Your Vote Counts!!

Okay, I must admit that I am not a politics person. My heart doesn't start racing while watching a political debate and to be honest, I didn't even watch any speeches from the infamous Obama vs. McCain election. But despite all of this I am still very glad that Amee Wittbrodt made learning about elections part of a Media & Society class assignment. I now realize that it is important for us as U.S. citizens to vote for who we want in office.  It really does make me angry when someone complains about who won an election and then when I ask them if they voted they reply with a hesitant "No..". You need to let your opinion be known and voice be heard. Although your vote may not make a huge impact, it does make a difference. 
So thank you, Amy, for making me think about things that I would normally ignore. Based on the information I learned in class if I were old enough to have voted in the '08 election, I would have voted for John McCain. He was a good man, not just a popular celebrity.

Have Good Morals Taken a Backseat to Image?!?

Think back to the last political campaign or speech you seen on TV. Were you more intrigued by the persons values or their poise, voice, etc.? I'm sure that you would like to say that values is what matters the most and that's what you paid attention to, but if you were to really think about it a lot of you may have been more focused on the person's disposition. 

We know that morals are significantly more important than a persons appearance. But what do people pay the most attention to when deciding who they want to vote for? That is a question that is not as easily answered. I hope that the next time you are privileged to vote for a leader(of any kind) you will really listen to what that person is saying and watch what that person is doing before making a final judgement.

We're All Pirates

In the time that it takes you to sing your favorite song, you probably could have downloaded the entire album. How? Filesharing sites and programs such as mp3Raid and Limewire are scattered all across the internet and are very popular in the online world. But before you get excited and start typing "free music" into Google, you should know that these sites are illegal and downloading from them is punishable by crime.
The RIAA is responsible for superintending all of the record labels, administering guidelines, and also busting anybody committing the act of piracy. Piracy is just a fancy word that means stealing a copyrighted product. They charged Jammie Thomas from Minnesota a fee of nearly 10 THOUSAND dollars per song. I find it ironic that one of those songs was "Bills, Bills, Bills" by Destiny's Child.
If I were a member of Destiny's Child(or any band), I wouldn't want anybody downloading my songs illegally. Most musicians make a living off of record sales and if record sales continue going down, music could become only a hobby. Another negative outcome of illegal filesharing is that fewer new artists are being signed due to financial issues at record companies. I don't know about you, but I want to make sure that our musicians are being paid well and also that new artists are attaining their dream of getting signed by a record company.


So really, the choice is up to you. Would you rather pay a dollar now, or ten thousand later?

Me and Music

He wasn't a child anymore. No, our Kevin Jonas was all grown up and engaged. My best friend, Crystal, and I almost had rug burn from our jaws dropping so suddenly at the unexpected news. We worried endlessly about what would become of "The Jonas Brothers." And no we were not 10-we were 15, on the verge of entering into license-hood.
Yes, I was the girl whom you made fun of while she rocked out to "Party in the USA" and "Year 3000." Of course, I appreciated all kinds of music-from country to R&B-but there was still a soft spot in my heart for the "classics" as I liked to call them. The reason that I loved the music sung by Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and The Jonas Brothers was because I genuinely looked up to the actual people behind the voice. The occasional teeny-bopper cheesiness didn't bother me at all.
And it didn't really seem to bother my parents, either. (Although I'm pretty sure they would have rather been listening to something else.) But since my music choices were targeted toward the pre-teen audience, no real resentment came from them. They had no problem buying CD's for me for birthdays and holidays and I am still thankful that there are no recordings of me screaming like a crazy fan girl as I wave the new Camp Rock soundtrack above my head.
The one thing that my parents never were willing to buy for me was the one thing that I wanted the most: concert tickets. I would stay up until the exact minute that the golden tickets would go on sale, scream as I clicked the "purchase" button, and then slump back into my seat knowing that I wouldn't actually get past the checkout page. 
Maybe someday I will attend a "Where Are They Now?" concert. I could make a T-shirt that says something like "I LOVE YOU NICK!" It would stand out in the crowd, he would admire my artistic abilities, and we would get married and live happily ever after. Yes, I'm still a dreamer.