power of blog

straight from the heart
it is too early to draw conclusions. but one may already see the utility of blogs. they not only provide a forum to air one's thoughts/views but inform, educate and enrich the citizens of the world. who knows tomorrow it may also be a source of real democracy, where citizens can keep their representatives on their toes.
do check out riverbendblog.blogspot.com/. it has been nominated for various prestigious awards- pulizer for blogs. i didn't think much of the praise when i read about the blog; one needs to read the blog entries to realise the intensity and rawness of the writings. iraq, from the west's point of view, is slowly becoming a democracy. after reading river... you will get the opposite image. everything is being done to take iraq back in time- anarchy and barbaric episodes are a daily occurance. the american invasion has let loose the forces of division and hatred, kept under check during the saddam hussein regime.
it is not the information that affects you, but the way it is put forward- personalised narrative. this is one person who has seen, suffered and through that suffering and pain comes this desire to tell the world the true story of iraq. the propaganda machine-media of the west has all but killed objectivity. just check out the way the Israel-Lebanon conflict is been covered by west; one death on the Israeli side deserves a individualised story; how people are coming back to Israel even under such conditions and so on (sickening). Color of the skin and religion somehow overshadows balanced writing.