http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/03/taliban-attempt-attack-on-kandahar-air-base/
The article I read was only on CNN and it was a bout a failed Taliban attack on an air base in Kandahar Afghanistan. I feel that this article was not the other news agencies because it is expected that the insurgents are constantly trying to carry out attacks. CNN reports that 6 insurgents were killed while only two civilians and one ISAF soldier were only slightly injured.
Although I can understand why other networks would chose to not report on this, I still see how it is important to know everything. Even though the attack was a failure it was still an attack, and if attacks go unreported people can get the wrong message about progress in Afghanistan. People need to know that it is not all quiet on the battlefield.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Once Were Warriors
*Spoiler Alert*
I would like to start off by saying that this was a good, but pretty depressing movie. The movie takes place in what looks like the slums of New Zealand. The area seems to only be filled with the native people, which makes me think that segregation was still rampant in New Zealand during the 1990's. Back in the old tribe the mother was "the chosen one" but the tribal elders did not approve of her marring a man from a long generation of slaves. They left the tribe to join modern society and poverty.
Even though the family is dirt poor there are late night parties every night where their friends eat basically all their food. When the mother refuses to make more food for the husbands best friend she gets maliciously beaten and then raped by the husband. The eldest son is off joining a gang and the middle son has been taken away by social services. One of the husbands friends rapes the 13 year old daughter during one of the loud parties, she later cant take the violence surrounding her and commits suicide. At the funeral the girls journal is read and the husband beats the life out of his once friend, but it is too late and the wife decides to leave him and takes the children back to the tribe.
In the beginning the living conditions reminded me of the ghettos you would expect to see in troubled areas in America: The family all depending on the terribly paying jobs the father can get. Violence at every corner.
But at the end of the movie I was wondering why the natives would ever want to join modern society. I seemed like tribal life was much more tranquil and honorable. In society everyone seems to be slaves to violence, booze, and poverty.
I would like to start off by saying that this was a good, but pretty depressing movie. The movie takes place in what looks like the slums of New Zealand. The area seems to only be filled with the native people, which makes me think that segregation was still rampant in New Zealand during the 1990's. Back in the old tribe the mother was "the chosen one" but the tribal elders did not approve of her marring a man from a long generation of slaves. They left the tribe to join modern society and poverty.
Even though the family is dirt poor there are late night parties every night where their friends eat basically all their food. When the mother refuses to make more food for the husbands best friend she gets maliciously beaten and then raped by the husband. The eldest son is off joining a gang and the middle son has been taken away by social services. One of the husbands friends rapes the 13 year old daughter during one of the loud parties, she later cant take the violence surrounding her and commits suicide. At the funeral the girls journal is read and the husband beats the life out of his once friend, but it is too late and the wife decides to leave him and takes the children back to the tribe.
In the beginning the living conditions reminded me of the ghettos you would expect to see in troubled areas in America: The family all depending on the terribly paying jobs the father can get. Violence at every corner.
But at the end of the movie I was wondering why the natives would ever want to join modern society. I seemed like tribal life was much more tranquil and honorable. In society everyone seems to be slaves to violence, booze, and poverty.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The Chessboard Killer
http://www.skcentral.com/articles.php?article_id=692
This article states that Alexander Pichushkin, otherwise known as the Chessboard Killer, was convicted on 48 counts of murder and 3 counts of attempted murder in Moscow, Russia in October of 2007. This article focuses more on Alexander Pichushkin himself rather then the court case. The article makes the presumption that Alexander Pichushkin may have been in competition with another one of Russia's most famous serial killers, Andrei Chikatilo, who was convicted of 52 murders in 1992. It was even around the time of Chikatilo's trial in 1992 that Pichushkin committed his first murder. Pichushkin was even quoted in saying that "this first murder, it's like love, it's unforgettable".
The article stated that after this first killing in 1992 Pichushkin did not kill again until the early part of 2000. Pichushkin's killings began to get more and more gruesome until the authorities finally caught up with him in June of 2006. Pichushkin had killed a woman he worked with at a supermarket. It was because she had left a note for her son to tell him that she was taking a walk with Pichushkin that the authorities were able to catch him. While he was aware of the risks involved in killing his co-worker, he still murdered her. Pichushkins states that it is not only a desire to kill, but also a need to kill. For Pichushkin a life without killing is comparable to starvation from food for a normal person.
The article made no mention to which authorities caught up to Pichushkin, only that he was caught. Also that the police found a chessboard with 61or 62 of its 64 squares filled with dates. Pichushkin had been trying to fill a chess board with murders, hence his media given name. Although Pichushkin was only convicted on 48 counts of murder and 3 counts of attempted murder, as 3 victims survived, Pichushkin claims to have killed 11 more people in his 2007 trial.
The jury only deliberated for 3 hours before sentencing Pichushkin to life imprisonment. But in the wake of these hideous acts committed by Pichushkin there was a renewed interest in re-instituting the death penalty in Russia.
