Blogs 'R' Us

Here at the end of the class blog, I wonder how well I've done? Has my writing improved? Have I learned anything along the way? What can I take from this experience? The answer is simple. Nothing. This was a horrible experience and damn you for making me do it!

I kid, I kid.

Significant changes are apparent in my blog. Undeniable changes. My writing has become cleaner, crisper. The length of the blogs visibly get longer as they go along. This is a result of more content driven writing. Also, I've learned more about web writing functions, like creating links. During my time here I've learned more about using rhetoric to appeal to an audience. This has been inspirational to my writing.

My favorite blog was the most obvious example of rhetoric. In the Meeting at the local 2-27, I tried to show obvious and discriminatory rhetoric. The idea was that the audience would read and connect the speech to some sort of prejudice that they were aware of. Then ultimately we find the hatred is directed at unicorns, and hopefully all hate speech is made to look a little more ridiculous. I don't know if this initial draft had that impact, but I hope to reach that goal more fully with further revisions.

I don't think this blog will continue. Not because I dislike web writing, but because I'm already writing in other web formats. This is a needless addition to my web presence. Seriously, google Duane Raider. All you get is web writes. Music reviews mostly. However, this blog did noticeably improve my web writing. For that I am grateful.

Peace out home skillet

A Meeting At The Local 2-27

"Thank you. Thank you for coming. Please be seated. Thank you. That's very nice. You're too kind, thank you.

I'd like to start by thanking the Elks, Local 2-27. Thank you for waving the deposit for the hall today. Also thanks to the fine men at the Lincoln County Fire Department for lending us their ladders and buckets. Very nice of them. And, of course, the lovely women of the Ladies Christian Auxiliary. These women have worked tirelessly for the cause. Making flyers, organizing protests. Is Margaret Saunders here? Stand up Maggie! Maggie's brown betty was an inspiration to us all at the bake sale. What's that Maggie?"

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"Hah! I'll have to ask my wife about that!

Thank you all so much. Without you this wouldn't even be possible. Alright, If we can all be seated again we'll get started. Dave, can you get the lights?

Friends, there's an evil in our city. Every day it grows and spreads throughout our streets. It's an evil that makes our children think degradation, violence, and loud music is 'cool'. It hides right in the open, trying to blend in. Trying to convince us there is no problem. And it has fooled some of us, hasn't it? That's right. Those tree-hugging, patchouli-stinking, Washington liberals don't want you to know about this problem. They don't want us to know about our elderly being trampled under hoove, right in broad daylight, right here in Olton! They don't want us to know about the back room deals they've made with these things! Trading our security, our freedom, for some cheap rejuvenating magics! Am I right? I think we all know the evil I'm talking about! I think you all know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!"

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"Dave can you get the slide?

...Unicorns...

That's right, unicorns. And we all know where this started, right? The Fantasian Refugee Act! Yes! That liberal, leftist doctrine that made it possible for mythological creatures to gain citizenship. That Act let those...BEASTS bring their filth here, apparently to avoid persecution. You know what I think? Maybe they should be persecuted! Yeah! Maybe there's a good reason the dwarves initiated those cleansing projects! Think about it. What have the unicorns done since they've been here? How have they repaid us for our kindness? They can't work, we all pay for their federal aid. They drain the grain and hay for our working livestock. They've taking over our nationally protected public parks for grazing. And now...now...now they've started to spread their culture to our children! Unicorn music is becoming ever more popular. I've seen kids down at the park licking their horns! They say it tastes like candy, but recent research shows it may be coated in a hallucenogenic dust, and it may become addictive after repeated licks. The kids call it 'Lickin' Horn Dust', or 'Glory Horning'. Is this the kind of America you want to live in? Unicorn ain't no man! Unicorn ain't no American! Why should a Unicorn have the same rights as us real Americans?"

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"Calm down, please, calm down. This is all very serious, and that's why were here. We have a solution, yes, we have a solution. We have a final solution. Our own scientist, Dave, stand up Dave, Dave has been researching the unicorn anatomy for a while now, not with an actual unicorn, but he's made some discoveries. Apparently the unicorns are comprised mostly of a substance very similar to marshmallow fluff. They're just full of this fluff, with a light bone structure to stand 'em up. As we all know, marshmallow fluff disintegrates in room temperature milk. So if everyone could just take one of those buckets at the back of the room. That's right, single file please, there should be enough for everyone. If you can all get your bucket and follow Fire Marshall Keith out to the ladders we have waiting outside. When their pride parade passes by here today, I think you all know what must be done. We will triumph! The strike we make against the unicorn today will be felt throughout this country, and our movement will have begun! Hallelujah!"

Vaughn and Claremont

Lost is possibly the most involved and complex storyline to ever air on basic cable. A deeply moving and dramatic show, its appeal has become almost universal. So loved by the public, in fact, that the sixth season premiere forced the state of the union address to change nights because of projected low ratings. But what makes Lost so good?

I believe that a fictional storyline is only as good as it's writers. In recent years, television has learned that an excellent writing team makes an excellent show. To this end many tv producers have turned to the world of comics. Comic writers understand how to lay pipe for long storylines. They can create complicated interweaving plots. Lost has one of the best comic writers with Brian K. Vaughn. Vaughn is an Eisner winning writer. The Eisners, named after Will Eisner, are the oscars of the comic world. Vaughn won his first Eisner for writing with his series Y The Last Man. He's also been awarded for the graphic novel Pride of Baghdad, and nominated for the political thriller Ex Machina.

Comic writers working on television is not a completely new concept. Chris Claremont, famous for his work on X-men, was a prime writer for the X-Files. G. Willow Wilson, writer of the beautifully moving sci-fi series Air, has lent her skill to the hit show Glee. Hopefully this trend towards borrowing comic writers continues. The results of employing them in television has led to some quality productions.

