the food industry

I recently saw a couple documentaries that discussed today’s food industry.  One movie targeted a fast food chain, and another talked about food and how its processed.  After seeing these movies, I felt inspired to eat healthier.  This only last a few weeks, but my awareness of nutritional facts remains in a heightened state.  It’s not so much that I’ve been scared into believing that all food is bad, or even that fast food chains like McDonald’s are evil.  What stood out to me the most was a simple fact, businesses can’t survive without consumers.

Among the toys, tv campaigns, billboards, and even play grounds, I can imagine how hard it is for a kid not to want a happy meal from McDonald’s.  And its not just the kids that are being successfully targeted…  McDonalds within the past year or so, launched its newest campaign, the McCafe.   Can you guess how much money was spent in advertisement to usher in this new delicious treat?  One hundred million dollars!!  Not ten million, not fifty million, but 100,000,000,000 dollars, thats a lot of zeros.  Over the next few months after this massive campaign was launched, I saw commercial after commercial each one targeting a difference audience with multiple url’s at the end of the campaign.   I even saw one commercial where african americans, men and female, were in a coffee shop, playing music.  Everyone was smiling and the smooth rich creaminess associated with chocolate and coffee was applied to the campaign but what surprised me the most was the URL at the bottom of the screen.  It read something like.  www1.McDonalds.com/mccafe/black

I’m not here to point fingers, or say who’s to blame.  I’m simply trying to state, that although it may seem that a business has all the power and control, this is not the case.  McDonald’s for example, a food company that started as a single restaurant back in the 1940′s in San Bernardino County, California.   Now, consider this fact, Ronald McDonald was the second most recognized figure among our global youth, only to be beaten by Santa Clause.  So how does a single restaurant turn into a global enterprise and become a dominate part of our daily culture?  A million dollar campaign launched by a worldwide enterprise funded by the 25 million or so customers served daily.

It baffles me, in a time of healthcare reform and talks of universal healthcare.   Wouldn’t it be almost proactive to focus on our nations health and nutrition?  Of course there are health issues that can’t be avoided, but things like obesity which leads to many other health problems, heart conditions, even early on-set diabetes among kids.  Instead of paying millions and millions of dollars every year taking care of people who in a large sense arent taking care of themselves, why not tackle the source of the issue instead of feebly treating the symptoms?

In conclusion, I read this quote that seems some what fitting, “A lot of life is indeed a matter of raising more hogs, to buy more land, so we can raise more hogs, so that we can buy more land…”

3d interactive music video

http://www.brokenbells.com/october/

broken bells, a music group led by shins vocalist/guitarist james mercer.  brian burton, aka danger mouse, is the producer of the american band.  the music is cool.  its a great thing to listen to.  with vibes from gnarls barkleys’ st. elsewhere, the gorillaz demon days, and the unmistakable voice of james mercer.  some of the songs sound a lot like wincing the night away, a shins album.

anyways, i’m interested in seeing where music videos goes, as media and technology continue to progress.  broken bells has just released this interactive 3d music video found in the link above.  i found the link to this from a friend.

interacting with the music video, with music, is really cool.  its one thing for a music video to tell a story as it applies to the song, but interacting with the music makes it almost a journey through the music.  personally, i think 3d is somewhat fascinating to see as a technological feat, but like the movie inception, 3d isn’t the only way to produce interesting visual effects these days.

less than zero

i recently read the book less than zero.  a book written by brett easton ellis.

though his book is from a time period that doesnt seem to exist anymore.  a time of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.  reading the book gave me a different perspective on life in los angeles.

media helps shape culture.  whats cool in entertainment.  what style is in.  how we act.  media focuses our attention onto fixed fake realities that exist only in our television sets, newspaper articles, and advertisements.

theres much more to culture than media, but media enables some to act in certain ways.  this is all vaguely general, and most definitely a jon lee convoluted thought, but reading this book, i got the sense that media and pop culture have a symbiotic relationship.  i liked the idea that, los angeles wasn’t always the way it is now.  i liked the idea that things change.   culture is in media, and media helps facilitate culture.

keeping this in mind, i hold the notion that much of life’s institutions, rules, laws, and regulations are merely social constructs.  i can live in an age that is not timeless, but i can experience something that is.  stories die, new paper articles will fade away, and people will forget.  people change and so will the way we spend our time.  i’m excited for the future, as i view the past and realize how much society has changed.

prop 8

the moment seems somewhat anti-climatic.  not that it wasn’t a huge victory for gays in california and the united states even, don’t get me wrong.  i just felt like the outcome seemed inevitable.  much of the public seemed to be comfortable with homosexuals.  this thought, in the same regard, applies to media.  more and more, a different view on gays was thrust out into the public sector.  i had almost forgotten about the ban on gay marriage.  the process and issue were stretched so thin.

