hey guys, so glad to let you know this is my last blog post, and podcast everrrrr. Check it out please!!
http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=51913&autoplay=true
I'm episode numba 48.
Thanks for reading and listening, good luck with finals! :-)
Monday, December 3, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
HW 37: Two Down, One to Go!
Howdy! Here is the link to my second podcast! Check it out, lemme know what ya think!!
I'm episode 39 :-)
http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=51166&autoplay=true
I'm episode 39 :-)
http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=51166&autoplay=true
Monday, November 19, 2007
HW 36: My first podcast!!!
Hey ya'll!! Check out my first podcast! It's about Riverbend explaining Ramadhan, and also some things I've learned and found interesting!
http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&query=&b=play&id=8538&cast=49847&castPage=
I'm episode number 13!!
Thanks,
MLE
http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&query=&b=play&id=8538&cast=49847&castPage=
I'm episode number 13!!
Thanks,
MLE
Thursday, November 15, 2007
HW 35: My Farewell
After being enrolled in the course “A Blog of One’s Own” I have learned a lot after maintaining a blog for the past 13 weeks. Academically, I have learned to be very responsible and staying on the ball as far as getting the assignments done, and on time. I think it would be a little easier to slack off when we are to write online for our homework because there are more attainable excuses for not doing it. So I have learned to really keep up a good blog and homework responsibility. As far as the course goes, I have learned more about responding to specific readings and about blogs themselves. I have learned so much about different blogs, and that there are many, many blogs out there. I never realized the never-ending options to blogs. I find it so cool that people all over the world can maintain a blog as well.
I would hope that whoever reads my blog posts understands that I do my work. I also hope that for anyone who reads my blog can comprehend and follow along with the readings we as students had to do, but the reader could almost follow along just by reading my blog.
Overall I’m proud of all of my blog posts because of the details I put in. I always make it known that I read the readings and I include informative, relating quotes.
Once this class is over I’m just going to stop writing blog posts, but I’ll keep my blog up. This way, I can check it now and then to see if I ever get any comments, and to see who is reading my posts. I also will keep my blog so I can look at other people’s blogs both in my pod, but also the blogs I’m watching i.e. jezebel.
Overall I just want to tell my readers it has been a very interesting class and I enjoyed it. I feel proud of myself because we did have a lot of work in this class, and I feel successful for completing each and every HW assignment on time. I also would recommend this course to anyone because you learn a lot that you would never know if you didn’t take the course. It’s very interesting, and fun.
I would hope that whoever reads my blog posts understands that I do my work. I also hope that for anyone who reads my blog can comprehend and follow along with the readings we as students had to do, but the reader could almost follow along just by reading my blog.
Overall I’m proud of all of my blog posts because of the details I put in. I always make it known that I read the readings and I include informative, relating quotes.
Once this class is over I’m just going to stop writing blog posts, but I’ll keep my blog up. This way, I can check it now and then to see if I ever get any comments, and to see who is reading my posts. I also will keep my blog so I can look at other people’s blogs both in my pod, but also the blogs I’m watching i.e. jezebel.
Overall I just want to tell my readers it has been a very interesting class and I enjoyed it. I feel proud of myself because we did have a lot of work in this class, and I feel successful for completing each and every HW assignment on time. I also would recommend this course to anyone because you learn a lot that you would never know if you didn’t take the course. It’s very interesting, and fun.
HW 34: Riverbend talks about Gold and Tea
Riverbend explains the custom of evening tea in Iraq on Saturday, October 18th. 2003.
I never realized how important tea was to Iraqi families. Riverbend explains that they drink tea, “with breakfast, they drink tea at midday, they drink tea in the evening and often drink tea with dinner” (Riverbend 109). She explains that tea is very important to their culture, and they always set time aside for tea time, where they all sit down together and drink their tea while talking about, “blockade, war strategies, bombing, and politics” (Riverbend 109). Riverbend also explains how there is a specific way of making tea in which there is a 3 step process. (Riverbend 108). I wondered why tea time was so important, and Riverbend answered that question by explaining, “tea is so important in Iraq, that it makes up a substantial part of rations we’ve been getting ever since the sanctions were imposed upon the country” (Riverbend 109).Another informative post I read that Riverbend explained was the role of gold in family savings in Iraq. She wrote this Thursday, October 9th. 2003. I found this post very interesting! Riverbend explained that when the money fluency was fluctuating the Iraqi’s would buy gold since the prices of gold would stay the same, this way when the family was in need of money, they could sell a little bit of their gold. (Riverbend 100). Specifically, “gold is a part of [their] culture and the roll it plays in “family savings” has increased since 1990” (Riverbend 100). Riverbend also explained that when the American soldiers invaded houses, they would take the gold and were surprised that the Iraqi’s have gold. The truth is that, when two Iraqi’s get married-regardless of religion-the man often gives the woman a “mahar” or dowry, composed of gold jewelry. When a couple has a child, the gifts are often little gold trinkets that the parents can sell or keep” (Riverbend 100). I found this very interesting that gold was used to almost save money in a sense, it is a very good idea, and very informative.
I never realized how important tea was to Iraqi families. Riverbend explains that they drink tea, “with breakfast, they drink tea at midday, they drink tea in the evening and often drink tea with dinner” (Riverbend 109). She explains that tea is very important to their culture, and they always set time aside for tea time, where they all sit down together and drink their tea while talking about, “blockade, war strategies, bombing, and politics” (Riverbend 109). Riverbend also explains how there is a specific way of making tea in which there is a 3 step process. (Riverbend 108). I wondered why tea time was so important, and Riverbend answered that question by explaining, “tea is so important in Iraq, that it makes up a substantial part of rations we’ve been getting ever since the sanctions were imposed upon the country” (Riverbend 109).Another informative post I read that Riverbend explained was the role of gold in family savings in Iraq. She wrote this Thursday, October 9th. 2003. I found this post very interesting! Riverbend explained that when the money fluency was fluctuating the Iraqi’s would buy gold since the prices of gold would stay the same, this way when the family was in need of money, they could sell a little bit of their gold. (Riverbend 100). Specifically, “gold is a part of [their] culture and the roll it plays in “family savings” has increased since 1990” (Riverbend 100). Riverbend also explained that when the American soldiers invaded houses, they would take the gold and were surprised that the Iraqi’s have gold. The truth is that, when two Iraqi’s get married-regardless of religion-the man often gives the woman a “mahar” or dowry, composed of gold jewelry. When a couple has a child, the gifts are often little gold trinkets that the parents can sell or keep” (Riverbend 100). I found this very interesting that gold was used to almost save money in a sense, it is a very good idea, and very informative.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
HW 33: Alive in Baghdad, Challenges of Everyday Life
The title of the episode I watched is “Challenges at a Girl’s School in Baghdad”
The title of the series it was part of is “Alive in Bagdhad”
The date it was published was 5/21/07
The link to the site is http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/05/21/challenges-at-a-girls-school-in-baghdad/
The general topic that the episode covers is the many factors that play into why it it so dangerous to be going to school in Baghdad.
The people who appear in the podcast are the students, teachers, and the director of the school.
One person who appears in the podcast is the physics teacher they interviewed. She was wearing a long sleeved professional jacket, it doesn’t show what she was wearing for pants. And she’s wearing a burqa. Her face doesn’t appear to have any make-up, except for reddish lipstick.
The scenery in the background is very depressing. There are no decorations in the classroom, the buildings look as if they need work, they didn’t show the roads.. however when the students described the driving conditions they said they were very bad.
A viewer might learn form watching this episode how totally different it is to go to school here in America than in Baghdad. We never have to worry about going to school, usually. School is never cancelled due to random checks of the town/city. It is just a totally different atmosphere.The video I watched compared to other video footage was actually a little more pleasing to see. Other video’s I’ve seen are more abour the war and soldiers. It was nice to not hear sirens in the background and have it more focused on the school and not the war. I find the one of the students reaction most memorable about the podcast. When she was asked if she was scared that there would be a bomb or shooting near her home and school, she replied no..Hail Allah. It made me realize that she had all her trust in her God’s hands.
The title of the series it was part of is “Alive in Bagdhad”
The date it was published was 5/21/07
The link to the site is http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/05/21/challenges-at-a-girls-school-in-baghdad/
The general topic that the episode covers is the many factors that play into why it it so dangerous to be going to school in Baghdad.
