Assignment 5-1

Blogging Culture

There is no better description for Popular culture in today’s world than ‘Blogging’. Everyone seems to be blogging these days. Everybody has their own little corner in the virtual world where they can vent out their ideas, their opinions, and frustrations, show off their skills etc.

A blog is described as “Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer”. Blog can be about any topic under the sun. People write Sports Blog, Automobile related Blogs, Cooking Blogs, Health Blogs, and Travel Blogs etc. People can post pictures or videos on their blogs

Blogs can be an important medium of information exchange and learning medium. Blogs have brought back the culture of writing. Blog space provide a medium of expression and is almost a form of art. A good blog is like a hobby, aids in self development. One can learn a lot by visiting good blogs. A person living in United States can see and understand life, art, culture, vegetation or food habits of a country in the Far East.

Blogs are alos becoming a source of income through virtual advertisement. Ad space on good blogs is worth much more than an ordinary blog.

The Phrase “Online Personal Journal” is almost an oxymoron. Because once a blog has been published it is out there in the web world for millions to see. It’s no longer personal.
Because the amount of publicity blogs are receiving, it is advisable to proceed with caution regarding what you write you post on your blog.

At the same time some blogs have become controversial due to their content. Blogs like ‘Campus Gossip’, ‘Office Blogs’ have gained media attention as well. People have lost jobs, reputations have been ruined because of blogs. Any information medium exchange always needs to be used wisely and with caution and blogging is no different.



Reference:
Harmanci, Reyhan (2005-02-20). Time to get a life — pioneer blogger Justin Hall bows out at 31. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.

Assignment 4-1

Winter Edition of Big Brother Turns Up the Heat

As a faithful Big Brother watcher this season has been hotter than ever. The show normally puts houseguest against each other trying to be the last on in the house. This year Big Brother is titled until death do you part. They have paired up 16 houseguests with what is supposed to be their soul mate. They are all single and are looking for love. CBS has done personality testing to try an match each person up with what is thought to be their soul mate.
This year Big Brother will be like no other the contestants will be paired with their soul mate and play as one. The couple will compete for head of household and power of veto as a couple. They will be evicted as a couple and will vote to evict each other as a couple. The couples will have to sleep in the same bed with their partner. The partners will have to compete as one in order to win the half million dollars.
The producers of the show have tried to get new contestants that are different than the other. They are trying to keep the show fresh by not duplicating other houseguest. In previous shows there were contestants with very distinct personalities. There was last year’s winner, which they called Evil Dick who was able to intimidate the other guests by threatening and yelling at them. This years cast promises to be different than any other year since the contestants will be playing as couples.
This years Big Brother will air on February 12th on CBS at 8:00 CST. The show will air 3 times a week with various competitions, which will include food competitions and head of household competitions.

Assignment 3-1

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

The name John Fitzgerald Kennedy, popularly known as ‘JFK’ still evokes strong emotions. He was born in 1917 and became the 35th president of United States. He represented a new generation America.

He stood as a beacon of hope and paved way for a new de-segregated America. Even though he served as a president for a very short term (1961 to 1963) he was a very popular and a powerful president. He is remembered for the things he could have done for America and the world had he been alive.

He is the youngest President and to date the only President to win the ‘Pulitzer prize’. The major events during his administration were “Bay of Pigs Invasion”, “Cuban Missile Crisis”, building of “Berlin Wall”, “Space Race”, “America Civil Rights Movement”, and early moments of the “Vietnam War”.

On the fateful November 22nd, The President and the First Lady, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier journeyed to Dallas on a campaign trip. The presidential motorcade drove through downtown Dallas, with the president and the Firstlady and accompanied by the Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie, in an open top car. As the motorcase moved through Dealy Plaza shots were fired upon the Presidential Car. Before anybody could realize what was happenening two more shots were fired which wounded the President fatally. He was rushed to the Parkland Memorial were he was pronounced dead soon after.

The whole world watched in shock as the news unfolded. Millions around the world wept at the loss.

It was concluded that the shots were fired from the nearby warehouse building called the ‘School Book Repository’. Soon after a warehouse worker named Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested. Oswald who was a former US Marine had allegedly defected to the Soviet Union was in Cuba recently and championed the Cuban Causes and returned to United States. Jack Ruby shot Harvey Oswald to death before he was put to trial.

The dramatic events led to the popular belief in Conspiracy. The Warren House commission that was set up to investigate the assassination confirmed that the shots that killed were indeed fired from the warehouse. The Rockefeller commission set up to investigate CIA’s involvement didn’t turn up with any conclusive evidence. In 1988 the Case was closed for lack of conclusive evidence.

JFK is still considered to be an Icon of American hopes and aspiration. He continues to rank high in the public Opinions of former US Presidents.

assignment 2-1

Harry Potter Series Millions of people around the globe see Harry Potter series as a revival of Book Reading. In today’s generation book reading has been places on the back burner, and books are struggling hard to keep up with ever increasing presence of web world. Harry potter changed all that. The last book in the series set a record when it sold approximately 8.3 million copies on the day of release[1]. There are approximately 400 million copies of the book in circulation worldwide. The Harry Potter magic has touched young and adults alike, and interestingly in today’s world of war and deceit the book has transcended every boundary known to man, be it language, culture, age or ethnic background. The book has so far been officially translated into approximately 65 languages. The book is rich in literature and marks its place as one of the best classics since Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Narnia etc. The book essentially has seven parts and tells the journey of an orphan boy who is left to suffer at the hands of his Aunt and Uncle until he realizes he is a wizard. Each part then chronicles his life as he goes to the wizard school for seven years and how in the end Harry wins over the evil with Love and Sacrifice. This series like other fairytales tells us about the war between good and evil and how evil comes to an end sooner or later. The essential theme of the story is centuries old. The author J.K Rowling needs to be credited for the panache with which she has opened the minds of readers to the imaginary world of witchcraft and wizardry. The books are being made into movies and theme parks are being built around the theme of Harry Potter and discussions to include the books as part of school curriculum are in progress. The series goes on to prove that a well-written book never goes out of style. Not everything is beautiful with Harry Potter. Some people have claimed that the book teaches witchcraft that is real. Some have claims that the book uses symbols from “Illuminati” – the secret society propagating the birth of Anti –Christ and hence the book should be banned[2]. All in all the books provides a wonderful reading experience for many. [1] http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/23/news/companies/scholastic_potter/index.htm [2] http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/hp001.cfm