HW 40

Hi Tracy and other blog readers, I have done both my podcasts. However, I am not able to give you the website to hear them because of the fact that there is a problem with loading them correctly. Thanks for the patience.

HW 35: Letter to My Blog Reader(s)

I signed up for ITW 101 A Blog of One’s Own as a freshman at Keene State College. I went into the class assuming it would be women activists yelling at me for the entire class, and then I would write about it in my blog. However, after the class, I feel I have learned a lot and I am glad I took the class. I have learned from my blog that blogs are pretty interesting. Anyone can read them and anyone can respond. I like that aspect. Completing homework assignments made me a better writer and thinker, and I became better at interpreting information. I hope any one who views my blog will find that I have some interesting things to say about subjects such as blogs, women’s literature, and Iraq. I think my best blog posts were from the Citizenship Symposium. I sometimes found it challenging to complete assignments, but these two posts I enjoyed and I -think they were well-written. After the class is over, I don’t plan on continuing my blog. Honestly, blogs are interesting but I have other priorities right now. I don’t think I will delete it though, in hopes that a company will read them and sign me to a big contract. Just kidding that won’t happen. For all, if any, readers of my blog, I hope you enjoyed what I’ve had to say over the last few months.

HW 34: Gold and Date Palms

In Iraq, gold is very valuable to the citizens. Riverbend says that this is due to the value of the Iraqi Dinar, equivalent to $3 in the United States (Riverbend 100). The Dinar kept fluctuating over time, so many Iraqis invested in gold instead, because of the fact that the value of gold doesn’t change. Many Iraqis own gold so that their savings don’t decrease over time. Iraqis have many other purposes for gold as well. Gold is given to newlywed couples as a gift, and can also be given for newborn babies. The family receiving the gold is allowed to sell it if they need the money, or they can keep it for the child someday. This is very different than in the United States. At a baby shower, you wouldn’t give someone an expensive gift so they can sell it for money. I found that interesting and the Iraqi people seem kind in this way. Date palms in Iraq serve as almost a haven for the people. It is a small paradise. “Just seeing the orchards brings a sort of peace (Riverbend 103). The orchards are green and welcoming, and it is a much better site for the Iraqis to see than tanks, guns, and blood. Also, in the winter months many exotic birds flock to the trees for shelter and food. It seems like a very relaxing area to be around.

Oops

Tracy, I forgot to use citations so the most recent HW 34 post is my official homework, not the previous, sorry.

HW 34: Gold and Date Palms

In Iraq, gold is very valuable to the citizens. Riverbend says that this is due to the value of the Iraqi Dinar, equivalent to $3 in the United States. The Dinar kept fluctuating over time, so many Iraqis invested in gold instead, because of the fact that the value of gold doesn’t change. Many Iraqis own gold so that their savings don’t decrease over time. Iraqis have many other purposes for gold as well. Gold is given to newlywed couples as a gift, and can also be given for newborn babies. The family receiving the gold is allowed to sell it if they need the money, or they can keep it for the child someday. This is very different than in the United States. At a baby shower, you wouldn’t give someone an expensive gift so they can sell it for money. I found that interesting and the Iraqi people seem kind in this way. Date palms in Iraq serve as almost a haven for the people. It is a small paradise. The orchards are green and welcoming, and it is a much better site for the Iraqis to see than tanks, guns, and blood. Also, in the winter months many exotic birds flock to the trees for shelter and food. It seems like a very relaxing area to be around.

HW 33: Respond to a Podcast

The title of the pod cast I viewed was Syria: Child Artist Dreams of Return to Baghdad. It is a part of the series called “Alive in Baghdad.” It was published on August 20th, 2007 and you can view it at http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/08/20/syria-child-artist-dreams-of-return-to-iraq/. The pod cast is about a middle school student, Sameer Muhammad, and his passion for art. His father, Muhammad Rubaie, appears in the pod cast and he says that though his son is in middle school, his artwork is comparable to a art student in college. Muhammad Rubaie seems like a typical father. He is proud of his son. He actually kind of appears to look like a typical American, rather than an Iraqi. He wore a black shirt, with some jewelry, and had long hair. He did not resemble a typical Iraqi, which was surprising, and refreshing. Sameer’s drawings are of ancient Iraq, filled with straw houses and ovens for bread. I’m not an expert in the field, but I think his work is very good. A viewer might learn that Iraqi’s aren’t AK-47 kamikazes who wear turbans and chant prayers every 15 minutes. We learn that these people are just like us. They have interests and hobbies and enjoy what they do. Compared with other videos about Iraq, this video is calming and refreshing. It’s memorable because I realized that Iraq’s are really decent people, like most Americans.

