Last Blog

I think my favorite topics were about the disturbing murders and how the media focuses on them the most.  I have never really thought about why the media chooses certain murder cases, but this class has helped me realize that the media is basically one big enterntainment industry.  The want the sick and twisted, because thats generally what the public want.  I also liked reading about the satanic cults and the copycat killers.  The anti-drug commercials were also hilarious! The topic that I enjoyed the least was probably how the media effecting serial killers, or influencing people to commit suicide.  I feel like if someone is going to commit suicide or kill others, the media will not have too much of an effect on them, they're going to do it anyway.  I would like to learn more about specific serial killers, like go more in depth witih Manson or Jim Jones or other killers like that.  If I were to teach a course on media and justice, I would try to have a little more media clips, as opposed to so many readings.  It was overall a very fun course that I enjoyed taking!

Pulp Fiction

One of my favorite Tarantine movies is Pulp Fiction, which is about what a couple of mobsters go through in their life dealing with murder, drugs, coverups, hits, and everything a typical mobster would encounter.  It also has a side story about a boxer who rips off the mob boss.  Pretty much everything in this movie is illegal, and I really like how mostly everything they show is probably very accurate to a real mafia-like gang or family. The justice-related topics in this movie are obvious, which are many illegal things mobsters go through, and also kind of how they work.  The main focuses are about murders and some drug-related justice issues about heroin/cocaine. This is a great movie with even greater actors in it; if you haven't seen this movie then I highly recommend watching it!

Under The Bridge- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, the city of angels
Lonely as I am, together we cry

I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion
I walk through her hills cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy
I never worried, now that is a lie

I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way

It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there
It's hard to believe that I'm all alone
At least I have her love, the city she loves me
Lonely as I am, together we cry

I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way

Under the bridge downtown
Is where I drew some blood
Under the bridge downtown
I could not get enough
Under the bridge downtown
Forgot about my love
Under the bridge downtown
I gave my life away

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE&ob=av2n

First off, I just want to say how awesome this blog assignment is because i'm obsessed with music. Second, the song I chose was Under The Bridge by The Chili Peppers.  RHCP is my all-time favorite band in the world, and a lot of the time people don't understand the deeper meaning behind their songs.  This song in particular has to deal with Anthony Kiedis' (the lead singer) serious drug problem.  This song is about heroin and the feeling that he gets when he's doing it.  When he talks about "under the bridge, is where I drew some blood, under the bridge downtown, I could not get enough, Under the bridge downtown, forgot about my love, under the bridge downtown, I gave my life away", this is the climax of the song.  If you realize that he is talking about heroin, then you can make the clear connections.  The drug problem in America is a serious one, especially for people who have enough money to afford it.  That's why many artists have drug problems.  RHCP's songs are never too political, but usually do have a deeper meaning.  Many times that deeper meaning has to do with drugs or women. 

Suicide Presentation

The presentation was a very informative and actually interesting one.  It was interesting to hear the actual statistics of suicides per year.  The one statistic about how many people have thought about suicide is astonishing to me.  I don't know if I can fully believe that statistic.  Having taken statistics makes me realize how people can bias a statistic in their favor, so I'm not sure how much I believe this statistic.  It is still very high though even if it is incorrect.  The speaker was very nice and was eager to get the class involved, which I liked.  It really made me think about who actually is contimplating suicide. What if I don't know one of my friends who is contimplating it now?  It is a scary thought but it could be true.  I think people should never have to think about commiting suicide; it's sad that it is the last resort.  This has made me want to become more aware of what people are thinking and to always be there for my friends

Children Crimes on Halloween

http://www.suite101.com/content/children-crimes-on-halloween-a294718

This article talks about how there is actually no increase in child sex crimes with children 12 and under on Halloween night.  I was curious about this statistic, along with other crime statistics that are affiliated with Halloween itself.  I figured that the fact that everybody is dressed up as something else allows those who commit crimes to be able to cover themselves up.  I stumbled upon this article, and it said how the child sex crimes don't increase at all on this particular night, so as parents should always use precaution with trick or treating, but for the most part the crimes against children are not heightened at all on this night.