This article states that Alexander Pichushkin, otherwise known as the Chessboard Killer, was convicted on 48 counts of murder and 3 counts of attempted murder in Moscow, Russia in October of 2007. This article focuses more on Alexander Pichushkin himself rather then the court case. The article makes the presumption that Alexander Pichushkin may have been in competition with another one of Russia's most famous serial killers, Andrei Chikatilo, who was convicted of 52 murders in 1992. It was even around the time of Chikatilo's trial in 1992 that Pichushkin committed his first murder. Pichushkin was even quoted in saying that "this first murder, it's like love, it's unforgettable".
The article stated that after this first killing in 1992 Pichushkin did not kill again until the early part of 2000. Pichushkin's killings began to get more and more gruesome until the authorities finally caught up with him in June of 2006. Pichushkin had killed a woman he worked with at a supermarket. It was because she had left a note for her son to tell him that she was taking a walk with Pichushkin that the authorities were able to catch him. While he was aware of the risks involved in killing his co-worker, he still murdered her. Pichushkins states that it is not only a desire to kill, but also a need to kill. For Pichushkin a life without killing is comparable to starvation from food for a normal person.
The article made no mention to which authorities caught up to Pichushkin, only that he was caught. Also that the police found a chessboard with 61or 62 of its 64 squares filled with dates. Pichushkin had been trying to fill a chess board with murders, hence his media given name. Although Pichushkin was only convicted on 48 counts of murder and 3 counts of attempted murder, as 3 victims survived, Pichushkin claims to have killed 11 more people in his 2007 trial.
The jury only deliberated for 3 hours before sentencing Pichushkin to life imprisonment. But in the wake of these hideous acts committed by Pichushkin there was a renewed interest in re-instituting the death penalty in Russia.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Christine O'Donnell
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/us/politics/16elect.html
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/14/hours-polls-close-gloves-come-delaware/
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/christine-odonnell-upsets-mike.html
All three articles I read have to do with Christine O'Donnell's win over Mike Castle in the Delaware Senate Primary. Each article makes a point of highlighting the fact that the win was an upset. Along with this each article brings up the fact that O'Donnell was backed by the Tea Party.
-The NY Times brings in the percentages of votes won by O'Donnell and includes an interview with O'Donnell.
-Fox News talks about how O'Donnell stood her ground and how this was an important win for the Tea Party.
-The Washington Post focuses on how although this was a big upset and was a big win for the tea party there were also big political battles in New York and New Hampshire.
Although there are these small differences, with small twists from bias, I believe that each source keeps their stories essentially identical. In this instance, it can be easy to say whether you support a person or party but there can be little differences in the facts.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/14/hours-polls-close-gloves-come-delaware/
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/christine-odonnell-upsets-mike.html
All three articles I read have to do with Christine O'Donnell's win over Mike Castle in the Delaware Senate Primary. Each article makes a point of highlighting the fact that the win was an upset. Along with this each article brings up the fact that O'Donnell was backed by the Tea Party.
-The NY Times brings in the percentages of votes won by O'Donnell and includes an interview with O'Donnell.
-Fox News talks about how O'Donnell stood her ground and how this was an important win for the Tea Party.
-The Washington Post focuses on how although this was a big upset and was a big win for the tea party there were also big political battles in New York and New Hampshire.
Although there are these small differences, with small twists from bias, I believe that each source keeps their stories essentially identical. In this instance, it can be easy to say whether you support a person or party but there can be little differences in the facts.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Cooking with Anarchy!
http://anarchistcookbook.com/activity/
As you can tell from the URL the anarchist cookbook is a site devoted to anarchy. This is a forum based website that allows people to talk on any topic, whether it is about how to make bombs, other weapons, drugs, and conspiracies. One of the main slogans of this group is that government is not the solution it is the problem. These members are devoted to rebelling against the government any way they can. As this is a public forum a good portion seem to be playing it safe by not being to open but their are clear cases of people talking about effective bomb and drug recipes.
Whether these people are supporting each others illicit endeavours for fun or for more destructive motives I feel that this is definitely a site devoted to promoting a deviant behavior. Many members of the anarchist cookbook end up getting arrested for being too public, But others are smarter and use the wiki chat function to secretly talk about different recipes, something that must be done as the federal government is watching this site pretty closely. One of the reasons I decided to use school computers rather then my computer
I know first hand that the draws to make a small bomb, even if it is not for a sinister purpose, can be overwhelming. But when it comes down to it this is definitely an activity that goes against the social norm of being non destructive and to follow the rules. And when there is a site promoting the complete opposite of that norm it must not only be labeled a deviant but must be monitored.
As you can tell from the URL the anarchist cookbook is a site devoted to anarchy. This is a forum based website that allows people to talk on any topic, whether it is about how to make bombs, other weapons, drugs, and conspiracies. One of the main slogans of this group is that government is not the solution it is the problem. These members are devoted to rebelling against the government any way they can. As this is a public forum a good portion seem to be playing it safe by not being to open but their are clear cases of people talking about effective bomb and drug recipes.
