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| Red, White, and Platelets | March 18, 2006, 3:00PM |
 by: Tezrian |
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Imagine giving birth to a little boy, he seems healthy enough. He has his mother’s eyes and fathers face and is loved even though he is covered in blood and other things. He goes in for the routine tests all babies are required to have. When the doctor comes back he says that he has sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder in which blood cells are not circular but sickle shaped. The distorted shape cuts the cells ability to carry oxygen along with other problems. Sickle cell anemia did not have a cure when the boy was born. A few years later a new idea cropped up. By taking stem cells found in umbilical cord blood it could cure different diseases and regenerate dying cells. The idea was accurate and the boy was cured of his sickle cell anemia thanks to stem cell research (Davis, 2005). Laboratories, growing, and harvesting, these words, long ago would have been associated with an evil scientist experimenting with his or her new creation. Now, these words are connected to stem cell research. Stem cells are difficult to obtain because they are only found in a limited number of places. One of these places, and how the stem cells are retrieved, has many pro-life members in an uproar. Embryonic stem cells, along with bone marrow and adult stem cells should be used to benefit society, and this research should be continued without restrictions. One of the foremost arguments against stem cell research is the initial gathering of the stem cells. When stem cells were first grown in 1998 it was a shock to society. Many did not know what to think about this breakthrough in science, while others were in an outrage. The cells had been taken from a human embryo. To normal human beings it does not sound as though it is a major problem. Many people die and leave their bodies to science. Their cells are used in tests for future generations and the advancement of science along with the expansion of knowledge. Those who believe strongly against abortion and fetal tissue research believed that the scientists were taking a life (Hatch, 2005). Pro Life members believe that any cell that has been fertilized is a human being. Therefore, by taking the stem cells from that developing mass of cells and destroying it, what the scientist has done is murder (Wertz, 1999). The extraction of stem cells, however, can be justified. “To say that fetal research causes abortions is a bit like saying that a need for donor organs causes murders (Wertz, 4).” It has been determined that a fertilized egg is not a “human being” until it reaches fourteen days after conception. In these fourteen days it is called a “pre embryo.” Previous to the fourteenth day the scientists are allowed to harvest the stem cells grown. After that certain date it is unwise to harvest because the argument over when a human really is a human begins. The process of extracting the stem cells is known to few. If more knew about the process and how specific the cells can become in the procedure many doubts about stem cells would be cleared up. Possibly even Pro Life members might agree that it is worth using. The first step of the process an egg is taken then the DNA is removed. After that skin cells from the patient are removed and DNA is removed. Then the DNA from the skin cell is placed within the egg. After that is done the blastocyst, egg, is stimulated with either electro current or chemicals. In a three to five day time period the cell divide and multiply creating stem cells. Finally the growing cells are removed and by doing that the blastocyst is destroyed, murdered by those who believe in Pro Life. These life altering cells are placed inside a patient who is suffering from any number of diseases and disorders in the hopes that it will work. Since stem cells have the capacity to form into any cell of the body the possibility of healing are seemingly endless (White, 2005). Eggs that are used can come from any number of sources. Donations, cadavers that were given to science, even the leftovers from processes such as In vitro fertilization, or IVF. Eggs are frozen in storage to be kept for several years before being destroyed to make room for new eggs that are brought in. It is estimated that millions of frozen eggs that are usable are decimated each year. Each of those eggs has the possibility of helping someone. From diabetes to sickle cell anemia, a single egg can create a miracle where they was no hope (National Health Institute). Gene therapy sounds like a futuristic medical process. However, it is being used today to try and cure diseases that have plagued the world for centuries. Many believe that the process of gene therapy will do more harm then good. A single error and the patient could end up in worse shape. The disease could worsen, leading to debilitating results. The worst outcome for a mistake in gene therapy would result in death. There have been claims that there is a high mortality rate for gene therapy. Some say that there is a larger risk for death then the miracle that it promises. For nearly ten years scientists have been working on gene therapy. All of them hope for