quote

"There is no doubt that the storyteller, gets to decide who is “good” and who is “bad.” The storyteller does this through showing the motivation of whichever side they want. Yes, there are situations in which one party’s motivations are evil, therefore good and bad can not be mistaken. However, there are many issues in today’s world where the lines between “good” and “bad” are not as clear and the media decides for the population."



We discussed the final line of this in class today. It was my conclusion. But I have realized I need to tie Firefly into my actual conclusion. I am thinking with some editing this could be a good adition to the end of my conclusion.

issues with my paper

I am using Firefly to show how when you gets to see the other side of a story your option on the subject at hand may change. I am emphasizing that the media makes to many decisions for the American public. I think that it is pretty to easy to sound insane when speaking about how you are suspect of the media. So I would have to say that my main issue right now is that I am struggling with the balance of sounding passionate and sounding like a raving maniac. At one point in the paper I say, "there are many issues in today’s world where the lines between “good” and “bad” are not as clear and the media decides for the population." I need to get this point across in a non insulting manor, considering that the audience of this paper is the same people that I am claiming have their minds made up by the media.

To add to the matter I am using conflict in the Middle-East as my example of how seeing the other side is important. I am a little worried that peoples' initial reactions and opinions will get in the way of actually hearing my message. I need to form an argument in a way that is not too subtle that my point does not get across, but not so strong that it turns people away.

WB post 3

The New York Times featured an article today, "Democrats Are Optimistic That Public Option Will Be Approved" which is about how the Democrats are feeling about the possibility a public option in health care passing. The article explains that this bill may be the seed of a government run health insurance option. The first specific person this article mentions is the republican Senator John McCain, who says that he believes the bill will pass, citing that he believes that the democratic party should have enough votes in Congress for the bill to pass. The article continues to explain that many of the Democrats believe that this bill can pass because of the majority that the left holds in Congress. The article then explains that one issue that could come into play would be if the Republican opposition to this bill used a filibuster.

The New York Times ran another story today, "For an Episcopal Parish, a Path to Catholicism" which is about how that Vatican has decided to allow Anglican priests into the Catholic Church. This doesn't seem like a big deal, however the article features a quote from an Anglican priest who says he was overcome with tears of joy when he hear the news. The article then continues to explain that the Catholic Church is allowing the Episcopal Priests to maintain many of their traditions if they come to the Catholic Church, such as allowing the priest to be married. The Catholic Church is known to be conservative and does not frequently change like this.

"Dixieland Delight"

What says classic like a number one single on the country charts of 1983? "Dixieland Delight" by the band Alabama is a country song for the ages. It is a song about a night out in the South after a hard week of work, "Worked hard all week, got a little jingle, on a Tennessee Saturday night, fits my life, oh so right, my Dixieland delight." I love it because it is campy, and still good music. It is great because I think the song is really about, living live, embracing simply things and loving it all.

I also love it because, it comes with memories for me. I was introduced to the song by one of my best friends, Dave, who I met my freshman year at the University of Wisconsin. It also holds a special place in my heart because I sang it at a karaoke bar with a high school buddy in Nashville, Tennessee. I think songs are very powerful, especially when they are tied to good memories and people you care about.

College, Vampire Slaying Princess?

What defines a fairy tale? I thought the princess had to be a helpless blonde that simply waited on someone to come save her. According to "Fear: The Princess Screamed Once" Buffy is a princess that doesn't quite fit my mold. Yes, Buffy is a pretty blonde that is most defiantly in danger, but helpless? Far from it.

The article mentions Giles' "show and tell of the Gentlemen," this part of the episode was the only part that really hit me as a fairy tale. It was like Giles was telling them something between a scary story and a fairy tale. After Giles was finished explaining what had to be done to destroy the monsters, it was clear that everyone assumed Buffy would be the one to do it.

During the whole episode "Hush," Buffy seems to be calm and in control. I was under the impression that she was single handedly going to save the day.

After reading this article I am sort of tempted to view Riley as a form of Buffy's knight in shining amour. Although Buffy does end up killing the monsters with here scream, Riley is the one to break the curse of silence. Buffy is by no means helpless, but she may need a helping hand from time to time.

Is it Art?

