Citizen Kane

Is Citizen Kane an attack on the American Dream?
The American Dream is the idea that the more money you have, the happier and more
satisfied you will be. I agree that Citizen Kane is an attack on the American dream as Kane is
never shown to be really happy. Citizen Kane is a film that shows how even the richest people in
the world, like Kane who owns many newspapers and is very wealthy is constantly buying more
and more trying to fill the void in his life, the void that supposedly was his childhood that was
stripped from him as a young child. In doing this he was given a career filled with money fame
and power but at the end of his life he wanted to relive his life with his childhood, something
that money can never buy. This film really shows that not everything can be bought with
money. Some things, in Kane’s case time and memories, just cannot be bought with money.
This is the principle theme of Citizen Kane so yes I would say this film is an attack on the
American Dream.
Kane tried to compromise for his unhappiness with buying statues and buying gifts for
other people but he never succeeded. In his youth you see traces of happiness but as he ages
and looks back on his life he realizes that he has wasted it and he was and never will be
satisfied. This is shown when his last word was the name of a sled he had as a child. He was
happy then but then greed took over. When he died he had left an impressive legacy and loads
of money. People however never remember him as a happy person and eventually he fades to
nothing. So eventually the amount of money you acquire in your life will never matter.

Classic Movies

300 A Classic?


I believe 300 will become a movie classic that people will still be watching years from now. The first reason I believe this is because 300 really bonds with you and brings you into the viewpoint of Leonidus, king and hero of Sparta and so you really develop an affection for the Spartans. People for the most part live pretty sedated boring lives but they want a hero that they can look up to and aspire to be like. Leonidus was just a man and but he was courageous, devoted and a noble leader, a model human being and people just want to connect with him to see what it’s like being a hero. A second reason this movie could become a classic is that it really emphasizes the conflict in the plot. The basic plot is 300 Spartans up against millions of Persian soldiers, a huge mismatch of a battle but the battle shows a good versus evil element to it. War fascinates people and films like Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan prove it. However in any conflict, people often prefer to cheer for the underdog that is fighting for a good cause, the Spartans are both of these as they are vastly outnumbered and fighting to protect their homes. This also draws us into the movie and stirs up our feelings so that we are swayed to want to urge on the good Spartans. The third thing I noticed about this film was the magnitude and the detail that went into the making of this movie. The sight of thousands if not millions of Persian soldiers awes our senses as it is a sight we will likely never see in our lifetime. The detail of the Spartans is also emphasized as each soldier’s looks like a model soldier; muscular, hardened, loyal, brave and obedient. These details of the movie give us such a sense of amazement gives us a sense of what it was really like to be there. So I think the reason that I believe this movie will become a classic is because of how much it arouses our senses and emotions. I don’t know about you but I would certainly watch 300 twenty years from now.

If a movie is a comedy, what is necessary for that movie to become a classic?

For a comedy to become a classic, I think that it really needs to be an original new take on how to make people laugh. For instance, when a film breaks down the protective barrier of a taboo subject and it becomes fair game, people remember that that was the first time jokes were made about that subject.

If a movie is an action film, what is necessary for that movie to become a classic?

I think that the best classic action films set new limits on stunts, blood and gore. These elements are often portrayed in a new dynamic way that interests a viewer and shows action from a whole new angle.

If a movie is a drama, what is necessary for that movie to become a classic?

Unlike action and comedy, I think that drama classics usually follow the same general script but have a very unique twist that sets them apart from the others. The climax should be so much widely more different then a usual movie that it sticks in your head for a long time after.

How Well Does Television Handle Social Issues

     Television does tackle many social issues, but when you put total reality into a show, it is usually considered stale and boring. So, to make it better they put in their own ideas and ways of handling social issues. "For many adult Americans, prime time television is the only continuing education available". If this is what people are using to learn to deal with their social issues, I believe that this won't end well. Most of these issues are not solved in the best way possible, as such people will be finding themselves in more and more troubles.
     I also believe that no television show can really totally capture the pain of some issues, such as rape or murder. In those cases i believe that people can be desensitized to these social issues. In these cases we could lose our feelings and conscience at the severity of these problems. This I feel is wrong and it just shows what we consider entertainment is other peoples pain. For that reason, people are profiting off peoples pain and I don't think television has handled these issues right.

Crossfire- News Bias Analysis

Full Body Scanners In Airports

            Body scanners are coming to Canadian airports in early 2010 in an effort to prevent plastic explosives and other dangerous items from getting onto a plane. While this sounds like a relatively good investment, some people concerned about their privacy, have cried out against them and are protesting these scanners. This paper will examine the pros and cons of these new scanners and the opinions on both sides of this issue.

            First we will see an article from CBC News. This article seems to be for the

installation of these scanners in airports across Canada. This article has quotes from the

Transport Minister telling us that these scanners are indeed very safe and that although it is

true that the scanner produces a three-dimensional outline of the persons naked body,

privacy issues have been addressed. They show pictures in this article of a man comfortably

going through a scanner and the image is also shown. The image is indeed three-

dimensional and naked but it is similar to an X-ray in quality. The images are also viewed in

a separate room from the scanners and are promptly deleted after viewing. In addition if

people are worried about the radiation coming from these machines which could be a

danger to frequent flyers, a pat-down is optional instead of going through the body scanner. For now only a few travellers will be selected to pass through the scanners with those being picked out as showing suspicious behaviour or with a history. People under 18 will not be affected by the new scanning procedures. These scanners have been purchased at $250 00 each and will be installed in airports as they arrive which should be in early 2010. The purpose for these scanners is as stated in the introduction, to prevent plastic explosives and other dangerous items from getting on a plane. The general feeling of this article is that peoples life and well being is more important than them being sensitive about their body.

