A day in the Life: A media Blog
I finally got a day where I had the opportunity to document the media I encounter in an average day. So bare with me as I must admit I do not live the most exciting life. I woke up Sunday morning and proceeded with my usual routine. I like to get a coffee every morning, but not just any old cup of Joe will do, I need to have Tim hormones in my gut. Perhaps this was the first example of how the media has impacted my life. I am unable to settle for anything but the "best", and arguably the most dominant coffee chains in the world. The companies with the most money have the ability to produce commercials that become imbedded in our minds, especially when we see this commercial upwards of 3 times a day. I dragged myself to the UC and got my timmies, and enjoyed it there. As I looked around, I saw a lot of advertisements for Rogers’s communication. During orientation week, Rogers was all over campus promoting their wireless, internet, and home packages. It is pretty well know that Rogers has a communication tower on U of G campus, which kills almost all of Bell and Telus’ signal. Sadly, I have bought into Rogers. As much as I hate them, I still choose them. This was possibly my second major encounter of the day that really had me thinking.
I then proceeded back to my room where I engaged in about 5 straight hours of NFL football coverage. Football is a sport with one target market. Macho, pompous men who will do just about anything to ditch their wives, and watch the game with their buddies. Oh, and get absolutely wasted in the process. It is quiet the tradition. I can’t say I fall into this macho man category and only feel like that that is the NFL’s targeted audience because of the ads they run during their programming. Every ad is either for cars, beer, pizza, or the latest action DVD available on BLU RAY!...Sadly, this is what my peers and I buy into.
Even though we are conscious of the media, and the fact it will attempt to manipulate us, we buy into it. I wish I could change this, and some days I do feel like I do a good job of ignoring the media, but the fact is it’s everywhere and is unavoidable.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
The American Election
The American Presidential Election
First of all, I find it funny how there is also an upcoming Canadian election yet we are writing about the American election. Does what happens down there really affect us north of the border? The answer my dear friend, is yes. Sadly enough I must admit I am way more involved and interested in American politics than I am about Canadian politics. I don’t know exactly why this is, but it seems like I’m not the only one who seems to care more about what’s happening down south, instead of what’s going on in our own backyard.
As Canadians, we rely on the U.S because they are no doubt our strongest trading partner and essentially what makes our economy function. If George Bush woke up one morning and said “hey, let’s stop trading with those Canadians”, our economy would plummet and I’m not sure if it would be able to bounce back. So naturally Canadians are concerned about what will happen with our neighbors because if their economy is in a crisis, it will reflect in our own country.
Americans have been jerked around for the past 8 years. They have been lied to and just flat out tricked. I did tune into the first Presidential debate and must say it actually is pretty entertaining. I found it to be both educational and comical. I have supported Obama throughout his campaign, and he looked very sharp on the night of the debate. I feel that Obama has a realistic plan to dig his country out of the whole Bush left them in and feel Obama should be the next president. Obama has given millions of Americans some piece of hope, and a reason to be a bit more optimistic.
First of all, I find it funny how there is also an upcoming Canadian election yet we are writing about the American election. Does what happens down there really affect us north of the border? The answer my dear friend, is yes. Sadly enough I must admit I am way more involved and interested in American politics than I am about Canadian politics. I don’t know exactly why this is, but it seems like I’m not the only one who seems to care more about what’s happening down south, instead of what’s going on in our own backyard.
As Canadians, we rely on the U.S because they are no doubt our strongest trading partner and essentially what makes our economy function. If George Bush woke up one morning and said “hey, let’s stop trading with those Canadians”, our economy would plummet and I’m not sure if it would be able to bounce back. So naturally Canadians are concerned about what will happen with our neighbors because if their economy is in a crisis, it will reflect in our own country.
