HW 36 & 37

This is the link to my podcast for homework assignment 36 and 37.
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3043147241821791493

HW 35: My Experience with Blogging

I have learned many new things from maintaining my blog over the past thirteen weeks of class. I have learned how to sincerely and honestly express my opinions and views about a particular situation or event. I have learned how to express my feelings through my writing and accurately get my point across to anyone who may read my blog post. I have also learned how beneficial and influential it can be to express your feelings and opinions on a blog where anyone and everyone can see them. This is a unique feeling to know that other people are able to read about your own personal views and possibly respond to them whether it be positively or negatively it is still comforting to know that your voice has an impact on other people around the world. I hope that people will read my blog and be able to connect with my views about the issues, which we discussed in class. Hopefully my blogs will provide them with a point of view which they may not have realized or considered themselves. I am the most proud of my progress as I continued to blog, I feel that my blogs became stronger and more personal. After this class I will not delete my blogs, I will keep them up. I am not sure if I will continue to blog, I have found that I enjoy blogging. Perhaps I will continue to blog about things that interest me and things that I am experiencing in my life. I do not think that I would ever blog about really personal information but I may continue to blog about books I am reading or questions I have with events going on around the world. I feel that blogging can be very beneficial to an individual and it allows you to experience the feeling of having a voice, which impacts other people, which would otherwise be impossible.

HW 34: The significance of Gold

After reading Riverbends blogs I have learned that gold plays a significant role in family savings in Iraq. The people in Iraq do not own gold for superficial reasons or because they are extremely wealthy. In Iraq gold is not considered to be a materialistic belonging, instead it maintains a deeper meaning. Gold is a significant part of Iraqi culture and plays an important role in family savings. The role of gold began years ago in 1990 when Iraqi Dinar began to significantly fluctuate. Due to this fluctuation Iraqi people decided that it would be much safer and smarter to convert their money into gold considering the fact that the value of gold did not change. Before the war they took their money out of the banks and used it to buy gold. They purchased gold in a variety of forms such as necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Gold is cherished by the family and is only sold in small portion if it is necessary for the survival of the family. Also gold is an important part of their culture in the institution of marriage. When they get married the man gives the women a “mahar” also known as a dowry which is made of gold jewelry and when they married couple has a baby they are given gift of little gold trinkets. This proves that gold plays an important role and obtains great significance to the people in Iraq.

HW 33: The opportunity to be educated is taken for granted

The video pod cast, which I chose watch was called “Challenges at a Girls School in Baghdad.” This episode was part of the series of “Alive in Baghdad.” It was published on May 5, 2007. The link to this pod cast is http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/05/21/challenges-at-a-girls-school-in-baghdad/
In this video pod cast young female students and teachers at the school are interviewed. The video expresses the issues that the young girls are facing while they try to get an education. The director of the school, Jinan Jamal Mahmoud was interviewed wearing a very conservative red and white shirt with a Vail covering her hair and neck. During the interview she expresses her concerns about the girls and their chance to get a fair and worthy education. The pod cast also showed the young girls being interviewed. Surprisingly the young girls seemed to be optimistic about their education. They conversed with the interviewer very maturely and realistically. They portrayed themselves to be very proper and obtain good communication skills. These interviews proved that they are extremely brave and strong young girls. Despite their disadvantages such as the struggle of getting to school, the lack of supplies and the school building being very old and dirty they seem to appreciate and cherish their education. After watching this video pod cast it makes me realize how fortunate I am to be in a new, clean, well-supplied and secure school environment. I feel as if many people take their education for granted. This video helped me to understand the struggles, which these young girls have to go through every day.

HW 32: Did you get to go shopping for school supplies?

