Free Music or Piracy?

Good morning everyone and welcome to the Tuesday Mornings with Joe!!!! Our main topic today will be on music and the illegal downloading (piracy) that has been going on over the last few years. Our visitors include the RIAA and Mark Fischer, a Washington Post staff writer. First off RIAA, what are your views on music piracy and why is there the need to go against it?
RIAA- Joe, music piracy is hurting the economy as we speak. Over 12 million dollars, 70,000 American jobs, almost 3 billion dollars which is getting cut out of employee’s paychecks, over 420 million dollars in tax revenues, and an estimated 130 million dollars from corporate taxes have all been relinquished. The biggest problem sites have been college campuses. These students just don’t know the consequences of clicking that download button.
Joe- Very interesting what are your views on this issue Mark?
Mark Fischer- Well on the issue of college students being the main source illegal downloading; they’re college students. What else is there to do on a consistent basis when you aren’t in class or out? And many students enjoy studying to music. The RIAA wanting colleges to discipline college students for downloading music “illegally” is just ridiculous. The legal way of downloading music is to buy the music offline. FYI: college students do not have the money to have 1000 songs at their disposal because they have to pay for college itself, which most students take out loans for anyways.
Joe- Very true, very true RIAA, have you had any success in enforcing the “no illegal downloading on campuses?”
RIAA- We are currently working on that. We have not been able to enforce laws yet because not all colleges have agreed against illegal downloading. But, we have had success in sharing how serious this matter is. We believe that once parents find out about this downloading possibly getting their child suspended or expelled from college, the students will stop.
Joe- Mark, we can probably guess your opinion on the RIAA’s law enforcing, but have you come up with any alternate solutions?
Mark Fischer- Joe, personally, I don’t think it’s about finding alternate solutions. Kids and college students are going to find ways around these laws. “Illegal downloading” started because kids couldn’t afford to buy their music. If you put laws that will enforce the illegality of downloading music, some computer genius is just going to come along with another way to obtain music for free, which will then become the modern way to go about music.

Protect your neck

I myself have mixed feelings about being able to have a concealed weapon on campus. I understand that it automatically offers a great sense of protection for the gun holder, but for everyone else without a firearm, it can be very scary. There is no way everyone on campus will safely carry a gun on campus. This is because there just aren’t that many sane people on a college campus. I think the only reason some kids do not carry guns on campus, is because of the consequences they will have to face once caught. I myself would be in favor of carrying concealed weapons on the George Mason campus, if and only if, every gun man or woman was put through an extensive, and extremely thorough preliminary course, that certified them as mentally stable, physically able, and saw that they had the right mindset. They would need to answer close to 200 questions for me to know they were taking this seriously and it through the whole thing.
The strongest argument that I saw brought up about being in favor of having a concealed weapon on campus, is the story of Nick and the University of Utah. He sounded very concerned about the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings this past year. That would be the type of student I think that would go through a proper gun course like the one mentioned before. The Weakest argument I think I saw for being in favor of having concealed weapons on a college campus was BYU student Casey Matheny who just said “I don’t mind if they have concealed weapons, I just don’t want to know about it.” This to me sounds like an attitude that is to relaxed for this situation. The strongest argument to the prohibiting of concealed weapons on a college campus was the small story of Ted Bundy doing some of his serial killing on the Utah University campus. That to me is a perfect reason for a student to be able to have some sort of concealed weapon.
I think that teachers could be allowed to carry a concealed weapon on campus especially over a student. A teacher has the responsibility to look after the students while they are in the classroom. I also think that the teacher will have the most level head on any one pair of shoulders in the classroom. I would choose a professor or teacher to make my decision and whether to act on something if that is what needed to be done.

