People need news. This is a simple fact that has guided the news media and made their work possible since the dawn of journalism. For decades, sitting with the morning newspaper to get news has been a tradition in millions of homes. It was as essential to many people's morning rituals as a cup of coffee. However with the rise of the Internet came Internet journalism. This medium has evolved quickly into a well-oiled machine that makes information available for free as soon as it happens. Newspapers remain a paper based medium that is only available every morning.
Information is now available almost instantly twenty-four hours a day on the Internet. Not only this, but the information is free most of the time. When faced with the option to learn about something for free as it happens, or to wait for the next day and pay for it, which would you choose?
The declining readership is doubly deadly to newspapers. Declining readership means declining sales. Consider all of the cost that goes into printing a newspaper. Hire a staff of editors, writers, photographers, buy a printing press, ink, paper, delivery systems and you're not even there yet. No one buys the paper, there is no way to afford getting the paper to the public. Sure a lot of the cost of printing a newspaper actually comes from advertising, but as readers leave so do the advertisers. The advertisers choose to go to where there product can get more exposure, be seen by more people, for less money. That is the Internet. Even newspaper mainstays such as classified ads and auto listings have moved to sites like Monster and Cars.com. At sites like these, employers can give more job details and access resumes while those selling used cars can post pictures for potential buyers.
Newspapers are not being completely left in the dust as they have begun publishing their articles on Web Sites. It is hard to find a newspaper that does not have an Internet edition. Whether it be a large, reputable paper such as The New York Times or The Washington Post, or local newspapers such as The Asbury Park Press and The Ocean County Observer. However, Business Week reports that even these ventures are not enough to help the newspapers continue to publish their paper editions.
Rupert Murdoch, media mogul at the head of News Corporation, believes writer Philip Meyer's assertion that the law issue of a newspaper will be printed some time in 2040. The future certainly looks grim for newspapers. Print is dying and it will be buried in a computer box.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ryan Humphrey Hates on Ice House
Colorful discs seem to hover on the walls. Bubbles of orange and blue, black and white, red and green placed in a flowing arrangement. These objects cannot be bubbles however because no bubbles could exist with so many holes. The Ice House Gallery at Monmouth University is currently displaying 'Divine Objects of Hatred - remix version 1.0' by Ryan Humphrey.
35-year-old Ryan Humphrey is an independent artist and contestant on Bravo's Top Design. The art he has created for this exhibit is unexpected and anything but ordinary. The gallery's walls are littered with canvas discs that have been brightly colored and then shot full of holes. Yes, with a gun. In fact it would seem that Humphrey used many guns ranging from handguns to rifles to shotguns. The gallery even has a video and free postcards of Humphrey's artistic process (him at the firing range).
The concept is undeniably intriguing, but the works are so numerous and similar that they almost begin to lose whatever sliver of meaning they may have had upon first impression. On top of this they are given bizarre names such as 'Officer Wilinski NYPD', 'Yoko Ono', and 'Nigga, nigga, nigga'. With names like these, one can't help but wonder if Humphrey's rage and violence might be a tad misguided.
Monmouth University sophomore Sarah Jamieson works at the gallery. The Communication major says "I know art is supposed to express an emotion, but I don't think this is a very good emotion." Jamieson went on to say, "It's kinda weird. He just shot them. I don't really think it's art."
Peter Perea, a senior History major at Monmouth University, disagrees with Jamieson's comments. "It's pretty cool." says Perea. "To take so much time to make these discs look so nice only to shoot them all to hell is really unique and inspired."
'Divine Objects of Hatred - remix version 1.0' by Ryan Humphrey will be on display at Monmouth University's Ice House Gallery until March 16, 2007. The exhibit is open to the public and admission is free.
35-year-old Ryan Humphrey is an independent artist and contestant on Bravo's Top Design. The art he has created for this exhibit is unexpected and anything but ordinary. The gallery's walls are littered with canvas discs that have been brightly colored and then shot full of holes. Yes, with a gun. In fact it would seem that Humphrey used many guns ranging from handguns to rifles to shotguns. The gallery even has a video and free postcards of Humphrey's artistic process (him at the firing range).
The concept is undeniably intriguing, but the works are so numerous and similar that they almost begin to lose whatever sliver of meaning they may have had upon first impression. On top of this they are given bizarre names such as 'Officer Wilinski NYPD', 'Yoko Ono', and 'Nigga, nigga, nigga'. With names like these, one can't help but wonder if Humphrey's rage and violence might be a tad misguided.
Monmouth University sophomore Sarah Jamieson works at the gallery. The Communication major says "I know art is supposed to express an emotion, but I don't think this is a very good emotion." Jamieson went on to say, "It's kinda weird. He just shot them. I don't really think it's art."
Peter Perea, a senior History major at Monmouth University, disagrees with Jamieson's comments. "It's pretty cool." says Perea. "To take so much time to make these discs look so nice only to shoot them all to hell is really unique and inspired."
