Angus T. Jones, Young Star of Two and a Half Men, Sparks Controversy

Recently in an interview with forerunner ministries, Child star of two and a half men, Angus T. Jones, spoke out calling the show filth and begging viewers to stop watching. In the interview, Jones shares his personal testimony and expresses that his fire and passion for God has been reignited through his recent recommitment to Christ. Jones states how the show goes against his religious beliefs and says that "It's very weird being on a television show, especially now that I'm trying to walk with God, because my television show has nothing to do with God and doesn't want anything to do with God". Jones expresses that he has considered not continuing his role on Two and a Half Men, but stated that he is in a “strange position” because he is under contract for another year, which doesn’t allow him to have much say in the matter of leaving the show. Besides his comments against the show, Jones also spoke on more personal topics like his parents’ divorce, his past use of drugs, and his still intact virginity.

Within a little over twenty-four hours of the spark of controversy over Jones interview, He issued out a statement of apology. In his apology, Jones did not take back the statements he made about the show but instead apologized for any lack of respect or appreciation shown. Jones stated “I am grateful to and have the highest regard and respect for all of the wonderful people on Two and Half Men with whom I have worked and over the past 10 years who have become an extension of my family… I apologize if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed. I never intended that.”

 Weeks after Jones interview, the CEO of CBS, Les Moonves, finally spoke out to address the controversy. Moonves, never commenting if Jones still had a job on the show, joked how things like Jones outburst against the show that made him a star “seems to be what happens with child stars over the course of time”. Moonves also commented that Jones’ is “making over $300,000 per week, which is not a bad salary for a 19-year-old kid, and he went on a religious channel and urged people not to watch the show because it was filth. By the way, he's still collecting his $300,000 per week." Wonder if Jones will be on next year’s season of Two and a Half men? Only time will tell.

People’s reactions to the controversy range in many different degrees. Some are saying Jones is a hypocrite and should stop collecting his paycheck. Some believe that he just bit the hand that feeds him. Others see his move as bold and respect him for his courage for standing up for what he believes in.

A Raise on Minimum Wage

Minimum wage… should the Government raise it? Hmm, that’s a thoughtful question.  Many things to be consider. The pros and cons need to be reviewed.

I believe that the costs of raising minimum wage by far out ways the benefits. Sure, people may gain more money to support themselves and their families. Sure, they won’t have to work as many hours as they would usually have to, to reach their needed income. Sure, it’s nice to have a higher pay grade, but there comes a price that everyone must pay with those high wages.

One cost of raising the minimum wage is unemployment. If a rise in minimum wage is enforced by the government, then businesses will have to cut back on employees to make a profit and cover costs. If employers don’t cut back on employees, then businesses will have to raise the prices on their services and goods, which is bad news for the customers; making this the second cost of raising minimum wage. Not only will a higher price on goods and services be unpleasant for the consumer, but it could also put a damper/ dent on the wellbeing of businesses.  Raising minimum wage “does nothing to make these workers more “valuable” on the job market. Instead it puts small businesses in an unacceptable bind that helps non one”, Edward Morrissey in The Fiscal times.  Jen Laurson and George Pieler stated in Forbes that “a higher minimum wage make sense to restore that balance of a booming economy, but in a struggling economy-when higher hiring costs kill jobs- that equilibrium point “is always Lower””.  Another cost due to a rise in minimum wage payment could also be fewer benefits for those employed. Business must find some way to get their profits to outweigh their costs and taking away benefits from workers is one way that they can do that. It would only seem right to take away from their benefits too, because what they may have lacked in pay the employees got back in benefits.

So those were a few of the reasons why I do not support a raise in minimum payment. With minimum payment the costs seem to outweigh the benefits. With a rise in minimum wage employers will find ways to cover the balance the costs and benefits, which could cause more unemployment, loss of benefits, of higher rise in service and good prices.

Work Citing:

1)      Hernandez, Sergio. The Week.N.p., 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

http://theweek.com/article/index/240460/how-will-raising-the-minimum-wage-affect-the-economy