Calm down, it's a slogan

After considering the arguments, I feel that the t-shirts are playful and harmless. The problem at hand, are all of the die-hard Christians that take this kind of thing out of context, and blow it out of proportion. With these two different opinions aside, there is a middle ground. In fact, most of the people that wear these shirts are wearing it because it is funny, and because it was a new trend, not because they felt it would attack, or put shame on Christianity. And I believe that attacking Christianity doesn’t even come to mind when buying these t-shirts. As far as how the shirts effect my decision, I would say that they do not at all. The shirts don’t make me want to be more or less of a Christian.
Mitchell talks about the “Jesus is my Homeboy, Mary is my Homegirl” t-shirts and says “we could say that the previous examples are typical of culture that ignores god.” By saying this, Mitchell clearly is not for these kinds of t-shirts. But in all actuality, is God really being ignored. People have bought and are still buying them, which must stand for something considering Jesus is right on the front. If the shirts only contained text, I do not think it would have the same effect on the public eye. With the picture of Jesus on the front, it gives the viewer and even more fun-loving feeling. Take it a step further, and change the font from bubbly, to gothic lettering, and the entire way you used to view this shirt changes. With Gothic lettering, it could look as if the shirt was against Christianity.
This image of Jesus is loaded with rhetoric that could go both ways. The mere fact that he is holding up the words “Jesus is my Homeboy” constitutes that the makers are for Christianity. But after taking a deeper look into it, Jesus has an almost blank stare on his face, almost as if he is tired, and frustrated with what has gone on, maybe even with the making of these shirts. If you were to change this shirt color to black, it could also alter the shirts message. Black in general is looked at as dark and gothic, representing the devil in some cases. This means that even with the same lettering and photograph that you could look at the shirt as non –Christian.

Disqualification?...You be the Judge

My initial reactions to Kelly’s disqualification was that it was extremely unnecessary, and in some ways hurtful. Where I am from, religion is not really that big of a deal, but if there was ever a question of someone having to go against there religious beliefs, our administration made an exception. That is why I was taken aback by Kelly’s dq. As far as an argument on religious discrimination and Kelly’s situation, I believe that there is some discrimination going on. Kelly wore her headdress for over three years, and won numerous awards and records. So, I think a disqualification during her last year, was like a low blow. I would think if she had been disqualified from other races because of her headdress, that she would have taken the initiative and been more careful before her invitational. But she never was, and even though it was said that she had been warned before hand, she never got in trouble for it, and wore it again. If I were to write an essay on this decision, I would definitely want to gather facts from Kelly, and her family, as well as the people who supposedly warned and disqualified, Kelly. I think Rogers defended himself in the right way, with logic and facts, but it still made him look awful for doing so. The simplest solution there is, is to let religion have more of a pull than track rules in general. There are professional athletes that abide by what there religion says, even if that means fasting during their season. I think that even if the same color rule was put into effect to distinguish where racers place at the finish line, it still is a bad decision. The reason they use flash photography at finish lines is to determine the winners of racers. It you cannot tell by a photograph, there is a slim chance that you would be able to eyeball the finish of an intense race.

Global Warming

I would title the first article “Key or Fork” and in my intro explain that we need cut back on these things because they are contributing to global warming. My audience would be from the ages of 20-40 because I think they are the drivers of this nation as well as meat buyers. My tone for this article would be pretty relaxed but filled with facts. I would also try to make my audience laugh a little bit while reading. My introduction would be one with a couple of statistics for back up as I argued how global warming will one day take over our world. I would want my article to appear in a national newspaper such as the Washington Post, or the New York Times.

My title for the second essay/article is gong to be “Greenhouse vs. You”, and my target audience would be a large age group, 20-60 years of age. Just in the picture alone there are awesome stats that can be used in the essay. My tone would be “logos”, mostly because I think a scholarly approach is the best kind strategy to use in an article. Again, my intro would include statistics and facts that would bring my side of the argument to recognition. Also, by using these facts and stats in my introduction, the reader will automatically start to side with your comments, unless he/she is already opposing the view strongly. I would have this article show up in the most popular magazines possible such as “TIME.”
I would have to title my essay “NO JOKE” and use the comic with the sharks reading. Because the cartoon almost picks fun at global warming, I think by titling my essay “no joke” it will make my audience realize the seriousness of the matter rather than laugh it off. My target audience would be people in my age group, so from the ages of 16-20, targeting the younger side of the scale because not many adolescents know about global warming. The tone of my essay would be a scholarly, and a casual one. I would want my audience to read my article/essay and not have them think they were just being lectured about another current event. Along the way, I would slip in interesting and necessary facts, so while they are reading, they will have great information and not be bored with the content. My introduction style would be one that used a significant quotation or a startling fact or statistic. I believe that the reader will automatically be intrigued by a fact or statistic, especially if he/she cares about the topic at hand. My intro would include information that warns the audience about global warming and its harmful effects. I would argue the side of trying to save the environment. This introduction strategy would be the most effective because right off the bat I would be hitting the readers with facts that cannot be argued against. I want my article/essay to appear in adolescent magazines such as “Seventeen”, for girls, and “Men’s health”, and “Sports illustrated”, for guys. Although a sporting magazine, so many people read Sports Illustrated that I think my point would be able to get across to the intended audience.