The people who appear in the podcast are the students, teachers, and the director of the school.
One person who appears in the podcast is the physics teacher they interviewed. She was wearing a long sleeved professional jacket, it doesn’t show what she was wearing for pants. And she’s wearing a burqa. Her face doesn’t appear to have any make-up, except for reddish lipstick.
The scenery in the background is very depressing. There are no decorations in the classroom, the buildings look as if they need work, they didn’t show the roads.. however when the students described the driving conditions they said they were very bad.
A viewer might learn form watching this episode how totally different it is to go to school here in America than in Baghdad. We never have to worry about going to school, usually. School is never cancelled due to random checks of the town/city. It is just a totally different atmosphere.The video I watched compared to other video footage was actually a little more pleasing to see. Other video’s I’ve seen are more abour the war and soldiers. It was nice to not hear sirens in the background and have it more focused on the school and not the war. I find the one of the students reaction most memorable about the podcast. When she was asked if she was scared that there would be a bomb or shooting near her home and school, she replied no..Hail Allah. It made me realize that she had all her trust in her God’s hands.
HW 32: Veils, Hijabs, Rabtas, Abayas.. Same thing right? WRONG!!
Wednesday, October 01. 2003
Riverbend gives her opinion on what Dr. Stanley Kurtz has to say about the reasoning behind women wearing veils. Riverbend uses sarcasm to express her disagreement with Dr. Kurtz, who states that it “took hundreds of years of wearing the veil for religious reasons and relegated it all to the oppression of females by their male cousins” (Riverbend 92). Riverbend sarcastically replies to his statement with “wow-human nature is that simple” (Riverbend 92). Riverbend then points out many examples as to why Dr. Kurtz is so off in his statement that Iraqi women wear veils due to their cousin’s superiority. Firstly, Riverbend explains that Dr. Kurtz used the term “veil” as if it only pertained to Iraq. This clearly made Riverbend upset, because she gives a lengthy explanation the in fact, very few women in Iraq wore veils, and if and when they did it had nothing to do with their male cousins making them do so. She then explains that the term “veil” can have a different definition in a different country, and that Dr. Kurtz should have used the term “hijab” which means headscarf. Riverbend explains that, “Muslim females do not wear a hijab or veil because their male cousins make them wear it. They wear it for religious reasons” Riverbend 93. She explains that these women wear it as a symbol of their belief, a conviction, something that is pure etiquette out of their religion. She explains that if these women are persecuted for wearing it, Christian women should be persecuted for wearing a cross, and Jew’s wearing a yarmulke. I learned a lot from this post by Riverbend because even I didn’t know all the different definitions of head pieces, who wore them, and why.
Riverbend gives her opinion on what Dr. Stanley Kurtz has to say about the reasoning behind women wearing veils. Riverbend uses sarcasm to express her disagreement with Dr. Kurtz, who states that it “took hundreds of years of wearing the veil for religious reasons and relegated it all to the oppression of females by their male cousins” (Riverbend 92). Riverbend sarcastically replies to his statement with “wow-human nature is that simple” (Riverbend 92). Riverbend then points out many examples as to why Dr. Kurtz is so off in his statement that Iraqi women wear veils due to their cousin’s superiority. Firstly, Riverbend explains that Dr. Kurtz used the term “veil” as if it only pertained to Iraq. This clearly made Riverbend upset, because she gives a lengthy explanation the in fact, very few women in Iraq wore veils, and if and when they did it had nothing to do with their male cousins making them do so. She then explains that the term “veil” can have a different definition in a different country, and that Dr. Kurtz should have used the term “hijab” which means headscarf. Riverbend explains that, “Muslim females do not wear a hijab or veil because their male cousins make them wear it. They wear it for religious reasons” Riverbend 93. She explains that these women wear it as a symbol of their belief, a conviction, something that is pure etiquette out of their religion. She explains that if these women are persecuted for wearing it, Christian women should be persecuted for wearing a cross, and Jew’s wearing a yarmulke. I learned a lot from this post by Riverbend because even I didn’t know all the different definitions of head pieces, who wore them, and why.
HW 31: Turning the Tables
After reading the post “Turning Tables” by Riverbend in Baghdad Burning, I wanted to know more about this blogspot that is written by a soldier fighting in Iraq, who goes by the name “Moja”. So I went online and looked up the blog “TurningTables” (http://turningtables.blogspot.com/). TurningTables is a blog that is composed by a soldier named Moja. This blog made me really emotional. This is because my brother is going to Iraq in December, three days before my birthday. To read Moja’s blog posts really struck me to know what’s going on in Iraq, where my brother will be going. It made me feel for the troops, especially when Moja states that all he thinks about is going home, and all he dreams about is going home (Moja). All I could think of was if Peter my brother will start a blog, if he will say those things, if he will be miserable, if he will want nothing but to come home. Reading about Moja’s life and how he deals with what’s going on made me really learn a lot about the other side of Iraq, as well as what my brother might go through. I am now interesting in TurningTables, and I am going to be reading it more on a daily basis.
Moja. "...TURNINGTABLES...." Blogger. 13 Nov 2007
Moja. "...TURNINGTABLES...." Blogger. 13 Nov 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
HW 30: Citizenship Symposium: Animation and Politics
HW 30
The citizenship symposium as Keene State College is an all week affair that includes many informational lectures. I have now attended 2 symposiums. The title of this session was “Animation as Political and Social Constructions”. The names of the speakers were Jiwon Ahn, Sander Lee, and Mark Timney. All three speakers are professors at Keene State College. The talk of the lecture over all was how politics can be played out through animation. The three different speakers chose specific examples of certain animations that had some sort of connection with politics and social constructions.
Jiwon Ahn explained that animation mobilized to challenge everyday life. Her animations that she showed on the big screen were examples of punk art. The images were portrayed as typical images of “innocent” girls. She showed a variety of examples of artists, however she showed and explained more of the artist “KaiKaiKiKi”. One thing I learned about her speech was that the artists she showed were more open about nudity. To prove that I was there Kim sneezed, and it made Ahn lose her place in her speech. One of the quotes form her speech was, “I went to get a picture framed…and he thought it was my work. This is how simplistic this artist’s work is”.
The next speaker was Sander Lee. His speech was exploring the cartoon of Donald Duck and how he dreamed he was in a concentration camp following Hitler’s rules. He used animation to show the social constructions of how stubborn Donald Duck usually is, but then conforms and submits to all the orders he was being given. Lee was explaining how no matter how stubborn people were (like Donald Duck) that had to collaborate and submit to the higher power (in this case Hitler). Something interesting I learned from his speech was that I was somewhat surprised that cartoons somewhat imitate the Holocaust and then are shown to children. Something to prove that I was there was that he said “Brunny” instead of “bunny”. One quote he said was, “Bugs identity is interesting in terms of the Nazi’s”
The last speaker was Mark Timney. His speech was very interesting and fun to listen to. He explained the cartoon “South Park” and how there could be a moral lesson behind each episode. He explained how the social constructions like compromising, thinking critically, and being an active citizen can be taught through the animation South Park.An interesting thing I learned and pondered on was if the show South Park makes us even more critical of the U.S. government. To prove I was there Mark looked like he was wearing a wig. A quote he said was, “ The use of ridicule or scorn, often in a humorous or witty way, to expose follies and vices”
The citizenship symposium as Keene State College is an all week affair that includes many informational lectures. I have now attended 2 symposiums. The title of this session was “Animation as Political and Social Constructions”. The names of the speakers were Jiwon Ahn, Sander Lee, and Mark Timney. All three speakers are professors at Keene State College. The talk of the lecture over all was how politics can be played out through animation. The three different speakers chose specific examples of certain animations that had some sort of connection with politics and social constructions.
Jiwon Ahn explained that animation mobilized to challenge everyday life. Her animations that she showed on the big screen were examples of punk art. The images were portrayed as typical images of “innocent” girls. She showed a variety of examples of artists, however she showed and explained more of the artist “KaiKaiKiKi”. One thing I learned about her speech was that the artists she showed were more open about nudity. To prove that I was there Kim sneezed, and it made Ahn lose her place in her speech. One of the quotes form her speech was, “I went to get a picture framed…and he thought it was my work. This is how simplistic this artist’s work is”.
