TOPIC 1: MUSIC'S INFLUENCE As a creative type, I try to appreciate art in all forms. I experience the world around me as art. When I look out the window I see colors and patterns and boxes the way most people see a landscape. I always have a song (or three) in my head and a bad day can always be cured by flipping through one of my dozen or so art books.
I am always looking for something that speaks to me and makes me feel -- I think that is what art is all about. Music has always been important to me. I enjoy most genres, but a huge part of my appreciation for music is the lyrics. When a song has a lyrics that does nothing for me, I have a hard time enjoying the song. I feel like artists should never be restricted in terms of what they create. When an artist creates something it's like they are using bits of their own soul to do so. I don't think anyone can ever fully understand the content of the art besides the creator, hardly giving critics room to judge. There is plenty of music out there, however, with absolutely raunchy lyrics. The music isn't artistic, the words don't flow together well, and the content is extremely explicit. I don't think that's a problem, I just think it's bad art. But what makes art good or bad? Who's to label it? A blank canvas can sell for millions. I grew up listening to old country music and 80's pop. The content was fairly suggestive, and my mother wasn't always happy to hear me singing along to it, but the music was artistic. I lived in a small town that had a Christian station, a country station, a pop station, and OPB. The pop station was always skipped over in our car because it was all "garbage." My brothers and their cowboy pride weren't impressed with the content of pop of the lifestyles of the artists (because, you know, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams are such great role models). It wasn't until my brothers (and their ancient CDs) moved out that I started exploring the music world. I started listening to pop and when I worked out I even threw a little Eminem into the mix. There was all this new music at my fingertips that I could feel and relate to. It was an amazing experience. The content isn't always something I wan't my grandma to hear, but its art. Why is it ok for Willie Nelson to sing about a whore house but not ok for rappers? I personally don't care much for rap, but I really don't think people should get so worked up about it. I love the diversity in music the way I love the diversity in any art form. I'm really not the type to obsess over a band or genre, I just like music that makes me feel something. Whether it takes me back to my first heart break or remembering the songs my dad used to sing in the tractor. I listen to Skillet when I'm cleaning the house, to Dwight Yokem as I sew, to Daughtry on the air plane, to Johnny Cash as I paint, to Michael Buble when I cook. I love Pandora and Spotify because I love finding new music on my Alternative station and finding music I haven't heard in a decade on my Old Country station. There are a lot of songs out there with lyrics that are really explicit, but that's the beauty of America. I can choose not to listen to it. End of story. TOPIC 2: CAMPUS RADIO -- A group of students is checking out the possibility of launching a radio station based at LBCC. I think it's a really fun idea! I would love to have something like that!
I do not, however, think that it would take off. Linn-Benton's varied array of students come from all walks of life. I think it would be extremely difficult to find enough content to air that would appealing to enough students to support the station. It also seems like the number of students who are still consumers of radio might be low. Many of us listen to radio in the car, but I'm sure that's about it. In terms of music, I think it would be fun to feature local bands every once in a while. I also think it would be fun to feature music from all different genres like they did in the old days. As far as content goes it would be interesting to hear about different classes that can be taken from LB and clubs to get involved with. It might be fun to have a "Student of the Day" that's just a random student selected from the sidewalk to just share a little about their lives -- something like what you see with the Humans of New York page on Facebook. I think the best way to fund something like this would be to make it an online radio station. First of all it wouldn't cost much to create. They could benefit from the station the way bloggers can benefit from a website. Banners, pop-up, and commercial ads mixed with the content would probably be a good way. They could team up with the Commuter and Student Leadership to keep up the content. This format would also allow the use of videos and podcasts. Maybe the computer science and graphic arts students could even get involved! I think it would be a great way to collaborate and create the best content from LBCC's best resources. As the traffic went up, the more the ad revenue would go up.
The Hunger Games -- I absolutely loved these books in middle school. My friends that had never opened a novel in their lives locked themselves in their rooms for days until they finished the trilogy. It got people of all ages, male or female, reading. I think that's a great thing. Is it a little scary? Yes! But there is so much worse crap out there that I hardly think it was violent enough to be banned.