Economics 3.01: George W. Jenkins

 George W. Jenkins, the founder of Publix Supermarket, was a hard working American businessman and philanthropist. George was born in 1907 in Warm Springs, Georgia and was one of eight Children to his Father who owned a general store. George worked in his Fathers store till the age of 14, which was around the time when the shop closed to bankruptcy, due to a lack of crops. At the age of 17, George was working a lot of odd Jobs and eventually ended up in Tampa, Florida working at the Piggly Wiggly. Within five weeks of the Job, George was promoted to store manager, as a reward for all his hard work. Later George was rewarded again and given more responsibility by getting a promotion at the Piggly Wiggly’s biggest store in Winter Heaven. Four years after his promotion, the Florida boom collapsed and his store began to fail. Eventually, the Piggly Wiggly chain sold out and George left the company. After leaving the Piggly Wiggly, George opened his own grocery store in Winter Haven in 1930. From then on his store flourished, growing into one of America’s largest grocery chains. Not only did George just develop a incredibly successful business but he also started, with his own stock, a charitable foundation that works to enhance the communities located around his stores; His charity today known as The Publix Supermarket Charities. He was a benefactor to many charitable funds and was very dedicated to improving communities. Jenkins is a wonderful inspiration. He stayed strong and worked extra hard during tough times, making for himself a successful life and career; but also giving back to those who help support his successful life, the customers; the community.

In my economic studies, there is this system called the HUNT that shows the common characteristics that successful entrepreneurs share. The H in HUNT stands for harnessing your vision; this is the time where you must think about your idea and what it will take to accomplish it. The U in HUNT is for Underestimating the road blocks. You must prevent barriers from stalling you action. The N in HUNT stands for Network; you must find and put yourself with people who can help make your vision possible. And lastly we have the T in HUNT which stands for Taking the first step. Taking the first step maybe the most difficult, but it’s what gets you started and will give you confidence to take the step after that. George W. Jenkins to followed these HUNT steps. George put much thought into his idea, he underestimated the roadblocks, when even though he didn’t have much money he still went out to fulfill his dream; not letting cash be the barrier that stopped him. George surrounded himself with great associates that helped to make his idea grow. He took the first step to becoming a successful entrepreneur by opening his first supermarket in Winter Haven.

 

Works Cited:

George W. – Welcome to Publix Super Market Inc., Retrieved February 15, 2013:

http://www.publix.com/files/Media%20Kit%2075th%20-%20Publix%20Leaders.doc

New York Times, George W. Jenkins dies-88-$9 billion grocery chain, Retrieved February 15, 2013: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/10/us/george-jenkins-88-founder-of-9-billion-grocery-chain.html

Journalism 6.01: My Interest Inventory

              My first career choice in Journalism was that of an obituary writer… I know it’s not a very common or popular choice of journalism, but I think that it would be quite interesting to write about the past lives of the dead. After some intense searching though, I could not find any listings for that Career choice. What I did find was a listing for an editorial writing position; which is also something that holds my interest as a career path.
             The Editorial listing I found is for the newspaper company, The Florida Times Union, and is located in Jacksonville, Florida. This is a full time job and the salary is an open matter. The employers prefer someone who has a 4 year degree and is an experienced editorial writer (at least 10 years of Journalism under the belt). The skills that are required to gain this position are great communication skills including public speaking knowledge, highly developed reporting and writing skills, quick creative thinking, open-mindedness, a great attention to detail, great time management and punctuality skills, multitasking skills, and reliable transportation. This job will also include working for Jacksonville.com and representing The Times Union in public.



Resource cited: NABJ.org, Career Center, Retrieved January 24, 2012: http://careerservices.nabj.org/jobs/5100609?utm_source=BoxwoodIndeed&utm_medium=Indeed&utm_campaign=Boxwood%2BIndeed%2BFeed

Interest Machine Quiz
    I prefer the written word, printed text, Weekly deadlines, and writing. The interest machine told me that my journalism career path should be in the field of a weekly newspaper or magazine reporter. Both of these two fields are of great interest to me and would suite me perfectly. I prefer the written word rather than the spoken word, due to the fact that when speaking I tend to get tongue tied and lose my train of thought; but when I’m writing words tend to flow easily and I can go back and check my errors, until I find my work perfect.

The Written Word and Impartiality in writting

   Words are thoughts come to life. They are letters on a page that are worth nothing until given meaning. Words can be the simplest of things, but the hardest to say if they are true. One writes to understand and make sense of things. One writes to speak without having to be heard. One writes to remember. Writing gives one the courage to say the things that are wanted or needed to be said when that person does not have the courage or strength to speak them out loud. The written word is a mask that hides the man and keeps him safe so that he can speak his mind. The written word is very important in society. Men have devoted a great many of years to developing, studying, and understanding the written word. Words are all around us, they are a part of our everyday lives. For me personally, writing is my preferred form of expression and communication. When I write, I can say anything that I want. When I write I have all the time in the world to get my point across; I am not rushed and I do not have to fight to be heard. I can fix my errors and look over my words as many times as I need to, making sure all things are in order and correct. Writing is a time where I can be me and show my brilliance to everyone, without the fear of stumbling, as I tend to do when I speaking out loud. 
   Is it truly possible for a human being to write impartially? Human beings are filled with an unlimited range of emotion. Emotions that can go from being on the surface, to those that hit deep into the soul. We feel constantly and uncontrollably. We are passionate and have feelings that are ever-changing by influences of the world around us. I don’t believe that it is possible for a human being to truly write impartially. Human beings will always have an opinion or feeling towards the things surrounding them; and one cannot completely hide their true feelings. Without those feelings one is merely and working machine; a robot. One’s true feelings and emotions will always leak through.

