I Could Be Arrested For This...

Oak Creek (Wisconsin) High School teacher James Buss was recently arrested for a comment he made on the political blog site, Boots and Sabers. In the post at issue, Buss examines the flaws of the education system, focusing on his school district in West Bend, Wisconsin. He criticizes the high pay of teachers relative to their workload and argues that such disparity is unfair to students. Buss goes on to praise the Columbine High School students who, he argues, fought back against the system.

Local people disagree over whether Buss should be charged for disorderly conduct and use of communication systems in an unlawful manner.  Currently, he is suspended from teaching. Internet speech is largely unregulated by federal authority. Even if federal laws were enacted to regulate Internet speech, Buss's comments would likely find protection under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects the freedom of speech. Critics might condemn his opinions, but Buss does not necessarily pose an imminent threat as a result of his unconventional views.

Over the past decade, the United States has lived in a fabricated state of fear which has caused the American public to grow overly-sensitive to radical concepts. When fear reigns, our basic freedoms become neglected.  Every medium’s material is so analyzed that the real message is ignored.

The Beauty of Advertising

While viewing Dove’s Onslaught YouTube video, I couldn't quite follow the company's marketing strategy. The message is admirable, but the underlying purpose remains the sale and promotion of beauty. I suspect that image issues would not prevail in our society so much if advertisers dwelt on beauty less.

Beauty products are advertised to convince every girl that she should look like a model--and that she can, with product assistance. As a beauty consumer, when I make purchase decisions, I inevitably consider the promise to be fulfilled, such as fuller, thicker, curlier, or longer lashes. While the product may not create the desired effect as advertised, we still invest in the beauty market as though it did.

Beauty companies also advertise product by reinforcing an image. Dove has altered their beauty campaigns by ‘campaigning for real beauty.’ The company moves to accommodate the modern American woman who holds various forms of beauty through different colors, shapes, and backgrounds. The image of Rimmel London exemplifies foreign beauty. The company deploys the slogan ‘the London look’ and reinforces women's sense that beauty is foreignness.

No matter whether Dove earns positive or negative press, the company will retain its market so long as we look for our beauty in a product.

Public Relations in the Bush Administration

Public relations primarily involve working with public opinion, communication, and management. In order to manage its public image, the federal government employs its own PR people. The PR people not promote a specific story line about American foreign relations, but they also downplay and silence certain events in order to maintain the support of the American people.

The September 11th terrorist attacks took the nation by great surprise. The PR people employed by the federal government left the American people to believe that these terrorists attacked the United States purely out of hatred for the country and its people. This assumption directly led to public support for the ‘War on Terror.’ The federal government declared war in hopes of wiping out the Al Qaeda terrorist group, which opposes U.S. policies in the Middle East. The way in which the government shaped the media and persuasively misconstrued many essential facts, leading the country toward war rather than toward peace through negotiations.

Two of Ivy Lee’s three public-relations principles were completely ignored by the federal government during the lead-up to war. Corporate secrecy and the suppression of news were exploited to shape public opinion favorably toward George W. Bush’s plan of action. Such injustice within the federal government and have led to an increase in confusion regarding the War on Terror and a decrease in support from the American people.

It is essential for the media to provide reliable and unbiased facts in order for the public to be able to form their own opinions. This cannot be achieved if the federal government continues to function as a bullying member of the media.

Minnesota Gophers v. Wisconsin Badgers

Gopher fans united today Saturday, November 17, 2007 in hopes that the Minnesota football team would take back the axe in its rivalry with the Wisconsin Badgers. The odds were against the Gophers, but the team's spirit remained high, as indicated by tailgating fans in the frigid cold. It has been an endless struggle for Minnesota’s football team and its fans, especially after their embarrassing loss against the Badgers in the Fall of 2005.

The ‘boarder battle’ is such an intense rivalry because a large percentage of each school’s student body hails from the other state. School allegiance, however, does not always trump hometown loyalty.

