The Wall Street Journal

When I first learned that as a class we would use the Wall Street Journal instead of a traditional text book I was not to sure at first, but as the semester progressed I saw the benefits of the newspaper opposed to the textbook. What I liked about the Wall Street Journal was that is was the most current information that us students could get, in the course we were told repeatedly that the problem with text books is that the moment they are printed they are out of date but with the newspaper we are only a day late which is far better than being years late with the text book. The newspaper also just wasn't about mass communications; it provided information about a little of every thing that was relevant. It is human nature to want options and that is what the Wall Street Journal provided, so that added to the experience.
Some of my favorite stories were often found at the bottom of the first page of the Wall Street Journal I enjoyed the random stories about MC Hammer pants, and how deers still to this day will not go past the border where the Berlin wall use to stand. The random stories were insightful and informative. Now that we are at the of the semester the few stories that stick out on my mind about mass media, were the ones that took me by surprised. The story of how in Cuba a woman who was blogging about politics was taken and tormented because of her ideals, and the story of "Paranormal Activity" it amazed me how a film that cost 15 million to make pulled in over triple that at the box office. I also was unaware how huge Comcast was, I just saw them as just a cable provider, but through the use of the Wall Street Journal I learned that they are much more than that. Often after reading the newspaper I usually felt smarter than before I picked the paper up. I think the reading of the newspaper was far more beneficial than using a textbook because I am more likely to read the paper than the textbook. It is something about the name textbook that turns me off; I think that's the case because with the name textbook comes the preconceived notion of boredom based on previous experience. While with the newspaper I have never read it so I had no expectations, so I was more inclined to read it. Though I enjoyed my experience with the Wall Street Journal I am not likely to renew my subscription. My decision not to renew my subscription isn't due to a lack of interest, but to a lack of money. If I worked at a job that payed me more and I had extra money to spend I would definitely renew, but because that is not the case I cannot afford the Journal.

I am glad that I had a chance to experience the newspaper, and I now see the importance of the paper. I would suggest the paper as a teaching tool, because there are countless benefits to subjecting ones students to the experience. I enjoyed my time with the paper and the class.

"The Road"

Based on my previous experiences I have come to learn that when I read a book and then take my time to go see the movie more often than not the movie is nothing compared to the book. Usually I walk out of the theater either loving the movie and hating the book, or hating the movie and loving the book. In the case of “The Road”, I found myself flipping in between which version I prefer.
The book offers almost no background information about the mother, while the movie gives the viewer enough to keep them wondering. I do feel that because the movie showed more of the mans history with his wife it provided more depth for the mans character, and I thought that it covered their past pretty well. To me with the background information concerning his wife I was able to make a deeper connection with the man in the movie compared to the man in the book. I felt like the movie did a god job of covering all of the monumental moments that were in the book, and though the moments were out of order all importance of the moment was not over looked.
In the beginning of the book the man made a flute for the boy, and in a way the flute represented his innocents and as time wore on the boy threw away his flute, thus losing a part of his innocents. In the movie the flute was replaced with a stuffed elephant, and I preferred the flute over the stuffed animal because in the book the man talked about how when the boy played his flute that was possibly the only form of music that existed, and it was a reminder that the world they lived in was as small as its ever been. With the replacement of the flute with the stuffed animal the movie lost the chance to remind the audience that nothing that we know of today existed anymore; that the man and the boy were truly isolated.
Though I am undeceive as to which form of “The Road” I like better I am positive that I enjoyed the ending to the book rather than the movie. I was liking the movie all the way until the boy’s father died and the boy went off with the other family. In the book the man that approaches the boy after his father’s death seems warm and inviting and that allows the boy to let down his guard and talk with the man, but in the movie the man that approaches the boy is intimidating and almost scary. If I had just watched my father die and was off to start my journey on the road again, and the man that approached the boy approached me either two things would have happened- either he would have got shot, or I would have ran. No matter which scenario would have played out none of them include me talking and going with that scary and intimidating man. Also in the movie they showed a dog that was with the family, I found that to be farfetched and unrealistic. If your whole family is starving and you barely have enough food to keep your family from dying of starvation who has time to worry about the family dog? I felt that the movie version of the father’s death did the book justice; the death of the father was just as tear jerking in the movie as it was in the book. Overall I enjoyed both the movie and the book equally. Both versions had both pros and con’s and it is for that reason that I can’t choose one over the other. The movie provided background information to the viewer, while the book did not, and the book covered the boy’s fate after the father’s death better than the movie. I felt that both the movie and the book did portray the same message though- that a mans love for his son can bring joy in the darkest of situations.