Journalism 1: Intro to Ethics

What does it mean to be ethical? Thefreedictionary.com describes ethicality as being " in accordance with principles of conduct that are considered correct, especially those of a given profession or group". Ethics are principles beliefs of right and wrong, moral values or guidelines. To be ethical one knows right from wrong and choses to make the right decision according to their code of morals. An ethical person is a morally right person. In some of life's situations it can be difficult to know which solution is the ethical one. An example of a dilemma like this would be if your best friend gave their address to a strange online; what should you do? your friend's decision could end up putting them in danger. Should you tell their parents, even if it would anger your friend and you could lose their friendship or should you just let the issue go because you don't want to anger your friend or be a tattletale? When making a decision on what to do in this situation there are a few things that one should consider. You should keep in mind the needs of your friend, the needs of your friend's parents, your friend's home life, the way your friend will react if you tell, and what your friend could get into if you don't tell; you must weigh the pros and cons before you make a decision. I find that the best solution to this dilemma is to tell my friend's parents. My friend could get hurt by their decision and I value their safety more that our friendship. My friend can be mad at me all they want, and their parents may be angry with them and my friend might get into trouble but maybe they will learn a lesson from this whole situation. I feel that the safety of one's friend is more important than anything in this situation. Ethics are applied to journalism daily. Most every news organization has a code of ethics that their journalists must go by. This code keeps journalists responsible for providing the world with credible news. Having a code of ethics in journalism keeps journalists thinking about making the correct decisions with their work. Resources: (2009).The Free Dictionary: ethical. Retrieved September 21,2012. from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ethical

Journalism: New forms: Differences, Similarities, and Preference

As time has passed, news companies have come to use many different forms of media to get the news out to the world. News companies want to give consumers options for receiving news that are comfortable and that can easily fit into the consumer’s daily lives. Today we have the option to receive our news from magazines, radio broadcasts, newspapers, television programs, the internet, and many, many more. With so many options to choose from, which should we pick? What are the differences and similarities between the major news media forms that help the consumer to decide which form is best fit for them to use? There are many differences between the major news forms (television, radio, newspaper, and Internet); what are those difference? Starting with newspapers, the consumer cannot receive an instant news update like they could with the radio, television, or internet, but instead they must wait for the next print run. The radio, does not give its consumer a visual experience and the listener must rely on the broadcaster to create a mental picture. Also, with the radio the listener cannot pursue the information for themselves, but instead, the listener must again rely on the broadcaster to get the point across and cover all the details. With television, one can receive a visual and verbal experience, but is required to be near a TV. Also, with receiving news from television one cannot choose the topics of which the broadcaster is covering and therefor you may not get to hear every news update. With the Internet one can get the widest range in news coverage and in many different forms; visual, verbal, and textual forms. The user can also pursue whatever news topic or information he wants to receive. What are some of the similarities between the news forms of the radio, television, internet, and newspaper? One of the biggest similarities in the different news forms is the essential issue of credibility. Whatever news form one chooses to use the issue of whether a source is credible or not is always present; therefor one must carefully question and decide if the news source they use is trust worthy. Other similarities in the major news forms are the variety of topics and sources. There are so many different news companies to choose from, with many different new topics to cover; all the consumer must do is pick which one interests them most. When picking a news form to receive new updates from, it is important that it fits into my daily schedule and it is something I have access to whenever I want or need it. I prefer to receive my news from the internet more than any other news form. I am on my laptop every day for school, so I can easily access the internet to receive new updates. Using the internet to receive news doesn’t conflict with my daily schedule, like a television program or radio broadcast would; and I can go back to whatever site I need to and view the information as many times as I want. Also unlike a newspaper, I can receive instant updates from the internet, instead of having to wait till the next print run. I also can receive a visual, verbal, and textual experience, which is a combination of the different news forms. The Internet is just a better fit for me than the radio, television, and newspaper. As you can see, today we have many options for receiving news. There are many differences in the way certain news forms cover the news, which have pros and cons that help people to decide how they receive their news. What are always constant in the different news forms are the variety of sources and topics covered, and the issue of credibility. People have so many news choices to choose from and it is important to the form that best fit into our daily lives. While the internet may seem like the best choice for getting ones news because of its wide range of info, it may not work for everyone. Everyone has their own preference to which news form they choose.