HW 29: Podcast 2

Gabcast! A Blog of One's Own #59

HW 42: Podcast 3

Gabcast! A Blog of One's Own #56

HW 35: Letter to My Blog Readers !

Throughout this time period of keeping my own blog in this class, I have learned many different things. By having a blog, I was able to communicate in a different way, by expressing how I felt about readings and certain topics to the rest of the world. I have become a better thinker an writer and have learned how important blogging is to the rest of the world and ones own personal being. I hope that someone else will be able to feel what I feel through my own posts, and see the importance of blogging and the amount of feeling that goes into it. I feel the most proud about my "Least Favorite" blog post, because I chose a topic that I was very passionate about and therefore the post had a lot of emotion and feeling in it. I believe that once this class is over I will definately keep my blog and refer to it from time to time, or I may even eventually add to it, I'm not quite sure yet what i would like to do from here. I definately believe that blogging had become the new form of technology that is being used in the world today, and it is a great way of staying in touch with te rest of the world, and it reflects of the type of person you are through your feelings.

HW 34: Responding to Riverbend

The custom of evening tea in Iraq Is very traditional and common in their culture. I found this topic specifically interesting. In the evening, most Iraqi families gather together for "evening" tea. No matter how busy the day, everyone will sit around the living room, and wait for tea. " Iraqi tea isn't a simple matter of teacups and teabags. If you serve teabag tea to an Iraqi, you risk scorn and distain. A teabag is an insult to tea connoisseurs. It speaks of a complete lack of appreciation for the valuable beverage(Riverbend 108). The process of making tea is generally a three stage process. The kettle of water is first put on the burner to boil. Then the boiling water and a certain amount of tealeaves are comined in a seperate teapot and put on a low burner until the tealeaves rise to the top and threaten to boil over(Riverbend 108). People drink tea with breakfast, at midday, in the evening, and often with dinner. "Our tea in Iraq is special because it is flavored with cardamom and served in istikans. Istikans are little glasses shaped like the number 8 but open at the top, and flat at the bottom. They are made of thin glass and sit in little glass saucers or porcelain saucers with intricate designs drawn on them. The color of the tea has to be just right, clear yet strong, preferably a deep reddish-rown color(Riverbend 109). Ont these occasions, they sit gathered around a small coffee table with a tray of tea and something simple to eat such as biscuits or bread and cheese. One person will pour the tea, and add the sugar. In most cases the discussion around the table consisits of the troops and war topics. Such a ritual as drinking tea in the Iraqi culture is often taken for granted in our own culture, although we do have our own rituals here in the United States.

HW 36: Gabcast

Gabcast! A Blog of One's Own #5



Episode 5

HW 33: Podcast

Episode: Challenges at a Girl’s School in Baghdad
Series: Alive in Baghdad
Date Published: May 21, 2007
Link: Challenges at a Girl's School in Baghdad

The general topic of this podcast is about getting an education. They interview a few 8th grade girls and a few teachers. In this podcast, there is a lot of discussion about how there is an all girls school who is in danger because the school is in a dangerous part of Baghdad. Therefore girls are deciding to leave because of the danger of thier lives rather than by their own free choice of wanting to stay and get an education. It is even becoming difficult to find teachers that actually want to teach becuase of this. Dispite all this violence going on around the school, the girls still feel the need to continue with their education. Jinan Jamal Mattmoud, who is the director of Al- Safina speaks mainly about the schools even surrounding the area and what the teachers and students have to deal with. Just by simply watching this podcast it is very clear as to the the amount of money that is actually put into the school systems. The walls are all faded with paint and the desks and classroos in general are very old and look like they arent really cared for and kept up nice and neat. The streets are all run down and old, ad seem very secluded. Someone watching this episode might learn the way Iraqi's live, and the challenges they have to face. This video is very similar to others that I have seen on Iraq. The atmosphere and settings all look very familiar. The thing that stood out the most to me while watching this podcast was the idea that girls were afraid to go to school because of how dangerous it was. We dont have to worry about things like that around here and I just that very unusual.

