Hw 28 An Open Letter To Riverbend

A "Baghdad Burning" is a refreshing change for me in the literacy department. Being a history major the last few books I've read were written long before America was colonized. So it is a nice change of pace to read some current information. In fact, since I've been to Keene it is some of the only new information that I have been privy to. I have become shut off from the mainstream world and have quite literally only a very vague picture of the political happenings in the world. That is why I have enjoyed reading you're book. You paint a very similar picture that I had running in my mind and that is of the event's going on in Iraq. Although, it brings me no joy to be affirmed of my suspicions, at some base level it is still good to know about it. Also, it is good to know that there are like-minded people on both ends of the spectrum. I believe it would do many Americans good to read you're book, if only to put a human face on Iraqi's, because of coarse that is not the image being portrayed in America. Now, to mention you're writing style, because it is another thing that I can identify with. Dry, somewhat sarcastic, you write humorously, all the while talking about important issues. They could use a person like you on the daily show. Keep on writing the truth about what you hear and see, because that is journalism at its best.

HW 27 Burning Bibliography

Their many awards given to books that contain special attributes, one such award is the Lettre Ulysses Award. This award is given to books that contain outstanding literary reportage and that is exactly what fills the pages in "Baghdad Burning." A quick glance will tell you that the book is a compilation of blogs or stories from the anonymous writer known only as "RiverBend." In these blogs she relates to her readers the plights that face Muslims in the war torn countries of the Middle East. Riverbend offers a unique perspective of a Muslim with personal first hand experience. She has witnessed much and she wishes in her blogs for others to become aware of the happenings in her country. This is an exception piece of literature to cover in a blogging class, because these blogs represent the power and potential of blogging. As a women in Iraq she limited freedom of speech, so what better platform to put forth her opinions? The book challenges readers to observe the world from a different perspective than they are use to and that is a good thing. Foreword by Ahdaf Soueif. introduction by James Ridgeway. Published by the Feminist Press at the City University of New York. Copyright 2005 by Riverbend.

hw 25 "Just Around the Riverbend"

"Baghdad Burning" is the title given to the book written by the anonomyous Iraqi girl known only as "Riverbend." It is a compilation of blogs, recounting her feelings and political and insight about the war in Iraq. Now, the reason that this book is set apart from the others is made clear in the foreword of the book, written by Ahdaf Soueif. In the foreword Soueif makes the point that the view of Riverbend is different from the views we are use to. Hers is from the unseen perspective of an Iraqi living through the trials and tribulations the Iraqi people are being forced to live through. Instead of casting a negative effect on Americans, she is against anti-Americanism. She is confused by the fact that Americans must have faith in their military and government to be considered good patriotic Americans. She focuses mostly on the good aspects of life and instead of asking why something has happened, she instead focused on the effects of the things that are happening. Ridgeway is the next author that comes into play. He further illustrates the lifestyle of Riverbend and what it is she is going through. It is quite clear he is against the war in Iraq; not unlike myself. From my work already it should be abundantly clear that I am extremely against the Bush administration. I believe that wars in the Middle East were being planned a long time before they happened and that, like Vietnam, they are not meant to have an ending. Profit is the number one factor that drives this war, the longer it takes place the more many companies like Haliburtan can make money. It is a very good thing that Riverbend is able to speak out like this; it will be interesting reading a story from her perspective.

hw 24 "An island of my own"

In Virginia Woolf's book a "Room of One's Own", she describes a place where a person can go to gather their thoughts and draw forth a creative and inspirational presence. She believes a person needs this kind of environment to be able to write at their best. I thought about it for a moment and realized that I do indeed have such a place. A place where my creativity has no restraints. The Isles of Shoals is a small group of islands located of the coast of Maine and New Hampshire. I've been going there since i was a child and it the single place where i feel the most free to let go and be myself. To be specific it is an certain island called Star Island. In fact Woolf may even be familiar to the island, because it and its neighboring island of Appledore housed a summer get away for many famous poets. Waldo Emerson, Nathanial Hawthorne, and Sarah Orne to name a few; roughly at the same time that Woolf was living. Apparently, it is a popular place for people to have their room's there. She also says that one needs money to be a proficient author. Now, that may be true, if you refer to the money needed to stay on the island. However, it is the atmosphere that brings the brings me to that metaphorical room where may creativity can run free.

