Around the world in 300 words or less

Maybe this post is incorrectly titled. Summer has been here, but now it's here for the few students who were brave/carzy enough to enroll in summer school. That's probably too long for a title though.

It's been a semester of fun, well for me at least. I enjoy writing reviews and giving my opinion, though I'm sure some don't want it, but it's not as easy as it looks.

It takes a lot to review a subject. I've done other reviews before for student publications, but I didn't have any idea the amount of depth that actually needed to go into a piece. Not only must you review a piece based on what it is as you watch it, but you have to look deeper into it's influences, background, the artist's history, and the list goes on.

I didn't sign up for this, I thought. But indeed I did---as my counselor pointed out on my schedule. My first reaction to the class was it would be a breeze. How hard could it be to review a couple of movies or books or concerts right? Ha! Yea, it was hard, but it was also engaging. It challenged me to really think about what I was doing. Not just give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down or, in some cases, a different finger.

I also learned that reviewing also has to do culture. Critics take the art that is produced and examine the culture around them based on the art and the popularity. It's amazing. Critics shouldn't have a degree in journalism, they really need a degree in sociology. It's all about examining people, not just flipping on your favorite television show and telling the world how you feel about it.

It began with the novel concept: Life through the eyes of a female sports jounalist. That is, unless you were one of the ten people who watched Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night. Other female journalists have been done, as shown in Murphy Brown and Sex in the City, so why not, right? But season two of My Boys (Thursdays 8:30, TBS) didn't quite crack off the bat as fans would have expected.

Season one ended with a cliff hanger regarding who PJ, Jordana Spiro, would take with her on the romantic trip to Italy. Season two opened with the same scene, but elongated, to find out that she took buddy and fellow sports reporter Bobby, Kyle Howard. Some would say the plot thickens with this revelation, but it's hopes are fouled off as her friend Stephanie, Kellee Stewart, breaks up with Lance, whom we never see, at the beginning of the trip. 

We all have to admit that it was a let down to see Bobby sitting in first class with PJ. You knew nothing was going to happen from the beginning and it made the episode almost predictable and disappointing. The only twist and turn to this worm burner of a hit was the rest of the gang being barred from Crowley's, their local hangout, after a sexcapade involving one of the boys and the waitress.

Alas, though PJ saves the day, as we all knew she would, and the gang is back in Crowley's by the end of the episode pounding some pints. 

The original serial show has closed the door at the beginning of the second season. They left no room for continuing story lines, with the exception of PJ's lust for Bobby, and struck out in the developing of what could have been a high profile season.       

Food is a favorite past-time of mine. By looking at me you probably wouldn't have guessed that, but I love food. I love the taste of food, I love the smell of food and I love cooking food. My grandma is an excellent cook and so is my dad, so I grew up around homecooked meals and learning how to experiment with dishes. I was constantly in the kitchen helping with the cooking, but usually no where to be found when it came to doing the dishes.

Asking me about my favorite dish is like asking people what they like about breathing. I can name a hundred of dishes I don't like. Beef and rice casserole melted together with mozzarella cheese, for example, looks like sludge on a plate. Now I like rice and I like beef, but the mixture of the two gives a texture only to be described as eating a slimy hamburger invaded by the Chinese. 

My mom used to make that dish for supper once a week. My sister, dad and grandma all loved it. I had to drown it out with AuGratin potatoes and as much milk as my stomach could handle. 

Other dishes on my list of things not to eat even if you're homeless would have to be my aunt's homemade noodles. She got the recipe from my grandma, who makes the best noodle in the world. I'm upset that I only get to eat them twice a year, Christmas and Easter, but she passed her family famous recipe on to me so now I can make them whenever.

My grandma's noodles are fantastic. The noodles are boiled in chicken broth with yellow food coloring and have a thick rich texture. Now my aunt's, on the other hand, aren't. Sure they're boiled and made with eggs and flour like most noodles. They're thick and have the same texture, but they taste like plaster. Not to mention look like it too. They're not yellow and inviting, they're white and would best serve to cast broken appendages. I was 7 when I tried them for the first time and threw up immediately after eating them. 

I tried feeding some to the dog and he looked at me like I was from outerspace. I can still smell the methane gas type aroma to these noodles. Whenever she asks if she's making the noodles for holiday's I shout "No!" from where ever I am in the house. It's like I have a sonar for bad ideas.