I like how this article talks about what someone who was just flipping through the channels would think of the episode, "Hush" from Buffy. This is sort of along the lines of what I wrote about in my first blog about the episode. I think the fact that there is minimal dialogue makes the episode very interesting for basically anyone, even if they really dislike science fiction. As I said in my first blog about that episode, I thought how I had to keep my eyes on the screen to have any idea of what was going on in the episode was very engaging. Most silent picture shows, are black and white, with a bunch of frantic movement, I enjoyed how this differed from the norm.

I also like how this article points out the foreshadowing at the beginning, Buffy sees a statue of St. Francis, patron saint of animals, those who can not speak for themselves. St. Francis is one of my favorite saints, I don't know how I missed that foreshadowing, but I thought it was interesting once the article pointed it out.

I think the comparison of "Hush" to Yellow Submarine and Sergeant Pepper is a stretch, although some science fiction may appear to have been thought up while the director was on hallucinogens, I don't think Buffy is a product of an acid trip.

Themes in "Buffy" draw from times long ago.

In the article "Grimm Realities," the author brings up that the creator of Buffy, Angel, Firefly's works are contain timeless stories. Now right of the bat I am thinking, how are a few episodes about a space cowboy timeless? However, as I read further, and saw the example that the author was giving I realize that the themes and the essential storylines of his works have been around for years.

This article brings out qualities in episodes of Buffy that are similar to those in Hansel and Gretel. Nobody can really argue that the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel aren't timeless. I then began to see what the author meant. There are certain themes and storylines that are timeless when it come to the culture of human storytelling.
This article reminds me of how in high school we read, Dante's Inferno, Heart of Darkness and then we watched Apocalypse Now. We compared the stories and it was clear that not only did they have the same themes but they all had the same structure. I thought it was very interesting how both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now were both molded after Dante's Inferno. I really enjoy seeing old stories put into modern form.

"Hush"

"Hush" is the first episode of Buffy that I have watched. It wasn't too bad actually. It mixed in humor with some serious moments, without making them too tacky. Seeing as this episode is set when Buffy is already in college, I wouldn't have understood a lot of it without the explanations the class got.
I especially liked the fact that a good bit of the episode was without talking. It put a different spin on the show which really engaged and drew me in. I actually had to pay close attention or I would have been completely lost.
I was able to get over how tacky the costums of the "Gentlemen" were. I also liked how Buffy's dream at the begining of the episode was a little scare and full of foreshadowing. As I continued to watch, the foreshadowing in the dream became clear and I understood what was going on.
I definatly would not have thought that Buffy was a show that could hold my attention, but I was wrong. Although it was a little out dated feeling, I still enjoyed it.

Must I go to Italy to find the full story?

"Some 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the December 27 - January 18 offensive, as well as 13 Israelis," is final line of a news report from Adnkronos, an Italian press agency. The article itself speaks of Israeli bombing of tunnels that lead into Gaza, stating that Israeli's claim these tunnels are used to smuggle weapons, where as the Palestinians claim it is used to smuggle much needed supplies due to the harsh Israeli blockage on Gaza.

This report says that Palestinian militants have launched more then 250 projectiles into southern Israel since the Israeli attack on Palestinians that left 1,400 Palestinians, and 13 Israelis dead. This article does not shy away from the fact that Palestinians have taken violent action, at the same time it displays that it is not necessarily unprovoked, with the death count of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli attack being so high. It appears to me that this source is trying to display the fact and motivations of both sides of the conflict. This is how I believe looking at different kinds of media sources compares to Firefly. It is not the typical show that gets the viewer on the side of the so called ''bad guy," which is precisely what Firefly does in showing the moral compass of Mal. If proper research is done, and both sides of a conflict are illuminated, one can not help but gain greater understanding of the issue at hand. No matter how you twist it, the world is one place, everyone is a citizen of the world. I totally support listening to media in the United States, I plan on becoming a journalist, and in doing so, I will contribute to the media. But I do not believe people should allow themselves to only see what one source of media has to offer, that can lead to unbalanced and uninformed opinions. The gains from looking to multiple news sources are extremely valuable.

Firefly looks at the other side, why can't we all?