Please read everything before discarding

Hey Mom,

I hope you have been having a great week so far. Everything is going smoothly here. I’m writing you not only to say hello, but also to talk to you about this summer. We have already agreed that I am going to need a summer job, which I am all for. What I am asking, is that you get a car for me so I can get to and from this job, without interfering with your schedule. There is a car on the market now called the Toyota Prius, which is a hybrid vehicle. I have done some research, and this car is able to get up to 45 miles per gallon, which means gas will not be as expensive either. But, the thing that makes this car so great is that it is extremely affordable at 21,000. The major issue we have discussed is the money and I know this is expensive, but that is the price for a brand new 2008 model, which means we can find another Prius for much cheaper. Also, the insurance cost. With a job where I can work anytime, and get there anytime with this car, I will be able to pay for the insurance or most of it each month.
Joe,
I appreciate you concern with interfering with my schedule, but right now, there is no way i even have the money to buy this car, or a car in general. So there really isn’t anything I can do. I’m sorry about that. Again, I appreciate your concern, but I have no problem with changing my schedule somewhat to accommodate you. You are my son, and I love you. Take Care.
Love Mom

Mom,
I was expecting that so no harm done. But I was wondering if there was any way we might be able to compromise on this situation. Would it be possible to work out a schedule, where a couple of days a week, you could take the bus to work, so I could have your car for the day and to get to work. Another compromise I wanted to ask you about is if I save up my money from this summer, could you put money towards a car for next summer along with mine from this summer? I don’t need an expensive car, just need to get from point A to point B. All for now, think about it and get back to me
Love,
Joe

"The Shot"

First, before an in depth analysis of this magnificent photograph, I find it important that we understand that this won a Pulitzer Prize for its majesty. Although harsh-looking, this photograph by Eddie Adams can tell so many different stories depending on how you look at it. In this photograph, General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, is seen executing a Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. This photo makes the General look like a terrible and violent person. But what has to be understood, is that this in reality is what war is and was. General Loan is only doing his job. In fact, the Viet Cong in this photograph is about to be executed because he killed American soldiers. Also, it is said that the General took this action after he told one of his men to do it and his soldier was too afraid to do it. After taking this still picture, Adams felt terrible. He’s stated “The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera.” He realized after this photo was taken and published that he ruined the life of this Lt. Colonel.
As far as me wanting this photo published, I suppose it depends on the time and place. If I was for the Vietnam War, I would publish this picture in a magazine, mainly due to the fact that it shows how violent wars can be. I would want this published so we could maybe have soldiers sent back home from overseas. If I was the man doing the execution, I would not want this photo published in any newspapers and/of magazines. Although common in war, this is a violent act that I, even though necessary, would feel terrible about.

I didn't now how to upload the picture on the blog page but I used the picture where the soldiers are holding the american flag above all of the people:

Tragedy


When interpreting this photograph it is obvious that the photographer is against the war in Iraq. The way in which Hiensler took this photograph allows the viewer to recognize many different symbols within. First of all, when he took the picture, he made sure that he captured the mourning and sorrow of family members as well as a coffin and American flag. When broken down into parts, a viewer can clearly determine that this is the funeral of a fallen soldier. Next, we look at how the photo was taken and at which angles. Not only did Heinsler capture these important images, but he did it in a way that symbolizes what the war is truely doing, and what America really is in his mind. He made sure to get under the flag while capturing this photo, all while getting the crying family members in the background. I believe he did this so it seems as if America, sybolized by the flag, is over powering its citizens to the point where it is not in our control anymore. American soldiers are dying everyday, but this photo shows that it is America's fault, or the government.
If I was going to write an arguementative essay on this photograph, I would argue against the war in Iraq. It is apparent that the photographer is making a case against the war, and there are many different things inside the photo that would allow me to go on with his arguement. For example, an easy place to start would be the mourning family members in the background. From there, I could go on about the American flag over compassing the entire picture and what that symbolizes.
My caption that I would put underneath this photograph would be "Are Still For It?" I think I picked these words because not only does it touch on a sensitive subject and may make the viewer feel guilty, but it also makes the veiwer think about his/her stance on this particular situation. My arguement would be against the war.