Hw Stick it to the Man!

A online dictionary would define patriarchy as the structure of society on the basis of family units, in which fathers have primary responsibilty for the welfare of these units, such as family. Unfortunately, for Virginia Woolf she is apsolutley correct in her assumption that England is a patriarchal society. Til this day nothing has changed, although the king no longer has power, the parliament does and it consists of for the most part men. America is no different, as Brenden said in his blog Hilary Clinton is a woman and running for president, but she hardly gets the media attention of say New yorks golden boy guiliani. Woolf mentions the fact that women are the most documented animal in the world, and contributes the fact that men are not documented to the fact that women are not interested. This in a simple way of thinking is merely just a delusion. She believes that women can't get published simply for the fact that they are women. Although, there is truth in this it seems to be more of a defeatist atitude. She imagines these authors to be ugly and lonely, but since she is famous author why not write her own book about women? Take the power into her own hands? Make a spot for women in a world of women repression! Fight the man! Stick it to the power! Survival of the fittest! Viva revultion! Now, this book you could say is all those things; making people think for themselves, but people can't thing for themselves just ask Al Gore.

Hw 21 Fish and Chips with a Woolf

Sup cuz:
You are in luck, I have in fact read the first chapter of Virginia Woolf's book. As to wether my analysis is correct I'm not very confident about, but I'll do my best. The chapter is centered around Woolf, she has been ask to decipher a difficult question and as the nature of difficult questions, it is giving her some difficulty. That question is, "what is the role of women in fiction?" She puzzles this question out as she sits on the banks of a river in the campus of Oxbridge, which is really just a joke, combining to the two schools Oxford and Cambridge. She comes up with the term "A woman must have money and a room of her own to write fiction." I believe what she means by this is that a woman must have respect and a creative atmosphere in order to write good literature. Several times she refers to World War One, she contemplates on the fact that perhaps, the war took the romantism away from the people. Which would explain why there were no memorable modern poets, or why her luncheon no longer permeated the same humming noise of life. There are no need of paragraphs in this chapter, because it is merely a stream of conciousness of Woolf's. You're english teacher might be right to conisder this an important work, it brings you into the mind of literature of the time. Literature greatly differs among the ages and it is good to know the mindset of a different time. Well, I hope I came close or was of any help to you cuz, good luck!

HW 19 " blog heard round the world"

This post is in regards to a paragraph from the article by Daniel Drezner and Henry Farell, "Web of Influence." Several paragraphs in the article mentions a 29 yr old Iraqi blogger with the pseudonym Salam Pax otherwise known as the "Baghdad Blogger." During the Afghan war, Salam was keeping an online journal about his feelings and hardships caused by the war. I believe it is apsolutely essential to get stories from both opposing sides in a war. Since, you cannot trust anything that is said via mainstream media, perhaps a blog such as this one is a good way to get valuable information. For example if i were a Native American and it was the time of english colonialization I woul have greatly apreciated the oportunity to let people across the world know how I felt and what was really going on. To put it another way, the blog humanizes Iraqi's in a way. The Bush administration constantly tries dehumanize the people of the middle east. To see first hand that they are just like us might help people understand this fact. Essentially, I am arguing that reading the views of people that are culturaly different than you can only help you to broaden your horizens. People like Oii and Mao speak with a voice of the people a voice which is hard to ignore.

HW 18 "Rubbish Journalism"

Upon investigating the Wonkette page i ran across mostly articles that I was indifferent to or that I agreed with. Then I ran upon an article that seemed to be just a sad form of negative propaganda. The article was called "Obama Targets 17 Yr Old Girls in Iowa" the link is http://wonkette.com/politics/obama.s-underage-harem-dept%27/obama-targets-17+year+old-girls-in-iowa-309163.php. Let us go under the illusion that i momentarily forgot the voting age in America, why is Obama talking to all these young girls? Oh, thats right the voting age in America is 18, how absurd for a presidential candidate to target the demographic of soon to be voters. It is nothing other than a good campaign strategy. Image for a moment if he had targeted an adult audiance in Iowa or another midwestern state. These states are so full of Evangeslists and rascism that it would have been a joke and a waste of his time to try and converse with them. On the site there is a picture of Obama standing in front of a large gathering young people, the majority being women. What the article fails to mention is that roughly 40% of the group is boys, and he is merely shaking their hands. Why, that seems like a quite common campaign procedure to me. "Perhaps not satisfied with wife Michelle anymore, Barack Obama has been wooing and cooing 17-year-olds in Iowa." This quote is something I'd fully expect to see on Fox news or a Tabloid. Rubbish journalism without any investigation.

