More Kardashian News

 http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/runway/kim-kourtney-khloe-launch-kardashian-kollection-swimwear-003521282.html

There is more news now over Kourtney Kardashian. Many are in an uproar regarding the sexy new swimsuit ad the Kardashian girls are in. Kourtney's "unseen baby bump" is the topic of controversy. Apparently, this photo shoot occurred in late January. There were paparazzi photos of Kourtney shot at the same time in which she had more of a baby bump than that. According to the source, she was about 3 months pregnant at this time. The issue is why would they do a bathing suit ad with her wearing a skimpy bathing suit whenever they know she is pregnant? If it is that big of an issue then why didn't she wear the coverup that Khloe is wearing? 

In my opinion, people give WAY too much credit to his family and people care WAY too much about this so it is kind of annoying that people would care about this and notice this to this extent. What are you all's thoughts??

Lessons from a tattered pink ribbon

A few months ago, the Susan G. Komen for the cure foundation created great controversy when it announced its decision to end funding for Planned Parenthood. The foundation reversed its decision quickly, however, it still was not enough to downplay the protest. Fundraising is now in a frenzy and highly ranked execs are resigning their positions. Events have even had to be postponed because the foundation is insure of fundraising.

It is crazy how one simple decision about a policy can make or break an entire foundation. In the article, it states some lessons that all organizations should learn from this crisis.

1. Never underestimate the power of social media. It was blogging that led this issue to mainstream news.

2. Always develop a crisis plan. No plan was developed prior so the organization was caught "flat-footed."

3. Maintain message consistency. Contradictory messages can damage credibility of not only an individual but an entire organization.

4. Prepare stakeholders in advance. You do not want your staff and its affiliates to be caught offguard of any changes in policy that are taking place within the company.

An organization so widely known as this one is going to be mending their image for a while. Now, they must spend the next months trying to regain loyalty which has been shaken up by this controversial issue.

http://www.prweekus.com/lessons-from-a-tattered-pink-ribbon/article/233957/

UPS Backfire

A few weeks ago UPS ran a TV advertisement dealing with the NCAA basketball tournament that tried to connect a pass that won "the greatest game" to its theme of logistical excellence. This blog post received 482 shares and 181 comments. Why?

In a 1992 game, "The Unforgettables" from the University of Kentucky had pulled ahead by one point in the closing seconds of overtime against Duke who were the defending national champions. Little did they know, the game wasn't over yet. Duke player Grant Hill threw the ball almost the length of the court to Christian Laettner, who turned and made the winning shot leaving Kentucky no time to answer.

“Everybody remembers the shot. But what about the pass? No pass, no shot,” the narrator says. “You need a special player to get the ball exactly where it needs to be, exactly when it needs to be there.”

Kentucky fans exploded. Not only was this the most heart-breaking loss in the history of their sports program which UPS was now playing over and over again, but UPS has major facilities in Kentucky.

UPS decides to address the controversy in a blog trying to sooth irate Kentucky fans by creating a post by an actual Kentucky graduate that explained the thinking behind the ad.

“I know our new ads will anger some UK fans, but if you truly look at that game with an objective eye, it’s hard to think of a better example of what determined people working together toward a common goal can accomplish—and that’s what UPS is all about.

“No one should think that UPS has some kind of anti-UK bias. On the contrary, UPS loves Kentucky. We love it so much we established our primary air hub in the commonwealth, which has driven the creation of 33,000 jobs with $300 million in annual payroll.”

This also didn't work. Kentucky fans responded with:
“Here’s an idea for your next UPS ad. How about you detail the ‘logistics’ of a major company receiving huge tax breaks from a state as an incentive to move there. Then you could show the ‘teamwork’ required to make an ad highlighting the most heartbreaking moment in that state’s sports history. Sounds like another winner.

“It’s bad you wrote this post trying to justify the ad, but to do so in such a condescending manner explaining to everyone how great the play was makes it even worse.”