Americans have been jerked around for the past 8 years. They have been lied to and just flat out tricked. I did tune into the first Presidential debate and must say it actually is pretty entertaining. I found it to be both educational and comical. I have supported Obama throughout his campaign, and he looked very sharp on the night of the debate. I feel that Obama has a realistic plan to dig his country out of the whole Bush left them in and feel Obama should be the next president. Obama has given millions of Americans some piece of hope, and a reason to be a bit more optimistic.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
We are at War
We Are at War
When asked about my response on this topic, I had to think twice. Not so much about my overall response, but just how I would express it. My politically correct side would say “this was a mistake that has had an impact on everyone”, but my Italian side wants to say “this is bullshit”. What good has come from this war? What were the Americans fighting for anyways? To me, there has just been too many conspiracies and evidence that has lead to me believe George W. Bush was in on this all along. September 11th was a terrifying and tragic day that has changed our lives forever. We all remember where we were, and what we were doing when we got the news of America being under attack. If you look back in time, you would be able to tell Americans are not ones to be pushed around. So was it a suprise when they declared war?
Since American, Canadian, and British troops have been deployed in Iraq, thousands of innocent civilians and soldiers have been killed, and not a damn thing has been resolved or accomplished. This entire presidency has been drama and controversy from day one. It is evident that the American population has come to realize they got played for fools. On almost every late night television program (Letterman, Leno, Conan O’Brien etc.) there is a segment dedicated to joking about or insulting their lame duck president.
I just feel really bitter about this entire war because prior to September 11th, it seemed like life was good. The economy was fairly stable, you could afford to vacation, and life wasn’t as stressful. Now, we are in the midst of a recession and just witnessed the largest single day crash in the stock markets. It all seems like this all could have been avoided. I do pay attention to American politics via Steven Colbert, John Stewart and mainstream American news and wish the best for their county. I wish this for them not only because we as Canadians heavily rely on them as trading partners, but because their population needs a break from the bull crap that has occurred the past 8 years of their lives.
When asked about my response on this topic, I had to think twice. Not so much about my overall response, but just how I would express it. My politically correct side would say “this was a mistake that has had an impact on everyone”, but my Italian side wants to say “this is bullshit”. What good has come from this war? What were the Americans fighting for anyways? To me, there has just been too many conspiracies and evidence that has lead to me believe George W. Bush was in on this all along. September 11th was a terrifying and tragic day that has changed our lives forever. We all remember where we were, and what we were doing when we got the news of America being under attack. If you look back in time, you would be able to tell Americans are not ones to be pushed around. So was it a suprise when they declared war?
Since American, Canadian, and British troops have been deployed in Iraq, thousands of innocent civilians and soldiers have been killed, and not a damn thing has been resolved or accomplished. This entire presidency has been drama and controversy from day one. It is evident that the American population has come to realize they got played for fools. On almost every late night television program (Letterman, Leno, Conan O’Brien etc.) there is a segment dedicated to joking about or insulting their lame duck president.
I just feel really bitter about this entire war because prior to September 11th, it seemed like life was good. The economy was fairly stable, you could afford to vacation, and life wasn’t as stressful. Now, we are in the midst of a recession and just witnessed the largest single day crash in the stock markets. It all seems like this all could have been avoided. I do pay attention to American politics via Steven Colbert, John Stewart and mainstream American news and wish the best for their county. I wish this for them not only because we as Canadians heavily rely on them as trading partners, but because their population needs a break from the bull crap that has occurred the past 8 years of their lives.
Buy Nothing Day
Buy Nothing Day
I have never heard of such a day until reading about it here, but it actually seems like a good idea. I looked into this immediately to see how those would cope without buying anything. I viewed a blog page (same one as mine!) that was dedicated to sharing ideas and posts on what they would do on this occasion. Ideas such as baking, sewing, reading, cooking dinner for the family, and going skating were a few shared ideas on the discussion board. This day sounds like what I say every morning when I wake up. Each day I vow to spend $0, but I never succeed. Being a student, budgeting is a great skill to learn. I have not mastered this art yet.