it to work, nearly ten years to find a way to make it work (Rifkin, 2005). Gene therapy by using stem cells is the miracle that scientists have been searching for. The problem behind gene therapy is the donor genes used in the procedure were not a perfect match. Like any transplant the donor must be just right or the patient receiving the transplant will suffer and the operation rejected. Normally organs will turn black from lack of oxygen being transported and cease to function, while in the case of blood donors would result in death of the patient. Stem cells reduce the risk to a near zero percent fatality rate. This is made possible because of the stem cells ability to be manipulated with the patients DNA into whatever cell is needed in the therapy. The patient technically is using his or her own skin, blood, heart cells in the therapy. The ability to do so decreases any risk of a match being incorrect. The patient’s recovery from his or her disease should be a hundred percent A big issue with embryonic stem cells is federal aid from the government. In 1995 a ban on stem cell funding through the federal government was placed. In 2005 the bill was reviewed and kept in place. An overwhelming majority was against removing the ban on the funding (Meyer, 11). Private funding, however, is still allowed. Many of the companies that have worked with stem cells spent years scraping together money to continue research on the scientific break through. If the government funded the research and the medical projects then more questions could be answered. Questions on whether or not stem cells will cure diseases scientists have been trying to cure for decades. Also questions such as could it cure cancer have been spoken about and hypothesized. The possibilities that stem cells have are enormous. If federal aid was granted and the ban withdrawn then more people could be cured of diseases that they have been suffering with for entire lifetimes. Many babies could be saved from living a life that would have required them to take shots every day, or leave them unable to do what normal children do because of a disease that they had been born with. The government needs to allow the funding to help future generation and the children born, if nothing else (H.R. 810). Another Act pertaining to stem cells was up for review within the House of Representatives. The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 strongly supports the usage of umbilical cord blood. Umbilical cord blood contains stem cells. The stem cells found in the cord can be taken without an egg being destroyed. The Act states that the use of the cells from the umbilical cord can be used to treat the many suffering peoples of the world. It also can be federally funded because the stem cells were not taken from an embryo (H.R. 2520). Besides embryonic and umbilical cord stem cells there are two other types. Bone marrow stem cells are limited in their ability to become different types of cells. These cells include the red, white, and platelet cells in the blood. Being limited in their abilities to change, their usefulness also lessens, but they are still beneficial when dealing with blood disorders. These cells are more difficult to harvest because they are found in the marrow and the procedure is complicated. Also bone marrow stem cells are not condemned by Pro Life members and are accepted. Last but not least, adult stem cells also have the ability to change into many of the cells of the body. These cells are minutely limited in their ability to turn into other cells. Studies show that they are less effective then the embryonic stem cells. They are also much more difficult to obtain and are slow growing. Though after many tests, the cells still have much potential and will most likely be used much more then its embryonic cousin (Caplan). These stem cells are the alternative to embryonic stem cells and Pro Life members are pushing to have these cells be the main cells used to help patients. Eggs, harvesting, and miracle are all words associated with stem cell research. The discovery of these cells was a wonderful thing to happen. The benefits that are possible with these cells can reach as far as the imagination. The curing of illness in thousands is worth the price of a few embryos that are used in the process. These are just some of the many reasons that stem cell research should be continued to be used to benefit the world and all the people that live on it. The ability to save lives should never be forgotten. Miracles such as the boy’s full recovery from sickle cell anemia are far too precious to be kept a secret. The world should be able to experience the joy of a loved ones recovery when they thought death was the only option. References Caplan, Arthur “Research on Human Embryos Can Be Ethical.” Medical Ethics (2000). 15 Nov. 2005. Davis, D Curing Sickle Cell Anemia. Online. 7 Dec 2005. Executive Office of the President Statement of Administration Policy H.R. 810 -- Stem Cell Enhancement Act of 2005. 24 May 2005. Online. 8 Dec 2005. Executive Office of the President Statement of Administration Policy H.R. 2520 -- Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005. 24 May 2005. Online. 8 Dec 2005. Goldstein, Lawrence “Fetal Stem Cell Research May Improve Medicine.” Technology and Society (2002). 