November 2003 Archives
(this hilarious graphic of what attacked the server over Thanksgiving provided by the Blogs in Education website... I'd post a thumbnail, but I don't like cribbing)
Tis the season for Xmas shopping and final's cramming. Best wishes to all of you.
I am posting this blog early in late November because I want to get everyone into the Christmas spirit.
Christmas is heading right around the corner. The shopping centers are packed and the money that we have been saving on the side comes to use when we go out and spend hundreds of dollars on presents....
I don't know how many of you are interested in the controversy surrounding the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of Christ", but ever since I heard about the film at the Holocaust converence I have been on the look out for new developments and found one when I signed on this morning. If you are interested in what I found out you can come to my blog or you can check out the article yourself. Either way I would appriciate some feed back on how you all feel about the film.
Tiffany
Students in my "Writing for the Internet" class were asked to create an "About Me" page for their blogs. Here's a recycled article from a couple years ago, spoofing the "vanity homepage" concept (which predated the blog craze).
The Onion | Barryploegel.com Will Never Be Accused Of Having Too Little Information About Barry PloegelWhat I really like about this is that there really is a www.barryploegel.com website.Well, it's been a long, grueling weekend of HTML coding, but at long last, www.barryploegel.com is finally ready for its auspicious launch. In a scant matter of hours, Barry Ploegel will no longer be solely a carbon-based, off-line property. That's right: Barry Ploegel is poised to take the leap into cyberspace!
If a person is loud and obnoxious most times that person can automatically be labeled as acting "Black" or having black tendencies. If a person is respectful and sucessful then in some instances that person can be labeled as "White" or to have white tendencies. This is assumption that the world has made quite familiar in their minds.
Because racism is still a big issue these days, when reffering to the race of a person it is important to be politically correct. In being politically incorrect it is quite easy to offend someone. About fifty or sixty years ago people threw the terms "Black" and "White" around as freely as they chose. Nowadays when refferring to someone's race we say these words with hesitation in our voices. But in contrast, when reffering to the attitude of an individual the terms "Black" and "White" are used as loosley as the words "homey" and "dude".
In a world made up of a multitude of colors, the colors black and white are more prevelant and noticeable. Because of this, social perception is a big issue adding to the turmiol that makes our world so confused. It has come to be that if one acts in a certain manner then a color, not a characteristic, labels that person.
Now, the problem with that is the way in which people are percieved. It is the shame of stereotypes that gets the best of us in that situation. Thanks in large part to the media stereotypes have become sometimes extremely inaccurate nameplates that cause people to pass judgement solely on appearances and actions.
In the world of stereotypes African Americans or blacks are known for being lazy, violent and having improper English. To sum it up in one word: "ghetto". For causcasians or whites they are known for extensive intellectual, thriving sucesses and high class living. Because of these stereotypes it is abnormal for either a black or white person to do other than what is stereotypically expected of them.
As hard as it is to admit, it is a fact that the words "black" and "white have changed thier parts of speech from nouns to adjectives in that they are no longer colors but attitudes that describe people. The reality of this whole situation is that sucess, poverty and actions for that matter should not have color barriers. People should learn not to judge and assume because in doing so one could automatically become a stereotypical racial classifier instead of a person taking a closer look.
Dean Gawelek has asked me to draft a policy for academic blogging at Seton Hill. What do you think? I know some of you already practice your own censorship because you know I and perhaps yoru family members read your blog entries, but should certain topics be off-limits? Should your classmates be free to tell ethnic or sexist jokes? Post lies about you? Post something that is true but that you don't want people to know? I posted the following to an academic weblog:
Examples/Discussion on Academic Blogging Policies? | KairosnewsIs it possible to write a policy for academic blogging that respects a university's mission but doesn't amount to censorship? The vice-president for academic affairs asked me to draft a policy for student bloggers. Since we are a Catholic institution, the administrator's off-the-top-of-her-head suggestions included suggestions like "no foul language" and "no links to porn". Since it's possible that an anonymous commenter (or spammer) might leave offensive content on a site, or the contents of a page linked to by a blogger might change, and since a student might actually want to research the usage of a curse word or do a feminist study of pornography, I don't think a list of "thou shalt nots" is going to help. (We've already had one of those lists for thousands of years, and so far it hasn't solved all of our proglems.)