After reading the blog posts from September 19 through October 5, 2003 in “Baghdad Burning” I felt that the most interesting topic, which she discussed was about shopping for school supplies. Riverbend explains that shopping for school supplies is one of the most exciting experiences for young children. Unfortunately because of what is currently going on in the war it is unsafe for children to go outside on the streets. It is unfortunate that children are unable to even go outside their own homes because they have to worry about being shot at or being abducted. Due to these dangers this year, the children were not able to go with their parents to go school shopping. Instead Riverbend explained that she, her cousin, her cousin’s husband and E had to go shopping for her cousin’s two little children. The children had to stay at home and could not take part in buying their own school supplies. Most children were overly excited for school to start because due to the war it was starting late, and the children were anxious to get out of the house and be able to see their friends again. Instead of being able to walk to school on their own as the children used to in previous years they know had to be walked by their parents or other adults because of the danger, which surrounded them. There were many times where certain children were unable to attend school because the walk would just be too dangerous and life threatening. The parents coordinated meetings to discuss how to guard the school to keep their children safe. They also discussed who was going to provide the school with what supplies. The school was deprived of supplies such as chalk, chairs, and writing utensils. All of the necessary supplies had to be donated or provided by the children’s parents. This was very interesting to me, because I never realized how much I take school and all that it entails for granted.

HW 31: Donald Rumsfeld

Throughout these blog entries Riverbend continually criticizes Donald Rumsfeld. Riverbend had only negative remarks to say about Donald Rumsfeld. She made it very clear to the reader that she was against him and did not agree with his views and did not respect him. She felt that he was ignorant and absent-minded. I became interested in him because Riverbend was so passionate about her dislike for him, so I was curious what other people had to say about him. Donald Rumsfeld is the secretary defense, he has held this position for two non-consecutive terms and he has held this position for the longest period of time besides Robert McNamara. I then learned that many people do not admire Rumsfeld. It states that people feel as if he does not know exactly what is going on and he never addresses the issue directly but always finds a way to weave around the current issue. When I was searching Google to find out information about Rumsfeld I came across one website that consisted of a large number of quotes that were said by Rumsfeld. The website was primarily designed to make fun of all of the foolish things which Rumsfeld has said. These quotes prove that he is in-fact and ignorant man who exerts little knowledge about what is actually going on in the world, particularly in Iraq. The information, which I found on the internet and the feelings which people tend to have towards Rumsfeld coincides with the feelings that Riverbend expressed in her blogs.

Hw 30B: "Animation as Political and Social Constructions"

Three speakers, Jiwon Ahn, Sander Lee, and Mark Timney presented the symposium “Animation as Political and Social Constructions”. Jiwon made a presentation focusing on how gender domination is displayed trough paintings and animation. She provided many examples of different paintings and artwork, which portrayed a sense of a dominant gender. Sander was the next speaker who showed a clip made by Walt Disney. The clip included Donald Duck who played the character of a citizen in Nazi Germany. Sander explained that he found this strip interesting because Donald Duck is portrayed as a character who is known to have a temper yet in the film clip he is very obedient. He even says Hail Hitler thirty-three times throughout the clip. Sander feels that the film suggests that the Nazi government is so powerful that even those who are normally rebellious have no choice but to cooperate without resistance. He states that the film reinforces the fact that “The individual is powerless under Nazi control.” (Lee, Sander) He also showed another film clip, which was designed by The Warner Brothers. This clip includes the incident where Bugs Bunny encounters Hitler. This clip demonstrates the idea that Bugs Bunny is willing to risk his life to prove that the Nazi’s are cowards and Bully’s. Mark Timney gave the final presentation. He chose to introduce his topic by showing the audience a clip of an episode of South Park. This was an episode about the war in Iraq and the people who are for and against the war. The episode addresses the issue of good citizenship versus bad citizenship and what it wakes to be an active citizen. He explains that 55% of the shows actually have a moral theme and the others usually present a solution. This episode portrays the idea that people who want to be an involved citizen are willing to speak their mind and work hard to change something. In my opinion the most interesting part about this symposium was the presentation given by Sander. I was fascinated by how much meaning one-film strip can entail. I had never seen those filmstrips before and they were filled with so many different messages.