15 Nov. 2005. Hatch, Orrin G. “Embryonic Stem Cell Research Is Ethical.” Medical Ethics (2005). 15 Nov. 2005. Meyer, Michael J. “Human Embryo Experimentation Can Be Morally Justifiable.” Greenhaven Press (2002). 15 Nov. 2005. National Institute of Health, “Embryonic Stem Cell Research Is Beneficial.” Human Embryo Experimentation. (2002). 15 Nov. 2005. Rifkin, J “Gene Therapy Is Dangerous to Health.” Greenhaven Press (2002). 8 Dec. 2005. Wertz, Dorothy C. “Fetal Tissue Research Will Benefit Medical Science.” Greenhaven Press (1999). 15 Nov. 2005. White, D Pros and Cons of Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Aug 2005. Online. 7 Dec 2005. (If you wish to read the articles and the links do not work, please message me and I will send you the article) | |
topic: Essays | |
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| Editor's Rant | March 17, 2006, 11:15PM |
 by: Saturnalia |
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As one of the Article Editors of this website, I have a few grievances about my job that I would like to address. Most of the articles we receive are of very poor quality, and I, for one, am quite disturbed by the fact that there are those on this site who think it's okay to submit such mediocrity. 1.) It is not okay to submit an article that starts with the words, "Okay, so like..." or anything resembling them. You are not passing notes to your friend sitting next to you in 3rd period. When writing an article, you are addressing a wide audience, so don't get so personal and informal. Also, it makes you look like you're not taking your article seriously. 2.) I never want to see another article written as thus: "i wud lyke u 2 suk my cock...". It's called Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation. Use it. Learn to love it because shit like that gets automatically rejected. 3.) While we're discussing spelling, I must ask a question I have pondered for quite some time. Is your head going to implode if you ever use a spellchecker? No? Then why the fuck don't you people ever use them?! I'll be the first to admit, I don't spell every word right the first time, but if I'm going to display my writing, something that represents me and that I will be judged by, for the whole internet to see, I'm going to damned well be sure that every letter is in its proper place. "Stop judging people! Not everyone knows how to spell!" I've actually heard this before, and more than once. Well, you know what? At your age, you should know how to spell. You make yourself look like a retard, and the people that defend you truly are retards. You're at least 13 years old (have to be to gain membership to this site), yet most of you write like you're in 2nd grade. And don't give me any of this "well it's the skool's falt for not teeching me right" or "i have a lerning disebility" shit. If you didn't learn how to spell right by now, it's your own damn fault for not paying attention. Most public schools suck, this doesn't mean that you can't take matters into your own hands and educate yourself. As for those with "learning disabilities", most of you are full of shit and so are the people who told you that you have a disability. There didn't used to be such a high percentage of learning disabilities as there are now. You know why? Parents and teachers would beat the fuck out of kids for not paying attention in class. End of problem. Your disability is that you're fucking lazy. 4.) Choose unique subject matter! If I see one more article about how stupid Emo kids are or how great they are or how people should stop arguing about it or how people should stop telling people to stop arguing about it, I'm going to go out and kill every Emo kid on Earth just so I won't have to hear about it anymore. We all know the government is corrupt and that the media lies. We don't need a million articles about it to remind us. If you're going to write about politics, try to stick to current events. Failing that, try to write about something that nobody's done yet or that can be of great informative value to the reader. 5.)Don't be afraid to do a little research. It helps make you look like less of a clueless moron. Use Google, or some other search engine. Cite references. Don't plagiarize. 6.) If your article gets rejected, don't bitch about it. Don't come leaving comments on Tonnyx's or my profile saying "How could u reject my article?!? I worked hard on it! I'm gonna tell eon on you!!!" Obviously, you didn't work hard enough, and your petty threats are meaningless. We let a lot of shit slide and if your article was horrendous enough to warrant rejection, it's nobody's fault but your own. Your article will never be rejected because an Editor doesn't like you. Your article will never be rejected because an Editor didn't agree with the subject matter. I'm "Pro-Life", but I've put "Pro-Choice" articles on the front page because I thought they were well written and presented a good argument. There is no bias. There will probably only be about 5 people that will actually read all of the above. Well, hopefully you 5 have learned from it. I know there are intelligent minds meandering through this site. To them, I must say, don't be afraid to shed some light on the literary void we have here. There should be more people submitting articles, and now that you know how not to annoy the editors, there should be a lot more people submitting -good- articles. | |