HW 32: Summary of Aquila Al-Hashimi

After reading Riverbends post from Sept. 19th to Oct. 5th, 2003, I found Aquila Al-Hashimi the most intriguing story. Al-Hashimi is a women who was attacked on September 20th 2003. Riverbend says that she was attacked while she was heading off to work. Her and her brothers were ambushed. She was wounded all over her body, but mainly her stomach and shoulder area. She was taken to the hospital because she was in a very critical state. They brought her to the Al-Yarmuk hospital. She was involved with many foreign affairs for Iraq. However, the gang that attacked her wasn't known. Al-Chalabi decided to investigate the ambush more, but his agenda influenced him another way. He believed that the attackers were members from Saddam Hussein and his group. It is assumed that Al-Hashimi was attacked because of the fact that she was a prominent and powerful women. Many of her male colleagues did not approve of her. Unfortunately, the assassins were never discovered, and no arrest could be made. This is a sad situation for everyone involved. If I was Al-Hashimi, I would be furious because my government could not catch my killers. And if I was Al-Chalabi I would be embarrassed and upset that I could not find a solution to the tragic problem.

HW 31: Al-Qaeda

After reading Bagdad Burning, pages 41-69, I wanted to find more information on Al-Qaeda. It appears on p. 57 of the book. According to Wikipedia, Al-Qaeda “is an international alliance of Islamic militant organizations founded in 1988[4] by Osama bin Laden and other veteran "Afghan Arabs" after the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda has attacked civilian and military targets in various countries, the most notable being the September 11, 2001 attacks that occurred in New York City and Northern Virginia. These actions were followed by the U.S. government launching a military and intelligence campaign against al-Qaeda called "War on Terror.” Al-Qaeda deals with the reading in that Riverbend says that Iraq had little or no involvement with the terrorist group. I’m interested in the group because I think they are the scum of the earth. We have conspirators, anti-war hippies, and liberals trying to convince everyone that Bush destroyed the Twin Towers. In my mind, this is ridiculous, mainly because the man isn’t smart enough, point blank. Terrorists are the true enemies of our country, not our leaders.

Works Cited

Riverbend. 2005. Bagdad Burning. p57

www.wikipedia.org

HW 30: Are All Citizens Publishers and Reporters?

On Friday, November 9th, I attended the Keene State College Citizenship Symposium in the Redfern Arts Center. The session was called “Blogging: Are All Citizens Publishers and Reporters?” The session included Blue Hampshire blogger Michael Caulfield, Keene Sentinel Editor Jim Rousmaniere, and Emile Netzhammer. Sadly, Laura Clawson from the Daily Kos blog did not attend. Unlike the previous session I attended, this session was mainly a discussion. Audience members would ask questions to the speakers, who would take turn answering back. I think the discussion would have much more effective if we were in a smaller area. The main theatre probably holds near a thousand people if I were to guess, but the session only had about forty people attend. Emile Netzhammer opened the session with a technology example of an iPhone he saw on an airplane. This somehow created a segway into the discussion about citizen publishers. The question of should citizens publishers be held accountable for what they publish. In other words, should plagiarism, authenticity, and everything else an author of a book or newspaper goes through be expected from citizen reporters, aka bloggers? The definitive answer given from the panel was “yes, they should.” I tend to disagree with this. I disagree because of the fact that online web logs, known as blogs, are journals that are read by the public. They can be diaries of personal information. One shouldn’t be held accountable because the are writing about their day and use a quote from a movie to describe it without citing the movie. Also, there are 40,000 new blogs every day. Honesty and integrity of work is great, but who is going to sift each blog every day. It simply would take too much time. Blogs aren’t formal, so I think they should not be compared to academic forms of writing. One of the discussion questions that I found most interesting was from a student from the College. She asked where she should find her information, if all the media news is corrupt, such as CNN, Fox, and MSNBC. Michael Caulfield summed it up nicely with this remark. “Honestly, if we were to lose the national media for news, I do not think we would be less informed.” I completely agree with Caulfield on this. We talk in the ITW class often about how the media has biases and agendas, and they do not inform us on what’s really important. Every day I turn on Fox News, I see Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears getting arrested. I do not care about this. If all the news agencies were somehow destroyed, we as Americans would not be hurt in any way.