            The second article that is being analyzed is from Natural News and is titled “Backlash Grows Against Full-Body Airport Scanners”. The International Air Transport Association is speaking out against the newest machine to be implemented into airports. Full body scanners which take a three dimensional naked pictures of people passing through are being installed in airports across Canada. The scanners which were being installed earlier this year are meant to stop explosives from getting onto planes where they can be detonated causing massive destruction. This is all in the wake of the failed bombing on Christmas Day of a plane headed for Detroit. Their reasoning for opposing these scanners are due to implications regarding the efficiency of the machines as well as the health and privacy of the passengers. Although tests have shown these scanners to be effective, they are machines and the possibility of a malfunction could turn lethal. Passengers are also concerned about the radiation being used by the scanners and the effects it could have on their health as the radiation could cause cancer and other illnesses. The European Commission which was also looking into these scanners issued a warning that the health risks are not yet known and should not be used on children, pregnant women or people with disabilities. Another issue was the privacy of the passengers as many are uncomfortable with the idea of having a stranger see a naked picture of them. The final flaw of these scanners is that these scanners take 3-5 times longer to pass through than a standard metal detector. This could cause massive lines and create chaos throughout the airport and could convince people to avoid flying to avoid the hassle of the scanners.

            Now I will write my opinion on these scanners after having examined both opinions and data from both sides of this issue. First of I believe that human life is one of if not the most valuable things to preserve. For this reason I am for anything that prevents the deaths of innocent people. As terrorist organizations grow they become more and more sophisticated and if we want to be able to stop these threats, our defence systems must also be up to date and able to stop these new methods of attack. If these scanners are necessary to stop this threat then that is just what we have to do. As for the machines breaking down we can’t really do anything about that but hope for the best. However the rest of these peoples concerns can be easily solved and airport officials have already offered alternatives to scanners in the form of pat-downs, so this eliminates the fears of those scared of the health end of this issue as well as those who feel their privacy is being invaded. A pat-down however isn’t really much better than a naked image but if you can’t comply with the laws than it is the other passengers right to safety that is more important than ones privacy in my opinion. Simply put, if you don’t like these rules, don’t fly. As for the delay that these scanners cause, I believe that a few minutes can never be worth someone’s life. Anyways if the lines really do make that much of a difference, they can put in more scanners to keep the flow of traffic moving faster. I feel this is the least we can do to protect our airline,  after all; if a loved one of yours died on a plane bombing that could have been prevented with these scanners, would you not want to see these scanners put into effect?

            I hope that this has made you think about this issue and also how much the news can be biased without being noticeable. Maybe you won’t take only one report and instead and get several news broadcasts coverage and find the true events and facts of a story.

Works Cited

"Body scanners coming to Canadian airports." CBC.ca. CBC, 05 Jan 2010. Web. 2 Nov

2010. <http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/05/security-canada-us-

airport.html>.

Gutierrez, David. "Backlash grows against full-body airport scanners." NaturalNews.com.                               

Natural News Network, 24 Oct 2010. Web. 2 Nov 2010. <http://www.naturalnews.com/030160_naked_body_scanners

This Much I Know

What Makes A Rockstar

Perhaps as a child your parents or some other influence in your life taught you their opinion but as you grew you decided that that didn't make sense to you and you found your own explanation of it. Well for me, I grew up under my parents thoughts that all rockers were druggies and drunks with groupies everywhere. While this could be true of some bands, they influenced me into believing that this was all there was to being a rockstar as well as banging on some drums or picking a few notes on a guitar. So all through my young life I thought that they were terrible people throwing their lives away and they would all die of drugs. For this reason I didn't listen to rock or much music of any kind. However, as I got into high school, somehow I ended up with friends that could all play musical instruments. Not wanting to be left out of music conversations I decided to learn how to play bass. One thing led to another and I was learning to play bass lines to all kinds of rock and metal songs. As I continued to get farther into my music I started looking at the backgrounds and biographies of my favourite bands, mostly Avenged Sevenfold. By reading lyrics of their songs I could see that they had their own mind and they had a point to their songs, they were sending us their thoughts and opinions in a song. Although they drink a lot I also realize that a lot of people do that and my parents sheltered me from that as a child. Now as a bassist I love the way rockstars live and I would love to have that as a job. Besides Avenged Sevenfold, lots of other bands don't even drink or go to parties so I guess in the end I now understand that as a child I was prejudging all musicians and lumping them into one group with the wild ones shining the brightest to me. So that is what I have learned from my original influenced ideas.

Wise Words Oct. 15 2010

Never challenge an old man, because if you lose, you’ve lost to an old man, and if you win, so what?

Lets Break The Ice With a Joke

A blonde returned home from work and was shocked to find her house ransacked and burglarized. She called the police immediately to report the crime. The police dispatcher broadcast the call on the channels and a K-9 unit patrolling nearby was the first to respond. As the K-9 officer approached the house with his dog on a leash, the blonde ran out onto the porch. The sight of the cop and his dog made her shudder. She put her face in her hands as she sat down on the steps and began moaning.

"What's the moaning all about, ma'am?" asked the officer. The blonde replied, "I come home to find all my possessions stolen, so I call the police for help, and what do they do? They send me a blind policeman!"

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