Anna Nicole Smith Conviction

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39895977/ns/today-entertainment/?gt1=43001

There is an article that is one of the top stories for msn's home news website about how they were charging Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend-lawyer with conspiracy.  The only conviction against Smith's boyfriend-lawyer Howard K. Stern was for giving false names and acting by fraud to obtain prescriptions. He was acquitted of seven other charges. The fact that this is still one of the top stories in the media after she had died in 2007 is astonishing to me.  They are still cracking down on her boyfriend and convicting him of charges.  The media will not let go of the Anna Nicole Smith death, again relating to how we talked about a certain case being over-publicized.  At least they are telling the public how the case has turned out after 3 years, but it is still crazy how after 3 years it is still a top story.

DVD Response

I thought that dvd was very interesting.  The fact that certain people become so obsessed with a serial killer celebrity they mimic them is crazy to me. One case that was very interesting to me was the honeymoon serial killer couples (the ones that marry people, kill them, get their money, then live together off of it).  The copycat effect is a serious problem when it comes to mentally unstable people who want to be like their idols.  Natural Born Killers is a movie that I saw when I was younger and I've always liked that movie, so I can see how if somebody was obsessed with that movie then they would want to copy the killings in the movie.  The main killers are portrayed as notoriously famous and not completely looked down upon, so I can see how that could mess with somebody's head.  I think the copycat phenomenon is interesting but I honestly don't feel that it has an extreme effect on people.  If someone is going to kill somebody, then they are going to do it.  The fact that they copycat a movie or film is interesting, but the fact is they were still going to cause harm to other people regardless if they saw the movie or not.  The copycat effect could make the killings more gruesome though, but I don't think they are the cause of the murders.

Indiana Jones

I must admit, when I was a child I was facinated with the Indiana Jones films.  I wanted to be an archeologist growing up because of those films.  I even got a whip and a hat (I thought thats what all archeologists carried with them).  I used to go on adventures in my back yard and make up the craziest scenarios.  I would even dig in our backyard hoping that I would find some bones or something crazy.  I also would bury some of my toys, then redig them later and pretend like they were some crazy new find.  Then ofcourse I would swap it with another toy, then run away as an imaginary boulder would chase me around.  My friends would join me in the fun and we would make up the funniest and most creative adventures of all time.  From the films of Indian Jones, I got the impression that archeologists go through these adventures on a daily basis.  I had a completely misconstrued idea of what archeology was.  I think archeology probably had a huge increase of applicants after these movies came out. This was my child-hood dream, and oh how I do miss it.

Harrisonburg Police Increase Patrols for Homecoming

http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/Harrisonburg_Police_Increase_Patrols_for_Homecoming_Weekend_104899604.html

I found this article to be very interesting dealing with the police and this weekend.  They are afraid that since it's homecoming, students are going to be a bit more out of control than other weekends, so they increase patrols for the entire weekend.  The police are using the deterrence method to make sure students are safe, this is due to last year's springfest.  I think it is very interesting how different the police have been this year compared to the other years I was here.  There is a definite change in how many police there are and how frequently I see police around on the weekends.  Not even going to lie, the increase in the police force this year has made me stop and think before doing anything, especially with underage drinking.  What they are trying to do has definitely worked for me, as in the charges outway the benefits of that one decision.

Misinformation

I thought this was a very interesting article, with some great points.  I believe that a Department of Information would be a great idea, the only bad part is if they get some bad coverage of a story, or wrong facts, then they would instantly lose their credibility, so for that reason I'm not sure if this could be realistic.  The theory of a Department of Information is a great one, I just can't see it realistically happening due to facts that weren't meant to be wrong, but did turn out to be wrong.  A great example of when I was been, and still am "misinformed", is with elections of presidents or senators or any major political positions.  Especially around electioin time, I see non-stop commercials against the other person running.  They have these outlandish and bad commercials that the other person running did this, or did that.  I honestly have no idea what to believe.  Who knows if they are going off of a wrong source, and completley blowing it out of proportion.  If I talk to other people about it or look at forums, then they will say whether or not they believe these accusations, which will also sway my opinion on the matter.  If there could be a Department of Information that could give me cold hard facts without any lies, then that would be very helpful, espeically when it comes to elections.  But like I said before, I don't think it could happen.  If a Department of Information was built and everybody relied on it and said their stories were true, what if they decided to lie about something?  Then everybody would believe that lie. It could be a great idea that took a turn for the worse.