HW 32: Responding to Riverbend

After reading Riverbend's October 5, 2003 post she talks a lot about shopping for school supplies. In this post, Riverbend makes an interesting point. She states "Yesterday, I went with my cousin, his wife, and my brother E., to shop for school supplies for his two daughters, a pretty ten year old and a loud seven year old. Every year his wife, S., takes the girls to pick out their own pencils, notebooks, and backpacks but ever since the war, she hasn't let them step outside of the house unless it is to go visit a relative." (Riverbend 94). From reading this section I realized that we do things very differently over here in America. Usually going school shopping isn't an entire family event in most cases especially beyond the immediate family. She also states how the girls arent aloud to step outside unless they are going to visit a relative, which in my opinion is a very scary thought. I could never imagine not being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it. Another interesting point that Riverbend brings up, is when they are in the store and she starts talking about erasers. " We've all tasted an eraser at some point or another. In the end, we went with some strawberry shaped erasers that oddly enough, smelled like peaches.....S. said I was confusing the kids but I reminded her that they had never tasted strawberries anyway....her kids wouldn't know the difference." (Riverbend 95). This idea is very strange to even consider thinking about. The idea of not knowing what a strawberry looks like or even smells like. In this case coming across an eraser that smells like something very unfamiliar to some yet very familiar to our culture here in America.

HW 31: Responding to Riverbend

In the reading for this week, I became very interested in learning about "Depleted Uranium."Riverbend speaks about uranium as something that is in many Iraq households. It has been proven to have a large effect on the environment and has been proven to have an effect on the rate of cancer increasing. Riverbend talks about how babies are being born with one eye, three legs, or no face at all. After looking up more information on it, I found that it is weakly radioactive and an external radiation dose from depleted uranium is about 60% of that from the same mass of uranium with a natural isotopic ratio. Depleted uranium, commonly known as DU is “uranium remaining after removal of the isotope uranium-235 (wikipedia.com). DU is considered both a toxic and radioactive hazard that requires long term storage as low level nuclear waste. Originally, DU was conserved in the hope that more efficient enrichment techniques would allow further extraction of the fissile isotope; however, those hopes have not materialized. It is often used in the military for defensive armor plate and other applications. Depleted uranium is also used as a tamper in fission bombs and as a nuclear fuel in hydrogen bombs. After researching information on depleted uranium, I definately have a better understanding as to what Riverbend has been talking about all along. Th elink to this site is, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium.

HW 30b: Citizenship symposium 2

The speech that I went to see was spoken by Tom Lantos. His speech was about World War II and the Holocaust. In my opinion this was a very good speech, and it was very interesting as well. The topic of the Holocaust in general is a very sensitive and emotional topic for many, and in this case it was sad as well. The Holocaust is something that generally everyone knows something about, and in this case I am the most familiar with this war, more than any of the others. Tom Lantos was introduced by his daughter, Katrina Sweat, who presented her father, who happens to be the only Holocaust survivor to be elected to serve in the United States Congress. She spoke about how her father came to America right after World War II when he was 19 years old. He decided to run for congress in 1980. In 2006 he became a the head chair member of the foreign committee. Tom spoke a lot about American History and how freedom came to be today. In the conclusion of Tom's speech he spoke mainly about how the new president has a great deal of responsibility to uphold. Throughout this whole speech it is clear how much Tom appreciates his country and has a lot of respect for every aspect of America.

HW 30a : Citizenship Symposium 1

The Syposium that I attended was called "Citizens Gone Wild" and the speaker was Nancy Tobi. Nancy spoke mainly of democracy and how it came to be. Nancy grew up in Lexington, Ma. Throughout Nancy's speach she explained about the state of New Hampshire, and how their votes are counted.She discussed two ways in which votes can be counted, a hand count vote with community counters, and then the Diebold count which is eighty-one percent of how the voted are counted. One way to get the votes to be counted in an open meeting is to bring it up with a petition in your town meeting. The main discussion and point that I got out of Nancy's speech, is that hand counting ballots is a lot more beneficial and accurate than a machine doing most of the work. We may not think this to be the case but there are proven to be a lot more errors in machine counting than in regular counting. Basically Tobi is trying to get across the point of how our government is run, and how the Declaration of Independence has an effect on how the government is run.

