Mark

Video Game Project...Final.

2008-12-11T12:36:00.001-08:00

The final powerpoint project i did was very interesting. I did not know some of the things that came up during the violence of video games. Violent video games are a major part in todays video game industry. A lot of todays teens can go out and buy Mature M rated games when really they are not supposed to. A lot has changed since the beginning of video games. Extreme violence has emerged from some of the top selling games out there. Stores are supposed to restrict teens from buying these games but really they don't. Violent video games do increase the aggressive thoughts and behaviors is some people. People who have had a past in aggressiveness shows that they are even more aggressive when playing a violent game. There are many studies out there that prove this. Just because some evidence shows this does not mean that everyone who plays violent games will have aggressive thoughts or behaviors. There is evidence though that violent games do affect some people who play them.

Post Racial Barack Obama Discussion>

2008-12-09T19:10:00.001-08:00

The post racial discussion last Wednesday night was about racism and Obama as the new president. The meeting was held with five professors all of which were very knowledgable on the subject. They were talking on such issues as to why we have so much racism in the U.S. today. Why are there so many racist people still in our current culture. Also the issue was brought up if Obama would solve this issue of racism. Considering that 60% of his voters were african american everyone wonders what will happen when he is in office. We the people! Since Barack Obama was elected african americans were seen as the problem in todays society. Now they are seen as the solution instead of the problem. Racism is not a new though or thing. It has been around for thousands of years. Today we are just looking at a way to end it. Will Obama be part of this solution? I sure hope so. We are all human beings. Why are people so cruel to others just because their skin color? This makes me sick! I really hope that this issue amongst our own people is solved sometime in the near future!

Tomorrow Never Dies-Bond Movie

2008-12-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow never dies is another bond film made in and around China. James Bond is in the middle of the Pakistan mountains trying to find out what this secret operation there it doing. He finds some missiles that are extremely explosive and goes for the plane they are on. He some how gets in the plane blowing up everything in sight. He sets off everything on the base and he flies out just before his(side) of missiles come and hit the base. During all of this the bad guy Carter has this red box that can off set military settings and radars. He has this stealth ship on which on the ship has a "saw that swims." The saw launches and shreds into and around anything it comes in contact with. Also with this red box Carter can type tomorrow's news the day before. So he can off set the worlds news and lie about the terrible things he has really done. Bond is set out by the British agency to stop this whole ordeal. This movie is very action packed and is full of little bond gadgets along the way. Very good movie for those who like action.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the crystal of skull

2008-12-09T18:40:00.001-08:00

We rented this movie the other night to watch it. The movie starts out with no plot what so ever! The beginning starts in the middle of no where in nevada at this secret army base. These russian characters come out of no where and take control over what they are there to get. Indiana Jones is there with his friend who turns his back on him. It turns out that his friend nick is a spy and has been against him the whole time. Jones is there to show the russians this silver magnetic bomb type thing. Jones escapes from the Russian group by going in the speed bullet across the desert. He is a professor at a college when his son who at the time he does not know who he is. this kid asks him to come to help him find his mother who happens to be Jones old wife. They go on this excursion in Peru to find his mom and this missing skull. Some one has stolen this skull and misplaced it. They are set out to put it back. Throughout the movie there are chases with the russian group and Jones and his group. The movie is packed with action and adventure and is set towards the "corney" crowd. The movie was some what good, but i would not recommend it.

Is one media object enough?

2008-12-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

The other night my roommates and i were watching television and talking about other stuff on youtube.com and what not. The thing is we were watching home improvement on T.V. and in the middle of it my girlfriend had to show us all this clip on youtube.com We were watching T.V. while watching stuff on the internet. Wow, all three of us are completely surrounded by all of media available to us, all at once! What a world we we can watching t.v. while watching the internet all at a lightning speed. It hit me how encompassed we americans are in our media today. We need and demand so much with the media, and the media is moving at a speed uncontrollable. I like being able to access almost what ever i want, when ever! It is nice to listen to music online while looking for a new book, and catching up on the current news. Media is such a big part of our lives and it is very hard to avoid it. Not that i would really want to!