I saw an advertisement for a new type of soda today. Or mabye i should call it "Pop" so i don't get yelled at for being from New York. Lets try this again: I saw an advertisement for a new type of carbonated beverage today. Better? Lets hope so, as this beverage is one you're all going to want to try...not only that, but all proceeds from its purchase go directly to Toys for Tots...what could be better, right? I'll tell you what's better....Turkey and Gravy flavored soda. It's Thanksgiving dinner in a handy, prepackaged, carbonated drink, and you don't even have to feel bad about killing the turkey. What started out as a joke drink to make people gag seems to actually have caught on (as disturbing as that may be), at Jones Soda Co. Wan't to purchase some? The only way to get it is online, and they're going fast....
Of course, the best way to follow up a good drink is to get all your sins absolved quickly and easily at God's WWW Absolution Service.
Silly Internet.
The copier is down, so here's the copy-editing handout I was going to distribute today. It's a two-page handout that I want you to use as a guide as you write your next paper. If you're a perfectionist, you're also welcome to use these guidelines to edit the online version of your midterm article. Download file
Because it took a little longer than I planned to submit and format all the articles to the mock newspaper, I didn't distribute the readings that were supposed to be the topic of Friday's discussion.
I'll distribute them in class on Friday (tomorrow), and a response paper will be due on Dec 1. We'll drop the readings that were originally scheduled to be discussed Dec 1.
I have updated the online syllabus to reflect these changes.
Before you all jump down my throat too, I would like to mention that this event is for Toys for Tots.
Root Beer Pong Tournament
$50 Cash Prize
8:30 p.m. Tonight in Sullivan
$2 at the door
All money collected will go toward Toys for Tots. This event is sponsored by Hands of Hope. And while you are home for Thanksgiving Vacation, bring back a Toy to put under the Christmas Tree in the Dining Hall at Christmas on the Hill.
Please stop by my blog and post on 2 topics:
R--- Beer Pong and Touchdown Griffins
Mock Online Newspaper for Seton Hill University's "Practice of Journalism" course.
Tomorrow, Thursday November 20, 2003 There will be a English Club Sign-up in Second Solarium Maura from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. During thoses hours I can answer any questions or give more information about the club and its future.
Thanks to those who have signed up! Keep spreading the word!
Hey all! I just wanted to let you know, since I've been so stressed out lately, that I've done a little bit of research on Stress Busters, so check out my Blog and take the Stress Test!
You all remember the DC sniper shootings, well just in the past week they had the trial for the two convicted suspects in the case. John Muhammad, and John Lee Malvo. They had the trial and they were both found guilty in all counts of all the killings. What I want to know is what possibly drove these two indiduals to do such an injustice. All I have to say is that I hope the youth of the future dose not turn out to be like Malvo or we are in trouble.
The second floor Brownlee bathroom stalls are colorfully decorated with posters and advertisements, but one stall in particular has become my favorite.....
You all remember the DC sniper shootings, well just in the past week they had the trial for the two convicted suspects in the case. John Muhammad, and John Lee Malvo. They had the trial and they were both found guilty in all counts of all the killings. What I want to know is what possibly drove these two indiduals to do such an injustice. All I have to say is that I hope the youth of the future dose not turn out to be like Malvo or we are in trouble.
We had an English Club at my high school, of which I was a part for about two months. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, there were a few english teachers who decided to use it as a punishment and make it mandatory for anyone with a C average or below to attend the meetings and read the books. It was one of the most depressing things I've ever seen. Therefore, in the hopes that this club will be somewhat less of a purgatory. and more of an enlightened discussion, I've decided togive it a second chance. I need something that will make the words "English Club" less painful, and this seems like it might be just the thing to do it. There was a guy in my class who wrote a paper titled "Great Inventions." Except he spelled it "Grate." Seriously.