To Kill a Mockingbird -- This book is an American classic. I wasn't overly fond of it, but I thought it had some really great messages. We read it in freshman English after Lord of the Flies. If anything Lord of the Flies should have been banned!
Captain Underpants -- My friends would read these books in elementary school and I always thought they were stupid, but once again, at least those kids were reading. The humor was probably a bit crude, but I really doubt the books were any worse than the shows you find on Nicalodian like Kim Possible or Adventure Time.
The Color Purple -- I haven't read this book, but I have read some of Alice Walker's other works and I think her work really contributed to our culture and she had some really important messages as well. I think any kid who is interested in grabbing a book with such strong messages is probably going to be mature enough for the content.
My Sister's Keeper -- I haven't read this one either, but I know several people that have and from what I know about the book, aside from being a heart-wrenching story, there's nothing wrong with it. I was surprised to see that it has been banned because it really dives into what it's like to have cancer and I think it's good for people to read about things like that so they can understand what's going on in those situations.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian -- Sherman Alexie's works are, once again, so culturally insightful. I think his books are good to read because he has such honesty in what he writes. He was there and knows his culture, so I don't think people should expect his experiences to be toned down.
I think that limiting books is the same as limiting any other work of art. It seems to me that books should be available and parents should be the ones in control of censoring their own kid's reading materials. It seems like most of the books that have been banned are of pretty great cultural significance and I think it would be really sad to see kids missing out on them.
I think that there's probably nothing wrong with monitoring children's libraries in public elementary schools and such, but I feel like by middle school they should have a right to read what they want. If your parents see you reading a book they don't like I think it should be up to them to say no. If there's a book that's absolutely downright raunchy, maybe a school should just not order it until there's been some request for it and a parent signs off that it's ok for their kid to read it.
On my own bookshelf at home I have a pretty broad selection. My old house had an entire private library that my mom had pretty much been collecting for her whole life, but she spends so much more time reading than I do. My mix of books is about as eclectic as my taste in music. If you hit shuffle on my iPod it could very well switch from Skillet to Johnny Cash to Susan Boyle on any given day. Likewise, my bookshelf consists of a complete compilation of Edgar Allen Poe's, a dozen or so fashion history books and cook books (yeah I read cookbooks for fun, don't judge me), some classics such as Shane by Jack Schaefer, or C.S. Lewis' Narnia Series. I also have a collection of various predictable novels that are so beautifully written I only read them for the way they've been constructed. Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors because her books, though terribly dark, are so beautiful to read. I'm not really sure what you could draw from that mix about my interests, but I guess the main thing I look for in a book is the imagery and creativity.
TOPIC 2: GOOGLE U
What I really appreciated from the reading: I love the idea of picking instructors based on their teaching style, and having them more as a tutor and a curator rather than a dictator. Mistakes and creativity are both regarded as such negative things in schools today, and that is so wrong. It seems like they type of teacher Jarvis describes would be so much more efficient and helpful. Perhaps if they didn't spend so much time developing lesson plans and slide shows they would have more time to dedicate to the students and their needs as individuals. I think you do a really great job of this by the way! You don't expect us to come to class and regurgitate your facts -- rather you send us home to create a blog to really demonstrate what we know! I always felt like my creativity was such a burden in school. Teachers didn't really want me thinking outside of the box and it was really hard for me, as well as the other lowly creatives in my class, because we had all these ideas, but they didn't fit the cookie cutter, and therefore weren't of value. What a great life lesson for kids, eh?
I think that one change needs to be the monetary cost of a good education. I think that everyone should have a right to be educated, and yes we need to be able to pay schools in order for teachers to make a living, but do schools really need all that money to prepare students for their degrees? So many talented individuals end up either not chasing their dreams for the fear of college expenses, or they do go to college and come out having spent more money than they'll make back from their degree than if they had never gone. Another thing that I would like to see changed is the transitions from high school and college. If kids had an option to go straight from eighth grade into the 90-100 level college classes I think many of them would be so much better off. My freshman year I missed 25 days of school, not counting the half days, because I was horribly ill. One time I made up 3 weeks of homework in 20 minutes. And I was in the "advanced" classes. I'm really not that smart either. I'm just an average kid, probably a little below average when it comes to math. There's something wrong with that! My high school experience was such a joke. Yes, it was fun hanging out and doing nothing, but seriously, what a waste of perfectly good minds! Teachers hold our hands in high school, letting our minds rest on idle. What happens when we go to college then? My teachers hadn't prepared me for any of this, but why shouldn't they?