HW 30: Animation as Political and Social Constructions

“Animation as Political and Social Constructions” was the session on Thursday that I attended. It featured Keene State College professors Jiwon Ahn, Sander Lee, and Mark Timney. The session was about how animation, such as drawings, pictures, or any art work for that matter, influences our lives. All three guest speakers spoke on this subject, but they all used different examples. Ahn, a Japanese woman, spoke about her country’s hobby of anime art. Anime art is a type of art form that usually depicts young innocent women in different situations. All of the characters in anime have large eyes, making them appear worried. Ahn showed examples of anime, and they were a little disturbing. Almost of all of the pictures were of young naked women, with some sort of danger around them. One picture was of a girl’s nipples bleeding, and I was surprised to see it. It’s interesting to relate this to women’s empowerment because in much of anime, the woman is looked down upon. Men are the superior and women are often seen crying or in danger.
Sander Lee had some good things to say as well, focusing on how Disney and Warner Brothers created Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny cartoons to create hate toward the Nazi’s during World War II. He pointed out subtle messages which I would never have thought of. Sander, a philosophy professor here at KSC, made it obvious that he felt strongly about philosophy. When showing his movie clips, he prayed aloud that it would work, saying “Please God, I hope this works.” I thought it was comical.
The most interesting speaker, however, had to have been Mark Timney. He argued that Comedy Central’s South Park show was a very influencing animation for many people. I had only seen bits and parts of the show, and I didn’t think it was funny. However, South Park’s real goal is to show satire in our government and world today. He played a short clip, and afterwards I believed that the show had some good qualities after all.

HW 28: An Open Letter to Riverbend

Dear Riverbend,
I am an eighteen-year old freshman at Keene State College in Keene, NH. It’s a small, everyday American town. I’ve been reading your blogs, specifically your older ones in 2003 and I find them very interesting. I can only imagine what life must have been like and still is like today. I never understood how bad the living conditions actually were. However, after carefully reading your blog from August 28th, 2003, I felt a little offended. You imply that most Americans are ignorant and do not see what you see in Iraq. You say that we think of turban-wearing teachers, brown tents, dirt roads, and many other stereotypes when thinking about your country. However, I would bet that you make the same assumptions about the United States. You probably assume we are all addicted to fast food, sex, and drugs. We all drive SUV’s and have million dollar houses. That is not the case, as with the same in yours. Yes, we as a country on the whole, tend to kid and joke about the stereotypical Iraqi, but I don’t believe we should be held responsible. In many of your posts, you bash the news and media for giving the wrong impression about your people. In this aspect, I agree to the fullest extent. You hit the nail on the head when making this assumption. American citizens can’t fly to your country and experience life there in the first hand. We are forced to trust the media, news, and government about the actions in Iraq. I’m sorry you have strong feelings about this, but I want to try and defend myself. If you are to blame anyone, single out the media, not the American people. Other than that, I love reading your posts and trying to view life the way you see it. I find it enjoyable and I have the utmost respect for you.