topic: Rants | |
[reply] [15 comments] |
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| Homophobia | March 15, 2006, 5:02AM |
 by: eyesofdread |
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I know that many people on this site have already expressed their views on homophobia, however due to recent events in my life as well as events that I have witnessed I feel a need to put my opinions about homophobia into words. Being gay myself I cannot help but create an argument that is at least a little bit biased, however I will try. First off, I would like to make it perfectly clear that to hate or dislike a gay person is not a case of homophobia. Homophobia occurs when you hate or dislike someone because they are gay. The reason I feel the need to clarify the above statement is that I often find that a lot of people are too quick to label someone as a "homophobe" purely because they have a disagreement with someone who is gay, sometimes the argument, or disagreement doesn't even follow the topic of sexual orientation. Just as I would take a stand against being labeled as someone who hates heterosexuals based on my dislike for one straight person, I will also take a stand against someone being labeled as one who hates homosexuals because they hate one gay person. No one in this world is loved or even liked by everyone and I believe that if we are to strive to overcome the issue of homophobia we must first understand what it really is. It is my honest belief that no-one should be judged based on their sexual orientation alone. I believe this because regardless of your sexual orientation if you are in a relationship with someone it should be based first and foremost on love. Some may say that in an "ideal" world we would all find a perfectly suitable life partner whom we loved, get married, have children and live out all the conventions of the romanticized heterosexual marriage...however, as I am sure you are well aware, we do not live in an "ideal" world and it has always been my belief that love is not about finding the perfect person, but rather, seeing an imperfect person in the perfect way. We cannot choose who we love and a lot of the time we cannot explain exactly why we love the people we do, we also cannot choose who we lust for. So why judge someone on something that is completely out of their control? I am currently in a relationship with a girl whom I absolutely adore. When she holds me I feel safe and secure, when she kisses me I feel more love than I have ever known and when I look into her eyes I see a promise of loyalty and I know that that’s what she sees in mine. I do not believe that there is anyone in this world who will ever have the right to tell me that this is wrong. Because it seems that we cannot talk about gay rights, without also talking about gay marriages, I feel it is appropriate to discuss the topic in this article. I am not too sure of the history of marriage in other cultures, and so I do not feel that I have the proper right to deviate away from the western society in this point. In the society that we live in marriage was traditionally a means of financial security as well as a religious celebration of the joining of two people into one unit. Because the values of our society have changed so to has the nature of marriage. Today marriage is a celebration of a love so deep that two people are willing to devote their lives to one another, and yes it does come with other benefits in terms of laws etc however it is usually viewed, first and foremost as an announcement of the love shared between two people. I believe that there is a serious problem with the way our current marriage system is structured, and I will use my cousin as an example of this. Two years ago my now 26 year old cousin (who is gay) wanted to get married to his long-term boyfriend. Gay marriage has not been legalized in Australia, and, as you may well imagine getting from here to a country in which gay marriages ARE legal is an expense that not all of us can afford. So, my cousin and his boyfriend remain as the (gorgeous) couple that they are without any official signals that they are advancing any further. At the same time my cousin was in a band with his close (British) female friend, about one year ago this same cousin decides that he wants to move to England because he (and the band) think that they will have a better chance at success in the UK. To avoid the hassle of getting Visa’s and all, he and his female friend get married because by law that means that he has just as much of a right to be in England as she does…in my view this is an absolutely appalling miscarriage of justice. When two homosexuals love each other, and want to celebrate that love with those who care about them then they are unable to do so through marriage, however, if two people of the opposite sex want to get married then they can no questions asked. I am NOT saying that all heterosexual couples that get married are doing so to manipulate the system…that would be a stupid and outrageous claim. What I am saying is that if there is room for these scenario’s