Bonus Blog

To all future personal journeyers,

This course was by far the most time consuming course i took during this semester of college. I honestly thought it would be the easy way out of doing a real course, but it was a lot more work than i would have ever imagined. Don't think you can slack in this course because you don't have to physically be in a classroom. Deadlines creep up on you fast, and those incomplete assignments you don't think matter most definitely do in the end. You can learn a lot in this course if you do the work, and almost all of the content given turns out to be really interesting. Check the website at least three times a week, and make notes on important deadlines. Make the effort to put aside a few hours of your day to complete assignments, the readings are much more time consuming than you may expect.
Overall, this course is simple if you pay attention. I wish i got this letter before i started the course, maybe i wouldn't be sitting here nervously waiting for my grade to be posted.

Good luck and all the best to you!
Laurel Benzaquen

Passion, People and Principles

The two podcasts I listen too were a series from a chapter in David Maister book " Strategy and the Fat Smoker". This chapter is called Passion, People, and Principles; he talks about the world and what we need to do to succeed in life. I feel that these podcast relate to this course because he talks about what is needed to keep your work managed. Since we are doing an online course I thought that this was suitable to relate to. This online course takes a lot of management, not only time, but to remember to complete the work. I also thought it related to our memoirs because he talks about people and passion. I felt that this was similar to our memoirs because he was talking about life and how passion is needed to succeed. The memoirs we have read are filled with passion, and I feel that they are very successful. I would recommend this podcast to anyone who wants to learn how to manage their work, and someone who wants to find a strategy to being successful with their lives. I felt that it was interesting, and I would recommend it.

Pain d'épices Recipe

This blog is about the culture of French baking in Paris. David Lebovitz talks about a baker who he believes is the best in the world. He relates American baking to french and how the French feel about out sweets. He then adds the Pain d'Epices recipe by his favorite baker Flo Braker. My observation on how this blog relates to this course is that David Lebovitz is a Canadian author, and his blogs seemed to be more about his opinion. This blog in my opinion is most similar to the blogs we have written. They seem more personal then informative. That is what i really enjoyed about this blogs, it felt like he was talking directly to me in a conversation. I found that it drew me in. He seemed to tell a story, and i found that this related to our memoirs we have read, very personal and real. I would recommend David Lebvitz blogs to anyone who likes to read about peoples personal opinions about simple things in life, such as baking. It is not boring and it was interesting to see anothers opinion.

Podcast: "As it Happens Daily"

The podcast I listened to was CBC’s “As It Happens Daily.” The podcast simply informs listeners on the latest global news.
Today, we have access to several different methods of education through technology, much like the course we are attending now. “As It Happens Daily” educates listeners through the technology that we have access to today, making education accessible right at our finger tips.
Many of the news stories told in this podcast are often tragic or life altering experiences. We’ve read several memoirs in this course relating to loss and uncertainty. I can’t help but think about those involved in these news stories and how much it will affect themselves, much like the authors writing the memoirs we read.
I would recommend this podcast to those who love to keep updated on the news, but may not have time to sit and watch the television or read the newspaper. I found it excellent for multi-tasking (In fact, I’m listening to it right now as I type this!) This podcast is great for someone who can listen in on the news while completing other tasks.

Does all life writing need to be profound?

The blog I chose to follow is from a radio station, Edge 102.1. It is called Dani's Diary-A. I discovered this blog while listening to the radio one day and realized that music has a great influence in my life as I'm sure it does for many others. So I assumed this blog would be fitting and somewhat relevant to the class information despite the random vulgarity, crude humor (including the title) and strange posts. However, this blog did appeal to me much more than many others that I tried to follow. I like to think I don't take myself too seriously in my down time and neither does the blogger on this site.
I've come to realize that this blog is essentially Dani writing out something that has happened that is interesting, strange or hilarious that has happened during the week. I think it's similar to what we've studied in that it is a recounting of an event or situation that took place in the author's life. I've also realized that these recollections don't have to be profound or overly interesting. They are exactly what they are supposed to be, a memory or reflection. Even if it is about dreams, shopping and no cable t.v.
I find it interesting that I am actually interested in what she has to say. I would have assumed that I just didn't care for blogs or what other people have to write if it does not pertain to my interests or life. However, it is actually quite eentertaining to read about mundane ongoings in life. Much in the same way we read about someones life ongoings in our class text. It can be simple, to the point and humorous and still be life writing.
I would totally recommend this blog if you're interested in reading about something ridiculous, or pointless or just for sheer procrastination. It is strange, at times vulgar and mostly pointless but entertaining nevertheless!