Newsday.com - Media Clash at Schwarzenegger Conference
Capitol news conferences are typically sparsely attended and held in a small and somewhat shabby Capitol showroom, where print media veterans dominate the first three rows and a handful of broadcast crews sit in back.
Tuesday's news conference reflected the atmosphere of a televised town hall meeting, where press aides rushed to questioners with microphones and the podium stood between rows of California and American flags.
Hi Everyone!
Here are the times when you can volunteer, but remember these are the last Setonian volunteer hours this semester!
Thursday 11-20
8am-10am
Friday 11-21
8am-11am
12pm-1pm
2pm-5pm
6pm-11pm
Sunday 11-23
6pm-11pm
Monday 12-1
10am-11am
The Onion | Media Criticized For Biased Hometown Sports Reporting
"In our extensive study of the nation's sports sections and broadcasts, we documented countless examples of shamelessly one-sided reporting, obvious speculation, and bald editorializing masquerading as journalism," FAIR spokesman Scott Wilborough said. "Coverage was heavily, sometimes brazenly, weighted toward the teams from a media source's own area. To look at the data, you would almost think that sports journalists aren't held to the same standards as other reporters."
Calling All English Majors!!!
Join the English Club!!!!!!
I am trying to bring forth the English Club. If you are interested please call Tiffany Graham at extension 3520 or email chantel3520@yahoo.com
If I have enough people to sign-up the English club activities will include a monthly book club, library readings, Barnes& Nobles trips and more. I have a lot planned and hopefully the Club will start next semester! Since I am a senior I am encouraging other English majors to continue the club after I am gone. It is open to all majors and members look for the flyers around campus. Here are your opportunity juniors, sophomores, and freshmen to be apart of an excellent club.
OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today
Breaking News From Nine Months Ago
"President Bush sketched an expansive vision last night of what he expects to accomplish by a war in Iraq. Instead of focusing on eliminating weapons of mass destruction, or reducing the threat of terror to the United States, Mr. Bush talked about establishing a 'free and peaceful Iraq' that would serve as a 'dramatic and inspiring example' to the entire Arab and Muslim world, provide a stabilizing influence in the Middle East and even help end the Arab-Israeli conflict."--editorial, New York Times, Feb. 27
"The White House recently began shifting its case for the Iraq war from the
embarrassing unconventional weapons issue to the lofty vision of creating an
exemplary democracy in Iraq."--editorial, New York Times, Nov. 13
Go ahead, stab someone right now and I bet you wont get any reprecussions for your actions. America is suppose to be a country in which people are justified for thier actions, especially when those actions are deadly.
In Galveston Texas on Tuesday a 60 old millionaire was found not guilty in the murder of his 71 year old neighbor. Although the alleged suspect convinced jurors that he shot his neighbor in self defense, he also managed to brainwash then into believing that he chopped the corpse into small peices and dumped his body into the Galveston Bay because he was "Scared". Bullshit! Ok seriously, in a state of panic would you add more salt to your wound by further mulalating the body and then throwing it in the ocean.
Ok. Ok. fine, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He was scared. I'll buy that. But, this testimony came from a man who is a suspect in 2 other cases prior to this one. He is a suspect in being apart of the disappearance of his wife some years ago as well as an incident that invovled a severe accident with his wife's best friend. On top of all of that he was arrested six weeks after he posted bond for stealing a sandwich in Pennsylvania, although he had hundreds of dollars in his pocket. This man is a nutcase! He doesnt need to be freed. He needs some proffessional help. He needs to put his millions of dollars to good usage on himself.
Oh, and to further support my claims of him being a nutcase, this psycho has the nerve to admit to want to be the man that he killed. He claimed that he wanted to be Morris Black (the victim) to escape the eye of some people who were curious about the his invovlment with the disappearance of his first wife. He also admitted to walking along the Galveston smoking marijuana while being dressed as a woman! This fool is ill!
If I was on the jury. I would have let him go on terms of insanity but I would have still found a way to send his demented behind to the nut house.
