Turning Media Tides:
Popular Programs Criticize the President’s Affordable Care Act
by Caleb Yee
With recent setbacks to the Affordable Healthcare Act, also known as Obamacare, the media has shown no mercy in criticizing the law through satire episodes, skits, websites, and popular TV talk show hosts. A popular satire program known for poking fun at celebrities and politics, called Saturday Night Live, has recently been criticizing the administration in its skits. Last September, SNL aired an episode in which an actor playing President Obama addressed a crowd about the benefits of the healthcare law. After the speech he asked the crowd to testify in favor of the law. However, each individual that came up to speak gave a negative response. Last October, SNL released another skit parodying the glitches of the disappointing website that was launched to carry out the process of signing up for free healthcare.
Around the same time, a popular comedy show, South Park, aired an episode that also criticized Obamacare. In the show, the school’s counselor, Mr. Mackey, integrates a new system called “Intellilink” to centralize and streamline the school’s communication. However, problems start to arise with the system and he receives multiple complaints from the students and the staff. Instead of getting rid of the system, Mr. Mackey decides to upgrade the program by spending thousands of dollars blaming and even firing one of his staff members, a reference to Human Health and Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, for its problems.
At the end, Mr. Mackey realizes that streamlining the school’s entire communications would simply not work. The episode pokes fun at the Canadian healthcare system and revealed that Canada and the school used the same Intellilink system. “Anyone who thinks streamlining health care into an integrated system would go smoothly deserves a queef (derogatory term) in their face," says a Canadian character in the show. In addition to SNL and South Park, late night talk show hosts, Jay Leno and Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, have attacked the law and its website through names such as “The Affordable Horror Show”. Both made quite scathing jokes on their respective shows even though Stewart is known to have supported the healthcare act in the past
The question is whether or not these are isolated shows criticizing the administration or if there is a trend in the media slowly turning against Obamacare, even among liberal television networks.
See for yourself:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s17e05-taming-strange
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/obamacare-website-ad-cold-open/n42305/
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/obamacare-cold-open/n41321/
Popular Programs Criticize the President’s Affordable Care Act
by Caleb Yee
With recent setbacks to the Affordable Healthcare Act, also known as Obamacare, the media has shown no mercy in criticizing the law through satire episodes, skits, websites, and popular TV talk show hosts. A popular satire program known for poking fun at celebrities and politics, called Saturday Night Live, has recently been criticizing the administration in its skits. Last September, SNL aired an episode in which an actor playing President Obama addressed a crowd about the benefits of the healthcare law. After the speech he asked the crowd to testify in favor of the law. However, each individual that came up to speak gave a negative response. Last October, SNL released another skit parodying the glitches of the disappointing website that was launched to carry out the process of signing up for free healthcare.
Around the same time, a popular comedy show, South Park, aired an episode that also criticized Obamacare. In the show, the school’s counselor, Mr. Mackey, integrates a new system called “Intellilink” to centralize and streamline the school’s communication. However, problems start to arise with the system and he receives multiple complaints from the students and the staff. Instead of getting rid of the system, Mr. Mackey decides to upgrade the program by spending thousands of dollars blaming and even firing one of his staff members, a reference to Human Health and Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, for its problems.
At the end, Mr. Mackey realizes that streamlining the school’s entire communications would simply not work. The episode pokes fun at the Canadian healthcare system and revealed that Canada and the school used the same Intellilink system. “Anyone who thinks streamlining health care into an integrated system would go smoothly deserves a queef (derogatory term) in their face," says a Canadian character in the show. In addition to SNL and South Park, late night talk show hosts, Jay Leno and Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, have attacked the law and its website through names such as “The Affordable Horror Show”. Both made quite scathing jokes on their respective shows even though Stewart is known to have supported the healthcare act in the past
The question is whether or not these are isolated shows criticizing the administration or if there is a trend in the media slowly turning against Obamacare, even among liberal television networks.
