HW 42: Third Podcast

Hi this is Renee again with my third podcast. I am a member of the gamma pod, and this is homework 42. Today I will be discussing a passage that I found memorable in Baghdad Burning. There was a quote on page 260 that stated, "To see those smiling soldiers with the Iraqi prisoners is horrible, I hope they are made to suffer... somehow know they won't be punished." This passage was very touching for me, because in one way or another it represents America as a whole. When Iraq people suffer from America's harsh choices it may impact them to have a negative view towards all Americans. When she used detail and said smiling soldiers it made me sick to my stomach. How can people be smiling about torturing these people? To me they represent heartless and awful people. I have very few words to put out to people who may be taking this class in the future. While reading this book, you can expect to learn about controversial issues that Americans are involved in, and it will help you understand what it is like to live in Iraq. This is a very touching book, especially since it is being told directly from someone who is experiencing it herself. This is all I have time for today, but thanks for tuning and listening to my last podcast.

HW 37: Second Podcast

Hi this is Renee Miner and I am a member of the gamma pod. As I informed you earlier I am a student in the thinking and writing class called A Blog Of One's own. This is my second podcast for this class. This assignment is homework 37 and I will be discussing the holiday Eid that is mentioned in the book Baghdad Burning. Eid is like Thanksgiving for Muslims. A traditional Thanksgiving for me as an American consists of a nice turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy and stuffing. All of my family comes and we have a large festive dinner. Before our meal we might say grace and talk about what we are thankful for. This is very typical for not only my family, but a huge percentage of American families. Considering this description, we have it lucky. AS Riverbend discusses her Eid, it makes me wonder what it would be like to be in that position. Their Eid consisted of having lamb, chicken soup, and bread. This may sound appetizing, but the seating arrangements weren't that pleasant for them. The generator was making obscene noises in the background, and some conversations grew fierce. On page 202, she describes the conversations with much detail. " The elders soon began the usual discussion- politics. Politics in Iraq isn't discussed like in any other place. We have to do it the Iraqi way- mobile expressions, erratic hand signals, and an occasional table- pounding to emphasize a particularly salient point." This type of conversing lead to nothing but arguments when it was supposed to be taken as a peaceful celebration. If my Thanksgiving was encountered with family arguments and disagreements I know I would be in some sort of misery. Having read this example of Eid, it now makes me realize what a catastrophe they are living in. Within the past two weeks of reading, many things have changed my views of Iraq. One specific example being that Iraq women supposed freedom. It seemed to me that there was a small amount of freedom to women in Iraq, but I guess that is not the case. She states on page 191, "If I get any more e-mails about how free and liberated the Iraqi women are *now*

Tracy's Office: A Blog of One's Own #7

Homework assignment 36

HW35: Letter to my blog readers

I have been writing blogs for my ITW blogging class for the past thirteen weeks. I have learned from blogging that there are many different ways that people can express themselves, and publish their work. Blogging is a way for people to get information out in the open without having to be an author; normal everyday people go onto these sites and either write their own posts or comment on others. This has helped me become familiar with the new techniques of technology. Maintaining my own blog has been important to me and has been considered an advantage to me. I hope that people can gain knowledge and understand different perspectives of situations from my blog. I also hope that my blog will attract new members to blogging. My proudest piece of work is the blog I posted on November 13, 2007 named "HW33: Respond to a Podcast". I am proud of this, because I have posted video clips of actual people in Iraq telling their agonizing lives. This will give people an outlook on life, and will help people understand the challenges our globe is going through. As this class comes to an end, I think that I will still update my blog. It may not be an everyday event, but once in a while I will view blogs and check up on what is happening out there. Blogging is a wonderful opportunity, and I think that whomever is reading this (if you do not have one currently) should subscribe to this free blogging site. It is a chance for you to be yourself without letting the world know who you are (or you can let them know who you are).

HW34:Responding to Riverbend

Today as I was reading Baghdad, I read about many new facts of Iraqi people. Gold plays a large role in their lives. When Riverbend's aunt reached checkpoint she got very nervous, because she was carrying all of her jewels in her leather bag. Their jewelry is very precious to them, because they don't have very many valuables. Gold is a part of the Iraqi culture and plays a part of "family savings", this has increased ever since 1990. People converted their money to gold and jewelry, because gold's value doesn't change whereas money's value does. "People pulled their money out of banks before the war, and bought gold instead" (Riverbend, 100). It was so precious to the people of Iraq, and the American soldiers basically said that they weren't good enough to own gold. She had said about two Iraqi's marriage, once they are married the man gives the woman a mahar made of all gold jewelry. Paraphrasing what she had said that they do to prevent Americans from taking their jewels, they find unusual hiding places and often hide them in their clothing. "It was a game for days, during May, when the raids began and we started hearing tales of the 'confiscation' of valuables like gold and dollars during the raids" (Riverbend, 101).
Another importance to the Iraqi citizen's are date palms. This is a way for people to make money by growing date palms ( different types of palm trees). These trees are also known as "nakhla", and no yard is complete without one. These trees are a great significance. " In the winter months, they act as "resorts" for the exotic birds that flock to Iraq" (Riverbend, 103). Paraphrasing what she said about the summer months, the female palms provide hundreds of dates and are a good storage source. Many different food sources can be made out of different substances from the dates. These trees serve as a main source of many things to the people of Iraq. "Each tree is so unique, it feels like a member of the family... I remember watching a scenes from the war a couple of days after the bombing began -one image that stuck in my mind was that of a palm tree broken in half, the majestic fronds wilting and dragging on the ground" (Riverbend, 105). The way she explains this is almost as if she were looking at a dead body, that is how important they are to her.