So you see, its perfectly fine to kill in America! Or a least that is the message that is being protrayed here. This doesnt make me feel safe at all and Im sure many others feel that way. And if I was ever to see Robert Durst walking down the street...................
Did everyone see the new Setonian? On the stands today!
Writing for the Setonian. Actually taking part in production. It gives me chills seeing the work in print. WOOHOO.
And sharing the pride with Setonian staff makes me all fuzzy inside (awwwww).
Thank you everyone from POJ that helped in production. I hope we can get together for the next edition, and many after that.
Just remember: We, as students, make the paper. Let's make it good.
Commence Skimming: Start reading. Now. Or. Whatever. (via Jerz's Literacy Weblog)
I suppose you could say that the subhead trend bothers me because I'm a
writer and I try desperately to perfect antiquated stuff.
Transitions and Flow
Like transitions and flow, and because I think writing, like most everything
else good in life, revolves around flow and rhythm. But the truth is, subheads
bug me even more as a reader. Some of the best editors I've ever had have
justified subheads to me, explaining that they are necessary "eye candy" and
"reader guides" imperative to "reader friendliness."
I'm with Stupid
All I know is that whenever I read a column or story that's been broken up by
subheads, especially a syndicated story that appeared somewhere else first
without any subheads, my inner reader feels violated.--Jim
Walsh
Jaimie Steel sent out this e-mail:
Hello Again! Thank you to those of you who were able to announce in your classes the Commuter Dinner and Round Table Discussion that was held last night. The program was a success and provided me with several ways in which our office can better meet the need of our commuter population. I am now asking for your assistence in communicating a suggestion that was given at that meeting. Effective immediatly, I will be emailing students who wish to participate a list of the lastest and greateat events being sponsored through the Office of Activities and Commuter Life. To recieve the weekly email students need only to email me at steel@setonhill.edu with the subject heading COMMUTER DISTRUBUTION LIST.
Update: Jaimie just e-mailed me again: "resident students can receive the same email information by sending me an email at steel@setonhill.edu with ACTIVITIES DISTRIBUTION LIST in the subject."
Blogger responded to the Onion article on their website, giving hints on what to do when your mom finds your blog. Pretty handy indeed...
I have to admit when Dr. Jerz first told us about the lecture or the alternative assignment I was really turning toward doing the alternate. I am so glad that I decided to go instead. It was well worth the time. I did a little more than just go to the lecture check out my blog.
One thing I did not know of this author, he wrote the biography of Bill Clinton.
The Onion | Mom Finds Out About Blog
In a turn of events the 30-year-old characterized as "horrifying," Kevin Widmar announced Tuesday that his mother Lillian has discovered his weblog.
My poor sister and aunt has to hear this...Merriam-Webster just defined their current vocations as "a low paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement"--a McJob.
The definition is really offensive to people who have worked at McDonald's beyond adolescence; I've found many make decent wages, have moved up in the fast food heirarchy, and have great benefits from the company.
Bias looks like it is sneaking into the dictionary.
When coined phrases, such as "McJob", are included many people have different opinions on what that definition is. I think the Merriam-Webster company should rethink its stance before the America begins to call their employees "WebsterGeeks" or "Girly-Merriam-Definition-Dorks".
Lots of people work for McDonald's. There is power in french-fry-making numbers. And coining words is one of the most common practices around.
I am cancelling Friday's "Practice in Journalism" class and delaying until Monday the due date for the midterm reporting project. In return, I ask that all students attend the Thursday evening lecture, and blog their response.
(If you can't attend the talk on Thursday, the alternate assignment is to choose a breaking news story, and blog about it three times in 48 hours.) (See the updated online syllabus for more details.)