Many Kentucky fans vowed never to use UPS again. UPS could suffer greatly from this ad.

http://www.prdaily.com/socialmedia/Articles/11211.aspx

Skittles: “Taste the…Backlash?”

Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea brands were thrust into the spotlight after the story of Trayvon Martin’s murder. Trayvon had purchased the candy and the drink shortly before he was shot. Now, Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea are experiencing social media criticism for not extending sizeable donations in Martin’s name.

Should these brands be facing public backlash for something they didn’t want? Specifically, some say Skittles has benefitted from the unwanted publicity. BuzzFeed has a collection of tweets to that end.

Many people have written complaints on the Skittles facebook wall, but the brand is not weighing in on the conversations. The Skittles social voice is remaining silent.

For the full story, go to: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/11236.aspx

"Operation Hackerazzi"

Read the article here.

Following a year long investigation dubbed as "Operation Hackerazzi" by the FBI, the Florida man that was arrested for hacking celebrity emails and posting their nude photographs on the Internet has agreed to plead guilty to nine felony counts.

The felony charges, which include wiretapping and unauthorized access to a computer, could land him up to 60 years in prison. Some of the more prominent celebrity victims included Christina Aguilera, Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johansson.

Overall, prosecutors say that the unemployed Florida man illegally entered the email accounts of more than 50 entertainment industry professionals and obtained the email addresses of fellow stars from their contact lists.

The most frightening part of the scandal, for me at least, is how he managed to weasel his way into the accounts, though. He didn't need any extensive hacking skills or programs; all he had to do was search through publicly available data to figure out password and security questions for the celebrity accounts.

Obviously, celebrities should be much more careful with the amount and quality of information they disclose to the public on mass media outlets. But the issue I want to bring up is the question of whether the photographs should have even been taken in the first place or not.

I'm not by any means saying that the hacked celebrities were to blame or that what the hacker did was anything less than 100% wrong. My point is simply that the whole thing could have been avoided if the celebrities were smart enough to not take nude photos.

Johannson told Associated Press that the photographs were taken for her now ex-husband, Ryan Reynolds. But once something is published into a media document and stored in a hidden file or folder for 'safe-keeping' it's like a sitting duck that's always just a milli-second away from going viral... no matter how safe we think it is.

Why take a chance when the costs could have such devastating effects? In my opinion, nude photographs are irresponsible in any circumstance, even if you've been happily married to the recipient for 30 years. I think Skype is a much safer, less-permanent alternative for couples. Plus, nobody wants those skeletons in their closet after a nasty divorce.

HUNGER GAMES!!!!!...........Racist?

I don't know if you were as enthusiastic or "pumped" as I was last Thursday, but I must say it was with great reasoning. With all concentration pertaining to academics, work and a slew of other things slowly withering away as the day drew on, I couldn't help but just anxiously anticipate catching the "Hunger Games" midnight premiere. Safe to say, it was AMAZING and apparently I wasn't the only one who felt that way. "Hunger Games" had record-breaking munbers flood theaters with box office reporting $155 million over the the weekend. Despite the monumentous support ofr the film there also comes critixcs, knocking the film for leaving pivotal parts of the film out and other miniscule factors some didn't agree as with any other major motion picture.One bit of news I was disappointed to hear was occurances of a racial manner concerning some of the characters and the actor playing them. Various tweets expressing discontent with assigning characters "Rue" as well as "Cinna" were seen throughout the weekend on the social media website.

Here a liks to some of the tweets mentioned:

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17hneucg9snuqjpg/original.jpg
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17hng9beyz0hjjpg/original.jpg
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17hnfgjjvy499jpg/original.jpg
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17hneuahestnvjpg/original.jpg

For the full story:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fm.jezebel.com%2F5896408%2Fracist-hunger-games-fans-dont-care-how-much-money-the-movie-made&h=FAQERvzjt

Duracell Powers Up Olympic Marketing

Procter & Gamble is working with Duracell to promote its first Olympic marketing promotion for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Duracell wants to use their signature colors and "power" the athletes to receive a medal at the Olympics this summer. They will use different marketing strategies to help promote their batteries and encourage athletes and fans to "Rely on Copper to Go for the Gold."