Steriods

My reaction to the You-Tube video was kind of what i had expected. The only exception to this was that the video talked about the good in steriods rather thatn 90% of the other stories you hear talking about the harmful side of them. I was not as shocked or surprised at the video because have been hearing about steriods for a long time now. Being an athlete, I was constantly reminded about the side effects...good and bad, since about the age of 15. My parents and coaches all shared thier opinions on that subject matter. To the completely obvlivious, I think the video failed to talk about the side effects of steriods, but I also believe that the producers thought most people have at lesat heard what steriods can do to a person. I think the fallacies this video produces is one that says steriods are completely harmless and are more harmless than harmful. the problem with that, is that the people being interviewed are educated geniuses on this certain topic and all of them know how to use them the proper way. As far as being able to use steriods responsibly, I think you can use anything in a responsible manner, so yes, they can be used in a right way. I myself don't trust or think they are worth my time. Even if they were legal in sports, i still am not sure if i would venture down that road. Its almost like cheating your true self out of what your'e capable of.
Some people say that steriods constitutes cheating and some say that they are perfectly fine. But if you look at who is saying what, the bodybuilders and professional weightlifters are the ones that say they are perfectly fine. this is because there is no risk of losing out on something for them. Professional athletes on the other hand, know what the consequesnces of taking steriods or any other performance enhancing drug are. Knowingly still taking them is incompetant and shameful, especially when others are not taking them and still competing with the users. Partaking in any organized sports and any age is wrong and is, in my mind cheating. I think highschoolers should ahve to take random drug tests just liike NCAA students do. If a highschool athlete is taking these drugs and seeing that they cannot use them in college, it will only slow the athlete down when he/she gets to university. They cannot take the risk and use steriods for fear of losing scholarship money. That means when they get to college, they will either get blown away by the other athletes, or completely fail at the expectations that were suppose to be met.

MUSCLES!!

In the first piece, we see a comic which is advertising Charles Atlas’ secret masculine work out plan. In the comic, we see a skinny teenager making conversation with a pretty girl on the beach. During this time, a “huskier” teenager kicks sand in this skinny kids face. When the skinny one goes to confront the bigger kid, the bigger kid tells him that he will smash his face in. Ultimately, the skinny man says enough is enough, and tries Charles Atlas’ workout program, and with in no time at all, develops a lot of muscle. He then goes to the beach and punches the guy who kicked sand in his face, and the Comic is concluded with the new and improved “man” getting the ladies on the beach, and impressing the girl he tried to talk with before. The second piece is an article that is comparing and discussing the development of action figures over roughly a 25 year span. It shows that when action figures first came out, they looked like normal humans, but as time goes on, these action figures develop into muscle machines. Eventually, these figures become extremely disproportional, and a study showed that they have bigger features than the biggest bodybuilders of today.
The tone of the second piece was definitely more formal and believable, mostly due to scientific evidence. The tone of the first piece was a more playful and fun tone being it was a comic. Also, it is a good way for Charles Atlas to get his program out there, but by advertising it in comics the way he did, I know that I would most likely pass the program by. There is nothing in his article that shows me how me, myself can develop the kind of muscles that he says I can develop. All that is shown is a skinny kid that grows muscles and is the hero of the beach…somewhat of a cliché. This being said, I think the first article, Charles Atlas’, would target a much younger audience, meaning children and teenagers, especially because it was shown in comics. I believe the second piece would have targeted an older audience, maybe 25 years and above.
After reading both pieces, I thought the first to be kind of funny to be honest. The dramatization that was used in the comic was extremely obvious and like I stated above, most of the article was a major cliché. As a young teenager, by parents were reluctant to start to let me work out because if done too soon, it will stunt your growth. I did not start to work out until I was sixteen years old, after my growth spurt. As a young lad, I toyed with some action figures, and yes, I remember them to have an extreme amount of muscle, almost too much to be true. But at the same time, I came to the realization that these action figures were super heroes, and because they had superpowers (which were not real) had huge muscles. I remember having one GI Joe and it looked completely proportional.

