Blogging: EZ PZ

Over the past couple months while working on my blog, I have noticed many things about the process of blogging. Before i started this experiment, I was not very interested in blogs at all. In fact, I didn't quite know what a blog even was. But i have now discovered that blogging is tough work, but pays off. Here is a list of tips that i came up with, to help any new comers, make their blog successful!



1. Stay On Topic
Once you have picked a topic,stick with it! Make sure you do not trail off onto a totally different idea. Discuss themes that your readers will be interested in. Talking about what you ate for breakfast may not be the best subject to discuss. The idea is to keep the reader interested,so they keep coming back to your blog.

2. Be informative
While talking about an important issue, or any issue for that matter, Be sure to show that you know what you are talking about. Prove that you are knowledgeable about your idea/topic. Use methods of proof such as facts or statistics to make your reader trust you!

3. Show Dedication
To have a successful blog, you must make time to post regularly. Posting every couple months is not acceptable and may help you loose your audience. If you make a commitment, you must follow through. If your readers realize you are slacking on posts, they will most likely move on to another more updated blog.

4.Spell Checking and Proof Reading
Grammar and spelling is always a big deal in the world of blogging!
If someone is to read your blog and see numerous spelling errors, they will not take you seriously. Do yourself a favor and spell check your post in Word Perfect before finalizing your submission.

5. Be up to date
While writing a blog, it is important that your posts and information are always up to date. If a conflict you discuss is resolved,be sure to add on to it, just to give the reader a finished result. Discussing an issue that happened six months ago is boring and irrelevant.

6. Citing
ALWAYS make sure to cite your sources!
The last thing you want is for someone to rant on your blog about how you used their picture without asking permission. Always cite the source at the bottom of your post.

7. Be consistent
People like the familiar!
Once you have decided your style of blogging, stick to it. Then your readers will always no what to expect and feel a sense of safety.

8. Keep short
Make sure to keep your posts short and subtle.No one wants to read a 700 word post about the different hairstyles you have had since grade six. Keep your reader interested by cutting it short.

K.I.S.S - keep it simple sweetheart!

9.Brighten up
Add decoration to your blog by balancing the text with visual. Place videos, images,links, and web pages.

10. Headlines
Cut to the chase!
Keep your headlines blunt and interesting. Make sure the reader will be able to understand the idea you are introducing. Don't try to be too clever,or your audience may get confused.


"blog" No date. Online image. bloggingtricks. 16 Jan 2008

feedforall. TipsforBlogs. No date. 16 Jan. 2008

Photo Manipulation: Fraud or Art?

Photo Manipulation is a big part of our world today. It has drastically advanced over the years due to the new technology being introduced. Things such as digital cameras,photo editing, and high tech software are some of the factors that contribute to the power of photo doctoring today. Since Photo manipulation has become so common over the past years, it is becoming for difficult to detect fake photos from the original.In fact, some people even consider doctoring photos to be a new form of art. But to be honest, im sure most of these people who say this, are likely to be photo scammers themselves. But the question to ask yourself is, How far can we take photo manipulation?

An Infamous case of a controversial photo manipulation was the June 1994 TIME magazine cover of Oj Simpson. Shortly after being arrested for murder, Ojs mugshot was seen on the cover of both Time and Newsweek magazine. The Newsweek cover, featured the unaltered photo, while the Time cover, was doctored into making OJ look darker and more "menacing". Time magazine defended the Oj shot, saying that it was "photo illustration".

Reading the past passage may get you thinking that Time magazine is the culprit in this situation. But the fact is, there are a surprisingly large amount of magazines and broadcasts that exploit doctored photos. In the case of Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey,who gave birth to Septuplets,It was Newsweek magazine that used an altered photo of Kenny and Bobbi on their December, 1997 cover. The photo was manipulated from the original,that appeared unaltered on the cover of Time magazine. Newsweek doctored their photo , making Bobbis teeth look straighter. They were then accused for manipulating the photo to make her look more attractive. Altough it is highly doubtful that photo manipulation can be erased all together, i do believe that there is something we can and must do about it. If we continue the way we are now, we will never be able to tell the difference between fake and truth.

