First chapter of True Enough

I enjoyed reading the first chapter of “True Enough” because it covers and explains areas of the media that I am particularly curious about. What I found interesting in the text was Farhad Manjoo’s breakdown of “media fragmentation”. He mentions the infosphere where this force exists and how people can skillfully manipulate it. In his references to the John Kerry controversy, Manjoo shows how the media landscape can distort, exaggerate and even lie to the public. This makes me wonder how much of the news I’m informed about is actually the full truth. The presidential candidacy is one of the most publicized topics in the media, I can only imagine what other truths are stretched in areas of lesser importance.

 This book also opened my eyes to the polar opposite perspectives between Democrats and Republicans. I don’t consider myself too politically knowledgeable but I am aware of the political bias’ that exist between news stations.What I didn’t realize until now was the different realities that exist between Democrats and Republicans. “Sixty-two percent of Democrats said it was difficult to find a job in their communities, but only 38 percent of Republicans thought so” (25), Manjoo wrote. It’s interesting to see these statistics define the different social classes amongst the two political parties 

Shame of College Sports post

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/8643/2/

As the college sports ambassador, the article Professor Papoulis posted a few days ago pertaining to “The Shame of College Sports" was directly related.

“The tragedy at the heart of college sports is not that some college athletes are getting paid, but that more of them are not”, Taylor Branch wrote. Between the NCAA and the Knight Foundation, (a nonprofit that deals with civic concerns in the NCAA) a great deal of debate is circling around the question whether college athletes under scholarship should make money.

In support of the Knight Foundation, Branch wrote, “Don Curtis, a UNC trustee, told me that impoverished football players cannot afford movie tickets or bus fare home. Curtis is a rarity among those in higher education today, in that he dares to violate the signal taboo: “I think we should pay these guys something.”” I not only agree with Curtis’ statement but also think it is only fair that they make at least a small amount of money to get by. Especially considering the hundreds of millions of dollars that many big time college sports teams profit each year because of their unpaid labor.

The Knight foundation has worked for 20 years to reform the NCAA’s noble principles of “amateurism” and “student-athlete” but only minute changes have taken place. They expect a major overhaul to come after they take the issue to congress.

Ipad competitor

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/technology/amazon-unveils-tablet-that-undercuts-ipads-price.html?_r=1&ref=technology

I found this article by Jenna Wortham interesting because while it tells you about Amazons new “Kindle Fire” color touch-screen tablet, much of the article is about its dominant competitor Apple.

Just as our generation has seen the evolution of computers and Internet, we have also seen the industry become a monopoly for Apple products. That’s why I’m wondering if anyone will bother buying this product even if it’s half the cost of the Ipad, with more perks.

“We’re building premium products at non-premium prices,” said Mr. Bezos (Amazon’s founder and chief executive). “We are determined to do that.” Bezos also comments in spite of Apple, saying, “That model that you are responsible for backing up your own content is a broken model.” This comment is in reference to the cloud computing that allows you to save information digitally, or without the need to sync with cords.

Despite the Kindle Fire being more financially friendly in this bad economy, I still don’t think it stands a chance against the Ipad that’s sold 29 million in the last 15 months. I think the mindset amongst consumers strictly sticks to Apple products.

1984 Reflection

The War within Winston

In my eyes, the closing of this novel illustrates a battle between Winston and himself, as his obsession with the past and rebellion becomes the root of his internal destruction.

Midway through the book, we see Winston happily engaged in a loving relationship with Julia, but he appears to be more obsessed with gaining knowledge of the past. At this time, Winston is involuntarily sucked in by the waves of information that O’Brien shares with him. All the answers that Winston longed to find more than anything else were finally being answered through O’Brien. This led Winston to trust O’Brien. My first reaction to this new relationship was skeptical. I didn’t think it was possible for Winston to find another loyal companion after the author made it sound crazy enough that Winston found one in Julia. Sure enough, Winston is caught and betrayed by O’Brien. Although his perception of Big Brother before entering jail remains true to his previous beliefs when he says, "They can’t get inside you. If you can feel that staying human is worth while, even when it can’t have any result whatever, you’ve beaten them” (170). Despite Winston’s strong will to resist, he quickly found out that when he was held prisoner and faced limits of his own body, Big Brother controlled everything.