HW 28: "An Open Letter to Riverbend"

After reading all of your blog posts up to August 30th, 2003 really opened my eyes to the world in a way in which I have never seen it before. I love how you put so much feeling and meaning into your blogs, this only makes me want to read more about everything you have to face on a day to day basis. Through your blogs I was able to feel in myself some of the heartache that you face, and this really makes me feel grateful for what I have in life. The fact that you constantly have to worry about where guns are being fired, the constant nightmares you have to deal with, and the frequent deaths you have to see, is something I cant even picture happenening or having to think about. The entire time I was reading your blog, all I could think about is how different our lifestyles are from eachother. Over here in America it seems like we have everything so easy, or atleast for me. I spend days complaining about things that have no significance to the meaning of survival at all, but yet for some reason I tend to think that this is okay because its the only thing i've come to know. Why is my country so concerned with the materialistic and always needing to be perfect and right, when you have to wake up everyday and deal with all these struggles? It doesnt make sence to me now and it never will. The strength that you have in youself to wake up everyday and face a new battle in your life is something I wish I could have, or to be even half as strong as you, is something I can only strive for.

HW: 27 Annotated Bibliography

Baghdad Burning is a book about a girl named Riverbend who writes about her experiences in Iraq as the war goes on around her from a day to day basis. The blogs in which she writes, become the main source for people around the world to read up on her about her experiences and status throughout war. The people around the world tend to rely on her for updates. The reason why this book relates specifically to the work that is done in class, is because the class relates directly to blogging and how blogging is changing the world. In this case the simple idea that Riverbend uses her feelings and ideas to share with the rest of the world, is exactly what we are learning in class. From this blog we are able to learn what it is like for a girl in Iraq to go through a period of war and difficulty, through her eyes. Being able to see things from anothers perspective, is a great way to feel what others feel and invision what others see, which is a great way to learn about anothers culture and way of life.

HW 25: Responding to Riverbend

I definately enjoyed reading about what Riverbend is all about, and I think that it is amazing how this girl can write about war in such a way that draws her readers in. The indroduction of Baghdad Burning by Soueif and Ridgeway, talks about how Riverbend is a girl from Baghdad who lives and shares her experiences of the wars in Iraq. Through reading her blog you are able to see things from her point of view by stepping in her shoes. It also speaks about how eventualy people get so invloved reading her blog that people start wondering if she will survive and how she is doing, as well as what she is doing the entire time. She also shares her encounters with her brother "E" who shares her tasks and thoughts. Throughout the rest of the introduction she talks about the different wars and what happens in each one. As far as Soueif and Ridgeway's account of the US invasion compared to my own is completely different. I never really understood or cared to pay attention to what is going on in the world. The reason for this is typically because I hate hearing about all the deaths and bad events that are occuring in the world because it just depresses me. I know that I am missing out on a lot of important things in the world but hearing such things as the ones that Riverbend has to go through just makes me upset. Soueif and Ridgeway write more about the facts and events from a factual point of view and more from experience and knowledge whereas I dont have any recollections or ideas about half of the things they talk about, because talking, and learning about war has never really been an interest or a priority for me.

HW 24: A Room Of My Own

According to chapters 5 and 6 of Virginia Woolfs, A Room Of Ones Own, she speaks directly of how women are gaining acceptance in the world. She talks about how women are now able to write books and have more roles in society. Woolf writes, " There are books on all sorts of subjects which a generation ago no woman could have touched. There are poems and plays and criticism ; there are histories and biographies , books of travel and books of scholarship and research , there are even a few philosophies and books about science and economics." She is basically saying how times have changed and now women can have roles in society. As far as having a room of my own, the one at my house would fit under this category. When I am in my room at home, this is the one place where i can just relax and not worry about anything that goes on in the outside world. When I am ther I can really think about everything and not worry about anyone bothering me if I need to think. My room is what makes up who I am, from the pictures to the trophies, to the colors on my wall.

HW 23: Jezebel/Eating For None

"With Apologies to Virginia Woolf"



After reading a blog called Eating for None which can be found on http://jezebel.com/gossip/eating-for-none/-314027.php I realized how blogs such as these refer to body images in the media, and the way that celebrities expose themselves is highly reflected upon the rest of the world. After reading the all these blogs I have found that the thing that catches the eye the most are posts such as these where they deal with celebrity gossip and catchy headings that make you want to read on, although a lot of information may be false. This site however is a very good place for women to state ideas and gossip, and write and publish what they want to talk about. However in a different time period such ideas would not be acceptable. In other words this is a very good way for women to come together and disscus important issues in the media and discover the femininity amongst eachother.