'Divine Objects of Hatred - remix version 1.0' by Ryan Humphrey will be on display at Monmouth University's Ice House Gallery until March 16, 2007. The exhibit is open to the public and admission is free.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Fact Wins - 9/11
The World Trade Center did not collapse from the planes that were flown into them, they were set up with explosives for demolition. The Pentagon was never even hit by an airplane, it was a cruise missile. United Airlines flight 97 was actually shot down by military jet fighters. The men responsible for the worst terror attacks in United States history and the murder of nearly 3,000 Americans were not terrorists, they were agents of the American government.
According to Time magazine, a Scripps-Howard poll has found that 36% of American adults think it’s possible that the federal government had something to do with the 9/11 terror attacks. That means that over one-third of adults in this country think that a controlled demolition and cruise missile are completely logical explanations for one of the worst days in the nation’s history.
The Internet has been a huge source of these conspiracy theories. The Internet has helped Dylan Avery and Korey Rowe spread their theories in the documentary Loose Change. The movie explores such burning questions as “How did burning jet fuel bring down the WTC when jet fuel doesn’t burn hot enough to melt structural steel?” The fact is that the theorists ask a lot of valid questions and do their homework, just not very well.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, an independent government-funded research agency, has conducted extensive research into the 9/11 terror attacks and has scientific evidence to dispute almost every claim. According to the NIST, the steel in the WTC didn’t need to melt to cause the building to collapse. The steel was softened by a 1800 degrees Fahrenheit inferno (structural steel melts at 2700 degrees Fahrenheit) to the point where it could no longer hold the floors above the blaze. This is just one example of how an organization of scientists and engineers have disproved the accusations of two twenty-something kids who initially were developing Loose Change as a work of fiction. Sounds like The Blair Witch Project with terrorists.
In his book 9/11: The Big Lie, French author Thierry Meyssan claims that a cruise missile was responsible for the attack on the Pentagon. According to the US State Department, the book has been published in 19 languages and is being translated into four more. The problem with this theory is that the remains of passengers from American Airlines flight 77 were found at the site. Add that to the fact that hundreds of people saw a plane hit the building. Mr. Meyssan also did all of his speculation from Europe and never saw the site or talked to a witness.
So on one hand we have a couple of kids who really wanted to make a fictional film and a French journalist who ignores facts and speculates from thousands of miles away. On the other we have the people we’ve chosen to lead our nation and a group of scientists and engineers. Who seems more qualified?
If you’re one of the 36% percent of Americans who believe the government is involved in this overly elaborate ruse, stop letting other people give you your opinion. Don’t just listen to the conspiracy theorists and for that matter don’t just listen to the government. Listen to the science. Listen to the undeniable logic. If you read everything that’s out there and not just the paranoid ranting the facts become clear as day.
On September 11, 2001 the United States was attacked by foreign aggressors. On September 12, 2001 the United States was attacked by foreign and domestic conspiracy fanatics.
According to Time magazine, a Scripps-Howard poll has found that 36% of American adults think it’s possible that the federal government had something to do with the 9/11 terror attacks. That means that over one-third of adults in this country think that a controlled demolition and cruise missile are completely logical explanations for one of the worst days in the nation’s history.
The Internet has been a huge source of these conspiracy theories. The Internet has helped Dylan Avery and Korey Rowe spread their theories in the documentary Loose Change. The movie explores such burning questions as “How did burning jet fuel bring down the WTC when jet fuel doesn’t burn hot enough to melt structural steel?” The fact is that the theorists ask a lot of valid questions and do their homework, just not very well.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, an independent government-funded research agency, has conducted extensive research into the 9/11 terror attacks and has scientific evidence to dispute almost every claim. According to the NIST, the steel in the WTC didn’t need to melt to cause the building to collapse. The steel was softened by a 1800 degrees Fahrenheit inferno (structural steel melts at 2700 degrees Fahrenheit) to the point where it could no longer hold the floors above the blaze. This is just one example of how an organization of scientists and engineers have disproved the accusations of two twenty-something kids who initially were developing Loose Change as a work of fiction. Sounds like The Blair Witch Project with terrorists.
In his book 9/11: The Big Lie, French author Thierry Meyssan claims that a cruise missile was responsible for the attack on the Pentagon. According to the US State Department, the book has been published in 19 languages and is being translated into four more. The problem with this theory is that the remains of passengers from American Airlines flight 77 were found at the site. Add that to the fact that hundreds of people saw a plane hit the building. Mr. Meyssan also did all of his speculation from Europe and never saw the site or talked to a witness.
So on one hand we have a couple of kids who really wanted to make a fictional film and a French journalist who ignores facts and speculates from thousands of miles away. On the other we have the people we’ve chosen to lead our nation and a group of scientists and engineers. Who seems more qualified?
If you’re one of the 36% percent of Americans who believe the government is involved in this overly elaborate ruse, stop letting other people give you your opinion. Don’t just listen to the conspiracy theorists and for that matter don’t just listen to the government. Listen to the science. Listen to the undeniable logic. If you read everything that’s out there and not just the paranoid ranting the facts become clear as day.
On September 11, 2001 the United States was attacked by foreign aggressors. On September 12, 2001 the United States was attacked by foreign and domestic conspiracy fanatics.
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