Astro-turf?

[morsla]

While I find it morally reprehensible, the label for it is fantastic :)

Astroturfing: The manufacturing of an artificial "grass roots" protest group, to give the appearance of public support. See http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Astroturf

Media writing this week is all about campaigns of persuasion - and it's basically set up as a roleplaying exercise :) We have pages of briefing documents for a fictional pacific island nation, horribly tangled environmental and development issues, and a need to draw support to the cause we're assigned to. In my case, that's an environment collective. I seem to have a completely open choice of fictional characters, writing to the local print media. While I realise that the exercise is all about developing persuasive writing skills in a range of media, I'm also enjoying the exercise of sketching out a character who is involved in the debate.

Also on the agenda are flyers and brochures promoting a public forum on the issues at hand. Technically, we just need to prepare drafts that could be handed over to a designer. However, practice is always good to have... so I'm firing up InDesign and producing "final" versions of the publicity material. Strange as it may seem, I actually find this stuff fun.

One day, perhaps I'll use my powers for good...


Editing and Media writing are both going well. Creative Non-Fiction is still intimidating, but flexible enough that I can choose a good range of writing styles for my folio. The big problem right now is Law & Ethics, and its 2500-word essay on Contempt of Court. Despite finally having the relevant lectures for it, I still can't work out how to take a given case study and churn out five pages about it... related cases and precedents would help, but I don't know where to start for law research.

aeliel's away on a school camp at the moment, wrangling 230 Year 7 students. Without another presence in the house, my sleeping patterns instantly shifted down a gear to "what pattern?" mode. I think my recurrent poor sleeping habits + a month without any real exercise (got sick, then got slack) are probably related. However, in an attempt to see whether my legs still work (test to destruction!), I'm still planning to be at Golgotha on Thursday night. Want to come? As always, the more company the merrier :)

Oh - I've also updated my April to-do list. I may have to miss a day of Conquest, depending on how complex the Weapons of the Gods layout ends up being - it looks like there will be at least 100 pages to do by the end of April, squeezed in around all the uni work. Here's hoping I can still move fast enough...

Comments

[harkon.livejournal.com]

That astroturf thing makes me want to stat up the kung fu of Han Feizi...