Presidential Debate Tweetchat

Tuesday night marked the second presidential debate of the 2012 election. President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney squared off in a town hall setting debate. A town hall setting allows every day citizens to ask the candidates questions and allow the candidates to debate the right answer.

This was the first time I have ever participated in a Tweetchat. To be honest, I thought it was the most ridiculous, unorganized event I have ever been a part of. It may be due to the fact that the presidential was the highest tweeted event in history, but it was overwhelming to see all the tweets flood in at once. Impossible to read every tweet and a lagging website due to the high web traffic, tweeting was very frustrating. Also, it seemed like tweeting was pointless. Given the large amounts of tweets that were pouring in, I highly doubt many people read my tweets.

Other than the poorly organized tweetchat, the presidential debate was one for the ages. After harsh criticism in the first debate, Obama came out strong showing aggression and attacking Romney. Not to be pushed around, Romney fired right back with emotion and passion. At one point, both candidates were literally toe-to-toe with each other arguing over top of one another. Some say that arguing in each others face was unprofessional, but in my opinion, I believe that was exactly what the public needed. The public is bombarded with political attack ads and scripted speeches from the candidates public relations teams. It was a breath of fresh air to see real emotion and personality out of the candidates.

The debate ended with both parties showing strong arguments and making little mistakes. The presidential race continues to be one of the most followed and important races in American history. I am excited to watch the rest of the race unfold.

Was the Red Bull Stratos Jump A Publicity Stunt?

On Sunday morning millions of people watched Felix Baumgartner's high-altitude jump. The jump, which was a world record 128,000 feet high, broke the previous record held by Joe Kittinger in 1962. The mission, which was dubbed "Red Bull Stratos," was intended to gather scientific information about astronautical equipment, high-altitude and high-speed environments and to develop protocols for astronauts exiting in space.

Felix Baumgartner as he jumps out of the capsule and begins his descent back to Earth.

The mission was completely funded by Red Bull and took the last seven years to research, plan and execute. Critics of the mission argue that it was not a scientific mission as much as it was a publicity stunt for Red Bull. The critics say that there were no substantial data gained from the jump that scientists did not previously have knowledge of. The technology that Baumgartner used in his space suit and the capsule that he rode into the stratosphere, tested no new innovations and used previously tested technology.

Critics also argue that it was a publicity stunt because Red Bull was inaccurately referring to the jump as, "The Jump From Space," when in reality, Baumgartner's jump was roughly 40 miles below the "space" boundary. The critics also say that Red Bull did a horrible job presenting viewers with a history lesson about the first jump from a similar altitude in 1962 by Joe Kittinger. Red Bull focused more on promoting the event and its own brand rather than educating viewers and striving to make any "real" scientific discovery.

Whether it was a publicity stunt or a scientific mission, Red Bull and Felix Baumgartner have pushed the limits in human aviation and should be credited for their bravery and dedication to advancing astronautical equipment. The jump can be seen here.

Taken 2 Fails To Deliver

Taken 2, starring Liam Neeson, hit theaters last week. Following the hype of the first movie in the series, Taken, the sequel failed to live up to its expectations.

With an almost exact story line as the first movie, Taken 2 has disappointed viewers. Feedback has been claiming unexciting action scenes mixed with a non-believable cast list.

Liam Neeson in Taken 2

Taken 2 was supposed to be one of the hit movies of the fall but has not delivered, especially after a large campaign promoting the new movie. Viewers were bored and the plot made little attempt to build suspense or keep viewers in mystery, says rottentomatoe.com. Reviews say that Taken 2 has "insulted viewers intelligence" and has made a mockery of the movie industry. The trailer for Taken 2 can be seen here.

Personally, I enjoyed the original Taken, but will wait for the DVD release for the sequel. So watch the trailer and decide for yourself.

Biden's Smiling Provides Ammunition For Republican Party

During the debate Thursday night, current Vice President Biden was seen smirking and laughing while Paul Ryan argued his policies. The smirking has created quite an uproar and disagreement between political parties.