HW33: Respond to a Podcast

Podcasts have been becoming a new interest to me and my blogging class. I viewed some of the podcasts, one being "Iraqi Teens work to help their families". This is incorporated on the site alive in Baghdad, and was published 10/15/07. You can view the podcast too at : http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/10/15/iraqi-teens-work-to-help-their-families
This covers the children in Iraq's daily lives and what they have to struggle through. 50% of people in Iraq are jobless, and most of the children (mostly males) work as much as possible to help support their families. The video showed clips of different young Iraqi citizens, meaning real evidence as to what is truly happening. One person states that their is a security and it is difficult to protect yourself. People can't even work at their job sites without being threatened of murder. That is why people are starting to have workshops at their own homes. The background in the video was devastating, the streets looked abandoned and all work was done manually. People's clothes were awful skimpy, and it looked like a horrific place to call home. One particular person in the clip is very memorable to me. His name was Yousif, and he was a student at the College of Agriculture; unemployed. He was born with a birth defect, and has had many operations to correct it. He looked very sad, and in agony of what he has to daily go through. Life is rough for him, and he tells us by saying "look at the situation we live in", meaning please stop terrorism and come at peace. We need to learn from this to consider the lives that are at stake. I have never seen such footage this revealing and devastating.

Another podcast that I viewed was called "Challenges at a girls school in Baghdad", published on 5/21/2007. This is also a part of the series Alive In Baghdad, which can be viewed at: http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/05/21/challenges-at-a-girls-school-in-baghdad
This particular podcast covers information on how it is difficult for females to go to school. They interview the director of the Al-Safina Middle School (an all girls school)Jinan Jamel Mahmoud, a teacher and students as well. 225 female students from all over Baghdad go here to get an education and they explain how extremely dangerous it is. Not only is it dangerous, but the quality of their schools is gloomy and run-down. The supplies for students seem to be low, and a poor quality. When it came to interviewing the director, she claimed that there was a variety of teaching experience. She was wearing a headdress along with many of the others. They asked if she felt as if her school was suffering and she exclaimed that schools everywhere are suffering. "Schools are often shut down for 10 days due to searches", this is showing us that we are damaging people's futures and present lives. Students even say that fear lives by going to school, because you never know if you are going to make it or not. That was truly memorable to me and it made me realize that these people are just like us and need some peace. People can also learn the same moral from this video. The video reminds me of news clips that I see on television showing all of the people suffering from lack of education.

HW32: Responding to Riverbend

As I continued reading Riverbend, she had mentioned that Iraqi's marry their cousins!! Why, I though to myself? " He simplifies the whole situation incredibly stating that because Iraqi's tend to marry cousins, they'll be less likely to turn each other into American forces for all sorts of reasons that all lead back to nepotism" (Riverbend, 87). She associated that in larger cities (Baghdad) people are more likely to not marry cousins. Mentioning that in small poorer cities there are sometimes only four or five large"tribes" or "clans". This meaning that everyone is related to one another, and in order to reproduce they must do it with a relative. Merely each person is referred to as a cousin, so tribes such as this one have one main leader or "Sheikh". Mainly it is a man that is the leader, and surprisingly they are the ones who make most of the money and often can be wealthy. "He is usually considered the wisest or most influential member of the family" (Riverbend, 88). Considering that most of them have very good college degrees this is bound to happen.The sheikh's first wife is often referred to as the "First Lady" and also is looked up to by the other family members.

HW 30: Iraq Body Count

I went to another citizenship symposium, it was called Iraq Body Count: Real People Fake Numbers. This was a speech given by an associate professor at Keene State College, Stephen J. Clark PhD. The speech was informative on whether the facts and information that we receive from the press is reliable or not when it comes to the war in Iraq. We are reading a book in class called Baghdad Burning, and it relates to the same idea. The author is filling us in on what is really happening in Iraq, so that we are not filled in with phony information. How do we as Americans know that what we hear and see is real or not?! He told us to "think deeply about what people inform us about this war, and take into serious consideration whether it is true or not." We also need to think about the impact that we are having on Iraq, on thing that really caught my attention is when he used the comparison of deaths monthly in Iraq to the comparison of deaths yearly in Washington, D.C. This means that the amount of people killed in D.C. in ONE YEAR is equivalent to the amount of people who die in ONE MONTH in Iraq. This is certainly devastating and very life altering for these people. Professor Clark said that us people need to fix this issue and help these people out, but by doing so we need to take some precautions and make sure that all of the information that we receive is valid and useful. America needs to come together as a nation and come to conclusion with this tragedy! We have more to worry about other than hurting our fellow citizens.