Here is the lecture info:
David Maraniss Lecture, 7:30 p.m., Seton Hill University, Cecilian
Hall
Mr. Maraniss is an associate editor at The Washington Post and the
author of two critically acclaimed and best selling books, When Pride Still
Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi and First in His Class: A Biography of
Bill Clinton. He is also the author of The Clinton Enigma and
co-author of The Prince of Tennessee: Al Gore Meets His Fate and Tell
Newt to Shut Up. His most recent book They Marched Into Sunlight is a
brilliant narrative focusing on a battle in Vietnam and a protest in the United
States that took place simultaneously over 2 days in October 1967. Intoduction
will be made by Congressman John Murtha.
holy cow, it's been two days and NO ONE has posted anything on the NMJ site... I'm getting concerned. Is everyone rerouting to personal blogs, again?? *tsk tsk*
Anyway, Happy Veterans Day, everyone. Love a vet! Thank 'em for their dedication and patriotism. And remember those that fought and died.
Note that the reporter does not simply repeat the schedule or summarize what some of the speakers are saying -- this reporter takes the opportunity to use this local event to talk about a much broader issue -- the international respose to Mel Gibson's new film on the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus.(See also the Trib's coverage of men's basketball.)
PittsburghLIVE.com - 'Passion' discussedThe Catholic scholars meeting this weekend at Seton Hill University have grand plans. They want to improve the way the Holocaust is taught, taking classes beyond a simple screening of "Schindler's List."
If you've seen the movie, you might enjoy reading Lileks fisk (that is, brutally rebutt) Harry Knowles' review of "The Matrix Redundant" (or whatever it's really called)
Mr. Knowles is often held up as an example of New Media, one of those outsiders who've wrested the mike from the old tired media. Usually I support that sort of thing, but if ever there was an argument for restricting the role of Critic to the white-gloved aesthetes, the Lucius Beebes, the Jay Shermans, the guys who, y'know, have done it, with a laidy, nudge nudge, it's Harry Knowles. His review of Matrix 3 proves that if you can't say something coherent, just say it in purple-tinted boldface 20-point Arial
Hi Everyone,
If you could not make to the Setonian office during the times I posted earlier, then here are some other times when you can volunteer.
Sunday 11/9
6pm-10pm
Monday 11/10
8am-11am
Friday 11/14
10am-11am
Here is a transcript of a local TV station's coverage of oil-change service centers cheating customers. It appears to have been rather hastily transcribed for the web...
NBC 4 - Automotive - Oil Change OutrageThere's one thing most car owners do every few months -- change their oil. In fact, several well-known chains specialize in doing quick and easy oil changes. But is that all their doing?
Is that all their doing? A little later, the reporters "had our car doubled checked." Everyone makes mistakes, and the typos wouldn't have been noticed by the TV viewers. And I do like the fact that you can download a tip card to help you keep from getting tricked. But, like most TV stories, the meat here comes at the end -- which chains were the most fair, and which were the least fair? If you want to avoid being tricked, what should you do? This transcribed TV story does not make a good web page. Note that some of the speakers are simply identified as "Lube Customer." A print journalist wouldn't be able to get away with quoting so many unnamed sources. But it takes hard work converting a TV story into a format that takes full advantage of the strengths of a web site.
Here is an article by film critic Roger Ebert, whose experience is similar to the one Torill Mortensen described in "Practice of Journalism" the other day.
ELEPHANT / **** (R)The day after Columbine, I was interviewed for the Tom Brokaw news program. The reporter had been assigned a theory and was seeking sound bites to support it. "Wouldn't you say," she asked, "that killings like this are influenced by violent movies?" No, I said, I wouldn't say that. "But what about 'Basketball Diaries'?" she asked. "Doesn't that have a scene of a boy walking into a school with a machine gun?" The obscure 1995 Leonardo Di Caprio movie did indeed have a brief fantasy scene of that nature, I said, but the movie failed at the box office (it grossed only $2.5 million), and it's unlikely the Columbine killers saw it.
The reporter looked disappointed, so I offered her my theory. "Events like this," I said, "if they are influenced by anything, are influenced by news programs like your own. When an unbalanced kid walks into a school and starts shooting, it becomes a major media event. Cable news drops ordinary programming and goes around the clock with it. The story is assigned a logo and a theme song; these two kids were packaged as the Trench Coat Mafia. The message is clear to other disturbed kids around the country: If I shoot up my school, I can be famous.