Getting to go into college full time as a sophomore was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It's hard not having the social aspect of it, but for the first time in years I actually got the opportunity to learn. No one was holding my hand anymore, I was shoved out into the world to figure things out for my self. If more kids my age had the opportunity to go to community college before a University, I think they would learn so much more without having to waste all of that time. Plus if more high schoolers went to community college that social aspect could open up more and we would have the best of both worlds! If kids were taught early on how to work hard, college wouldn't be such a jump. You don't have to be above average, it just takes determination. Obviously something this drastic would take years and years to out into action, but I just think it makes so much more sense. It seems to work pretty well for other countries right? Schools as we know today were "invented" during the Industrial revolution to produce ideal factory workers. Why has't education changes in the last century?! We shouldn't be aiming for cookie cutter factory workers anymore. We should be aiming for Google's "not-evil," determined, risk-taking creatives! So that's my opinion.. kind of more like a rant, but hey, I think Jeff Jarvis is spot on!!
Musical sensation Adele makes history with a simple salutation after three years in the dark.
I really hope you haven’t had this song ruined for you by one of the several existing parodies out there yet because we are about to delve right in to my favorite new pop song in terms of “the media.”
The first time I heard “Hello” I was home alone, making a pie with the radio on; the windows may or may not have been vibrating (I’m going to choose to blame that on the buckets of rain being thrown down from the heavens). The song came on and I had to stop what I was doing and just sit on the kitchen floor and listen.
The crackling fire and the rain thundering outside the windows really added to the effect, but overall the song really did it for me. It made me feel something, and apparently, I’m not the only one.
I enjoy music from all different genres, from Cash to Skillet, to Chopin. I just want a song that can grab a hold of my soul and make me feel something. That’s exactly how my taste in art is. That's how it’s supposed to work, right?
Adele was raised in England, brought up by her mother after her father left them when she was just a toddler. While most children read, Adele sang. She claims that the last book she ever read was when she was six years old.
Adele was signed at only 16, after her friend posted one of her performances on MySpace, and it wasn't long before she became an international phenomenon. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she describes herself as being afraid of fame, but many argue that Adele is one of the few celebrities that has been able to stay grounded through their fame.
In an article titled How Adele Conquered the World, aside from her larger-than-life personality, The Guardian credits her record her record label, XL Recordings for her wide success. They saw her potential to grow as an artist when they signed with her, and gave her the freedom to do so. "Adele is one of those increasingly rare artists who has the talent and appeal to reach beyond her typical fanbase and connect with a much broader audience," HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo told The Guardian. "She's now enjoying a wonderful virtuous circle where her continuing success feeds in to more coverage and even greater word of mouth, which, in turn, keeps the sales clocking up."
“Hello” was born out of a three-year fester of creativity while Adele took a break from music to take care of her son, Angelo, born in October of 2012. She co-wrote the song with her producer, Greg Kurstin, after a long struggle with writer's block.
A 30-second teaser of “Hello” was broadcasted on Oct. 12 during a commercial break for “The X Factor” sending Adele fans across the globe into a frenzy. According to Twitter’s analytic tool Topsy, the singer’s name had been tweeted more than 297,000 times in the 24 hours after the song’s preview.
The real explosion came with the release of the song on Oct. 23. It quickly climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States as well as number one in 26 other countries, becoming Adele’s fourth number-one hit. It is the first song to ever sell over a million digital copies in seven days.
After hearing the song I pulled myself out of the little puddle I’d melted into on the floor and scurried over to check out the music video. Like I hadn’t been wrecked enough… Ha!
The accompanying music video was directed by film-magician Xavier Dolan (The French-Canadian voice of Stan from South Park) in Montreal, and is the first of its kind to be shot with IMAX cameras. Adele and Tristan Wilds act out the the lyrics, showing snippets from the singer’s romance. Wilds, star from The Wire, is portrayed as real and relatable, showing everyday scenes -- cooking dinner, laughing. I think that really appealed to consumers because it was so "real." It wasn't like the other pop videos out there where the romance is all about the clubs and the fashion and the glamour. It was refreshing to see something so relatable.
