Online Summary - "Are governments closing the net around web freedom?" By Alex Hudson

In the article, "Are governments closing the net around web freedom?" journalist Alex Hudson expresses the relevance of the internet in response to the uprising in Egypt. "Cutting off nearly all internet traffic for five days created a backlash, not only from the people of Egypt but from the usually apolitical companies Google and Twitter." says Hudson. Al Gore speaks on the issue of web freedom. "Defend the internet. Do not let it be controlled by governments or by large corporations. It is a network of people." Hudson suggests that there are still signs that the web is becoming dominated by these few large corporations. Inevitably, government agencies will be active online participants in order to enforce laws relating to public life. Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the world-wide web, is concerned that the involvement of government agencies and corporate officials in the interaction between persons on the internet is endangering basic human rights.

Hudson reveals that the internet is gradually changing with the introduction of “apps.” While simpler to use, apps are more easily monitored by the creator. Egypt is not the only country that has censored the internet. A large portion of the Americas and Europe has, in place, some sort of suppression, as disclosed by the think-tank “Reporters Without Borders.” According to Hudson, the United States Government has considered implicating an “internet kill-switch” to use in an absolute emergency and to cause the least amount of disturbance. Officially, the “internet kill-switch” is known as the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act” and would give the president the endowment to shut down areas of the internet at his own consciousness. Hudson presumes, by proof of recent examples, that discontinuing parts of the web is one of the first methods governments will use to “stifle protest.”

Response - PuSh Is So Good, Why Pretend Journalistic Objectivity? by Charles Campbell

Before reading Charles Campbell's article about the PuSh festival, I had no idea this event existed. Campbell wrote a very informative review of the festival and gave light to the benefits that PuSh brings to Vancouver's performance scene. I find it exciting how well the festival promotes Vancouver's community arts and theater industry and gathers audience members as well as acts from around the world. I would like to have learned a little bit more about the festival itself and how to become involved. The article explained why it was so important, but little about what it was. PuSh is definitely something I would like to research more and possibly have the chance to attend. It seems like a place to showcase the talent of Vancouverites that are forced beneath the radar by more mainstream entertainment.

http://thetyee.ca/ArtsAndCulture/2011/02/02/PushSoGood/

Online Summary - Due February 15th

Step 1: Open the attached file and read the article and short videos. Write a Summary of the story, checking your notes to make sure you remember all the ticky rules. Remember, the length of most summaries is about one quarter the length of the original piece.

Step 2: Write a Personal Response to the story.

Step 3: Create a group of 3 to 4 people. Read each other's summaries. If
you see an error, tell the writer to correct it (gracefully). Record the names of the readers at the bottom of your summary.

Step 4: Taking turns, read your Responses out loud. Discuss.

Step 6: Send your Summary (not your response) to me through Edmodo. Remember to type in your class code and not my name. (C-Block: 335y5p) (D-Block: mfdj0k) Copy and paste the assignment; do not use an attachment.

Marking Criteria:

Technical rules of summary followed: /4

Word choice, grammar, sophistication /4
of language:

Main ideas of summary evident: insignificant /4
details left out:

/12

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9386720.stm

4939646

ted.com

Choose 10 videos that you are interested in watching and record each of the following for each video:

1) Name of the presenter
2) Title of presentation
3) Topic
4) Go to the "about this talk" section. Paraphrase what it says
5) Go to the "About this presenter" and take a few biographical notes on the presenter
6) What point/thesis does the presenter have?
7) Why are you excited about this particular TED talk?
8) How has the presenter changed the way you view the topic?
9) What is the one image you will take away from this talk?
10) Choose one single word that best describes this talk

TED Talks

Liza Donnelly: Drawing upon humor for change

1)      Women’s rights, female empowerment, and the stereotypes of modern life.

2)      Liz Donnelly, a cartoonist out of New York, uses her drawings to show how humor can empower women to step up against modern standards.

