Your Own Movie Theater (for a couple of hours)

Wouldn't it be cool if you could book a movie about something you are passionate about--comic books or environmental activism or something else--and fill the theater with people who feel as passionate about the subject as you do?

Now you can do that ... maybe.

Tugg is a new Internet startup that allows anyone to pick a movie they'd like to see in a local theater, ask others to buy tickets for it through social media platforms, and if all goes well have a nice night at the movies with a lot of like-minded people.

According to this Los Angeles Times story, this service may be especially appreciated in smaller cities and towns where independent films and documentaries are rarely screened.

Questions...

•Is Tugg good or bad for major studios? Why?
•Is this better for major film makers or independent film makers? Why?
•How might this service be used by political activists? Or people proud of their cultural heritage? Or even comic book store owners?
•Do you think Tugg will be a success?

Here's Bloggin' at You, Kid

Screenwriters don't just put words in movie stars' mouths. They sometimes script our everyday expressions. And that's a pretty powerful thing to do, especially if you believe that the expressions we use help us frame our thoughts. This fun pre-Midterm NPR story discusses research into what makes a movie quote memorable.

Questions...

•How are our habits affected by what we see in the movies?
•Are there any recent movie quotes that you think will become part of American culture simply because people will repeat them a lot?
•Which mass media affect our culture besides the movies, and why?
•Why would a political speechwriter care about what makes a memorable movie quote?

Transfer Center Workshops

Kevin Meza, Transfer Coordinator and all-around cool guy, has scheduled some transfer workshops.

The workshops will teach you...

* how the transfer process works
* how to maximize your odds of being admitted to the campus of your choice
* how to make the best choices during budget cut years

Click this link to find out when and where the workshops will be held.

Financial Survival Week

The college is hosting a week of workshops designed to help students to better manage their finances. It sounds like a good idea...

Financial Survival Week
Events, topics and presenters


MONDAY APRIL 30th

12:20 -1:30 Auditorium
State of the student 2012
• The educational landscape
• The job marketplace

Dr. Lindsay, Glendale College President
Kimberly Ritter-Martinez, Associate Economist in the Kyser Center for Economic Research


1:40 – 2:50 Student Center
Employment: while in college and after
• Job opportunities
• Employer expectations
• Succeeding by adding value

Andra Verstaete, Program Manager of the Student Employment Services at the college
Deborah Kinley, Associate Dean and Career Resource Program director at the Garfield Campus


3:00 – 4:10 Student Center
Resume building
• The content: jobs, volunteer work, awards, community participation
• Starting somewhere
• Putting it together and getting it online

Denise Leong, Career Center Coordinator/Career Counselor at the college


TUESDAY MAY 1st

12:20 -1:30 Kreider Hall
Money smarts
• Financing college studies: loans, scholarships, jobs
• Establishing credit: banks, credit cards, savings and investments
• Dealing with debt, past, present and future

Mike Velasquez, CPA/PFS Co-Founder and Senior Partner, Sadd Velazquez Higashi Shammaa, LLP
Brenda Gonzalez, Vice President and Hands on Banking California Manager, Wells Fargo

1:40 – 2:50 Student Center
Credit, credit cards and banks
• How to build your credit
• Using credit cards wisely
• Getting useful bank accounts

Michelle Peterson, Vice President of Business Development, Glendale Area Schools Federal Credit Union

3:05 – 4:15 CS 177
How to deal with debt
• Choices
• Interest rates
• Repayment

Phillip Kazanjian, GCC Assistant Professor of Business Administration






WEDNESDAY MAY 2nd

12:20 -1:30 Student Center
Financial aid and scholarships
• What is available
• How to qualify

Pat Hurley, Associate Dean/Financial Aid Director at the college

1:40 – 2:50 Student Center
Aid and scholarships at the college
• How to apply for financial aid
• How to apply for scholarships

Pat Hurley, Associate Dean/Financial Aid Director at the college

3:00 – 4:10 Student Center
Aid and scholarships after transfer
• What is available at surrounding universities (UCLA, USC, CSUN, CSLA)
• What are their expectations

Pat Hurley, Associate Dean/Financial Aid Director at the college

THURSDAY MAY 3rd

12:20 -1:30 Auditorium
Spending wisely
• Protecting your money by avoiding scammers and thieves
• Keeping track of it
• Getting the most out of it by spending wisely

Phil Kazanjian, GCC Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Sue Shine, Lead Officer for the East Command Division of the Glendale Police Department
Bob Zaun, Detective in the Investigative Division of the Glendale Police Department


1:40 – 2:50 SB 243
Privacy, ID theft & scams
• Email piracy
• Identity theft
• Some examples of new/unusual ways in which identity theft is practiced in the electronic age
• Social networking scams
• Do social networks sell your personal information?
• Other dangers/pitfalls/warning signs to watch out for in the protection of your privacy.

Sue Shine, Lead Officer for the East Command Division of the Glendale Police Department
Bob Zaun, Detective in the Investigative Division of the Glendale Police Department


3:05 – 4:15 Student Center
Watching your waist and your wallet
• Food choices
• Lunch specials and other ways to save
• Staying fit

Mandy Gustafsen, Certified Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle Specialist

Trade Surplus

America generally imports more than it imports. But one area in which we have a positive balance of trade is cultural exports, i.e. Mass Media. We sell more songs and movie tickets and whatnot to the rest of the world than they do to us. And that trade surplus may well get a little more lopsided in our favor as China has recently indicated a willingness to let in more American films and to engage in joint ventures with American film companies. The Associated Press reports.

Questions...

•Why do we want American films to be released in China? What are all the reasons?
•Do you fear that China will eventually compete with Hollywood in making movies? Is that fear enough to not want these joint ventures?
•What view of America does China get from American movies? How is that view inaccurate? How is it accurate?

Have Ya Heard the One About...

Politicians agonize over their popularity and image. They obsess over how to get their message across. Turns out that maybe they should be a little less serious.

Humor is a powerful weapon in political campaigns, just as it is in making friends or selling mattresses. NPR examines how the presidential candidates could get a few more nyuks.

Questions...

•When has something funny caused you to remember an ad?
•Can you think of anything funny that a politician has said or done?
•What politicians have been damaged by derisive humor?
•Who on TV do you get political information and commentary from?

500th Post! Symbolic Speech

This is the 500th post to Club MediaNote. The MC101 blog began in January 2006.

First Amendment freedom of expression can include symbols and acts that have come to be known as "Symbolic Speech." The clenched fist is symbolic speech, as is the two-fingered peace sign. Even the burning of the American flag has been protected as symbolic speech.

In the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting and resulting controversy, has wearing a hoodie become symbolic speech? Certainly, the organizers of the Million Hoodie March think so. And so does Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), a Chicago-area congressman who was escorted off the House floor for donning a hoodie.

Questions...

•What are other types of symbolic speech?
•Why has wearing a hoodie become a powerful symbol? Why does it arouse such emotion?
•Describe a campus protest that could be organized around students wearing hoodies.