 Biden smiling and laughing as Paul Ryan debates.

Republicans call the smirking disrespectful and inappropriate, especially when Biden was seen smirking during Ryan's argument about  the possibility of nuclear weapons in Iran. The Republican party believes Biden's smirking and laughing was a sign that the Democratic party is losing ground in the election. "The contrast between cool Ryan and overbearing Biden really hurts Biden. Biden is too hot - not effective," said former spokesman for Bush, Ari Fleischer.

On the other side, the Democrats viewed Biden's smirking as just, claiming that it is only right for Biden to laugh at the absurd policies that Ryan was discussing. The Democrats believe that accussing Biden for being insensitive and rude is just an act of desparation by the Republican party.

The media disagrees. NBC News' David Gregory said, "Biden's smile is out of control." Not only did Republicans and the media notice Biden's smirking. During the debate Twitter was trending with viewers criticizing and aapluding Biden's actions.

Shortly after the debate, the Republican party released a montage of Biden's smiling, which can be seen  here.

New Orleans Saints Bounty Scandal

The game of football is a fast paced and sometimes brutal sport, so big hits and injuries are often part of the game. Recently, the National Football League has been facing a public relations crisis. At the end of last year's season, football fans across America learned that the New Orleans Saints may have been participating in a "bounty program." The "bounty program" was said to be led by the starting linebacker for the Saints, Jonathan Vilma. The program was allegedly a list of monetary incentives that Vilma would pay teammates for accomplishing certain goals, such as injuring an opponent.

Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, dished out a year long suspension for Vilma and head coach of the Saints, Sean Payton. In addition to their suspensions, several other players and coaches have been given multiple game suspensions for their alleged participation in the bounty program. Vilma, along with the other players and coaches that have been suspended, consistently denied any such "bounty program" and appealed their suspensions.


Vilma answering a reporter's question as he leaves the Player's Union meeting Monday.

The appeals have been re-examined and Commissioner Goodell announced his final ruling last week. 
The final ruling and statements made by the players can be seen here in an article published by Sports Illustrated: Commissioner Goodell's Ruling

The bounty program and the appeals have created a great stir in the sporting community. Sports fans have began to question the integrity of sports and asking questions about what else goes on that fans do not know about. I think the suspensions and controversy that surrounds the alleged bounty program is ridiculous. People need to remember that football is a game of contact. Anyone who has ever played football knows that from pee-wee leagues, players are taught to hit the opponent as hard as they can and try to take them out of the game. Obviously no cheap shots or late hits, but be as physical as possible and deliver the hardest hit possible. I think Goodell is wrong for suspending players and coaches for doing exactly what they have been hired to do, and that is to play football. This scandal, whether true or not, is a bad look for the NFL and professional sports organizations as a whole.

Welcome Post

Hello everyone, my name is Michael Popelas and I am currently in my last semester at The Ohio State University. I am studying Economics and Strategic Communications. I started off as a Communications major because I was very interested in public relations and the crucial role that it plays in business. I decided to also pursue an Economics degree because I am very interested in financial markets and how prices are affected by demand and supply.

I have had two internships that were both communications based. My first internship was with STACK Media. STACK Media publishes the largest high school sports and fitness magazine in the country. During my internship I wrote press releases and daily blogs for STACK's website. Also, I was fortunate enough to be tasked with helping to develop content for STACK's online fitness website. I learned a great deal from my time at STACK. I realized the amount of time and detail that go into public writing and the hard work and research that is needed to write a good article.

Upon graduating I would like to work as an investment banker. I am very interested in stock markets and the ever-changing exchange rates. Also, the opportunity to make a lot of money in the markets makes investment banking a desirable job.

My time at Ohio State has gone by way too quickly. So many times I was told to enjoy my college career because it will go by quicker than I could imagine. Well, that statement has really started to sink in as graduation approaches. However, I have had an unforgettable experience at Ohio State and I live with no regrets. I am excited and looking forward to moving on to the next chapter of my life.