Thanksgiving Break!!

2008-11-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

During thanksgiving break it is a time to go back and visit family and feel at home again right? Kids get a break from school and are home for the holidays. I am really enjoying thanksgiving break so far. Time off from school and just relaxing is very nice. I am excited to stuff my face full of turkey and other goodness until i cannot move any more. I like how us americans have thanksgiving and then three weeks later have christmas, which is basically thanksgiving all over again. What a tradition! Thanksgiving break is the first time we all are away from school and work and back with the family to relax. It is wierd going home though after being at college for over three months. I don't feel that homey feeling any more when i come home. Maybe that is because things have changed with my family and it just doesn't feel right any more. During thanksgiving i am used to eating until i can barely move, and then snuggling up and watching james bond over and over again. Thanksgiving is awesome.

Die another day ... james Bond Movie

2008-11-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

Die another Die was made in 1997 and is a James Bond film. For those of you who have not heard of James Bond...shame on you. Anyway Die another Day starts out in South Korea. Bond is under cover and he is trading diamonds for weapons. Bond kills the general whos father then tortures him over and over again. He is in their captivity for over six months. Finally he is traded with a guy named Zao whom the US captured. Bond is taken off duty because the british secret service thinks he told the koreans information when he was under drugs while being tortured. Bond escaped from the hospital in Japan, and then goes to Cuba to find a lead in his case. The general bond supposedly killed never died. Some how his army recovered his body and transformed his body and facial structure. In the end this "general" creates this sattilite to destory the world. In this action packed film bond chases the bad guy to the very end. Very good movie for those of you who even like James Bond films.

Movie Runaway Jury

2008-11-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

I recently watched the movie the Runaway Jury and really enjoyed it. The movie is about gun control and the large, greedy, gun companies. In New Orleans, Louisiana this investment firm is gunnned down by a group of poeple. Eleven people are killed and numerous injured. One of the men who was killed was at the top of the company. His wife and him had just had a birthday for their four year old son. There ends up to be a huge lawsuit over the makers of the guns used in this shooting. Of course the makers deny any responsibility to the gun down, and say that every citizen has a right to purchase a gun on the second amendment. The gun company hires an under ground team to select the jury of this trial. They dive into every hury member to make sure that the trial will fall of their hand. The movie gets very in debth about the trial and how this team dives into all of the jury pool. In the end the gun company does not win and the wife of this husband is awarded money in her return. This is a great movie for anyone who likes a crime / thriller movie.

Reality shows...suck!!!

2008-11-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Almost the only thing that my room mates watch are these reality bullshit television shows. These shows are extremely addictive and show how stupid are world is today. When are youth watches these shows they see these idiotic people as role models. Shows on M.T.V. are the worst out there. I watch glimpses of these shows and i feel more stupid from watching just for a minute. These shows demonstrate how these redicolous people live their fantasy lives and don't think anything of it. A lot of these shows are so called "valley girls" or girls or women that say "like" a lot. I don't understand why anyone talks like this. I call them ditzy. The reality shows of today's media are the worst thing that could be out there viewing to our citizens. This material is brainwashing to think that the stuff these people do is actually ok is modern society. These shows show no real value or morale to the audience viewing them. They should be taken off of television forever.

Mother Nature

2008-11-20T20:24:00.001-08:00

Last year in the Colorado Rockies there was an obsurred amount of snow. Not only just in colorado bust also else where. In many ski and snowboard resorts there were records that were set. In some places there was a total of over 700 inches accumilation over the winter season. Mother nature takes many people's lives over the course of the winter season. The media portrays stuff like it is mother nature's fault that takes people's lives and not the person's fault for not watching out. Some people are actually aware of mother nature and its hazards and there is nothing they can do to stop these accidents. In the newspapers throughout the winter you will see "mother nature" claims two lives in winter wreck. During winter you have to look out for black ice, ice, snow on the roads, avalanches, and other obstacles that may have come or fallen down. Media is helpful in letting you know what roads or passes are open, and what to look out for.