You've all seen the posters around school for the so called "feminist collective" meetings, so in the name of equality, I've decided to start the Male Chauvinist Collective, or MCC. I know I'm tired of being unfairly labeled by women as "dude," or "buster," and I say it's high time something was done about it. If being called a "chick" or a "babe" is so derogatory toward women, It stands to reason that being called a "hunk" could severely hurt any mans chances at future employment. If women can bitch about it, so can men...It's about damn time we had some equality.
Meeting Dates TBA.
SHU students, you are the last generation of people who will be able to speak to a Holocaust survivor. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity, and I encourage you to blog your responses. Karissa did an excellent job responding to Dr. Mortensen's visit -- her post is an excellent model of a thoughtful, weighty blog entry. And thanks to Jen, who noted that the Trib's article on the holocaust conference called SHU a college.
PittsburghLIVE.com - Education conference to explore Holocaust
I'd like to thank Dr. Torill Mortensen for the two lectures -- one on games and media panics, and the other on hypertext theory and blogging -- that she prestented Wednesday at Seton Hill Univeristy. If you'd like to add your own thoughts, I encourage you to visit either of the above links (which will take you to my blog). Dr. Mortensen has blogged her own thoughts about her visit to Seton Hill -- I hope she got to Baltimore safely, where she will be hosted by Stuart Moulthrop.
I think they went a little over board with this one. Sure it may be a little funny but it doesn't even look like it could be true!
If I were a student and cared a lot about popular music, I'd think this was cool. From the college's perspective, it's a great recruiting tool. But if I can sidestep for the moment the Napster generation's firm belief in the its God-given right to free music, I have to wonder... what is the next illegal activity that colleges will pay to permit their students to do, simply because policing that activity takes too much time and energy?
I presume the college felt it was cheaper, in the long run, to buy free music for the students than to police and prosecute the actions of students who would otherwise download music illegally.
Wired News: Penn State, Napster Ink Pact
As college students sucked up bandwidth using free peer-to-peer services, the entertainment industry stepped up efforts to stop alleged piracy on campuses by mailing notices of copyright infringement to colleges across the country. School administrators were then stuck tracking down alleged violators.
Jaimie Steele e-mailed me the following:
On Monday, November 10th I am hosting a Commuter Dinner and Round Table Discussion in the Greensburg Room at 5:30 PM. This event is meant to be an opportunity to meet with commuters and discuss the services offered to them at Seton Hill My hope is to make sure that they are aware of the current services provided as well as discuss needs of theirs that are not currently being met. Would you be so kind as to mention this event to your classes? RSVPs can be made to me by stopping into the office ( Maura 223), calling me at 830 1076 or via email at steel@setonhill.edu
Anyone who went to midnight madness could you let me know how it went? I was there for a little bit, but I'm so sad/upset/who knows what else over my now ex-boyfriend again that I didn't stay very long. I would appriciate it if someone would let me know.
Tiff
Hi everyone who has to volunteer four hours on the Setonian this semester,
The Setonian need volunteers to help with layout, page construction, and proofreading…not to mention the fact that this is a time when you can do your homework for Dr. Jerz's introductory journalism class!
Here are time times and dates when you can volunteer!
Thursday 11/6
9-10am
Friday 11/7
8-11am, 3-5pm, and 6-10pm
Just go to the Setonian office on third Maura at the top of the stairs. Uh...not the stairs near the elevator, the other stairs:)
Does everyone remember the global warming reference in IANS (It Ain't Necessarily So? and in the presentations)
Good for Paige and CNN for making the point that this trend cannot be totally attributed to one source.
So will polar bears go the way of the woolly mammoth? I don't think so. Not as long as zoos keep carting them back to cages, and women keep dying their hair bleached blond.
Sorry that was very depressing and cutting, but when women dye their hair so much that they it becomes translucent, I cannot help making the connection. And as for zoos, maybe they are conserving, but I don't think the polar bear pond at the Pittsburgh Zoo is enough for the poor dears to puddle around in. They don't even get a block of ice!!
