Al Gore A Sense of Humor and an Oscar???

So Al Gore can't exactly win a Presidency but apparently he can win an Oscar and has a sense of humor. On the Wonkette.com they have a blurb entitled "Al Gore Wins Oscar, Promptly Agrees to Star in 'Snow Dogs 2: An Inconvenient Pooch.'" Heres a clip of him at the Oscars looking studly next to Leo...oh and he's actually kind of funny...

While the rumors of Gore taking another stab at becoming President don't appear to be true, it would be quite interesting to see what the impact of his movie making would be on his campaign. Perhaps it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to have a President that was fully aware and brought attention to the matter of global warming. I don't exactly want to be living underwater in a few years.

Other interesting fact from the Wonkette.com: According to the Sunday's Washington Post Al Gore has been our coolest Ex-Vice President ever. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/24/AR2007022401586.html

According to Fox...

Today on the Wonkette.com there was an entry about Fox New's constantly updated list of "Fallen Heroes" i.e. Americans who have died in Iraq. According to the list there hasn't been an American death in Iraq since December 31st. That's pretty impressive since the number of American deaths since the war began is over 2,500 and 821 in the past year.

When you put that number in relation to people you know it sure as hell is a lot. Hopefully the number will stay low for the oncoming year while the government tries to actually decide on a plan of action...

Grey's Gab Gallery

When asked to check out a forum I decided since it is Thursday and I've been in suspense all week I might as well check out a forum on Grey's Anatomy.

The forum off of televisionwithoutpity.com has frustrated me in a number of ways. First off, when talking about speculation for upcoming episodes they are all discussing a main character being killed off- which as of now is looking like Mer since she is in an afterlife scene with the Bomb guy, and Denny. However, it's obvious the death can't be Meredith because- she's "Grey" and it is well, "Grey's Anatomy" which I know is a total play on the real Gray's Anatomy but still that's way too drastic for the show. Look at what happened when The OC killed off Misha Barton aka- "Coop"- the show most definitely died with her.

The people of the forum are looking towards Izzy to die which- excuse me- is not happening I've really started to like Izzy and she just got out of her only watching as an intern experience. She's finally back in action and they are going to kill her? No Way

"Shonda has a habit of making us swing from loving to hating a character and back again. Izzy has been quite unlikable lately. How quickly would people's attitudes turn around if suddenly she was dead. An added benefit to this scenario would be the guilt that Bailey would have for selecting Izzy over Cristina to be the fifth person on the ambulance. Not to mention the clinic that would be left behind as a constant reminder of her time at Seattle Grace."

How dare they say Izzy has been quite "unlikeable" what show have you been watching because I'm pretty sure the girl just drilled 5 holes in some guys head with a drill and saved his life- unlikeable- more like unbelievable.

The other thing I have to attack these "Grey's Gossip" people on is their hate of McDreamy. One- how could you hate those amazing blue eyes and two- HOW COULD YOU HATE THOSE AMAZING BLUE EYES??

"My friend and I were talking and, as much as we would loathe this, as we are Team Addison Away From McDouche, we just have this... feeling that Addison and Derek are gonna hit the sheets again. We don't know when or why but we can both see it happening. ::ducks::"

"Eeew no!!! Anything but that. I'd even listen to Izzie pontificating for a month just as long as they don't bring McAsshat anywhere near Addy. No no no, it can't be... *Excuse me, in my horror I feel I need to barf*"

McDouche and McAsshat? I think not- He will forever be McDreamy to me.
Also I forsee Addison and Alex getting together- not a reunion of the divorsees.

MySpace...a Political Rally?

Recently on the Wonkette.com there was a post about the amount of friends the future Presidential candidates have on Myspace.

I have to say their description of Myspace does seem quite adequate...

MySpace is a wonderful social networking phenomenon in which millions of retarded people regular Americans have their own atrocious blinking-ad-covered websites, each visually horrific “home page” bleating out some awful pop music and tagged with the illiterate gibberish comments (or cut-and-pasted rap lyrics) and half-naked cam-phone pictures of America’s fattest teens. It’s a place where born-again illiterate Jesus freaks, tattooed and pierced illiterate suburban kids, fake gangsta illiterate urban youth, orange-skinned horse-faced illiterate high-school dropout gals who aspire to celebrity sluthood or a career in the Army, violent illiterate psychopathic “Juggalos” and a bedeviled minority of depressed semi-literate goth & emo teens in the Midwest all come together to show us what the United States will be like once the current crop of old people dies off.

It's also quite humorous to wonder if they are right about Presidential Races being decided on myspace, however..

If the Wonkette is correct and the next Presidential election will be held on a count of how many MySpace friends one has...I don't think any of the Political Elite will win...

It's no surprise who our next President would be...

Let's Stop Mowin their Damn Lawn Already!

