Sunday, December 25, 2011

Alternatives To Television

It is quite easy to spend several hours a day glued to the screen of a television set. It is estimated that on average an individual watches approximately two full months worth of television over the course of a year. Some suggest that this fascination with television has contributed immensely to the obesity problem in North America. Finding an alternative to watching hours of television a day may pose a difficult task for some people who simply cannot miss a particular show that they watch on a regular basis. However, despite the temptation television creates, there are far more enjoyable activities one can participate in during those few hours regularly spent in front on the small screen. Since television is a major contributor to weight problems, exercising seems like a logical thing to...

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Awful Truth About Television: Fake News and other reasons not to watch TV news

DO touch that dial to avoid fake news Government agencies, corporations, industry groups, and other large organizations contaminate the airwaves with fake news. These organizations produce pre-packaged news segments called VNRs, or Video News Releases. These segments look like real news. In fact, VNRs are little more that propaganda pieces for their producers. Stations have routinely used these fake news segments since at least the 1980s, usually without disclosing their source. There is nothing inherently wrong with the government and other social actors creating interesting audio or video pieces to communicate with the public. The problem is that these propaganda pieces do not properly identify the source. They are made to look and feel like independent news casts with government/corporate...

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Has Television Made Us Fat?

What is the most popular activity on the face of the Earth, no holds barred? Why, it's TV of course! No other activity even comes close to the popularity of TV. We watch it, talk about it, pattern our behavior after it, laugh and cry because of it, and have it in nearly every household in America. Ponder a few of the following facts about TV: The average TV viewer will see an estimated 20,000 commercials every year. That's about 55 commercials each day. All the while we watch TV our perceptions about self-image, a healthy lifestyle and human behavior are being slowly and systematically changed, and in some cases, distorted. American youth watch an average of 1,023 hours of TV yearly, while they only spend about 900 hours in school. In year 2000, a National Assessment of Educational...

Friday, December 9, 2011

Deal Or No Deal - Great Television!

Game show lovers gather around the television once a week for NBC's runaway hit show Deal or No Deal. This extremely popular and exciting hour long show is hosted by none other than Howie Mandel, the loveable stand up comedian who offers average citizens the chance to strike it rich. Mandel's likeable nature and comical banter combined with the enthusiasm shown by contestants would make for good TV in itself. The real hook of the show though is the way the tension builds as deals are cut with the mysterious banker up in the shadows. The game of Deal or No Deal does require some strategy, but ultimately it comes down to luck. The game involves trying to choose the case which contains 1 million dollars out of 26 cases which hold various dollar amounts. The cases are held and opened by 26 of...