HW30: Citizenship and Responsibility

Today there was another presentation that was a part of the citizenship symposium week. A man named Tom Lantos came to speak about our nation and his life experiences, the name of his presentation was Citizenship and Responsibility. It started out with his daughter Katrina introducing him and telling the audience about a little of their background. She informed us that her father is and will be the only survivor of the Holocaust serving in congress. She mentioned that he had nothing when he came to America except for $5.00, and he wanted to make something of himself. In 1980, he ran for congress and then introduced his first act, which was to introduce legislation. Her speech came to an end and her father entered the stage. He started by telling us that he had just met the new French President yesterday, and was speaking with him. Furthermore, he spoke about how America's reputation appears to be horrific all over the world. He stated all of the negatives and positives from each side. It bothered him that historical politicians stated that all men are created equal, when they betrayed their own statement and owned private slaves. Tom said that they should have made the statement all men and women are created equal instead of just men. Since he came over here at the age of 19 with nothing to offer he wanted to make a positive difference to America. Something does need to be done about this, because the image of the U.S. globally is at an all time low. He wanted to portray a positive image of the U.S. and said "America did not teach men the idea of freedom, she taught them how to practice it". Leading examples of this are that the United States indeed has helped many of countries improve over the years. The U.S.A. saved Germany from Hitler and they also saved them from two generations of the Soviet Union, and the rate of Anti-American Germans is increasing rapidly. Countries like these ignore the fact that America has helped them, and overlook it as what is happening globally now.But, France's point of view is changing. Concretely in detail he said that Americans have helped them significantly and whenever he hears about an American soldier dying he feels like a member of his family is dying because of what they have done for them. The most interesting thing that I learned was that Europe or the U.S. have had the most infrastructure globally since the 1700's. People are glad that the U.S. is there to help whether they admit it or not (maybe not in Iraq). Especially Africa, because we have donated $15 billion to aids over there. Some people are starting to have more of a positive outlook on the U.S. and of course their are still millions of people who have the opposite of that!

HW30: "What Kind OF Democracy Do We Want?"

Today, I attended a presentation that was a part of the Keene State College Citizenship Symposium week. Three guest speakers came to preach about the problems that are occurring in our government. "What kind of Democracy do we want?", was the name of the presentation. Provost Emile Netzhammer started the event introducing and summarizing some events that are happening today. He mentioned that here in Keene, New Hampshire us citizens have the right to participation of the government by attending town meetings and different political events that are happening locally. He also discussed how people in the U.S. are lucky and are able to express themselves. As his speech ended he cam forward and announced the Mayor of Keene, Michael Blastos. Michael is reported to be Keene's longest serving mayor in Keene's history. He conversed mainly about the constitution and how it is a living document. He presented Keene State College with a proclamation containing his signature. Next, was the most significant speaker of the event Nancy Tobi. She is a New Hampshire resident, and is the founder of "Democracy for New Hampshire". She began speaking about how voting is a big part of our government and presented us with a power point "Citizen's Gone Wild: Taking Control Of Our Democracy". She provided a background of herself, she was raised in Lexington, MA (a.k.a. Birthplace of America). Introducing her PowerPoint she claimed "We are going to talk about a lot of dirty stuff, but once we get through the politics the sun will shine through". This meant that the politics are the causes of all of the crazy catastrophes that are happening today in society. The voting process became a big part of the speech, learning much new devastating information. 80% of national votes are counted by programmed computers, meaning that the votes are either getting altered or completely changed. This became very interesting to me and it made me think of what a mess society really is. She used much concrete detail in her speech, one including sunshine is the best disinfectant in the government. This was to be translated as, look positively at all situations that may arise.

HW31: Responding to Riverbend

As I continued reading Riverbend's book Baghdad Burning, I stumbled across something that caught my attention. Many horrific events were occurring in Baghdad, and that included malnutrition and diseases leading to unhealthy births. People were dying from diseases that could be cured with nothing but medication, but they were forbidden causing people to die. Babies being born were now experiencing major birth defects. She had claimed, "I remember seeing babies born with a single eye, 3 legs, or no face- a result of DU [ depleted uranium] poisoning" (Riverbend, 47). This was more of a result in 1991 when uranium weapons were being used to harm people. Depleted Uranium is highly radioactive, this is why it was causing so many birth defects. This substance contains heavy metals in which the compounds are harmful towards mammals, proven by many lab studies. The most common way that this is misled is in ammunition. Since this substance was released in large quantities, it affected people without even touching them. It was highly toxic in the air, causing it to be a major substance to be inhaled. With millions of people breathing in this toxic waste, it caused women to deliver the toxins to their fetus while impregnated. Seeming that Riverbend claimed to have seen this happen more than once, it must have been a large problem in Baghdad at the time.

A link to my information site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium

Works Cited
"Depleted Uranium". Wikipedia. 4 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium

Riverbend. Baghdad Burning. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2005.

HW28: Open letter to Riverbend

Dear Riverbend,
I have been reading your book Baghdad Burning, being a U.S. citizen I will be able to compromise and converse about these issue with you. Often, a lot of the times in America the press does not reveal the whole truth about some of these issues that are happening in Iraq. If we were provided with more knowledge of these issues people would be more willing to partake in positive action of the war. The book and blogs that you have published is a great advantage for us Americans, because now we have first hand knowledge to base our thoughts on. The problems that you face in Iraq daily are very traumatic and devastating. Having to face so many deaths of those people who are very close to you is very saddening to me. The sympathy that I have for your country is unbearable, if there were only something that I could do to stop this terror from happening. This war has effected me tremendously, but I do not have to face the treacherous fears of not knowing if I will be safe in my own home or even going to the store. The fact that troops raid people's homes is awful, why would people do such a thing to these innocent people who are asking for nothing but peace. When you said that you don't hate Americans, I am in the same standing position for Iraqi's. I do not like the Iraqi's who harmed our country, and the same goes for you not liking the American Troops. I do not blame you for having some form of hatred to the people who tear your country and citizen's apart daily. This war has nothing left to prove, just to prove that it is going to cause more hatred amongst Iraq and the U.S. The only way to come at peace with all of this is for it to come to an end. I am terribly sorry for all of the treacherous moments that you have had from this, but with all hope it will come to an end.