HW 25: Responding to Riverbend

In Bagdad Burning, Riverbend writes her own accounts of what has happened in Iraq over the last few years. Soueif believes that this is powerful work, and never before seen accounts are described in Riverbend’s writings. Most mainstream media concentrated largely on the war, and what was being done to stop terrorists. However, Riverbend’s blog is about something more, something that we have never witnessed. In Ridgeway’s introduction, he describes Riverbend’s blog. Not about shootings and conspiracy theories, but about everyday tasks that we take for granted. “…rounding up enough friendly armed men to take the kids to the store to buy crayons (Ridgeway xi).” Never have I heard this report. The only news coming from CNN or Fox News about Iraq has been about the war and the larger perfect. We forget that we are killing and punishing innocent human beings. The introduction is about the history of Iraq and how oil has supported the country for many years. Britain invaded, took over, and the United States wasn’t in favor. This has led the United States to years of battling with the Middle East over the oil problem. Through the 2003 war in Iraq, with all the children dying and others crying, we forget that we made humans suffer. They weren’t terrorists, Muslims, Shia; they were people. Prior to the reading, I forgot about this tragic fact. I forgot about the actual people, and only thought about the country. I thought about oil, Saddam Hussein, and conspiracy theories. Bagdad Burning makes myself and everyone who reads it that human beings are affected by the war, and that is what’s most important.

HW 23: I am Virginia Woolf

With Apologies to Virginia Woolf


I began idly reading the headlines. “The Legacy of President Bush” was the article. I was eating the worst food I could imagine, my favorite prunes. The legacy of President Bush? Is starting a war and doing little to advance the country over the last eight years really considered a legacy? Another great example of how men can not possibly do anything positive. Whether it be making dinner, or running a country, I’ve never honestly seen a male do anything productive. I take that back, perhaps scratching themselves is productive. Hilary Clinton is a real candidate for the next election. She has more experience than all the men combined. Let’s face it, she’s been President of arguably the strongest country for eight years now. It’s reassuring to see that, in all the chaos, a female is taking charge. I hate men.

HW 22: Patriarchy

Virginia Woolf said that the paper she picked up at the restaurant proved that England was a patriarchy, meaning that it is run mostly by men. I believe that she said this because most of the paper had mentioned men. In chapter two, Woolf says that “…lesser ribbons announced that Sir Austen Chamberlain was at Geneva. …Mr. Justice commented in the Divorce Courts upon the Shamelessness of Women (33). The entire paper was composed of articles that were about men and how they proved their power. After reading several newspaper articles last week, it’s easy to state that even the United States is a patriarchy. Articles about Presidential candidates, sports figures, and politicians flooded the front pages. Very few, if any, articles were about powerful women. Yes, the occasional Hilary Clinton articles came up, but they were soon overwhelmed with stories about Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Woolf states that England is a patriarchy, and it’s true. Even today, in 2007, we are still a patriarchy.

HW 21: A Room Of One's Own

Dear Amanda,
You are in luck! I in fact have read chapter one of A Room of One’s Own. I understand that it is a difficult read, and I, too, had trouble understanding the first chapter. Forgive me if I am way off point when trying to help you with the chapter. At least I will do my best, right? Anyways, here’s the meat of chapter one. Mary, the narrator in chapter one, has been asked to define the term “women and fiction.” She is troubled by this, because of the fact that it is a wide area of study. She is a student at Oxbridge, and the college has two paths to travel on: a gravel one and a turf path. She isn’t allowed to be on the turf path, however, and the Beadle yells at her. Back at the college, she notices a cat without a tail. Unfortunately, I couldn’t learn the significance of this sight. I think that that is a decent description of chapter one. Your teacher probably thinks that this is an important read because of the fact that Woolf is speaking about women. The book challenges the question, “what is the role of women in fiction?” However, I find the book very hard to understand and I’m not even sure that my description is anything close to accurate. I’m not really sure how a sophomore in high school could understand this difficult piece of writing. Don’t stress over the fact that it is very hard, I’m sure that your teacher will sympathize with everyone. I hope you got something valuable out of this, later.

HW 19: Web of Influence

On page 85 in Blog!, specifically the second paragraph, Drezner describes how blogs affect U.S. politics. In other words, blogs have a huge influential effect on today’s society. For example, Trent Lott, a U.S Senate majority leader had to resign in 2002 because of his comments made about Sen. Strom Thurmond’s birthday party. At first, the media didn’t focus much of their time on the controversy. They brushed it underneath the rug. However, word spread like wildfire on the Internet. Many bloggers discussed the subject and had heavy debates about it. After intense attention online, the media had a renewed attention to the matter and it became headline news. Media interoperated it as insignificant and rarely brought it up, while amateur bloggers felt that it was tremendously important. Bloggers revived the subject and Lott was forced to resign. It is pretty remarkable in this example to see how much power and influence bloggers have received over the last five years or so. In short, bloggers seem to have gained an edge over the media. One subject may not seem important to CNN or Fox, but it could be to several hundred bloggers. Several hundred can turn into thousands quickly, and those thousands can overrule CNN’s agenda and force the media to cover it. It’s incredible to think that in this short amount of time, blogs have gained so much power and influence in our society today.