Social Networking

Social Networking?
What would the world be without social networking services? Well I imagine that the sun would stop shinning, the birds would refuse to sing and the world would be over. I believe that my generation is becoming crippled due to that wide variety of social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. The problem is that these sites are some what addictive, once you sign up for one typically they become a part of ones life that are difficult to ignore.
I am personally guilty of having both a MySpace page and a Facebook, though I do not like the control that they have over my life I feel like they are necessary to have. I find myself on Facebook more than any other social networking site because most of my friends have them, it provides me a way to keep in contact with those that I normally would lose communication with. Other than my most of my friends having a Facebook I enjoy Facebook more than MySpace because it is more user friendly and seems to have a more mature audience than MySpace. These sites are great for keeping up with old friends but it also on the other side it provides this alternate reality where people can be who ever they want to be, I have seen many of my friends lose themselves in the world of social networking. Like most things social network’s are powerful tools that if used the right way can prove to be very beneficial, I think that these websites are hindering younger generations from learning other forms of communication such as communicating through letters, and face to face conversations. It is for that reason that if Facebook were to start charging me for their services I would refuse to pay. There are so many other ways to communicate with friends other than through MySpace and Facebook that I already pay for. I do think that if they were to start charging they would lose a lot of members because there are thousands of other free networking sites just waiting to be discovered, so why pay for something that you can get free?
The effect that social networks have had on the twenty first century is truly amazing, these sites have changed the way that all look at communication, through these sites people are able to regain contact with old friends, and they allow others to maintain friendships that would otherwise be lost. Along with the good come the bad like most things in life social networking sites are best in moderation; though they are an awesome form of communication I do not think that it should be a person’s only form of communication.

Movies- Essay #1

The mind is an organ that scientists have spent decades trying to explain, and after decades of research and test they can only explain about twenty percent of it. The mind produces thoughts, dreams, and ideas, it’s an organ that provides every one with their own personal playground or their own personal jail. It is a rare occurrence for one to share their minds thoughts with someone else effectively, people try all the time through books, TV shows, and newspapers, but one of the most amazing is in the form of movies.
I have always had an interest in experiencing the impossible, the things that can’t really happen to me captivate my attention. Though I am a huge fan of books and allowing my mind to create a scene for the story being told I love movies. Sometimes it is nice to take a break from my own thoughts and involve myself in someone else’s. When ever an opportunity presents its self I take time to watch a movie it doesn’t matter if it’s new or old I enjoy taking time to jump into someone else’s world. I usually like comedies just because humor makes me happy, a funny movie allows me to set down my stress for two hours and to take a break and laugh despite of my situation, and normally when I pick my stress back up at the end of the movie I have a more optimistic outlook on my problem. I am also drawn to drama, because I find it amazing that within hours a person can establish characters and take me though their story and get me to care. In dramas I am sucked into other people’s story I find myself caring about the main characters and hating their enemies I have an emotional connection invested into the heroes though I have never met them. I enjoy watching most movies in theaters because the story is far more compelling because all there is in the room is people, seats and a huge screen so there is not much more to look at, so whenever I have the money I go to the movie theaters for the experience. I do enjoy watching sad movies from the comfort of my home, because I don’t like getting emotional in front of other people.
Movies provide me with an outlet, it differs from books and other stories because my mind doesn’t have to do much work. Movies allow writers and film directors tell a story through their minds eye and all I have to do is sit down and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

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