Sincerely,
Renee

HW27: Baghdad Bibliography

Riverbend. Baghdad Burning. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2005.

This book Baghdad Burning who is female blogger who writes about her daily life and struggles that are happening. The book is based on these blogs that Riverbend (as she identifies herself) has written through her days in Iraq. This book is meant for people who truly care about what is going on in Iraq, and take in information from someone with personal experience. The book is not about bashing on the Americans, it is about coming at peace with very many different issues that are happening in society today. It is like a journal, she goes through it day by day and tells the world about issues that she and many other face. She translated the book into English just so Americans can see what these people have to face, and to consider ourselves lucky. We do not have to wake up worrying whether our children are going to make it home safely after school, or if we are going to get hit by a bomb in the middle of the night. She blogs so that people can relate to her with these issues and state their outlook on it. Blogs like these are viewed by people nationally in the U.S., one viewer being myself. In my A Blog Of One's Own class in college we are taught to create our own blogs, view others blogs, and read about the different blogging out there. This has tremendously impacted me, because I am writing a topic essay on racism and the blogosphere and this was an example that I used. When I looked at the cover of the book, I already knew that what I was about to read was going to be very impacting. The color scheme and pictures are very down lifting, and the introduction explains what you are about to encounter.

HW 25: Responding to Riverbend

In the introduction of Baghdad Burning, it explains the affect the the war is having to Iraqi people. Riverbend explicitly explains the terror that Iraq is going through, they were having enough problems before when the war wasn't going on but it is taking a toll on all of the citizens who live there. The Gulf War had already put their country behind in developing, and it has never recovered from all of that damage. Emphasising that " Food supplies were reduced, amd by the mid-1990's, one-third of the country's children under the age of five were malnourished" (Riverbend, xv), the country suffered from many deaths and the poverty rate increased. Many outbreaks of disease were exposed, due to poor health and healthcare. During the Gulf War the sewages were destroyed and it limited their water resources.The country had a downfall from there, but was in the process of rebuilding until another war approached in 2003. This demolished the country even more, and inevitably put the people at very dangerous risks. There is very limited education in Iraq now, and what there is to offer people are afraid to send their children. There is the fear that someone may kidnap them or kill them even. Before, women and men were beginning to accept eachother but now it has fallen apart. The invasion of the U.S. to Iraq is putting their country at serious risk for many things. Americans are demolishing them, and Iraq had an idea. They wanted to limit the damage that we are doing to them by having volunteers patrol their weapons and other dangerous substances. There were not enough people to volunteer and take part in this action, so they will have to do their best. The devostation that these people are going through is crutial. If Riverbend had never expressed her thoughts through writing, than us Americans would be left unknowledgable about the tragedies and experiences of an Iraqi's lifestyle right now.
My own memories of the US invasion will impact my life forever. Although it does not impact my everyday life of having to go outside of my home not knowing whether I will make it back alive or not, it has left many imprints in my mind and emotions. I know people who have gone into Iraq to fight for their country, and have not returned home. Many of my friends left for the marines, army, and national guard after graduating high school. It leaves me with the thoughts and wonders of why people must be put through such torture and hatred. The thought in mind of wondering whether I will see them again or not is very upsetting. For all of the hatred America has towards Iraq, I do not take part in any of it. I may have some form of hatred for the people who took part in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but the people of Iraq had no say in it. I feel as if the war in Iraq should come to an end, because all that it's causing is more hatred to innocent people.

HW 24: Do you have a room of your own?

Reading chapter five and six of A room of One's Own, women and history have come a long way. Women are now able to write the same amount of books as men, and are not limited on what to write about. Women have the ability to speak open mindedly about anything they desire, just as well as men. The over empowerment that men had towards women, made women become stronger over the decades. This made women come to conclusion that expressing their thoughts in writing become as powerful. It is said in chapter five ""If she has a room to herself,of which I am not sure; if she has five hundred a year of her own- but that remains to be proved-then I think something of a great importance has happened" (Woolf, 84). It is stating that if a woman has a room to think and write in, than many significant things will happen in the production of writing. Mary Carmichael had a theory that each persons mind has a bit of male and female elements within it. " Made me also ask whether there are two sexes in the mind corresponding to the two sexes in the body, and whether they also require to be united in order to get complete satisfaction and happiness" (Woolf, 98). Maybe men and women do have the same elements within, and that is why over time it has come to realization that they should be viewed as equal. Since this book has been published, sexism has improved greatly. People are now understanding and accepting the fact that both males and females have their advantages and disadvantages. They have realized that there are things that men are capable of that females aren't and vice versa.
Having a room of your own is a place to get away and take a mind vacation and be able to think endlessly about the possibilities. I have a room of my own, and it is my dorm. When I sit in front of the computer and write my blogs, it allows me to forget about the real world and become closer with myself. Having my own "room" to be able to think (an write) unanswered thoughts is awesome. I have my own space to think whatever I want.