Since Britney is all the rage these days, heres a video of how much of a difference certain photoshops can change an imagine. Watch the little details that are able to be edited.



This was a popular Dove ad that was sent all over the internet.


"Oj Simpson Mugshot". No Date. Online Image. News. 12 Jan. 2008

"Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey". No Date. Online Image. Dartmouth. 12 Jan. 2008

Pop Photo. State of the Art. 17 Sept.2007. 12 Jan. 2008

Dartmouth. Photo Tampering Throughout History. No Date. 12 Jan. 2008

New Girl In Town

Watch out Barbie, cause here comes Fulla!
Creator,NewBoyDesign Studio, which is based in Syria,introduces the new and improved version of Barbie. Launched in November 2003, Fulla is the new doll every girl is obsessed with. She is the best selling doll all over the region and was named after a type of jasmine that grows in the Levant. But why is every parent preferring Fulla over Barbie?

Unlike her Western rival Barbie, Fulla is a character that every Islamic child can relate to. Mohammed al-Sabbagh, an employee at Space Toon says: "Fulla is one of us but Barbie is still a stranger,". This is one of the many reasons that not only every child, but every parent, loves Fulla. She is modest and Conservative and her top priority is to respect herself. She always follows her "Arab values" and"respects her mother and father". You will never see her wearing a revealing bikini like Barbie, not to mention showing her leg or arms. Fulla's trademark color is "Fulla pink", which is often the tone of her long coat which she wears over her black Abaya or white head scarf. Although she does share some similarities with Barbie, such as her height(11 inches), and proportions, she is not your average blue eyed blonde doll. With her thick black hair and large dark eyes, she is easily separated from the stereotypes Barbie is portrayed with.

I think that the idea of having a doll that shares the same culture and values as you, is an excellent step forward. There are so many different religions and cultures that many children are not familiar with. Having different dolls that express different values would be a great idea to show kids the diverse and multicultural community that we live in.

here is an advertisement shown all over Arabia to promote Fulla

"Fulla". No Date. Online Image. nettavisen. Jan 10. 2008

O'Loughlin, Ed. Fulla Has the Mid-East Doll Market Covered. 23 Dec. 2005. 10 Jan. 2008

Infringement or coincidence?

Canadas own punk princess Avril Lavigne, was sued last July by U.S song writer Tommy Dunbar. The former member and founder of the 70's pop band,The Rubinos, claimed that Avrils number one hit "Girlfriend" sounded suspiciously like their 1979 hit " I wanna be your boyfriend". Avril denies the assumption, and states "I havehas never heard the song in my life". I find this a little odd, considering a couple months ago i remember reading an article in a magazine all about avril. At one point in the article, avril explains how she has always been inspired my music. She said that she is very much interested in old music, especially ones from the 70s and 80s. Now i could be wrong, but if someone is that interested in 70s music, you would think that they would come across the rubinos hit song ATLEAST once. Otherwise, Avril could have just been putting on a whole act about the music she liked. Tommys lawyer, Carlin Nicholas argued back that " the heart and soul of her song is directly taken from our clients song". It was this comment that was a bit of a stretch. Saying someone took the heart and soul of your song is like saying someone copied you by having the same color brown hair as you. There are so many songs that have the same idea and emotion but into the lyrics. It was Carlins comment that may have raised eyebrows about the rubinos intention of the accusation towards Avril.

Although the Rubinos have been out of the spotlight for many years, it is wrong for some to say that they had their stardom and fame, let the new stars have theirs. The Rubinos wrote that song , and it is their property. Just because they are an older band, does not give someone else the right to copy, or take parts from their song. If that was acceptable, then all music would be even more similar then it is now.

After almost eight months of gossip and arguements. It is now concluded, The rubinos and Avril conflict is now resolved. Or is it?

Avrils record company network issued a statment from Tommy Dunbar and band member James Gangwer. The two men stated that "We are satisfied that any similarities between the two songs resulted from Avril and Luke's use of certain common and widely used lyrics." They also concluded saying": "We therefore completely exonerate Avril and Luke from any wrongdoing of any kind in connection with the claims made by us in our lawsuit." After researching the rest of the case, i came to the conclusion that well, there is no conclusion. There is no official statement sayiang the verdict of the case. I find it a bit odd that the Rubinos would all of a sudden, change their view on the situation. They were so set on taking revenge on Avril, and now seem to have just dropped all accusations. There are only two explanation that come to mind, for the rubinos actions. One, they are just too tired to continue the case. And two, Avril did not want any more bad publicity and payed the rubinos to leave her alone.

