Miss Lish

Maybe it’s because I’m cranky from little sleep and allergies, but Rathergate.com isn’t worth my time.  I do not care what Mark Kilmer is saying about politics, or whatever else he decides to dabble in.  I appreciate his opinion, witty sarcasm, and well-structured posts, but more often than not I’m in no mood to sift through the massive amounts of post littered on these websites.  I’m irritated with myself right now for having to blither on.

The Internet is all about infotainment, I figure.  For you cute little kids out there, that’s information fused together with entertainment to make the greatest thing since the snooze button.  When I’m searching around the net for something to get me through an especially soporific lecture, I like to add a little fun to my regular intake of daily information.  Is that too much to ask?  If it were just a case of words on a page, then I’d go to my grandparent’s apartment and pick up a newspaper.

But putting bitter morning syndrome aside, Rathergate.com is a good website if you’re looking to trek through paragraphs upon paragraphs of somebody else’s opinion with a bit of information.  You might even learn something.

So the year is at an end, and with all that I have learned I have realized that online journalism is the way to go.

Sure, it’s underrated and unreliable. But what else is the Internet?

With all of the technology we have today, we should be embracing it. Of course, and this should go without saying, everything written on the Internet must be read with a certain skepticism and understanding.

Just earlier today I heard about a teenage girl being beaten up by eight other teens (six girls and two guys) for the popularity of a viral video on MySpace and YouTube. I beg your pardon, but WTF? It has gone viral, and they are being charged. Good one.

Basically, I just want to know what is online Journalism is. If I take this path, am I doomed to create viral videos for thirteen-year-olds? Or will there ever be any professionalism online?

Don’t get me wrong, the Internet isn’t all bad. Personally, I couldn’t live without my broadband connection. But I do look towards the day where there could be professional journalists online, and it is just around the bend.

I bid thee a good summer, full of viral videos of nonsense that we all love, even if we cannot admit it. One day we will have our fair share of viral and professional.

Personally, one of the best feelings in the world is having the world at my finger tips. Sadly, I was a bit spoiled as a child, so the words “I know what I want, and I want it now” are not uncommon. Luckily, I have grown up in the age of the Internet. What can’t I have?

Then again, I also know the term “biting off more than you can chew” quite well. Sometimes it’s all too much, and I have to unplug, unwind, and take a break from the once welcoming screen. So besides the slight ache behind my eyes from staring at my laptop for too long, how do I know when enough is enough?

In all honesty, even after the headache I still want more. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get my fill. Whether it’s What the Buck? or checking out the Weather Channel online, there’s always something to learn.

I’m not sure how much is enough. Some people complain that reading subtitles while watching a movie is too much. Perhaps is varies. If anything is concrete, it’s that this generation, my generation, has the world at our finger tips. The only downside is that pesky headache. But hey, another perk about being in my generation is the quick fix. Say hello to Tylenol Ultra. Make that two, just in case.

Earlier this morning I was taught different techniques for researching on the Internet. Who knew there was a search engine out there that wasn’t Google? I certainly did not. With that little tidbit of information I already felt more worldly and educated. Watch me go!

For example, TheBRAIN (an online library search engine for Mohawk College students like myself). Sure, I have used it once or twice, with little success. Like most of my peers, I gave up and blamed it on the search engine because it was not my beloved Google. But after an hour class I can now proudly exclaim from the top of Mount Olympus that I know how to use TheBRAIN. A special little secret our guest speaker told us was that instead of writing “politics and ethics” we could write “politic$ and ethic$”. No, I am not just filling in “s” with a dollar sign to be cool. Apparently when I do this, any word that beings with “politic” or “ethic” (ie. politician, ethical, etc.) will be searched. Now this may not work for your favourite search engine, but I am sure that there is some similar sign, such as *.

In all honesty, that was probably the best little bit of information I got from the lecture. I was a bit busy cropping together an interview. At least I wasn’t surfing Facebook. You have to give me credit for that.