HW 23: Responding As Virginia Woolf

Apologies to Virginia Woolf:
As I spent an endless amount of time reading about how women should act in the article "Those gossipy female prison guards", I trembled across many empty thoughts. Why should women have to "be one of the boys" (line 2 in article)? It just boggles my mind that people have thoughts to critique women in such a manner. In depth, thinking to myself the reasoning that there is such a handbook for female prison guards to abide by. The selfishness that must be in one's mind to think of such a thing to create for these females. The question arose in my mind, why don't men have a special handbook? This is merely unnesseccary for any different sex to have seperate rules to abide by for the same mannerisms. Each individual should have the same respect and outlooks of other people. It is only known that if each person succeeds at becoming a guard, that they each had to accomplish the same set of goals. Merely this means that males and females must have some of the same assets, and truely this means that neither sex is more dominant. Females must hold their thoughts and desires together. " And what holds them together in these rare instances of survival is something that one calls integrity". (Woolf, 72)More follow-ups on the article may be found at: http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2007/10/22/those-gossipy-female-prison-guards/

HW22: Responding to Virginia Woolf chapter 2

In this particular chapter in A Room Of One's Own I found many examples of patriarchy. On page 25 she began asking herself questions after her luncheon at Oxbridge (men only college). She wondered why men drank wine and women chose to drink water... or was that a choice??? There are some advantages that men have other than woman in England, and she began to explore that. "Why was one sex so prosperous and the other so poor?" (Woolf, 25). These questions may be in each females mind, and it needs to come to closure why? She was also boggled by the fact that men are more interested in women than women in men. She wanted to further her research on this topic and came across very many different perspectives. It states the people really don't choose who to like or dislike, nonetheless others put the thought of what/who to like in your head. So, if men overrule women than people's outlook on men will be much stronger. Generally speaking, people will have more respect for males and that is not fair. People should be treated equal. As I was searching the New York Times website, there merely was not talk about sexism in the United States. I am sure that there is some issues of it in society, but not articles displayed in this newspaper. Slowly, sexism is maturing over time and eventually (by prediction) it will all be put behind us. There are other things to worry about other than who is better. "In a century's time very possibly they will have changed completely. Moreover, in a hundred years ,I thought, reaching my own doorstep, women will have ceased to be the protected sex." (Woolf, 40) She is saying that people will more or less be equal in the long run.

HW21: Responding to Virginia Woolf

Dear Brother,
I have indeed read the first chapter of Virgina Wolf's A Room of One's Own, and I will be able to give you some advice. In the beginning of the chapter she says that each woman needs a room to write fiction in, and it is a mystery! She is saying that woman need some time to themselves and need a little space from people sometimes. In this chapter it talks about how females and male writers are not treated equally and taken as serious. The chapter relates a lot to sexism, she states as she was saying that women should have a room to write fiction in that you also have to be able to afford the room as well. This is a disadvantage to women, because it is harder for them to have the ability to pay for it. When it comes to males, they have more of an advantage. She is using this example to relate to it as a whole, women are not as fortunate as men and they do not have as many advantages as them. This chapter was astonishing to me, because it sets a perspective on reality. Since I am a female, this chapter was very important to me. It helps me understand the different moralities and standards that men and woman have to live by. I hope that my summary and thoughts of the chapter will help you understand the logic behind the chapter and will help you with your paper.
Sincerely,
Renee

HW19: Graff Chapter 10 to Drezner and Farrell's "Web of Influence"

When reading the "web of Influence" by Drezner and Farrwell, I chose the paragraph talking about all of the international blog sites. They were stating that "although Alam Pax paved the way for Iraqi bloggers, he has stopped blogging himself, and only around seventy Iraqi blogs have picked up where he left off" (Kline and Burstein,96). This is important, because if there is little information on the war in Iraq this means that the less information people know about it. The news does not reveal that much "information" about it, so people need to find alternative ways to get it. There are also other blogs for many different countries, it is always important to know what is happening in the world today. Consider that there was no blogs about different countries, for example the daily news and newspapers have a lot of important information to give to society and they can't get to all of it. It is important for other sources to be able to provide people with the information. If blogs don't have the capability of doing so, then people will have to find another way to get the information that they are looking for. Even more important, people should get involved and help provide important information to blog sites so that people will have easier access to the world's daily news. If people followed through and did this, then it would be a lot easier to keep track of what is happening around the globe. My conclusion, then, is that people should be aware of what is happening today in society. People should not just be aware of what is happening close to home, but what is happening everywhere in the world. What may happen somewhere else may affect you later on down the road.

HW18: Least Favorite Blog Of the Week

While I was checking up on the blogs that I am watching I came across a very devastating blog. I found it on Feministe and the headline was On Rape and Power, it was about a man who was named the worst rapist in the state of Pennsylvania. He pleaded guilty of raping 30 women, but the police are sure that there are more victims out there. At one trial in Philadelphia a judge heard the same senario "the women blacked out at some point during their dates, and either woke up incapacitated to Marsali's assulting them, or in the morning naked" (Lines 6 & 7). It said in the article that some of the woman who had been raped by him later had sex with him willingly. He met some of these women on match.com. The scary thing is that he knew his victims, he got to know them well (maybe a little too well). I thought that this article was "bad" not because of the way that it was written, but because of the story itself. This is very sad, and it could happen to anyone. I know people who have been in similar situations and it is very scary. I suggest that if anyone wants to use online dating systems to be very careful of what you say. I would also tell a friend or a family member about it, so that someone knows what is going on, just in case that something happens.