Minnesota’s pathetic 1-10 record this season gave Badger fans reason to believe that playing the Gophers would be an effortless task. Expectations aside, the Gophs performed up to par with the Badgers, and throughout the game no one could easily presidct a clear winner. With a three-point lead by the end of the first half, the morale of the Minnesota crowd was full-fledged.

In the end, the Badgers managed to take the axe back to Wisconsin, winning by a mere touchdown. If the winner of the game was determined not by points but instead by triumph over expectations, the Minnesota Gophers would have, without a doubt, won.

Today Minnesota regained faith from students and fans alike by demonstrating their passion for football.

The Value of Public Radio

Recently, at work, I have been listening to Minnesota Public Radio instead of my iPod. Public radio helps the time to go by quicker because it is entertaining and informative at the same time. I also prefer listening to news from the radio instead of watching the news on TV. There are multiple benefits that radio news can offer over other mediums.

Public radio stations are largely supported by member listeners who pay monthly support fees. Because of thismethod of funding, such stations have minimal bias on the issues they cover. Television stations that broadcast the news are owned by conglomerates whose goal is to make money. Their way of increasing profits is by competing for the highest number of viewers.

The conglomerate news stations lure their audience in by reporting news to get the viewers' attention. Such news typically weighs toward violence rather than the most important news as weighed by more objective measures. These stations also fail to include world news, ofetn limiting their reporting spectrum to the United States. Minnesota Public Radio provides coverage of the world and touches on the most important issues. Depending on the ownership of the stations, news coverage can trend toward propaganda. Conglomerates have helped with the low quality and the lack of reliability among news stations, although the Internet gives even less reliability than TV.

Due to the overwhelming ease by which one creates a web page and distributes information, the Internet is most certainly the worst source of information.

I can only hope that more people find greater worth in Public Radio and consume its news programs to benefit their awareness of the world.

Radiohead's Latest Album

British alternative band Radiohead released its latest album In Rainbows last Wednesday, October 10.  Rumors have circulated about the new album for over a year. It took the industry by surprise when the band announced that they had plans to offer In Rainbows on their website for any sum of money. Customers have the option of buying a CD that will be sent to them on the release date or MP3 tracks that are received via e-mail.

Radiohead is able to offer the album at any price because they are not bound by any recording contracts. Their loyal fan base may not pay top dollar for the collection of songs, but they won't leave the band with empty pockets.

This event has changed the music industry forever. More bands will be adopting Radiohead's release method in the future, and labels may have to merge together or face the threat of an end to the middle man. For now, all that the record companies can do is wait and see; in time, music will likely become more accessible at a lower cost.

Top Ten Screenplays

"American History X" (1998)
"City of God" (2002)
"Donnie Darko" (2001)
"Forrest Gump" (1994)
"Harold and Maude" (1971)
"It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975)
"The Princess Bride" (1987)
"Requiem for a Dream" (2000)
"Schindler's List" (1993)

A good movie is not based on box-office success or production value. The ten greatest screenplays of all time share little in common when it comes to the stories told. Each one is set in a different place and different time, but each has made an outsized impact on viewers.

These movies were successful because of their ability to reflect the realities of historical events and speculate about the possibilities of the future. Each film shapes socially unacceptable concepts in ways in which audiences can relate. The viewer is empowered to make a difference in the world and change the norms of society. The theme of a screenplay is crucial to its merit, but there are countless further contributing factors.

Acting, music, cinematography, and writing are the four key elements that contribute to the success of a movie. Well-known actors are able to add to the movie's success, but they are not essential.  That said, the acting must be done well. The actors must make a connection with the audience; viewers must credibly perceive them as real people. Music is a similarly valuable factor in a movie. The music in "Forrest Gump" communicates the turmoil that the U.S. was experiencing during the Vietnam War. Cinematography is usually overlooked by the typical viewer, but it contributes to a movie's tone. Also, cinematography maintains the attention of an audience. The last key component in a successful movie is its writing. The words used should reflect a story's setting and capture viewers' emotions.

Each of the ten movies listed above fulfill these essential requirements, establishing them as exceptional films.