After reading Glamourous' new post about the Borden murders and how the murderer(s)? conversed their plans over sites like myspace and xanga, I felt that the poll needed to be counted. Check out Glam's post: Myspace, The Small World Phenomenon, and Kara Beth Borden

Anyway, I thank everyone who voted. This issue is near and dear to my heart (since my own old high school is trying to figure this dilemma out)High School on the Forefront of the Blogging Dilemma

Ever watch "Deep Impact" or "Armageddon"? Well it is quite possible that such a senario could happen for real. (Not the whole part with Bruce Willis saving the world by blowing up an enormous asteroid). Rob Cowen of Science News writes about a new hypothesis on preventing extinction via asteroid.
There are teams of scientists devoted to tracking the thousands of asteroids that come within the radius of Earth and figure out ways of preventing a real armageddon. Many large asteroids come dangerously close to Earth's orbit, some the size that could possibly wipe out the whole planet (like the dinosaurs all over again). But two scientists may have found a solution.

No, Afghanistan hasn't magically disappeared forever into nothingness (although to American media it apparently has.) A refresher for everyone: Afghanistan was the first, the original war on terror before the whole Iraq mess happened. So, what's happening? Everything is unravelling at America's feet. The drug trade is even bigger since the fighting started. Over half of Afghanistan's economy is the drug trade in opiates.

I was recently invited to a dinner by my head of school along with some of my high school (Oakwood Friends School) classmates in the area. The head of school had heard about Web of Influence and asked for my opinion on a matter of blogging. He described to me that a student had posted a picture and a comment that bad for the school's reputation. The kid was shown smoking a bong and saying, "They don't call it Dopewood for nothin'!"

I just read an article about how U.S. Newspapers are going to publish manga style comics instead of the regular american style strips. Goodbye Garfield, hello Van Von Hunter!
So, what's the reasoning behind all of this?? Newspapers are really losing younger readers and need to get their numbers up. So why not use comics that our generation already reads? Kids nowadays watch Pokemon and Yugi-Oh! not Looney toones or even Spiderman. Newspapers are now starting to catch up and reflect the times. Kids are used to and want edgier, darker comics. Don't get me wrong- they're still funny, just in a dark and action packed kind of way.

After lantern night (which rocked my socks! It was so amazing!!) my customs group went back to drink hot cocoa and fatten up on cupcakes, sweets and whatnot. We stayed with our lanterns till they snuffed themselves out one by one. (We named it the lantern snuff out contest). Traditionally, the first lantern to snuff out is the first to get married. The last lantern to snuff out is going to get their PhD first.

The party was fun on saturday (helped by the fact that it actually had MEN there!) but there was something that really disturbed me a lot. I was dancing with some guy at Radnor when I heard this choking noise in the corner. I was looking for where the noise was coming from but the guy I was dancing with kept trying to keep me distracted. He told me not to worry about it, but the noise disturbed me. Something was wrong, really wrong.

Students from 12 countries and 20 universities in europe launched a rocket on thursday that will orbit the earth around the poles. The students designed, built and launched the rocket themselves! The rocket is the size of a washing machine and was launched from a base in Russia. The rocket is called S.S.E.T.I Express, and will take pictures while in orbit. Check out the awesome site!

I was reading about Avian Flu and how fast and deadly it is. The paranoia about it is like an epidemic. Especially now that the SWISS Pharmacy company Roche created Tamiflu (which is not much different than the influenza treatment Relenza- which has been on the market for years). Joe Blog (from Joe Blog's World) says,"the current deadly H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus are the frontline Tamiflu, and the Relenza. However although the pharmaceutical company Roche has in place its own pandemic emergency plan to make sure the “essential workers” are protected and production is maintained, while no doubt making incredible profits for its shareholders and possibly future high bonus payouts for the directors, the company refuses to allow other companies or Generics companies to freely make versions of its patent Tamiflu in the interest of human health."

Reading Judge Hatchet's blog... "Where do Little Girls Learn How to Dress?" Are we all getting too old? Has 18 become middle age in our culture? Think about it. How many bands are there that are over 30? 25? Now compare that to how many "musicians" (pop stars) are under 20. Believe me, it's a helluva lot more. The ideals of our society are turning our generation (and younger generations) into a vain and jaded collective. I feel that I have crossed into the realm of "old"

I've been going to the movies recently and have noticed a strange coincidence going on. A variation on a theme if you will. (NO, I'm not talking about all those goddamn sequels that seem to get worse and worse each year.) I'm talking about the land of Africa. Yes, you heard it right, Africa. It's that continent that didn't really exist for awhile, at least for most americans. We like to put the ugliness of things like the genocide, deadly diseases, and ongoing social strife out of our news. That's so we can focus more on the important things in life like oil, Bush being stupid, and um... more oil! Yeah.

I was reading Shutterbug's post, when I realized that my home isn't really where I grew up anymore. I catch myself calling Bryn Mawr "home" instead of where I was raised in New York. I feel like a guest in my own home. I guess because everything is orderly from my mother rearranging all my things in a neat fashion. (Unlike when I live in it- the room ends up looking like a disaster zone.) It feels like a strange vacation, my hotel room and base of operations in the strange land called Poughkeepsie.

I was awakened by a cold breeze blowing through my window, the cold air freezing my uncovered toes. I guess I forgot to close the window last night. I had been dreaming of night creatures fluttering around my head. Must have been the shades of my window flapping in the wind.

Wearily, I got out of bed, dressed and put on my chuck taylors. I slung my backpack over my shoulder, a burden made heavier by all those modern things. It reminds me of a Bjork song, but today... I want to feel the solitude of the morning.

Whatever happened to Rove?? This slimy man of mystery has yet again eluded the main stream media. I am sick to my stomach reading over Rove's rap sheet. This guy is pure political scum in my opinion. He's been pulling the political strings for both puppet Bush Brothers, an apprentice to 'Segretti'- Nixon's campaign advisor (who spent six months in jail for illegal campaigning). For more dirt check out an old site: Counterpunch.org

Check out this blogging site, Drawn! It's all about illustration, comic, anime whatever floats yer boat.
You can post your own art too and get it critiqued by others (I also heard a rumor that Neil Gaiman, author of THE SANDMAN series occasionally checks up on Drawn! Neil has his own personal journal you can check out too.)
So check it out and get inspired!

Drawn! The Illustration Blog

I read the first two chapters (Derek M. Powazek and Rebecca Blood) and found them interesting, especially since I am new to this whole blogging business. Powazek is a reformed blog hater (I guess a blog hater is a "bloggist"?) and talks about wrestling with giving in to the trend. Blood talks about the history of blogging, from the yesterdays of the fanatics in html speak to the today of access for everyone. I find it interesting to note that both writers (or dare I say it, 'bloggers!') talk about this popularity trend in differing lights.
Powazek makes the trend into a kind of love/hate relationship. He did not want to follow the trend, yet he was insatiably curious about what so many people were doing online. The trend became the reason why he started blogging. But it was also the reason why he hated blogging so much.

The communities I live in are created around the people I work/play/love/create/be with. The people you hang with whether it's by blood or by the things you have in common (or don't!) is your community.

Is the virtual "community" something that can really exist? Maybe I'm old fashioned but... I don't know. I've never been a part of an online community, ever. That's why I'm taking the blogging seminar. What makes these virtual blogs a community?

Community for me also means people that you rely on socially, emotionally, and even economically. Everyone works for the good of the community because by helping the community- you help yourself (just in a broader sense). Somehow, I don't see that happening online. You don't have the same relationship when you're behind the technology barrier. Virtual community can't compare to the real thing.