Dr. Jerz wants us to write more on the NMJ blog, so people have things to comment, on so here goes..........but i never promised it would be at all relevant to journalism......
Check this out: The End of the World What do you think?
Its a cartoon you don't have to read anything ; )
Today in Connections we had to go and listen to these speakers talk to us about sex and std's. When I first heard about the presentation last week I was not at all looking forward to it. All I could think of were the stupid little presentations from high school and how they said use condom for safe sex. Well today changed all of my views.
I got this in an email. Fascinating how complicated simple directions can be sometimes, especially when there's a deeply rooted psychological meaning in them.
I am so sick and tired of Bush! He has to go! I can't take it anymore! The economy is falling apart! Gas, water, light, and god knows what else is higher than before. I'm scared. Tuitions are going up everywhere and scolarships are going down. Bush is a racist and a bastard and all he does is take from the poor and give to the rich. Now he's trying to take medicare away from the sick. It's f****** ridiculous. I just recently read an article by Robert Pear of the NY Times that said that the White House aka Bush and the rest of his rich idiots are trying to cut medicare and succeeding. They are cutting back the genreal use of tax revenue for medicare too. If the taxes are not paying for those in need to get the medication that is either keeping them alive or preventing them from going crazy; than what the f***is the taxes paying for. Let me guess the oh so important and necessary war so that we can save other people in a country that is not even ours and is causing the unnecessary deaths of so many young Americans. Sorry I forgot Bush is right everything he does is good for this nation. Get the hell out of here! That's a bunch of bulls***!!! He is a joke and he has to go. Since he suspiciously and unfairly got into office, myself and my family have done nothing but struggle. He doesn't care about anything but trying to win a war that should not have even happened. And now thousands and thousands of Americans are going to die because they can't afford drugs and treatment that will save their damn lives. My mother has lupus and she cannot work because of a disease that cannot be cured. So he's telling me its her fault she has a genetic disease that prevents her from being able to walk or move on many occassions and Bush is trying to stop her from getting help. My mother will die if she doesn't take a certain pill at a certain time. And he wants to take that pill away because he f***** up!!!!!!! I don't know what many of you think, but if you feel that this is acceptable than don't even think about making a post to comment because your existence is irrelevant, let alone your opinion, so don't worry about it. But for those of you who care and have family members that our suffering because of Bush. I ask only one favor from you. VOTE!!!!! Your vote counts! Get him the hell OUT!! VOTE! Please!!! I know candidates are few and can't be trusted but please look closely and choose someone else before more people have to suffer. I'm sorry this wasn't a journalistic post, but if it means anything Robert Pear did a thorough job with the article.
"Are blogs journalism? .... I wish this debate would end becuase it obscures a more important issue: What is journalism and how does it serve its audience?"
-- David Akin responds to Jay Rosen's essay, "What's Radical About the Weblog Form in Journalism?". I don't think this debate "should end" at all...in fact, that's why I'm raising it again, even though you guys in Dr. Jerz' classes have probably already discussed it. Are blogs GOOD journalism? Can amateur writers cover the news well? It's true that big media has biases, but what incentive do people have to blog outside of their own vested interests? Isn't this more of the same bias, only privatized? Or does the blog return the "journal" to "journalism"? I keep musing over this.
There's also the counterarguing essay, "Ten Things Conservative About the Weblog in Journalism" (Dr. Jerz linked to these things on his blog long ago)
How to Become an E-Mail Extrovert (via Jerz's Literacy Weblog)How to Become an E-Mail Extrovert (BBC)
Software which enables e-mail writers to choose the image they want to portray is being developed by a team of Scottish researchers.
Hi!!!! This new software sounds cool! ;) Its supposed to make your writing more cheerful and outgoing!! The article is a bit vauge -- maybe the designers have a little secret to keep (hehehe). I thinka Scottish extrovert is probably somebody who smiles at you before lopping your head off with a Claymore! Hahahaha j/k. Anyway, informal language with lots of exclamation points (!!!) and the word "hi" instead of "hello" helps your writing project an outgoing, upbeat personality!! Wow!!!
