Spiderman: My Favorite Hero...What's Yours?

This is it folks....the final blog. This week, I decided to go back to my roots and discuss superheroes. This is not just any superhero, but this one in particular happens to be my favorite. Spiderman has been around since 1962, created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee. After Peter Parker gets bitten by a genetically modified spider he gains some pretty awesome powers. He has the ability to climb walls and shoot webs from his wrists and do other cool tricks with his web slinging abilities. So far in the movies Spiderman has defeated the Green Goblin in Spiderman 1. In Spiderman two he defeated Dock Ock. In Spiderman 3, the most action packed Spiderman movie to date, Spiderman defeats Venom, Sandman, and Harry. So why is this superhero my favorite? Besides being the coolest, I find him the easiest to relate to. I know I can't climb walls or shoot webs from my wrists, but there are some things we have in common. Peter Parker has been portrayed as a notorious nerd and admittedly, I can relate. He breaks into random dance....well okay not like that, but you catch my drift right? Unlike the almost indestructible Superman or the extremely wealthy Batman, Peter Parker is an average guy much like I am. For me Spiderman is the best superhero, but there are many who may disagree finding qualities in other heroes that they feel are more to their liking. What I am getting at is, even though they're fictional characters from the pages of comic books, off the big screen, and from video games, they all have qualities about them that we find noble and sometimes relatable. The superhero storylines have a unique way of adapting to the likes and tastes of the generations of readers and viewers...and it's not too outlandish to think that future generations will be able to relate to them the same way I and many others have.

Making Sure You Never Forget: The Advertising Jingle

This week, I have found myself on several occasions whistling, humming, or just plain old busting out into random TV jingles. Proving that people that make them...definitely know how to do their jobs. It seems like there is a jingle for everything and many of them are pretty catchy. Some of the most common ones I found myself humming to were an array of jingles from Freecreditreport.com's commercials. The stories behind these commercials range anywhere from not being able to buy the "cool "new car, to the most recent venture of moving to a Renaissance fair, because of a poor credit rating. If those weren't enough, here are some more examples of jingles that have stuck in my head....for hours on end. Who could forget the DietcherryDr.Pepper commercial, where in the midst of a conversation a woman's mind just wanders off.......Where was I? Oh yeah, there is even a jingle for some pretty inconvenient situations. What is the method behind this madness?What do the experts have to say about this? Well let's ask them. According to Tim Faulkner (2009), “A jingle is a radio or TV advertising slogan set to a memorable melody. Jingles are written explicitly about a product -- they can be original works designed to describe a product or service, or to help consumers remember information about a product. As long as the slogan is instantly catchy -- and hard to forget -- there's almost no limit to what advertisers can say in a jingle.” In my case, the jingles that I have been exposed to are extremely effective. To the men and women who write these things, mission accomplished! Jingles have also incorporated music that wasn’t originally meant to be used in advertising, and were songs that were played on the radio. Some good examples are the Venus razor commercials and the Swiffer commercials. I apologize now if any of these catchy tunes have gotten stuck in your head. I have to ask…do you have a favorite jingle. If so, what is it?

Talk About a Rough Week!

No matter what one's political persuasion is President Obama has had a pretty rough week and the media has had a "hay day" with it. On Monday April 27th, a plane that was a back up plane for Air Force one caused a massive panic in downtown New York City and the media did not fail to take advantage. Even MSNBC weighed in, which tends to be in favor with President Obama. The President was angry and promised that it would never happen again. That very same day President Obama had another mishap during a live press conference, he accidentally read ahead, luckily for him he is witty and can make a joke and recover from a mistake. The media still hammered him for making this mistake anyone could have made. During another live press conference this week another mishap occurred. Speaking at the FBI headquarters, an individual fainted causing him to once again speak in impromptu fashion and he did make sure the individual was okay. On Wednesday, the media almost paraded around the fact that he had completed his first hundred days in office. Historically, it is important, because it shows how the President will perform for the rest of his term in office. The media has been bombarding the public with both negative and positive messages about the President. Both Obama supporters and opponents all agree that he has faced some of the worst challenges since the Depression era; however they disagree as how he has handled them. Last, but not least, on Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden was accused of "fear mongering" when he said he would personally tell his family not travel by plane or subway, during an interview. The media did not let this one by for him or the Press Secretary. When President Obama entered the White House he knew of the amount of public attention he was going to get. This week was a rough one for President Obama and I'm sure there will be more to come. When something happens in the future, one thing is certain, the media will be there to cover it not be afraid to weigh in.

Are Some Movies Sending a Wrong Message?