and out of the blue, on an august wednesday, a federal judge announces the unconstitutionality of a ban on gay marriage.

just two years ago in 2008, the majority of the californian voting public approved proposition 8.  a proposition that would later be overturned, due to its breach on equal rights.

though i may not be the most educated on the topic, i never felt as though prop 8 was a civil rights issue. i thought proposition 8 was a reaffirmation of the definition of marriage.  i guess the real questions i should be looking into are, what the difference is between a “civil union” and “marriage.”  (beyond the differences of heterosexual couples vs. homosexual couples)

but, it seems as though i was wrong, proposition 8 was a matter of civil rights.

toy story 3

the movies that come out of pixar are quite remarkable.  toy story 3 is no exception.  i don’t know about the implied messages or undertones of the movie but i can assign much of pixar’s success to apple’s ceo steve jobs.  It seems like anything this man touches or is involved with holds a certain balance of giving what consumers want while making a great deal of money in the process.

anyways, toy story 3, a movie specific to my generation.  i watched the first movie when i was about 4 years old in 1995.  the main character of the movie was a little boy whos toys would embark on crazy adventures while they were out of sight.  a story that is a classic, has two sequels, toy story 2 and toy story 3.

though i didn’t’ enjoy the second toy story as much as i would have liked to, toy story 3 lived up to my expectations.  staying true to the original, randy newman creates yet another remarkable score for the film, keying in the audience to emotional cues and the ever famous “you got a friend in me.”

whats even cooler about the film, in relation to my generation, is idea that the main character (in toy story one a little boy) is now a high school graduate- as it deals with more mature and coming of age ideas.  the trilogy toy story has grown up, developed, and gone through puberty just like the kids of my generation.

though specific to my own audience, toy story three can be enjoyed by almost all audience members and age groups.  toy story and pixar are good examples of products that reach general audiences without straying from artistic integrity.

cp3

http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/13671738/paul-appears-to-be-following-lebron-down-selfish-road

since the beginning of july and lebron jame’s free agency announcement, there has been a great deal of controversy in the media surrounding lebron james.  lebron is this, lebron is that.  but, i’m over lebron james.

now, chris paul, one of the best point guards in the nba, is demanding a trade to either new york, the magic, or the lakers.  i wouldn’t be as upset if chris paul went to the knicks as i would if he went to la or orlando.  some sources say that lebron james inspired chris pauls sudden change of heart, but its really hard to tell rumors aside from fact with all of these inside sources and twitter posts foaming at the mouth as they spit and they slander.

its clear that the nba is turning into a league of powerhouses.  with teams like the heat, the magic, and the lakers, i think we sometimes forget about the aspect of money and spending that goes on in the nba.  fact is, the nba is a business, as a form of entertainment, they are trying to make money.

“The Lakers will have nine players under contract for 2010-11, for a total outlay that puts them about $30 million over the NBA salary cap, and $18 million above the luxury-tax threshold. And they still have to add at least four more players.” – la times as of july 12, 2010

people forget, the lakers are good as they are because of the amount of money used to draw out contracts in an attempt to build around kobe bryant.  as good as kobe bryant is, the lakers did a great job of giving him the players he needed to get him to the finals year after year.  many think kobe carries the team to the championship and kobe is the one hitting shots, and kobe is the one winning games.  i think this may have been fair to say, maybe a few years ago, but a few years ago, the lakers werent winning championships.

there is something called a salary cap in the nba.  teams are allowed to spend a certain amount of money to acquire players either from a draft, trading, or free agency.  theres something called a luxury tax.  teams are allowed to go above the salary cap, as long as they pay the luxury tax that accompanies it.

the miami heat, a team that is “unfair.”  a team that is “ruining the league.”  is really playing by the rules.  where as the the lakers set in hollywood, are sort of the equivalent to the yankees of baseball.  the owner and gm have enough money to sort of ignore the cap, because they can afford to pay the luxury tax (there is no salary cap in baseball).

i think its pretty clear by now that i’m not the biggest laker fan, but more and more i’m becoming less of a fan of sports entertainment.

go thunder.

blackcabsession

one of my favorite websites over the years has been www.blackcabsessions.com  a website where bands and artists are shot playing a set of songs of their choosing.  recorded in one take, the setting usually the back of a cab, or some dim alleyway, the recordings showcase the raw talent of some of my favorite bands.

the reason i’m writing about this site is because well, its part of the media.  but one thing i can’t seem to figure out are those questions in at the back of my syllabus, the five key questions of media literacy.

1. who created this message?

2. what creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

3. how might different people understand this mesage differently than me?

