the debate logically afterward. Sadly, this excitement began to diminish when I realized that I had walked into a room that was completely one sided. They didn't take into consideration that there might be opinions other than their own sitting right next to them. It was hilarious to listen to the outburst responding to the answers given. For example, Sarah Palin was so wrapped up in her rebuttal that she forgot to answer the original question asked. The whole class then proceeded to grill her on this issue. Then, not two questions later Senator Joe Biden did the same and you heard no outburst stating that he forgot to answer the question. I just believe that if you hold one person to a certain standard isn't it right to hold others to that standard as well.

Financial Crisis

As many know the economic rescue bill of a $700 billion failed to pass Monday morning sending Wall Street crashing. Since then, many people have been working to reconstruct the bill and it’s said to have found new life Wednesday pressing toward speedy passage through the senate come Friday. This new bill added $100 billion in tax breaks for business and middle class but, the heart of the opposition remains the same. It would enable the government to spend billions of dollars to buy bad mortgages held by troubled financial institutions.

Introduction to Film

Today a good movie is something I wouldn't want to live without. There just something amazing about the way movies can relate to you personally that makes it hard to believe that the idea of a movie started without sound and using only a camera.What would it be like to live in the time period of films first days? What were the peoples reactions to inventions such as the Kinetograph and Kinetoscope? I can just imagine how peoples perceptions and ideas of the world began to drastically change. Its amazing to think how this one invention, so many years ago, could have a direct affect on the world I live in today.

Photoshop Effect

Wow! That was my first response when I realized the manipulations done to almost all photos within the media today. It's rediculous to think teenage girls are looking at these pictures and setting goals for the way they wish to look when it's basically imposible to ever accoumplish them. No wonder there is such a huge self steem issue amoung young women within todays society. We are constantly being lied to and degrated every time we open a magazine or turn on the TV. I don't understand how the media still is able to use these tactics when peoples lives are directly affected in a negative way.There should atleast be a label or something of the sort stating the work done to the photo.

Don Haskins Tribute

We all know the movie Glory Road but not many know the man behind the story. Don Haskins was a man who positively affected the lives of all the people around him and unintentionally changed the way in which the game of basketball was played. During the 1966 national NCAA championship when playing the University of Kentucky, an all-white team, Haskins started five black players. Later in his career he stated that "he wasn't out to be a pioneer when we played Kentucky. I was simply playing the best players on the team, and they happened to be black." This kind of coaching style was not present during this time in his carrier and it made it so much easier for others to follow in his footsteps. When asked about what shaped his views on race Don often mentioned his friend Herman Carr, who he played one-on-one against during his youth in Enid. What Don Haskins could not understand how he how he got all the publicity and scholarships while Carr ended up joining the army.

It's easy to see how this man changed the lives of the people around him. He was a pioneer of his time and he will surely be missed.

Los Angeles Times

OUTFOXED

I thought the in class movie was interesting and well worth watching. But, this movie has presented me with a few things I just can't understand. One, how is there any difference between this movie and the Fox network? It seemed to me this movie only presented one side of a double sided coin. The only voices you heard were those from liberal supporters and that's it. Also, from the birth of the idea of this movie it had a set agenda, exploit Fox. Where is there difference between this and the day to day agendas of the fox news network? Secondly, if the Fox network is biased and unfair why do the people of America seem to disagree. Fox is the most watched news network for a reason. The ratings portray the peoples opinion and people aren't going to keep watching something they think to be false.

Yes, Fox news is biased to a certain extent. But, who isn't. Everyone has their own ideas and views on the world and we all like when others agree with us. It presents us with a common ground on which to build a relationship. But, what separates Fox from the pack with the fact that they try to be fair and balanced. No other news network can say the same.

The lesson learned here is no one should rely on a single news network to produce their ideas about the world around them. By looking into both sides of an issue you become a more educated citizen. How could there ever be something wrong with this?

Chapter 1 & 2

So far the reading for this class has been the most interesting read out of all my classes. When I'm reading the chapters it doesn't feel like a obligation but more of a fun read. It's cool to Learn things like how culture changes peoples interpretation of the world. To me this doesn't seem like I'm learning useless information but instead, information that can be used later on in life.

Register to Vote!

First blog every so here we go. As most are aware the presidential elections are fast approaching. No, I'm not going to talk to you about who I think best fit to run our nation. That's not my style. But, what I am going to stress is how important it is that you go out and vote. This is a privelage given to us by others who were willing to give their lives for this cause. Because of them we have the ability to have a say in the way our country opperates. So, shouldn't we respect them and take advantage of this opportunity given?