FDA Cigarette Warnings

Recently, the FDA has imposed stricter and more graphic label laws for cigarettes. Some large cigarette companies have said that this is a violation of their first amendment rights. The FDA defends their decision by saying that the labels are for the public safety and are the best way to show smokers the risks of smoking. This satirical video clip we found on collegehumor.com targets these new laws imposed on cigarette companies.

http://www.collegehumor.com/embed/6643839/even-worse-fda-cigarette-warnings

Who is the intended target of this clip? What does this video imply about the new cigarette label laws made by the FDA? How is the video's target represented? Is the video effective in exposing their intended target? If so, what aspects of this piece of satire make it effective?

1930's Lynching

Our group wanted to try something a little different with this weeks blog post. Photos can be very deciving and bring out a lot of feeling. Sometimes not knowing the story behind the photo can generate different views of a photo. Thus "This photograph was taken after the lynching of two young black men accused of raping a white girl. They were hanged by a mob of 10,000. A third man was saved by the girls uncle who said he was innocent". The peoples faces are very telling and can generate a lot of thoughts. Also try to think of the emotions that the photo brings out. How does the photo bring out the environment in which it was taken? Try to think about how the different actions and colors blend into framing the photo. Is the photo trying to express some meanning or purpose? Also could this photo be viewed differently back then compared to how it is viewed now? This is probably out in left field but there is a lot that can be said about this photo. Thanks.

http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/1930-lynching.jpg