The next speaker was Sander Lee. His speech was exploring the cartoon of Donald Duck and how he dreamed he was in a concentration camp following Hitler’s rules. He used animation to show the social constructions of how stubborn Donald Duck usually is, but then conforms and submits to all the orders he was being given. Lee was explaining how no matter how stubborn people were (like Donald Duck) that had to collaborate and submit to the higher power (in this case Hitler). Something interesting I learned from his speech was that I was somewhat surprised that cartoons somewhat imitate the Holocaust and then are shown to children. Something to prove that I was there was that he said “Brunny” instead of “bunny”. One quote he said was, “Bugs identity is interesting in terms of the Nazi’s”
The last speaker was Mark Timney. His speech was very interesting and fun to listen to. He explained the cartoon “South Park” and how there could be a moral lesson behind each episode. He explained how the social constructions like compromising, thinking critically, and being an active citizen can be taught through the animation South Park.An interesting thing I learned and pondered on was if the show South Park makes us even more critical of the U.S. government. To prove I was there Mark looked like he was wearing a wig. A quote he said was, “ The use of ridicule or scorn, often in a humorous or witty way, to expose follies and vices”
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
HW 30: Citizenship Symposium: Is Voting Always Fair?
The citizenship symposium as Keene State College is an all week affair that includes many informational lectures. So far, I have only attended one symposium. The title of this session was “Voting Theory and the Questions of Fairness”. The name of the speaker was Vincent Ferlini. Ferlini is the associate professor of mathematics at Keene State College. The talk of the lecture over all was about voting, and the different methods of voting, and which types were the best to use in certain situations. Also, the main topic was about fair voting, and the question of fairness. One of the main topics was about sample voting methods, discussion of fairness, and Kenneth Arrow’s mathematical theorem which all boils down to different methods which produce different results. Each method exhibits characteristics associated with the fairness and unfairness of voting methods. The Central question is: When it comes to the voting system what is fair? And what is the clear, precise definition of what fair means.
There were a couple interesting things I learned during this symposium. One interesting thing I learned was that when there was a tie during a vote between two specific candidates, there would be a coin flip to determine the winner.
A sentence to prove that I was there is that he voted Brittany Spears as his first choice to be sent into exile for 10 or more years. Following her was Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, and Kevin Federline.
A few quotes I wrote down from what Ferlini said was, “We tend to vote majority rules, but sometimes it doesn’t always work that way”. Another quote I wrote down was, “A voter used a broken pot called an ostraka to record a vote, this is the root of the modern world ostracize” Over all it was a very informative symposium, and I look forward to attending two more.
There were a couple interesting things I learned during this symposium. One interesting thing I learned was that when there was a tie during a vote between two specific candidates, there would be a coin flip to determine the winner.
A sentence to prove that I was there is that he voted Brittany Spears as his first choice to be sent into exile for 10 or more years. Following her was Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, and Kevin Federline.
A few quotes I wrote down from what Ferlini said was, “We tend to vote majority rules, but sometimes it doesn’t always work that way”. Another quote I wrote down was, “A voter used a broken pot called an ostraka to record a vote, this is the root of the modern world ostracize” Over all it was a very informative symposium, and I look forward to attending two more.
Friday, November 2, 2007
HW 28: Open Letter to Riverbend
Dear Riverbend,
I must say that when I was first assigned to read this book, I had no idea what it was or what it was about. It was only until I read the introduction and foreword that I realized that this book was filled with your blog entries. I then knew it was going to be a captivating read and that I knew I was going to be and stay interested in what you have to say. A couple of your entries really caught my attention, and some of them I have a couple questions on. I was wondering if you found it almost frustrating at the fact that you have this new talent to recognize if the sound of bullets from a distance are American or Klashnikov, that you can tell how far away they are, if you can tell if it’s “them” or “us”, if it’s a pistol or a machine gun, and if it’s a tank or an armored vehicle? I know that if any of that chaos was going on here, we wouldn’t be able to recognize…Well, not at least the first few months. This new talent of yours seems to be helpful, but if I were you I would almost be frustrated at the fact that I would know this!
In one of your blogs titled, “Setting the Record Straight” (p 13) I found it disturbing that someone would call you a spoiled brat! Why on earth would something think you would be spoiled?! I would be so frustrated if I were you. After all those instances that you listed what you’ve been through and why you hated the soldiers at those specific times, In my opinion, all the power to you for not hating them in general. I would be so resentful of someone if they did all those things, for the rest of my life. You should be respected because you sympathize fore the soldiers, your pity for them, your hopeless feeling for them, you feeling terrible for them. All these things you have said as to why you feel for them. You are far from a spoiled brat who is bias.
I was wondering if you have gotten into any trouble as far as writing a blog? Is there anyone against you writing about what’s going on where you live and how you feel? I know how you feel, not wanting to give you personal information away…That could totally get you in trouble, as you explain in your blog entry, “About Riverbend” on page 20. I don’t know why people would ask for your personal information, if anything those people who want it are probably sketchy and WANT to get you in trouble!
My last question I have for you is about your blog entry, “Opposite direction” on page 30. I felt this entry was somewhat all over the place. You first explained how it was a gloomy day and how you and your family were all gathered around, and while watching the news you saw that the Red Cross had been taken out of your area. First of all, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for your frustration, I know you need them. What is the status on that now? However, after you mentioned this you mentioned your neighbor coming over and calling out to your brother telling him to watch a program that takes up political issues. Long story short… I was just wondering what your neighbor thought it was a big deal for? And why did he only tell your brother? Also, I like how in the end of your post you explain that there is a middle stance; you don’t have to be for or against Bush, which is what he says. I agree, I’m not for or against, I’m in the middle. Sometimes it’s hard to decide.
I like reading your entries, I am learning more about the war and what is going on in Iraq. I’m sorry you have to suffer from the trauma and I hope everything clears up soon. Praying for ya,Emily
I must say that when I was first assigned to read this book, I had no idea what it was or what it was about. It was only until I read the introduction and foreword that I realized that this book was filled with your blog entries. I then knew it was going to be a captivating read and that I knew I was going to be and stay interested in what you have to say. A couple of your entries really caught my attention, and some of them I have a couple questions on. I was wondering if you found it almost frustrating at the fact that you have this new talent to recognize if the sound of bullets from a distance are American or Klashnikov, that you can tell how far away they are, if you can tell if it’s “them” or “us”, if it’s a pistol or a machine gun, and if it’s a tank or an armored vehicle? I know that if any of that chaos was going on here, we wouldn’t be able to recognize…Well, not at least the first few months. This new talent of yours seems to be helpful, but if I were you I would almost be frustrated at the fact that I would know this!
In one of your blogs titled, “Setting the Record Straight” (p 13) I found it disturbing that someone would call you a spoiled brat! Why on earth would something think you would be spoiled?! I would be so frustrated if I were you. After all those instances that you listed what you’ve been through and why you hated the soldiers at those specific times, In my opinion, all the power to you for not hating them in general. I would be so resentful of someone if they did all those things, for the rest of my life. You should be respected because you sympathize fore the soldiers, your pity for them, your hopeless feeling for them, you feeling terrible for them. All these things you have said as to why you feel for them. You are far from a spoiled brat who is bias.
I was wondering if you have gotten into any trouble as far as writing a blog? Is there anyone against you writing about what’s going on where you live and how you feel? I know how you feel, not wanting to give you personal information away…That could totally get you in trouble, as you explain in your blog entry, “About Riverbend” on page 20. I don’t know why people would ask for your personal information, if anything those people who want it are probably sketchy and WANT to get you in trouble!
My last question I have for you is about your blog entry, “Opposite direction” on page 30. I felt this entry was somewhat all over the place. You first explained how it was a gloomy day and how you and your family were all gathered around, and while watching the news you saw that the Red Cross had been taken out of your area. First of all, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for your frustration, I know you need them. What is the status on that now? However, after you mentioned this you mentioned your neighbor coming over and calling out to your brother telling him to watch a program that takes up political issues. Long story short… I was just wondering what your neighbor thought it was a big deal for? And why did he only tell your brother? Also, I like how in the end of your post you explain that there is a middle stance; you don’t have to be for or against Bush, which is what he says. I agree, I’m not for or against, I’m in the middle. Sometimes it’s hard to decide.