HW 17B: Applying Graff chapter 9 to Cox o Zuniga

During my time reading these chapters I decided that the blog Daily Kos was more persuasive. This blog seems to be more serious than cox. The Cox blog seems to be more of a joke and seems to be more of a reality blog. There is a lot of important knowledge on the Daily Kos site. People seem to be very dependant on it seeming how they get about 500,00 visitors per day! It said in the interview with Zuniga that "I don't really have many swing voters reading DailyKos, and I don't really want them."(page 47 of Blog). He wants people who are democrats to visit his site and state their opinion, he also wants people who he can relate to and understand their point of view. He knows what he is talking about and is a very intelligent person. I agree with what he has to say, due to the fact of where I stand in politics. In my personal opinion, I think that DailyKos is a very dependable and knowledgeable site to visit. This site would influence the way that I would vote in a presidential election, because it is trustworthy and millions of people view it monthly so it must have great traits.

HW17:Blogs I'm watching

While creating my bloglines account I was assigned to watch three different blogs. I chose to follow up on the blogs jezebel, feministe, and salon: Broadcast. While searching all of these blog's posts there was one that particularly caught my eye. It was on the Salon:Broadcast page and the headline was "Daddy Issues", so I read it.. This article was about a married couple who could not get pregnant because the husband's sperm count was too low. They wanted a child real bad, so they decided to get a sperm donor.. Not a better person to ask than your father right?? Well that is what they did, and now she is pregnant with her father-in-law's child. This sounds pretty gross to me. Dodai explained in the dialogue, "A seventy-two year old man will now father his own grandchild" (in line three of the article). Hearing those words coming from someone sounds devastating to me. That is like having sex with your husband's father, and that is not something that I am particularly interested in.

HW 16 B: The Five Pillars of Conversational Software

In this reading I came across many different importances of blogging. The main importances that I took into consideration were referred to as The five pillars of conversational software. These five facts have their own signifigant importance to the blogging atmosphere.

The first pillar is ease of publishing. This is stating that publishing blogs is very easy and self explainitory. Publishing a blog is much easier that publishing a book pursay. This will make more people want to become professional bloggers due to having to know only very little knowledge of the process. This is also a more inexpensive way for people to have their voices heard.

The second pillar is discoverability. This allows other larger services discover the wonders of the blogosphere. It helps them maintain a status on the latest blogs and also may create a little competition between the two. Discovering new things on the web may also be exciting for people as well as creating tension for others.

The third pillar is cross-site conversations. This is a way for people on different networks or websites to collide their ideas and contrast them. It allows people to see what other opportunities are out on the web and it also is a good way to communicate with people using different publishing sites (such as myspace, facebook, etc.).

The fourth pillar is permalinking. On some of the blogs in the web, there may be URL's leading to other sites. This is an advantage for people to be open-minded and to see what else is out there. Having the opportunity to do this is incredible, because primarily people are usually very competitive and do not want people to view other sites. They assume that it will take viewers away from their site and promote them to the others.

The last but not least pillar is syndication. This started back in the '90's, but it was not as important as in today's society. Syndication allows people to view numerous amounts of sites. It is a very easy thing to upload (or download) to your computer. No one has to reveal any personal information about themselves and the folder organizes itself.

HW 14: Ito Transitionrama

As an illustration for all the readers of this blog, about 125,00 people visit Joi Ito's blog each and every month. Hence the fact that his first blog appeared in 1994, many people have become interested. That is, this has become a meeting place for people in the blogging atmosphere to elaborate their views. By contrast Joi is "involved in helping to shape global public policy when it comes to web-related issues" (Page 143).
Accordingly, he starts most of his blog posts as questions and they then lead to a dialogue. Along the same lines he talks about merely anything that expands his knowledge. Admittedly, Joi named his blog Joi Ito's Web, because it is like saying that he owns that blog and has to maintain it so be respectful. Granted that people pay money for some of their creative blogs and they do not charge people to view them, by this point people are more interested in what one another has to say. To put it bluntly "the consumer is now becoming the product" (Page 145). Nonetheless, Ito has compared this to folk music he states"we are now in a period where we are in a very constrained, narrow, mass communication method-television, newspapers-where you can try to tune the whole world into a very narrow band" (page 145). Along the same lines he is trying to say that people are all trying to fit in and like the same kinds of things, but is that very possible? Conversely this allows people to find different communities and people with the same (true) desires as you.

HW 14: Ito/Denton Transitionrama

HW 13: Blogs will change your business

During my time reading "So What?Who Cares?: Saying Why it Matters" (Graff 88-97)and "Blogs will change your business" (Kline and Burstein 221-233), I observed very many interesting facts. While reading "So What?Who Cares?" my opinion came to knowledge that the impact that the impact of blogging on communication is phenomenal. In order for a person to read one's articles, or journalism they need to make the readers become interested and engaged with it. It is always important to answer the questions so what and who cares. By giving people this knowledge. it shows them that the writer is familiar with what they are talking about and it shows them that the are caring about it. There were many examples in the book that expressed different ways of going about documenting answering these questions. A format that was revealed on page 91 of They Say, I Say is "This interpretation challenges the work of those critics who have long assumed that .", this is a way to formally fulfill someone with the knowledge of who cares about this particular subject. In the chapter "Blogs Will Change Your Business", there are many comparisons of why blogging has an affect on communication. Stephen Baker and Heather Green mentioned about blogs on page 222 " You cannot afford to close your eyes from them, because they're simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself." This is stating that although some people may disagree with blogging, it doesn't matter they are not going to go away (well not anytime soon anyway). They have also exclaimed that they are going to affect each and everything, no matter what it is, so beware.