HW 22: "Patriarchy"

I believe that the reason why Woolf said that the paper proved that England is a patriarchy is due to the fact that men have more power than women. "A film actress had been lowered from a peak in California and hung suspended in mid air. The weather was going to be foggy." "The most transient visitor to this planet, I thought, who picked up this paper could not fail to be aware, even from this scattered testimony, that England is under the rule of patriarchy." (Woolf 33) This citation describes how England doesn't look highly upon women at all and the death of one woman doesn't mean anything whereas if a man died, this would be more of a serious issue. In this case women tend to feel useless, and unworthy. In comparison with the United States, I looked at the New York Times to see whether the paper would give a transient visitor to our planet the impression that the United States is patriarchy. On the front page of the issuse alone, the main topics of discussion where of issues concerning deaths of famous people, politics, bad relationships, gas prices, health and fitness, sports, and even new movies that are coming in the theatres. All of these ideas are of concern for both sexes not just one. In this case the United States is definately not patriarchy. Our country does not show as much concern over gender issuses as does England, which shows how everyone in society is fairly equal in rights and social status

HW 21: Dear Brother

Dear Brother,
A Room of Ones Own is definately a very difficult book to read. In the first chapter the main character deals with the problematic question of women and fiction. In thinking about this idea she comes to the sence that a women needs money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction, therefore she starts to explain the story of how this opinion of hers came to be. During this story she walks by a river and passes a college in which she comes upon a man who tells her that she is not allowed to step on the grass, making her feel inferior to the situation as a whole. She then goes through a series of events leading her to the library where she reflects upon the poetry of before and after World War One. She describes the changes and different styles of writings. She then describes how things would be different for women if from the start women werent so poor and if each generation of mothers had learned to save their money then their daughters would have enough money for an education. The purpose of this entire chapter in my opinion would be that in most cases not only do women tend to feel inferior to men, but in most cases they are that way. Men can have money and materialistic things where as women can't as much. I feel that the reason why an english teacher might consider this an important work because its shows the segregation of men and women and their rights as individuals. It always falls under the same category that women aren't as good as men in so many aspects, and this creates an issue in the world. I think this book is a great way to show how in many ways we have come so far, in terms of these gender issues. Once again I thought that this book was very difficult to follow along with but in the end the message is very clear and informative.

HW 19: "Web Of Influence"

I believe that the first paagraph of the text "Web of Influence" is important because it discusses how blogging is used everyday among people who like to share their opinions and ideas with the world. To put it in another way, Drezner and Farrell state that "Drawing upon the content of the international media and the world wide web, they weave together an elaborate network with agenda setting power on issues ranging from human rights in China to the U.S. occupation of Iraq." What this really means is that the media and the web together are two very powerful sources that can spread worldwide among other countries as well. Back many years ago blogging was mainly considered a hobby for people's entertainment, whereas today blogging is evolving into a new category where blogging is changing the world, especially in terms of changing the landscape fo journalists an policy makers (drezner, Farrell). People's respones towards political campaigns, for instance demonstrates one aspect as to why this one paragraph about blogging is important, as well as one aspect as to how blogging may effect the world.

HW 18: My Least Favorite Blog Post!

My least favorite blog I looked at is called, "Black women less likely to receive chemo." This blog can be found on http://feministing.com/ This blog was rather disturbing and upsetting to me. Racism is something that i feel very strongly about and in this case, it is an issue once again. "According to a new study, done by researchers at Wayne State and University of Michigan, black women are three times less likely to receive chemotherapy and five times less likely to receive Tamoxifen (a drug used to help treat breast cancer) than their white counterparts," states author Samhita. In today's world racism should not exist any more. The idea that black people will recieve less treatment than white people due to racial and ethnic backround is wrong. Everyone should be summoned to the same rights and treatment that is available. In reading this blog we are able to see how cruel this world can e towards people of different races and even just being able to see this is the first step in changing the world, which is exactly what blogs like these are doing. A blog such as this is a perfect example of how people can state how they feel about an issue, and decide where the topic will go from there.