If I had to choose, my grandma's noodles would be poking it's head above of the top 5. But I can't say my grandma's noodles are my favorite dish because that wouldn't be fair to any of the other dishes I enjoy on a regular basis. Foods have feelings too.     

The boom of citizen journalists has undoubtedly created problems for professional journalists, for example the Drudge Report broke the Clinton sex scandal in the late 90's, which was arguably the start for American citizen journalism.

Citizen journalism does have its place in the grand scheme of news gathering. Blogs such as SaudiJeans.org and TheMuslimWoman.org, give you a side of these cultures that you normally don't hear about in mainstream media.

Various blogs in China and Myanmar, which are condemned and bloggers generally tortured or put to death, give you a non-filtered look at the culture. Globalvoicesonline.org is a community in which bloggers are given much anonymity through hiding of IP addresses and the identity of the blogger. Here you can find views that the political climate of such places won't allow you to see.

However, citizen journalism does have its downfalls. FlixPulse.com is an online movie review site that's taken straight from the mouths of babes, as it were. They use twitter technology, which is online text messaging of sorts, and get the reviews from everyday people. What's wrong with that you ask? No real critical analysis.  

Here they have three different critiques: good, bad and indifferent. A critic and a good review shouldn't have indifferent as a choice. One of the indifferent posts by auntjoemima was "just watched The Strangers. not as scary as Robb threatening me with snakes. also sort of boring?" Well, if I knew Robb this might actually be worthwhile, but thanks for at least giving me a–well thanks.

Even the good reviews seem to lack analysis of any sort. Cwebbtech said "Went to the new Indiana Jones movie tonite. Some really cool stuff in there!" Great! Like what? They just lack anything substantial.

Professional critics at least put some thought into what they're reviewing, which makes me more likely to trust a review by them than auntjoemima.

Voice: the primary speech element in opinion writing. Style: words or phrases and techniques used to shape a particular voice. Influences: publications or people who help shape these elements in your own writing. Webster: 1. a dictionary that will give you more accurate definitions not used in this post. 2. an Emmanuel Lewis character in the 80's.  

I can't particularly say I run to any one publication when looking for a review. Though I do enjoy Roger Ebert and value his opinion over most, I can't say he's my primary influence in my writing style. I delved more into screen writing and novels when I was finding my voice as a writer in general. I would have to say I enjoy Mel Brooks, Dave Barry, Kevin Smith and Nick Hornby's styles of writing. 

I enjoy the humorous over the dry narrative, such as Barry's "Dave Barry is not taking this sitting down!" and his weekly Miami Herald column or Brooks' cultural relevence when it comes to stereotypes and society, as in "Blazing Saddles" and "History of the World Part 1." 

I feel as though the humorous tends to get the point across better; sarcasm is a definite plus, but goofy wit is also appreciated. It draws the reader in without telling them "Hey, you need to read this!" and hitting them over the head with a rolled up newspaper. It calls attention to details that might otherwise be missed, but portrays them with a universal language in which all readers will understand. It doesn't have to be nasty, just well written and opinion formed.

Humor brings more of a conversation to a particular piece, otherwise you're just reading a dry high school level novel in about 600 words in the New York Times.  

So, you've seen my views on world blogs, you've seen a little of my reporting but who am I? What credentials do I have that would even matter to you as to why you should read and hear what I have to say?

Some are probably thinking, "Does that really matter?"; "Should I care to know more about you?" The answer: Probably not, but I'm giving it to you anyway. Mostly because I'm a narcissist and it's a requirement for the class you're going to hear about now.

This class is "Writing Reviews of Art and Culture" at Columbia College Chicago. It's a summer course taught by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates in which we read, analyze, critique and write reviews in certain genres such as film, books, theater, art, music and the idiot box–I mean television.

A little background on me and these different genres. For different college publications I have done book reviews, movie reviews and stand-up comedy reviews. Those are my genres of choice. Namely because I feel I have a decent amount of understanding in each of these genres.

I also run my own online magazine called Comedy Corner Magazine (shameless plug: new issue June 1st). This magazine offers things such as reviews on stand-up, sketch and imrov comedy.

Comedy is my favorite genre to cover because it's real. It's live shows at its best because there is little to no scripting involved and audience participation is encouraged, unlike live theatre or poetry slams.