The Internet!

2008-11-13T17:25:00.001-08:00

The internet today puts us americans and others in a very lazy state. Most things that an ordinary citizen would want or need to do in order to live is availbe to them online. You really dont even need to leave your house or the place where you live. Online banking allows you to transfer money, pay bills or any other thing to pay off just with the click of your finger. Also all of these bills you get can be online as well, which saves the environment. The direct deposit system allows people's paychecks to go directly into their bank account. If you are in the work force the majority of things can be solved by the internet. The internet makes some peoples live so much easier by the click of your mouse. What will our world come to with the internet becoming more and more advanced?

Home Improvement (television show)

2008-11-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

Home improvement is a television show from the 90's about an average family from Detroit, Michigan. The Tailor family lives in a suburb neighborhood with three kids. Jill the mother, is a stay at home mom who takes care of their three boys. Tim works for a show called tool time, which is a televised show about work tools and how to use them. The show itself home improvement is very humorous. The show brings in real life situations about the Tailor family and their issues as a family. Tim Tailor the dad is very funny and brings a lot of the life into the family. Tim jokes a lot at work with his partner Al Borlin. The show is a show in itself. You are watching Home Improvement and then Tool Time is filmed inside of it.

Long Lines all over the nation

2008-11-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

There were extremely long lines this morning all over the country. People are expected to deluge

voting polls today. In some places lines were spread blocks to blocks with hundreds of people lined up. Some people got up before dawn to go wait to be the first in line. Some people have said they have never seen anything like this since the 1964 election where the last very popular democrat won the office. I wonder how long it will take to get all the votes together and counted. I hope this election won't be anything like the last where it took months to count and recount and all the other attached issues that held back the election.

Christmas with the Kranks

2008-11-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

I watched this movie last night and i really liked it. The movie itself got me into the Christmas spirit even though Christmas is not for almost another two months. In the movie the Kranks, they are very into the Christmas theme and get very into decorating and what not when the time of year comes around. Their only daughter Blaire goes to South America around Thanksgiving time. She plans to be there for almost a year or more. So the dad Luther plans this trip to go away and skip Christmas. They plan to go on this 10 day cruise starting on Christmas day. The neighbors dislike the Kranks for this because they are usually into the whole Christmas theme and spirit. The Kranks are not getting a tree or any other things they have got in the past. Due to a call about 10 hours before Christmas eve they were still planning to go on the cruise. The call is their daughter and the news is she is coming home for christmas. They are not ready what so ever. This comedy shows how there is nothing like Christmas at home with your family. This was a great movie and i recommend to many.

Voting 2008

2008-11-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

I voted at the La Plata County Courthouse on halloween. This was the early voting in Durango. There was quite a bit of people there waiting to put their vote in on the ballots. I had some trouble because i was supposed to have a mail in ballot. Our mail had been receiving mail at the wrong box due to our landlord not knowing the correct address. The lady had to wave the ballot and she set me up to vote on the spot. This was my very first time voting for a presidential candidate and the other amendments up for debate. I did some research before i went in the just to know what i was actually voting about. After voting i felt like i did something worth while that made an impact on our country. I enjoyed the experience and i look forward to voting again in the future.

Video Games

2008-10-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Video Games are a very popular product among our youth today. Not only are male teens playing these current games, but also people between the ages of 21 and 35. I myself am not a big "gamer", but a lot of my friends are. It is amazing how much time say my roommate can spend in front of the screen killing people. The graphics these days in the current games are unbelieveable. In some of the games on Xbox and playstation 3 you feel like you are in a real life situation. So how do kids realize the difference between this violence and violence in real life. Some parents don't even know what their kids are playing. They are murdering people left and right in the game and think nothing of it. I feel that some of the violence these days is contributed to these violent video games that are on the market today. Some kids spend almost all of their waking day playing these games. When this occurs what goes through their minds afterward?

McCain ralley in Durango, CO.