3)      Donnelly joined The New Yorker in 1982 as the youngest cartoonist, and one of only three female employees. In 2005, Donnelly wrote the definitive book about her colleagues: Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Greatest Women Cartoonists and Their Cartoons. She has been involved in other books as well, including Sex and Sensibility and  Cartoon Marriage (about her life with fellow New Yorker cartoonist Michael Maslin). She is also known for a popular series of Dinosaur children’s books. In 2007, Donnelly joined the United Nations initiative Cartooning for Peace with which, she travels around the world to speak out about freedom of speech and other global problems. She is a founding member of the Cartoonists Association, a contributor to dscriber.com as the editor of World Ink, and she teaches women’s studies at Vassar.

4)      Donnelly wants to convince the public of the ridiculousness of today’s standards for females, and to empower these women to use this humor to their advantage.

5)      This particular TED talk uses an age-old argument in a humorous way. It is something that would be enjoyable for both men and women to watch, while pressing ideas that work to the advantage of today’s females. Donnelly’s cartoons are relatable and true. That is was people are interested in. She isn’t bombarding her audience with stuffy statistics or cynical conclusions about the plausible end of the world, she is giving light to the idea that women don’t have to be what they are expected to be. It’s funny.

6)      I think this is something that a lot of girls my age would find interesting and useful. Donnelly shows that making change doesn’t always have to involve being unpleasant, whiny, and verbally violent. It is small initiatives like this that can spark a change in society’s views.

7)       Aside from her drawings themselves, Donnelly has a lot of really intellectual points about the issue. The things that she said compliment the topic and she was a very eloquent speaker. She was easy to listen to and that made watching the video that much more enjoyable.

8)      Innovative

Chris Jordan pictures some shocking stats

1)    Consumerism, our impact on the environment, and the shocking statistics of every day product use. “The behaviors we all engage in unconsciously.”

2)    Photographer Chris Jordan uses his artwork to create a visual representation of some shocking numbers, showing us a view of what Western culture really looks like.

3)    Chris Jordan focuses his work on Western consumption, making impossible numbers visible to humans. His 2003-05 series “intolerable Beauty” examines the hypnotic allure of the sheer amount of stuff we make and consume every day. His latest series, “Running the Numbers,” gives life to the statistics of US consumption. In April 2008, Jordan traveled around the world with National Geographic as an international eco-ambassador for Earth Day 2008.

4)    "As you walk up close, you can see that the collective is only made up of lots and lots of individuals. There is no bad consumer over there somewhere who needs to be educated. There is no public out there who needs to change. It's each one of us."-Chris Jordan on Bill Moyers Journal. Jordan wants to use something aesthetically pleasing to convince people of their individual impact on the numbers.

5)    Jordan uses art in an effective way. He is using his passion to communicate ideas to the public and making something so abstract, these large numbers, comprehensible for the average person. They are pieces that people will enjoy looking at and learning about, as well as being shocking and exhilarating.

6)    Jordan makes statistics like these visual to all people. Numbers are hard to understand when they are so large but Jordan presents them in a way that makes them easier to understand. Some of these numbers I was unaware of. It is absolutely shocking to know something like how many plastic cups are used on US airlines every hour, or the number of teenagers who will start smoking this month. He makes is visual. He makes it something you can feel.

7)    Jordan showed a photograph of millions of cigarette boxes that, when zoomed out, creates the painting “Skull With Cigarette” by Van Gough. This was a particularly interesting piece because it made such a beautiful work of art something so ugly.

8)    Shocking







Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter...