HW 17b Zuniga > Cox

Without even a question of a doubt, if I were looking for helpful election tips I would towards Zuniga over Cox. I don't trust the Esquire to give me reliable tips about celebrities, I certainly wouldn't trust a similar work to give me my political advice. I have broad sense of humor, I love political satire. However, I also have a strong interest in politics and hearing about a senators sex life does not interest me in the least. What that politician does on his own time is his own concern, I'm more interested in his political values. To discredit Cox further, I also would not accept her article into my political reasoning simply because she is not a credible source. Fired from every job as she puts it, does give me the urge or desire to get my sources from her site. If she published a funny in the newspaper I might be more likely to read her work. Now, since i have clearly stated why i would not choose Cox's article I must explain why I would chose Zuniga's. First off he is a former GI and a democrat. I feel like this is a good mix, if you can be part of the army and then still retain liberal values, you must be an opinionated person. Like me even directly post 9/11 he was still able to see the injustices with our government and was able to voice them. All things considering he might actually be worth listening too.

HW 17 "More than friendly"

Cruising around Jezebel.com i ran into several interesting articles as I knew I would. Gossip, women's experiences and celebrity antics are abundant on this page. I picked an article that jumped out at me; actually I'm sure it would be hard to miss. The article is called "Sluts: They're Not Whores, They're Just Friendly! The link reads, http://jezebel.com/gossip/sexplanation/sluts-theyre-not-whores-theyre-just-friendly-308648.php. With a title such as that i could hardly keep myself from investigating further. The article went on to say that perhaps promiscuous people do not deserve their bad labels. Suggesting that instead of it being a bad thing to sleep around, that people do it because they are warm and friendly individuals. It actually states a line saying that there are two types of promiscuous people, warm and friendly people and cold and distant people. Cold and distant people are people that have sex with no regards for the feelings of others. Which i think is oft the case. However, it is fun to think that maybe instead of labeling the word slut with a negative connotation, you could put a positive spin on it. For instance, instead of saying "what a slut, she is shaming herself." You could say, "what a slut, i wish i was as giving as she was!" Not likely to happen anytime soon, but hey i would like to look at it from the optimistic side from now on

hw 16b "RSS is better than IRS"

Scoble says in his article "Humanizing the Faces of Corporate America" that there are five things that made blogs hot. He called them the five pillars of controversial software. The first pillar is "ease of publishing." This means that virtually everyone can publish their own blogs, all you need is an email address and no prior knowledge is necessary. The second pillar is "discoverability," which basically means that blogs are extremely well linked up to one another. If you are searching for a blog on a topic, it will be very easy to find that topic. The third pillar is "cross-site conversations," which means that if somebody has linked your blog to their own, you can see who that person is. At which point you could talk to that person, because you are very likely to share and express some equivilant views. The fourth is known as "permalinking." A permalink is simply a URL that points out a specific blogging entry. Making it easy to navigate a blog. Finally, syndication is the last pillar. I am a little confused about this last pillar, but what i can take from it is that syndication may be a method of organization. There are many reasons why blogs are as hot as they are now, i don't neseccarily agree with scoble that these are the reasons, but they certainly helped.