-The Two songs that Tommy Dunbar claimed to be suspiciously similiar


There is also questioning that New comer, Vanessa Hudgens plagiarized Avrils song "complicated".

"Avril Lavigne". No date. Online image. taume. 11 Jan 2008.

The Canada Press. Avril Lavigne fights claims of plagiarism. July 7, 2007 . 11 Jan. 2008

Rolling Stone. Did Avril Bite A Peaches Track, Too?. 7 Oct. 2007. 11 Jan. 2008

Appropriate or not?

In the two clips from the films "United93" and "World trade centre", two stories were shown relating to the same event. Both movies reflect heroism in different ways. In world trade centre the story is based on two courageous policemen who volunteered to help rescue civilians in the midst of the twin towers first hit. The story continues with the happenings of the policemens dissapearance and the way the families deal with the tragic news.

The movie United 93 is about the fourth hijacked plane that did not hit its destination target. The movie recaptures the bravery of the passengers on the plane standing up to the hijackers and taking control of Americas fate. Although the two movies are somewhat similiar, many people show different opinions towards each film. Besides the fact that I think the movie World Trade Centre was made at an inappropriate time, personaly i did not enjoy the movie at all. I felt that the movie not only had poor film making, but there was not much real emotion involved. The movie was not very believable and did not look like much effort was put into it. I think september 11th deserves a little more respect and should not have been made into a poorly written, not to mention cheesy film.

On the other hand, i feel that United 93 was an excellent film. After watchingthe movie i felt as if i was back on september 11th, but was filled with more knowledge and understanding of the tradgedy. It was a very respectable film that really made you feel for the victims on the plane, but remeber them as heroes with great courage. I feel that this film is a personal choice and should not be seen for entertainment. It is a challenge to watch,but a tremendous accomplishment.

In addition, this trailor for the newest spiderman movie, was banned from being broadcasted. If you look at the end, you will notice a clip of a hellicopter being stuck between the twin towers by spiderweb. Why do you think this is innapropriate? Is it because it was too soon after the attack? or because it may cause ripe emotions by people who may have lost loved ones in 9/11?

Free speech or Bad Manors?

On Stage at a 2003 London concert, Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the dixie chicks stated an uprising statement that will remain in music history. Maines shouted " We're ashamed that the president of the United states is from Texas". This comment was said just days before the American invasion of Iraq and was the beginning of a long battle the Dixie Chicks were faced to fight. Over the next three years after the comment being said, The top selling female band was faced with many obstacles interferring with their career. The girls were being boycotted by a right wing effort to lose their concert appearances and radio play. They were not being played on any radio stations for weeks at a time. Two fans states: " All these radio stations pretend to support them, but they wont play them. We've called and asked, and they wont". They went from being "the girls next door", to "the ditsy twits" in a matter of months. But what surprosed me most was how someone could go so far, and write a death threat to Natalie. I never knew something a celebrity said, could make someone threaten such a harsh action. And the fact that the girls continued to play, on the day that they were threated to be shot, is just so brave. I find their journey of this incident so inspiring, and im sure many others feel the same way. They are now known as mothers, wives,entertainers, and polital heroes.

In additon,Kanye west and Pink also used their power of stardom to also make a politcal statement. In pinks hit song " Dear mr.president", she speaks her opinion on the ways president bush has dealt with the recent problems that have occured. In one part of her song she says" how do you walk with your head held high". This is one of many lyrcis that pink is implying that the actions he has taken are not someing to be proud of. I feel that pink is a person that i, and others can look up to. Just like the dixie chicks, she was not afraid to speak her voice and use her power to make an impact on the country. Although her song was not as powerful as the Dixie chicks statement, it does show that freedom of speech is something that we need to be proud of and not hide. Now on the other hand, Kanye wests rant, was a little less inspireing than that of pink and the dixie chicks. While contributeing to a Hurricane Katrina telethon, Kanye stated a very off topic accusation. In the middle of the telethon Kanye blurted "George Bush doesnt care about black people", and was quickley cut off. This kind of assumption is a very big deal, and is not something you should say without having reasoning. After Kanyes comment, many people began questioning if president bush really did not care about black people. Statistics said that 62 percentsay he does care about black people, and 31 people say he does not. But in reading these stats, you must think of the audience. It is quite clear that the 62 percent is mostly white people, and the other 31 percent mostly black. I am sure that the people of color tend to notice these things more then others. Which is probably why Kanye siad this comment, because he seeks the amount of attention that black people get, in contrast to the white.

