Spruce it Up!

BlOGGER'S BLOCK

Some of you have been suffering from blogger's block. This is an attempt to help. You should be looking at how the media impacts your life - things YOU notice about how the media influences the world around you. This could be advertising, television, internet, movies, books, magazines,trends, etc.

1. Remember the categories of posts:
1. Pop Culture
2. Question?
3. I’m Outraged!
4. How Interesting….
5. Advertising
6. Hey! That’s subversive!

2. Look at other people's blogs., and websites online. Look for something that interests you. Reading other blogs will inspire you to write your own post about that topic or a similar topic. There are people examining the use of pregnant women for beer advertisements and examining the beauty of graffiti. We have movie reviews , song analysis and posting documentaries about 9/11 conspiracies. We are debating issues like whether or not athletes make too much money, and if musicians can make a difference in social issues like bullying.

3. You may want to scan the internet looking for issues or interesting topics. If you find an interesting article, then respond to it in a post and include a link to an article. Some interesting things I have found online have been a page devoted to the lastest news in arts and entertainment. Serena found a great page full of media issues at media-awareness. I found a fascinating media blog by typing in "media" in Google. (There is a fascinating article about a city in South America which has banned advertising). You may want to read about the dangers of facebook in an article I found on CBC's website.

Please comment to this post by giving an example of a controversial topic that could be a good topic for a post.

Thanks!
Happy Blogging!

This post will NOT include a picture or video

I am outraged.

This morning I was reading my newspaper and I was horrified to see various images of the Virginia Tech killer sprawled all over The Globe and Mail. The main article was about how the killer (who will remain nameless- I don't remember his name and I don't care to know it) sent a multi-media package to NBC in the mail between the first and second shootings. In this multi-media package he included text explaining his motivation and videos and pictures of him posing with various weapons- the way he wanted to be remembered. When I opened the newspaper, there was a two paged spread of pictures and images from this package.

I think it is disgusting that ANY media outlet would grant this killer's wishes by allowing these images to saturate the public. These images glorify the real horror he has produced, and give him the notoriety he was craving. Why why why would we grant him his dying wish, when his victim's weren't given the opportunity to think about their own dying wishes? This is a disgrace to the families of the victims. Not only that, but publishing his material could also be dangerous, as there is a risk his message could provide inspiration for other troubled people out there who may be considering putting their own names down in history.

There is no denying that the media needs to take some kind of responsibility for these kinds of school shootings. Many of these incidents are copycats of previous shootings, which means that the killers saw the coverage of one school shooting and used that coverage as encouragement. Now I am not suggesting that these events should not be reported on; an event so devastating should not be ignored; however, those who are reporting on the tragedy need to do so with some responsibility. We should be focusing on the acts of heroism and tributes to the young people who lost their lives.

I will end this post with a tribute to Liviu Librescu, an engineering professor who was just one of the 32 murdered during the rampage on Monday morning. Students said Librescu, 76, leaned against the door of his Virginia Tech classroom, blocking the path of the gunman. Librescu's actions gave his students enough time to climb out the window of his second-storey classroom. The gunman eventually got through the door and killed Librescu, but not before his students escaped.

His bravery and heroism is a story that we can look to for inspiration in our own lives. His story is worth telling, and his name is worth remembering.

Liviu Librescu.

Today's Special!

Okay Boys and Girls,

Today's special post activity is based on our class last week when we were discussing childhood favourite television shows and how television has affected your life. I would like your next post to be a reflection about your television timeline, including some fun details about a show you watched as a child, and how you think television has impacted your life. Also, ponder the question - what is good about television?

PS. Any of you old enough to recognise all 6 of these tv shows from my childhood? The first one to post a comment that identifies all 6 of these tv shows wins!

GO RAPTORS GO

Since the Leafs didn't make the playoffs (grrr), I am directing all of my sports energy to a team with an actual chance at glory for the 2007 season. Bring out the salami and cheese, because the Raptors are going all the way this year, led by the phenomenal Chris Bosh. I usually find basketball a little boring to watch, but Bosh plays with such intensity it's hard not to be excited. Go Raptors!

Post Assignment #2

So far, I have only assigned one other Post Assignment, and that was a response to the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car". Now that most of you have solid blogs set up, there will be more Post Assigments coming.

Last week we discussed famous men and women. Many of you were surprised to realise that the class wasn't able to come up with many women who were famous for their intelligence. Your assignment is to create a post dedicated to a woman who is famous for her intelligence. Be creative and be sure to explain why this woman is so important. You may also want to comment on why her name may not be famous or why she didn't get very much media attention or why you had never heard of her before.

Here is a list of some famous women. Try picking someone you have never heard of before. I'd like to have all the posts be about different people, so please comment to this post with your choice. If no one else has claimed that person, than you may claim her.