I like reading your entries, I am learning more about the war and what is going on in Iraq. I’m sorry you have to suffer from the trauma and I hope everything clears up soon. Praying for ya,Emily
Thursday, November 1, 2007
HW 27: About Riverbend
Riverbend, Baghdad Burning, Girl Blog from Iraq, 2005The Feminist Press at the City University of NY, NY
Baghdad Burning is a very powerful book written by a young woman who has seen the war live and goes by the name, Riverbend. The book, written through blog entries, explains what it’s like experiencing the war first hand, living life day to day not knowing what’s going to happen to her and/or her family. Riverbend explains that she originally was looking for some sort of online “rantlog” (Riverbend 5), but settled with a blogging account the Google provided her. The reason this book was written was to give people outside of Iraq, or any war field in general, what it’s like to live where this scary action is taking place. As I read through her entries, she really knew how to captivate her readers and really put us in her shoes. As point blank as that statement sounds, it really is true! In general I think Riverbend wants the reader to learn that it’s hard for her to understand those who make up their minds on the war, when they don’t have very much knowledge about it. Riverbend wants her readers to understand what is actually going on in the war, and what it’s like to live in the middle of it, and then people may form their opinions around the actual facts. Riverbend writing these blogs and turning it into Baghdad Burning has some very great benefits. She really gives people the opportunity to really see what’s going on in Iraq through a true story, as opposed to the media, because we all know that the media can change the information any way they want. Riverbend allows her readers to really sympathize and want to do something to help contribute to solving the war. Some challenges Riverbend may experience are harmful events to herself. I believe she may fear that she may get in trouble for leaking out information about the war, and she is safe not to use her own name. However, Riverbend may have the challenge of punishment if others who disagree with her opinion find what she is writing. This reading is a great book that is incorporated into our class because our class is about how blogging, specifically, empowers women. Riverbend does such a great job showing how it made her feel better to blog about her experience, giving a clear example about how blogging really does empower women.
Baghdad Burning is a very powerful book written by a young woman who has seen the war live and goes by the name, Riverbend. The book, written through blog entries, explains what it’s like experiencing the war first hand, living life day to day not knowing what’s going to happen to her and/or her family. Riverbend explains that she originally was looking for some sort of online “rantlog” (Riverbend 5), but settled with a blogging account the Google provided her. The reason this book was written was to give people outside of Iraq, or any war field in general, what it’s like to live where this scary action is taking place. As I read through her entries, she really knew how to captivate her readers and really put us in her shoes. As point blank as that statement sounds, it really is true! In general I think Riverbend wants the reader to learn that it’s hard for her to understand those who make up their minds on the war, when they don’t have very much knowledge about it. Riverbend wants her readers to understand what is actually going on in the war, and what it’s like to live in the middle of it, and then people may form their opinions around the actual facts. Riverbend writing these blogs and turning it into Baghdad Burning has some very great benefits. She really gives people the opportunity to really see what’s going on in Iraq through a true story, as opposed to the media, because we all know that the media can change the information any way they want. Riverbend allows her readers to really sympathize and want to do something to help contribute to solving the war. Some challenges Riverbend may experience are harmful events to herself. I believe she may fear that she may get in trouble for leaking out information about the war, and she is safe not to use her own name. However, Riverbend may have the challenge of punishment if others who disagree with her opinion find what she is writing. This reading is a great book that is incorporated into our class because our class is about how blogging, specifically, empowers women. Riverbend does such a great job showing how it made her feel better to blog about her experience, giving a clear example about how blogging really does empower women.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
HW 25: A long response to Riverbend
After reading the foreword and introduction to Baghdad Burning by Ahdaf Soueid and James Ridgeway, there is a need to summarize what was said, and what I read. To start off, Baghdad Burning is a book, full of blog entries written by an Iraqi woman who we don’t know much about. In the foreword, all we are told is that she goes by the name Riverbend, she’s twenty-four, she has a brother named “E”, and a mother. (Soueid 1) Her blogs are written to give those who read them an idea of what it is really like to be in a country where the war is actually going on. She explains how it angers her when those who say they support the war are behind their computer in a safe environment, not having to worry about being killed from a war going on, “I wish every person who emails me supporting the war, safe behind their computer, secure, in their narrow mind and fixed views, could actually come and experience the war live” (Souied 1.) As I continued reading, I moved into the introduction. In my opinion the introduction seemed short, yet very detailed, somewhat in a sense, which was hard to understand. However, Ridgeway explains what is going on, when everything started, bringing the reader up to date. Ridgeway explains that the background is how everything happened beginning in the “opening of the 20th century” (Ridgeway xii.) The background starts us with Gulf War and what goes on afterward, all the way up to date to the 2003 War. In these two informative sections, Ridgeway explains the background behind each war, and what led up to it, along with some personal opinion. Ridgeway then explains the “puppet show” as to what Riverbend calls people who don’t know what they’re doing and are run by others. Ridgeway ends the introduction with Liberated Iraq, which he explains as the frustration to do with “the rise of religious fundamentalism in what was once among the Arab world’s most secular societies,” (Ridgeway xxi.)
In my opinion I found the foreword more tasteful and understandable than the introduction. Although the introduction was very informative, I have always had a problem with those who explain their opinion and what they consider sources in such intricacy, it’s hard to understand. It bothers me. I also am for the war for my own reasons, and I’m sure I would be uneasier if I was actually living in Iraq. I’m sure every soldier who fights for this country are for the war, but once they are there, they realize it’s a living hell, and they don’t want to be there. They know why they are there, however. I remember when this war started; I (in my opinion) believe it is for good reasons. I don’t’ understand why people want us to take the troops out of Iraq, because then more violence will continue in the US. Do we want that? Do we really think that there will be peace when we take out troops out? I feel terrible for all the innocent people being killed, and who am I to say something? I am just this person in the US who is safe, and no I am not there for the real live war, and I wouldn’t want to be, but I know we’re there for a reason. What bothers me is how I know the text is changed when they take quotes from the presidents speech by including … to take out certain words and then adding [ ] to change words to make it sound the way the writer wants it to and make the president look bad, I feel that we need to be careful when doing such things.
In my opinion I found the foreword more tasteful and understandable than the introduction. Although the introduction was very informative, I have always had a problem with those who explain their opinion and what they consider sources in such intricacy, it’s hard to understand. It bothers me. I also am for the war for my own reasons, and I’m sure I would be uneasier if I was actually living in Iraq. I’m sure every soldier who fights for this country are for the war, but once they are there, they realize it’s a living hell, and they don’t want to be there. They know why they are there, however. I remember when this war started; I (in my opinion) believe it is for good reasons. I don’t’ understand why people want us to take the troops out of Iraq, because then more violence will continue in the US. Do we want that? Do we really think that there will be peace when we take out troops out? I feel terrible for all the innocent people being killed, and who am I to say something? I am just this person in the US who is safe, and no I am not there for the real live war, and I wouldn’t want to be, but I know we’re there for a reason. What bothers me is how I know the text is changed when they take quotes from the presidents speech by including … to take out certain words and then adding [ ] to change words to make it sound the way the writer wants it to and make the president look bad, I feel that we need to be careful when doing such things.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
HW 24: Now go to your room!!....What room?
Do I have a room of my own? In all honesty, even it being the twenty first century, I do not believe I have a room of my own. I say this because no matter where I am there are always distractions. My own room, which one would think would be a suitable room for myself to have time to ponder, is one of the main distracting rooms I could think of. I have pictures, which hold many memories- taking me back to different instances in my life – causing me to remember the exact moment the picture was taken. I have candles- different scent giving reminiscent smells to seasons or people, “she will go […] in the spirit of fellowship into those small scented rooms” (Woolf 88.) I have music- listening to lyrics- making me think of something or someone. I don’t have a room of my own, even in my whole house. Each room has such a significant amount of memories that I would get so distracted to be in there to have time to myself. I find this frustrating, “why do I feel that there are severances and oppositions in the mind […] what does one mean by the unity of the mind? (Woolf 97) yet beautiful at the same time- because these memories could be turned into fiction. Which is what I think Woolf would want for me as a woman. I think she wants me to be a woman of freedom and imagination. Which I believe I have been given, just in a different way. I have the freedom to choose whatever room I want in the house to use for my imagination. The truth is my imagination is on a foundation of my memories. This may be a different way Woolf may have wanted me to use my opportunity of a room of my own. But I think I’m putting it to good use.