HW 17B: "Sex, Lies, and Political Scrapes"

In reading both Interviews by Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, and Ana Marie Cox, I believe that Cox's Interview on her blog Wonkette is a lot more likely to influence the way I would vote in a coming election. The reason for this is because she tends to write more about truth and how she feels on a personal level, rather than writing about what people want to hear. I feel that without these aspects that Cox writes about, then people wouldn't understand or care to pay attention to the hidden things that go on behind the scenes. I do believe that Zuniga's ideas on political aspects are influential as well, but in this case Cox exlains more about the individual person and expresses things on a more personal level. Zuniga's writings are a lot more boring and he doesn't speak from the heart and how he feels, compared to how Cox is more realistic and optimitic.

HW 17: BODY ISSUES!

This blog explains how the need to be thin arond other women is becoming a problem. Body image is a serious issue around the world and is clearly stated on http://jezebel.com/gossip/body-issues/-307107.php. The main question being addressed in this blog is, "Why do women feel ok about their bodies until other women show up?" This especially relates to college students says Sanderson, who found that women in college tend to believe that they exercise less, and weigh more than the average person. This was my favorite post because, it really made me stop to think about how so many people around us everyday tend to judge eachother on looks and what the scale says rather than personality and every other good quality that we are supposed to look at in people. I really feel strongly about this issue due to the fact that this is the reason why so many young girls are now suffering from eating disroders around the world due to the effect of the media and taking jokes and comments to heart. I believe that blogs and articles such as these should open our eyes to the world around us, and allow us to learn to judge less. Is is especially an issue in colleges today because so many people care about the numbers on a scale rather than how they feel on the inside, as well as being healthy and happy with who they are.

HW 16: The 5 Pillars of Conversational Software

Scoble discusses how blogging became hot, through his ideas on the five pillars of conversational software. The first pillar mentioned is called the "ease of publishing." What he is refering to in this case is that blogging is a very easy, and quick way of being able to express yourself. It doesnt take long at all to make a blog post and then publish it. The second pillar is "discoverability." In this case what Scoble means is that blogs are meant for the public to see and respond to, anyone can view these posts so when a blog is discovered and catches the interest of someone, it is very easy to keep an eye on it and follow the blogs consistantly. Is is a common way to be discovered by someone on the higher end of the business scale or even someone who you've always wanted to meet. The third pillar is called "cross site conversations." This aspect in my opinion means if someone else is reading a blog, other can find the same one more easily and have a conversation with you as well. Scoble states "I could see who was linking to me with trackbacks." In this case it allows for more than one conversation. The fourth pillar contains information about "permalinking," where you can easily take a URL that is known and this will take you directly to the page in which is being looked for. This is almost like making a general search for something by simply using a key word and this makes it easier to search for something of interest. The last pillar that Scoble discusses is about "Syndication." In this case im not quite sure exactly what this term means, but in my opinion it means he can respond and read whichever blogs he wants. The Five pillars is something that Scoble believes has made blogging hot.

HW: 14 Denton Interview

In Nick Denton's interview, "Take an Obsession, Then Feed It" he explains how he doesn't think that blogging will take over other forms of media such as the newspaper, and television. To put it bluntly, Denton states "I dont think anyone's going to replace, anytime soon, the role of the New York Times in providing, for example, reporting from Baghdad. Weblogs dont have the resources to do that. So while I dont think blogs are going to change the structure of original reporting, they are going to supplant in some ways the editorial layer of the news." Ultimately I believe in the same ideas that the news and media have more of an effect on the population in terms of being able to communicate directly from one part of the world to another, with news from the war and other global issues. However in this case, blogging serves as the editorial layer of the news meaning that, blogging has as larger effect on determining what will end up on the front page of the newspaper the following day. Naturally this is a great way for companies to make more money, by making sure that the people have a say in what they believe is the most important and controversial ideas in the media, and this is where blogging comes in. Denton states, "So I think it'll be the editorial selection of the news business that weblogs will influence moe than the story writing itself." In conclusion, blogging will never overtake the mainstream media, but has changed the process in which things are done, and has allowed us to stop and realize how blogging has helped shape our world.

HW:13 "Blogs will change your business"

In my view, the impact of blogging on communication that is not business or profit related is a lot more important than the impact of blogging on business. Stephen Baker and Heather Green make a statement concerning blogging such as,"You cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they are simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the internet itself." This statement is very true in regards to the fact that blogging is a very big aspect of communication around the world. Many people turn to blogging to bettter express themselves in ways thats are a lot more convenient and easy. It is true that blogging is very popular among businesses today, but on the other hand there is a lot more important things to talk about other than a business, and more people are likely to talk about how they are feeling rather than what is going on in a business. Not only are people focusing on blogging as a way of self expression but also the idea of social and political aspects come into play. Blogging is the new form of news around the world and lets you in on the newest media being released. People like to hear others ideas and feelings before they make their own decisions, which is why blogging has become so poplular. Business is just one aspect of blogging, so to think that the impact is larger would be misleading.