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1)    <!--[endif]-->Spoken word poet, Sarah Kay, tells the story of her journey from curious teenager to accomplished teacher and speaker.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2)    <!--[endif]-->Kay gives two performances of her pieces “B” and “Hiroshima” and talks of her metamorphosis from an inquisitive teen to a teacher connecting today’s kids with the power of expression through poetry.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3)    <!--[endif]-->As a high school freshman, Kay took a liking to spoken word poetry and would spend nights studying the work of New York’s most exciting poets in the famous Bowery Poetry Club. She was given the chance to take its stage at a young age and this opportunity sparked a bright future for Kay. Now 22, Kay co-directs Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression) Founded by Kay in 2004, V.O.I.C.E. encourages expression through spoken word poetry, particularly in teens.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4)    <!--[endif]-->Kay expresses the power of poetry in words in helping people, particularly today’s youth, make sense of the world itself. She states that she writes poetry to understand things. Through her writing she finds a solution, and when she doesn’t, she still has a new poem. Kay wants to encourage her students to write about not only what they know, but what they don’t understand.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5)    <!--[endif]-->Kay is a very effective speaker. She is confident and funny and she tells her story in an interesting way. I think her mission is very innovative and she is giving a creative outlet to people who otherwise may not have one. She is an interesting person to listen to and her story is inspiring.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6)    <!--[endif]-->I have always found interest in spoken word poetry. It is something that I find entertaining to listen to and an easy way to express what I’m thinking. Her poems are so easy to listen to and appealing and she makes me want to continue writing, even if only for myself.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7)    <!--[endif]-->Kay mentioned a tall girl in a hoodie a few times. When she was a high school student she presented one of her poems in front of an audience of her peers. A girl later approached her and told her how the poem had touched her. I think that is one of the most amazing reactions one can have from an audience. When one’s art reaches someone, even one person, and they are touched enough to say something about it, it is more rewarding that any award or shallow compliment.  

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8)    <!--[endif]-->Charismatic

Writing A Response

• A response to an article is your own personal opinion about the content of the piece. You can use "I think" and "I believe" in a response. There are no right or wrong answers. You can agree or disagree with the writer. Try some of these questions of you are stuck:

a)What did you know about the topic?
b)What did you learn about the topic?
c)What else do you want to know about the topic?
d)How does this knowledge connect to your life?
e)How has this knowledge changed how you think?
f)How has this knowledge change dhow you will act?
g)Would you recommend this article? Why or why not?
h)What connections can you make to connect your life to this article?

Writing A Summary

• Start with a sentence naming the writer and the article title and stating the essay's main idea. Then write your summary, omitting nothing important and avoiding unimportant details. Strive for overall coherence through appropriate transitions. Put the title of the article in quotation marks.
• Be concise in order to compress your ideas. Focus on the most important general ideas put forth by the writers and leave out the supporting details.
• Refer to the writer of the article throughout your summary. Ex. John Brown believes that poverty in Canada is caused by unemployment.
• Never include you own opinions in a summary.
• Conclude with a final statement reflecting the significance of the article - not from your own point of view, but from the writer's. 

Summary - PuSh Is So Good, Why Pretend Journalistic Objectivity? by Charles Campbell

Journalist, Charles Cambell, delves in to the significance of the artistic community in his article "PuSh is So Good, Why Pretend Journalistic Objectivity?" The seven-year-old PuSh International Performing Arts festival is an intriguing and thought provoking set of short performance pieces expressing a lot about Vancouver as a city. "La Marea, a set of nine 10-minute performance pieces, promised intimacy with the inner thoughts of its characters," states Campbell. Reviews on La Marea were mixed but several thousand people came to witness it, regardless. Campbell feels that "Cozy Vancouver" could use a little more of the kind of risk-taking that dares failure but strives to test boundaries. This year the festival is the first major event to mark the 125th anniversary of Vancouver as a city. The past 25 years have been comprised of an outburst of new theater companies, exploding with talent but lacking an audience. PuSh brings theater presenters to Vancouver from all around the world. "PuSh may, in fact, be the city's most collaborative festival. Its executive director, Norman Armour, understands that if we're going to build something that matters and lasts, we must do it together." Says Campbell. The PuSh Festival gives light to the theater's potential for invention, and provides theater with a clear sense of place.

http://thetyee.ca/ArtsAndCulture/2011/02/02/PushSoGood/