Monday, October 22, 2007
HW 23: You've come a long way
With apologies to Virginia Woolf
What a difference. I am noticing that after reading certain posts from blogs that there is much more leisure in the air. I mean this in the most scrutinized way. How is it that over many, many years’ women are authors, and the context of written work is no longer about men and their judgmental opinions? It is remarkable to me to observe what is being written, who’s writing it, and what it is about. For instance, after leafing through such blogs as Jezebel, and Feminist blogs I’m finding that women write these blogs. I am finding these blogs are written on the matter of women. This is astounding! Coming from a time where a woman needed to “have a room of her own, let alone a quiet room or a sound proof room, was out of the question, unless her parents were exceptionally rich or very noble” (Woolf 52) Immediately I can tell that this world is more open to females and there roles. In fact, just the name of this one blog, “Feminist’s Blog” http://feministblogs.org/ happened to inform me that this blog definitely had some damage pertaining to men, and I was all for it. This blog wasn’t the only blog that had women authors and actually had articles pertaining to women. Jezebel http://jezebel.com/, another very popular blog that has to do with celebrities, sex, and politics really blew me away. I find it interesting how many years ago articles written would not even provoke subjects such as women and sex, especially in the same article. It has changed tremendously. For example in the blog Jezebel, there was a post called, “The Shenis, or, What Happens When Girls Pee Standing Up” This post gives me the extremes of both ends. No longer is society so “hush hush” on women, in fact all the posts are related to women in some way or another. While reading these posts I noticed that the topics are more open related. Taking this article I just mentioned for example, women are now written about. This article explains how women want the right to be treated like men, not only this but be able to do the same things, such as urinating while standing up, which I found quite comical. Long story short, this world has come a long way from when I was a writer. Women are authors, and can express what they want, even the fact that they want male genitals.
What a difference. I am noticing that after reading certain posts from blogs that there is much more leisure in the air. I mean this in the most scrutinized way. How is it that over many, many years’ women are authors, and the context of written work is no longer about men and their judgmental opinions? It is remarkable to me to observe what is being written, who’s writing it, and what it is about. For instance, after leafing through such blogs as Jezebel, and Feminist blogs I’m finding that women write these blogs. I am finding these blogs are written on the matter of women. This is astounding! Coming from a time where a woman needed to “have a room of her own, let alone a quiet room or a sound proof room, was out of the question, unless her parents were exceptionally rich or very noble” (Woolf 52) Immediately I can tell that this world is more open to females and there roles. In fact, just the name of this one blog, “Feminist’s Blog” http://feministblogs.org/ happened to inform me that this blog definitely had some damage pertaining to men, and I was all for it. This blog wasn’t the only blog that had women authors and actually had articles pertaining to women. Jezebel http://jezebel.com/, another very popular blog that has to do with celebrities, sex, and politics really blew me away. I find it interesting how many years ago articles written would not even provoke subjects such as women and sex, especially in the same article. It has changed tremendously. For example in the blog Jezebel, there was a post called, “The Shenis, or, What Happens When Girls Pee Standing Up” This post gives me the extremes of both ends. No longer is society so “hush hush” on women, in fact all the posts are related to women in some way or another. While reading these posts I noticed that the topics are more open related. Taking this article I just mentioned for example, women are now written about. This article explains how women want the right to be treated like men, not only this but be able to do the same things, such as urinating while standing up, which I found quite comical. Long story short, this world has come a long way from when I was a writer. Women are authors, and can express what they want, even the fact that they want male genitals.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
HW 22: Woolf Isn't Down with Patriarchy.
In Chapter two of A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf explains her opinion that anyone who reads the newspaper would realize that England is under the rule of patriarchy. Woolf then goes on to explain how easy it is for one to pick up the paper and realize men are in charge, women are inferior to men. Woolf goes on to say that, “nobody in their senses could fail to detect the dominance of his professor” (Woolf 33) This sentence uses “his” instead of her or one, and professor was clearly directed toward men because women didn’t have jobs, they were poor. Chapter two extends from chapter one explaining more about how women didn’t have any say, they didn’t take a stand, they weren’t treated equally. Woolf makes her point every so clearly explaining, “his was the power and the money and the influence. He was the proprietor of the paper and it’s editor and it’s sub-editor.” (Woolf 33) It’s HE who makes it happen. Women were nothing but objects to the men. After searching around on the online New York Times Newspaper, I came to the conclusion that if a transient were to visit our planet they wouldn’ be given the impression that the United States is under a patriarchy. And my reasons are many of the articles are about both women and men. None of the artcles that I browsed had putdowns on either sex. Also, all the articles are written by men and women. This is my main reason I believe we’re not under a patriarchy. I believe if we were under patriarchy, men would compose the articles. I also believe the articles would be more sexist, and neither of these seem to be an issue.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
HW 21: Dear Sista Sal
Dear Sista Sal,
Reading Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own can be hard to understand with its complexity, don’t be fooled by it’s density, but rather look for the point behind it. Woolf explains through narration about her thoughts on Women and fiction. She explains right off her thesis that she believes that in order for women to write fiction they need money and a room of their own. (Woolf 4) Woolf addresses this question by trying to change people’s opinion that women have automatically become inferior to men. Woolf uses dramatized interruptions of women during their thoughts to show that women are constantly interrupted, held back, and unable to continue their thought processes, freedom, and what they want to do. This is where a private room comes into play in Woolfe’s thesis. Women need a private room to write fiction where they are uninterrupted and can think what they want. What Woolf wants the reader, that’s you sista Sal, to understand is that women being denied the right to think is part of the educational culture that has restricted the range of a women’s intellectual exposure. Not only this but throughout chapter one Woolf’s narrator has not only been denied her right to her imagination but the right to go certain places such as the library, the grassy yard, or only allowed on a thin sidewalk. These are examples of women not being able to have the freedom of a female mind. How can a female write fiction when she can’t use fiction in her own life?
Your teacher might have considered chapter one of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own an important reading for you because it resembles what women went through and how far they’ve come. Women have worked so hard to have the status that we have today. We can write fiction, we can have an imagination, and we can be treated equally, for the most part.
I think the reading was dense and hard to understand at some points, but it helped to reflect on what I just read. Overall I understood the point of the chapter and I hope I helped ya out!
Your sis,Emaline
Reading Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own can be hard to understand with its complexity, don’t be fooled by it’s density, but rather look for the point behind it. Woolf explains through narration about her thoughts on Women and fiction. She explains right off her thesis that she believes that in order for women to write fiction they need money and a room of their own. (Woolf 4) Woolf addresses this question by trying to change people’s opinion that women have automatically become inferior to men. Woolf uses dramatized interruptions of women during their thoughts to show that women are constantly interrupted, held back, and unable to continue their thought processes, freedom, and what they want to do. This is where a private room comes into play in Woolfe’s thesis. Women need a private room to write fiction where they are uninterrupted and can think what they want. What Woolf wants the reader, that’s you sista Sal, to understand is that women being denied the right to think is part of the educational culture that has restricted the range of a women’s intellectual exposure. Not only this but throughout chapter one Woolf’s narrator has not only been denied her right to her imagination but the right to go certain places such as the library, the grassy yard, or only allowed on a thin sidewalk. These are examples of women not being able to have the freedom of a female mind. How can a female write fiction when she can’t use fiction in her own life?
Your teacher might have considered chapter one of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own an important reading for you because it resembles what women went through and how far they’ve come. Women have worked so hard to have the status that we have today. We can write fiction, we can have an imagination, and we can be treated equally, for the most part.
I think the reading was dense and hard to understand at some points, but it helped to reflect on what I just read. Overall I understood the point of the chapter and I hope I helped ya out!