to happen within our legal system then something has to change. Marriage should be about love, not gender There are all kinds of people in the world. Some heterosexual’s are “sporty”, some are “arty”, some are “introverted”, some “extroverted”, some are “effeminate” whilst others are more “masculine” the list can go on and on…by this same token there are homosexuals who are considered sporty, arty, introverted, extroverted, effeminate, masculine etc…the same with bi-sexual people, pansexual people, asexual people, what have you. We are all people and we are all able to enjoy a vast range of activities and become mentally stimulated by a diverse range of interests. The point of this article is not to “convert” people to try and make them gay, it is to try and state that we are all people, regardless of gender and sexual orientation we are all living, breathing creatures. Next time you come across someone who is of a different sexual orientation, I urge you to look beyond that one aspect of their personality and make your judgment based upon the true intricacies of their character. It is only by doing this that we will be able to break some of the tension that lay between the different orientations and in doing so we will be able to begin to create a world in which the concept that “we are all born equal” hold true meaning and weight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please note: I am aware of, and do appologise for the fact that this article was aimed mainly at people who are in relationships. This does not mean that I believe homophobia any less serious in terms of single homosexuals. | |
topic: Life | |
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| Terrorism? or Sympophy? | March 12, 2006, 7:28AM |
 by: Murderous_Breeze |
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Call it bad luck, or call it conspiracy, or even call it racism, but in this day and age every day more and more Muslim people are being portrayed as evil, and either, involved or following the works of such EXTREME groups as Al`Qaeda and Taliban. But what people dont realise is that since the dawning of the Islamic age, Muslim people and followers of Islam have been labelled with such word use as "Terrorist". The only way to get rid of them was to a very well known force back then with the Anglo-saxons, Genocide. If that word sounds extreme for any people, please do so and study about the massacres of the muslims in Jerusalem, or the 200 thousand plus muslims murdered in the name of Christianity in Bosnia, even the African wars of Sedan and Somalia. If that isnt enough evidence, even now George W. Bush going into Iraq to "Liberate" it by destroying hospitals and other potential "Al Qaeda training camps". The world once again has been brain washed by the media machine, forcing you to see images of bearded men wearing "towels" on their heads and holding automatic weapons. And even the recent event with the publishers in Denmark releasing a "humourful" picture of one of Islams greatest symbols if not the most influental, the Prophet Muhammad, with a bomb on his head, while this is funny to most of the world, imagine if i was to draw a picture of Jesus with butter knives through his wrists? that wouldnt be funny would it, but Muslim people have never done that. How can you justify murdering and humiliating another ethnic group? You cant. But the media has surely done a very good job of it. We have lived side by side with Christians for over 900 hundred years, and if you research about history, i guarentee you not once in those 900 years have we had peace amongst one another. We as the new generation can change that, instead of fighting, we can live with each other, dont be drawn into the media with their lies and scandals, the conspiracy of the government is well known world-wide, so why do people still believe it? I dont know, but please do not be the one that does believe in it. Be the one that does something about it. | |
topic: Life | |
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| Profile Verification Now Available | March 8, 2006, 12:01AM |
 by: eon |
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Alright... profile verification is now available. You can get to your verification page from a link inside your Control Panel on the 'Manage Pictures' page if you've uploaded at least one picture and have set a default picture and an avatar. The verification link from 'Manage Pictures' will take you to a page that will tell you all you ever wanted to know about verification and the steps to verify are well documented and easy to follow (most people who have already verified say that it was easy). Let me know if you have any questions, though if you read through everything it should be more than self explanatory. | |
topic: Site News | |
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| Picture Verification Tests | March 6, 2006, 2:11PM |
by: eon |
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I need volunteers to try out the picture verification upload. Mostly this is to make sure the instructions that are given on the upload page make sense and are easy enough to follow. I don't forsee many technical difficulties, as I've tested it pretty well. If you're interested, leave a comment on my profile letting me know you'd like to help test the picture verification. Please don't leave comments here asking to help, I may or may not read them. Thanks guys.. | |