HW 30A: Citizenship Symposium

“The Media Mosh Pit: Journalists, Bloggers, and Citizens in the Dialogue vs. Diatribe Dance” was a citizenship symposium presented by Bob Steele. Bob Steele was a personal man with gray hair, wearing khaki pants and a green sweater. He often talked using his hands and making hand gestures. He presented his information very formally by using a slide presentation. He often made eye contact with the audience ensuring their engagement in the presentation. The main topic, which was discussed, was voting. He explained the variety of voting methods, which can be used in a particular election. Also he talked about majority rule and majority candidates. A few methods, which were defined, are the Borda Count, Pairwise Comparison, Plurality, and Plurality with elimination. Steele stressed the issue of the fairness condition. He referred to the Impossibility Theorem which states that the voting system that uses preference ballots that doesn’t violate anyone of Arrows Fairness Conditions does not exist. This implies that while each voting system attempts to meet all of the fairness conditions it always fails to violate at least one of the fairness conditions.

HW 28: The Citizens of Iraq

After reading further into “Baghdad Burning” I am now able to more clearly understand what is actually going on currently in Iraq. Before reading this although I was aware of the war and some of the events, which were occurring I was also completely oblivious to many significant events. Reading this has allowed me to grasp a better understanding of what it is like for the people living in Iraq. I was never aware of the fact that American soldiers are raiding houses, and that Iraqi citizens are struggling to live without electricity and enough food. Also the Iraqi’s are losing job opportunities to the Americans. Many Iraqi citizens are fully capable of partaking in work, which involves the rebuilding of Iraq, such as rebuilding buildings and bridges, yet all of these jobs are being given to the Americans. This takes away from any opportunity and hope that Iraqi citizens have of maintaining a job. I have realized that the people in Iraq are living in a constant and continuous state of fear. They are not able to feel safe in their own homes; they are forced to always think about the possibility of their lives ending at any time of the day. I now feel that the citizens of Iraq deserve a great deal of respect due to what they must live through each and every day. This proves that they are strong and resilient people.

HW 27: The Reality of War

Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2005. This book is made up of the blog posts of a twenty-four year old girl living in Iraq who has lived through and survived through the war. Her posts are about her feelings, experiences and opinions about what is going on during the war. Through her blogs she explains exactly what the people of Iraq are going through everyday. She is a strong and passionate writer and captures the reader. She informs readers of situations and events, which she and other citizens have struggled through that the rest of the world was unaware of. She speaks the truth. Her blogs allow the reader to obtain a better understanding of what is occurring during the war. Most of the world is naive to what is actually going on. Riverbend’s blog entries make the reader realize how scary and dangerous the citizens of Iraqi are. The reader begins to understand that these people are living everyday of their lives in fear. They have to deal with the fact that any day they could be bombed or captured or killed. Her book allows the reader to form a strong connection with her.

HW 25: The blog of Riverbend

After reading the forward and the introduction of “Baghdad Burning” I got a clear idea of what the book was going to be about. Riverbend provides the reader with details about the war which people are experiencing in Iraq. Riverbend also provides personal information about her family and what it is like to be living in Iraq during these scary and dangerous times. Riverbend explains that she writes on her blog weekly about her daily events. The introduction focuses on the factors, which led up to the war and the reasons why the war is occurring. The introduction discusses the Gulf War and how it is had a major impact on the problems which Iraq is experiencing today. Iraq was never able to fully recover from the Gulf War, which is why they are still suffering with no electricity, food and scarce job opportunities. I was unaware of the severity of the implications, which the people in Iraq are facing. I feel that this book will provide me with an insight to the war, which I never had before.

HW 24: The Acceptance of Women

After reading the last chapters of “A Room Of One’s Own” I feel that Woolf believes that things are finally beginning to change for women. She demonstrates a sense of hope for the success of women. “I had at last, in the course of this rambling, to the shelves which hold books by the living; by women and by men; for there as almost as many books written by women now as by men.” (Woolf, 79) This statement proves that she has finally found a reason to believe that things are beginning to change. “Also, I continued, looking down at the page again, it is becoming evident that women, like men, have other interests besides the perennial interests of domesticity.” (Woolf, 83) She recognizes that women are writing and publishing books, which contain different ideas than men. They are able to express their own knowledge and opinions without basing it on the opinions of men. Since Woolf has written we have continued to make progress, women now maintain much more equality. Women are accepted in society and are able to freely express and publish their views. Women are not only able to publish their opinions, but they also receive respect and support. In the world today women do have a room of their own. There is no place where women are forbidden to go, women have the right to be anywhere, which men do. This allows a woman to find any place she wishes where she can best write without being interrupted.