What are our main sources of news? Where do we get our information? I know where I get mine, CNN is I am home in Cincinnati, and Fox News if I am visiting my Nana in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. These two news sources are dramatically different, one left, one right, they take the same reports and present 2 different stories. Seeing as how different mainstream media in the United States can be, it is even more interesting to see how different international stories are told in non-mainstream media in the states as well as by foreign media sources.

I have been investigating, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, through non-mainstream and foreign media sources, and have found that a different story is told. The organization, Jewish Voices for Peace, is a group in northern California that gathers facts and reports on these facts in a very different way then whats is commonly seen in the typical American media. BBC is the principle news source is the UK and even the way they report on the issue has a different feel to it.

I think that way that these organizations deliver their news helps individuals gain a more rounded perspective on the issues at hand. Similar to how in Firefly, displaying specific actions of Mal, such as returning medicine at the risk of his life, gives the viewer a different view on someone, who in the mainstream media would be considered a criminal and a thief. I am not saying that all the things Mal does are right, but if the viewer never saw the good he was capable of, Mal may end up being a common criminal in their eyes.

Talented Titans?

As I mentioned in my very first blog post, I am a pretty huge Tennessee Titans fan. As it turns out, this season is looking like it is going to be rough one. Last year, the Titans won their first ten games, and finished the season at 13-3. As of right now, the talented Titans team has yet to win a game, sitting at 0-4, it appears that after tonight's game, they will be 0-5. This is an extremely unexpected result for the first five games. Preseason predictions stated that the Titans were going to be Super Bowl contenders. The Titans have a the right tools to be a great team; an experienced coach, a solid offense and defense, and one of the best running backs in the NFL.

The current state of the Titans is hard to believe. Being from Cincinnati does not make the situation any better. The Cincinnati Bengals are 4-1, last year they were 4-11-1. So it is pretty obvious why I am extremely confused. As much as I would prefer to have the Titans undefeated, I have to say that the unpredictability of sports is what makes the sports world so great. It's why us sports fanatics watch, we never really know what is going to happen. I was totally convinced that the Titans were going get their first win tonight, which is totally illogical, but it the sports world it seemed totally possible.

The Oval

What is the most cliche part of campus to say is your favorite? The Oval of course, but at the risk of being cliche, I must admit that The Oval truly is my favorite part of Ohio State's campus. Ohio State is and urban campus located in a large city, so one who has never been to OSU may be mistaken and think that the campus has little to no green space. Well, without The Oval, that could would a pretty accurate statement. In such a huge university, there need for a huge green space, in a good location. The Oval meets both of these requirements. It is massive, and the placement was suggested by the Olmsted brothers, the guys who design Central Park. Even with OSU's growth, The Oval remains in a great location. It is not too far, no matter where you are on the east side of the Olentangy. There are academic buildings all around it, and even if a lecture you are heading to is not on The Oval, it is entirely likely that you have to cut through The Oval to get there. The location of this green space gives students the opportunity to spend a little time there on a frequent basis.

Although The Oval is nice to walk through on the way to class, there is no doubt that the best part about The Oval is just hanging out on it when the weather is nice. Whether one is studying, playing frisbee or just sun bathing, when the sun is out, there is no better place to be.

2nd primary source

The second primary source I think I will use is also from the second episode of Firefly. It is when the prostitute is talking to the doctor about how he is helping his sister. It brought attention to the fact that in the alliance's eyes he is actually a criminal. Firefly, again, shining the light on how the the bad guy can actually be the good guy when shown in the proper light. He is a man on the run for trying to save his sister from essentially bring tortured. In the first episode I was skeptical of him the whole episode, even after he told his story I was not sure about him. But once you watch the show you realize he is a dedicated brother that put his life and career to the side to save his sister. He had a job as a doctor on a good plant, but he gave it all up to find his sister. He proves to be a moral man once you learn his story.

1st primary

The first primary source I would like to use is from the second episode of Firefly. When the captain realizes that he has stolen medicine he simple says, "son of a bitch." I think this scene especially showed how upset the captain was at what he had to steal. Just because he is a thief does not mean he does not have a moral compass. He continues to risk his life and the life of the crew to help the people and make sure they get the medicine back. After the first episode on this show, I really wasn't interested. The way that Firefly shows the side of the so called "bad guy" is really growing on me. I think I would like to compare my this show to how the media shows one side of a story and it is important to see both sides of a situation.