2008-10-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

On Friday, October 24, 2008 John McCain along with his wife made an appearance in our town of Durango, Colorado. The ralley was supposed to start at 5:00 p.m. but did not start until around 6:20. After waiting in line around the Durango High School for around two and a half hours we finally got into the football field where the ralley was taking place. Out on the streets was total chaos. People were yelling, marching, and waving Obama sayings with signs up and down the blocks. There was a mixture of McCain and Obama supporters standing all over the place. There was 32 blocks filled with Obama supporters. According to a New York Times reporter who has followed McCain and his team around said that out of all the ralleys Durango had the "most" Obama supporters. At the ralley here in Durango there were more people than the ralley in Denver. I would say that there were at least 2,000 people if not more in the stadium. Two people were injured as we all know. A young female driver hit an older man and a younger woman, and then vanished or at least tried to. The ralley was worth going to, but i don;t know if i would wait that long to go to another one.

Tiger basketball player

2008-10-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

Pierre Henderson Niles is one heavy guy to play for the Memphis tigers. He acutually cannot play for the team unless he looses 70 pounds. Pierre is too heavy according to the NCCA rules. He is currently at 350 pounds and he needs to get to 280 pounds. He even has a uniform made for him at the weight of 280 pounds. And his coach said that if he was 300 pounds the uniform would rip when he put it on. He has been practicing with the team at 300lbs. but still needs to loose that extra twenty pounds in order to play. He has until November 18, 2008 to loose a couple extra pounds so he will be capable of playing. The opeing for the basketball seaon right after then we will see what happens.

Two states let inmates vote!

2008-10-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

The only two states this year that are letting inmates vote in are Vermont and Maine. That is because no one in the states can bring up or remember when some one has committed "election fraud." A lot fo the inmates said the the crime preventing them from voting was murder. This is not the case. The inmates that are getting the chance to vote acutallu feel as if they have or are treated liked normal citizens. Meaning that they have some of the basic rights of a US citizen. Not all prisonsers are doing it says Jeffrey Merril who is the warden of the maximum security Maine state prison. A lot of the guys in the prisons feel as if they are treated beneath other individuals. Well if you did committ a crime and are in prison what do you expect? You are locked up as a prisoner...you don't have many right when you in jail! The prisons are trying to get the inmates involved in a possitive and responsible way by incouraging others to vote. In Vermont when you vote you receive some sort of prize or you basically forfit the right to vote.

Media powerpoint projects

2008-10-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

I thought that these presentations were very worth while and people made some very interesting points. I liked how it was in groups and every person got to say or present on their topic. How would all of us gotten through these presentations without youtube? The presentaions showed some very important and interesting topics of our current day. We all our so very much surrounded by the media, and these presentations were some good examples of how we are. I enjoyed all of these presentations and it was cool to work with some new people i did not know.

Man receives life in prison

2008-10-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

A man in Burlington, Vermont was convicted of killing a college senior after he came in contact with her. Brian Rooney who was a 38 year old construction worker and a father of three said he did not kill the victim. On the sentencing which was today 10/17/2008 Rooney said that he is not the man responisble for this killing. He said it saddens him to say this. The girl Gardner Quinn was twenty one years old and had just transfered to the University of Vermont when she came in contact with Rooney on a downtown Birlington street on October 7, 2006. Her cell phone was dead and asked if she could use Rooney's. Both of them had been seen on a surveillance camera by a jewelry store, but then they disappeared after that. Her half dressed body was found six days later covered with leaves and stuffed into a rock crevice. There was DNA evidence found from Rooney's semen inside of Quinn's body. Quinn was sexually assaulted, beaten, and then strangled. And Rooney is still is saying he did not do this. I can't believe that there are people like this.

Connecticut Supreme court rules gay marriages OK

2008-10-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

In Hartford, CN the supreme court ruled today that gay couples have the right to marry, which makes the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions through the courts. This ruling came just weeks before California residents went to the polls on a historic gay marriage ballot question. This is the first time that the issue or question was put on the the ballots. Connecticut's court ruled 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry under the state constitution. This was a logical step for state, which passes laws affirming and protecting civil unions. A couple said Thursday " were thrilled, were absolutely overjoyed." They are finally going to be able after 33 years to get married. I wonder if any other state will come and legalize gay marriages within the next year or so. So far there are three out of 50 states where gay marriages are legal. What do you think on this issue???