HW 11: Applying Graff, Chapter 6 to "Making Global Voices"

For this assignment I chose to view the blog Isaac Mao Continues to Blog , the website being http://isaacmao.com/meta/. While I spent time viewing the blog, I made some observations that the interview with MackKinnon had stated. He is a Chinese blogger that is very well known outside of China because his blogs are scripted both in English and Chinese. On his site, he mostly talks about controversies and issues that are going on in China. His last post was made on September seventh of this year, and he was talking about the World Economy Forum. As I was reading this I noticed that there was a lot of grammar mistakes and a lot of his wording was very weird. The presentation of the blog was very plain and boring. The background was a simple white along with the simplicity of black lettering. The only eye-catching thing about his site was the yellow heading, other than that it was not catchy to me.
Rebecca had mentioned some interesting things about Isaac's posts during her interview. She mentioned that the rules for blogging in China are very strict, if someone sets up an account on Mao's blog they must be careful of what they write. Their post may not be submitted due to word usage, considering that many people have gone to jail in China for disruptive displays on their blogs. Rebecca's perspective on this blog allowed me to agree with her. She had mentioned that Mao's site had been temporarily shut down for a little while, because he was documenting the Great Chinese Firewall and stated how he personally thought it worked. Apparently he had revealed to much correct information about the system (unknowingly) and was in trouble with the government. He allows people to view important information on his site and he needs to be careful about it. The way that this blog was portrayed in the book, to my understanding was correct. She had portrayed this blog to be important and that is the perspective I gathered from it.
Some people may disagree with my argument and it may look a little like this... Although all people do not think that Mao's blog is important , some of them may dispute my claim that a few things that he states may be valuable to some people.

HW9: Applying Graff to Huffington.

When reading "Three Ways to Respond" and "Punching Holes in Faded Mirrors" there were very many situations that I observed. Huffington stated some very important facts throughout her interview... She stated on page 344, " The site won't be left wing or right wing: indeed it will punch holes in that very stale way of looking at the world." She is stating that her site www.huffingtonpost.com will make a difference in society and make people comprehend reality. She explained the blogosphere in comparison to 9/11, stating that to make an affect on something one has to be pit bull natured and relentless. In order to make someone believe one another, a majority of people must claim the same statement to be in fact true. In comparison to the interview in chapter four of They Say, I Say states " There are many great ways to respond, but there are three most recognizable ways: agreeing, disagreeing, or some combination of both." It is listing the same kind of comparison that Huffington was stating. There are ways of being persuasive in the media, and people have to figure out a way of telling the reader to agree with what they are stating.

"My So-Called Blog"

After reading the chapter "My So Called Blog", it is important to allow middle school aged children to express themselves by writing on the internet without their parents monitoring them. By letting children express their feelings it helps them become more independent and allows them to mature on their own. It is most important as a teen to share your feelings and emotions with your close personell. During this time period in a person's life it is the most difficult. People are often undergoing very emotional and physical changes, being able to talk to friends openly is very important. It is good for children this age to widely spread and share their stories with anyone. It is a good opportunity for them to compare and contrast their feelings or experiences with someone else. There is also the question of why they wouldn't want their stories to be personal and secretive by having their private diary? Why do they want to share their stories and opinions with everyone else??? While reading this chapter it caught my eye where EmilyNussbaum says:

"Peer into an online journal, and you find the operatic

texture of teenage life with its fits of romantic misery,

quick-change moods and sardonic inside jokes. Gossip

spreads like poison. Diary writers compete for attenti-

on, then fret when they get it."(Kline and Burnstein 351)

This is a way for people to interact with one another and express their true inner-self. This gives them more self-confidence and allows them to feel more secure about themselves. It allows them to be more social and make more friends. It improves their independence level at a faster rate, say by allowing them to make plans with friends on their own. It is a very sufficient way to increase people's mental and technological skills. It prepares them for the real world, and that might be what parents are afraid of...

"I Blog,Therefore I Am"

During my time reading this chapter, there were very many interesting comments and concerns I came across. I disagreed with some and agreed with others. I did in fact agree with the understanding that you cannot always trust the media to deliver truthful facts to us. In the chapter it states that "old media" (including malls, newspapers, and books etc.) are coming to an end. I didn't particularly agree with this statement. I agree that it may not be as popular as it used to be, but the economy is changing. The "new media" offers new choices to people and they will take advantage of it. As it states on page 238 "Change, in other words, comes to the world on the world's terms, constrained by the limits of our political economy and human nature." It is trying to state that change happens when the time is necessary, people know when it is time for something new and advanced to take place. We will still use the old ways, but in different matters. If we never had the old ways of technology and media, the new ways would have never been able to come into play.