4. What values, lifestyles, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from this message?

5. why is this message being sent?

i thinking about these questions, i wondered why this site was created.  don’t get me wrong, i’m totally greatful for blackcab for making this site.  in fact, some of my favorite recorded performances are from blackcabsessions.  but, i can’t seem to find any sort of hidden agenda.  I don’t feel like i’m being sold something, like when i visit most sites.  there aren’t popups everywhere or ads lining the left and right borders of the page.  though there are sections for twitter, newsletters, and a message board, the site seems fairly straightforward to me.

the site provides me with some videos and performances unique to the black cab sessions.  with no membership fee, or any apparent advertisers – though they do hold events.

my overall feeling is that, blackcabsessions does a good job of giving an audience what they want without letting the aspect of Profit poke its ugly head into the middle.  its totally a site that exists to spread the love and appreciation of music.  no restrictions, no hidden fees.  blackcabsessions is a great site and there should be more sites like it.

class discussion follow up on racism

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128672288

This very interesting article, focuses on racism in terms of American policy and the American government.  Focusing primarily on the story of Shirley Sherrod.  Her story is in the article posted above. 

In class we discussed how there was an overwhelming sense of racism still left in the United States.  We looked at the media coverage of african americans, females, and asian americans and analyzed the sometimes subtle (other times not so much) undertones of racism.  We talked about how minorities in America still experienced vestiges of racism.  Some classmates even had the notion that America is more racist than a couple decades ago. 

What strikes as interesting is the fact that, not one person mentioned the idea of racism against white people.  Whereas in the article, which deals with racism in the public sphere, there are mentions of white people having felt discrimination.  Other related issues were also discussed, such as affirmative action other minority programs.

I agree to a certain extent that yes, racism still exists in this world and some citizens will experience racism through first hand accounts; however, i don’t believe that our culture is inherently racist.

theres this hysteria that surrounds the idea of race.  i think of race as a social construct that was made to classify people (just like hair color, age, and height).  in a simple definition like this, i dont see the harm in it.  but, once people start to over analyze the implications of race, especially when applied to social class, almost everything seems to become an issue of race.

I like to believe that people aren’t born with an evil predisposition.  Quite the contrary.  I feel as though most people in this world hold no intentions of malice, although their actions may be interpreted otherwise.  People are good, and more often than not, intend to do good.  But obviously there are those who are disturbed, and some those who do bad things.  Similarly with race, the public sphere doesnt intend to be racially discriminatory, though at time it may seem that way.   to me, ignorance and over analysis seem to muddle the simple idea of race.

oil spill

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/world/africa/17nigeria.html

“The oil spews from rusted and aging pipes, unchecked by what analysts say is ineffectual or collusive regulation, and abetted by deficient maintenance and sabotage.”

Though we may all be familiarized with the idea of an oil spill, there are regions in our world that are all too familiar with the destruction that flows from big oil spills.  In Nigeria, where the life expectancy is said to be the lowest, regions are being destroyed as oil has spilled and continues to spill out into the waters.

Here are some numbers: from 2001-2006, an estimated 546 million gallons of oil were spilled into the Niger Delta.  Roughly 11 million gallons each year.  In comparison to the gulf oil spill, which occured april 22, 2010.  The government’s maximum estimation hovers around the 140 million gallons up to date, July 15, 2010.

Who is responsible for these spills in this regions?  According to the article is states that Shell is one of the major contributors.  But the maintenance of major oil companies rigs isn’t the only contributing factor.  Shell defends itself by stating that many of the spills are due to theft or sabotage.

The fact is, about 9o days later, the oil spill has somewhat lost the attention of the american public.  Over a disaster that occured within our oceans.  What about the people of Nigeria?  What about the ecosystem of the Niger Delta?

other thoughts: who sent the message and why?  possibly written to minimize the magnitude of bp’s mishap?

brother ali

A few weeks ago i got a notifications for a status update of one of my former employers.  I used to work at a non-profit tutoring program for kids in Venice called 826la.  The notification said something like this:

“when 51% of US wealth is controlled by 1% of the population, I’ll never buy the notion that “illegal” humans are the problem with our economy.” – brother ali

this sentence captures a certain viewpoint that touches base on a coupleof the current united states problems in congress and politics.  immigration and the economy.  striking a chord within me, i feel compassion towards illegals and their struggles in america.

however, one argument i can’t seem to refute is, whats there not to understand about the word, “illegal?”  laws were made to protect the public, at least this is my understanding of law.  so, in talking about immigration law, isn’t the same immigration law considered when dealing with the canadian border, as they are when dealing with the mexican border?

maybe too much focus is put on the mexican border, and arizona’s new law regarding police and illegal immigrants.  certainly there is a problem, but certainly its not the only problem.