Two things in the video that I really got a kick out of were:
1. She was making tea.
Heck yeah! The video was going to get almost 28 million views in 24 hours from all of the world, but the British lady was going to darn well drink her tea. Steryotypical? Maybe, but does it matter? The only thing that gets me is that she put the tea bag in AFTER the water. Who the hell does that? English folk were pretty freaked out by that too...
2. Adele is bringing the flip phone back.
Once more, the video was about to make history, and here’s Adele back in 2007 with her little flip phone. Because how do you look dramatic when you’re hanging up a smart phone? Scrunch up your nose and jab the red icon with your index finger? I think not! It’s so much more satisfying to snap a flip phone shut.
Apparently the dramatic effect isn't what director Xavier Dolan had in mind. His take is that the inclusion of new technology is distracting.
"If you see an iPhone or a Toyota in a movie, they're anti-narrative, they take you out of the story," Dolan told CNN. "If I put an iPhone or a modern car in a movie it feels like I'm making a commercial."
According to a YouTube trend report posted on Nov. 4, “Hello” was viewed 50 million times. Compared to Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” which had 20 million views, within the first 48 hours of its release, averaging 1.6 million views in an hour.
The six-minute video even blew Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” video out of the water by being the fastest video to ever reach 100 million views -- that’s over 2,200 years of viewing time total.
The soul-influenced piano ballad’s lyrics create themes of nostalgia and regret.
"The track’s production is entrancing – jazzy flairs have been swapped for fuller, lusher atmospherics that wrap around you, swirling through her verses and lifting her vocal to its crescendo," as published in Entertainment Weekly.
The chorus haunts: “Hello from the outside / At least I can say that I’ve tried / To tell you I’m sorry for breaking your heart / But it don’t matter / It clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore.”
Nov. 20 is the official release date for Adele’s third album “25” where “Hello” sits as the lead single. In an open letter Adele tweeted, ”I'm sorry it took so long, but you know, life happened.” Rather than continue a line of break-up songs, the singer has decided to make “25” a composition of “make-up songs.”
"'Hello’ is as much about regrouping with myself, reconnecting with myself. As for the line ‘hello from the other side,’ it sounds a bit morbid, like I'm dead," she told Rolling Stone. "But it's actually just from the other side of becoming an adult, making it out alive from your late teens, early twenties.”
So far the song has been performed twice on TV, but it’s not promised that “25” will go on tour. For now the singer wants to focus on her son and try to keep her career as a hobby, lest it consume her life.
"If my music can heal anyone's heart, then that is, like, the most satisfying thing ever," she told Rolling Stone.
Critics are in love with “Hello,” calling it her best work. The hopeful sentiment of forgiveness she displays in 25, while noting that she hasn't given up her own style. The Independent and The Telegraph both appreciate the hopeful sentiment of forgiveness and honesty she displays in 25, while noting that she hasn't given up her own style.
Musician Damon Albarn isn't so sure about her work.
"The thing is, she's very insecure. And she doesn't need to be, she's still so young. I heard the work she did with my friend Brian, aka Danger Mouse. It's very middle of the road," he told Digital Spy. Appearantly she gave a "middle of the hand" response to that...
All that to say, other than his little remark, the woman doesn't get much dirt. And rightly so if you've broken as many records as she has. People are obviously loving her stuff.
Personally I'd have really liked to get more story out of the lyrics, just because I was so curious, although I realize that doing so could had affected the reliability. Leaving a more general picture makes it easier for the listener to "mad lib" and fill in the gaps with their own meaning. I think that is a big part of what art is too. The music video definitely gave me a stronger sense of completion.
I like that it sounds so "Adele," but yet it has bigger music that is closer to modern pop than some of her more blues-y work, such as "Crazy for You." If you put this song next to Rhianna's "Stay," or Beyonce's "Halo," it really fits. The piano in the song reminded me a lot of "One Call Away" by Charlie Puth. I've been seeing more and more use of classical instruments in pop music today. Take Lindsay Stirling and her famous violin, for example.
