The Wall Street Journal

It took my attention when I registered for my classes and was trying to get the list of the text books necessary for the semester and suddenly I realize that my Mass Of Communication Class with professor Ken Carpenter didn't require any text book. It was weird, but a few weeks later, classes started and our Professor explained what would be the substitute material for the text book: The Wall Street Journal. We subscribed the Newspaper and every day, besides Sundays, we would have delivered at our doors one copy of the largest-circulation newspaper of the United States.

The Wall Street Journal is an American newspaper with Asian and European editions. It's an international daily newspaper published by Down Jones and Company, a division of News Corporation, in New York City. It has a very good and understandable content separated through different areas that talk about specifics topics. You can find: Money and Investment, Market Place, Personal Journal, etc. The Newspaper started its circulation back in july 8, 1889 when it was founded by Charles Dow Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser.

I have to confess that at the beginning I wasn't very excited about it because we were going to start having quizes about some specif articles that our professor would pick from the newspaper. I thought I would have problems because of the technical terms used on the paper since English is not my first language. But, to be very honest with you I didn't. The Newspaper have this interesting ton of exposing the news either beneficial to the point criticized or not. It was smooth, inteligent and perfect for the class.

The benefits of using the Wall Street Journal instead of a text book are very broad. Specially because it makes you to get into the reading-daily exercise that makes you learn more about the country and the world. Learning about Google, broadcast TV, Iphones, E-books, Sarah Pallin's new book, The Road, etc. I've learned about movies, books, economy, history, culture... Everything that includes primordially the American culture and then world.

Just by waking up, openning your door and getting the newspaper. This is how I started my day since I have started the semester. Having my breakfest and openning the Wallstreet journal. Being informed about what just happened. Not mentioning my vocabulary that enriched with the pleasure of reading something that was happening right now. As we see the world changing, we use in our class as topics to be studied, while with a text book you study concepts and old editions of news around the world that can be already gone, or old by the time that a newspaper publishes the new fact that just happened.

I loved subscribing the paper, even though I have never received my saturday ones. I didn't get mad, I went online to try to find the articles and they were mostly there, ready for you to read. I am really thinking about renewing my subscription of the Wall Street Journal. It just depends on my financial situation for the next semester. But it is definetly one of my goals.

I'd like to thank my Professor for putting me into this experience that would definetly help me to improve my reading and writing. And as the semester goes by and we are now getting into the final exams week. We no longer have quizes about the articles that Ken Carpenter use to pick and send us via e-mail. But every morning, I wake up, open the door trying to find my newspaper wraped with this plastic bag, so then I can unwrap it and read it while drinking my coffe, preparing myself for the day. A long and better day, after knowing more about what happens in the country that I'm living now, and what happens around the world as well.

THE ROAD

The Road is a novel by the American writer Cormac McCarthy. It is a post-apocalyptic tale taken by a father and its son. Around this two survivors, a devastated world. Gray, dead and silent. It is a beautiful story of love, in the midle of this hopeless scenary where father and son have to battle towards their inner fears and hunger. It is a very detailed written book. Words are not the easiest to understand, specially for me, that don't have English as my first language. I, myself was reading the book and discussing in class together with my classmates of Mass of Communication with Ken Carpenter, our professor that introduced us the story. The more we were reading, we felt inside of the drama and the issues that they were passing through. The little boy and his exposure to all of this crazy and scary facts including a not very attractive landscape, rain, the fact that they had to find food in order to be alive. Not mentioning the cannibalism, gun, bad people and not having the mother close to him. It's a brave and beautiful book that everybody should read.

On November 25, 2009 the film adaptation of the novel was openned in theaters. Directed by John Hilcoat, and written by Joe Penhall the movie brought me spectations that made me feel anxious about its own success. The Actor Viggo Mortensen amazed me by the fact that he could bring the exactly figure of the Man from the book that I was picturing in my mind. On the other hand, the actor Kodi Smit-McPhee as the little boy didn't really bring the boy that I pictured in my mind. He was a good actor in the movie, specially for the fact that it was a challenge for the directors to find a boy on his age, that would be able to read the story and be inside of the little boy's life. But still didn't make me feel like... wow! What a perfect litlle boy for the movie!

The little shopping cart, the scenary, clothes... Everything was really well done in the movie. I liked how they've showed the part when he sees a little boy. Charlize Theron did a great job as the wife and before seeing the movie, when I watched the traillers I thought they would make her a big thing in the movie, thing that she is not in the book. But in the end I liked how they explained her presence through the story and their lives. And her feminine touch always present on the Father's memory. It was memorable those mini flash backs that the Man had, when they were happy and the world was colorfull and their love was innocent. It contrasted with the moment that he was inserted now, without her... Missing the woman of his life.

I couldn't believe that they would really show the part that the Father asks the man that steals their cart and everything that was inside to take his clothes off. I though they would change that part and appadt more for the kind of public that would be watching the movie. The scene that the Man jumps into the sea to try to find something in the ship, in my oppinion was poor and to fast.

I've noticed in the beginning that they were walking trying to find food, and there is money on the floor and they don't even think about getting it from the floor. I think that was a message through the moment where we are living now. The moment that we are facing money's authority and its own importance in human lives.

By the end, my comments would be 80% positive on the results of the film. I have to admit that I cried when the Man dies and the son has to start his own life. Who wouldn't cry? It made me think about when I decided to study here in the United States and I had to leave my family, friends, everybody that used to support me and start a new beginning. It is a moment that McCarthy states in his book, that was brought very well done in the movie too that intrigues every little man's life: the moment we become MAN.