HW 18: Least Favorite Blog

When asked to pick three blogs to watch, I was upset that I one of my blogs was probably going to have to be all about women. I picked Jezebel, reluctantly, and haven’t looked at it unless it’s necessary. However, every time I check out the blog site, I find something worth reading, and then worth getting mad over. Homework 18 is the perfect assignment to check out Jezebel for something that upsets me. Sure enough, the first post I saw on Jezebel is the one I’m most upset about. http://jezebel.com/gossip/unpretty-in-pink/my-bracelet-bra-care-deeply-about-cancer-308723.php was the first and worst blog I found today. The blog takes shots at The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “Unfortunately, in the minds of our nation's crap-pushers, this means it's time to sell breast cancer-branded paraphernalia…” This is offensive to me and I don’t have breast cancer, obviously, and I don’t even know anyone personally who has breast cancer. These cynical people find the worst ways to bring down something so influential to millions. The article says that this month and event is becoming Valentine’s Day; with the only purpose of it is to make money. Even though millions of victims of the cancer are being helped even more this month, the blog feels that it’s wrong to show support by purchasing the infamous pink bracelets. I cannot believe that someone would oppose this incredible fundraiser. Showing support for victims is the least we can do. Unfortunately, some just don’t understand it yet.

HW 17B: Wonkette and DailyKos

After reading about Zuniga’s and Cox’s blogs, I would have to say that I would be more influenced by Zuniga’s DailyKos blog. His blogs focuses on the real truth’s in politics. He served his country and was a GI. He has the credentials to be a real, big-time writer. Although I am slightly conservative, I do agree with some of the liberal aspects of politics. I am neither right wing nor left, I am simply in the middle with a small Republican bias. I believe that Zuniga has good things to say, and if I did more research on DailyKos, I would probably have a different opinion about politics.
On the other hand, Cox could never persuade me in anything. She’s an admitted drunk, and most of her posts are made under the influence. I can’t take someone like this serious in any way. She talks about sex scandals in politics. I could care less. I find her arrogant, cocky, and disrespectful. She couldn’t influence me in any way because I simply wouldn’t give her a chance. She’s failed as a writer, and only has political drama to write about. Unlike Zuniga, Cox has absolutely no credentials. Some may argue that she is successful and she’s established, however if anyone thought of talking about political affairs before she did, she wouldn’t even have that to rely on. I respect what she does and I respect her originality, but I believe most people could have done exactly what she did.

HW 17: Powerful Women

After exploring many articles on Jezebel, I would have to conclude that http://jezebel.com/gossip/womynism/do-powerful-women-appeal-to-your-inner-dude-308339.php has to be my favorite of the week. I realize that the site is mainly for women who think they have something important or funny to say. But, I tried it out anyway. I thought this article was pretty funny because it got me thinking about my “inner dude,” even though I’m a dude all the time. I think that a powerful woman is intimidating, and that’s kind of appealing I guess. With power comes money, and with money comes material possessions. That is appealing to me. Being with a woman with power would spice things up a bit. I can only imagine what women want to do when they are in charge. The article also bashes Hillary Rodman Clinton, which I always find amusing. After thinking about this a second time, I change my opinion about powerful women. I do not find Hillary Clinton appealing in any way. She could have all the money and power in the world and I still wouldn’t budge. I thought that powerful women would be pretty sweet, but after imagining Hillary making me take out the garbage, I’m all set with that.

HW 16: Scobles' Pillars

According to Scoble, there are five elements, or “pillars,” as he calls them, that have made blogs popular and hot. The first is “ease of publishing.” This means that it is very easy and simple to get what your ideas published. Anyone with internet access can post their beliefs, ideas, and thoughts. The second pillar is “discoverability.” Blogs have tags, links, and many other ways to discover new concepts. The third pillar is “cross-site conversations.” Blogs allow people to comment and post to what you have to say. This makes for an interesting conversation and attracts many. “Permalinking” is the fourth pillar. This means that all blogs and posts have a URL and every one can be accessed easily. Finally, “syndication” makes up the fifth pillar. Syndication is when users subscribe to other users’ posts. All five pillars make blogs user friendly and enjoyable to many. This is why blogs are so “hot” these days.