Bush + administration to save market instbility

2008-10-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

President bush announced Wednesday that he along with his admistration would act and buy parts in bank in order to save the already troubled economy. He said along with his "plan" that the government's financial rescue plan was agressive enough and big enough to work well, but it might take some time to take effect. Bush said "we can solve this crisis and we will." President Bush spoke in Washinton to the leaders of the top enconomies came together dealing with frozen credit markets, and panic selling in stock markets as well as a looming global recession. Bush added that major western countries were in route to working together to try and stabilize markets and end the spreading panic. Bush thinks that we as a world are in this financial disaster together and we will get out of it together. The U.S. , Japan, Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, and France were all here for the weekend meeting. Bush is planning to meet with them this Saturday. Many americans are very worried about their economic future, and this does not help to try and solve the issue. I wonder how Bush may feel or think for some what leading us into this economic disaster? What has he done well that has helped the U.S. economically? Does anyone want to see a change in our country for the next four to eight years??? I sure do! Please vote on someone with much more knowledge than John Macain...and that will better lead our country into a better place! Barack Obama!

Fed. Reserve to buy massive amounts of debt!

2008-10-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

This morning the Federal Reserve announced that it was going to buy massive amounts of "credit clog debt" in order to try and save the nation's economy. The Fed. Reserve has the power during emergency times to buy commercial paper or money in other words in order to to make things more "stable." The buying of commercial paper is something that companies do on day to day operations like buying supplies and making payrolls. Before the economy fell around $100 billion of these IOU's were given out at any time. They were sold by large companies to buyers of mutual funds, pension funds, and a variety of other investors. Usually people only buy these papers or money overnight or for a couple of days. Investors are not sure weather they want to put their money any where right now until the economy is much more stable. Many companies are very vulnerable to this whole situation. The purpose of this plan is to provide the government a "bankstop" that would help companies find a new way to get cash. I hope evrything works out with our economy becuase evn before this people were already struggling. And even if this financial crisis comes through the money is not going to the people who need it the most. It will go to the most wealthy, and not anyone else.

VP Debate tonight 10/2/08 @ 7

2008-10-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to watch the VP debate tonight starting at 7. Wheather you are a republican or democrat you should watch the debate to see where you stand or might stand. Also if you are 18 years of age or older...please register to vote. Your vote does count no matter who you vote for. I think everyone in this into to mass communications class is 18 or older so this shouldn't be an issue. The deadline is this upcoming monday! That means that you people who have not registered need to get off your ass and go to the CUB lunch room and REGISTER!!!

A Friend? or not?

2008-10-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night my roomate was out at a party next door to our place. He came back when my girlfriend and i were watching a movie. He was completely belidgerent drunk. The next thing we here is someone at our door cursing him (our room mate) out. This guy next door claims that our room mate has stolen his laptop in which he is holding. Our friend says he had nothing to do with it or anything on that sort. We all go to bed and in the morning we ask where is Chad? I have to go to work, and when we get home still no word from him. It ends up that he was arrested and held on a $25,000 bond in the La Plata County jail. Our room mate stole 3,000 dollars worth of video game materials. We cannot speak with him so we ask the guy whos things were stolen. He says that he admitted to stealing his laptop plus other things and gives the police man a backpack loaded with stolen items. He made two different trips back to this person's place. The worst thing was is he lied to us about how he himself paid rent. He said that he paid for over half of his rent and it turns out his parents pay for all of it. I spoke with his parents and they told me eveything. They were astonished they he would do such a thing. The thing is this is not the first time that he has done such a thing. The moral of this is don't trust a firend too much. You never know how much you really know him even from living with him.