Duracell has hired several professional athletes to help promote the batteries through social media, fan engagement and events. A picture of an Olympic athlete will be on the Duracell packages with a message that tells you how you can support the athletes. The intention of this program is to promote power to the Duracell brand just like Olympics athletes.

I think Duracell is using great marketing skills to promote something as big as the Olympics because it will attract the United States to the brand and having the athletes stand behind the brand gives it even more power. Reading this got me excited for the Olympics this summer and I hope Duracell can have this power on everyone!

The media landscape shift from text to visuals

John Owen's article in PR Week discusses how the recent success of the Kony 2012 online campaign demonstrates how PR practitioners need to shift their focus away from text and onto visuals when creating campaigns.

The Kony 2012 online campaign is extremely visually dominate, and has attracted more than 84 million Youtube hits!

Further demonstrating his point, Owen's points out how the new Facebook timeline is very visually dominated as well. (And no one can deny the fact that Facebook seems to be the center of culture today.)

What does this mean to us as students nearing the PR professional world? We need to remember the fact that we live in a visual society and tailor our future work and campaigns around this fact.

I do acknowledge that we live in a very visual society; however, as a strong writer, this makes me a tad bit nervous!

Chipotle Social Media Strategies

Chipotle seems to have social media down pact.

As a company, Chipotle has been so involved in social media that it pays less for traditional advertising than most fast food restaurants. Chipotle has a team of three people who run social media and respond to about 83 percent of the posts. At the end of the post, the person behind the tweet or Facebook comment is signed.

I think Chipotle has it right. Customers feel special when a big company replies to a comment, status or tweet. They even go as far as asking about their lives because they truly want to get to know their customers. Instead of being used as a tool to interact, I find that social media serves as a mask for some companies.

See story here: http://mashable.com/2012/03/21/chipotle-social-media/

The NFL Can Throw 'Saving Face' Out the Window

By Staci De Leon

Courtesy of http://www.speculativesports.com/

Since the beginning of 2012, there have been articles about the New Orleans Saints rewarding their players with bonuses by "knocking opposing players out of the game" in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. In other not so friendly words, the Saints have been participating in a bounty program with their players to intentionally injury opposing players. (i.e. Brett Favre during the 2009 season)

You ask, what does this have to do with PR? The answer is...It has everything to do with PR!

The NFL and the Saints PR teams have to somehow 'fix' the problem to show that football isn't about causing or gaining injuries and that it is about having fun playing the game and reaching the dream of becoming the Superbowl champions.
Although the NFL already has a bad reputation with bodily injuries and also long term brain injuries, the Saints bounty program will most definitely bring fuel to the fire. Players that have been targeted are pursuing lawsuits against the NFL saying they have suffered from the following injuries: concussions, head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a dementia-like brain disease. 

After long-overdue investigation, the NFL has suspended the Saints Head Coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season, the team has been fined $500,000, former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams, was suspended indefinitely from the NFL, effective immediately and the team will also forfeit its second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013. Now some may say this may not be enough punishment, but there is no way to analyze the fairness of the punishments until the season starts and the lawsuits head to trial.

"When there is targeting of players for injury and cash rewards over a three-year period, the involvement of the coaching staff, and three years of denials and willful disrespect of the rules, a strong and lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable and has no place in the game," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said.

For more details read this CNN article written by Michael Martinez.

How NOT to handle the media

This article discusses Sara MacIntyre's rude response to reporters at a conference. Sara MacIntyre is the director of communications for British Columbia's Premier, Christy Clark. She attempted to exercise media management at the conference, but failed miserably. Footage was taken from the encounter between MacIntyre and the reporters, who were seeking an interview from Premier Clark.