HW 14: Tranistionrama with Nick Deonton

Although Nick Deonton doesn’t promote making profits through blogs, I believe he really does think that blogs have a great potential of making extra money. For example, he says that he can make up to $5,000 per month just on advertisements alone. Actually, I think that Deonton wants his readers to believe that it is difficult to make a profit through online posts. To put it bluntly, Deonton is scared that people are going to take advantage of his second job. (Admittedly, I realize that this is probably an outrageous claim, but I want to take a different rout on this assignment.) Furthermore, Deonton says that his monthly income is nothing when compared to others on the internet. After all, he is one man doing this, and he can’t compete with entire companies. Although he says that it is difficult, I think it can be done with the right mindset. For example, Deonton did create these ideas and kept adding on to the sites, almost like our wiki page. Despite the fact that he became successful, I still have no intention of trying to complete what he did. In conclusion, I congratulate Deonton for all his hard work. In short, I have run out of transitions.

HW 13: Blogs Will Change Your Business

At first, Americans might say that few people read blogs online. But on closer inspection, this is a statement that needs to be adjusted. In the essay “Blogs Will Change Your Business,” Baker says that “…27% of Internet users in America now bother to read them” (Kline 222). In my view, over one out of four Americans reading blogs is a large number. One person in four read blogs. This would mean that eight students read blogs in most of my classes. That number sounds very high to me. Baker disagrees, and says that this number is too low for today’s standards. He believes that blogging is becoming a business. I however, do not feel that this is the right solution.
I believe that blogging on communication that is not business related is more important in today’s society. Blogging was created as a medium for online journals. They were not created, initially, for a second job. Blogs are for creative expressions, thoughts, and ideas. They are not for making profits and advertisements. One should not create a blog because they need some extra cash. The sole purpose of blogging is to share with one another your thoughts and ideas, regardless if whether or not you can make money off of it.

HW 11: Making Global Voices Heard

I chose to explore Isaac Mao’s blog, www.isaacmao.com/meta/. MacKinnon says that “Mao is probably the best known Chinese blogger outside of China because he blogs both in Chinese and in English” (Kline 328). After briefly viewing the site, I found out that this is still accurate. His writings are in English, but all around the website there are Chinese symbols with the English words. For instance, there is a link that says ‘EXIT’, and next to that it has the word ‘exit’ in Chinese. Also, it appears that Meta is the company sponsoring the website. This is possibly one of the three companies that run the blog hosting services in China.
The website is very basic. A white background and blue headings make up the site. The only pictures on it are the ones Mao took when he was visiting Borat in Kazakhstan. He posted them on one of his blogs. The style of writing is at a high level. He incorporates some words that, I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of. He seems to be a very educated individual. He writes about Wikimania, Gmail, and other websites. He also throws in the occasional personal blog, like his trip to Kazakhstan.
Of course, many will probably disagree with the assertion that all Mao’s blogs are about websites. They will say that on other pages, He talkes about family, friends, and business. In response, I briefly glanced over the site and didn’t read all of his thousands of posts. Sorry nay sayers.

HW 9: Waldman

Though I concede that Ayelet Waldman may have committed suicide if she had not written her thoughts and feelings in her blog, I still insist that personal information such as Waldman’s should not be intended for the public. Waldman describes her second-to-last post, a suicide note, that “blogging saved me because enough people saw it and said, ‘Jesus Christ. She’s not okay’” (Kline 313). Waldman may have been accurate when describing how she got better by using blogs to release tension and stress in her life. However, I disagree with her when she says that blogging and online journals are a type of way to help with their illnesses. I believe that by writing in a personal journal, she would’ve got the help that she needed. She would’ve eventually understood that she needed care and she was a smart enough woman to seek for it. Online journals shouldn’t be the substitute for psychiatric care. People with problems need to seek help by talking to others around them or finding professionals who will. Everyday individuals shouldn’t be put in the position of Doctor when just wanting to view someone’s opinion. If I had read Waldman’s blog, I would feel responsible for her health and that’s not fair to me. It’s not my responsibility to help others who need special care from licensed professionals. Waldman put her own problems into others’ lives, and that’s not fair at all to the viewer. If Waldman wanted help, she should’ve told someone other than every common person looking for something to read.