Morton's Musings: Canadian Law and Policy

The name of the blog I followed is “Morton’s Musings” written by James C Morton, a Canadian lawyer, law professor, and media commentator. Morton discuses and gives his input on the latest news stories going on in Canada on a daily basis.
While reading Morton’s blog, I found two similarities between the memoirs read in class, and his blogging. Besides the obvious fact that he is a Canadian author, I found there to be other interesting similarities in these two pieces.
Morton blogs about news reports that often reflect tragedy and loss, such as the memoirs we have read during this semester.
I also found that Morton discuses information that relates to the subject of truth or lies. Although the subjects he reflects on in his blogs are news pieces, they are not necessarily completely factual, much like the memoirs we have read.
I would recommend Morton’s blog to anyone who reads the newspaper, or keeps up to date on Canadian newspaper websites. He has an interesting input on different topics, and is constantly up to date on subjects occurring in Canada. His blogs aren't the most entertaining thing in the world, but for someone who reads the newspaper quite often, he's a good change of pace.

Engadget

Ah, Engadget. Where cool meets nerd. Some even say, this is becoming the norm now. Well, almost...

Engadget pretty much covers anything to everything related to tech. It could be the development of a new way to use lasers, a new hybrid vehicle which stands out, or just simply the latest and hottest television on the market.

The reason people visit Engadget, is because they say what they want. All of the writers have a personality which stands out on the screen. How this relates to this course is beyond me. I guess the news of the new Kindle might be noteworthy to some, but that's about all I can think of. Maybe the connection of Engadget to this course is more obvious than that; I mean we are in an online course, Engadget is a technology blog, where the latest and greatest advancements matter. This is the way things are straying now, laptops everywhere, ethernet jacks right behind them, and a screen for which you use to look at your online course, and then check out Engadget, I highly recommend it.

GeekBrief.TV

I chose to watch a videopodcast from iTunes called GeekBrief.TV, as visuals are far more entertaining than merely an audio file, I immediately was pleased with what GeekBrief.TV provided. GeekBrief.TV is, also related to the blog I studied, a technology videopodcast updating viewers with the latest and greatest in technology.

GeekBrief.TV offers numerous 3 minute episodes informing, and demonstrating, new technologies, gadgets, applications and programs available today. Being a videopodcast, they also demonstrate how the featured item works. One item I discovered is reading on an iPhone through a new application, full books! Imagine one day we have textbooks uploaded to our phones and iPods so we can study on the go! This connects to our recent study on using blogs and classrooms on the go through blogging and podcastng. This podcast I suppose is a briefer version of the blog I read, Gizmodo. Available to upload to an ipod or iphone, episodes offer instant updates to handy and amazing gadgets, updates and applications available to everyone.

I would reccomend this podcast, it is imformative and not only that, but it demonstrates visually to further enhance education. The attractive host, 'geek girl' Cali Lewis, informs her podcast audience of tech tools and toys that are available for everyone and brought to you directly through your mp3 player or iPhone.

Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide

The blog I have been following the past few days, 'Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide', is a daily blog about today's newest gadgets and updates in technology. They cover everything from viruses to be aware of and to new gadget reviews. It informs readers of all the crazy, helpful and popular technology updates from around the world.

I found this blog to be very informative and surprisingly interesting, reading it every day or so surely will become a habit. It is updated all the time by members of the blog who submit informative posts. I at first thought I would have no interest reading about technology, but I found a lot of the posts helpful, entertaining, or just good things to know for future gadget purchases and computer help. Gizmodo is connected to our course through it's technology aspect, as our course is online and we are currently researching new technologies used to broaden classroom experiences, this blog informs readers of new technologies to enrich our lives. Schools are closely connected to technology providing online access to lectures, class blogs for students to network in and recieve peer feedback and assitance as well as a new emerging technology in school systems, podcasting.