HW 23: With Apologies to Virginia Woolf

It is pathetic that the act of rape has yet to be taken seriously. It seems as if women have failed to gain respect from society since the Elizabethan times. It is quite disturbing that rape still remains to be thought of as a shameless act. I resent the fact that men obtain the idea that they have the right to degrade women in such a manner. In my opinion rape and torture of women has been an issue for much too long. In the particular blog on Jezebel, Interview: Can Rapist Get You Off? Our Question About How Serial Rapist Jeffery Marsalis Got Away With It, Answered the issue of how rapists get away with their behavior is explained. The blog discusses the issue of how rapists manage to manipulate and take advantage of women. It discusses the issue of how rapists manage to continue these acts and remain free of punishment. I am baffled by the fact that society is still allowing these men to get away with this type of cruel treatment towards women. It fascinates me that men are thought to be heroic figures and of utmost importance despite the fact that they participate in these acts of brutal torture. Women have been portrayed as having no feeling or emotion of their own. They are considered to be the property of men. Men are considered to be the masters while women are expected to follow their instructions with no input or consideration of their own thoughts and feelings. I believe that these blogs indicate that the attitude towards the views of women has had very little progress.

HW 22: A Patriarchy in England

After reading chapter two I can clearly understand why Woolf claims that England is under the rule of a patriarchy. “Nobody in their senses could fail to detect the dominance of the professor.” (Woolf, 33) She makes this statement after carefully examining the paper and observing the strong male dominance. She recognizes how women are being treated around the world. The topics of articles in the paper make a strong statement, “Mr. Justice___commented in the Divorce Courts upon the Shamelessness of Women.” (Woolf, 33) It is understandable why Woolf makes such a strong statement about the paper after observing the type of articles, which are included in the paper. The paper directly indicates that The male is the power, money, influence and the ruler. I do not believe that the United States is under a patriarchy. I chose to look at the New York Times, and I noticed that each article equally represented men and women. Both genders were addressed in the articles and they both seemed to maintain the same level of respect and attention. I feel that unlike in England, in the United States men and women are treated equally.

HW 21: Women and Fiction

Dear Timmy,
I understand that you have been assigned to read the first chapter in the book “A Room of One’s Own.” I have been reading this book myself and find it quite difficult to always interpret exactly what is being said. From what I understand in the first chapter she is trying to explain the subject of women and fiction, in which she believes women must have a room of their own and money in order to successfully write fiction. She attempts to prove her point by taking the reader through a fictional detour with fictional interruptions. The interruptions which she experiences prove that a woman needs a space of her own where she can write without these disruptions. In the beginning of the chapter she describes an experience in which she was at the river of Oxbridge where she has almost obtained a complete thought, when she is interrupted by a security guard who informs her that women are not allowed on the grass. Then when she attempts to enter the library she is denied the right to enter unless she is accompanied by a man or a letter of introduction. By taking the reader through these different situations Woolf is trying to point out that women have been deprived of having a place to write in which they will not be disturbed. Also she is stating that by denying females the right to enter certain buildings has impaired their freedom. She also addresses the issue between truth and fiction. She claims that fiction is more likely to contain more truth than facts. These are the main points which are expressed throughout the first chapter in the book. I hope this helps.