Broadcast Networks Versus Cable/Satallite Channels.

How often do you turn your TV on expecting to spend some of your time watching some kind of program on a Broadcast TV or Cable channels?

Coming from a country(Brazil) where Cable TV is just too expensive to have it at home, I particularly love how often you can turn on your TV and not even need to have cable because you have lots of opportunities and different channels that you can get along with, that cable TV is more of a not necessity kind of thing. But on the other way, is just so cheap compared with where I'm from that sometimes I just find myself seeing movies, or cartoons on TNT or Cartoon Network for example.
I, myself, love to go home and at nights, watch ''Family Guy" on Fox TV. I love it because it's funny, it has a huge sense of humor and you find so many different kind of topics that sometimes you just wonder who the hell created that show.

I like watching FOX as well for the news. I love how polemic became the fact that the White House is having some kind of '' not agreement'' with everything that they show on Fox News and I just think it's beatiful that you can see different points of view, not only being limited to watch whatever ''they'' want you to see it and learn from it.

I would say that I spend half of my precious time on Broadcast TV and the other half with something on CABLE. I don't really spend that much time with TV because now I'm studying a lot, but back in my country I use to spend at least 5 to 6 hours of my day in front of TV watching soap operas, movies, tv shows and all of that, because in Brazil we have this big TV company called: GLOBO, that has a big influence on the brazilian population. It dictates what is fashion or not, what kind of food you should like, places you should go, football games on TV, etc.

Here in America I fell like there's so many different things to offer to you that you don't really concentrate in what is good or not, and you just watch whatever.

I have some sort of passion for some American shows... FRIENDS for example got my attention back in highschool in Brazil on Warner Bros, and made me feel attached to the TV show that even if they are playing old episodes( since the show is over, unfortunately ), I would stop my life to go and see it, because it's fun, and it shows six adults living in New York City and having their own problems but all kind of relating to how we all have a child inside of us, it doesn't matter how old you are.

ABC, CBS and NBC NEWS, are those kind of channels that I would only watch for school purpose, or maybe to get some more information about an important event that I couldn't understand from either FOX NEWS or CNN.

Talking about Cable or Satellite Channels, everything changes. Since I was little I use to love watching those shows on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, back in Brazil. Now, living here in the United States I don't really watch that often. First, because I'm not a child anymore... Second, because I don't have time for that. The only time that I have left, I have to pay attention on the NEWS channels, because I'm studying Journalism, so I have to read a lot, and I have to be brought up to the actual facts around the world.

There's so many different things taking our attention on this world full of news tools that we kind of get a little bit lost on what to focus on. TV for sure takes some sort of time of my life dayly. I guess we have to know how to deal with that right?

What Gets Your Attention daily?

Every day, we have a routine that brings us to this crazy and fast world were each of us draw a line wich must be followed almost like every single day. We always wake up, drink our coffe, eat something, grab wherever we need and leave, either to work or school.

I have to assume that is not very often that I read some kind of magazine, because I read more newspaper, but everytime I stop to take a look at a magazine, there is something that brings my attention to it. Magazines that brings topics about travelling like: "Viagem e Turismo" from Brazil, are the reason why I stop my day to read every single article.The fact that I'll be reading a magazine that takes me everywhere without really getting out of my house it's brilliant.

If you open "Viagem e Turismo" you'll see not only pictures about travelling, but also will read experiences of regular people, like you and me, travelling around the world, talking about best spots that we shouldn't miss while visiting such and such country. You'll also see top 10 lists of hotel, restaurants, languages that they speak, best events, etc. No, I don't subscribe this magazine, but only because I'm here in the USA now, because when I was in Brazil, it was obviously the type of magazine that would be in my house, every single room that you'd be passing by, if you were there visiting me.

Talking about experiences inside or outside of your house, I also have the passion for movies. And yes, I love to go see it at the cinema( like the british say), not at home. Of course, when I don't have time, or when I need something more relaxing, I'd rather stay at home, then leave the house to go to the movies. But, to go there, sit in front of this huge screen, perfect sound and image. Specially if it is a movie like: " Harry Potter" that you just get amazed by the special effects.

Recently one movie got my attention: " Law Abiding Citizen". I got this free ticket to go see it and to be sincere with you, It's violent. And I just don't like films that have violent topics, or people start kiling for no reason, and they acctually show you the way they kill everybody, but this movie is FANTASTIC! The story intrigues differents points of view of the law sistem in the US and brings the fact that sometimes people don't care about doing justice with their own hands.

To go there, and be part of this huge screen experience is one of the best shots for me in life. I like unpacking the story, getting nervous, excited, crying, laughing. It's this mix of emotions that you are afraid of showig inside of this room full of people. But, you feel like: '' It's dark, nobody is seeing or listening to me, so why not to cry when Harry Potter is challenged by Voldermort, and you think he is going to die" .

I know, there's tons of sensations and feelings that we bring either travelling around the world trough a Magazine, or a Movie. And we all know our habits of reading or seeing a movie that everytime that these two events happen we all react on a different way. Maybe we are on the bathroom sitting there, concentrated reading some interesting topic about the Rain Forest on the "Viagem a Turismo" Magazine. Or, we are on the movies, eating popcorn, drinking soda or tea, and trying to understand what happened with the robots and human beings on: " The Surrogates". Magazines and Films are not only part of our routine, but also part of our lives.