            After reading about the way Winston was abused and transformed, I felt that Orwell was trying to make the point that even the strongest willed people are susceptible to conform. Winston tells the reader himself when O’Brien asks him, “How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?” Winston replies, “By making him suffer”(276).  It was apparent here that physical pain, or the sense of physical danger could make one obedient. This is evident when Winston betrays the last loyalty of his past, his love for Julia, which wasn’t strong enough to beat his fear for rats. In my mind, that’s what this book is about. The creation of a world with people that know only truths through the government was probably the easy part for agents of the oppressive party, Big Brother. The goal to eliminate the few non-believers made it necessary to build a network of telescreens to monitor every citizen like a bug under a magnifying glass.

Through Winston’s eyes, we saw how the brutal torture was too much for his conscious to endure. "But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother” (308).

The Hammer Falls Down on Boise St.

The Hammer Falls Down On Boise St.

            As the Ambassador of collegiate athletics, I’ve been closely following recent investigations involving NCAA violations. The latest story out deals with big name athletics school, Boise State University. The Associated Press reports that Boise State will be placed on probation for the next three years, due to major violations committed by the football program and other sports regarding impermissible housing, transportation, and benefits to student-athletes. The penalties include scholarship reductions in football, women’s tennis, and men and women’s track and field. In addition to that, the NCAA limited the amounts of official visits each of the sports were allowed.

            In the NCAA preliminary statement, they said, “The University failed to provide adequate rules, education, and training to staff members to ensure compliance”.  While reading this I wonder, is Boise St. really at fault for lacking knowledge of NCAA rules? If that’s the case then why are numerous collegiate athletic programs also being punished for identical accusations? In my perspective, the NCAA is being over restrictive of programs such as Boise St. whose coaches clearly have a misinterpretation of what is allowed and what’s not. Either that, or most collegiate athletic programs simply don’t follow the rules which is less likely in my mind.

Andrea Adelson from ESPN reported that these violations were in fact secondary in nature. The “Lack of institutional control” that the NCAA indicted Boise St. for involved incoming players spending the night on couches or floors of current players on the team. All that and a lunch later on at McDonalds, sounds like one hell of a welcoming for those recruits.

Above all, accusations like these against Boise St. are destroying the nature of the game and are merely creating distractions that were never a issue in the past. 

1984 section 1

Despite a slow start to the book, the ideology that’s relevant in this book compares strongly to areas that I have studied, and are currently studying. The most strongly related source of media that relates from my experience’s, is the story and movie V for Vendetta. In both cases, an oppressive political party rises and gains absolute control over the people.  Where the only truths the people know are the ones that the government informs them of. Therefore, I find Winston’s struggle to continue to believe in a righteous past and hopeful intriguing. "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone-to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone (28)”, Winston wrote in his diary.

            I also find myself studying revolution in two different contexts in one day.  Between the French and Haitian revolution that I’m studying in Global Radicalism today and the apparent revolution in 1984, the ideology is similar. Just as the peasants and poor formed uprisings against oppressive governments in their revolutions, I’m picking up on evidence that anticipates a revolution amongst the proles in 1984. “If there is hope”, wrote Winston”, “it lies in the proles (72)".  I’m curious as to how he motivates and energizes the proles into an uprising.

Collegiate Sports Ambassador

            As an Ambassador and huge fan of collegiate sports, I keep myself updated with some of the major stories that surround this field. There’s no other topic that’s stirring up more trouble across the nation then the recent investigations of college programs regarding boosters and improper recruiting. After looking at bleacherreport.com and ESPN, the program in the hot seat right now is the University of Miami. A former booster of Miami football, Nevin Shapiro, was imprisoned recently after being caught orchestration a Ponzi Scheme worth $930 million. Unfortunately, he decided to bring down anyone that ever owed him anything and that wound up being the Miami program, as he tries to destroy them. The story broke out on Yahoo at the end of August and exploded in the media. Not only because it’s just another major program to face investigation, but because it raises a lot of questions. Shapiro claims to have felt, “ Like a used friend, after they (Miami football players) went pro and turned there back”. He has now broke news that he had been boosting Miami recruits with money, strippers, and even an abortion for one player. Suspensions have already been dealt out to several players, including starters that play a prominent role on the team. The scandal raises questions to me about whether Shapiro is trying to financially extort people that he may have leverage over? The proof against the athletes does not appear valid enough given the consequences they may face, which could potentially result in the death penalty of the Miami program. Which would mean that they would terminate there season. My final question lies in the controversy over the third man booster system altogether. Is it really unfair to the college athletes that are the centerpiece of the multi-billion dollar industry to receive gifts and incentives?