Your Favorite Cousin,
Ellen

HW 19: Advantages of Blogging

The network of blogging has become increasingly popular all over the world. Many factors contribute to the success of blogging. One of the main factors is the format in which blogs are written. ALTHOUGH SOME READERS MAY OBJECT that this format is unprofessional, I WOULD ANSWER that it is actually quite beneficial. The easy to read format allows readers to quickly obtain the important information incorporated in the post. EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is that the mainstream media is able to look at the most popular blog posts and incorporate that information in their articles. Also blogs have an advantage over the mainstream media due to their low cost of publication. FOR EXAMPLE blogs are able to reveal information before other media can even respond. IN OTHER WORDS the speed of posting new information is extremely crucial and beneficial to blogs. In addition blogs are also able to quickly correct or update their posts if they are confronted with an error. MY POINT IS NOT THAT WE SHOULD rely solely on blogs to provide us with our news, BUT THAT WE SHOULD be aware of the strong relationship which it maintains with the mainstream media.

HW 18: Horrific Rape Epidsodes In Congo

My least favorite blog, which I read this week, is called “Hearts of Darkness.” It was published in the blog of Jezebel on Monday, October 8. This blog was about horrific events, which are occurring in Congo. The blog post was extremely powerful and disturbing to read, it made my stomach turn. My heart breaks when I read awful stories such as this one. The blog addresses the unbelievable issue of children, as young as three-years-old being raped. The blog not only explains that these children are suffering the act of rape but they are being brutally and unmercifully raped. It is stated that “Many have been so sadistically attacked from the inside out, butchered by bayonets and assaulted with chunks of wood, that their reproductive and digestive systems are beyond repair.” This kind of torture is absolutely disgusting. I cannot imagine what kind of person would do this to an innocent child. It is devastating to think about the immense torture, which these young children have endured. Although we may never be able to understand the reason for these pitiful acts, it is the responsibility of us around the world that are capable of providing help to follow through with our efforts. The world will only become a better and safer place if we actually pursue our intentions of helping to save these poor and unfortunate children. This is an issue, which should not be put to the side, it needs to be dealt with immediately.

HW 17B: How Blogging Impacts The Way We Vote

In my opinion the blog “DailyKos” will be more influential to the way a person will vote in the upcoming election. This blog provides readers with all different issues, which occur in the political world. It informs readers of many important news features relating to the upcoming election. This blog is written by a man who is extremely passionate about politics and who maintains a strong viewpoint about certain issues. He is proud of his views and clearly states his opinions. This blog consists of issues, which are of interest to him. Yet, he manages to address opposing views and cover a wide variety of political issues. Although “Wonkette” provides a great deal of information about political factors, it focuses on one main topic, known as sexual scandals. This is a very interesting topic, which can greatly affect voter’s views of their political leaders. These personal facts about political leaders can largely impact the type of assumptions and judgments, which voters will make about them. Although this blog provides an excellent source of personal information I do not feel that it is as affective in the way people will vote because it does not contain as wide of a variety of topics about politics. Voters do not make their decision on who to vote for based on one sole topic, they need to be aware of a variety of different sources and situations.

HW17: How Women Fight

The blog which was one of my favorite posts this week was extremely funny. I could not help but laugh as I read the first few sentences of the blog. This particular blog was about the different styles of fighting between men and women. It discussed how each gender tends to portray different attitudes during a fight. This blog expresses the fact that many women tend to scream, make a scene and drag on the fight. It pointed out that in many cases this tendency drives men crazy and leads them think that women should be put on drugs to control these obnoxious outbursts and burst of emotions. I could relate to this statement because when my mother and I fight we tend to yell and scream at each other and we both drag the fight on. This always annoys everyone else in the household. I was surprised but glad to hear that this obnoxious behavior is actually beneficial to our health. This means that I am in good shape. The blog suggests that it is much healthier to always be honest and reveal your true feelings to your spouse or close relatives. Holding in your feelings and ignoring issues that annoy you is unhealthy. I found this blog to be funny and very interesting. It is something that I can closely relate and connect to.

