Blog 9

I really enjoyed having this Mass Communications class during my first quarter here at De Anza. It opened my eyes to the real way that the media is ran and how they truly try to manipulate their viewers to think how they want you to think.

Now whenever I see something on TV or read something on a magazine, I take the time to truly analyze the information provided. I begin thinking of who wrote it and his or her purpose. I like to come up with my own conclusion of each piece of information or ad because I dont like being told what and how to think. 

I also try to not let unnecessary media outlets interfere with my life as much. For example, I no longer let social media run my life like it once did. I am no longer obsessed with twitter. And even when I'm on twitter, I dont follow childish and uninformative pages. I have to think twice about what I post because I have learned that although I have my First Amendment rights, my future employers may not be very pleased with some of the things I once posted.

Attatched is a video that quickly summarizes what I've learned lateltly about the media. Although it doesn't portray my point of view extremely accurate, it is pretty accurate

Annotated Bibliography

• Pros and Cons of communism in Cuba. (2008, August 7). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from http://www.theweek.co.uk/americas/35627/pros-and-cons-communism-cuba

In this article piece, the magazine publishes both the positive and the negative consequences of the Castro dictatorship in Cuba. With this information, I should be able to prove that Cuba does in fact have many great things, but at the same time has some flaws in their system.

• Roberts, G. (n.d.). Misconceptions about Cuba. Retrieved November 14, 2014, from http://www.iammyownreporter.com/misconceptions.htm

Although this is not an official website, Roberts writes from his personal experiences that many "facts" told by the United States or Cuban exiles are false. He makes a list of more than 16 lies being told about Cuba. This will be a perfect fit for my report because it is shown that this man, who has no bias, has seen the beauty of Cuba and their functioning government.

• Economy of Cuba. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2014, from http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Economy_of_Cuba.html

This website seems to have correct information although I have a hard time believing it was written by Princeton University. With that being said, the facts provided in this piece are very important. It mentions things such as the low housing and transportation fees, free education and the low mortality rate in infants in Cuba. It can be very useful when I mention all the things that make the Cuban government more successful. 

Propaganda

This is a great example of a propaganda piece that illustrates beautiful people and uses a catchy slogan. The attractive african american lady shows her classy and beautiful side with her jewelry and her nicely done makeup. "Black is Beautiful" is a slogan that tries to change people's minds who once believed that only white people are beautiful.

This war propaganda is somewhat confusing and inaccurate because its promoting a war against Iraq by using an image of Osama Bin Laden. Regardless, they used the famous "I Want You" slogan used throughout the 20th century. The slogan is very well known not just in the United States but also worldwide. What makes this propaganda piece unique is the face of Bin Laden swapped into Uncle Sam's body. Bin Laden is used as a scapegoat because in the early 2000s, the United States were still paranoid and devastated from the 2001 September 11 attacks and they were convinced Bin Laden was the main responsible. 

Research Paper Ideas

Idea 1:

How controlling and dishonest is the government-controlled media in North Korea?

For years now, I have been hearing about the incredibly-biased North Korean government, including the media. However, I'm very curious to see exactly how dishonest their media really is and how it manages to get their citizens to actually believe their story.

Idea 2:

The image of the United States and its citizens thru foreign media

In many foreign movies, shows and novels, the United States is portrayed with a variety of different stereotypes both accurate and inaccurate. Im interested in seeing the audience's reactions to this

Idea 3:

Do rappers still live the "gangsta life" or is it just an image?

For years, rappers have been making a living off bragging about how difficult their lives and neighborhoods are. But most rappers nowadays no longer live in those communities. So then why continue to rap about it?

                   

   

 

Favorite Songs

I am a huge music lover and you can usually find me with headphones on or with music blasting out my car. To pick only 2 songs as my "favorite" is like picking your favorite child. But if I had to chose my favorite song from 2013-2014 I'd choose "Rap God" by Eminem. The amazing speed at which he raps is truly brilliant. He goes completely off on such an unique beat. In 6 minutes, he demonstrates that he can still embarrass any other rapper. Along with that, I've taken it as a challenge to try to memorize every lyric and try to rap it along. I remember that I first heard that the track had been dropped on Twitter and the link provided took me to YouTube.

