HW 30c: Blogging in Media and Journalism

The symposium on Friday (11/9), was about blogging. There were actually three speakers instead of four. The three speakers were Mike Caulfield, a Blue Hampshire Blogger, Jim Rousmaniere, a Keene Sentinel Executive, and Emile Netzhammer, a KSC academic and vice president. The first speaker talked about the change in mainstream media. He talked about the I-Phone and how “we can all be early adapters”. The media used now is more interactive and by sharing more information than usual. He also talked about our attitude in politics as well. Students today don’t think that politics is a way of changing the world. Mike talked about blogging in terms of journalists. He asked “are bloggers journalist?” He stated “Blogging is something you do, not who you are.” In blogging there is still skills and research involved. But, blogging is personal. Jim talked about the differences between blogging and journaling. Blogging has a disclosure, a room, with a special flavor in which the reader is use to. Whereas journaling is more public. It is opinion vs. fact. He liked how Mike posted a blog and he could actually picture the scene. Blogging takes a lot of digging of information and progressive steps.

HW 30b: The Use of Animation!

I went to the Thursday(11/8) citizenship symposium at 3:30. The title of this session was Animation: a message to citizens. The three speakers that spoke were Jiwon Ann, Sander Lee, Mark Timney. Jiwon Ann is a KSC instructor of film, Sander Lee is a KSC professor of philosophy, and Mark Timney is a KSC associate in journalism. The first presentation was about Anime Art and ways of seeing. She states in her presentation that “In any event, citizenship is no longer easily based on soil or blood”(Miller). She talked about fan culture and the art of communication in Japan. There were two female artists but I couldn’t understand her heavy accent. She talked about punk art and the differences between men and woman paintings. Here is a good quote I gathered at her presentation: “ Men act and woman appear”, “woman watch themselves being looked at..”(Berger). Another presenter based his presentation on a cartoon with Donald Duck and Hitler. The cartoon says “Hail Hitler”. Donald awakes from this dream and he sees a shadow of Hitler. But, it actually was the statue of Liberty. He was also dressed in Star Spangled Pj’s. It was a very powerful cartoon. He also had another cartoon about Bugs Bunny. There is the two theories of evils in both films. Mark Timney presented a slide show about South Park. He explained how the show is so popular because of the: controversy, vulgarity, attacks in religion, sexual content, and exploitation of sensitive issues. South Park racks in over 4 million total viewers. He explains how 55% has a moral lesson and we should all be active citizens.

HW 30: Citzenship at Keene

I went to the symposium at 5:00 in the mountain view room. This is Keene State College’s Fifth Biennial World Affairs Symposium. This year, they decided to do Citizenship. A symposium is a basically when someone comes in and speaks about that subject. It is free and open to the public. Anyone can go and listen. There is a list of subject also. I went to one about high school and college students being involved in community service and politics. The title of this speech was youth and civic education. The speaker was a cooperate communication teacher at University of Rhode Island. Her name was Val Endress. She basically had two main points. The first thing that she talked about was how much involvement students get in community service. She said that “One out of four schools require volunteer work.” She posed problems why students don’t get involved as much as they would like. One of the reasons were that college students focus on school so there is not much time to volunteer. Whereas some people actually use volunteer work for a resume builder. The other main point she mentioned was how little high school and college students know about politics. I was really surprised when she said that “2/3rds of students play an active role of getting involved.” Overall I liked the subject because it related to me. It was interesting to watch.

HW 28: Riverbend...You inspire me!

Dear, Riverbend. Wow. I am speechless. For so many years, the US has hid us Americans away from what is going on. The media has defiantly portrayed different meanings to us. It really is hard for me to put my feelings into words. Let me start off by saying how brave and noble you are. I believe that everyone in the US should your blogs or this book. Today after reading your book from August 2003, I put up an away message. An away message is something from AIM which is a computer networking service. This is what my away message said…“I highly suggest that people read "Baghdad Burning" by: Riverbend. It is a girl blog from Iraq and It realllly makes me think..and since everyone lives in this country and cares about our future as Americans and other futures in the world, then YOU too should read it.” I didn’t just put this away message up because I HAVE to write a post for my class. I really want people to KNOW what is going on! Most Americans here are going on with their daily routines and thinking nothing of it. This really makes me angry. Some people might not agree with me, but I want this war to end more and more each day. I thought that after we found out that their were no WOMD (weapons of mass destruction), we should get out. We have no business in Iraq. I think that Bush is stupid. I think that he is trying to portray America as the super hero trying to “save the Iraqis“. I believe that is ridiculous. The Bush Administration needs to get off their high horse. Why is it that you have to be jobless or wear something that you don’t want to wear? Why is it that you have to go to bed fully dressed because you don’t know when there will be an attack? It sickens me to think that us as citizens are powerless. Or at least that is how I feel. I feel as though we were put under a trance. Hidden from reality. And yes, the news here should show the Iraqis terror and not only our troops. I wish I could write so much more. I am revolted. Let me tell you, Riverbend, that you are not alone in your feelings. We, here, feel you too.