Pro - Ana Websites

1.) The fact that websites like the pro-ana sites, are up and available to youngsters makes me sick, and there are many different reasons why they should be shut down. I believe these websites are a major contributor and mjor reason why these young girls think it's ok to be anorexic. Here is a place where anorexics of all ages can sit and talk to eachother about how this disease is good for them. And not only do these sites promote anorexia and bulimia, but they are encouraging 14-15 year old girls that these two illnesses are the answeres to their problems. In fact, on the website anorexia and bulimia are not classified as "illnesses," but a "lifestyle in which they choose to live." Another reason these websites should be shut down, is it potentially takes the control away from parents. If a parent is on their childs case about not eating or not being a healthy eater, all that child has to do is log onto a pro-ana site, and recieve a million reasons why the way in which he/she is eating is perfectly ok for them. If the websites never existed many, many more children and adolescense could have been saved from anorexia and bulimia a long time ago.



2.) Websites such as the pro-ano sites found ll over the internet is a great idea for young children and adults who struggle with thier sef-image. These websites give these poor souls an outlet where they can reach out to others with the same problems. Pro-ana sites give these people a common ground where they can go to in order to feel comfortable with who they are. Everyone else they talk to either try to get them into rehab, shun the idea of, or talk down about anorexia and bulimia, but to the strugglers, these other people don't know them, or what it is like. With these websites, these struggling youngsters can find comfort in thier decisions to take part in pro-ana.



3.) So now the tough question: To abolish the websites in order to save the American youth, or to keep the websites, because in the long run, they actually are helping struggling teens all over this country. Well, i think it's important to not be too one sided on such a touchy subject such as this one. the fact of the matter is, teens do not need to reading material that will in the end, tell them that anorexia and bulimia is the correct decision for them. But, I also understand that when teens do convert to these diseases, the last thing you want to do as a loved one is

Comparing Advertisements

My initial reaction after reading and paging through this ad, was taken aback a little bit. It was almost as if they were telling all people that exercise by using anaerobic exercise that they weren’t right in doing that because it was lazy. And that definitely isn’t the case. I think it’s safe to say that most of the American population exercise by jogging and most of them get a great workout. So ultimately, the ad is telling the majority of exercisers that they are lazy. Elements that stood out were things such as the vocabulary used and how with each turn of the page, a different topic was started, but in the end it was related back to the same theme; running.
I myself definitely do not run for pleasure or self meditation. So when I read this ad, I kind of laughed at how serious the message was that the author and creators presented. Also, when I think of the intended audience of this ad, I think of middle aged men and women, which, may be the reason, it did not appeal to me as much.
After considering both articles for my magazine, I would definitely chose to publish Reebok’s ad of “I am what I am/Run Easy” I not only think, that this ad would appeal to a much bigger audience allowing me to sell more merchandise, and I relate more to it, but I just like how this ad is laid out. I think it is very blunt, but it makes you think at the same time. It’s a simple concept that people would not have to think about when buying products.

America's Army Video Game

I think this website does a good job of exactly what the makers were trying to do. Promote children and teenagers to join the army. On the outside, you can visibly see the stereotypical army colors or the camouflage. There are also a number of links off of the game website that can grant easy access to GoArmy.com, the official website of the army. There are a good amount of pictures on the website that shows the glamour of being in the army. What it does not show are any of the hardships that the army brings. And because children at this age are influenced so easily, they will only see the good in joining the army. The game is rated “T” for teen but that is just a rating. Most parents do not monitor their children and the video games they are partaking in. This means that there could children as young as 10 years of age actively playing this game, and seeing how violent it can get, I know I wouldn’t want my child playing it. The game has a proper rating, but once again, there is not a censor on all gamers that only allows teenagers or older to play. Another thing that bugs me about this game is how much influence it ultimately has on these children and teenager to join the army. As stated above, there are numerous links that allow these children to gain access to the ARMY’s website. Seeing that many children like these types of games, they will imagine themselves in the game while playing. But now for them, it can become a reality, because of the realistic features the game has to offer. I believe many of the teenagers who play this game will think about if not give a much harder look at joining the Army. I think the violence factor is not incredibly high, it’s just the way in which the game is promoted that gets under my skin.