hw 14 " a joy to read Joi"

to sum up my thoughts on Joi's article, I could say that i agreed with everything that he said. There was not one topic that he brought up that was not well thought out, furthermore i feel as if everything he said was true or to become true. The community aspect of blogs allow people to feel more free to speak their minds, as a result blogs have become an open area of discussion. A person is much more likely to share their views on a blog like Joi's than for instance, a place where they will be shot down for their opinions. The old round table trick, or in other words putting everyone on an equal footing. however, i am also on gaurd against the things Joi warns might happen. Joi was worried that in time the internet may become censored, along the same lines that mainstream media has. Ultimately, this would put an and to any source of media would could bring biased opinions to the table. This is a line of thought that i likewise share with Joi. To put it bluntl, I feel that if this occurs we will have litterally no way of knowing the truth about world affairs besides word of mouth. As a result that whole new world order thing may come about, but i would delve into the conspiracies here. In conclusion, Joi's blog seems to be a good place to relax and talk controversies in a non-threatening setting.

hw 13 business bologna

In the article "Blogs Will Change Your Business" Baker and Green say that blogs should be a prerequisite to business. That blogs are todays equivalant to The printing Press. That no matter what business you are heading for wether it be delivery or smut; you need to be observing all blogs, because they pertain to you. This i feel is just simply not true. They make it seem as if blogs are the second coming, and yet contradict themselves by saying, "only 27% of internet users in America now bother to read them"(Baker and Green pg. 222). As far as blogging goes in the business world, I still feel like a good cup of coffee in the morning would help accomplish more. Blogs are important when they are given to normal people and in turn giving them a voice. In the article it says that there are 40,000 new blogs everyday, which seems to be a stretch, becuase by that account in just about 20 years every person in America will have a blog. They said that it did not matter if 99% of those blogs were worthless, as long as 1% was still worth reading. I completely agree with this, blogs can get the full news out to the public; unlike mainstream media which is filtered for content. Clearly there is a desire from the American public to reach a source of news that matters. In theory the blogosphere would be place to reach that news.

hw 11 ooi ooi ooi!

Most of Asia just very recently gained access to the blogosphere. Jeff Ooi a Malaysian citizen is taking full advantage of the media option. In fact the Malaysian government has still not given the full rights of freedom of speech. They still closely monitor and sensor reports in regards to the government. This is why Jeff Ooi is getting so much attention, because he is daring to question the Government. Jeff's blog is filled with pictures and videos. He uses many visuals in his blog; as in more of a screenshot blog. There are links to other newspage and also to other blogs. His main topic of discussion was of a rally. More than 1,ooo lawyers went on a march and ended up at the palace of justice. To protest the way the government ran their judicial system. So Mackinnon's view of Ooi's blog being an outspoken political blog was completely correct. But Malaysian government officials would certainly take issues with the argument that the judicial system needing improvement. If there is a faulty government, there is government officials making more money than they should be. So naturally, they would want it to remain the same. Jeff is doing a job that certainly needs to be done, especially in areas that are not keen on not getting the story out.

hw 9 Huffing about the facts

Huffington states in her article punching holes in old faded mirrors, that she would go to her rebellious world that broke through the media monopoly; the blogosphere. In the blogosphere she would right a report involving the real important news, that the media is too atention deficit to pay attention to. In this article she would report the news in a fashion that was neither left wing nor right. I think Huffington is mistaken, because she greatly overlooks the fact that she is as far to the left as Bill O'Rielly is to the right. If she could not go 30 seconds into an interview without giving out a strong leftist presence, than i feel it would be impossible to keep her article neutral. She would probably end up being like a Steven Colbert of the internet, pretending to belong to a party that he doesn't, and often letting it slip out that fact that he simply is pretending. However, i do agree with her on the fact that the news media is largely to focused on their big story. They play the story that will capture our attention the most, for as long as it will hold our attention. When we finally loose our attention, they will go to the next big story. It does leave room for other more minor stories of interest. Which insures that people do not get all of the news information that they should be getting.

HW 7 Big brother?