Other than that, be skeptical of what you read on the Internet. Think critically. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up and go straight back to Google. Try again. Perhaps you worded it wrong? Remember, you didn’t make up this search engine, so what you may this is a clear and concise search is really blither blather in pixelated form.

So go out into the world, my pretties. Surf the net, and all that jazz.

I have an addiction. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s something that needs to be brought to attention. Friends, family, the people I love, I am addicted to tampering with journalistic photos.

I feel better now.I know it’s wrong, and that’s why I plan to stop. We are supposed to be telling the truth, and here I am, a barrel of lies. Join with me in stopping this horrible crime, and stop mutilating those beautiful pictures! The general public doesn’t care how creative we are, or what little fantastic photos we can come up with. Sadly, we aren’t artists.

I hope you all will understand the trouble I have gone through in admitting this to you all.I am getting help at the IAMADDICTED2PHOTOSHOP7.0 clinic. They have shown me the light, and I realize now that it is only acceptable to touch-up a photo. For example, if it’s a little dark or a little light then it’s alright to fix it up. But when the picture is deterred from the truth, that is when you have strayed from the path.

This is a perfect example of photo manipulation that I will never do again. On the right side is Newsweek’s mug shot of OJ Simpson, untouched. On the left side is TIME’s mug shot of OJ Simpson, darkened. It gives a sense of evil, and emptiness. Not only does it give this feeling, but a lot of people thought TIME was implying that by being “blacker” OJ Simpson was more evil. It was an artistic move that would have been appreciated, if it wasn’t for a well-known magazine that bases itself on truth. We are storytellers, not artists.

Models get touch-ups all the time after a photo is taken for a magazine. But my friends, do not confuse advertisement with news. This does not mean I will sink back into a relapse with the excuse of it being for advertisement, so never fear. However, the difference should be known. They are only trying to sell something, and to sell sometimes things need to look better. Yes, perhaps they are lying to us, but we want perfection somewhere in our world. Why not in the products we invest so much money into?

So I leave you now, hoping that you will be assured I will not stray from my new found path. For so long I have walked that faint line of artist and storyteller, but I have seen the light and found my way. I am, for now and ever, a storyteller. I will deliver factual news to those across the globe. You can trust in me, that I will not lie to you, through my words, nor my pictures.

Thank you for caring.

http://www.godhatesamerica.com/
Possibly the most ridiculous site I have ever had the pleasure of running into.One day my roommate was looking at a Facebook Group, and one of his friends had joined a group that was against the “God Hates America” site. Curious, he found the site. We both watched a video of Pastor Phelps. You’ll find it there somewhere. I’ve only been on the site once.So in a nutshell, the belief is that the “blood bath” America is going through in their war in the Middle East is because they have sinned. They have accepted fags into their society. We are creating a “fag army” and are going to Hell for it. Among other things, but this seems to be the main focus.
Personally, I have nothing against religions. I don’t specifically believe in God, but I respect that other people have their Faith. I only expect the same in return. However, I do not believe that one popular religion gets to talk about a genocide and pretend that it’s okay because God said so. Really, what they seem to be calling for is wiping out all homosexuals.
Further more, if you’ve followed the link and glanced over the site, you will have noticed how they blame the war in Iraq on gays. It seem karma is coming back to bite us for being accepting of people. America is a horrible country and will certainly go to hell (note: considering the lack of tone in text-blogs, I would like to take the time now and let you all know that the last sentence was sarcasm).
Either way, after getting over the humorous shock of their ideas, I did feel a wave of disgust. I just thought I would share that all with you (which I’m sure are hundreds of thousands of millions (note: again, sarcasm)) and let you decide on your own. Have fun creating your own opinions.
Oh, and this is a Wikipedia post on Fred Phelps, the man behind the madness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Phelps

Hello gentle viewers,

Welcome to my blog.  More often than nought I will just be rambling on about certain thoughts, views, things that are happening, or nothing at all in particular.

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