I would definitely reccommend this blog to anyone who wants to keep connected and up to date with our fast paced society. Keeping up with inventions, handy gadgets and universal progression in technology is, in my opinion, important information. Our world is moving so quickly sometimes that it can be hard to keep up with what's new, what's in, what's not worth your money, and what's actually worth investing in. Gizmodo helps us by offering reviews and daily updates regarding today's complex offerings of technology and gadgets.

My Father's House

In Sylvia Fraser's memoir, she is described to be both the detective and the murder victim by Margaret Atwood. This description of Fraser's memoir is spot on, as she does have to uncover her past to discover the trauma she had hidden from herself as a child. A miraculous way of self protection for such a young girl, she soon finds she had created another personality which filed away her memories of sexual abuse, a personality who also took over whenever she was raped by her father. The Child Who Knows is Fraser's other self that she had created, and later named as an adult, digging up her memories from the past. This Child Who Knows is indeed Fraser's murder victim, the one who hold's the secrets and memories of her sexual abuse from the age of three all the way to her years in university. This 'murder victim' would take over and protect Fraser from these experiences to the point where she had no idea of her sexual abuse. As a grown woman, triggered by a friend's experience, she finds that her hatred towards her father may be because she was raped. After this sudden anger and surprise thoughts about being raped, Fraser is determined to find answers to these accusations she comes up with. Putting herself in the detective role, she must go to a hypnotherapist to uncover the answers she is searching for. Searching for the answers to her own childhood experiences creates a unique mystery for the reader to become involved in. A very unique mystery, and also exciting as we wait for Fraser to find closure and answers to her own life searching within her life.

Atwood and Fraser comparison

Margaret Atwood writes “My father’s house has the tension and pace of a detective novel except that the detective is part of the narrator’s self and so is the murder victim.” After reading the memoir “My Fathers House” by Sylvia Fraser, the connection between the two became quite clear. Throughout “My Fathers House,” Sylvia splits herself into two individuals. Her adult self plays the detective, and her childhood self, who plays the victim. The foggy memory of being the victim of rape and incest starts to resurface while her adult self tries to unsolve this mystery. Sylivia feels she owes it to her childhood self to unravel this memory and confront it, in hopes of finding the strength in her to forgive and feel a sense of closure. To dig up a suppressed memory so deep must be extremely overwhelming and powerful and I truly could not imagine going through such an extreme event, especially when you realize your father played the criminal.

Margaret Atwood's Quote

Margaret Atwood's quote "My Father's House has the tension and pace of a detective novel - except that the detective is a part of the narrator's self, and so is the murder victim." is pretty self explanatory if one has read "My Father's House" (or knows what it's about). Atwood's quote is indeed very befitting because Sylvia Fraser had somehow done the miraculous act of splitting herself into two people unaware of the other's existence - a victim and a detective of sorts. Both live in one body but seem to be of different minds. Her comparison of the life story to that of a detective novel seems appropriate. When I read the excerpt, I found myself wondering how Fraser would analyze and collect the clues she had embedded in herself to reach the truth she had unknowingly buried so long ago. Fraser had to search through vestiges of a second life led unconsciously.To discover an occurrence so terrible and catalytic hidden within one's own mind seems very profound to me. It must have been that much more unbelievable to the detective that discovered she was indeed the victim.

- Lucie M

Atwood's commentary on Fraser's Memoir

Atwood's comment about Fraser's memoir is a perfect description. It describes what Fraser herself must have felt while discovering this unknown, suppressed part of her own self. It is frightening to think that an individual could live through a traumatic event and be so damaged they actually completely remove it from their memory unknowingly. It raises questions about how the physical body is connected to the mind so intricately and with such complexity that our conscious selves cannot always understand or be aware of the connections. In this case, Fraser was divided as two selves, one that experienced the torture and one that is shielded from the abuse. Her physical and mental self was so damaged she refused to let herself even be aware of what occurred nevertheless remember it. In coming to realization, she also becomes aware of this other self, as Atwood describes the detective and the murder victim. It is puzzling and terrifying to think that the two can be one and the same. Inevitably, Fraser’s trauma was life altering and destructive to a degree that her own mind could not accept. In discovering this murder mystery she had to discover that she herself was the victim.

