PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES

This image has the famous slogan "I'm counting on you" used to help keep troops quiet about during times of paranoia in the war. Another technique is oversimplification, this was used to try and ask to keep the entire war strategies quiet in eight simple words.

Week 8:Research Topic- Postpartum Depression in the Media (or lack there of)

My topic is Postpartum depression in the media, specifically television and how Postpartum is never talked about. However on the rare occasion that it is discussed it is connected to murdering your children or having similar thoughts. Postpartum is a serious form of depression and should be treated as such, not all women want to hurt their children, that is usually not as common. Most feelings are about being overwhelmed, not a good mother, or lacking the energy to do the things you know should be done. I have chose a clip of Tom Cruise speaking about Postpartum with Matt Lauer, where he speaks about Brook Sheilds being treated with medication of this illness.

Week 7: Internet

I counted 178 "Social Networking Websites" for my search on wikipedia.org

I have heard of 11 of them. I don't know of any that aren't listed.

I am going to look at faces.com which is a social networking sight for teens in the UK. It began in March 2002 and has changed names a few times before landing on faces.com, it is mostly female users aged 16-22 years old. It is like most social sites allowing you to blog about yourself and friend/follow other users. I use social networking sites to keep in touch with friends from high school and before. Especially being a stay at home mom I stay in contact with most of my friends. I use Facebook, MySpace the most frequently.

An incident happened to me on Facebook about a year ago. I had a falling out with a friend/roommate. She owed me a large amount of money for rent that she had yet to pay me, but had since moved out after I asked her to leave, for not paying rent anymore. I posted a comment on her "wall" asking her if she had my money yet, after I did she never responded, HOWEVER her friends lashed out at me calling me many foul names and telling me to be patient and wait (even though she had owed me this money for over a year, and had gotten herself fired and failed to try getting another job). Needless to say I don't talk to her anymore and haven't dared post anything else on her wall.

Week 6: Television

Length: 9:11

Description: A collection of TV clips displaying many different gender stereotypes in America.

Chapter: 9: Television

Question: When was television's golden age, and why was it golden?

Answer: The golden age for Television was from 1948-1958, this is the period when TV was most popular, however it portrayed most ethnicities and the women gender in a poor light. Making the white male race and gender the superior to everyone else.

Week 6: Favorite Movie of 2009/ and all time

My favorite movie of 2009 is Invictus, with Morgan Freeman playing Nelson Mandela, and Matt Damon as the Team Captain of the 1995 South Africa Rugby team. I liked this movie because it was about South Africa after Apartheid and Nelson Mandela trying to reunite his country through a common interest, rugby. I am interested in the stories that came from South Africa during and after Apartheid so this caught my attention, I thought it was acted wonderfully and the story had a deep and serious message delivered through a fun activity and world championship. I watched this movie on the internet. Here is a trailer for Invictus:


My favorite movie of ALL TIME would have to be Cry-Baby (1990) with Johnny Depp (and no not just because he is hot!) I saw this movie for the first time when I was 11 I think, and I probably watched it 10 times in a row, on Laser Disk (like a record for movies) It is a comical musical about the 50's where a "Greaser" (bad boy) falls for a "Square" (good girl) and how all of their friends don't approve. And of course his ability to shed... just one tear. This movie I thought was just hilarious and it has stuck with me all these years as my all time favorite! Here is a trailer for Cry-Baby:

Week 4: MAGAZINE PROPOSAL

NAME: Mommy Mayhem: A Magazine for Stay at Home Moms

CONCEPT: This magazine is one of a kind with the sole purpose of helping stay at home moms, and single mothers. Giving them ideas for their children, as well as themselves. Tips on relaxation and how to keep yourself from going stir crazy.

READERS- This is aimed at women 18-45 of all ethnicities with a strong emphasis that no matter the age they all have children in common. It is for middle class, and below,. All different interests and focusing on how to drop that baby weight to feel good about yourself again. We want to EMPOWER all the moms out there who don't always feel like they are in control.

COMPETITION- Bay area parent, and Parenting Magazine, however this is aimed specifically at the mothers who have decided to stay home and raise their children, or single mothers who work, but come home and take care of their kids alone. Lets face it not many men read the parenting magazines anyway, so why not make those women feel that much more special, sometimes that is all they need, something for themselves.

Five Advertisers- Las Madres play group, Desatin, Johnson and Johnson, Local Day Spa, Graco

Five Articles-
-Activities that are fun for you and your kids
-10 Great ways to pass the time with your children
-5 ways to help yourself relax when your kids are throwing a tantrum
-5 ways to help stop & prevent your child's next tantrum
-10 minute work outs for the busy mom looking to get her figure back!

