Month: March 2011

As I was going throughsome of my classmates blogs I was’t surprised to find an article on Sean McNulty’s blog about Rebecca Black. In about the span of two weeks Rebecca has gone from an unknown singer with mediocre (very mediocre) talent, to an internet sensation. All of this was due to her music video entitled Friday, which is currently zeroing in on 40 million views on YouTube. This video has been a topic of discussion across news stations, Facebook, Rebecca was a trending topic on Twitter and the single itself is now available on Itunes. In spite of all the attention that the video has received, the video itself is exeptionally bad. Rebecca sings lyrics that could have been written by fourth grader in a nasal autotuned voice that is almost painful to listen to. This prompts the question, if the song is so awful why have so many people seen it? And why am I writing a blog about it? That is all explained by the power of social media and the internet. The video was produced by Ark Music Factory, which was an unknown, low budget music producing company and from what I can see got zero promotion other than being posted on the company’s website and YouTube. I’m not exactly sure who discovered the video, I just remember seeing it posted on my Facebook one day, then about a day later it was everywhere. I assume that the video just spread exponentially across social media sources like Facebook and Twitter to the point where most people with a computer had seen it. This goes to show how powerful networks like Facebook and Twitter are at dispersing information. Unfortunately for Rebecca, it wasn’t due to her lyrical content and vocal ability, it was due to an audacious lack of it.

I think the most prominent thing I’ve learned about myself in this class are what my skills are, thanks to Strengthquest! Well, actualy, I already knew what I was good at. What I’ve really learned in this course, is how the skills I posses translate into assets in the working world. Before this class, I did not have a super clear view of my “value”, mainly because I did not really know what an employer is looking for in an employee. Now that I’ve gone through a large portion of this class, I’ve gained a lot of insight into what gets you where in the business world and in seeing this have been able to size myself up and determine what I have to offer and see where that may take me. In general, I’ve gained quite a great appreciation for myself in analyzing and embellishing all of my strengths. In addition, I’ve found that self-improvement motivates me. I’ve always been a very competative person and in writing resumes and going to interviews, I’ve found that I have a desire to be better than everyone else. This desire motivates me to go out and accomplish new things in order to add to my personal resume. Unfortunately, I’ve found it hard to go out and do awesome things as I’m usualy bogged down with work. Although, I guess school is a good form of self-improvement, atleast I hope it is.

About a week ago, in a game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadians, Zdeno Chara checked Max Pacioretty of the Canadiens, head first into the turnbuckle between the two benches. The hit left Pacioretty severely concussed and with a broken fourth vertebra. The NHL decided to not suspend Chara, as the hit was deemed a “terrible consequence” of the game. None the less, the hit, which could have easily cost Pacioretty (22 years old) his playing career, added to the NHL’s reputation as being violent and dangerous.

Air Canada, one of the NHL’s main sponsors, lashed out at the NHL and threatened to pull their sponsorship of the league if something isn’t done to clamp down on dangerous hits to the head. Although many other sponsors expressed their concern over hits to the head, having one threaten to pull their sponsorship is unprecidented, in the NHL and sports leagues everywhere.

I can see where Air Canada is coming from, being an airline where safety is at the forefront of concern, associating themselves with a sport known for its element of danger does not seem like a great idea. However, I have come to the conclusion that Air Canada’s statements are no more than an empty threat aimed at gaining some form of publicity(this is a very biased opinion). There is no way Air Canada would pull its sponsorship of the NHL. If they were to do so, and threaten the stability of the league, every canadian who loves hockey (99% of canadians), would never fly Air Canada again (if they don’t already as it is a lowsy airline). At the end of the day does the NHL need to crack down on hits to the head? Yes. Does Air Canada need to realize that hockey (like football and other sports) is a dangerous game? Yes

The recent spikes in the cost of crude oil have reminded the world as a whole how handcuffed it is by the cost of fossil fuel. The recent uprisings in the middle east (Libya) have triggered a sharp rise in the price of a barrel of oil. What people may not realise, is that the rise in oil prices is not so related to a shortage in supply of oil as it is speculation. Libya is only responsible for a small portion of the oil produced in the middle east, whereas Saudi Arabia, which is not currently in the amidst of an uprising, produces a very large, large portion. The reason the cost of a barrel of oil is so high is due to the perceived risk. As an uninformed consumer, I myself look at the mess in the middle east and can’t see it ending soon. In addition, I would then say if the prices of oil are so high mainly do to uncertainty, I don’t see them coming down soon as I’m certain the conflicts in the middle east aren’t just going to stop. This being, I begin to evaluate my own personal reliance on crude oil and how I can limit it. I am going to assume this is the thought process of many people.

In opposition to the negative impacts of rising oil prices, North America (mostly united-states), has began to recover from the recession. Spending has increased and the economy is improving. Now, assuming there s a large quantity of of people looking to lower their reliance on oil prices and who have a little extra spending room in their budget what happens? Demand for electric/ fuel efficient cars! So all car manufacturers should take advantage of the situation before their competitors do and start advertising.

Lupe Fiasco’s 3rd studio album entitled Lasers, is set to be released next tuesday, March 8th. Lupe, has made a name for himself through is lyrical abilities, his candidness, his socially conscience approach to music and essentially by marching to the beat of his own drum. In an era where hip-hop music has been inundated with made for radio singles, Lupe Fiasco’s style has differentiated him from the rest of the competition and garnered him an almost cult like following. However, as Lupe and his fans have found, being different in an industry where popularity is everything, is not easy. Lasers has supposedly been, in some way shape or form, completed since 2009. The reason for it not being released earlier, according to Lupe, was that he needed to dumb it down. Atlantic, his record label, wanted him to produce something that would be picked up by the masses, and Lupe’s signature style of wirtting lyrics that take the average person a few replays of the track to get the full meaning of, did not cut it. Lupe, being the true artist he is, resisted Atlantics pressures to alter his work and a very long and public conflict ensued. Being a business student, I can see where Atlantic is coming from. In a time where music sales are being killed by illegal online downloads, maximizing what ever profit they can does make sense. However, at the same time, in looking at Lupe and his fan base, Atlantic should have realized that yielding to corporate pressures and making mainstream music is exactly what they are against. In the end , Lupe Atlantic reached a compromise, Lasers is essentially a hybird album combining some mainstream beats with anything but mainstream lyrics.

Lupe’s Blog

Lupe speaking out against Atlantic