Top Story on Wonkette.com (I'd make a link but my computer hates me and won't give me that button on the blog) is
"Iraq Keeps Shooting Us, We'll Stop Mowing Their Lawn: Great Moments in House Rhetoric"

This article comments on a beautiful analogy made by Florida Republican Ric Keller who was infact speaking in the favor of the Democratic Iraq withdrawl plan.

"Let me give you an analogy. Imagine your next door neighbor refuses to mow his lawn and the weeds are all the way up to his waist. You decide you’re going to mow his lawn for him every single week. The neighbor never says thank you. He hates you and sometimes he takes out a gun and shoots at you.

Under these circumstances, do you keep mowing his lawn forever? Do you send even more of your family members over to mow his lawn? Or do you say to that neighbor, ‘You better step it up and mow your own lawn or there’s going to be serious consequences for you’?"

While this analogy obviously has a few kinks in it he actually does have a point. But what kind of "serious consequences" does he have in mind?


Heres the link to the Wonkette Blog: http://wonkette.com/politics/ric-keller/if-iraq-keeps-shooting-us-well-stop-mowing-their-lawn-great-moments-in-house-rhetoric-236773.php

The Today Show has the Giggles!

So by now we all know how Tim Hardaway, the former NBA player feels about gays. But look how well the professionals on the Today Show handled their news delivery of the story...

Wow, so maybe I'll start watching the Today Show a little more!

Political Gossip-Wonkette.com

I was exploring the very popular, well established, and gossip gallery of D.C. blog, The Wonkette and I came across this hilarious entry about the dumb things rich snobby people say.

My favorite has to be the one who thinks she's being asked about "a rack" as in "titties" instead of what is going on in Iraq. What a trip!

Along with comical relief to governmental issues, the Wonkette is still very informative in its own satire-filled way. For example check out this entry done about a terrorist siting in Pheonix. Watch our for those superheros let me tell you!

This site is really good at poking fun at our nations capital and the people that reside within it.

I'm definitely adding the Wonkette to my bookmarking list!

Baristanet.com- The Humor from Montclair, NJ

If you’re a soccer mom in Montclair, New Jersey then perhaps baristanet.com is for you, but for anyone else in the world…this site is pointless.

The site, which was ranked #1 at Placeblogger.com, is a combination gossip/news site that allows its readers to voice an active opinion on events in their town.

The stories on the site range from local robberies to community complaints as well as trivial facts such as what to do on Valentines Day. Every story has a number of comments from the residents of Montclair, which contributes to the entertainment of the site, especially for outside viewers.

In addition to the written blogging articles on the site, there are a number of videos capturing other events and issues within the town, such as leaf blowing. In this video the correspondent, Laura Mattia, interviews everyday people that are affected by the loud disturbances caused by leaf blowing. For example, Pat Kenschaft, an elderly resident, “Wants to give leaf blowers the shaft.”

Some of the most entertaining comments found on the site are under the article of what to do on Valentines day if you’re single. For example,

7. Whether for mailing or just for yourself, write a letter for someone you deem special. Or
9. Build a dual altar shrine that represents your life, one that holds your hopes and dreams for the future the other for those things that you would like to release and let go.

The real comedy comes from the comments found after the article, most of which have just a hint of sarcasm…

Comment from Debbie Glant:
11. Shut up and make me a chicken pot pie.
And get me a beer.


Comment from It ain't "lovelorn" it's freedom:


how about something healthy? while others are indulging in fattening cakes and chocolates, why not whip up a tasty vinegar dip and enjoy some farm fresh vegetables: carrots, celery and cauliflower.
An added treat (and the kids will really love this and "eat it up") is to dye the vegetables red with some harmless zero-calorie vegetable dye, to make Valentines Day a healthlicious holiday for your whole family.


Comment from Dawg Lover:
"make Valentines Day a healthlicious holiday for your whole family"
Screw that.
Pancakes and Bacon for Breakfast
Deep fried hot dogs (from Amazing Hot Dogs) for lunch
Champagne, Tapanade, Shellfish Stew, creme brulee and strawberries for dinner (sex optional but recommended)

This is a perfect example of conversations being provoked by blogging.
Despite our distaste and teasing of this blog, it provides a place for the local townies to communicate and become more informed about their place of residence.

Dino-farts caused Global Warming?

So I was doing my daily blog checking when I came across a link entitled "GOP: Global Warming? Dinosaur Flatulence?" on the Drudge Report (Drudge.com) http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/10/dino-flatulence/
This is what I found...

For one if this guy is a journalist...he isn't very good at doing research.
Secondly thanks to him I can't stop picturing a bunch of Dinosaurs walking around farting then acting like typical men and saying "Ohhh that was a good one"

Almost like this...

Jack Cafferty- Is Anna Nicole Still dead?

So we all heard the news on Thursday Feb. 8, that Anna Nicole Smith was pronounced dead after collasping in her Hard Rock hotel room, the news was so big it was all over every news website including CNN.com. Even the Cafferty File had something to say about it according to blog D-Listed http://dlisted.com/2007/02/12/is-anna-nicole-still-dead/

Well that's nice to know that she is still dead...I'm not sure whether to laugh, be annoyed, or wonder if this may be a huge publicity stunt...