Interest Statement

When it comes to social computing there are three technological terms that come to my mind. Social networking services are very popular amongst the teen population, along with instant messaging and e-mail. This is a way to interact with anyone you know, especially if some of your friends or family live, or have moved far away. Whenever I am on the computer there are three sites that I visit very often. I am always checking my myspace page and facebook page whenever I am online, then I always find myself checking my e-mail.
Everyone should be treated equal, no matter who you are. That is why I am interested in three main categories of empowerment groups. The first group that I would like to research in depth would be overcoming sexism. Every person knows that there are certain things that females can do that males cannot, and vice versa for males with females. But beyond that, they should be look upon at the same level. Another category is overcoming racism. Basing a person on the color of their skin is not right, it shouldn't matter if someone was pink, purple, blue or polka-dots everyone has good qualities about themselves. Last but not least comes overcoming homophobia. It should not matter what one's preference is in liking someone of the same sex or opposite sex. Someone who is gay or a lesbian may think that it is weird for someone to like someone of the opposite sex, so it doesn't matter the person's preference in my opinion.
I would like to look furthur into this on countries such as th U.S and Europe.

Victoria's Secret

On this assignment I chose to look up Victoria's Secret. I decided to come up with a hypothesis, and make up my own promise before going onto the website and seeing the real results. The promise that I came up with is that "Buying products from Victoria's Secret will make you feel and look sexier." As I was researching to see whether or not my hypothesis was correct I found many other things that caught my eye. I observed a crowd of half naked woman in a make-up ad with a caption next to it stating "The sexiest women in the world wear very sexy make up." Very Sexy is the name brand of the make up, and the ad makes it out to be that if you buy that make up you will look just the same as they do. Many of the brands of their products also portray the background of looking just so; for a few examples the name of their haircare products is so sexy, the name of a perfume that is sold is sexy little things, glamour by victoria's secret is the name of a bra collection they have and there is many more products I could list that portray the same idea. In other words, my prediction of Victoria's Secret promise was beyond correct.

I have purchased many items from the store Victoria's Secret and I feel as if their promise does apply to me. Many of their items are very comfortable, durable, and sexy so I strongly agree. If you have ever walked into the store or searched for the website online, it implies without even having to look that their products are all about looking and feeling great.

If there are any questions about this blog look up http://www.victoriassecret.com/

HW 2: Toward A More Paticipatory Democracy

Throughout the time I spent reading this chapter many issues arose about whether the media is truthful and reliable. It is said that many bloggers have uncovered more stories that news stations, and newspapers. Political blogs are also referred to as collective organizers. The question is, are they trying to cover something up? There are some things that will not be broadcasted over the air or published in magazines, but blogging on the other hand doesn't like to lie to people. They have uncovered stories locally and globally such as the War in Iraq, they have posted on websites all of the soldiers caskets and have revaled astonishing facts that would have never been discovered elsewhere. People are now begginnig to trust blogging more than any other source. Statistics show that 31 million people view blogging websites in one month, versus 5.7 million online news viewers. The public is "thirsty" for real information and blogging is the way to go. Blogging is bringing us "back to the future" by filling in the blanks of political coverage. Political blogs have turned into more of a participatory sport rather than a spectator one. Blogs in politics are tools to help engage more diversity throughout the nation and world. Blogs now have more acces to high quality information, so their viewing rates are increasing. If there were no internet politicians could rarely have campaigns, because there would not be enough success. It is thought to be that political blogging is bringing an end to the "unchallenged" authority to the media, setting an agenda for politics.
When the mass media informs us with information, it may not be right but they are very successful in telling us what to think about. Bloggers provide people with information they may never have gathered elsewhere. Bloggers go above and beyond when covering stories. They are truthful and honest unlike some other sources. New criticism journalists are creating new voices, opinions, and issues in the political society.
This chapter infromed me with a lot of new important information about the political blogging world. There are a lot of issues that the world is oblivious to, due to unrevealed information over the news or in magazines. If there was not blogging, we may never know what is truely happening out there.

HW 1: Burnstein's 12 Keys

While reading Burnstein's 12 keys, I found many things interesting. He had very many interesting observations and points. I thought that key number 4 " Blogs will coexist with other media for a long time to come, and there will be continual interactions and cross-fertilization" was very interesting and caught my attention. I am looking into becoming a journalist, and if I can make a blogging site that may become largely viewed and catch people's attention than maybe one day my success can turn into something more. In this perspective I will have the ability to fill society with knowledge that may not be found anywhere else. By allowing others' to have this knowledge people may become more involved with the environment and may also be more aware of what is "really" happening in the world today. I will have the ability to coincide with other people about issues that may taking place not only locally, but globally as well. Another objective that I thought was important was key number 11 " Blogs will continue to be important in politics for a long time to come", because the media other than blogging has a tendency to forget to tell society issues about politicians. Blogging is a way that citizens can communicate with one another, and view information that is valid and proven to be correct. In politics blogs can certainly become very influential to people. Although it is said to be that blogs may become less important in the 2008 presidential campaign, I personally think that people may become more interested. The way that society is right now, no one knows whether or not anyone is telling the truth. News channels, magazines, newspapers and any other published company are more likely to be lying because the more viewers or buyers they have the more successful they are. They can easily change a story that has been studied, so they gain more profit. Whereas a blogger is less likely to perform an act like that, due to the fact they do not get payed for what they are posting. Either way, Burnstein has researched very interesting topics about blogging.