See for yourself:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s17e05-taming-strange
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/obamacare-website-ad-cold-open/n42305/
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/obamacare-cold-open/n41321/
Ender’s Game Movie Expected to Be a Big Hit Despite Controversy
Conservative Author Successfully Navigates Hollywood
by Caleb Yee
October 30, 2013
Science fiction writer Orson Scott Card’s popular novel Ender’s Game is on the big screen November 1st. For many years, Card refused to give up the film rights to Hollywood, but struck a deal with Summit Productions in 2011.
The award-winning novel is set in the future where Earth and an alien race known as the Buggers are in the midst of a war. The story centers the life of an 11-year old boy, Ender Wiggins, who likes to play video games. (Saying more would give the plot away.) In the upcoming film, Wiggins is portrayed by young actor Asa Butterfield.
The novel won the Nebula Award in 1985 and the Hugo Award in 1986. The novel was followed by a video game and a comic-book adaptation.
Orson Scott Card, a well-known conservative columnist and public speaker, has numerous notable works under his belt. Critics have said that Card’s political views might ruin the upcoming film. However, supporters say the author’s personal views have nothing to do with the novel or the film itself.
Ender’s Game was written and directed by Gavin Hood and will be released in IMAX. The movie began filming on February 27th, 2012, reportedly in a NASA complex in New Orleans. Supporting actors include Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff, Hailee Steinfield as Petra Arkanian, and Abigail Breslin as Valentine Wiggins.
Interesting Facts:
[Editor’s Note: Ender’s Game may be Orson Scott Card’s answer to Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy where only by gathering into a collective (‘Gaia’) can the human race be considered to have a chance to defeat a future threat from deep space. In Ender’s Game, the threat has arrived and is beaten, not by a collective, but by a team of free-thinking individuals who cooperate for a common purpose.]
Conservative Author Successfully Navigates Hollywood
by Caleb Yee
October 30, 2013
Science fiction writer Orson Scott Card’s popular novel Ender’s Game is on the big screen November 1st. For many years, Card refused to give up the film rights to Hollywood, but struck a deal with Summit Productions in 2011.
The award-winning novel is set in the future where Earth and an alien race known as the Buggers are in the midst of a war. The story centers the life of an 11-year old boy, Ender Wiggins, who likes to play video games. (Saying more would give the plot away.) In the upcoming film, Wiggins is portrayed by young actor Asa Butterfield.
The novel won the Nebula Award in 1985 and the Hugo Award in 1986. The novel was followed by a video game and a comic-book adaptation.
Orson Scott Card, a well-known conservative columnist and public speaker, has numerous notable works under his belt. Critics have said that Card’s political views might ruin the upcoming film. However, supporters say the author’s personal views have nothing to do with the novel or the film itself.
Ender’s Game was written and directed by Gavin Hood and will be released in IMAX. The movie began filming on February 27th, 2012, reportedly in a NASA complex in New Orleans. Supporting actors include Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff, Hailee Steinfield as Petra Arkanian, and Abigail Breslin as Valentine Wiggins.
Interesting Facts:
- The battle room featured in the film is the diameter of three football fields.
- For the wirework in the battle room, the actors trained for a month with individual Cirque du Soleil members so they could do the wire performances themselves.
- Director Gavin Hood first read the book as an adult. At that point, he'd already spent time in the military, having been drafted at age 17.
- An LGBT group launched a boycott campaign against the film due to personal political views of the author of the novel, Orson Scott Card, who is also a producer of the film. The studio and several people involved in the film urged them to see the film regardless of the author’s personal views.
- There are over 30 different language translations of the book around the world.
[Editor’s Note: Ender’s Game may be Orson Scott Card’s answer to Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy where only by gathering into a collective (‘Gaia’) can the human race be considered to have a chance to defeat a future threat from deep space. In Ender’s Game, the threat has arrived and is beaten, not by a collective, but by a team of free-thinking individuals who cooperate for a common purpose.]