So, guys... here's my new, emotionally upbeat and extroverted writing style!! I even threw in a few typos to. Whadaya think!? Huh? Huh????
Now, everything you write will read like just the most annoying spam you've ever gotten!! Woo hoo! ;)
Take care! :-* --DGJ
Thanks to my "broken" old blog, Dr. Jerz has kindly given me another in replacement. So if you actually wasted time reading it, the new link is: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/EdLohr2
It has come to my attention that some of you are painfully unaware of the earthworm situation.
Basically, they're bad for the environment (sometimes). On top of that, they aren't even native to our area...they traveled over from Europe and Asia. A bevy of news people have been all over this, and I corresponded with an invasive plant ecologist from UMass who keeps a weblog. She linked to my stellar reporting. ;)
Sure, you may believe a certain professor who claims that I am "creating" a news issue and not simply "reporting" on it, but this earthworm thing is for real.
I must aplogize for not reading word like I should have. I do like the book but I find it hard to read when blogging is calling me.
I think Mother Nature has a severe case of schitzophrenia.
It's November 3rd and I'm wearing sandals. Dr. Jerz remarked in class this morning that a grand majority of us appeared to be prepared for spring. ("What month is it, anyway?" one of my friends remarked just this past weekend.) Just about ten or twelve days ago, there were flurries. What's going on here?!
I have lived in Pennsylvania all of my eighteen years, and I don't recall ever seeing weather like this. We had a spring that started in June, thanks to delayed snowfall... a summer that really only lasted for three weeks, and that was in late July and August... and autumn has just become uncharacteristically unpredictable.
I'm not exactly complaining, but I wouldn't mind a bit of predictability, if you know what I mean. I like not having to put on the weather in the morning because I know what it's going to be like--hot, cold, or in the middle. Only now there is no common factor from day-to-day that helps me know how to dress... it's a little irritating, but I'm still not complaining :)
Does having too much money eliminate the cares in the world? Well in the Entertainer, Mogul, and Entrepreneur Sean "P-Diddy Combs case he is accused of having sweat shops in Honduras for Sean John the entrepreneurs clothing line.
Thanks be to Paige for his coverage of this potential libel suit on the Internet.
I have been wondering how the Internet writings may be construed as libel. Though I am still not quite sure, I think that on the Internet, since identity cannot be pinned down in most cases, libel would be hard to prove because the burden of proof is defense's responsibility.
In EL 227, we are studying Media Law and this was the perfect topic. Check out Paige's blog on this subject, and check back here. I want to hear all about it.
A Picture is Worth... (via Jerz's Literacy Weblog)
We have been talking about media law and media ethics in "Practice of Journalism".
Here are some samples of a document that explains a Norwegian news organization's code of ethics. Note that a network has to attract an audience, so this document explains the role of the "provacetur," (a person with strong opinions who will provoke a response from the audience) and permits the use of hidden cameras as long as the people involved get the opportunity to see how the organizatio nplans to use the footage (and, one presumes, consents).
If any of you have participated in psychology experiments, you probably had to sign a consent form. Why do universities have to uphold a higher standard, in terms of participant privacy, than a broadcast organization? Food for thought.
NRK shall encourage the expression of strong opinions in Norwegian society. It is therefore important that NRK has a provocateurs , who voice these opinions. Such provocation can occur in different forms of causerie, satire, and entertainment.
You might have heard that Matt Goening, creator of The Simpsons, got in trouble when a recent episode included a spoof of Fox News. Both The Simpsons and Fox News are owned by the same corporation, but Fox News (which has been quick on the legal trigger finger lately) supposedly threatened to sue The Simpsons. Or so it was reported.
Reminder to all reporters: Check Your Sources!
Names & Faces (washingtonpost.com)"Fox fought against it and said that they would sue the show," Groening told Gross. "And we called their bluff because we didn't think that Rupert Murdoch would pay for Fox to sue itself. So we got away with it," he said, proud of the accomplishment.
But the above WashPost article shows that it turns out Groening was just kidding when he mentioned Fox suing itself over The Simpsons.
