WA should adopt a VBM System
This year’s election is more important than ever. It is safe to say that we all want our country going in a new direction, and who is the best to lead that change? It goes without saying that in an ideal world everyone would be excited at the prospect of participating in such an important point in history, the sad story is that they’re not. There are still many roadblocks in the process and if we take the necessary steps to correcting these problems than I am of the opinion that we all be much better off. Consequently, in a state where we have a “no excuse” absentee voting system the next logical step is to institute a strictly vote by mail system. Switching to an all mail-in system of voting has three advantages; it is more economical, convenient, and has a better chance at reaching disenfranchised voters.
The humanbot
I love movies and I love those cult TV shows that spawn massive followings. In reading this article only one thing came to mind and that is the tag line from Transformers, “Robots in disguise.” But this is not simply an abstract catchphrase for Optimus Prime, today it means something completely different. People today are slowly changing the way they think and act in the pursuit of faster access and knowledge. Now, I haven’t taken many journalism classes but everything I have heard seems to point to headline writing as somewhat of an art. It seems to me this is really the first impression a reader will get from the writer, and we all know first impression means everything. When I am glancing through the newspaper I am more likely to read an article that is rather clever and somewhat humorous because it makes me wonder what else might amuse me in the article. However, in this world of increasing speed and efficiency that “art” is becoming quickly obsolete.
Clinton Defeated
In an election season of this magnitude when each party is going to be scrapping for every vote it would make sense to select the nominee and get them out of the campaign trail as soon as possible, right? Well not if you’re a part of the DNC. Clinton who is behind and according to most correspondents defeated has vowed to continue the fight through to the convention. Recently, she has been stumping around southern Florida “pressing her case for including delegates from Florida and Michigan in the final delegate tally.” At this point according to this article in the New York Times, despite both candidates needing super delegates to put them over the top Clinton’s chances are fading rapidly. Although reports have shown that Barack has done very well in Florida voters there still have many reservations against him, this might in fact work to Hilary’s advantage. According to this article, also from the New York Times, many Florida Jews have reservations mostly because Barack’s limited voting record when it comes to the rights of Israel. What this tells me is that Barack does not necessarily have this election in the bag, being a relatively newcomer to the governmental scene is not invoking a lot of confidence in many the democratic voters out there. What’s left?
Legal Realities
In today’s world the notion of uniqueness carries far less weight than it did 50 years ago. Most great artists and writers frequently draw on other works for inspiration and in doing so can quite easily and sometimes without being aware adopt styles of the works they admire. In the abstract I think that everyone on some level is guilty of copyright infringement. However I do understand the need for this kind of tort. If people are not allowed ownership of their work than there is little incentive to push the boundaries of conventional reality. While the law is certainly an important consideration in any publishing venture I think that people must hold themselves to an even higher authority, their own morals and ethics. One quote that has stuck with me seems appropriate in this situation, rhetoric, defined as making an argument in the public sphere, is the act of “the good person speaking well.” If we are to be taken seriously for our thoughts and convictions then we as originators of content must be comfortable that we meet our own standards for judging credible material. It seems to me that printing a libelous comment will not only earn you trouble with the law but would in many ways undermine the intended goal of a blog meant to address social concerns of our day.
China bloggers cook up quake conspiracies
As the death toll in China’s Sichuan province climbs, the nation’s bloggers have joined together in the search for a scapegoat.
“Why On-Demand changes Everything”
The thrust of this article expresses the BBC’s commitment not just to “continued centrality and national cultural life,” but to embrace the “next phase of broadcasting’s technological future.” The BBC has been experimenting with an on-demand player, with a 5,000 in house trial with a 7-day availability mostly to accommodate and preserve the rights of content owners. At present limited access to on-demand content is available for radio broadcasts and some video content, however, not to the extent that is being proposed. This new media outlet will allow for a significant amount of content to be viewed using peer to peer interaction software and will eventually include an archive of content accessible from multiple devices. However there are some reservations particularly from those who believe the the BBC’s forays into media will make it difficult for others to break into the market. Interestingly enough it encourages diverse viewing experiences.
Blogs in the global atmosphere
In class we have discussed how blogs can be used as soapboxes for people to advocate on behalf of some cause or political idea. What I appreciated about this weeks readings is that it dabbled in how this medium manifests itself in other markets. I found it particularly interesting when it talked about the Russian backlash against a US company for trying to censor it political commentary. The idea that one company/nation can exercise that kind of control is quite remarkable, albeit dangerous. This clearly illustrates the age of interdependence we live in today. Last summer I traveled to Italy and participated in a class on the European Union which discussed this notion of eliminating borders between nations. My concern is that with this level of connectedness do we run the risk of losing character at the global level? Today it a US company the buys out livejournal, but what about tomorrow when a Chinese corporation buys the rights to i tunes and starts removing certain artists because of their lyrics. I think it is important that we stay mindful of the messages that we advocate and what kind of message or actions send as well.
Reaganomics of Media Reporting
J. Patrick Coolican’s article “The Perils of Political Narrative,” was a very thought provoking assessment of the state of politics today. Even those trying to operate outside the conventional sphere find themselves slipping back into its rhetoric. I would say what Coolican is essentially doing is making an analogy for trickle down economics as it applies to the media. He and his colleagues both wrote and operated under the assumption that the culinary leadership was very strong and would provide a united front for which ever candidate she choose to support. This mirrored the same presumption that local and national media choose to operate under. Only on caucus day the union ended up going for Clinton as oppose to Obama, a complete one-eighty than what had been promised by the leadership. What happened as Coolican correctly points out, he and his colleagues who normally operate on the fringes bought into the false narrative, and “rehash[ed] the campaign machinery’s narrative. Someone how that message still penetrated the minds of the bloggers and independent thinkers.