MacIntyre rejected their request for an interview, however did so very unprofessionally. She was argumentative, arrogant and had attitude from the moment the reporters approached her. She could have handled the media in a respectful manner and still achieved her purpose of preventing the media from asking questions. Instead she not only made herself look bad, but also Premier Clark. Her approach backfired and she gained negative press for both herself and Premier Clark.

The article gives four reasons for why MacIntyre's attempt at media management was unsuccessful. The four reasons include: she forgot who her audience was, she had an attitude, she picked the wrong enemy and her response garnered worse press.

MacIntyre forgot the public was her audience, not the reporters. Her rude behavior would ultimately communicate a negative portrayal of herself and Premier Clark to the audience.

I agree that she also picked the wrong enemy by starting the argument with the reporters. The reporters acted in an appropriate manner and politely exercised their right to ask questions. Therefore, MacIntyre had no reason to act defensive and treat the press with such hostility.

Considering she is the director of communications for British Columbia's Premier, I feel that she communicated very poorly. Given her title and experience, she should have known better. If I was Premier Clark, I would be embarrassed that MacIntyre is representing me.

To read the article and watch the raw video visit http://www.prdaily.com/crisiscommunications/Articles/11149.aspx

Can you please provide your facebook username and password?

          As most of us will begin our job search post graduation, we may not know that our Facebook pages will be invaded like never before. It is normal for most applicant to expect the company that they are interviewing with to browse their social cite's profile page, but just as another user. What we have on our pages would not necessarily cost us the job opportunity because we could just set our pages on private and if the company is not friends with us, they could not see most of the content that is on our pages. Now they have surpassed your privacy and are asking for usernames and passwords so that they may log into your account and browse your page that way.
          Is this act legal at all? My argument is that this may be going too far to try to find out in depth information about a candidate. I do not feel as though this process is at all necessary. An individual's personal life and what he or she chooses to do in their personal time has nothing to do with how well they may perform at the job that they are applying for nor how qualified they are to a certain extent. Many candidates should prepare to be offended in the near future when asked to provide this information to the company representative that is interviewing them.
         

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/job-seekers-getting-asked-facebook-passwords-071251682.html

Starbucks "juicy" typo

At the opening of Starbuck's first Evolution Fresh juice bar in Bellevue,Wash., there was a sign that read "Most fruits and 'vegatables' are fat and cholesterol free." Unfortunately this little typo has been said to have made the premiere an impact for all the wrong reasons. The intent for the whole event was to reveal Starbucks' new product line of fruit smoothies and drinks which was supposed to help the company seem to appear healthier, but it actually only hurt the company by appearing to have been rushed and launched prematurely. Marketing and public relations specialists are hoping this flaw doesn't mean the product itself is flawed. I think this only goes to prove how important it is review all aspects of a new campaign early, because if a company as big as Starbucks can make such a little BIG mistake, it could happen to anyone. In the early stages of promoting a new product, the last thing you want to do is fumble so soon, first impressions last the longest and can set the tone for the whole project.

Article & Picture

Pinterest Under Fire

For all you loyal Pinners out there, Pinterest may not seem what it’s all cracked up to be. Last month attorney and photographer Kristin Kowalski delted her Pinterest inspiration boards. Kowalski explained in a blog post following the deletion of her account that the site's terms of use stipulate that people who pin photos to the site agree that they are the owners of the photos or have permission from the owners to post them.
We all know that every time we pin something we are not getting the copyrights from the owner of the photograph. We just look at the picture and repin.
For now, Bruce Johnson, attorney, suggests users should shield themselves by contacting copyright owners before posting images. But by doing that it would take the fun out of what Pinterest is all about, quickly looking at an image and repining the image. And who has the time to contact everyone owner of an image?
Pinterest founder, Ben Silbermann is aware of the problems. Silberman said he knows there are issues Pinterest and the fear of claims of copyright infringement, and he wants to figure out a way to make 'his little Web page' … work within the confines of the law and in a way where photographers and every user feels comfortable.