HW 16: The Five Pillars of Conversation

Scoble states that the five pillars of conversation are considered to be the ease of publishing, discoverability, cross-site conversations, permalinking and syndication. Scoble believes that these are the five areas in which made blogging successful and popular. The first factor is the ease of publishing. This is proven to be true because anyone who desires to write a blog is able to. There are no requirements or standards, which have to met in order to create a blog of your own. A person does not need any type of training or special education in a particular area in order to write about it on a blog. Blogs are a place where anyone and everyone have the power to write about anything they wish and express their knowledge, views and opinions with their readers. This supports Scoble’s claim about the ease of publishing and the fact that anyone can publish anything they want. Next is discoverability, which means that by tagging your blog, or by giving it key words it is easily found and discovered by readers. Readers are able to type in any key word, which you have used in your blog tag and they will be able to find the blog, which you have posted. Cross-site conversation is another factor, which contributes to the success of blogs. This is where a blogger is able to see who is looking at their blog and therefore can read the blogs of their readers. Permalinking is where a blogger can set up their URL so that it is isolated and it immediately takes them to their post. This is beneficial to the blogger because they do not have to search for their blog they are able to easily access it at all times. Finally syndication has contributed to the phenomenon of blogging. This makes things easy for readers because it allows them to see a quantity of sites at one time. Also they are then able to expand their blog reading by using this source. In conclusion Scoble’s five pillars of conversation accurately demonstrate the success of blogging.

HW14: Are Blogs Taking Over Mainstream Media?

Granted the phenomenon of blogging will not occur overnight, I believe that it will eventually take over and replace the existing published newspapers. Although bloggers do not have any special training in the particular subject area which they are writing about, they provide a community and a human voice. In fact Denton states that he does not base his decision on resumes and he prefers to hire younger, less experienced writers rather than an experienced journalist. As a result bloggers do not struggle with the transition from writing for a newspaper or magazine to writing for a blog. Also this theory provides an opportunity for people to become successful writers who otherwise would have struggled getting a job as a journalist. Despite the fact that people do not have complete trust in information provided by blogs, the media has also made some mistakes. Furthermore bloggers are able to provide their readers with a direct insight from within the actual source. Therefore, weblogs will gradually build their audience reducing the dependence on mainstream newspapers. Hence, weblogs will inevitably become the main source of information and will decide which stories to cover.

HW 13: The Relationship Between Blogging and Business

In my opinion the impact of bloogging on businesses is more important than its impact on communication that is non-business related. Blogging may be very influential on businesses. The relationship between blogs and business is crucial to the success of both systems. Business can use blogs to their advantage and in return businesses will benefit blogs. Blogs provide support and advertisement for certain companies. “There is little to stop companies from quietly burying bloggers’ support, or even starting un-branded blogs of their own to promote their products-or to tar the competition.” [Kline, 226] Therefore businesses can manipulate blogs in order to benefit their company. Although some blogs may reveal negative information,, companies are able to control this issue by being aware of these blogs, tacking them and privately and efficiently dealing with them. Blogs also benefit from companies by gaining more readers. Also occasionally blogs have the ability to destroy or impair a company because they are able to form relationships with employees in a particular company and obtain inside information, which they can then reveal, to the public. Therefore the relationship between bloggers and businesses is extremely important.

HW 11: "Making Global Voices Heard"

I chose to read the blog “Racism and War: Overcoming Us and Them,” on the weblog site OhMyNews. The homepage of this weblog has a white background with the title of in large red letters at the top of the page. The blog posts are listed below in chronological order beginning with the most recently posted blog. The titles are in a large blue font with the first few sentences of the blog beneath it. This gives the reader an idea of what the post is going to be about. The blog also contains other links and pictures. This weblog consists of many different bloggers. The focus for these blogs has to do with international affairs. The blog, which I read about dealt with the issue of racism around the world. It addressed the different types of racism, and the negative affects which they have on society. This blog also implies that those who have economic and political power and who have racist tendencies can be extremely dangerous and harmful. Rebecca MacKinnon states that this blog has had a large affect on politics, especially in South Korea. Also she explains that the information posted on this blog spreads extremely fast. MacKinnon’s explanation of the blog does correspond to the blog posts it portrays today. The posts are very political and seem to reveal information about important international situations. Also she explains that this blog has a team of professional editors which is demonstrated because each of the blogs are set up in a professional manner and they seem to reveal accurate information. ALTHOUGH NOT ALL READERS THINK ALIKE, SOME OF THEM WILL PROBABLY DISPUTE MY CLAIM that these blog posts provide accurate and important information. Some readers may feel that these blogs do not cover all of the inside details incorporated in these international affairs.