What Is a Blog?

According to Wikipedia- which is really not the most reliable source- a blog is "A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order."

In my opinion a blog is an opportunity to voice one's opinion and share news and information that you find interesting. It enables people to express themselves and if they enable it, see what others have to say about it.

In other news, Anna Nicole Smith is dead!

The Journalistic Evolution

Over the past century technology has become more and more advanced creating a faster connection for not only our internet speed, but our means of communication. Word travels in seconds instead of minutes or days and with developments of camera phones and other technology gives people the capability to provide a visual picture or video to go along with it.

In Dan Gillmor's book We The Media he explains how these advancements have not only created a faster pace world, but has also made everyday people journalists as well. With the click of a button anyone can share their opinions by creating a blog, or commenting on someone elses blog. Word gets out fast, and if it isn't true, or has offended anyone in anyway, it will be known. As Gillmor states " modern communications have become history's greatest soapbox, gossip factory, and, in a very real sense, spreader of genuine news." This means that although there is a lot of talk going on, much of it may just be gossip however with so many voices out there the truths come out a lot faster than they used to.

As for the effects on the world of journalism, competition is at its best. Anyone with a camera and an internet connection is now a journalist making it that much harder for true, trained journalists to break new stories. For the public however, this I believe, is a good thing because journalists are being forced more and more to to put out honest information. Although the story may not be broken for the first time, established journalists are the ones who should (keyword) be the most trustworthy. Instead of beating the peanut gallery journalists now a days should be more concerned with getting the facts straight. Otherwise if they don't someone will certainly let them know they've got it wrong. In addition, to the effects on the journalistic scene, this gossip factory as Gillmor calls it also provides a constant source of leads for journalists. For example, Gillmor states a story in his book from September 2002 when Microsoft advertises a campaign called "Mac to PC: Mission Accomplished, Convert Thrilled" there were some phoney problems with the website and consumers caught hold of it and let them have it. The consumers brought out a truth which establishes a source for true journalists to grab hold of and inform the rest of the public.

So to finally answer if this change and evolution is for the good? I personally would say yes. It can bring out honesty, while enable people to voice their own opinions. We have freedom of speech in our constitution for a reason and the internet has made it that much easy for people to be heard.

Getting to know the Pro

Born on a submarine base in Graton, Connecticut, Scott Brodeur who enjoys Tai food and his mother's stuffed artichokes, is not your typical University of Massachusetts professor.

"I've hung out with Ol' Dirty Bastard, before he died" says Brodeur as he continues on to tell of the experience of letting Dirty Bastard, one of the founders of the hiphop group Wu-Tang Clan, drive his new car. "All his friend's shook their heads no when he asked."

Being a magazine writer and rock critic for sometime, Brodeur has had numerous experiences with deadlines, concerts, and stars. Now he is living in the small town of Northampton, Massachusetts, where he is an editor-in-chief of Masslive.com, father of three, and Journalism Professor at the University of Massachusetts where he teaches of the new wave of convergence.


Being a typical Massachusetts resident, Brodeur is a Red Sox fan despite his birth in Connecticut and childhood in New Jersey. He has written for magazines such as the Source, but is now focused on the internet and "trying to reinvent what journalism websites should be" said Brodeur.

Hello, I'm Courtney

I'm Courtney Souza and I am a Junior at the University of Massachusetts where I am aspiring to be a Journalist. What type of journalist is yet to be determined. I'm 20 years old and from Long Island New York, I'd say what town but you wouldn't even be able to find if it we broke out a map. I'm a small town girl.

This blog will be kept through out my experience in a Journalism Convergence class taught by Scott Brodeur who I've learned slightly about in the past hour.

Hopefully from this point on I will develop better blogging skills, and learn more about the quick shifts taking place in the world of journalism which is now becoming more of a digital storytelling.

Care to join?

Meeting the Professer

With a warm welcoming smile, and a simple acknowledgement to who I am- although this is our first meeting-Professor Scott Brodeur makes a good first impression. At the University of Massachusetts, Brodeur is making an effort to further the knowledge of college students by teaching a Journalism Convergence class at UMass. By doing so he hopes to influence and inform students of blogging and its important juxtaposition to journalism.

In addition to helping the future of American Journalism, Brodeur is a Managing Editor for Web Site Development at Advance Internet and also the Editor-in-Chief for MassLive.com. Brodeur is also an advocate of blogging as he keeps an up-to-date blog of his own entitled Blog Beat, which is listed on the MassLive website.

Brodeur appears to have a comically witty attitude as he writes about anything ranging from Sports and Music to making comments on cartoon characters like Donald Duck.

If Brodeur's class is anything like the aura of his blog then I am certainly looking forward to it.