I guess Adele had a "middle of the hand" response to that one...
So the song got great reviews, but why?
I think that the main thing people liked about "Hello" was how relatable it is. Most people have had a devistating "break up" of some sort that they have mixed feelings about -- even if it was a non-romantic relationship, or even how you feel about an old version of yourself.
Because the music is so classic, it could fit into many more genre's and pop up on more people's Pandora stations than a standard pop song like Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again," which has a really beautiful chorus, but the rapping in the rest of the song really narrowed its audience down. Adele's audience is so broad. I think "Hello" could be as easily heard through the headphones of a teenage girl on the bus as a 45 year-old mother humming in the kitchen. It has musical qualities that appeal to teens that love pop, but also soul influences that may target older generations. The lyrics are so relatable that once more, demographically speaking, it seems to fit a huge audience.
Overall the song had a pretty original theme. It seems like when a song is being told by the point of view of "the heartbreaker" its them begging "the heartbreakee" to come back to them. In this song, she's mostly just apologizing and wanting to set things straight. I couldn't find anything that could offend anyone either.
I think that one of the song's weaknesses was it's similarity to Lionel Richie's song, "Hello" from 1983. The "crap" I've seen Adele receive from her song is mostly memes and parodies that are centered around this. One spoof is a video where someone put the two songs together... it's so funny that Richie himself even co-signed the video on his Instagram.
More about Adele:
She was signed at 16, after her friend posted one of her performances on MySpace
Adele won six Grammy Awards in 2012 including Album of the Year, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night.
She is the first female in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have three singles in the top 10 at the same time
She was the first artist to ever to sell more than 3 million copies of an album in a year in the UK.
Her Album, 21, is the longest running number-one album by a female solo artist in the history of the UK and U.S. album charts
In 2012 Time Magazine named her one of the top five influential people in the world
The 22nd annual Magic Barrel raised over $8,000 for Linn Benton Food Share
Golden light melting ice-blue paint, swirling up the ancient walls. Warm golden light bouncing off of the notes being flung from the piano, the cello, and the trumpet. Light reflecting the laughter of hundreds of people, floating along the scent of sweet fermentation and freshly-baked bread.
Friday, Oct. 24, the life danced once again through the heart of Corvallis’ historic Whiteside Theater, the way it most certainly did almost a century ago.
Nine local authors all came together, sharing seven minutes of their works in what organizer Gregg Kleiner called “The literary event of the Willamette Valley.”
“We are all drawn to stories. There are flashlights illuminating our way through the darkness,” Kleiner said.
Well over 500 people came together last weekend, raising over $8,000 for the 22nd Annual Magic Barrel — a reading fundraiser that benefits the Linn Benton Food Share.
“Corvallis has 55,000 people and 600 people came,” Kleiner said. “If the same percentage happened in New York City, that would be enough to fill one and a half Yankee stadiums!”
A compilation of Corvallis musicians, calling themselves “LMNO,” kicked off the event at 6:30 p.m., flooding the historic building with Jazz. People snacked on treats donated by local businesses, and sipped on drinks for purchase by Squirrel’s Tavern.
Grass Roots Books & Music in Corvallis had the authors’ work for sale, donating all of the net profit from the books sold that night to the fundraiser.
“Everyone helping here tonight is a volunteer,” Jack Wolcott, owner and founder of Grass Roots Books and Music, said. “The community has been so supportive to us, so this is our way of giving back.”
At 7 p.m. Kleiner took the stage to welcome everyone to the event. He then invited Linn-Benton Community College’s Professor Allison Clement to say a few words.
“Writing 115 is a unique class. There’s something so fresh and so special about the students,” said Clement, as she dedicated the night to the students and professor killed in Roseburg’s school shooting a few weeks ago.
And with that, Kleiner introduced the crowd to Oregon State University’s bubbly, award-winning essayist and English professor, Elana Passarello, who took the stage over as the emcee.
It was then that Passarello introduced the crowd to the event’s “swear jar.” Audience members were encouraged to pin an explanation of an instance in which they may have practiced their French to a dollar bill. Then it was collected by OSU volunteers for the “swear jar.” The emcee’s favorites were read off during intermission.
