Maslow and Aristotle

1. What do Aristotle and Maslow say about "the good life"?

2. Can you attain it by buying a product?

3. Should you try to sell a product by implying you should sell it that way?



The good life according to Aristotle can be attained by living in moderation. " A happy person will exhibit a personality appropriately balanced between reasons and desires with moderation characterizing all." True happiness can be achieved through the cultivation of the virtues that make a human life complete.

According to Maslow, the good life can be achieved through self-actualization, the highest level on his hierarchy of needs. Self actualization is the instinctual need of humans to make the most of their abilties and to strive to be the best they can. It is the final stage in his hierarchy of needs which includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of predjudice and accepting of facts.

I do not think you can achieve the good life by buying a product. Actually I think it would be absolutely ridiculous to think that the good life could be achieved through buying a product, such as Nike. I do think that their message is very clever and attention- getting, but I think Nike is using these real life issues as a bribe to sell their products, and I am sure it is working. I found their advertisement effective, yet disturbing because wearing/owning Nike products is not going to make you stronger or less likely to be attacked, etc....

Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen is one of the world's most influential and articulate journalists. He has written around 1300 columns for the Miami Herald. His writings show his great passion for the growth and government in Florida. Hiaasen chronicled "a decade and a half of the issues, struggles, and personalities affecting the development of the state and the welfare of its residents." What seems to tick him off more than anything is hypocrisy and greed. He is very ticked off by Disney. He is a very neutral journalist who goes out aggressively to get a story but does it fairly by not playing favorites or taking sides. I love this saying by him: "You just kick ass. That's what you do. And that's what they pay you to do." His main issue is to dig out the TRUTH. Sincere, passionate, and consistent are three things he desires to deliver in every column he writes. He says that is what newspapers are supposed to do and that is exactly what the Miami Herald does. He tries to get his readers to feel as passionate as he does about Florida in his writing and I think he does a tremendous job of doing that in his writings.

William F. Buckley, Jr.

Buckley was a very intelligent and respected man who had a great impact on many people. "He inspired and incited three generations of conservatives, and counting. He retained his intellectual and literary vitality to the end." Buckley had a passion for debating and was a tough competitor on "Firing Line". He was very honest and spoke his mind no matter what but did it in a respectful, classy manner as well. He was also very devoted to his family and his Church before he became a conservative.
I think he would be just fine competing in today's 24/7 wworld. He stood up for what he believed in and did not let anyone get in his way. Although some people might attack his views in today's world, he would not let that bother him.
Everything that I wrote above about him I could learn to use in my own career- to be a passsionate debator and stick up for what I believe in and just to believe in myself and my work to help impact others.

Obama, plagiarism??

The facts here are that Hillary Clinton is accussing Obama of stealing parts of someone elses speech after he borrowed a riff about the power of words that was used two years ago by his friend, Massachussetts Governor Patrick and delivered it in his own speech. The main ethical principle is did Obama commit plagiarism? Some ethical issues to try to figure this out are is it ethical to borrow the words of someone else and use them in your own speech if that person allows you to do so? Did Obama give credit to Governor Patrick when he borrowed or used his words? We do not know the exact answers to these questions so it is hard to decide who is right or wrong. One other question to think about is, Is Hillary just doing anything she can to make Obama look bad because she knows she is behind in the democratic race? This is politics, and it gets dirty. I do not think Obama really did anything wrong. He is way too smart too plagiarize, and I think Clinton is desperate to make him look bad...

Bull Run vs. Iraq

The Battle at Bull Run and the war in Iraq had similarities and differences. The articles were similar in the fact that they both portrayed the devastation and destruction of war. People risked their lives in both of these tragic events. The article on the Battle at Bull Run by Henry Villard seemed like one that had come out of an old history book. It is very factual and is pretty much in chronolgical order with no dialogue. I found it to be less interesting to read than the article on Iraq by Tom Roeder. Roeder's article uses more descriptive and exciting words allowing the reader to visualize what is going on at that time. It also contains dialogue between the soldiers and sergeants as well as the people who live in Iraq. Bull Run was one specific battle while the situation in Iraq is a continuous war that is still going on today. Bull Run occurred almost 150 years ago which was at a very different time than today.

COM 387- His Girl Friday

I did not do live-blogging because I am not a very fast typer and the movie was fast-paced so I felt it was easier to jot down notes and come back to blog about it later...
His Girl Friday is a 1940s comedy filled with sarcastic humor. The main character, Walter Burns, is a newspaper editor for the Morning Post who is desperately trying to get his ex-wife Hildy back. Hildy was a former well-known and talented reporter who wants to shed the image of being a newspaper reporter. She is about to marry a man named Bruce whom she expects to treat her as a real woman, unlike the way Walter treated her. Walter tries to get Hildy to come back and cover one last story about a convicted murderer, Earl Williams, who is on death row. However, Williams ends up escaping from jail. The whole time all of this is going on Walter is scheming and trying to find ways to win Hildy back. He sets up Bruce to get arrested and kidnaps Hildy's future mother-in-law. In the end we find out that Williams is not guilty and city officials actually set him up. The movie just ends without us knowing what happens between Walter and Hildy and Bruce.

COM 317- Due process of law

According to due process of law, laws and legal proceedings must be fair. You must play by the rules. Walter Burgwyn was a judge who served in the Alabama state legislature from 1919-1920, then he was a circuit judge until 1935 and a presiding judge from 1935-1963. He is known because he is the judge who heard the famous Times vs. Sullivan case. Jones was very racist because he did not let black people have any rights. He also wrote several Confederate War poems. T. Eric Embry was hired by the Times to defend blacks in criminal cases. Jones was a circuit judge in Alababa who contradicted his own article by making it his mission to do everything possible in his power to prevent blacks from having any rights. Embry and Jones ended up meeting in court when Embry was a defense lawyer and Jones was the judge in the Sullivan case,

com 317- Britney Spears

The pop star was hospitalized again for her erratic behavior. I think Spears has a lot of mental issues going on and I am sure the papparazi are making it worse for her. I do feel sorry for her because her privacy is being invaded and the media is out to make her look as crazy as possible by showing pictures and clips of her at her worst times. She just needs a lot of professional help.
The 5150 gives the right for a medical professional to help one who might be a possible danger to his/herself or others. Although it is hard to decide, I think she does have rights under the 5150 because she is allowed to leave after 72 hours if the medical professionals think she is not a risk anymore.

COM 387- Jimmy Breslin

After reading a few of Breslin's articles, I realize that he is a very opinionated reporter. I found his interview about the election and candidates with Jeremy Schaap a bit ruthless but also comical at times. Schaap referred to Breslin as "a torchbearer from the days of the big city print journalism, the quintessential constant in an ever-changing megatopolis." He uses some big words there! Breslin directly says that he cannot stand Hilary Clinton while answering the first question. He thinks everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie. Then when asked about Guiliani, he says 'he will start World War III." He considers him the worst mayor ever. Then he describes Bush in two words- dumb and evil. Breslin is a very blunt and honest person who is more than happy to express his opinion. However, I think his opinions are a little too harsh.