Your sis,Emaline
Thursday, October 11, 2007
HW 19: Long and Lengthy Article
After reading the long and lengthy Foreign Policy article by Daniel Drezner, I found that the first paragraph of the article had the most important information and it set up the rest of the article perfectly. But don’t misunderstand me. My point is not that the first paragraph is the only informative piece of information but the reason I chose this paragraph is because it was very informative. It explains the content of international media as well as the World Wide Web, and how they work together to make an elaborate network. (Kline and Burstein 84.) I concede of course that the ret of this article what somewhat hard to understand and follow. Nevertheless, the material is important because not very many people know the significance of how far blogs have come and what they are becoming. To put it another way, they are no longer just an online journal. Many people use these blogs for debating, important information, etc. This article was an eye opener to how blogs are expanding.
Monday, October 8, 2007
HW 18: My Least Fav Blog Post of the Week...yuck
Over the past few days I’ve been keeping an eye on the three blogs that I have linked to my original blog. I think it’s not hard to decide that my least favorite blog is “Arts and Letters Daily” http://aldaily.com/I chose this blog to write about because first of all, it’s not very appealing. The actual site just doesn’t catch my attention, it doesn’t seem interesting. Not only this but the articles aren’t very interesting either. Compared to Jezebel, the site isn’t trendy, it doesn’t have very many interested posts. Jezebel is fun to read, I like to got to the site on my own time. I felt forced to look at Arts and Letters Daily. As I look at it now while I’m writing this blog, I just think, “uh gross” to myself. I feel that it’s targeted towards an older aged group of visitors. This blog probably wasn’t a very good blog to keep an eye on to link to my blog. It’s just boring. An example of a post I didn’t find too interesting was “Some Like it Hot” http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/10/07/some_like_it_hot/?page=full This post was too lengthy, and lost my attention by the second paragraph. This alone made me not like the whole post in length. Furthermore, the subject of the post was just pointless. I felt that it was a post the one reads when they’re absolutely forced to. Who reads about hot sauces on their free time? I just didn’t like this specific post, or the blog in general.
HW 17B: Cox Wins Me Over ;-)
After reading “Blogging the Presidency: An Interview with Markos Moulitsas Zuniga” and “Sex, Lies, and Political Scrapes: An Interview with Ana Marie Cox” by Kline and Burstein, it wasn’t hard to side with which blog would be more likely to influence the way I would vote in a coming election. Now even though Markos Moulitsas interview was very professional and informative…It didn’t really catch my attention. I wasn’t interested. This is why I decided to side with the interview with Ana Marie Cox. Admittedly, her responses were short, however they were to the point. Furthermore, they gave the reader her, “badass” look. After all, it seemed like she was trying to give off this aura that she didn’t want to fit in, she didn’t want to be the typical journalist. By contrast, Cox wanted to be herself and anyone who didn’t like it, could take a hike for all she cared. In conclusion, her interview compared to Zuniga’s interview was more enticing and enjoyable to read. I felt that Zuniga’s was too lengthy, too formal. And maybe that’s what some people like, and would choose to read his blog and be influenced to vote for an election over Cox’s. Maybe his blog should be the blog that influences me to side with him…but I don’t. Ultimately Cox caught my attention and I enjoyed reading her interview, and would side with her any day.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
HW 17: Jezebel Says I Could Work At Hooters!
After keeping an eye on the blog Jezebel http://jezebel.com/ this past week, I chose to write about this blog for the homework assignment, HW 17. I chose to view Jezebel because it’s fun to read, keeps me interested, has some pretty funny blogs and comments, and I like the fact there are a lot of pictures. A specific post I thought interesting was about girls working at Hooters. The name of the article is “What Does It Take For A 32A To Get Hired By Hooters?” http://jezebel.com/gossip/breast-intentions/what-does-it-take-for-a-32a-to-get-hired-by-hooters-307020.php
This post was about, “what it takes (besides big tits!) to get hired as a down-home Hooters girl” ( Jezebel 1). This post had an interview of many different Hooters employees explaining how to get the job. Interestingly enough, they claim that to work in the Hooters in NY, you don’t need big boobs! All you need is an awesome personality…Very friendly and able to multitask. Sounds easy enough…Maybe I should try to apply considering my mom didn’t bless me with her bust. :-P I liked the article, it was fun to read.
This post was about, “what it takes (besides big tits!) to get hired as a down-home Hooters girl” ( Jezebel 1). This post had an interview of many different Hooters employees explaining how to get the job. Interestingly enough, they claim that to work in the Hooters in NY, you don’t need big boobs! All you need is an awesome personality…Very friendly and able to multitask. Sounds easy enough…Maybe I should try to apply considering my mom didn’t bless me with her bust. :-P I liked the article, it was fun to read.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
HW 16: An A for Jezebel!
After reading both interviews with Robert Scoble and John Batelle by Kline and Burstein, I thought it would be fun to respond to option A, “Who’s following Scobles’ rules of engagement..for the blogosphere?”
I first picked to view Jezebel off of the list for “Blogs I’m Watching” to compare a few of Scoble’s 20 principles to.
After reading a few articles from Jezebel I believe this blog lives up to a few of Scoble’s principles. For example it is very easy to see that Jezebel posts fast on both good and bad news. One can see this on their site because they have many positive and negative articles. There are articles on Brittney Spears and her children, posts on new magazines coming out, etc. It just has the lastest news, whether it disturbing (such as the article on abortion) or funny (drunk women being arrested and flashing police officers.) Another principle Jezebel follows from the 20 is having a thick skin. This means not to be too offended when people say bad things about the site, or what you’re writing on. Many people write negative comments about the posts because there are so many people in this world with many many different opinions. An additional principle Jezebel follows is using a human voice. All the posts are easy to understand and they don’t get ahead of themselves. They aren’t too “fancy” and you know “lawyers and PR professionals [didn’t] cleanse [there] speech” (Kline and Burstein 133). The posts are put up quick; they are concise, funny, and to the point. Lastly I’d like to point out that Jezebel has kept the same url which helps them keep their regular readership which is another one of Scoble’s 20 principles.
I am not completely positive on where Jezebel might not be following some of the 20 principles, but if I were to take an educated guess, I’m sure they aren’t telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Obviously this blog is about gossip, and gossip is never true. I’m sure there is accurate information, and posts based on “the talk around the town” but in my own opinion I can only imagine that all the posts on Jezebel are telling the complete truth. My last assumption about Jezebel not following one of the 20 Scoble principles would be linking to their competitors and saying nice things about them. I haven’t seen anywhere on the site where they’ve linked to their competitors, and this is why I came to the conclusion that that is one of the principles they don’t follow.I believe these principles of the Corporate Weblog manifesto are applicable to Jezebel, most definitely. I definitely don’t think Jezebel should be following different standards. They know how to catch the attention of the reader and keep it. They do very well! :)
I first picked to view Jezebel off of the list for “Blogs I’m Watching” to compare a few of Scoble’s 20 principles to.
After reading a few articles from Jezebel I believe this blog lives up to a few of Scoble’s principles. For example it is very easy to see that Jezebel posts fast on both good and bad news. One can see this on their site because they have many positive and negative articles. There are articles on Brittney Spears and her children, posts on new magazines coming out, etc. It just has the lastest news, whether it disturbing (such as the article on abortion) or funny (drunk women being arrested and flashing police officers.) Another principle Jezebel follows from the 20 is having a thick skin. This means not to be too offended when people say bad things about the site, or what you’re writing on. Many people write negative comments about the posts because there are so many people in this world with many many different opinions. An additional principle Jezebel follows is using a human voice. All the posts are easy to understand and they don’t get ahead of themselves. They aren’t too “fancy” and you know “lawyers and PR professionals [didn’t] cleanse [there] speech” (Kline and Burstein 133). The posts are put up quick; they are concise, funny, and to the point. Lastly I’d like to point out that Jezebel has kept the same url which helps them keep their regular readership which is another one of Scoble’s 20 principles.
I am not completely positive on where Jezebel might not be following some of the 20 principles, but if I were to take an educated guess, I’m sure they aren’t telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Obviously this blog is about gossip, and gossip is never true. I’m sure there is accurate information, and posts based on “the talk around the town” but in my own opinion I can only imagine that all the posts on Jezebel are telling the complete truth. My last assumption about Jezebel not following one of the 20 Scoble principles would be linking to their competitors and saying nice things about them. I haven’t seen anywhere on the site where they’ve linked to their competitors, and this is why I came to the conclusion that that is one of the principles they don’t follow.I believe these principles of the Corporate Weblog manifesto are applicable to Jezebel, most definitely. I definitely don’t think Jezebel should be following different standards. They know how to catch the attention of the reader and keep it. They do very well! :)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
HW:14 Denton Interview, Concise and to the Point!