First 48

This is a reality tv show on A&E that goes through the steps and processes that detectives go through with solving murders.  They break down the murder, list all of the details, and solve the cases.  They show everything that the cops encounter; the leads they get, and even the capturing of the killers. Per episode, they have 2 cases that are being solved. I'd say more likely than not the cases get solved, but every now and then they show a case that hasn't been solved.  I feel like they did this on purpose to give the positive image of the police solving murder cases.  I feel like there are more cases that don't get solved than the ones they show, but want to focus on cases that have been solved to show the positive aspect of police work.  This could bias the public into thinking that all police cases get solved, or the majority of them.  That is at least what I get from the show.  I am not sure how many cases actually get solved, but this show makes me think that the majority of cases are solved.  One thing I have found interesting in this show is that in every episode, no matter how thug or hard a suspect/killer is, they always show them breaking down and crying.  I think they show this on purpose, to remind the public that the police will find you and are superior to the killers.  Again, this is one of my favorite shows. Every time it is on, I find myself watching it for hours at a time.  If you are interested in this type of show, then I strongly reccommend watching it.

Man Charged With Capital Murder in Home Invasion

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/05/connecticut.murder.trial/index.html?npt=NP1

This story is about a man named Hayes and his co-defendant invaded a home and tied up the father, while they went upstairs and found the first daughter, tied her to her bed, put a pillowcase over her head. The second was done to the other daughter, who was 17. They tied the father, and got the mother. They took the mother to withdraw 20-30,000 dollars, then took her back to the house, tied and sexually assaulted her (the story also says one of the daughters were sexually assaulted), then let the house on fire and fled. The father was the only one to escape.  This case is being presented in a typical manner, talking about murder, arson, and sex.  This captures the eye of the reader. This story is so disgusting, yet people are going to read it, expecially with the title being "Man convicted of capital murder in Connecticut home invasion case".  This catches the reader's eye, and also makes them interested because it could happen to anybody. This is presented in typical cj policy, catching the readers eye and bringing out the most disturbing stories.  This is without a doubt crime entertainment.

2 NATO Troops Killed in Afghanistan

http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/26/2-nato-troops-killed-in-afghanistan/

http://www.fox33.com/category/story/?id=256693

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39364577/

These three stories were about 2 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) who were killed Sunday morning by an improvised bomb. NATO is not releasing any details yet, but major news channels are still trying to cover the story.  It appears to me that the info from CNNthat they wanted to get the general story to the public with little to no detail. Fox did the same as CNN, except they added that this year has already been the deadliest year, with more than 530 international forces killed. MSNBC actually goes into the most detail with statistics about how many deaths there have been this year, and how many international soldiers are in Afghanistan.  I feel like this is a story the general public should hear about because soldiers who are dying overseas is a very important subject.  If they die in the line of duty, then they should have the honor and respect to be known about nationally.

Terror Groups Using New Attack Strategy

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39310466/ns/us_news-security/

This article talks about al-Qaida groups and how they are focusing on smaller-scale attacks, rather than huge attacks such as 9/11.  FBI Director Mueller says, "terror groups understand that launching a larger attack, perhaps a more devastating attack, is not worth the additional effort when you can get substantial coverage and impact with smaller attacks." It sounds like terror groups are completely changing their strategy, which is still just as scary because smaller attacks can happen more frequently.  Mueller also talks about how the internet is making it much easier for Islamic extremists to find people already in the U.S. who can be radicalized and persuaded to undergo training and carry out attacks here.  The internet, in a way, is helping terrorism become easier and more wide spread.  This is a detrimental impact that internet is causing on America. At the same time, Mueller states that Muslim communities in the US are becoming more willing to report any suspicious behavior or give tips. It is scary to me that terrorists are using the same internet that i use to help them in their fight against America

Houston Serial Killer

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/18/us/houston-jury-weighing-fate-of-serial-killer.html