Benazir Bhutto
Jane Addams
Madeleine Albright
Mary McLeod Bethune
Marian Wright Edelman
Indira Gandhi
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Emma Goldman
Anita Hill
Dolores Huerta
Maggie Kuhn
Golda Meir
Rigoberta Menchu
Sandra Day O'Connor
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Rosa Parks
Alice Paul
Frances Perkins
Eva Peron
Jiang Qing
Eleanor Roosevelt
Phyllis Schlafly
Gloria Steinem
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
Maya Angelou
Hanna Arendt
Rachel Carson
Agatha Christie
Simone de Beauvoir
Anne Frank
Betty Friedan
Ann Landers
Margaret Mitchell
Toni Morrison
Dorothy Parker
Sylvia Plath
Gertrude Stein
Barbara Walters
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Apgar
Helen Caldicott
Marie Curie
Rosalind Franklin
Jane Goodall
Grace Hopper
Melanie Klein
Mary Leakey
Barbara McClintock
Lise Meitner
Coco Chanel
Julia Child
Elsie de Wolfe
Katharine Graham
Ruth Handler
Estee Lauder
Mary Quant
Marian Anderson
Margaret Bourke-White
Maria Callas
Isadora Duncan
Ella Fitzgerald
Martha Graham
Billie Holiday
Janis Joplin
Frida Kahlo
Dorothea Lange
Georgia O'Keeffe
Mary Pickford
Leni Riefenstahl

BLOG MARKS

Hello, class.

Sorry that I am sick today. I just want to remind you that on Sunday I will be marking your blogs for your midterm report cards. Many of you NEED a good mark on this to boost your average for the class. I will be using a rubric which I will give you tomorrow, but essentially, this is what I am looking for:

• At least 8 posts that comment on an issue in the media
• Other posts (any amount) that give your post personality (about me, interesting pictures, etc - like my cactus post or Go Leafs Go post)
• Some links to other websites
• An attractive appearance
• Many comments on other blogs
• Comments on your blog
• Attempts to edit and revise spelling and grammar

(help each other out on that one. You get marks for commenting on other blogs, but you also get marks for the comments on your blog.)

(I am generally not taking marks off for the odd spelling or grammar error, but try to keep these errors to a minimum. You can always go back and edit any post - spellcheck is available.)

I will try to be commenting on your blogs during class if I don't fall asleep first. If you have a question for me, comment on this post, and I will try to answer it somehow.

See you tomorrow

Mzqbit

PS. Looking through your blogs, I noticed that many of you didn't post anything yesterday. Make sure you post to your blog today - it's the last day in class before you are marked.

Mzqbit's Random Blog Awards (First ever!)

mzqbit's random blog awards highlights some particularly interesting posts. The idea is to give everyone a chance to focus on some posts that could generate some good debate, and to celebrate a post well-posted.

There is also an assignment attached to the awards. Please comment on at least TWO of these posts. They are worth your while!

Congratulations to this week's winners!

1. Enigma's "Little Miss Sunshine" (Movie Review)

http://quietnessissofreakinloud.blogspot.com/2007/03/little-miss-sunshine.html

This was a good read, with lots of pictures and and a great review. She goes beyond just explaining why she liked the movie by explaining why it was different, worth taking about, etc.

2. Kise's "Double Standard?" (Question) "Cheap Advertising" (Advertising)A very interesting post about double standards in journalism between men and women. She brings up some very thoughtful points.

Kise also looks at a shocking advertising trend in a sleasy diet companies portfolio.

http://kise-myblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/double-standard.html

http://kise-myblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/this-tabloid-article-disturbs-me.html

3. Sensgirl's "Is Television Going too Far?" (Outraged)Read this for a commentary about where the line of appropriateness/censorship lies. I thought this post could lead to a really interesting debate, so voice your opinion on Sensgirl's comments.

http://sensgirl1512.blogspot.com/2007/03/are-cartoons-going-too-far.html

4. Spade's "Sunday, March 25th - about rap music"
I'd like everyone to have a look at this post because you can see that Spade is trying to generate a debate in his comments. The topic is quite controversial - is rap music glamorizing gangsta life? Notice how he ends his post with a question.

http://6town.blogspot.com/2007/03/okay-so-this-is-my-second-post-and-this.html

5. Sally Spaghetti's "The Search for the Next Pussy Cat Doll" (Outraged)This is a good example of how just watching television can lead you to a good post. Be on the look out for things that you think are wrong/ disturbing/ stupid on television.

http://sallyspaghetti.blogspot.com/2007/03/search-for-next-pussycat-doll-umm-what.html

Congrats to this week's winners. The next awards will be posted ... whenever ... as they are "mzqbit's random blog awards!"

April Fool's Day!!

During my first year teaching, I was always a little frantic. On April Fool's Day, I was so frantic that I didn't even realise that it WAS April Fool's Day. One of my colleagues had a student come to my classroom and knock on the door in the middle of my lesson. The student said that there was a grade assembly going on in the library, and everyone was waiting for our class before they could begin. She said there had been an email that I must not have received explaining the assembly. I was so annoyed, as I really needed to get on with my lesson. Grudgingly, we went down to the library, but about half way there I remembered that it was April Fool's Day and told my class to turn around and go back to class. When we got back, my colleague and her class were in the middle of "redecorating" my classroom!

I wondered if anyone else has any funny April Fool's Day stories, even though it doesn't have much to do with media.

By the way, follow this link to see the top ten April Fool's Pranks of all time (apparently)
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool

Go Leafs Go!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am following the recent trend of declaring my hockey feelings on my blog. I think you all should know that I am giving 110 percent in my cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tonight, I'm going to get on that couch, and just watch a simple game of hockey. I know that we need to get together as a team of Leafs' fans, and get back to the basics. GO LEAFS GO!