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.