Article

Why the new iPad is not called the iPad 3

"Apple doesn't want consumers to buy tablets, it wants them to buy iPads."

According to an article published in CNET News, Apple's reason for not naming the new iPad "iPad 3" is so that Apple can take "ownership of the category." Apple's ideal world is for people to refer to any tablet as an "iPad", just like most do when talking about an MP3 player, they refer to it as an iPod.

By keeping the name just iPad also gives leeway to add different versions like with the MacBook (i.e. MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, ect.), and moving away from the numbers following the name of every new iPad shows that it's basically the same product with less changes from the previous model.

This type of branding has proven to be successful for Apple in the past, so I see no reason it shouldn't continue to do so.

 To read the full story, click the link below:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57393576-37/apple-wants-ipad-to-be-the-kleenex-of-tablets/

"Pink Slime" Beef En Route To American Schools

The USDA announced that it is picking up 7 million pounds of beef containing ammonium hydroxide-treated ground connective tissue and meat scraps and serving it up to America's school kids.
This is the same meat product that was recently banned from McDonalds and Taco Bell Menu's. The concoction was originally introduced in 2002 after a salmonella outbreak, and its approval was made by scientists with minimal care and normal protocol. Pink slime," which is officially called "Lean Beef Trimmings," is banned for human consumption in the United Kingdom. It is commonly used in dog and chicken food. ammonium hydroxide, a chemical that is used to kill pathogens such as E. coli. The FDA considers it safe for human consumption but a 2009 expose by the New York Times questioned its safety and efficacy.
With this being said, the obvious question now arises, of how good of an idea is it to serve this food product to our children.

"Pink Slime"

Bank of America is walking into a PR buzz saw

Last year, Bank of America announced plans to charge a monthly fee for debit cards. But the amount of backlash caused them to pull the plan. Bank of America's PR team attempted to salvage the establishment's reputation. Now, word has come out that they're "exploring" different monthly fee options. I feel sorry for their PR team, but I guess that's the nature of the beast. We don't get to make the big decisions, we just have to deal with the repercussions. 

Article

Kony 2012

“KONY 2012 IS A FILM AND CAMPAIGN BY INVISIBLE CHILDREN THAT AIMS TO MAKE JOSEPH KONY FAMOUS, NOT TO CELEBRATE HIM, BUT TO RAISE SUPPORT FOR HIS ARREST AND SET A PRECEDENT FOR INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE.”

WASHINGTON — A campaign to bring accused war criminal Joseph Kony, the fugitive head of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army rebels, to justice has gone viral on the Internet. The hashtag “#stopkony” was among top.

The following was taken from socialmediatoday.com by someone who thinks it will help prove that social media is a spiritual awakening:

"But before you do, let me add a disclaimer. I'm not a particularly political person, but this video will certainly move you. I think it will effect you even more profoundly if you're a parent, I felt as if I had been kicked in the stomach while watching it. This video articulates beautifully that this social media animal is a spiritual dance. That together, "many littles" can do great things through our collective digital connections."

"If Jen and Mike hadn't shared the video with me, I wouldn't have shared it with you, and you wouldn't have been able to share this post with your social network, and perhaps this movement would die on the vine. Thank you to Jen and Mike for being brave. I think the rest may be up to you."

This campaign exploded over night and I think it proves just how powerful social media is. This morning I saw Ryan Secrest tweet about it. It will be interesting to see if it works or not.

WATCH AND SHARE

IF THE WORLD KNOWS WHO JOSEPH KONY IS, IT WILL UNITE TO STOP HIM.

IT STARTS HERE.

