Week 5: Better Late Than Never

So, just when you thought you were going to skip out on the blog for the week(end). I give you the ever erudite George F. Will.

The story can be found here. Don't forget the 2nd page - you'll have to click on it at the bottom to complete the argument.

So -- what do we make of "nudging"? What's Will trying to say in this piece? I have some ideas, but I want to hear what you say, of course. That's one reason why we do this blog -- to see what you make out of these sorts of things.

George F. Will probably has more education than all 26 of us put together. He's a ridiculously educated man. But I want to know -- is he RIGHT? What do you think of the practice of 'nudging' as Will describes it? Is nudging the same thing as manipulation? Why or why not? You have at least 300 words to state your case. Due Monday. Late Monday.

Enjoy, folks.

-- MP

Week 4: Censorship and the Blogosphere

Our merry travels through the internet world and responding to readings continues with this little ditty from The Washington Post's Ombudsman.

The link can be found here.

I'm assuming you know what an ombudsman is. If you don't, look it up.

So, this begs several questions: what is censorship in today's world, and what is revision? In this instant-gratification society of ours, how are we to deal with the rewriting of history? Where are we headed in regards to publishing an opinion that may or may not be popular with the public?

Are we working our way into Orwellian territory? (George Orwell's 1984 has proven somewhat prescient on the ideas of censorship and history, and rewriting it. Commenting on this novel wouldn't hurt, if you know it, and I'm assuming most of you have read it in high school.)

You can then take this to other extensions in other fields: how do you know if the photograph you've just witnessed is doctored or not? (I remember something about Condoleeza Rice - if I can find it, I will post it...) How are we to know what is the truth in today's CTL+ALT+DEL society? Where is the spin coming from in our information, and who is responsible in the field of "journalism" (I use the term VERY loosely) today?

This is the jumping off point - if you have any ideas that pertain to this discussion, or leap off into the great unknown with these as the starting points - feel free to glom on them, to the tune of 300 words.

Kim, I know you're having issues logging in; we'll figure it out (or I'll just send you a new invitation to a different email account).

These are due Monday at NOON - we've got a whole week to get this done (remember, your rough drafts for Paper #1 are due this Friday)...

Enjoy,

MP

Week 3: California, Here We Come

Here's a different turn from what we've been looking at. As far as the American economy goes, there is one gaping hole that rises above (sinks below?) all others when it comes to state budgets:

California.

I'm going to post a few articles about the problems CA has, and ask you to comment on these three short pieces.

The first - from the New York Times - can be found here.

The second - from Business Insider.com - has an interesting plan. Find it here.

The third - from UK website The Guardian - is the longest. It can be found here.

Three interesting opinions.

So, what say you? Should we get used to the idea of not having 50 stars on our flag anymore? Which, if any, of these ideas would you support? Or are we simply overreacting to an immediate, short term problem? Put forth your opinions and ideas in 300 words or so.

I know, I'm posting this late, but I won't be looking for this to be completed until Monday morning, so you've still got some time. My apologies for the lateness of the post -- schedules suck right now -- but I have next week's article lined up, so there won't be a huge transition next time.

Until then...good hunting.

MP

Week 2: Umberto Eco's "The Roots of Conflict"

Well, this isn't the post I threatened you with last week. But it may be a lead-in of sorts.

Meet Umberto Eco, essayist and writer and thinker. He's probably smarter than all of us put together. And he's got some interesting things to say about, well, things.

This essay was written just after September 11 (you'll find it referenced here). I want you to read this essay - it exemplifies academic writing - and find one or two items to agree or disagree with.

Keep in mind the following questions: What is Eco's purpose of this essay? What is his position? Is he able to follow through on his purpose? These questions should be able to lead you to comment on this essay, as I believe there are many threads in this essay we could discuss.

I'm hoping to have two articles for you to read next week - one from two different sides to a given topic, probably about something in the social realm. Like you, I'm wanting to get away from politics a little bit next week. In the meantime, enjoy!

-- Mr. P