HW 7: My So-Called Blog

I believe that in today’s society, writing online without having to answer to parents or others that a child might respect can be a very positive way for kids to express themselves. I don’t feel that it’s right for a parent to monitor every single word that their child writes on the internet or some other technology. A parent doesn’t have to know, and shouldn’t know, everything that their child experiences or feels throughout their day. Expressing themselves online gives the child a sense of freedom and maturity. Allowing a child to freely write and express how they are feeling teaches the child how to adjust and adapt to every day situations. As author Emily Nussbaum observed after interviewing a troubled child, named J.:


I was surprised to find one of J.’s comments in early November. “I made a xanga for myself because I keep hearing that that’s whats ‘cool’ now,” he wrote on his LJ with a distinctive mixture of rue and satisfaction, the very flavor of adolescent change (Kline and Burstein 361).


J. wrote on his LiveJournal and a number of other blogging websites in order to try and belong to a group. Without his parents knowledge, he would write entries daily about his personal life. This online diary allowed J. to express his true feelings, and made him more comfortable with his surroundings. Giving this opportunity to children allows for pure emotions and feeling to be expressed by the individual. Writing online shouldn’t be monitored by parents because they may find what their child writes offensive or maddening, and they could become upset with their child. However, if the child has a free reign over what they do online, they can succeed and that’s really what life is all about.

HW 5b: I Blog, Therefore I Am

Throughout the book, Blog! How the Newest Media Revolution is Changing Politics, Business, and Culture, authors David Kline and Dan Burstein celebrate the fact that the photosphere has taken off. They believe that blogging is an uncontrollable force that cannot be stopped. After reading Kline’s essay, “ I Blog, Therefore I Am,” I became outraged with one of his paragraphs. I normally am not too critical of others’ work, but Kline really got me steaming this time. He argues “Finally, many bloggers are far more open and forthright about their mistakes…than is the mainstream media. In fact, despite the addition of ombudsmen and public editors, most major newspapers continue to bury reports of error in a small corrections box on an inside page” (Kline, 240). Kline has been advocating blogging throughout his essay, and takes numerous shots at the media. He believes that the media tries to cover up their mistakes by disregarding them. They don’t accept that they’re wrong. In contrast, Kline endorses bloggers because he believes that they are very accepting people. They take ownership to their mistakes, and are open to criticism. This statement is arguably the worst argument I’ve ever heard. Even Kline himself can’t fully agree with this statement he made. He writes “ the photosphere sometimes seems populated with an endless army of critics well equipped to carp and stab at minute flaws in their betters,” (Kline, 13). With so much jealousy and the fact the most bloggers try to one-up their critics, it’s hard to believe that most are open to judgments. I disagree fully with Kline that bloggers are “far more open and forthright about their mistakes.” How can Kline even state that after previously stating the second quote? This had me confused and annoyed to the fullest extent.

HW 6: Interest Statement

There are three social technologies that interest me right now. The first, social networking services, has peaked my interest the most. I use websites such as www.facebook.com routinely. I would like to learn more about these social networking services. The second technology that I’m interested in is instant messaging. I have a screen name for America Online Instant Messenger, and I use it daily. The last technology that I have interest in is email. Like instant messaging and social networking services, I use email routinely to keep in touch with the people that I care about.
There are several marginalized groups that I have interest in. I would like to learn more about racism, because it grabs my interest. I find it fascinating to learn about how cruel people have been and still are. Homophobia has also interested me. I know many homophobes, and many of my peers like poking fun towards the gay community. The last marginalized group, urban communities, have my most interest as of now. I come from Manchester, NH, and we do have an urban community. I would like to learn more about the struggles and barriers urban communities face.
The United States and North America are the geographical areas that I will be focused on for my research. I live in North America, thus also the United States, so I’m more concerned about where I live instead of somewhere that I don’t.