HW 10B: A Weblog Saved My Life Last Night

ALTHOUGH I DISAGREE WITH MUCH THAT Ayelet Waldman SAYS, I FULLY ENDORSE HER FINAL CONCLUSION THAT her blog saved her life. I do not believe that it is appropriate or necessary for people to reveal the intimate and personal details of their lives online for millions of bloggers to read. However, I do believe that there is a positive aspect to revealing personal information in a blog, which was demonstrated by Waldman’s situation. Revealing personal information onto a public blog, which may be considered harmful or dangerous to oneself may be beneficial. This public confession may lead to a forced intervention. If people who know the blogger read a blog, which contains detrimental information they will be able to intervene and provide help. Expressing this personal information online is actually an efficient way to seek out help and support from other people. Bloggers will be able to receive advice and support from readers who have experienced the same feelings. Although revealing these details is a public display of a personal breakdown it may also be the source of your rescue. I agree that revealing personal information, which may be harmful to you is in fact a cry for help. This online confession may end up saving your life or directing you to help.

HW 10: Parents monitoring their child's online journal

In my opinion it is important for teenagers to be able to express themselves without the constant parental overlook. Today, teenagers struggle with feelings of loneliness and insecurity and they should have a place where they can express themselves. Online journals allow teenagers to express their feelings and thoughts without repercussions. These journals provide a place where teenagers feel comfortable with themselves. Here, they are able to share their overabundance of emotions with others who are feeling the same way. In Emily Nussbaum’s article, “My So-Called Blog” she interviews a young boy who consistently writes in his online journal. He refers to the journal as “a way to get out his true feelings-all the emotions he thought might get him in trouble if he expressed them in school or at home.” [Kline, 352] Expressing one’s feelings is a natural and healthy way of dealing with particular issues and fears. Teenagers face many difficult and confusing situations and they should be entitled to have a special place of their own where they can reveal their personal feelings. Although they may reveal certain events, which would be disturbing to parents, they should not be denied the opportunity to confide in a personal and private online journal. Therefore I feel that the online journals of teenagers should not be overlooked and watched by parents. They should remain a private and personal area where teenagers can express their inner feelings.

HW 6: Long term paper topics

I am interested in many different areas of social computing technologies. Instant messaging would be a very interesting topic to write about. I am extremely familiar with this social computing tool. I have had a lot of personal experience using it. Also I would be interested in researching the affects, which blogs have on marginalized groups. I do not have much experience with blogs, however they are a fast growing phenomenon which I would enjoy learning about. Social networking is also an area in which I would enjoy researching. Social networking has recently become extremely popular, especially with my generation. I would enjoy finding out about the overcoming of sexism because I feel that this is still an issues, which still occurs in the business world and it is an issue, which needs to be addressed. Also I am interested in the overcoming of racism because even today you will still hear people make unnecessary racial remarks. I would like to research the issue of overcoming homophobia because people are often judged and excluded for their sexual preference and this should not be the case. As far as geographical areas I would like to research the U.S. or Europe because I live in the U.S. and I would be interested in learning more about Europe.