My Fathers House

Throughout Margaret's life she has created this other half of a person to hide and burry the thoughts, memories, and guilt brought on after the sexual abuse she encountered from her father. After many years later she has then excavated her thoughts and feelings as her own detective to the mystery of her hidden secrets- the murdered victim. As the detective discovers further into the past, the revealed pieces merge together both this hidden other and Margaret herself to one day receive closure from her traumatized and impactful childhood.

My Father's House

My Father's house does have a feel of a detective's novel, just like Margret Atwood said. Sylvia is trying to figure out why she feels the way she does. It is as if she had locked up all the real memories and made them into dreams that seemed to resemble fantasies. Her dreams, where like her actually descriptive thoughts of what she felt towards her father and the events of abuse. It is as if she is detecting the crime that had happened to her, she was the victim, but as the detective. No one else would be able to figure it out but her, she was there and experienced the abuse, Sylvia also needed to figure it out for her own sanity. Since she had locked up her memories of the past she had to think hard about her encounters with her father and try and remember things like exact details, and her feelings. It was almost like she had ton investigate her own mind, and re-enact the past, so she could truly solve the crime.

Little White Lies...not always so Little!

A little white lie is what you tell your friend when she gets a bad haircut. Or perhaps when your significant other cooks you a horrible dinner but you tell them you love it. A little white lie is when you arrive late because of "traffic" but really you slept in. Those are little white lies, not telling a life story that is untrue, or publishing a memoir that is falsified. Those are great big lies full of exaggeration and manipulation.
Often times, little white lies can turn into great big lies. They may start off with good intentions but manifest into a downward spiral of lie upon lie until it is so big it begins to hurt people. This is what happens more often than not. Unfortunately, it may not have began that way but a lie is a lie no matter what! Including little white lies. Regardless of how innocent the lie may appear, the truth is you are being honest. For instance, if your friend discovers you dislike her hair, she will no longer trust your opinion. If your significant other finds out you dislike their cooking, you could hurt their feelings. Or if your co-worker takes the same route to work with no traffic, you are found to be a liar hurting your credibility.
These little white lies appear to be helping you in the moment but the reality is that unless it is the truth, it's not worth stating. Especially in the case of literary works. Fiction is understood to be the telling of an untrue story and a memoir is understood to be truth based on real experience. Once you begin to confuse the two, the reader no longer trusts the author therefore loosing credibility as a literary genre.
Thus, a lie is a lie is a lie regardless of the intention or outcome. Witholding the truth in any circumstance discredits you of honesty especially as a writer. Trust is the most difficult virtue to earn and once it is broken it is three times more difficult to gain back. Therefore, avoid lying at all costs whether the intention is good or bad. Afterall it's usually the worst problems that began with good intentions.

Little White Lies

Little White Lies:

I hardly consider fabricating a criminal career and creating an entirely new identity for oneself "little white lies". Both Frey and Belaney were full-out lying. Although I think it's pretty low and heavily lacking in integrity to purposely lie in order to embellish a story, I am able to accept it in the case of a memoir. It's not as though it is an autobiography. I'm not the least bit affected by whether or not James Frey was telling the truth or not. He claimed he was a worse criminal than he actually was and now we know he is a liar. I can't say I'm surprised. I think people are much too invested in their entertainment. When it comes to internet videos I remember that anyone can put anything on the internet and I'm immediately questioning the credibility of the material. Because neither the youtube video or Frey's book are educational in nature I don't care what is truth or fiction in them. I would be much more upset if an informational piece of writing like a scientific paper had published false test results and data (as many of them do). As far as white lies go, everyone draws the line between a white lie and a full lie somewhere else, thus it is difficult to distinguish when it is appropriate and just how slightly one can allow himself to be dishonest. People eventually start taking advantage of this "innocent lie" to start telling full, concrete lies. As disheartening as it is, that is how people are.