KONY 2012 IS A FILM AND CAMPAIGN BY INVISIBLE CHILDREN THAT AIMS TO MAKE JOSEPH KONY FAMOUS, NOT TO CELEBRATE HIM, BUT TO RAISE SUPPORT FOR HIS ARREST AND SET A PRECEDENT FOR INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE.

A new, high-definition iPad from Apple

On Wednesday, Apple announced a new high-definition iPad will be available with a faster processor, a better camera and a display screen that promises to be dramatically sharper than the current model, the iPad 2.

The new iPad will be available in the United States and 9 other countries March 16 and cost the same as the iPad 2, from $499 to $829 based on storage capacity and Wi-Fi capacity. Pre-orders were opened at Apple's online store on Wednesday. The new iPad will be the first to run on a 4G wireless network and doesn't have an official name yet such as "iPad 3."

The price on the iPad 2 will be slashed $100. So, a 16GB, Wi-Fi-only model will sell for $399, making it more competitive with the lower-end tablets.

This is really annoying because I got the original iPad two Christmas' ago and it has the medium data plan so it cost about $800. I also pay 25$ a month for unlimited 3G access. Newer and better is always coming out, and now the prices are significantly cheaper which is really really aggravating. I don't want a new one because I paid so much for the one I have and I feel like it should still be new! I never win.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/07/tech/mobile/ipad-3-announcement/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

The Roots to Headline MOG's Third Annual SXSW Showcase

Today, March 6, 2012, MOG Inc., a next generation music media company and owner of the MOG Music Network, announced the line-up for its Intel sponsored, free, all ages event during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival in Austin, TX, on Saturday, March 17.

The Roots, a legendary group of musicians best known for their jazzy approach to hip-hop and as the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, have been named as the headliner for the event. The Roots performance that night will be their only performance during SXSW.

For the third year in a row the event is being held at The Mohawk, a venue known for its unique indoor-outdoor layout, allowing a large space for live performances.

Intel will provide a live streaming coverage of the event on MOG.com, available to all FreePlay users, allowing music lovers everywhere to enjoy the performances.

Other artists including legendary musician Bob Mould, Gary Clark Jr., The War on Drugs and Blitzen Trapper.

by Blake Brittain

CVS mixed up kids' pills with cancer drug

CVS Caremark, which runs the second-largest drugstore chain in the U.S., is responsible for improperly dispensing Tamoxifen instead of chewable fluoride tablets to children in as many as 50 families between Dec. 1 and Feb. 20. Pharmaceutical experts announced on Saturday that the children are not likely to suffer any dangerous or long-term side effects from the Tamoxifen, which is a breast cancer treatment medication.

CVS Caremark’s director of public relations issued a statement saying that CVS acknowledges being responsible for the mix-up but gave no reason to what caused it. CVS stated that it had contacted, or attempted to contact, each of the families who had filled this specific prescription in the last 60 days and said it was “deeply sorry for the mistake that occurred.”

The mix-up of prescription drugs is not widely common, but it happens from time to time. Although no harm was caused by this incident, prescription drug swaps are particularly scary to the public and this is probably especially concerning to parents. Since CVS is a predominant drugstore chain getting a lot of media attention, it will have to work a little harder to restore consumer-confidence than a small, hometown drugstore.

Issuing an apology and taking responsibility for the incident indicates to me that CVS seems to be on the right track to restoring its public image. I think the most important for CVS to do now is to disclose to the public how this mistake occurred and what the company will to do prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46619092/ns/health-childrens_health/

Breeding an entire generation with A.D.D

Read the article here.

Social media--like many other technological innovations and important inventions-- is rewriting history, transforming the communication industry and basically changing the world as we know it. However, there is one thing that sets social media apart from all other past industrial advances; it is actually rewiring the brains of young people.

According to a new study, young people will be “less likely to undertake deep, critical analysis of issues and challenging information” by the year 2020.