To put it bluntly, I really enjoyed reading, “Take an Obsession, Then Feed It!” the Nick Denton interview (Kline and Bustein). Despite the fact that the interview was really short, I liked it because it was to the point and kept my attention. For instance when Denton was asked why he claims “[he’s] not really sure there’s a real business in blogging – or at least [he’s] not really sure how big a business it will be yet [he’s] a blog entrepreneur”, he simply answers, “I don’t see why that’s controversial”. Regardless of how blunt he answers the hard interview questions, when he does answer these questions they make sense. For example when Denton was asked why he hires unknown writers for his blog sites he makes the reader realize that hiring unknown writers is the only way to go. That is, he explains how un-experienced writers want to write more, they are, “hungrier” (Kline and Burstein 152) to write for him. After all, he informs the reader that established journalists don’t do well writing blogs because it’s a different format (Kline and Burstein 152). Likewise he explains that bloggers don’t make very good journalists either…It’s not an easy transition. (Kline and Burstein 152). As a result of reading Dentons Interview, I learned that he is a very “to the point person”, and I really enjoyed reading his responses from the questions.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
HW 13: Blogging Impacts Business's
The question we’re asked is which is more important in our view, the impact of blogging on business, or the impact of blogging on communication that is not business or profit-related? In my opinion I believe that both options can be damaging. Maybe it’s the consequences of blogging that may impact one more than the other. In this case, I feel I would have to side with the impact of blogging on business. After reading, “Blogs Will Change Your Business” by Stephen Baker and Heather Green (Kline and Burstein), there were many examples of how a business may be affected/impacted when it’s blogged about. For example people who work for big corporations/business’s, have very strict guidelines so that everything stays confidential. This must mean that blogging must be on the down low. Now back to the original question, what about the impact of blogging on communication that is not business or profit-related, but rather for creative expression and/or social/political ideas? Yes I believe that blogging on communication may have a huge impact on people who are being blogged about and/or the people who are blogging. The outcome of those people who are being blogged about may be a big deal for a while, as Baker and Green state, “Blog posts linger on the web forever”. Here’s the catch though, when people are talked about in blogs the hot gossip only stays around for a few weeks. People get sick of hearing about people, like Brittany Spears, Linsday Lohan, and Paris Hilton. Business’s on the other hand… the “talk” that goes around about them on the World Wide Web, never goes away. Ultimately what is at stake here is business’s power to stay in business. Blogs “represent power” (Baker, Green 224) and there’s nothing worse than these powerful blogs putting your business OUT of business! Many business’s/companies are secretive (Baker, Green 224), like Google. Baker and Green explained how Google fired one of their employees due to blogging about his first days of work and how, “Google’s Health plan was less generous than his former employer’s” (Baker, Green 225). Blogging on business matters and is important to be careful about what you’re blogging about. I believe blogging impacts them more because they can receive a bad reputation, or even be put out of business. They are trying to protect themselves, and this is why they have such strict guidelines as to what is allowed to get out in the media.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
HW 11: A Say Outside of North Korea
After reading Rebecca MacKinnon’s interview, “Making Global Voices Heard” (Kline and Burstein 325-333), I chose to view the North Korea Zone blog at http://nkzone.org/nkzone/. At the top of the blog there’s a picture of statues of men who are all around statues of flags. At the top of this picture it says, “North Korea zone” and underneath that is says, “A zone for discussion and information exchange about North Korea”. I’m not necessarily sure who blogs on this blog, they seem like people in the world who aren’t in any authoritative position. There are really only two people, however, that are constantly blogging back and forth named Timothy Savage and Michael Rank. The style of writing is formal. One can tell that these topics are very well thought out, but then again certainly not sugar-coated. The topics that are discussed in this blog are diplomacy, engagement, North Korea Art, trade, television, current affairs, military, North Korea nuclear weapons, Japan-North Korea relations, politics, etc.
After reading the North Korea blog zone, I believe the blog still corresponds to MacKinnon’s view of it. After reading “Making Global Voices Heard” it gave me the impression that the blog would just be information about North Korea written by those outside the country. After reading the blog, I read what I expected. People who don’t live in Korea write about Korea. MacKinnon also states that there is "no firsthand information about what is happening in North Korea" (Kline and Burstein 326). After reading the blog, it is very true. There is no firsthand information on NK, instead topics are on politics, nuclear weapson etc...information that can be written and read about outside of the country. Of course, many will probably disagree with my assertion, that MacKinnon's view of the blog then and how it stands now, and that it is the same. They make think it's different because the information may be more informative now then it was when Mackinnon viewed it.
After reading the North Korea blog zone, I believe the blog still corresponds to MacKinnon’s view of it. After reading “Making Global Voices Heard” it gave me the impression that the blog would just be information about North Korea written by those outside the country. After reading the blog, I read what I expected. People who don’t live in Korea write about Korea. MacKinnon also states that there is "no firsthand information about what is happening in North Korea" (Kline and Burstein 326). After reading the blog, it is very true. There is no firsthand information on NK, instead topics are on politics, nuclear weapson etc...information that can be written and read about outside of the country. Of course, many will probably disagree with my assertion, that MacKinnon's view of the blog then and how it stands now, and that it is the same. They make think it's different because the information may be more informative now then it was when Mackinnon viewed it.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
HW 9: Yes, No, Maybe So.
After reading both, “A Weblog Saved My Life Last Night” interview with Ayelet Waldman and, “Punching Holes in Faded Mirrors” interview with Arianna Huffington, I chose to respond to the Huffington Interview.
When Huffinton was asked what kind of reaction she got when she invited celebrities to join the blogosphere, she made a statement that I agree with. Huffington explains that one of the famous people who decided to join her blogosphere is an excellent writer. She continues to explain that if he wanted to write for the New York Times, he could. The reason he doesn’t is because who wants to go through the trouble of coming up with, “a beginning, a middle, and an end?” (Kline and Burstein 346), or having the piece edited?
I agree that blogging isn’t such a hassle compared to writing for a magazine, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe that magazine articles are considered a better source. What one wants to say still gets out to the world…Faster. S/he can sit down, write what s/he wants, and posts it, it’s just as dependable as a magazine… And the reader gets the information faster!
Huffington stated her opinion when she was asked if there have been any low points for blogs. Huffington explained that there are low points in blogs and that, “in [her] opinion…the media is suffering from attention deficit disorder.” (Kline and Burstein 345). She believes in this because, “Americans can only stay focused on one story at a time” (Kline and Burstein 345). I think Huffington is mistaken because she overlooks the fact that Americans are constantly given tons of information throughout the day, whether it be news from the TV, Radio, Internet, etc. In fact, in today’s world we aren’t given ENOUGH information. When watching TV news, we have breaking news come in, while at the bottom of the screen there’s a line that gives us constant information such as sports scores, weather, different news articles, and updates. I find it impossible to only be focused on one story at a time, because we aren’t given just one. Granted, some stories may be more important than others but Americans are constantly being given information.
When Huffinton was asked what kind of reaction she got when she invited celebrities to join the blogosphere, she made a statement that I agree with. Huffington explains that one of the famous people who decided to join her blogosphere is an excellent writer. She continues to explain that if he wanted to write for the New York Times, he could. The reason he doesn’t is because who wants to go through the trouble of coming up with, “a beginning, a middle, and an end?” (Kline and Burstein 346), or having the piece edited?
I agree that blogging isn’t such a hassle compared to writing for a magazine, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe that magazine articles are considered a better source. What one wants to say still gets out to the world…Faster. S/he can sit down, write what s/he wants, and posts it, it’s just as dependable as a magazine… And the reader gets the information faster!
