Blog 5

In today’s economy, prices from gas to computers seem increase daily. Downloading music may seem harmless in the comfort of your own but who is really thinking about the money you just stole from your favorite artist. There is literally a million ways to illegally rip music from the internet.  YouTube converters and Peer to Peer (PSP) software like LimeWire and Frostwire have been some of the more popular programs. While downloading music continues to grow, so does the consequences. Tons of music stores have gone out of business since the demand for CDs has dropped. Also aspiring bands and artists who depend on the income from music downloads lose out the most.

Thinking about all the angles and considering what is morally right, applying the Aristotle’s points can help you make the morally right decision. To be ethically according to Aristotle you must knowingly be aware of what you are doing, decide what your action is with moral reason and act with good chartcher. When downloading music not only are you breaking the law but you are also stealing. There is nothing morally right about cheating other people out of their own money. John Rawls said it best with the veil of ignorance.  By making a decision without being considerate of others, justice will emerge to any participants. Whatever reason people choose to download music illegally they have not kept others in consideration. Many people will say that due to their current financial situation downloading for free is much more convenient but for the people who are on the other side losing out on money will not be so lucky.  

There are a few easy and affordable alternatives to downloading music legal. Programs like Apple iTunes, Napster, and mp3.com are all ways to legally download music. They are deemed legal because they have a licensing agreement and you pay a monthly fee that allows you download mp3 files. Although you are still paying for something at least you are not purchasing a whole CD or paying court fees for illegally downloading music. Keeping in mind that music downloading is a business it is important to remember not to steal and do what is morally right.

blog 4

Everywhere you look the world is slowly being covered with advertisements.  I wake up every morning and turn on Pandora before I get in the shower. Within the first 15 minutes of waking up, I am exposed to my first ad of the day. While shuffling through a bunch of songs I don’t like on my Pandora playlist, I notice along the bottom of my screen ads for Doritos, Ebay and Netflix. While getting dressed, I realized that today I too was a walking advertisement for Roxy shoes and Coach. 

As the day progressed, I drove past the usual restaurant specials on Main Street and heard the same commercials on the radio in the mists of my five minute drive to school. While on campus I didn’t notice many ads because I was so focused on going to class and getting back home. At 2:00 o’clock I returned home and began watching a rerun of the Jersey Shore.  I noticed that almost every commercial was targeted towards my age group of 18-24 year old viewers. Commercials for movies, Proactive, tanning salons, beer, and shampoo are what I noticed most on MTV.  After catching up on my Jersey Shore episodes, I changed the channel to ABC family. The commercials around 6:00 pm were for Gold Bond, Neutrogena, Tide, fast food and Charmin.  Unlike MTV, ABC family is a family network so the target audience is much larger and the commercials are much broader.  Towards the end of my night, I went out for a drink with my friends in Reading. Sitting there I noticed behind the bartender was a wall filled with all types of beer and cigarette ads.

I knew that advertisements were a part of my life but I never noticed how much. The significance of a commercial or even seeing a brand can trigger a sale. I realized today that from advisements alone I wanted to go to McDonalds and try their new chicken bites and I have a sudden urge to see The Hunger Games. Advertising is the fuel for the engine of Mass Media Industries and it will continue to have influence on buyer’s decision.   

Blog 3

Dirt Rag is an adventure filled magazine that gives its reader a little taste of what a true rider’s experience is like when riding all over the world. The heart pumping stories give you the opportunity to feel as though you were too riding.  Throughout the magazine there were numerous articles, stories, and advertisements that hit their target audience. Every page was filled with anything and everything that could make a rider’s experience that much better. The target audience is males that enjoy biking whether it is competitively or for adventure.

The magazine targets two different audiences, the young and the old male riders.  The young demographic is reached with fun articles on dirt bikes and racing. The writers have a different approach showing the good, the bad and the ugly of a true BMX rider. Markets are signaling on almost every page of this magazine. Even the gear, bikes, and equipment seem more appealing to a younger crowd.  When reaching the back and middle part of the magazine the stories start to get more mature and have a deeper description of the rider’s experience. Casual rides in the mountains of New Zealand and the jungles of Africa were some of the biggest and most interesting articles in Dirt Rags. Adult riders use it as a form of relaxation joining riding groups who converse while traveling to their destination. The ad’s that targeted the older demographic was gear that wasn’t as bright and parts that weren’t as flashy.  The adult demographic was more focused on the quality and durability of an item rather than its physical appearance that usually attracts the younger riders.