This isn't just a theory, but instead an educated prediction of the way teens and young adults consume information. The study was conducted by Elon University and Pew Internet and involved reports made by more than 1,000 technology stakeholders and critics.

"Some [survey respondents] said they are already witnessing deficiencies in young people’s abilities to focus their attention, be patient and think deeply," said Danah Boyd of Microsoft Research.

Social media is actually breeding an entire generation of individuals with cognitive predispositions towards A.D.D. (which stands for attention deficit disorder for those unfamiliar with the term.)

I can't say I'm surprised at all. My brain feels like it's on information overload all the time--simultaneously texting, tweeting, watching television shows, e-mailing, checking out that new viral video. It seems normal that brains are adapting accordingly and completely rewiring.

Of course, there are also many benefits and advantages to using social media, and we're not all doomed to have A.D.D. But, for those concerned that this 2020 prediction may apply to them, check out the study and be careful of your multi-media multi-tasking.

Professionalism of Social Media websites

As many are coming I realize, your Facebook, Twitter are becoming more and more somewhat of your second resume when looking for occupations in today's dog-eat-dog job force. With the creation of such website like "LinkedIn" and Facebook's newest addition "BranchOut," one can't help but to notice the concern for monitoring what and hat not to place on the Internet. Itt use to be a day where social media sites were just that.......social media sites to connect with long-lost friends, high school buddies and family. In this day in age, I feel nothing off guard in effecting where you get in life, how you're perceieved as a person as well as your general reputation with people. In today's world a picture post can be a deal-breaker in getting that promotion you've been working so desperately hard for. As sad as it is to say, censorship has become a daily routine in the lives of many whether it e on social media sites, blogs or even in person.

Mad Men's "9/11" Posters

So, Mad Men put out posters depicting a man falling from a rooftop to advertise the new series. New Yorkers are up in arms about this because it brings back haunting memories of 9/11 and the iconic man falling from the building. 

Deborah Burlingame, daughter of the pilot of the jet that hit the Pentagon on 9/11 said that the advertisement was cruel and tasteless, and that putting those images so close to the site of 9/11 is ridiculous and it will obviously evoke emotion of that day.

AMC, the network that is responsible for Mad Men said that they have been using that image since 2007 to represent a man whose life is in turmoil and they didn't do it to purposely hurt those affected by 9/11. 

There will be many arguments about if it is defensive, yet there will be many that say it is not. What do you think?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2108253/Mad-Men-falling-man-poster-Creators-accused-insensitivity-9-11-victims-families.html

Ohio school shooting

Students, parents and faculty returned to Chardon High School today for the first time since the shooting rampage earlier this week that left three of their fellow classmates dead. A group of about 50 seniors gathered downtown with flowers, candles and stuffed animals and sang the school song around a pavilion decorated with red ribbons remembering those who lost their lives. The students and faculty will resume classes tomorrow.

The 17 year old suspect in the case, T.J Lane, has confessed to taking a .22 calibur Ruger pistol and knife to school on Monday and firing 10 shots randomly into a group of students sitting at a table in the cafeteria.

Daniel Parmertor,16, Demetrius Hewlin,16, and Russell King,17, died from their injuries.

Other students remain in serious condition with neck and back injuries.

Mr. Lane appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday, wincing as the prosecutors read the accusations against him. His face crumpled briefly into tears as he was led away, and he appeared to whisper the words “I am so sorry” to two aunts and his grandfather, Jack Nolan, who is also his legal guardian.

CNN reported on Tuesday that Mr. Lane had taken the gun from a family member, who had bought it legally, but Mr. Joyce said he could not confirm that.

The exact reason of the shooting has not yet been released, but Lane's next scheduled hearing is March 6th, when prosecutors are expected to announce charges.

I chose to write about this because it truly scares me that people in the world are capable of this. It also scares me because being a bigger University, this can easily happen here.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/03/01/us/01reuters-shooting-ohio.html?_r=1&hp