HW 4: The Voice of the Customer

When going back to my room, I noticed one of my favorite snacks near my refrigerator. Yes, the popular 100 Calorie Packs were sitting on top of my fridge, waiting to be devoured by myself. The 100 Calorie Packs made by Nabisco are arguably the greatest inventions in the last 20 years. From Doritos to cookies, the packs are filled with the taste that I love. One bag of the snacks has only 100 calories. This is a great advantage because I don’t want to get too big in college. They are great on the run, or when just watching television. I decided to research the product a bit more, and find out what the 100 Calorie Packs are really about. Prior to my research, I suspected that the brand’s main focus was about an alternative snack that doesn’t have many calories, but still tastes delicious. After checking out http://www.nabisco.com/100caloriepacks/, I discovered that I was pretty accurate in my hypothesis. Nabisco’s implied promises are that the 100 Calorie Packs are a smart way to snack. With only 100 calories and the same great taste, it’s a smart choice for snacking. In my experience with the 100 Calorie Packs, I would have to completely agree with Nabisco. They taste the same as the original products, and are much more healthy. I am very satisfied with the product. Nabisco delivers its promise to the highest extent. I am one of the biggest fans for the 100 Calorie Packs.

HW 3: Toward a More Participatory Democracy

My whole life I have never heard it said that blogging plays a role in the outcome with today’s politics, and I agreed with that statement. However, after reading David Kline’s essay “Toward a More Participatory Democracy,” I have to change my opinion. In Kline’s essay, he says that bloggers across the country were a major part in the 2004 Presidential elections. He used candidates Howard Dean and John Kerry as his main examples. Facts showed that bloggers that were for Dean went to his blog more than 30,000 times a day. He raised most of his money via blogging. Activists tried to convince more democrats to side with Dean. However, Kline and others believe that this ultimately ruined Dean’s chances. The supporters were too focused on people who already sided with Dean, instead of trying to sway others’ opinions. Kline also writes about John Kerry’s failures online. In his essay, “Toward a More Participatory Democracy,” Kline writes “According to one study, three out of four Kerry campaign emails between March and November 2004 made direct appeals for money, compared with fewer than one in five Bush campaign emails.” That is a staggering differential. Many believe this, along with other reasons, led to Kerry’s defeat in the elections.
I believe that it is very interesting to look at how blogging played an important part in the 2004 Presidential elections. I never realized how powerful the internet, and people, could be. In 2004, I was 15 years old, and wasn’t particularly interested politics. Looking back however, it fascinates me to think that a person out there wrote a blog in order to show their support for Howard Dean, and it turn it grew into a monster. Blogging is turning into one of the most powerful media forces in the country. I think to myself, if blogs can sway peoples’ opinions about a Presidential candidate, what else can it do? Only time will tell, I suppose.

HW 2: Posting to Your Reading Response Blog

One of Burstein’s 12 key ideas in “From Cave Painting to Wonkette” that relates to an interest of mine is his third key idea. Burstein says “Blogging, in addition to being a huge phenomenon in its own right, is the key metaphor for interactivity, community-building, and genuine conversation: one to one, one to many, many to one, many to many.” This relates to me because Facebook.com has become a significant part of my daily internet routine. Often when browsing the internet, one of the first websites I frequent is the Facebook website. From there, I can check almost everything imaginable in my community, from talking with old and new friends, to joining groups that I have an interest in. Like Burstein said in his third key idea, “…community building, and genuine conversation…” Facebook.com has turned into one giant community, and continues to build everyday. There are thousands upon thousands of groups on face book.com, that all share common interests. If you are feel outraged at Michael Vick for his actions with dog fighting, you can find a group that agrees with you. This fact is where Burstein is dead on. These groups on Facebook is the genuine conversation; the one to many. Facebook can thank blogging for making them what it is today. It is another type of blogging. It may not be as academic and articulate as an official blogging website, but in a way it is the same. Facebook allows you to post your life online. You can tell the world how you feel about a certain type of music, your favorite food, and countless of other facts about you. Blogging has grown into the “huge phenomenon” like Burstein stated. Facebook has made my interest in blogging greater than it has ever been.