I'M ON FIRE!

Iran's Exiles

This article follows the story of one Iranian protester, Negar Azizmoradi. Negar is a movie editor who was beaten while protesting the Iranian election last July. She's been on the run from a suspected retaliation from Iranian police since, spending time as a refugee in Turkey, and an illegal immigrant in Africa. The story also makes a brief mention of another subject, Heydari, but the author's comment on Heydari is brief. He does mention that he only read about the Heydari story, while Negar contacted him. The author leans heavily in favor of the protesters toppling the current entrenched government.

The modern common sense of things: Ordering off the kids’ menu… for the rest of your life

I'm a regular reader of Karen! Garcia's op-ed, The Modern Common Sense of Things. Although I don't always agree with her, I do identify with her sense of humor, and think she's one of the top Kaimin writers. This article is ridiculous. It's Garcia describing how she'd rather eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches until she dies than branch out epicurean wise. Funny though.

Mr. President, Keep the Airwaves Free

Wow, I loved this Rush Limbaugh article. I wanted to read something really conservative, and I instantly thought of Rush. Then I saw he wrote an article about broadcast fairness, and I was hooked. As a broadcast major, I felt dumbfounded at some of Limbaugh's claims throughout this article. I dare say I was almost personally offended. Awesome! I won't go into it too much, but basically Rush blames Obama for the FCC radio regulations created by the FRC (Federal Radio Commission, pre FCC)in the 1920's. Also, Limbaugh (not McLendon) popularized talk radio in the eighties (not Mclendon in the sixties) and thus saved AM radio. Again , Gordon McLendon, father of top 40, talk, and news formats did not actually invent and popularize talk radio. It was Limbaugh. I want to write a conservative op ed like this. I think it may turn into satire, but it'll be a fun project. I think the trick is to drop enough actual facts to make your narrative seem almost plausible.

Environmental Research

Houghes

This is Hugh Houghes manifesto. Houghes is the Pres. of Green Team Advertising out of New York. They're a well respected advertising group that works exclusively in the field of "Green" Ads. They were the group that helped to market the "Inconvenient Truth" movies, as well as holding contracts with various corporations. I've chosen to include this article because it explains a concept that Houghes has coined "The Awakening Consumer". A very important idea in Green ads.

NY Times

So here's an article from the new york times that describes one companies desire to clean up its public image. This article gives some weight to how powerful certain words are in controlling public image. I'm also interested in seeing more from this business professor that specializes in green marketing, Edwin R. Stafford. I wonder if green advertising has its own class.

FCC Regulations

The practice of intentionally misleading the consumer about a products environmental impact is known as greenwashing. This became such a serious problem that the FTC stepped up and smacked down the evil doers with the pimp hand of consumer protection. These are the guidelines they laid out for marketing products as "green". (By the way, for a hilarious read, check out green marketing on wiki. Read the section on confusion. Someone really needs to edit this dude out, and I'm sure someone will soon enough, but seriously, dude. Shit like that gives wiki a bad rap. "25 years of research done by me"...seriously)

"Six Sins Of Green Washing"

More on green washing. Terra choice may be a little biased in their research, they are an encvironmental advertising agency, but their study is still interesting. They outline in this article the various ways companies greenwash their products. They call it the "Six Sins". A very interesting read.

Finally, I've a couple of interesting peer review articles that I couldn't get to because my computer is being a total tool right now.

Ta-da

Green Advertising and You

I've chosen an aspect of sustainability that might not seem proactive, but plays an essential role in "greening" up the planet. Green advertising affects us on an almost daily basis. It changes the way people view environmentalism, and the way we consume. Green advertising agencies, like Green Team, pitch everything from cars and cell phones, to solar energy. Green Team has worked with companies like Jaguar, The Smithsonian Institute, and National Geographic. They are most well known for the promotional work that went into making the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" such a success.

I approach this topic with mixed emotions. On one hand, I think that the only way to create lasting environmental change is to change the public opinion on environmentalism. Green advertising has made phrases like "Carbon Footprint" a part of everyday life. The image of environmentally conscious consumers has also changed to include regular, often young, middle class, people. Think of car ads in the last couple of years. It's easier to think about lessening your impact when you view the process as normal and healthy. On the other hand, I worry that green advertising can also create complacency in the minds of consumers. After all, have you really done all that you can to help the environment just because you've bought a hybrid? Does green advertising provide a release from guilt through consumption? I'm going to try and approach this topic with an open mind, view it from all angles, and try not to draw any conclusions about the lasting effects of green advertising until I finish. If your still a little foggy about what is meant by the phrase "Green Advertising" here's a website with a collection of some entertaining ads. I particularly like the Planet Green spot. http://www.ecohuddle.com/wiki/great-green-advertising

Capsaicin and prostate cancer

Capsaicin is the chemical in peppers that make them hot. The concentration of capsaicin is rated on a scale known as the "Scoville Heat Unit" (shu). This determines how hot the pepper is. For example, a bell pepper has a shu of 0, a habanero's shu is 2,000. Most grocery stores will list the scoville on the peppers when you buy them. This helps the more delicate palettes from playing with fire. Now for the amazing bit.

The March, 2006 issue of "Cancer Research" published some incredible findings. High levels of pure Capsaicin killed 80% of prostate cancer growing in lab mice. That is to say the application of Capsaicin caused the cancer to go into a state of apoptosis. The tests were conducted at the Cedars-Sinai medical institute, in collaboration with UCLA. A visiting doctor, Dr. Soren Lehman, described the amount used as the equivalent of feeding a 200 pound man 3 potent habanero peppers (about 3,000 shu each) a week. Certainly not a cure for cancer, but an intriguing step on the road to a cure.