Whether these people are supporting each others illicit endeavours for fun or for more destructive motives I feel that this is definitely a site devoted to promoting a deviant behavior. Many members of the anarchist cookbook end up getting arrested for being too public, But others are smarter and use the wiki chat function to secretly talk about different recipes, something that must be done as the federal government is watching this site pretty closely. One of the reasons I decided to use school computers rather then my computer
I know first hand that the draws to make a small bomb, even if it is not for a sinister purpose, can be overwhelming. But when it comes down to it this is definitely an activity that goes against the social norm of being non destructive and to follow the rules. And when there is a site promoting the complete opposite of that norm it must not only be labeled a deviant but must be monitored.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Appeasing Google
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/howard-kurtz/2010/09/appeasing_the_google_gods.html
The article I chose to read deals with how online new papers now have to focus more on catchy subject matter in order for their articles to pop up on search engines like Google. It is interesting to think of the news as selling out to the public. But it is also very apparent that an article about how many mistresses a celebrity has or whats the newest natural disaster will get more hits then an article about politicians passing ordinances.
I do not see this as only a criticism of Google, or any other search engine, but also a look at journalists willingness to report certain articles. The author of this article fears that journalism will soon become another popularity contest. I feel that the article does a good job of looking at the public's obsession with using search engines to search for what hot and journalists desire for views. Although many journalists are only concerned with the news aspect many are concerned with getting their work seen by the masses.
The author offers no real solutions to this problem, but seems confident that the track record of real news proves that it can outlast the problem. But the author does jokingly right hot topic search items at the bottom of his article. Although this is a joke it could be used to trick people into opening a link from a search engine.
The article I chose to read deals with how online new papers now have to focus more on catchy subject matter in order for their articles to pop up on search engines like Google. It is interesting to think of the news as selling out to the public. But it is also very apparent that an article about how many mistresses a celebrity has or whats the newest natural disaster will get more hits then an article about politicians passing ordinances.
I do not see this as only a criticism of Google, or any other search engine, but also a look at journalists willingness to report certain articles. The author of this article fears that journalism will soon become another popularity contest. I feel that the article does a good job of looking at the public's obsession with using search engines to search for what hot and journalists desire for views. Although many journalists are only concerned with the news aspect many are concerned with getting their work seen by the masses.
The author offers no real solutions to this problem, but seems confident that the track record of real news proves that it can outlast the problem. But the author does jokingly right hot topic search items at the bottom of his article. Although this is a joke it could be used to trick people into opening a link from a search engine.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Media Fast for 9/2/10
Looking back on this media fast, it was not as difficult a task as I thought it would be to carry out. I found that instead of listening to music in the morning I could sleep in a little later and take a longer shower. I missed the music, but it was nice to sleep in. Instead of listening to my i-pod between classes I decided to read the Breeze and complete the Sodoku puzzle inside of the paper. I would have prefered the music, but sodoku is always a fun challenge.
Later, intead of watching TV or going on facebook I went over to a friends house to drink a little and play a couple games. Between the drinking, beer pong, chess and conversations from all of us I didnt even realize how much time had passed.
I had specifically chose this day for my e-fast. I knew that because of the Hillel wing night I would be able to talk to a lot of friends without relying on phones to set up any plans. But even though I planned this out, I found myself cheating a little bit. I had left my phone on in case of any emergencies and I did my best not to respond to any text messages. But I did remind a friend when he asked what time our class was that day.
Overall, the music was the hardest to give up for the e-fast. But I do feel that the e-fast helped in showing that most media is more for pleasure than necessity. It would have been harder to make plans without the use of a phone if I was not already meeting with a large group of friends, but it still would have been possible
Later, intead of watching TV or going on facebook I went over to a friends house to drink a little and play a couple games. Between the drinking, beer pong, chess and conversations from all of us I didnt even realize how much time had passed.
I had specifically chose this day for my e-fast. I knew that because of the Hillel wing night I would be able to talk to a lot of friends without relying on phones to set up any plans. But even though I planned this out, I found myself cheating a little bit. I had left my phone on in case of any emergencies and I did my best not to respond to any text messages. But I did remind a friend when he asked what time our class was that day.
Overall, the music was the hardest to give up for the e-fast. But I do feel that the e-fast helped in showing that most media is more for pleasure than necessity. It would have been harder to make plans without the use of a phone if I was not already meeting with a large group of friends, but it still would have been possible
Media Log for 9/1/10
- listened to music on pandora for 30 minutes while getting ready for class
- set up lunch with friends through texting and listened to i-pod for an hour
- went on facebook and email for about 2 hours
- watched news and other programs with housemates for approx 3 hours
- played N64 with housemates for about 2 hours
- set up lunch with friends through texting and listened to i-pod for an hour
- went on facebook and email for about 2 hours
- watched news and other programs with housemates for approx 3 hours
- played N64 with housemates for about 2 hours
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