Article 1: Marie Osmond's Son Died Near Downtown L.A. Fashion Institute He Attended. Written by Rong-Gong Lin II of the LA Times on February 28, 2010.
After seeing more nutri-system commercials than is healthy for one person, seeing Marie Osmond's name in the news for something other than diet food immediately caught my interest. There were quite a lot of links to choose from that are covering this story, and after browsing a few, they all looked to be pretty small and basic at this point. Obviously there's not a lot of coverage on the subject yet, but whoever is working at newspapers on a sunday is definitely on top of the ball. I chose this article because I was able to find something I didn't like about it right away. Since I'm not an experienced editor or journalist in any way, I don't think I'm very good at identifying "mistakes". This isn't a mistake, really, but I thought the title for this story was really awful. I had to read it twice to understand it for sure because the phrasing is so awkward. Also, it's really not necessary to have so much in the title when only the first four words are good enough to grab someone's attention. Also, I didn't like how at the end the writer just stuck in a little blerb to remind everyone who the heck Marie Osmond is. I feel it detracts a little from the story, even if it's sorta necessary. I just think they could've included it more seamlessly into the article instead of just a big old eye-sore at the end. Also, I don't know if it's necessarily a requirement, but there was no contact information for the author in case you wanted to get in touch with them.
Article
-----------------------
Article 2: Unlikely Activist Who Got to the Tea Party Early. Written by Kate Zernike of the NY Times on February 27, 2010.
I was surprised to find that even though this article is from the NY Times, which I've generally come to know as being pretty reliable and newsworthy, it was disappointing to say the least. Since the article was about what is essentially a political party and its leader, I was surprised that there were no opinions from anyone who wasn't a supporter of the group or from the group themselves. It wasn't fair that the entire article painted a picture about this lovely conservative yet unconventional party leader-- it was extremely biased in my opinion. Heck, the article makes this girl look like some kind of hero, which is ridiculous. I was definitely pretty peeved by the time I finished reading, and that's not how I feel when reading good journalism. But then again, how the heck can I be a judge of what is a good article?
I'm trying to be more critical because I have a tendency to just accept all news at face value and accept them as being automatically true.
Article
-------------------
Article 3: Cheating Rarely Draws Stiffest Punishments. Written by Nathan Crabbe of the Gainesville Sun on February 28, 2010.
Wow, and article from the gainesville sun that's actually longer than one page! I know length isn't everything, but I rarely see news online from this particular news outlet that is so in-depth. This was a very interesting and enlightening article, and I thought it was very fair. The title may suggest that the story you're about to read will be full of "cheating is bad" and "we need to crack down on those dangnabbit cheaters" messages, but Crabbe makes sure that alternate views are expressed, such as those of people who acknowledge that the punishment system is flawed and that it is virtually impossible to correct all rule-breakers. The sources were also very credible to the story. Instead of just using a sketchy anonymous source or talking to someone who doesn't really know what they're talking about, Crabbe specifically talks to the director of the student conduct office. If anyone knows anything about student cheating and disciplinary issues, it'd be that guy, right?
Article
---------------------
Article 4: 'Game On!' for Vancouver Games Crown. Written by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo!Sports on February 27, 2010.
Sports news doesn't usually attract my attention at all, but hockey, especially Olympic hockey, sure is interesting. Wetzel has a great writing style that I really admire. He managed to inject a special kind of levity into a story that could have been boring and full of testosterone-boosted, posturing alpha males. He addressed the issue of whether amount of medals overall or "golds" overall is more winning, which I found extremely funny because I've discussed the same thing with my family. He was also really even-handed for both teams, which was nice. I mean, I'm all for America kicking Canada's butt, but each team got to have their say in this article. Wetzel is just celebrating the spirit of competition and representing one's country, and isn't that what the Olympics is all about?
On a side note, there was a point in the article that came across as a little vague. Wetzel throws out a random little statement claiming that "[the game] is predicted to be the most-watched hockey game ever on both sides of the border". Is this true? Who knows. Maybe. Wasn't the Miracle on Ice the most-watched game? What source is he basing this info on? Nothing. Therefore, he just should've left that out.
Article
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
JOU Articles: week 6
Article 1: Toyota Recalls Won't 'Totally' Fix Sudden Surges. Written by Tom Raum and Stephen Manning of the Associated Press on February 23, 2010.
With all the coverage on the Toyota recalls, it's really gotten my attention over the past couple of weeks. This one was especially important to me because it was well-written and extremely informative. I wasn't surprised to find that Toyota had been figuratively full of hot air with all their promises of instant fixes. Obviously, that never works, and hearing more promises from more CEO's doesn't give me much confidence for the average Toyota owner's safety. There was also a great emotional element to this article, which is usually lacking. Raum and Manning reported on a court event where a woman shared her personal experience with the defective cars. That is pretty important to me, because I really love being able to relate to the story on a more human perspective.
Article
-------------------------
Article 2: Burton and Depp on Same Page in New 'Wonderland'. Written by Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun Times on February 23, 2010.