Overall, i think that the reactions to each of these incidents was look at differently, in the case of timing. The dixie chicks stated their opinion before many accusations were placed against george bush. Which overal, makes a large impact on the way americans feel about him. Both pink and kanye said their statements after Bush's popularity had dropped, which was most likley the reason that the incidents were treated differenty, and taken to different levels of importance.

A clip of the Award winning documentary "Shut Up And Sing". This documentary follows the Dixie Chicks throughout their battle against America.

"Dixie Chicks". No Date. Online Image. FlapsBlog. 23 Dec. 2007

Harajuku girls

We all know there has been alot of conflict surrounding Gwen Stefani and the Harajuku girls. Many qyestssion whether Gwen is using the Harajuku girls to adapt Japanese culture to fit into North American culture, or exploiting these girls for her own commercial gain. But before you decide your opinion on the subject, i believe you must do your research. Before coming to my conclusion, my fist question was, what exactly is a real Harajuku girl?

A harajuku girl is a term to describe young teens in harajuku, tokyo, who wear a style of clothing originated in the street culture of major cities in japan. Harajuku girls shop in a high fashion area near harajuku station in tokyo. They are usualy seen walking the streets in various styles such as gothic lolita,Decora,or ganguro.

Now before reading this, you may have known the Harajuku girls as the four porcelain faced japanese girls in Gwen Stefanis "entourage". The Harajuku girls were hired in 2004, in efforts to promote gwens first solo album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby", which were the nicknames of the four asian backupdancers. They are known for their blank expressisons, zombie like poses, and in synch outburts of giggleing.On MTV's TRL, gwen said that she does not like talking about the girls because they are in fact a manisfestation of her imaginataion. Basically stateting, that they do not exist. This is apparently the reasoning behind why the four girls are always mindlessly following Gwens footsteps. But this is no excuse. Gwen is only using the Harajuku girls as her fashion accessories to catch the attention that she has been looking for. Although she has went out there, and tried something new, it has started more conflict then ever before. The way she has portrayed the Harajuju girls has given eevryone the idea that all people of japanese culture are like them. Many people of asian descent argue that" Gwen has taken a foreigh culture and regurgitated it as a form that is offensive to some who are japanese". What she has done with these girls is reinforce the stereotypes of japanese woman. To understand what these people feel, you must put yourself in their shoes. Picture yourself seeing an american music video with 4 canadian girls dancing around gwen stefani, wearing parkas and making maple syrup. Im sure you would not be too impressed either.

Now dont get me wrong, i am not saying that it was Gwens intention to be offensive, or that she is necessarily rascist. I just believe she did not think the entire situation through. I think you must understand a culture before you use it as your own. I have no doubt that she does not admire the harajuku or japanese culture, just that she was unaware that she may be offending the culture she admires. Its up to you, did Gwen really take the time to learn japanese culture?Or was it just to promote and build her image?

If you watch the video, you notice her saying "Gwen named me Angel.." With her saying this, it makes it sound like Angel is one of Gwens pets. Its like Gwen just got a new puppy for chirstmas, and names it whatever she wishes. Also, at the beginning of the video you notice that it is like Angel is completely admitting to be a figment of Gwens imagination.

"Gwen Stefani and Harajuku Girls." No Date. Online image. Nitrolicious. 13 Oct. 2007

Knight, Magda. Harajuku Girls - the heart of modern Japanese fashion. No Date. 13 Oct. 2007

Nugraha, Wihadrahitya. Harajuku Girls. 29 April. 2007. 13 Oct.2007