Huffington stated her opinion when she was asked if there have been any low points for blogs. Huffington explained that there are low points in blogs and that, “in [her] opinion…the media is suffering from attention deficit disorder.” (Kline and Burstein 345). She believes in this because, “Americans can only stay focused on one story at a time” (Kline and Burstein 345). I think Huffington is mistaken because she overlooks the fact that Americans are constantly given tons of information throughout the day, whether it be news from the TV, Radio, Internet, etc. In fact, in today’s world we aren’t given ENOUGH information. When watching TV news, we have breaking news come in, while at the bottom of the screen there’s a line that gives us constant information such as sports scores, weather, different news articles, and updates. I find it impossible to only be focused on one story at a time, because we aren’t given just one. Granted, some stories may be more important than others but Americans are constantly being given information.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
HW 7: Monitor the Time
I think that middle school children deserve privacy just as much as any other person would, whether they are an adult or child. I believe that children need to figure out who they are and express themselves; they often do this by Internet using social networks, chat rooms, and instant messaging. These pre teens and teens don’t know what they are saying, they don’t realize the meaning behind what they say, or they don’t even mean what they say. Yes these kids go through a stage online where “everything parents fear is true” (Kline and Bustein 351) but these are only stages. This is why I believe middle school students internet activity shouldn’t be monitored all the time. A parent’s worst fear is that their child will not be accepted, or will fail in life. The way these teenagers talk on the internet makes their parents worst fear come true. The way these kids express themselves is how they get through life. They shouldn’t have to hold back how they feel on the internet…to an extent. Yes, there is an extent to monitoring children’s internet activity. When teenagers are writing, “the kinds of posts that fulfill a parents worst paranoia” (Kline and Bustein 354) such as explaining every detail on the internet, or posting inappropriate pictures, this is when I think the parent needs to step in and monitor what’s being exposed. As much as these children need to be themselves, they need to be careful and appropriate while doing so. In my own experience my parents didn’t monitor everything I was doing, my time was monitored. I had a certain amount of time that I was allowed on the computer. As I grew older I started to share things with my parents. I grew more comfortable with them, telling them what was going on, I let them be my friends. In conclusion I feel that if children have an appropriate amount of privacy on the computer, they’ll thank their parents. I feel that children will share more things with their parents if their parents don’t bother their kids to share things when they’re not ready.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
HW 6: Starting The Big Project
My top interests for the semester long project are chat rooms and text chat, instant messaging, and social networking services. I chose these three because they interest me the most. I think I’m most interested in these because I am involved in these three so I think it will be easier to find information and relate to what I’m studying. I also already see empowerment and disempowerment through these three topics. My number one choice would be social networking services because being involved in social networks such as facebook and myspace, I see a lot of girls out there who are either empowering themselves or putting themselves down, through disrespecting their bodies. This is very discouraging to see. I hope I have the right idea as to this semester long project because I would like to research how these girls put themselves out there the way they do in pictures, describing themselves, and personal information to complete strangers over the web. This is what I’d like to research. However I believe I could study the same through instant messaging and how bullying can affect these girls, along with chat rooms and text chat.
HW 5b: I disagree
After reading, “I Blog, Therefore I Am” by Kline and Burstein there was a specific section that I personally QUESTION. Throughout this new trend of blogging, there are supposedly many statistics rising and percentages lowering. Kline and Burtsein have made a COMPLICATED statement, along with other bloggers saying that blogging will mean a death of the Big Media. I disagree, however because even though Newspaper circulation has gone down a WHOPPING 11 percent (not that much, really) since 1990, in my opinion it really has nothing to do with blogging. I believe Kline and Burstein CONTRADICT themselves in the next paragraph explaining that the Internet may also be a reason because, “users of the internet tend to take time away from other media” (p 239). I believe that Internet usage really is the reason why newspaper circulation percentages have gone down, however 11 percent over 17 years…It really isn’t that much, and not much of surprise. Many news articles are on the World Wide Web. Blogging is just for journals, and commenting, and meeting people. Whatever blogging may be used for I really don’t believe it is the cause to newspapers not being read as much. Kline and Burstein also say why teenagers aren’t reading the newspapers as much. Lets say blogging really was the cause to this… In that case they still CONTEND themselves because blogging is targeted towards adults in their 20’s to 30’s. So it still doesn’t make sense. In conclusion I disagree that blogging is the reason to the Big Media not being read as much. It’s still being read, just over the web!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
HW 4: Option 1 Getting Down to Business
-After reading Kline and Burstein’s “The Voice of the Customer” I decided to do some research on the magazine, Business Week.
-Business Week magazine was mentioned on page numbers 101, 114, and 115.
-I learned many things about the Business Week Magazine. It is a very informative magazine that has articles on the following: Investing, Companies, Technology, Autos, Innovation, Small Businesses, etc. This magazine’s website also has a debate chat room as well as blogging!
-I found the website version of Business Week through Google. The site was http://www.businessweek.com/
-When I was reading the past homework assignment in blog! I noticed a quote from Business Week magazine, “Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up… or catch you later.” I then read this assigned homework The Voice of the Customer. Not only did they mention the magazine Business Week in the first sentence, they also used it in reference two other times. I found this interesting because it sounds to me that the book blog! likes using Business Week as a reference. Not only is Business Week magazine informative, I like the way it is written. The articles are interesting to read and are all up to date. The magazine also keeps you interested. I just read an artice online from them titled, “O.K. (Sigh), I'll Join Facebook” It was a fun article to read considering I have a facebook. It’s true that that, “One year after taking down its "students only" shingle, Facebook is indeed huge with a subset of the professional, grownup world.” (Business Week) It’s always more interesting to me when I read something that I already have an understanding and/or background to. Business Week magazine is very informative and interesting to read.
-Business Week magazine was mentioned on page numbers 101, 114, and 115.
-I learned many things about the Business Week Magazine. It is a very informative magazine that has articles on the following: Investing, Companies, Technology, Autos, Innovation, Small Businesses, etc. This magazine’s website also has a debate chat room as well as blogging!
-I found the website version of Business Week through Google. The site was http://www.businessweek.com/
-When I was reading the past homework assignment in blog! I noticed a quote from Business Week magazine, “Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up… or catch you later.” I then read this assigned homework The Voice of the Customer. Not only did they mention the magazine Business Week in the first sentence, they also used it in reference two other times. I found this interesting because it sounds to me that the book blog! likes using Business Week as a reference. Not only is Business Week magazine informative, I like the way it is written. The articles are interesting to read and are all up to date. The magazine also keeps you interested. I just read an artice online from them titled, “O.K. (Sigh), I'll Join Facebook” It was a fun article to read considering I have a facebook. It’s true that that, “One year after taking down its "students only" shingle, Facebook is indeed huge with a subset of the professional, grownup world.” (Business Week) It’s always more interesting to me when I read something that I already have an understanding and/or background to. Business Week magazine is very informative and interesting to read.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
HW 3: "Toward a More Participatory Democracy"
In order for me to summarize “Toward a more Participatory Democracy” by Burstein and Kline in the book blog, I would need to understand it more. From what I got out of it was the fact that politics is starting to play a role in blogging. I would think that many people would assume blogging would start coming up in the conversation of politics. This is because blogging has become a much more accepted way of communicating over the web. As Burstein and Kline explained in blog, at first blogging was only used as online journals. Blogging wasn’t used for people to state judgemental opinions, or even strong opinions for that matter. It used to be that one had to be careful with how and what he or she would say on the internet. From what I grabbed from this chapter, however, was the fact that, “political blogs have become a vital source of news and opinion for millions of Americans and an alternative to traditional newspapers and television” (p 6, Kline) Blogging is how people get their information. Especially when it comes to politics. The title of the chapter summarizes the whole chapter, we’re participating more in politics through blogging.
HW: 2 Blogging Going Corporate? Does Money Have to do With it?
After reading about the twelve key ideas in the book blog by David Kline and Dan Burstein, the fifth “key idea,” Blogging is Going Corporate, grabbed my attention. This interests me because technology today has become the number one source of communication everyone relies on. It does not surprise me that blogging is going corporate. I find anything “new on the market” or “in” tends to go corporate. One might ask “Why does this happen?” The answer is simple, Business’s need to stay caught up with the world and its communication. Corporations must be involved with their target group, otherwise known as the consumer. Without the latest technological ideas one can not stay caught up in such a cutthroat industry based around money. I find it interesting how corporations, business’s, and the work field need to stay caught up in today’s world. Considering we the people are their main target, they (the companies) need us in order to stay a thriving industry. Blogging going corporate? I find they really don’t have a choice if they want to stay in business, “blogs will change your business…your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our Advice: Catch up…Or catch you Later” (Business Week, May 2005)
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