HW 11: "Making Global Voices Heard"

The blog I chose to view is called, "China: Traffic cops get machine guns." The blog has many pictures and Chinese symbols on the page. The majority of people who blog on this page are Chinese, both Chinese and English are used on this page. The majority of blogs are about Chinese riots and the different types of weapons that are being used by the police. Mackinnon states how she doesnt think that there should be so many weapons being used, especially for simple case in which they are only being used to carry out drunk driving violations and traffic violation spot checks. She also states how it is even dangerous for them to being using machine guns during violent riots. Although Mackinnon's ideas are more realistic and ideal, nothing has changed the ways in which the Chinese police chose to handle these situations. This blog however does correspond to the reading of "Making Global Voices Heard," because although her ideas havent changed the ways of the Chinese many people may eventually realize what is going on is really wrong and the more people that speak up the more her voice will be heard about this topic. In opposition to this argument, one might say that carrying these machine guns does no harm and in reality controls the Chinese rather than hurt them. This idea may be true in the ways of protection and control of the society but in the long run there should be other alternatives rather than just violence.

HW 9: Huffington Interview

In "Punching Holes in Faded Mirrors," Arianna Huffington explains how if campaigning, advertising, and opining havent changed things the way she wanted, then how blogs can make such a difference. I agree with the statement that blogs have made a huge difference because they have broken the monopoly of the mainstream media. People tend to write blogs because they have something to share with the rest of the world, and in this case blogging has one of the largest influences on advertising and campaigning. For example Arianna states how the mainstream media inored the demise of senate majority leader Trent Lott, while bloggers kept going until Trent Lott had become the former Senate majority leader. I agree that Arianna is right in her statement, this is definately a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe otherwise. In contrast I also disagree with the idea that blogging is helping campaigns and advertising. I dont think that people should be going by what they hear in blogs, but rather what they hear from the political campaigns themselves. People may often be misled by the facts andgossip on the internet as well as blogs. The idea that less and less people are getting their information from the television, may also decrease advertising in a negative way. There are definately many positive and negative aspects to Huffington's ideas but fot the most part blogging has become an influential aspect to many people around the world.

HW 7: "My So Called Blog"

I believe that it is good for a kid to be able to express themselves by writing online and searching the web without a parent monitoring everything they say. The fact that parents get suspicious about what their child is doing on the computer is understandable. Holding a child back from being able to express how they feel and suffocating a child too much in this aspect will only later make it so that the child no longer wants to listen to what parents have to say. Expression is how we learn and grow, and the idea that children prefer to do this through the internet by using blogs and chat rooms etc, should not be a problem. In contrast however it would be unacceptable to let a child do whatever they please especially since they might not be as smart about the decisions they make online. In her article, My So-Called Blog," Emily Nussbaum expresses how the process of expression is sometimes painful to some,however sometimes you just need to let it go. "As the reality television stars put it, exposure may be painful at times, but its all part of the process of putting it out there, risking judgement and letting people in." (Kline and Burstein 352) The point that is coming across in this quote is the fact that saying exactly how you feel sometimes is not always what people want to hear or are even expecting to hear, but risking how you feel to share that feeling with someone else, allows others to feel what you are feeling. The idea that most issues and discussions are now performed online rather than on paper is definatley something to get used to, as well as something for parents to et used to. However This is what children are learning in school as well as from friends, the idea that expressing yourself can only be beneficial, therefore tellig a child not to do so, or watching a childs every move online is only putting a damper on their freedom of expressing, an basically holds them back from the real world.