Last week I discussed a phenomena that really dumbfounds me, why would somebody fight and then post it on YouTube? Well, as I was watching TV this week I saw an advertisement for a movie that promotes and glamorizes unsanctioned, "underground", street fighting. The name of the movie is creatively called Fighting. One of the messages sent in this trailer is that really stuck out to me was "some dreams are worth fighting for". In my opinion this movie is sending a message that promotes violence and that through violence you can get "rich" or it makes your dream come true. There are other ways, where one doesn't have to go about knocking someone out to get what they want. I do realize that this movie is a fictional movie and is made for entertainment, but is it really sending a positive message? Another very popular movie, that came out in the summer of last year was Never Back Down . This movie ends a similar message; only this time he had to fight a "bully" from school. Once again this movie is made for sheer entertainment, but does it reflect a growing trend in our teenage population….that fighting is “cool”? These movies do send some very powerful messages of standing up for what one believes in and sticking to one’s beliefs, but is violence the only way that these messages across? Is it so popular that movie makers have picked up on this idea that “underground fighting” is a way to snag teenage and young adult viewers? I realize many people can rationalize and pick up that these are just movies, but what about those who take them for what it is and don’t separate the underlying messages? I believe that there is a time and a place to fight, don’t get me wrong, defending oneself is perfectly legitimate, but it is a dangerous thing to be promoting something like this in Hollywood. People could really get hurt by imitating the actions that take place in these movies geared towards our generation it is all our responsibility as to how we take this message in.

Social Networks: Beware What You Post

This week is a little more unorthodox in my writing. After given permission, I was allowed to write about something besides superhero movies....so after much consideration I decided to write about the hazards of social networks. According to dictionary.com (2009), a social network is a website where one connects with those sharing personal or professional interests, place of origin, education at a particular school, etc. Common examples of these are myspace.com and facebook.com. They allow you to share information about yourself with the world, which is a really neat prospect. However, these sites do also pose somewhat of a threat to not only your future employment, but to your property and your privacy. One of the things that caught my attention about these websites was a rise in violent crimes over statuses on these websites, where wives have been literally killed over having their statuses changed to single. Another instance that really bothered me was that teens have decided to show themselves fighting, committing stupid acts and or crimes and then posting them on YouTube. Let's get real there is nothing cool about bashing someone's teeth in and then posting it on the internet. Not only are the acts that these people are committing outright stupid, but to go on and post them that is ridiculous. People can be charged for those crimes and the video has been and can be used as evidence. I am not saying that people shouldn’t enjoy using these social websites, but to use them safely and intelligently. I’ll admit, I use these websites as well, but my best advice is to be smart about it. As shown in the links, there are some real dangers that can come from these websites. One can do simple things, such as setting their page to private or just not releasing something of poor taste. Once something hits the internet, it never really disappears.

Superhero Groups: There is no I in Team...

For the most part, superheroes tend to work alone, but still there are several that are involved in superhero groups. One such group is "The Justice League of America". This Group made up of several superheroes originally beginning with heroes such as Superman, Aquaman, The Flash, and others. It has spread to an extensive list in the modern era and will surely continue to grow as there is a need to join together for their valiant cause. As of yet, there has not been a box office film made, but there is indeed one in the works, "Justice League: Mortal", to be released in 2011. Another group of superheroes worth mentioning is the X-Men. Since 2000 this superhero group of mutants, put together by Professor Xavier, has been slashing up the big screen in 3 movies. A much anticipated prequel, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is to be released in May of this year. The last superhero team I will discuss is The Watchmen. The recent Hollywood interpretation showed a much "darker side" of supereherodom. To be honest I was not familiar with this group before the movie was released and therefore it caught my attention. I was somewhat disappointed in this movie. It had its moments, but overall it was not one of my favorite superhero films for several reasons. Conclusively, these superhero groups show us mere humans an important lesson. That even though they have superhuman abilities they know that they can't take on the baddies all by themselves and they know when to ask for help. Yes, these heroes may have their inner struggles and disagreements, but when push comes to shove these heroes push those issues aside and get to work. This week, try and follow suit in the path of these groups and take pride when working together for a common cause; you may be surprised at what you can achieve.

Flood Fighters: A Different Breed of Hero

For several weeks, I have discussed many of the different aspects of our favorite fictional defenders. This week, because of the massive response of volunteers, I am going to pay homage to these very real, average, everyday people that have sacrificed their time and energy to protect human lives and property. North Dakota and Minnesota have been in the headlines recently, due to the unprecedented levels of the Red River. At one time this river was expected to crest at up to 43 feet and up to this point, thankfully, it has not. This situation spelt disaster, but these individuals stared disaster in the face and were not going to go down without a fight. There has been such a massive response from the general public that many governmental figures, including President Obama, have noted that "we're all in this together" pointing out that "individuals can make the difference." In a sense these volunteers have embodied everything that our fictional heroes stand for, which is a very heart -warming thing to see. I have seen a similar efforts first hand. The Sheyenne River that runs through Valley City threatened to flood much of the town. City officials sent out the call for volunteers and our school sent out an email requesting 200 volunteers. As I arrived, I was stunned; I could have sworn the whole student body was there. It was an awesome sight to see. People that wouldn't usually work together standing side by side were working together vigorously for a common cause. I put in 9 hours myself, but I have heard people tell me they have volunteered 14 plus hours. My hat goes off to all that have volunteered their time whether it was sandbagging or some other task. These issues, as of yet, have not been resolved; the outcomes, whatever they may be, would have been much different without the genuine caring and compassion of these volunteers. They may not hold the title of superheroes, but they are definitely heroes in the eyes of many. They may never have a blockbuster movie named after them, but I feel that I am speaking for many when I say, THANK YOU!