I believe that there has always been a need or a draw for parents to know whats going on in their kids life. With a platform so easily observed by parents, the temptation can be strong. However, the lives of children are their own lives, and therefore they should have privacy. If live journal is a way people express themselves it should not be monitored. That would change the way they wrote, and they would probably eventually stop alltogether. Image if your parents had tagged along with you to woodstock or some other event of free expression, i'm sure your parent's worry would not be appreciated.
Often, teenagers use the websites as an online diary. As Emily nussbaum points out in her article, "my so called blog," "But a significant number of writers treat their journals as actual diaries, toting up daily accounts of their lives. A parent by all rights should not look into their child's diary, it is an infringment on their privacy. The template is different when used online, but the concept is the same. Kids need to grow up on their own, make their own right and wrong choices and develop their own experiences. What if the government started analyzing everything the parents did,(cough cough the patriot act). Parents would not like it; they did not get to vote on this event, and neither did their kids. I guess in the end we should all just mind our own business!

hw 5b "i disagree"

A very large portion and underlining theme of the book "blog", seems to heavily endorse the idea that other forms of mainstream media, besides blogs are failing. This point is reiterated for the 500th time in the comic strip in the beggining of the chapter "I blog therefore I am." While I don't deny the fact that blogs are a stylish new form of media, they will never, become more popular than newspaper or television news. The comic strip makes the joke that newspapers are going the way of the dinosaur, which may be true in the form of substance. However, it is not true in the form of ratings. Beyond newspaper ratings by far is news station ratings. They are the fastest form of media, internet news is second. People will always go to their televisions to get the latest news, this will never change. So, I will most certainly disagree on these points with Kline. If he ever recieves his idealistic utopian world of the perfect form of communication media, I will be extremely happy for him. Perhaps, i will even congradulate him on his blog,( it would be highly hipocritic if he did have one). I reccomend using several sources of media before formulating educated opinions, which means using blogs along with other sources of media. Blogs are simply another form of media. Get off your blogging pedestal Kline.

hw 4 "consider yourself warned"

In my brief search for product advertisement i was looking for key attributes; such as boldness, bordering on absurdity. I think i found a product that i can lump into this category. That product is Tag body spray. Most products come with a clever little advertisement building upon attributes of the product, like taste or smell. Tag advertisement states, "consider yourself warned." Now, what that means in a more simplified sense, is that if you use tag you will be literally forced to beat hott women off with a stick. As seen in the commercials, the very moment you spray tag onto yourself, a gaggle of gorgeous women will jump out of nowhere to attack. In the business world there is a saying, sex sells. I personally have never purchased this product, but that does not mean it doesn't sell. To investigate the product a little further i went to their website. The website was filled with videos and interactive games that display exactly what is promised by the product. Girls flocking from everywhere to get a piece of the person who wears tag. I suppose, they hit their demographic perfectly, teenage boys are the mass demanders of the product. From reviewing everything, i will have no problem staying with axe and other various colognes. I guess i just like a challenge.

hw 3

"Toward a more particapory democracy"
This chapter talks about the legitimacy of blogging in correlation with other sources of mainstream mass media. A large portion of the article is spent defacing other forms of media. It says that television news stations are generally biased. I'm sure fox news would be very surprised to hear this. I personally agree, world news is the only semi-reliable source on t.v. Also, it takes down newspapers. Apparently, those republicans and democrats just can't agree. Again, i'm sure the Union Leader would be shocked to hear this. As far as substanstiating the bloggers claim to having an unbiased medium, there is discussion to be had. One could say that blogging is no different than other forms of media, since there is still a difference of opinion among the authors of blogs. However, it is certainly better than mainstream news in the sense that they are not searching for profit, so the news chosen is unfiltered and does not exlude material. I believe that its ultimaly just another form of media, and will slip in nicely with the rest.

The book blog was written in 2004. This shows that Burstein has indeed shown a large insight into the blogging world. Several predictions he made are now true, or becoming true. Politically, i believe that Burstein hit the nail on the head. Blogs are just another way to get reach, sway, or confirm what voters already believe. He also says that blogs will interweave themselves with other mainstream forms of mass media. This is an apsolute truth. If there is a platform for regular people's thoughts to reach the masses, then by all means there are people who would love their voices to be heard. However, i disagree with Burstein on several issues as well. For instance, he believes that blogs will have a large sway with corporations. He acts as if blogs are turning the business world upside down. I feel like its effects are still barely felt, and that most corporations wouldn't waste their time with blogging. Bursteins sixth thought is that blogging is going global. This depends upon what you consider global, does that mean everywhere, or just industrialized countries? Beanie babies went "global", i don't hold to much faith in that statement. The prediction i think best is, "blogs will coexist with other media for a long time to come." This means blogs are around to stay, and i agree.

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