HW 6: Semester Long Statement

As far as the interest statement for the semester long project is concerned, when it comes to the social computing technologies, I am most interested in instant messaging, email and email lists, and social networking services. Instant messaging and email is something that I am constantly using and checking up on. Atleat once a day I use one or the other to communicate with family, friends, and even just to hear about information I didn’t know about before. Social networking services are the same as well, face book and myspace take priority over many things that I try to accomplish during the day. I am constantly checking for messages from people and redoing my page so that it looks nice and presentable to other people. As far as empowerment and marginalized groups, I am most interested in finding out about overcoming racism, rights and empowerment of people with some kind of illness, or issues of disabilities or learning differences. Racism is something I’m very interested in because I feel very strongly about it and I think it’s definitely something that should be changed. I’ve also had to deal with many illnesses and disabilities throughout my family history which is another reason for me wanting to find out more information. As I start to look at these many different topics, I will look at the geographical areas of the United States, as well as South and Central America, because I would first like to see how where we live is affected by these any different aspects, and I’ve also had some knowledge about the ways in which South and Central American people life, so adding to this knowledge would only be beneficial.

HW 5b: "I Blog, Therefore I Am"

In Kline's "I Blog, Therefore I Am," he reminds us of the many ways in which newspaper businesses are suffering in the ways that people are depending more on the internet for their sources of news and media more than ever. Since there is more demand for the web, less people are even watching television, which in turn is causing the ratings to lower even more. Many people plead their opinions as to how they dislike the idea of people exposing their opinions, and private lives on internet blogs. In contrast I believe that blogs are a great form of expression, especially the idea that others can relate to some of the personal issues that others might need to have addressed. Kline reports how women in today's society tend to document important moments in their lives, for example being a new mother, careers, or certain illnesses that need to be addressed and want to be shared. Blogging is now a form of communication and positive regard towards one another and I dont agree with the fact that blogging is a bad for of communication.

HW 5: "The Voice of the Customer"

In "The Voice of Customer," Kline explains how a company can promise quality and dependability. He also explains how a product must reach a deeper meaning to its consumer in order to leave a lasting impression for the product to succeed. When I went back to my room I took a look at the brand, Secret deodorant. As I looked at it, it stated that it is invisible solid leaving no white marks. As I looked the brand up on the internet, it stated "Live Life, Dont Sweat It the Freedom of Freshness is here." This statement means that Secret will take care of all life's troubles and you wont have to worry about sweating about the small things because secret will take care of it therefore the product wont let you down. The website also says "Secret, because your hot." This however means that because your hot secret will make you cooler and wont let you sweat, basically promising optimal protection against sweat, making the consumer believe that the product wont let you down, as well as making you feel good about yourself. In my experiences, this product is definately of good quality, except for the fact that white lines arent always invisible, in fact for the majority of the time they are still there. Also the fact that no product is strong enough to take care of your problems so that you dont have to worry about enything, this is simply just the way to sell the product and make the customer happy at all times.

HW 3: "Toward A More Participatory Democracy"

Many people assume that blogging is always something that is beneficial in today’s society, but in fact in David Kline’s essay “Toward A More Participatory Democracy,” there is reason to believe otherwise. In reading Kline’s essay it is clear to see that blogging has become the new “newspaper” of today, in fact people tend to rely on blogging for their source of communication and news in today’s world. Since people have started to post blogs about political campaigns, more and more people tend to discuss issues that may or may not be truthful in all cases. The more technology that is being produced, only makes the internet more susceptible for gossip and unrealistic information. Even news stations today are unrealistic because newscasters are being told what to say and how to act on live television. Instead of years ago when the news used to be accurate and factual, its more of a race to see which news channel can earn more money by using false information, and ideas that catch the viewers eye.

HW 2: Response to Burstein's 12 Key Ideas

In Burstein’s twelve key ideas in “From Cave Painting to Wonkette,” Kline and Burstein express many ideas as to how blogging is changing many aspects of today’s society. Idea number six generalizes how blogging is going global which is exactly why I chose this one. In today’s world almost everything is performed online, such things as research, running a business, typing up a paper, as well as some of the simplest everyday things we take for granted. I believe that especially now more than ever, blogging is being used by many different people, in many different ways. Blogging is a great way to express ones feelings to the general public and maybe even get a response back, to get ideas from others. Since myspace and face book have now emerged, more and more people have been introduced to blogging although in a less formal way. The use of blogging as well as internet use can help shape peoples lives, and make communication a lot easier and efficient. Blogging also puts more emphasis on freedom of speech, being able to say how you feel in writing for the world to see is a great way to learn and a great source of information. The idea that blogging is going global, not only effects the United States as a whole, but gives other countries more opportunities to understand where we stand on certain issues concerning culture and the world.