Movie: Baby Mama

2008-09-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

I recently watched the movie baby mama at my apartment. The main character in this film is this up tight businees working worman who just happens to be infetile. She has tried numerous ways to try and get pregnunt but simply cannot. As a last resort she goes to some company who finds someone to put her baby in. The movie is actually quite humorous. Before this movie i didn't know that there was such a thing like this that a woman could do. That is if she has the money to do so. The movie unravels love, humor, and issues along with the numerous characters. The main character in the end finds that her baby mama is not really pregnunt with her child. Instead she is pregnunt with her low life husbands child. During the movie the main character finds this guy that she really likes. Anyway they have a date...and when her baby mama is having her baby she realizes that some how she is pregnunt herself. The father is this guy that she met and has a thing for. I reccomend this movie becuase it is humorous and you can learn something while watching it!

Financial Crisis in U.S.

2008-09-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

If none of you have heard the news lately it is shocking. The stock market is plumeting! The company AIG fell over a record number of points in seven years. This was the worst day since the 9-11 attacks. Not only is AIG in a state of crisis, but also Wall Street as well. Today on Wednesday the 17th the DOW closed 450 point lower. Many large companies are going into a state of extreme turmoil! What is our country going to do? The government gave AIG an $85 billion loan to try and same them and the others in their company. Executives in AIG and Wall Street are worried that other companies might be heading down this same path. Why is this happening? Why now is the stock market going into this state? Many other large companies such as Merrill Lynch & Co have already sold their company to others outside of the U.S. or in before their profits or money was taken.

Response to Paper turned in on 9/16/08

2008-09-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

This paper was a great intoductory paper for this class. It really made me think about my past and how the media has been a part of it. The paper guidelines themselves were not to long. The paper was around the perfect length for what we all needed to write. I liked thinking back to my childhood and diving into what media i was "addicted" to as a kid. The main media for myself was the teenage mutant ninja turtles. This was a huge part of my life growing up. I almost think that this television show and movies changed the way i go about my life. That and with the help of my parents. All of us don't always realize this, but we are very lucky to eevn have access to all of the media out there. In our current century if you don't know how to use say the internet, then you are in a state of confusion. I thought this paper was a great reflection of my media use in my life and how is affected me.

Design for 9-11 museum unveiled

2008-09-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Finally there is something in memorance for the 9-11 attacks. Since 2004 the architect Craig Dykers has been working on a design for the world trade center cite. Dykers has looked back to Minoru Yakasaki's work which was designed forty five years ago. Mr Yamasaki who is the original architect came up with the idea of trident shaped columns at the base of the buildings. Some of these large steel tridents survived the attacks of 9-11 and people have become familar with these structures from the catactrophe. There are two tridents about 90 feet tall which will be set as part of the memorial process done by Dykers and his colleagues in the firm Snohetta. The cost of this project is around $40 to $50 million. The owner says if he can't get the money he simply will not charge. The museum is supposed to handle around 1,500 people per hour. This should be a great memorance of the 9-11 attacks and i am sure many will visit the museum once finished.

Bush to announce 8,000 troops to return from Iraq

2008-09-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning president bush said that he will keep the current number of U.S. troops in Iraq until after February. Then he is planning to take 8,000 troops home. Bush will do this right before the next president is in charge of war decision making. From what it sounds president Bush is trying to do something good for a change, and do something about the war that defines his presidency. If the plan goes as planned 1,000 U.S. Marines will go home in November. On top of this an army brigade of around 3,500 to 4,000 tropps will follow as well as 3,400 support forces in February. Bush stated at the national defense university in Washington; "Here is the bottom line: While the enemy in Iraq is still dangerous, we have seized the offensive, and Iraqi forces are becomingly increasingly capable of leading and winning the fight." Out of these 8,000 troops that are returning home there are 146,000 troops in Iraq right now. So these troops coming home does not make a dent in all of the soldiers still over in Iraq. Bush stated that peoples' lives in Iraq have gotten much better since 2004 and we are moving forward. What will our military presence be like in Iraq and afghanistan after the 2008 elections? I can only hope for the best and that our country moves in the right and realistic direction.