topic: Site News | |
[reply] [4 comments] |
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| Web Cam and Digital Camera Resolutions | February 26, 2006, 6:49PM |
by: eon |
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In preparing for picture verifications, I need to get a feel for what kind of web cams and digital cameras the members of this site are using. If you have a cam and you understand the concept of resolution, please take the following poll: Camera Poll If you aren't sure about the resolution of your cam:
1. Take a picture and save it to your desktop. 2. Right click the picture and go to 'Properties'. 3. Click the 'Summary' tab and then the 'Advanced' button. 4. You will see a summary listing information about the pic. The first two items on the summary are width and height. "Resolution" in this poll is width x height. So if it lists a width of 640 and a height of 480 then you'd answer the poll with "640 x 480". Please do NOT comment on this article about what camera or webcam you have. If you like, comment on the poll. However, only actual poll answers are of any use. Thanks for helping out. | |
topic: Site News | |
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| The Eagle Has Landed | February 25, 2006, 12:33AM |
by: eon |
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We have finally completed our move to the new server. I'm sorry that this turned into such a huge ordeal, guys. Sometimes it's hard to tell how things will go, though, and you have to sort of improvise. So that's what we did with our servers for about a week. Improvised. I believe we are now firmly planted in a rig capable of meeting the demands of our community and I'm also reasonably sure that we've seen the last of the major outages and other ultra strange, spooky events (like disappearing profiles, comments, etc.). *knocks on wood* I still have fine tuning to do and I've yet to see how this system will hold up under a heavy load, but signs are finally starting to look... reasonable. I'm in the process of getting the loose ends. LoGD will soon be back up. Mail has gone down again but will also be back up soon. Chat is now back up. As a note for our chatters, if you're used to using mIRC to connect, you'll need to update the server name to: irc.darkstarlings.com Unfortunately we didn't come through this process entirely unscathed. At one point during the move, our databases were copied to a faulty hard disk. Yes, it seemed like god, the CIA and all nine planets were aligned against me for a while there, with no shortage of heart stopping moments along the way. The faulty hard drive did some damage to our database, namely the accounts table, which was sort of cruel and ironic. I mean, why couldn't it of crapped on the hit counters, visitor lists, friend lists, block lists, ip logs or something else... anything else... that was relatively expendable? But no, the faulty drive had to take a chunk out of the big enchillada. Normally there would have been backups, but when you're in the process of migrating a large site across the internet, playing hop-scotch between networks and servers, backups aren't always a luxury that can be afforded. A small mercy, the damage wasn't major. It amounted to a handful of accounts (I'm guessing a few hundred) being dropped. If your account was dropped, you'll know because when you try to view your profile now, it will come up as not existing. You also will not be able to log in (invalid login error) and trying to retrieve your password will not work. If you are in this situation, re-create your account with exactly the same name as you had before. You can use the same email address and everything. You will get back your comments, friends lists, pictures, picture comments and layout info. Unfortunately, you'll lose anything that you had put into your sections such as about me, likes, dislikes, etc. I anticipate that some wise... people... will decide to look for dropped accounts and try to recreate them before the original owners can do so. If this happens to you, contact me. IP logs are still there, I'll be able to tell if someone swipes an account this way (and woe to you if you're caught doing so!). So, okay. I guess that about gets it. All of this ruckus derailed my plans to work on the picture verification system, but I'll get back on that one as soon as I'm able. I'll post an update about that as soon as things are sorted out. A million thanks for the abundance of understanding and patience shown by the community at large. | |
topic: Site News | |
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| Radio and the Almighty Dollar | February 20, 2006, 12:57AM |
by: Saturnalia |