HW 5b: The disappearance of the mainstream media

In this chapter David Kline dedicates two paragraphs to discussing his views on the success of the mainstream media. Within these paragraphs Kline SUGGESTS that blogging will not cause the disappearance of the mainstream media. In fact he BELIEVES that the media will thrive from the uprising of blogging. Kline feels that the relationship between the media and blogging will actually strengthen due to the fact that bloggers rely on the media to supply them with the information which they then blog about. Simon Waldman REMINDS US “[Their] great weakness, though, is the lack of shape, structure and ultimately meaning [of what] all this amounts to.” (Kline, 244) In this statement Waldman CLAIMS that blogs lack the appropriate format and direct release of information. Yet, I disagree with the views presented by Kline in these paragraphs. I feel that blogging may be the cause of a severe decline in the mainstream media. I DO NOT DENY the fact that the media and bloggers obtain a significant relationship in which they depend on each other. However, I do not feel that the success of blogging will strengthen their relationship, I INSIST that it will only continue to cause major conflict between them resulting in the deterioration of the mainstream media. I ACKNOWLEDGE that blogs do not contain a proper format and they do not provide the public with the actual information, nevertheless I believe that this should be considered an advantage. Their informal format allows readers to easily and quickly read the presented information. Also I feel that although bloggers do not receive the complete story of an event they are able to interact and respond to the presented information, which is an important characteristic. Blogs are rapidly developing and becoming a popular way for people to get their daily news. I SUPPORT the belief that blogging will cause the fall of the mainstream media.

HW 4: Life Savers Mint Candy

In my opinion Life Savers Mints make the promise of a fresh mouth. They make the promise of a happy smile and a happy mouth after eating one of these mints. Life Savers Mints also promises to fill your mouth with a strong sensation of cool freshness. On the bag of candy and on the website they promise the enjoyment of eating one of these candies and a beautiful smile after eating. Also they promise to take your mouth to a fresher place. They portray the easiness of consuming one of these small but strong and lasting mints. In my personal experience these Life Savers Mints live up to their promises. They are extremely strong and effective. I find that they produce a fresh and clean feeling throughout your mouth. I have also found that these mints are easy to eat and they are enjoyable. Therefore Life Savers Mints successfully fulfill the promises, which they have suggested.

HW 3: Toward A More Participitory Democracy

AMERICANS TODAY TEND TO BELIEVE that blogging has a great influence on politics. It is believed that blogging is responsible for changing the way that Americans are learning about their political news. Blog sites have obtained more online visitors in one month than the online site of Fox News received. Blogs have also become so popular due to the lack of trust that people have in the media. Many people feel that newspapers and TV are biased or reveal false information. Also the media is able to focus on particular issues while they ignore others. Although the media cannot tell people exactly what to think they do have the ability to direct people’s attention towards certain issues. Blogging was originated because due to the distrust of the media. Americans value blogs because they tend to portray honest and open ideas. Blogging has the potential to change the media into a more diverse and open atmosphere. Americans are attracted to blogs because they combine information with debate, which allows people to express their own ideas and feelings. Bloggers have revealed many stories and information for the first time, which were disregarded and hidden by the media. One incident, which was uncovered by bloggers, was the fact that Dan Rather used false information in his story on President Bush’s service in the National Guard. Bloggers have made it impossible for the media to hide any information from the public. Bloggers are now able to easily access any information. Blogging has a large influence on the elections, especially in the 2004 election. However, in an argument blogging uses more ridicule and mockery rather than facts. Yet, blogging has given the American people a voice and a sense of interaction and involvement. Bloggers have provided America with new opportunities. David Kline and Dan Burstein have successfully outlined the influences which blogging has had on our lives. I agree that blogging has affected our political system and will continue to do so. I feel that if blogging continues to evolve it will eventually reshape our government allowing the American people to have more input and involvement with these situations.

HW 2: key concept of blogging, huge phenomenon

Over the past few years blogging has become more widely known. Blogging is now used much more frequently and attracts a large audience. At this time blogging has a huge impact on the communication in the world. It greatly affects the interaction and communication between people. David Kline and Dan Burstein first recognized and addressed this key concept in their book blog! I strongly agree that blogging is beginning to have an increasing influence on communication around the world. The future of our media will also depend on the growth of blogging. Blogging provides an easy way for people to read and learn about current events and issues. It also allows people to respond to these events and express their personal opinions about the subject matter. This is an intriguing opportunity for people who enjoy sharing their personal thoughts. This allows people to interact, participate and be involved in the issues, which they are reading about. It fascinates me how far we have come with technological advances such as e-mail and instant messaging. These tools have become an important and essential part of every day life. These advances in technology have always interested me because they have a huge impact on my life. These advances have drastically changed our lifestyles. I can only imagine how blogging will evolve and impact communication for the entire world.