Madison Rising 7/31/13
Photo Credit: Amanda O'Shea
Madison Rising is a rock band devoted to bringing patriotism and solid rock music together to restore the appreciation of both in our culture. As a country, we are in the midst of a culture war, as culture is what dictates the way the entire nation thinks and views the world, especially young people. Madison Rising is fighting on the front lines to appeal to the masses, as many other musicians do, but more importantly, to spread the messages that we as a country need to hear in this day and age.
The band is composed of talented musicians from all walks of life whose energy radiates from the stage when they perform together. Dave Bray, the lead vocalist, was born in England, served four years in the U.S. Navy, and was the lead singer for two other bands before joining Madison Rising. The guitarist, Adam Bodnar's career has taken him all around the world to places like Africa, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Bahrain and Japan. Sam Fishman has always been passionate about drums and it shows in his performance. "I've always dreamed of using my talents in a meaningful way. When I'm up on stage playing the drums and I feel the crowd’s energy, it's a win win,” says Sam. Bass guitarist, Steve Padelski met Sam in the North Jersey rock music scene, and through their friendship, Steve joined Madison Rising in January of last year.
Guns are a common theme in many music genres, especially rap and rock, yet prior to Madison Rising, there were not any real anthems for gun rights. “Right to Bear” is Madison Rising’s way of reaching out to gun rights proponents, and doing their part to influence the gun debate we face as a nation today. Madison Rising hopes to use "Right to Bear" to positively influence the debate, elaborating why the right to defend one’s home is important to them. “I demand my right to bear arms.”
Madison Rising is perhaps best known for their rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. They set a goal of one million YouTube hits on their video before the November 6th election last year, and reached that goal seven weeks early. Their new goal is to reach five million hits before September of this year. See their website to find out more about their goals and hear the song. You can also watch the video at AdventuresInMusic.biz.
Madison rising will be playing at the Sturgis motorcycle festival August 8th, opening for Kansas August 10th in Toledo Ohio, and appearing at the North Texas State Fair in Denton August 21st. For a full list of appearances, see their website. Their album is available on both iTunes for $9.90, and can also be found on Spotify and YouTube.
- By Lyda Loudon
The band is composed of talented musicians from all walks of life whose energy radiates from the stage when they perform together. Dave Bray, the lead vocalist, was born in England, served four years in the U.S. Navy, and was the lead singer for two other bands before joining Madison Rising. The guitarist, Adam Bodnar's career has taken him all around the world to places like Africa, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Bahrain and Japan. Sam Fishman has always been passionate about drums and it shows in his performance. "I've always dreamed of using my talents in a meaningful way. When I'm up on stage playing the drums and I feel the crowd’s energy, it's a win win,” says Sam. Bass guitarist, Steve Padelski met Sam in the North Jersey rock music scene, and through their friendship, Steve joined Madison Rising in January of last year.
Guns are a common theme in many music genres, especially rap and rock, yet prior to Madison Rising, there were not any real anthems for gun rights. “Right to Bear” is Madison Rising’s way of reaching out to gun rights proponents, and doing their part to influence the gun debate we face as a nation today. Madison Rising hopes to use "Right to Bear" to positively influence the debate, elaborating why the right to defend one’s home is important to them. “I demand my right to bear arms.”
Madison Rising is perhaps best known for their rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. They set a goal of one million YouTube hits on their video before the November 6th election last year, and reached that goal seven weeks early. Their new goal is to reach five million hits before September of this year. See their website to find out more about their goals and hear the song. You can also watch the video at AdventuresInMusic.biz.
Madison rising will be playing at the Sturgis motorcycle festival August 8th, opening for Kansas August 10th in Toledo Ohio, and appearing at the North Texas State Fair in Denton August 21st. For a full list of appearances, see their website. Their album is available on both iTunes for $9.90, and can also be found on Spotify and YouTube.
- By Lyda Loudon