                                                         

When it comes to "oldies", my choice is "Hey Jude" by The Beatles. I love how it can be such a relaxing and somehow kind of sad song and towards the end, thanks to Paul McCartney's screams and the chorus singing in the back, turns into such a happy song. Truly beautiful song that you can listen to whenever you're feeling a bit sad. The first time I heard that song was off my mom's Beatles "1" CD when I was just 9 years old. And ever since then, I've fallen in love with all of The Beatles songs

           

Proposed Magazine

The SF Giant Weekly is not your typical newspaper. It is a newspaper created with the sole purpose of covering everything Giants related. This way Giants fans all over the world can remain up to date with their favorite baseball team. There is no real competitor with this magazine except the local newspaper that could also cover the Giants. Each magazine is only $2.50 which is very much affordable. The yearly subscription is at an amazingly low rate of just $15. We can afford to sell this magazine at a very low price with the contributions of our sponsors. Because we are the official magazine of the San Francisco Giants, all of the Giants sponsors also sponsor us. These include Nike, AT&T, Levi's, Budwiser, and Coca-Cola. In the first issue, there would be articles analyzing the Giants' amazing game 5 win. In the issue, there will be an in depth summary of game 5 and Travis Ishikawa's game winning home run, coverage of the 2014 NLCS MVP Madison Bumgarner and the awards ceremony, analysis on Gregor Blanco and hit new found hitting streak,  fan's opinions on Tim Lincecum's absence in the postseason, and lastly, a well developed World Series predictions. Our main goal would be to keep our fans up to date with their team. 

Influential Books

In my life I have read my fair share of books both informative and for pleasure alone. I cannot name one book as my "all time favorite" however, there are at least 3 books that I can label as "influential". This list includes Yo Soy El Diego de La Gente (an autobiography of argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona), Living History by Hilary Clinton and Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.

Being fluent in both spanish and english, I'm able to enjoy many fantastics books in spanish as well. Yo Soy El Diego De La Gente is a thrilling autobiography that visually describes the entire carer of the greatest soccer player in history, Diego Maradona. I first read it as a 9 year old who was falling in love with the game and to read how beautiful and exciting the life of a soccer player is really woke up my inspiration and helped me decide that it was going to be my life long goal.

In middle school, I became very intrigued with the entire presidential election process. This interest was awaken as I witnessed in 2008 how Barack Obama won the presidency of our country. In 8th grade, with the recommendation of my sister, I read the famous Living History by Hilary Clinton. I must admit that it was a fantastic book that really tempted me to join politics. I loved reading about all the things Bill Clinton did to finally become president and all the minor details of his presidency. Although I no longer have a desire to run for public office but I still am fascinated by the presidential election.

http://www.amazon.com/Living-History-Hillary-Rodham-Clinton/dp/0743222253

I must confess, I have not finished reading Tuesdays With Morrie. However, the few chapters I have read are truly inspiring me every time I read it. It really helped me when I was going thru rough times in my life. Truly teaches you to look on the positive side of life and to really appreciate what you have. Personally, I believe I have grown as a person since I began the book. Opened my eyes to help me realize how blessed I am.

http://www.amazon.com/Tuesdays-Morrie-Young-Greatest-Lesson/dp/076790592X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413163946&sr=1-1&keywords=tuesdays+with+morrie


My list of most influential books really could not be more different yet somehow they have all influenced my life greatly. I still have many books to read which may end up earning their spot on my list.

PMartin

•   Being a Journalism major, I have grown to understand that media is and will continue to be a huge influence in my job. Therefore I have become very aware of all the forms of media around me

•   Starting as a kid, I became fascinated with books and reading. I began by reading childish chapter books at a young age. I quickly grew out of that phase and I started reading non fiction novels. My favorites included biographies of the big political icons such as Nelson Mandela, Hugo Chavez and Hilary Clinton. 

•   Newspapers and magazines were also a huge source of information as a child. It all began when I would read the San Mateo Daily Journal and the latest issue of Sports Illustrated at the YMCA while my mom would work out. I loved the feeling of knowing what was currently being talked about not only  in the sports world but also in the entire world. 

•   I am still a huge fan of television and documentaries because I am fascinated with the fact that I am learning so much with minimal effort. Watching the news is a great way to stay informed because you can learn about many issues in less than an hour. When it comes to documentaries, ESPN's 30 for 30 and the History Channels are my preferred. 

• As I got older, the internet became a bigger source of information for me. When I was able to have my first iPod touch, I began downloading apps like the CNN app and began checking out newspapers from Europe. The option of listening to certain podcasts also became available which helped me get informed while being on the go.

I hope to one day to transfer to a CSU or a UC that has a strong major in Journalism so that I can continue my career and truly leave a mark in todays media