Dear Publisher,
I am proposing my new magazine called Animals in Action. This magazine will be different from any other magazine, considering the gist will be comprised of snapshots taken by readers. Only the best, bizarre, surprising, heartfelt images taken and sent in by readers will be featured in an issue. Every week there will be a new issue, and there will also be articles and events featured relating to wildlife and animals. People are also welcomed to send images of their own pets. It will also feature articles on domestic animals and pet care tips.
Although anyone can enjoy Animals in Action, it is not expected to attract young children. It is more focused to attract anyone who enjoys being outdoors and likes the wildlife feel. There shouldn’t be differences in income level among readers, and it shouldn’t affect self image. The magazine will focus strictly on the love and passion one might have for animals, leaving out any type of material a gossip or fashion magazine would have.
A magazine that would be competition for Animals in Action would be National Geographic. The difference would be my magazine would have more of a modern twist to it. I would feature well known animal experts and have a section with nationwide events featured. The pictures from events the week before will be shown. It will be a colorful magazine, displaying animal art from young students nationwide giving them the chance to win prizes. Anything animal will be featured.
Five advertisers that probably would like to reach readers
Bayer
Travel Agencies (places that offer vacations to places that have wildlife)
Petco
Nikon
Aspca
Five articles featured in the first issue
Lion Cub in Danger Needs Your Help!
Picture Perfect Penguin
Safari Snapshots: Hall of Fame
What You Can do to Help Homeless Animals in Your Community
The True Connection between a Man and his Best Friend.
The cover of the magazine will feature an image of an animal and the best stories to be featured in that issue. It will have a lot of color to attract attention. (I would have added more graphics, but the program makes it difficult.) Also, the humanitarian of the week will have their picture featured on the front. The first issue will have the best selected image taken by a reader.
1984
George Orwell's 1984, presents a compelling way of understanding total power through government control and just how susceptible the human mind is. Reading such an extreme novel really helped me to look beyond our everyday human and government deficiencies and discover absolute truth, within myself. Because of 1984, I can compare many of the unethical events from the book to our everyday lives and step out of the box to realize the same types of situations indeed happen to us sometimes without even realizing.
http://www.amazon.com/1984-Signet-Classics-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934
The Diary of a Young Girl
With a look at one page, anyone can realize just how remarkable and intelligent Anne Frank is in The Diary of a Young Girl. You can read about the holocaust being a horrendous period of time in Europe, but to step into the mind of an intelligent young woman, firsthand, is an experience I will never forget. Her story about living in an annex for 2 years, then dying at a concentration camp, while always remaining sincere and having a positive attitude has wrapped itself around my heart. I truly feel this moving story has changed my life more than any other, due to its genuine nature of the author. I have never experienced anything like Anne Frank did, and on days where I can’t find my car keys or am running low on rent money, I come to realize my life cannot be as bad as it seems.
http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Frank-Diary-Young-Girl/dp/0553296981
Into the Wild
Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild is such a moving non-fiction narrative that tells the story of Christopher McCandless giving up his life to hike and survive in the Alaskan wilderness. While reading, I immediately sympathized with Christopher and his desire to take on what wouldn’t be a social norm. Even though he sadly dies in the end, I really enjoyed discovering how he managed to survive his incredible journey and all of the lives he touched. It helps me understand the mind frame of someone that would be labeled “crazy.” I am touched by this story simply because many times I catch myself thinking in a way that Christopher would, independent and free of influence. http://www.amazon.com/Into-Wild-Jon-Krakauer/dp/0385486804
The internet makes it virtually impossible to avoid one-on-one communication with an unfamiliar person. From Facebook to Ebay, the web is a never ending mass communication tool. Sometimes, there are danger zones in which some are not aware they need to avoid. Take Craigslist, for example. A website created for the average Joe to buy, sell, and give away goods and services and to find jobs, homes, events etc. Sure, there is no real way to filter the people on the other end to distinguish if they are a murderer or thief. That is the danger of a site set up this way and is essentially ran by the public. Some blame the site for being the reason crime is committed, and say there needs to be a change in order to avoid brutal situations.
A father blames Craigslist for his daughter’s death due to the site’s lack of screening who is visiting and posting ads. A 19 year old woman met a man who was a 36 year old sex offender posing as someone else. He admitted she was drugged, killed and dumped in the ocean, on his behalf. The young woman’s father believes with today’s technology there should be a way to detect if convicted sex offenders are using Craigslist.
As tragic as this event is, Craigslist is ran by it’s users, meaning it should be used by the discretion of them as well. The site cannot be responsible for people who decide to use it as an outlet for violence. If one is to meet with a complete stranger, it is only necessary to bring someone else and let others know the details of the meeting for safety reasons. No stranger can be trusted, that is why it is necessary to take extra precautions when meeting someone from the internet. Craigslist can make changes to the site to help eliminate crimes, but there is no real way to control or predict the users’ intent. The site cannot be blamed for a decision both the man and woman decided to make.
http://www.click2houston.com/video/19531615/index.html
The various types of media have definitely formed my life into something much more interesting and feasible, meaning I cannot survive without some of them. The most important to me are books, internet, and radio. Growing up, I have always loved reading stories illustrated by Eric Carle, which descended into the “Goosebumps” series. Now, I enjoy fiction novels that relate to suppression by government, societal issues, war, the Elizabethan era etc. Shakespeare is my genre of choice. I enjoy all books, for they all have something to offer. My favorite literary work is Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The internet, sadly, is necessary for my sanity. I do use it as a social tool, but more for informative reasons. I always like to read up on the latest significant scientific findings, never-ending articles and blogs on the universe, religious disagreements, and other interesting topics. Yes, I do have a Face Book, but I am not addicted like the rest of the world. As for the radio, I appreciate it when I am driving. It would be so boring to drive in silence. I strictly listen to music only, alternative and rock to be specific. I quite often read magazines and newspapers. I enjoy health, fitness, and women’s magazines which are always laying around my room. I read the newspaper when they are conveniently around me, but don’t go out of my way to pick one up. Usually there are newspapers delivered to my house, so I don’t have to walk very far. Movies and television were a significant part of my life growing up, but due to the lack of free time, I cannot find the time to dedicate to these two forms of media. When I do watch television, I most likely watch the History Channel, Animal Planet, and ABC. My favorite movie is Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. I don’t like watching movies because I end up falling asleep.
My dream career is to be a photo-journalist. The main focus would be animals. National Geographic is an example of a magazine I would like to work for. The ability to observe and capture the essence of wildlife and publish it in a magazine is an ability I hope to one day acquire.