COVER- The cover will have a picture of a mom with her kid(s) dressed in bright clothing from and advertiser. Playing in the living room. Title of the magazine running horizontal across the top of the cover in bold lettering. A few blurbs about 4 different articles in the magazine (2 on either side of the cover)

HAITI RELIEF

Hey guys,
I have set up a donation web page at mercycorps.com for the HAITI relief. Please visit my page and donate if you can. It doesn't matter how big or small the donation, every bit counts!
THANK YOU!

MY HAITI RELIEF DONATION WEB PAGE!!!!!

Week 3: Books

Three books most influential in my life.

Kaffir Boy. By: Mark Mathabane- African American history has always been and interest of mine, and this book was a huge look in to apartheid in South Africa . I found it absolutely inspiring how he survived and never gave up hope. It makes you appreciate everything you have, even when it doesn't seem like much.

Black like me By: John Howard Griffin, was also a very influential book for me. I think it is amazing the huge difference in the way he was treated when he was white, and when he was pretending to be black. I feel like it relates to me now, even though I am Caucasian, my fiancee is from Mexico and a lot of people still give us dirty looks from people because we are an inter-racial couple, and we have children together. It is interesting how people think and act even to this day about the color of some ones skin.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.By: Ken Kesey is my third most influential book. It talks about mental institutions and how they were ran in the 1950's and what was being done to patients. My mother suffered from Bipolar disorder and had a pretty bad case of it. She had to be hospitalized many times and endured E.C.T.... Electro Shock Therapy. So when I later read this book it struck a quite personal note for me. Obviously people are not treated in the same manor as they were in the 50's, and the people that are patients now actually have real issues and aren't just being sent there for their independent thinking or radical ideas.

All these books had messages that keep me thinking until this day.

Week 2: McLuhan's Theory

I have chosen to do the alternative blog assignment in examining McLuhan's Theory. The example I have chosen to examine G.P.S..
It enhances the ability to get from point A to point B in a more time efficient manner. It gives you the option of the fastest rout possible, traffic updates, and you don't need to stop to ask somebody for directions.

It reverses humanity being dependent on themselves and instead relying on computers to do the work for you. It also reverses personalization, people no longer trust other people and won't stop to ask somebody for directions, because nobody trusts anybody anymore.

It again makes obsolete the need for communication between people, because they have their little computers in their cars to tell them where to go and how to get there. It also makes maps obsolete because they are already on the G.P.S..

It retrieves the ability to travel more without the worries of getting lost, and most G.P.S.'s have suggestions for places to stay and eat along the way, like a phone book or travel guide.

Week 1: Media Autobiography

Books: I don't read that many books, they have to catch my interest I usually only read books based on true stories. Books were not a big part of my life except for my mom who read about two books a day.

Newspapers: I read most of my news online now, but I always read the newspaper growing up it was important for me to know what was going on around me, and still is. I like reading the news on the Internet now, because I can read it on my phone wherever I am.

Magazines: I have always read magazines, and always will, I mostly read fashion and trash magazines. I am studying on the side to be a wedding/ event planner so I read a lot of wedding magazines to get ideas and make up an idea book for future clients.

Movies: I love movies, I went to the movies at least once a week growing up with my mom, and later with my friends. Now I watch them on the Internet since my kids usually don't allow me to get out to a movie theatre.

Recordings: I have been listening to recordings my entire life, my mom and dad both love music and I heard all of there records, tapes and Cd's will all different genres of music. I have used an Ipod since they came out.

Radio: I listen to the radio every day in my car and listen to two radio shows. One on Sunday nights on 106.1 KMEL and one in the mornings during the week on 94.9. The only thing I dislike about radio is all the commercials, and not enough music.

Television: I watch a lot of television, and I always have. Television was a big part of my growing up it was usually always on in my house. I don't own a television now, I watch all my T.V. shows on my laptop. I still watch a lot of shows on my computer. It isn't really important to so much as something to do in the evenings when I am relaxing.

Internet: This is BY FAR the most important to me now, I do most of the above media categories on the Internet. I don't know how we all got along before it. It makes my life so much easier when I need to look up something or get quick information about something. I watch television and movies on the Internet. I use Internet radio on my phone when I go on walks or work out. I download music off of the Internet I read magazine and news articles on the Internet. The only thing I have in my apartment is my computer (technology wise). It is my DVD player, my T.V., my newspaper, my phone book, my dictionary. The Internet does just about everything I need it to.

I have always considered working in some form of media, as of now I am looking at the field of advertising, which uses every form of media, and that interests me very much. As for a university I have not decided if and or where I would transfer.