One slip of paper read, “fell down stairs.” A fifty was attached.
The sparkly-eyed emcee was determined to raise more money for The Magic Barrel than anyone before her.
“I just want you all to know I am here to win!” said Passarello. “I am wildly competitive.”
Passarello wasn’t kidding. Funds for over 120,000 pounds of food were gathered for this year’s record-breaking total. The “swear jar” alone brought in $793, which is 11,895 pounds of food.
“Hunger is so hard to spot,” said Passarello. “But it is there.”
According to The Oregon Food Bank, nearly one in five households in Oregon struggle with hunger. Last year alone, the Linn Benton Food Share distributed 49,000 boxes of food to people in need.
The seamless evening continued as the authors, each with their own unique styles, took the stage. The night was fully engaging and the authors were honored by the tremendous turnout.
One of the authors to read that night was OSU Professor, Tracey Daughtery, whose latest biography, The Last Love Song, is a New York Times Bestseller.
“If I were better with words,” Daughtery punned, “I could express my gratitude… But all I know how to say, is ‘Thank you.’”
Another author who presented was one of LBCC’s writing professors, Karelia Stetz-Waters. Her purple scarf glittered in the lights as she read from her book Forgive me if I’ve told You This Before.
For seven delightful minutes the audience sat in silence, hanging on to the poetic flow of her story, stitched together with genius bursts of humor and emotion. Stets-Waters’ charismatic preview of her work was entertaining, colorful, and full of passion.
“I am so honored. Seeing an entire theater full of people to support the arts and to support a good cause says great things about our community,” said Stetz-Waters.
I think the first thing newspapers need to do to stay in business is to report for multiple platforms, prioritizing the web. In many cases, newspapers' website news seems like an afterthought. The majority of their ad revenue is coming from print, leaving websites lacking in some areas.
The revenue from their websites isn't going to be higher until it's priority is made so too. Journalists need to focus on what their reporting is going to look like online, in social media, and in print; probably in that order.
I'm 16 years old, therefore I really don't pay much attention to the news (gasp!). My dad read theCapital Press religiously, and my brother is an avid Economist reader, but other than that my family just doesn't do much news. What little I do know that's happening in the world comes from the internet, and I know that I'm not the only one.
The only people I know who get a physical newspaper anymore are the old men that I see in the coffee shops early in the morning. The middle-aged people I know that pay attention to the news are getting it the same places I get mine: Facebook, twitter, and newspaper websites. Again, probably in that order.
A newspaper company in Delaware isn't going to send print to my house in Scio. If they write about something that I really need to know about I'm never going to see it. But if they post their article online and have it tagged with keywords I'm typing in, I can read it all the way from Oregon. The coverage is going to be so much broader.
Next I think that newspapers need to go niche. I'm sure Jeff Jarvis would agree with me here. Newspapers could individually decide what they're good at covering. Print less frequently, charge a little more, and there you have it.
I think newspapers should take on a sort of magazine approach. Stick your time-sensitive news online where you can edit and converse with readers, and stick the other stories in print to provide context, perhaps, or just a more analytical approach.
That's not to say that the website should be treated like a dump for news, either. You've still got to keep the stories unique and satisfying.
Keep the experts experting, eh?
Take Albany, for instance. If the Democrat Harold printed once a week, or even twice a month, they could produce a high quality paper full of the stories that consumers are going to really enjoy. Maybe the "breaking news"could be posted to their website.
I love the Statesman Journal's calendar on their website where people can add events. It keeps changing and improving to keep everyone updated, and that is genius.
The Capital Press is a great example of a niche newspaper. They have also done a great job building their online presence! They are able to keep going because they have their own unique thing going for them! People in agriculture can relate to almost everything in that paper, so it's at a much higher value to them.
Overall I think it's all about what goes where and not treating everything the same. I think visualizing the best platform for the stories is the most important element of the future in newspapers.