This NYtimes article is abotu a serial killer who was caught in 2000 when he broke into a woman's house, raped and stabbed/bludgeoned her to death. This death was linked to 8 other deaths in the area, all near railroad tracks.  The article focuses more on the case, rather than the serial killer himself.  The article talks about how the serial killer is sane, but has some extremely strange beliefs.  One belief is that his killings are for god, and that he is half-man, half-angel.  There are no facts about other serial killers in the article, mainly about the case.  No law enforcement was mentioned, but prosecutors were mentioned.  The article lists the name of the woman, a Dr. Benton, and briefly explains what he did to her.  It doesn't really talk about Houston that much, like I said before just mainly about the case.  I personally am disgusted when I read articles like this.  I don't know how anybody could do that to a human, its disgusting.

Discovery Building Gunman

The three stories I chose were about the gunman who went into the discovery building and held three people hostage.  The three sources I used were from aolnews, msnbc, and news.yahoo. The three stories are fairly similar, some were more discriptive than others, but basically a man by the name of James J. Lee walked into the Discovery building in Silver Springs, MD and holds two employees and one security guard hostage. Aolnews goes into the most detail about the event, giving testimonies and police calls about the incident.  Msnbc and yahoo go into brief detail, and only giving major facts. The differences are not extreme, but like I said, some go into more description than others. For instance, yahoo said that he had "propane tanks" strapped to his legs, but msnbc and aolnews explains that he had IED's that were remote detonatable, so the yahoo news distorted the story a tiny bit.  But for the most part, the facts were the same.  The common link between all of them is the operator of the building calling 911 and saying, "you're going to need a sniper", and the shooting/death of Lee.

Deviant Website

http://www.dontevenreply.com/

This website is absolutely hilarious and one of my favorites.  This guy goes on to Craigslist and emails people back when they want something, but he messes with them so badly that they get so angry that they usually end up cussing him out. The deviance that this site is about is the fact that this guy messes and jokes with people who are trying to buy/sell something. These are all good people, but he is a complete jerk, but in my opinion hysterical.  The purpose of this site is for pure enjoyment, if you're in to this type of humor.  There are some advertisements on the site, and also a list of other people on Craigslist that he has played pranks on.  In my opinion, this activty should be labeled deviant because he is playing pranks on people for so long to the point where they start threatening him. But at the same time, he isn't doing any harm or anything illegal. Like I said before, if you have this type of humor, then this website is for you.

Media Criticism

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1067

This is an article by Seth Ackerman called The Most Biased Name in the News, Fox News Channel's Extraordinary Right-Wing Tilt. It talks about how Fox News has a right-wing tilt, or biased towards conservatives.  It begins the article with saying that conservatives have to pick apart most liberal-biased news, but now most conservatives "praise" Fox News because of its conservative tilt.  Fox News has slogans like, "Fair and Balanced", and "We report, you decide" to help sway the image of being a conservative news network, but the public and most conservatives seem to agree that Fox News is a right-winged news network.  The reason there is so much criticism in this article is because as much as Fox denies being conservative, there is so much evidence against them.  Ackerman lists a number of conservative editors, including Fox's Vice President, and gives the certain jobs they have for Fox; usually anchors.  In my opinion this is a good critique because Ackerman lists several people who work for Fox who were big named right-winged politicians/editors.  The facts support the accusation of Fox being right-winged.  Ackerman does not list any suggestions for improvement, he is just proving the fact that Fox is a mostly conservative network, even though they deny it frequently.

Times

I cheated a bit with my phone, its kind of hard when you have to talk to parents or people to meet up with. I would say I would go 20-30 minutes without using media, but would find myself using it. I would almost get bored. I checked my emails and got on facebook, not going to lie. I was able to do it for a whole day, but would find myself cheating every 20 minutes or so. My name is Dillon, and I have a problem. I cant go without technology

Media Fasting

I gave up my phone, computer, and tv and chose to read a book and catch up on some homework. I also spent time with my girlfriend instead of using the media. It was nice reading a book because I want to, not because I am reading for a class. It was really hard giving up some of my media. It felt like something was missing. It made me realize how dependent I actually am on media devices and electronics. Kind of an eye opener