The audience participation brings in a little bit of an "X-factor" to the show because it can be unpredictable at times. And from a critical stand-point it gives you more of an idea of what the comic is capable of, if he/she's cool under pressure and what their true sense of humor is like. Hecklers can be a comics best friend or worst enemy, but either way their a valuable tool for the critic to evaluate accurately a comic other than his/her prepared set-list and jokes.

A good comic is prepared for anything and can use it in his/her favor such as Denis Leary, Bill Cosby or Jerry Seinfield. A bad comic loses composure and lets the audience member take over the performance, such as in the case of Michael Richards at the Improv in California last year. Although, the audience member probably deserved it, it was still the signs of a bad night and a bad performer.

The genre is difficult to evaluate because it's humor and humor is subjective. However, just because you didn't laugh at the joke as a critic, that doesn't mean the joke wasn't well-written, delivered and recieved. It just makes it challenge to throw out personal bias and accurately critique the performer.

Then again, that's why I enjoy comedy. Every aspect of the genre is a challenge from being an audience member to being the performer yourself. Rarely is there a dull moment.

That's a little about me and the genre I enjoy. That wasn't so bad was it?  

So the YouTube video was rejected due to the wrong file type. Which I don't understand because it was a Quicktime file, *.mov, but here's the video uploaded to Vox. The videos on this site don't upload correctly for some reason (the video is locked in the upper lefthand side), but it's the best I have at the moment.

The Middle East and China aren't the only countries with repressed bloggers. Latin America is just as bad, let by President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez has cracked down on security over the internet and according to Bill Flinn, http://wflinn.blogspot.com. He's an American teaching in Venezuela, but he's afraid to post anything opposing the government for fear of deportation. (See my previous blog about Flinn)

However, not all citizens are afraid of Chavez or his threat of deportation. The Caracas Chronicles, speaks about the political climate openly. Though he doesn't always speak against the government, he still blogs about politics openly.

Other bloggers have followed suit to the Chronicles and are politically posting. http://liberal-venezolano.net/blog/. Speaks out against Chavez and his politics in Spanish! Though I don't read Spanish, his headlines are enough of an indication of what he blogs about. Talk about being gutsy in an oppressive society, he blogs in his native language!

Cuba also speaks out against it's political climate. Although Castro isn't acting leader, he still makes decisions and blogging in such a dictatorship is dangerous. However, some bloggers still post on the impact of America in Cuba. At http://cubantriangle.blogspot.com/,  they speak of politics in Cuba, the upcoming elections and the impact of neighboring communities to Cuba.

Those blogs are only the tip of the iceberg. Throughout Latin America citizens are now voicing their opinions openly, however, they run the risk of reprecussions due to not being free to do so. You can check out more Latin American blogs at the blog for recommended blogs http://www.hacer.org/latinblogs.php.

Blogs, of course, have been a tool used by citizens throughout the world to report the news that isn't being covered by the media. However, adults aren't the only people blogging.

Youth blogs have been found throughout the world and are definitely making waves through cyberspace. Also, blogs from the younger generation aren't just on gossip and fashion; some involve political slants and news.

On a blog in mideastyouth a young person reports on an article in the UK. Since the blog is based on the middle east it features the article stating that Saudi women should be able to drive alone by the end of the year. The blogger also notes that a woman was arrested for a DWW, Driving While a Woman, but hopes that that will change by the end of the year.

As you may have guessed though, some youth bloggers do blog about gossip. In a blog at http://www.fadedyouthblog.com/17540/did-tyra-tell-britney-to-go-kill-herself/ it talks about the latest gossip in Hollywood. Apparantly, Tyra Banks allegedly told Britney Spears to "kill herself." The blog chastises Tyra for her words choices.

Another blog at http://snagwiremedia.com/wickedyouth/ talks about different celebrity gossip around the United States. I'm no detective, but I'm seeing a pattern here with some American bloggers.

To transition from the gossip columns we move into gay pride. Teens have started posting blogs about being a homosexual and what it means to be a teen. While some blogs aren't as profound as others, it provides a more open view into a teenagers mind. Check it out at  http://www.queerattitude.com/blogs/.

While the youth may not quite be revolutionary yet, it's definitely headed in the right direction. They're learning to speak their mind and give their voices out to the community. Of course, different teens in different countries have alternative means of voicing opinions, but they all have one thing in common: They want to be heard.