Month: January 1970

Out of a long standing habit, looking for an “about the author” section is the first thing I always do anytime I visit a weblog for the first time. I was so happy to find one here, and to find one that explained exactly who was writing this weblog and why they were writing it. Beyond Contestation is a weblog that belongs to Mizmo (the pseudonym she’s adopted for use on the internet), and through this weblog, she’s able to jot down her thoughts about her current diagnosis of breast cancer.

Mizmo starts journaling her experience with her recent diagnosis as soon as it happens. January 9th, 2004 is the first date in the archives, and it’s also the day that Mizmo initially found the lump in her breast that would eventually lead to a chemotherapy treatment. The site is updated very regularly, providing readers mainly with the status and details of what Mizmo is going through on a daily basis for the past three months.

The layout is very clean and crisp. It works well in three different browsers, and is never distracting from the actual content of the weblog. While pink is not my personal favorite color at all, the method in which it’s used at Beyond Contestation is a very calm, soothing manner. Of course, the use of pink is also very symbolic of breast cancer awareness, which is also represented by the pink ribbon in the top of the layout. Using pink as the color of the hyperlinks on the site was something that I found a tad hard on the eyes from time to time, but it was definitely something I overlooked once I became involved in Mizmo’s writing.

Dealing with the effects of finding the lump in her breasts and the trials and tribulations that come along with this type of a serious matter, Mizmo does her best to give just the basic facts of how she’s dealing with things. Of course, like with any person, this type of situation isn’t one that can be portrayed as happy or silly the majority of the time. However, when reading this weblog, I mainly felt the positive vibes that the author emanates, along with the positive comments from her regular visitors. While dealing with such a serious topic, the author does an excellent job not bringing down morale of people that might just happen to stop by for a quick read around her weblog.

Mizmo does a great job with Beyond Contestation. She updates when she can, and when she has more news or further developed feelings on the issues she’s dealing with right now. Readers will either find themselves drawn to Mizmo due to her dynamic writing style, or they just won’t find any interest in a weblog of this nature. Unfortunately, there’s probably no middle ground to that. Beyond Contestation is definitely worth a visit to see if Mizmo is someone you’ll enjoy reading about from day to day.

Beyond Contestation

My initial reaction to this site is the pink. Very rarely do you see a pink on a blog when it’s not some godawful bright pink. I see the pink ribbon and it immediately brings to mind breast cancer support. Good thing I paid attention to that little detail too, because it seems this blog is one woman’s struggle from finding out that she has a lump to getting treatment.

The blog itself if very touching and emotional. I, personally, have been fortunate enough to not have had a family member get breast cancer, so this is an entirely new experience. The entries aren’t filled with grief and woe-is-me’s, it’s actually filled with real emotion about the anticipation of the results of the various tests. I can’t help but feel compelled to read every entry from start to finish to read and understand the struggle that it must be for the author. Even the short entries leave you wondering how you’d handle a similar situation.



I’ve read themed blogs before, y’know the kind, where people write about a certain subject or experience. I have to say that this is one of the better of the themed blogs. The author writes from her heart and it’s evident as you see her struggle with how to tell her mom and sister. Her worries about what may or may not happen. The strength she gains from the few readers who leave her kind notes, and the support she gets from family and friends.



The design of the blog is done well. My only complaint is that the links are a very light pink and hard to see, even under the best of lighting. Otherwise the blog flows well.



This blog is compelling, to say the least. I couldn’t help but read through each entry, and felt the pangs of sadness while she was in the hospital awaiting her surgery. The author kept up the writing, even while being admitted into the hospital by means of handwriting her feelings, which were later added to the blog by her daughter. It’s well worth a read for anyone who has had a family member diagnosed with breast cancer or otherwise. It’s an intimate blog about someone’s journey through cancer. What more can be said? I wish the author much luck.Beyond Contestation

Meet Mizmo (pseudonym), a 57 year old woman from the United Kingdom, diagnosed with breast cancer.

With each new day of her life, Mizmo is surviving and ultimately living to write about her experiences and her ups and downs. Here’s a woman who is undergoing surgeries and radiation treatments, and yet is keeping a log of it all, day by day, week by week, month by month.

As most people become when they’re faced with such a life-threatening disease, Mizmo is extremely educated about breast cancer, including the treatments. This site is a glimpse into the window of a strong and fighting woman whose every new day is a celebration and every new accomplishment a revolution — but this is also a place to become educated about a subject that I, as a male, and I’m sure most females without breast cancer don’t know much about.

When you think of something that’s dying, or clinging on for life, you get the image of disparity and sadness. You will not find this image at Beyond Contestation. The title, itself, is quite significant, in my opinion. A contestation, with root contest, is subject to debate, and implies uncertainty. Mizmo is beyond uncertainty and now she must face an ailment that all too many women have to face.