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Why does everything on the radio sound the same? Why must they play that same damn song a billion times a day? Why does it seem like the music industry is slipping into a never ending void of mediocrity? The answer is very simple and can be summed up in one word: Payola. What does "payola" mean? Essentially, it's a bribe, it's illegal and it's exactly what causes all those radio stations to churn out all that carbon-copy mediocrity day after day. Gone are the days when a DJ would get to pick and choose what was played on the radio simply on a whim. These days, radio DJ's have no power whatsoever. Everything is determined by the station program directors or station managers, who dictate to the DJ what is to be played and when, based on the play lists the director receives from the record companies. Here's how it works: The record companies are always looking to get their songs played on the radio. They figure, the more the song travels over the airwaves, the more CD's they'll sell and the more money they will make. They pick a song that they think will be a money maker and pitch it to the radio station, usually through a middleman. The radio station is offered a "promotional fee" between $1000 and $6000 for playing that one song. Eventually, this means that most of the songs on a station's play list are bought and paid for by the record companies. Then, if the record company wants the song to get played more frequently, they will give the station a little extra cash. It's all a big marketing machine. From music videos to magazines, the machine works to influence the consumer. The machine's main function is to create mindless consumer zombies who will give away all their money for a chance to own a piece of whatever they've been told is trendy/counter-culture/unique. If a programmer or DJ at a radio station refuses to work as part of the machine, then they will be replaced like any other rusty cog. This is one of the reasons why there are so many radio DJ's who engage in this activity; they don't want to be replaced. This is not to say that there aren't programmers who aren't more than happy to accept a few kickbacks from the record companies. There is nothing wrong with a radio station accepting money from a record company for playing specific songs, according to the FCC. However, it is illegal if the station does not inform its listeners that this transaction is going on, which is exactly the case most of the time. Radio stations would rather maintain the illusion that they are tirelessly searching through thousands of artists and CD's, seeking out the very best to be played on air for their listeners. Only 3 broadcast companies own over 60% of the radio stations in America, the largest of these being Clear Channel. This is mostly caused by the government back in the 1990's deregulating restrictions on media ownership, causing certain companies to create monopolies. All of these companies receive some sort of payola or another to play whatever the record company dictates. This makes for very few options for the average radio listener. The overall percentage of radio listenership has gone down in recent years. Most people are getting tired of hearing the same old shit, day in and day out. This has caused many music enthusiasts to seek out new venues for gaining access to new and original music, such as local shows, internet downloading or satellite radio. The cold fact is that a lot of music that's played on the radio these days isn't there because it's actually good quality music. It's there because someone was being greedy. It is highly unlikely that artists like Jessica Simpson, Good Charlotte and My Chemical Romance (all known to be part of the payola scandal) would have gotten so popular so fast and have as much air time as they do if it wasn't for some record executive paying off the radio stations. So the next time you're listening to your favorite radio station and you hear that same song for the millionth time, ask yourself this question: Does someone there at the station just really love this song, or is there a station manager out there somewhere buying his bratty kid a new car with the extra cash he got from selling out to a record producer? | |
topic: Current Events | |
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| Server Joyride | February 18, 2006, 12:12PM |
by: eon |
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Sorry for all of the unpredictable behavior the past few days. I'm talking about the servers, of course, not myself. ;) There are some problems with getting everything moved over to the new host and so for the time being, we're sort of stuck "in between" two networks. It might be a few days before this will be resolved. This simply means that for the next few days, new registrations and picture uploads will not be available. You may also experience intermittent loss of your profile and/or comments. It shouldn't be often at all, please do not panic when this happens, anything like that will only be temporary and usually just for a matter of minutes. This simply happens when I am making changes to the database server and restarting it, etc. I know... *plugs ears in anticipation of collective site-wide moan* Doing the best I can, sorry for the turbulence. Andromeda members experienced a disruption in the DS email service. All is operating as it should now, though you'll need to actually type in this address to check your mail: http://mail.darkstarlings.com Your regular control panel link might be broken. Other than that, email is working as it should. Thanks again, guys. | |
topic: Site News | |
[reply] [8 comments] |
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