There needs to be more awareness of over consumption in North America. Americans are only 5% of the total World population, but consume over 30% of its resources. While the world as a whole is consuming at a rate 35% higher than the limit where nature can sustain and regenerate itself.
I’m really glad I this topic was chosen for us students to do as an assignment. I had not heard of this event, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. It is important for us to recognize how good we have it, and how much we take for granted. North Americans have adopted the belief that wealth and consumption is what makes us happy, even when studies have shown it has actually reduced the quality of our lives.
This event got me very interested and doing research about over consumption in the world and I definitely learned some things I was not exposed to before. I will be an active supporter of this day/event.
I have never heard of such a day until reading about it here, but it actually seems like a good idea. I looked into this immediately to see how those would cope without buying anything. I viewed a blog page (same one as mine!) that was dedicated to sharing ideas and posts on what they would do on this occasion. Ideas such as baking, sewing, reading, cooking dinner for the family, and going skating were a few shared ideas on the discussion board. This day sounds like what I say every morning when I wake up. Each day I vow to spend $0, but I never succeed. Being a student, budgeting is a great skill to learn. I have not mastered this art yet.
There needs to be more awareness of over consumption in North America. Americans are only 5% of the total World population, but consume over 30% of its resources. While the world as a whole is consuming at a rate 35% higher than the limit where nature can sustain and regenerate itself.
I’m really glad I this topic was chosen for us students to do as an assignment. I had not heard of this event, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. It is important for us to recognize how good we have it, and how much we take for granted. North Americans have adopted the belief that wealth and consumption is what makes us happy, even when studies have shown it has actually reduced the quality of our lives.
This event got me very interested and doing research about over consumption in the world and I definitely learned some things I was not exposed to before. I will be an active supporter of this day/event.
One Web Day
One Web Day
The internet and all ICT’s have impacted the world in words I cannot describe. But I shall try. I have always been fortunate enough to gain access to the internet. My worst nightmare comprises of me waking up a rainy autumn morning and hearing “there is no more internet…EVER!” on the local news.
I can say with confidence that most of the western world relies heavily upon the internet and ICT’s in everyday life. To imagine a time before Facebook, Ebay, Blackberrys, ipods, or Youtube is crazy to me. My generation has always been exposed to this technology, but can you imagine the culture shock the baby boomers received? I can tell you from experience. My mother still does not know how to work the DVD player. What’s that? Yours doesn’t either? For my generation, not knowing how to use a DVD player is unheard of.
ICT’s are what seems to allow North Americans be organized and function. We live in an era where we rely on our clock radio to wake us up, our blackberry to see what we have on the go for the day, the television to give us the weather and the internet to give us a recap of what happened in last night’s episode of “Lost”. This is all before we leave for work or school in the morning.
The internet and ICT’s have impacted my life tremendously. I am comfortable with the technology surrounding me, but I am also excited to see what the future of technology has in store.
The internet and all ICT’s have impacted the world in words I cannot describe. But I shall try. I have always been fortunate enough to gain access to the internet. My worst nightmare comprises of me waking up a rainy autumn morning and hearing “there is no more internet…EVER!” on the local news.
I can say with confidence that most of the western world relies heavily upon the internet and ICT’s in everyday life. To imagine a time before Facebook, Ebay, Blackberrys, ipods, or Youtube is crazy to me. My generation has always been exposed to this technology, but can you imagine the culture shock the baby boomers received? I can tell you from experience. My mother still does not know how to work the DVD player. What’s that? Yours doesn’t either? For my generation, not knowing how to use a DVD player is unheard of.
ICT’s are what seems to allow North Americans be organized and function. We live in an era where we rely on our clock radio to wake us up, our blackberry to see what we have on the go for the day, the television to give us the weather and the internet to give us a recap of what happened in last night’s episode of “Lost”. This is all before we leave for work or school in the morning.
The internet and ICT’s have impacted my life tremendously. I am comfortable with the technology surrounding me, but I am also excited to see what the future of technology has in store.
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