- Lucie M

Little White Lies

In my opinion little white lies are harmless, what you don't know wont hurt you, right? Or does it, to some people any lie is a bad one. The crazy bride video is harmless to people watching, it is just entertaining, you would never know what it was made for until someone tells the truth. Where as James Frey had lied, but the whole world had seen it as a tragedy, and many look up to the book as inspiration and sympathy. Oprah had added this to her book club, and to her it was an amazing story, straight to the heart and she felt for him. When she had found out it wasn't true she was ashamed to have put this book out there to her viewers as a great read, but actually was giving them a story that was false. To her she had lied to the world, even though she had not known this before. In ways little white lies can be extremely hurtful, but when they are unknown to others it is harmless. I am sure many books or any story is altered with lies, to the creator it could just make their story more interesting, we will never know what story's have little white lies unless the truth comes out.

White lies while Oprah gets taken for a ride.

I laughed to myself during the "Frey" debacle. It is one of the only times Oprah Winfrey has been takin for a ride. And I like that. However, for James Frey to present this book as unswerving truth is kind of dumb and reckless.
To present a piece of work in a public setting is like playing with fire, as we saw with the smoking gun. The folks at TSG were diligent and followed the paper trail all the way to its logical end. Which in the case of "A Million Little Pieces" exposed the memoir as a lie. Not a little white lie but a huge stinking stew of lies involving real life events and people. That my friends is a recipe for disaster and Frey should of expected it. In this case, the huge tainted falsehoods of Frey's memoir are unacceptable considering he himself lauded the work of fiction as non-fiction. All his fault.
In regards to the Grey Owl, I see a man in search of an identity he could believe in. I don't see a man harnessing the power of the little white lie to benefit himself at the expense of others. Instead Archie Stansfeld Belaney at the crossroads age of 18 latched onto the allure and romance of the wilderness. Taking on himself the identity of a native indian. What I see here is more of a search for purpose. Although Archie labeled himself a native his ruse did not affect others. His transformation was for the peace of his soul.
The crazy bride is ridiculous, I am surprised anyone would invite her onto a talk show. Why? Why would you want a guest who's only claim to fame is a video showing her throw a hissy fit, albeit a staged one. That is retarded and just goes to show the state of the public and our need for drama.
The crazy bride is the ugly ducking out of the three talking points and won't get a response from me. I would rather stick my tongue in hot toaster.

- Chris Ribau

white lies

A 'little white lie' can be described as an unimportant lie (especially one told to be tactful or polite), or told to avoid hurting someone's feelings. So it is basically a lie told to add positivity to a situation rather than negativity. This applies in all cases studied including the crazy bride, James Frey and Grey Owl.
Of the three I believe Grey Owl is furthest from the label of being a liar. Having been re-born into a tribe and adopting a new identity his situation is legit. Of course he was born English and has no ounce of Native blood in his body, it is his spirit and soul which was adopted by the wilderness and he continued to live in that way, passionate about the forest and everything in it. His identity had changed drastically, claiming to be half-blood or named Grey Owl or part of a tribe is not far from the real truth at all.
James Frey on the other hand, is a little more severe. Having been investigated on his memoir, which he insists is non-fiction, and error in his story telling has been revealed. Yet we have studied that memory can be drastically changed by time, emotions, personal experience etc. The article 'A Thousand Little Lies' makes his story seem drastically false. Regardless of this I believe it is his life and how he perceived it. He could have even been writing from his own point of view, how he regarded himself at that time. Maybe he thought he deserved to go to prison, maybe he desired so strongly to rebel that he convinced himself it actually happened, or deserved to have happened? No matter the case, his novel is about his life and it has captured thousands in the pages and even changed peoples lives. A story of hope for addicts, alcoholics and criminals. A story of triumph against all odds.
The crazy bride clip on youtube doesn't apply to the category of a white lie, in my opinion. The whole film is a fake, but maybe it could be a white lie because it was made to entertain? I'm not sure how this video fits into the category or how it can be vouched for, other than the fact that it is entertainment.
In conclusion, I think white lies are absolutely acceptable in these cases. Whether you change your identity because you truly believe you are living where you belong. Or if you're writing about your own life and you twist stories or over exaggerate for the sake of a successful story. Whose place is it anyways to investigate your story and tell you you're a liar? That's just a bit rude if I say so myself.