TOPIC TWO -- Where the Media may have done messed up:
The Charleston shooting that happened in a church in South Carolina this summer is an example of a time where I think the media didn't live up to my expectations in covering a story. I spent a lot of time commuting to my waitressing job and driving tractor this summer, so I had the radio on a lot. No matter what station I turned to (granted I was about 60 miles off the end of the earth and there are like five stations), all people were talking about was the shooting. My heart broke for the families involved, and for the church where it happened, but it broke even more when I realized the media had granted that terrible man exactly what he wanted. Here I was, some kid across the nation, and I knew his name. I heard him being talked about more than any celebrity, more than any other world issue, and it made me sick. This article by CNN gives us details about the man's life, and mentions that he wanted to start a race war. Why the hell give a psychopath a platform for their ravings?! One thing I did really appreciate was that the media did show the victims' families' message to the killer. That was so far beyond anything I have ever seen, and I think it was a good message to other people out there who wanted to become the next shooter. I think it may have even prevented some people from becoming shooters. It's hard to say. This is a really hard issue to try and solve because we need to stay informed, but on the other hand we need to keep the shooters, the stabbers, and the rioters quiet. I feel like a better approach to the story on these incidents would be to just give the basics. Say a shooting in such and such location happened where a number of people were killed, then play up the story about the victims' families extending grace, but don't glorify the actions of the criminal.
TOPIC 1: FIRST AMENDMENT, COPYRIGHT AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
First Amendment:
I was having a sleepover with a friend of mine from Central Oregon when we got the call that my brother, Andrew, had been in a horrific accident. It was the beginning of spring break, so Andrew was traveling home from Scio to work on the farm.
The roads were icy, and my brother lost control of his Ford Ranger, sending his vehicle into a head-on collision with a woman in her early fifties. She wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and was killed instantly. My 17 year old brother, trying to keep good grades, do well in sports, and operate the farm after the loss of our dad not long before, now had this trauma on his shoulders.
The next morning there were full stories in several papers, providing his name, where he lived, and what had happened like he was some kind of murderer. It was weeks before I could bump into someone without them bringing the story up. At school kids would come up to me and say "Is your brother the guy that killed that old lady?" If that's how people were talking to me, I can't imagine what Andrew had said to him.
I think it was really unfair of the papers to include his information the way that they did. He was still just a kid. I acknowledge the fact that knowing the truth is important, but what difference does it make who, exactly, the minor in the accident was? Maybe they could have included some basics such as, "a minor from Scio," or something along those lines. My family was still dealing with my dad's accident, so having Andrew's broadcasted that way was extremely difficult for all of us.
"RiP! A Remix Manifesto"
When we were watching the video, I was probably most surprised that they were even aloud to make it. That guy had to really have some guts! I never thought about how many different songs could go into a remix, kind of like how many copyrighted magazine photos could go into a collage. When I'm designing a dress, I usually take two or three basic store-bought patterns and merge them together, slicing and taping and adding where needed. I feel like that's kind of what these people are doing with the remixes. My dress can turn out a million times more different than any of the patterns, and their remix can turn out a million times different than an original song, but both for me, and the remixer, without a solid base we are going to have a struggle.
I really don't know how I would feel about people using my songs for mixes. Jeff Jarvis would say you should because, duh, free advertising! And that's great! It would be cool to see that your art is inspiring others, but at the same time, I have to think about how I would feel if someone started knocking off my dresses. It's a tough thing to wrap your mind around.
How do you know when to draw the line? It's like most things in life. The video talks about trying to keep a balance between the artists and the public. It sounds easy enough, but everyone has a different scale in their minds. How much is too much?
TOPIC 2: BLOG RESPONSES
I responded to Merina's blog because, you must face it, Rob, it was cute! Hail cat videos and sappy love stories!
My comment:
"Yay for sappy love stories! My grandpa picked out my grandma when he was six... he STILL has a picture of her in his wallet from first grade when he clipped her photo out of the yearbook. And then there's my mom and dad that were high school sweethearts, so I've always been a hopeless romantic!
This was such a fun post to read! The humor and the formatting really reflected the light, fluffy feel of the story. Telling the guys to take notes was totally relevant by the way... They could learn a thing or two! :)
Extra was so brilliant to create a little film that's more than just an ad. It's a story! It keeps us begging for more! Like your friends demanding a movie! Yes we see that it's selling gum, but it also selling a really fun idea.
I couldn't find the one I was looking for, but this is similar to the ad we talked about with the post-it love story:)"