1. Farmers Physical Impact

            Paul Farmer truly did inspire the people of Haiti and the people that worked around him with his spirit and hope. But the foundation that he built through his health centers and interaction with the natives had the most profound effect on Haiti in my eyes.

            “I can’t sleep. There is always somebody not getting treatment”(24), Paul said. It was this type of persistence to aid others that made Paul so successful in his time at Haiti. He was constantly making trips to the most desolate and poverty stricken areas of Haiti, communicating with the people. This process allowed him to access the issues through individual needs, instead of creating a basic procedure to cure the general population. The attention the locals received from Paul was astounding for them to begin with. The commitment Paul showed must have built trust between the Haitians and himself. A very small, elderly lady suffering from severe tuberculosis of the spine once said to him as she’s bent over, “A son always cares for his mother”(26). The patients loved Dokte Paul, and his connection with them inspired a revolution to end the misery.

            Not only was his interaction beneficial, but Paul Farmer put every dime he had into Zamni Lasante in Haiti. Zamni Lasante was responsible for building schools, houses, communal sanitation, and water systems in his catchment area. The houses alone may have had the largest effect. Any shelter that wasn’t ridden with mud and infection was better than what the people had before. The physical foundation Farmer created was essentially the building blocks of a Haitian revolution for a better way of life.

Public Sphere Interest

There are a number of areas in the public sphere that interest me. This may not be the most enlightening news to be catching on TV or in a newspaper, but learning about natural disasters is a favorite topic of mine. Thankfully I live in a disaster free area in Connecticut where the worst that happens is a storm like hurricane Irene will knock down trees and the power will go out for a few days. But in stories surrounding events like hurricane Katrina and the Japanese tsunami devastation, I find myself researching them frequently online. Perhaps its because I’m curious as to how powerful a natural disaster can be and the damages it can cause. After all I have never gotten the chance to experience one myself. This curiosity translates in to my interest in theories, conspiracies, and rumors. These areas all leave me questioning the truth about a certain situation. For example, I’ve never settled with the controversy over the JFK assassinations. Due to all the dead ends and twists in the story, my curiosity for the truth causes leaves me hungry for answers and evidence. That’s one of the public issues I would like to pay attention to this semester. Even societal questions pertaining to the Wiki Leaks story is something I would like to follow up on and discuss this year in this class.

            Another very important part of my day involves me browsing ESPN or the sports section of the local newspaper. I’m always up to date with news in sports, more specifically in football.

After Class, Skimpy Equality

From a male’s perspective, I find that the matter of women inequality is rarely spoken about in daily conversation. The only time when this topic becomes relevant is when I speak to girls about how the expectations in relationships are different between men and women. There were plenty of instances in high school where one of my girl friends will complain to me, “Why is it that when a guy hooks up with a lot of girls, he’s praised by peers. But when girls go off and hooks up with a few guys in a short period of time, she’s considered a slut. It’s not fair”. Each time I hear that it puzzles me how that standard came to be what it is today. How must that make women feel about forming relationships with other men? Do girls have to create a timely procedure when blossoming a friendship into a sexual relationship with a male? That way when a girl finally gets to engage in sexual contact, she won’t be considered a slut. Unfortunately for most girls that want to be seen in the right light amongst their friends and family, they tend to follow this rule. But I can’t speak for all women of course, because many simply don’t care what others think of them.

            In the society of affluent people that you’ll find here at Trinity, I have a feeling that many female students will choose to be conservative when engaging in sexual relationships. I’ve made this prediction because I grew up around people in a predominately wealthy town, similar to Trinity. I found that girls in my hometown hated when others thought poorly of them, and wouldn’t dare risk the chance of being known as the slut. Then again I haven’t even spent a week in college yet, my personal experiences certainly cannot back up my prediction.

            I am guilty of buying into the expectations that college will be filled with huge parties that are filled with attractive young women wearing skimpy clothing. But that’s only because college is portrayed that way in television and movies. A quote that I felt shed good light on the whole situation in the article was from the Utah student who stated, “Personally, I think that this is the time in your life when you’re most experimental. It’s the designated time to try new things and get stuff out of your system”. To me, that is the most important aspect when discussing this topic. Over analyzing this issue can be difficult when speaking about college because it’s such a overwhelming and crazy time in your life. For most it will be the last four years you won’t have to face the real world. Students are obviously going to want to party and have wild adventures. Why not take this time to learn about yourself and experiment with others?