Exam: 3 Blogs that I Viewed

1. The first Wiki page that I visited was Evan Jerome’s which was about the Iraq War. Evan did a great job of conveying both the pro-war and anti-war sides and being unbiased with his information. I, myself, would probably have found that task especially difficult. The first major thing that shocked me about the war was the actual starting date. George Bush announced that the United States was going to war with Iraq on March 13, 2003. That was about six years ago. I was astounded at how long this war has been going on compared to the amount of progress that has been made. I guess we have become so used to the fact of being in this war, that we have forgotten, how substantial this war really is. The reasons for war that Evan mentioned were weapons of mass destruction, maintaining and protecting the oil supply, and stopping the war on terrorism. All of these reasons seem very relevant to this day and age. The thing that blew me away was the death toll, 4,524 Americans and a total of at least 150,000 Iraqis. Being the poor state of our economy, the cost of the war caught my eye. This war has cost 500 billion dollars, money that we don’t necessarily have to spend right now. As a whole, Evan’s Wiki page was very informative and clued me in on the specific aspects of the war.
2. The second Wiki page that I visited was Joe Aiello’s discussing the Internets effect on the Music Industry. Joe shed light on so many of the difficulties and struggles that so many aspiring musicians face that I was totally unaware of. Although the Internet is a great way for an unknown to get his or her music out into the world, there is a chance for piracy, in other words, getting their music stolen. He also explained how getting a major record label isn’t always the best way to go about the business. Record labels no longer control the music industry like they once did. Although it is risky, the Internet has become an easier and an overall more effective way of distributing music.
3. The third Wiki page I visited was Sierra Almengual’s involving the media’s effect on body image. This is a very relevant issue especially because the number of people being diagnosed by eating disorders is increasing rapidly. Sierra brought up a great point about how Americans look up to such skinny people when only 8% of actual Americans fit those descriptions. That it really puzzling. It was also really sad to hear that eating disorders affect one in one hundred girls in the United States. Television and magazines can actually hinder their progress in recovery. It is upsetting that the media can have such a negative influence on the people who support it.