According to dirtragmag.com/media kit an estimated 92% of their demographics are males and only 8% are females. About 38% of the readers fall in the age group of 36-45 and a close second with 36% of readers falling in the ages of 18-35. An interesting demographic is that about 63% of their readers have college degrees and 18% have a graduate or higher.  Dirt Rag is a magazine that may go unnoticed to anyone who isn’t interested in cycling but giving it a chance to read the stories could change your mind. The writers in this magazine gives such detailed descriptions it almost feels like your there experiencing everything first hand and that is something that really stands out to readers everywhere.

MWF 3:00-4:20 blog 2

Fighting to prove your innocence can sometimes lead to extreme measures. Khader Adnan, a suspected terrorist and leader of Islamic Jihad, is currently being held behind bar on what seems like insufficient reasoning. On December 17, 2011 Adnan was arrested and immediately began his hunger strike. Adnan believes that the government has him held in the penitentiary for no reason and has since stopped eating and showering. Today marks the 58th day and the man who once weighted over 200 lbs has dropped to an astonishing 122. He has also lost massive amounts of hair and he is currently in a wheel chair.

Both articles had very similar stories but two totally different angles. The story from CNN seemed more so on Adnan’s side. From CNN I learned more about his condition and how bad the Israel government is treating him. The story went more into depth about the verbal, physical and psychological abuse Adnan is receiving. According to CNN they claim he has been mistreated, suffering long periods of solitary confinement and has been given multiple unnecessary strip searches. Unlike the other article, CNN also interviewed his family asking how they felt about the situation. I would say that CNN was more bias towards Adnan’s innocents.

Al Jazeera’s story focused more so on the situation of the strike and swayed more so to his guilt.  The article did shed light on Adnan’s current status. It was clearer in this article that Adnan was indeed a guilty man and was a part of numerous terrorist attacks. Compared to the CNN story, Al Jazeera had more concrete evidence about the laws and actually reasoning of why the Israel government captured Adnan.

Reading such similar stories I thought it would be hard to find the differences. But reading it over a few times it was easy to see the author’s opinion. Although Adnan is slowly dying for what he feels it right, I do agree with the Israel government and their choice to keep him behind bars till May 2012. I don’t agree with how they say he’s being treated but all the allegations are hear say. It’s amazing to see how globalization ties into the article I choose. Seeing different perspectives gave me a different outlook on my final judgment.  

SPE 212 Olivia Diaz

What is real and what is not? It’s hard to distinguish the truth about reality TV now a days. Some of my favorite shows are “Keeping up with the Kardashians” and “Kourtney and Kim take New York”.  I love how these women live such fabulous lives and have so much money to spend on whatever they want.  The reality family is famous for numerous appearances, and other business deals they have under the Kardashian line. I enjoy watching this show because I look up to the luxurious life-style and I would be lucky to have it someday. The family spends money on all sorts of vacations, cars and clothes with what seems like no spending cap. Besides the little work that is shown on the show, it doesn’t really seem like the family does much. Granted that they are TV personalities and are their own market brand, I do believe what they show on TV is real to an extent. The family are millionaires and probably have all the money in the world to spend on whatever their heart’s desire. The producers have Bruce Jenner act like your typical father who is strict and only wants the best for the children. While Khris Kardashian who is the mother, seems like a great business women but cares about the money way too much. What I think is fake is that no matter what or where they are their hair and makeup is always done. Going to bed with pounds of makeup doesn’t really seem realistic. I have been watching this show since the first season and I have never seen them deal with typical problems that most family deal with. Everyday normal activities always just seem so much more extreme on this show. Being that it is reality TV, appealing to the audience is the most important thing. So for audience entertainment some of the fights, breakdowns and pregnancy seem staged. I also believe that Kim’s marriage to Khris Humphries was fake and a total publicity stunt. After seeing the final episodes I knew that my favorite show wasn’t as real as they say it was but at the end of the day it all makes for good TV.