I believe that a web log like this and its readers, can really make a difference to find a cure for this disease. Right now, treatments and possible cures are being contested. Together, we can all bring the cure Beyond Contestation. Mizmo, and women like her, are proving that the human nature to survive and help others is very much alive.

To be honest, while a little ashamed, I didn’t really give much thought to such a campaign until I continued to read Mizmo’s stories and started to think of all the women in my life whom I would hate to see go through such a horrible thing as breast cancer. You know, the real purpose, I think, of art, is to captivate the audience and really allow them to use the art as their own. This site is like that, because you start to put yourself and the people around you in Mizmo’s shoes and it’s then that you feel a sense of empathy.

Obviously, the design of this blog hardly mattered, but in this case, is very fitting. The site is pink, embroidered with a pink ribbon as a sign of breast cancer awareness. It’s very simple and easily navigated.

Frequent readers to this web log are going to celebrate when there is an up, and cry when there is a down. But after all is said and done, one gets a real sense of hope from Beyond Contestation.

Let’s celebrate Mizmo and her cause: Beyond Contestation.Beyond Contestation

First, I must say that I love people with opinions because I feel like I can personally relate with them, being a rather opinionated person myself. Even better, I particularly like people whom I share similar opinions with. Come on folks, who doesn’t?

The writer of “Mad About Knowledge” approaches politics, it seems, from a left-wing perspective. I hope the author isn’t offended by me stating so (some people would be). I’m honestly surprised by this guys more liberal stance because of a couple of things I learned about him. For one, he’s from Virginia. Perhaps I don’t know enough Virginians, but this is not what I thought a Southern state could produce. Second, apparently the author tested as a centrist on an internet quiz. I guess those quizzes aren’t so scientific after all.

With this said, the author seems very open for discussion and extremely universal in his approach to taking on different topics on current events. I hope I’m not alienating the right-wingers out there; I suggest they take a look as well. Just the same, not everything on this blog is as political as maybe I’m letting on. In fact, there are indeed the ‘everyday’ posts available to keep simple minds happy.

Listen, I absolutely love this web site. It’s design is so worked into its purpose that I’m just jealous that my own web log doesn’t come close to matching the superb design of “Mad About Knowledge.” It uses very nice tones of orange with a black background. Simple, yet extremely effective.

This web log has gone straight from my review list to my favorites list because it’s intuitive, it’s comprehensive, it’s current. I like this writer, and I think this web log is worth adding as a ‘daily read.’

After each entry, the author showcases other stories which google considers related to his topic. I loved this feature as it enabled me, as a reader, to really research and analyze the subject matter at hand, without having to do the work that is usually involved. Here’s an author who is really utilizing the strengths of the internet (linking, etc.) to back-up his opinions.

I’m excited people because this kind of blogging, as it were, is where journalism itself is headed. Let’s all rejoice and celebrate the web log that is “Mad About Knowledge.” As you may have guessed, I gave it a well-deserved 5.Mad About Knowledge

The B-Zone has a clean, attractive layout — the format is pretty standard, with a main column for entries and a sidebar for ‘extras’ (like a tagboard, blogroll, and links to the archives). But the author, Bjoern, has done some work to give his site a personal touch, with a menu tab, photo ‘buttons’, and wallpaper that looks like… well, wallpaper, actually. The overall effect lends the site an inviting, professional feel.

So, on to the content. From Bjoern’s About Me page, I learned — among other things — that he’s an IT consultant living in Hamburg, Germany. I dug into the archives for a look at his life. Much of the content centers around his job, his musical loves, and significant events in his personal life. It’s pretty standard fare for a personal weblog, but Bjoern manages to spice up many of his entries with interesting photos and links to local sites and people. Some of his recent entries read and look more like magazine features; he appears to be experimenting with using photos and commentary to augment his personal stories, with considerable success.

In addition to the blog itself, Bjoern offers a few extras of note — several pages of original photo art, a guestbook, links to songs that he’s written, even a page of his own downloadable freeware. Some of the sections (those on ‘Coding’ and ‘Music’, for instance) are still under construction and light on content, but I appreciate his commitment to offering a variety of content on the site. It’s a nice touch.

All in all, ‘The B-Zone’ is a very attractive and interesting personal site. Those of us not familiar with Germany can gain a glimpse into the life of a young professional there, while Bjoern’s friends, music fans, and technophiles may also find something of interest. If you’re looking for ‘bits, bytes, birds, bollocks and booze’, as the tagline says, then check out ‘The B-Zone’. It’s well worth the visit. I rate the site 4.5 out of 5.The B-Zone