HW 27: What Makes Riverbend Bend?

This is the bibliography for Baghdad Burning: Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. The University of New York, NY: The Feminist P, 2005. 1-286. I believe that this book is similar to the class A Blog of Ones Own because it serves to focus on woman and the struggles they face. In class, we talked about Virginia Woolf and her book A Room of Owns One which also focuses on woman beliefs and woman rights. Woman, especially Iraqi woman, are the focus in Riverbend’s blog Baghdad Burning. This blog, which was later published into a book, is all about capturing the events of a young woman who faces challenges and obstacles in her everyday life as an Iraqi. Riverbend purposely writes this blog to 1. Experience her life in the war and to speak out about the reality of what is going on and 2. To show people that she DOES know English and that she IS educated. Some people are actually skeptical when reading the blog or the book because they think that she might not be Iraqi. Riverbend essentially laughs at these assumptions because they are being stereotypical. They think that Iraqi people don’t own computers or Televisions. For the most part, readers get connected to what she is saying when they are reading her blog. If Riverbend doesn’t respond or post any recent blogs, readers become nervous. I know people say: “No news is good news” but that is not the case. We, at home, are wondering is she and her family made it through the bomb or gun fires in which she speaks about. Riverbend explains in dept her everyday life in the mist of the war so well, that people become concerned whether or not she is still alive.

HW 25: Riverbend Den

In the foreword of “Baghdad Burning”, we are introduced in the introduction to a young woman of 24 named Riverbend. This is not her real name. Riverbend is just a stage name because she blogs anonymously. If her name was to get out, there would be controversy because she talks a lot about the US and other notorious subjects. We learn in the forward that Riverbend has a brother named E. She also lives with her mother. When people talk about Anti-American Riverbend gets frustrated because she watches American movies and listens to Brittney Spears the same way we do. Also, Riverbend states “Why does America identify itself with its military and government” (Soueif viii). Which is a very complicated question for any American. Soueif also argues with the reader that Riverbend is well educated and speaks good English. He stresses that she didn’t have to write these blogs. In the introduction, the author Ridgeway talks about Riverbend’s life. He explains how Riverbend and her brother would sit on the rooftop and listen to the tanks and gunshots. That is very scary. He basically explains the background and history of the war. The Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the 2003 war were the couple of wars that he mentioned. He also just wanted to prepare the reader for some of the horrific events that Riverbend will experience and he wants us to know that we will experience these events like she did because they become real.

HW 24: My Room-Woman

I do have a room of my own. Even though I live in my dorm, that is not the place that I like to think and collect my feelings. My room at home is actually the place I like to think for the most part. Even though I don’t have access all the time, when I am home, I take full advantage. I took a Woman History class in high school and this quote was actually stated in that class and I remember it. “One could not go to the map and say Columbus discovered America and Columbus was a woman; or take an apple and remark, Newton discovered the laws of gravitation and Newton was a woman; or look into the sky and say airplanes aeroplanes are flying overhead and aeroplanes were invented by woman.” (Woolf 85). This actually brings me to a life experience because I somehow thought that woman are going to take over the world. Even with Hilary Clinton taking a chance. But, I found out that maybe that will still never happen even though it has gotten better, I don’t think that it will never happen. People are shutting her down. “It is fatal to be a man or woman pure and simple; one must be woman-manly or man-womanly. (Woolf 104). I love this quote because it is so true! There can never be a just a man or just a woman. We are all combined and like each other. There is no possible way that someone can be like that because this is how god created us. Then why is woman so degrading even to this day?