This article was short, but it was a very pleasant read. Like I've mentioned in earlier posts, I have a tendency to focus on the more dramatic or tragic headlines, so I'm making a conscious effort to choose more light-hearted stories. Therefore, I chose to venture into the "entertainment" section of the newspaper. This was also a little different because it was actually just an interview-style session with Burton and Depp, which is different from straight news-reporting articles. Zwecker captured their conversation in a way that showed them in a very endearing fashion-- maybe that's wrong, but who cares? It's a fluff piece that generates hype about the new movie. Altogether, the article was charming and was even able to tie in a theme at the end of the story that was present in the beginning (their "gestures").
Article
--------------------
Article 3: Guilty Plea Made in Plot to Bomb New York Subway. Written by A.G. Sulzberger and William K. Rashbaum of the NY Times on February 22, 2010.
Wow. Just... wow. I don't know if I've ever been as focused while reading as I was just now. What a great story. It made me really angry, and it's rare for me to feel such clear emotions while reading news stories. I just feel detached from them somehow, especially if the writing is sub-par, but that was definitely not the case here. It was so beautifully and carefully crafted, with such great resources and flow; not once did I have to go back and re-read a sentence in order to absorb it properly. I won't say it's the greatest article I've ever read, but it's pretty damn close because the content itself is so enthralling. I haven't seen this story in other media outlets, but maybe that's because it's so new and since it originates in NY, obviously the NYTimes has first dibs. This will probably be all over the news on national levels very soon.
Article
----------------------------
Article 4: Five Years After Jessica Lunsford's Killing, Legislators Rethink Sex Offender Laws. Written by John Frank of the St Pete Times on February 24, 2010.
Let me just start by saying that I cried a lot while reading this article. It wasn't just a heart-wrenching memorial story, though. It presented the somewhat controversial idea that emotional, "knee-jerk" lawmaking isn't actually improving much in the long run. This article documents the different opinions well, from those who blindly trust all forms of sex-offender restrictions to those who are trying to get a more realistic grasp on the problem. The sources seemed very reliable and the statements from officials were very thorough and gave more than just a "one-liner" from some random congressman. It seems that Frank really pressed hard for more lengthy responses. I also really appreciated how short the paragraphs were, it really broke down the story into coherent parts that were easy to follow.
Article
With all the coverage on the Toyota recalls, it's really gotten my attention over the past couple of weeks. This one was especially important to me because it was well-written and extremely informative. I wasn't surprised to find that Toyota had been figuratively full of hot air with all their promises of instant fixes. Obviously, that never works, and hearing more promises from more CEO's doesn't give me much confidence for the average Toyota owner's safety. There was also a great emotional element to this article, which is usually lacking. Raum and Manning reported on a court event where a woman shared her personal experience with the defective cars. That is pretty important to me, because I really love being able to relate to the story on a more human perspective.
Article
-------------------------
Article 2: Burton and Depp on Same Page in New 'Wonderland'. Written by Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun Times on February 23, 2010.
This article was short, but it was a very pleasant read. Like I've mentioned in earlier posts, I have a tendency to focus on the more dramatic or tragic headlines, so I'm making a conscious effort to choose more light-hearted stories. Therefore, I chose to venture into the "entertainment" section of the newspaper. This was also a little different because it was actually just an interview-style session with Burton and Depp, which is different from straight news-reporting articles. Zwecker captured their conversation in a way that showed them in a very endearing fashion-- maybe that's wrong, but who cares? It's a fluff piece that generates hype about the new movie. Altogether, the article was charming and was even able to tie in a theme at the end of the story that was present in the beginning (their "gestures").
Article
--------------------
Article 3: Guilty Plea Made in Plot to Bomb New York Subway. Written by A.G. Sulzberger and William K. Rashbaum of the NY Times on February 22, 2010.
Wow. Just... wow. I don't know if I've ever been as focused while reading as I was just now. What a great story. It made me really angry, and it's rare for me to feel such clear emotions while reading news stories. I just feel detached from them somehow, especially if the writing is sub-par, but that was definitely not the case here. It was so beautifully and carefully crafted, with such great resources and flow; not once did I have to go back and re-read a sentence in order to absorb it properly. I won't say it's the greatest article I've ever read, but it's pretty damn close because the content itself is so enthralling. I haven't seen this story in other media outlets, but maybe that's because it's so new and since it originates in NY, obviously the NYTimes has first dibs. This will probably be all over the news on national levels very soon.
Article
----------------------------
Article 4: Five Years After Jessica Lunsford's Killing, Legislators Rethink Sex Offender Laws. Written by John Frank of the St Pete Times on February 24, 2010.
Let me just start by saying that I cried a lot while reading this article. It wasn't just a heart-wrenching memorial story, though. It presented the somewhat controversial idea that emotional, "knee-jerk" lawmaking isn't actually improving much in the long run. This article documents the different opinions well, from those who blindly trust all forms of sex-offender restrictions to those who are trying to get a more realistic grasp on the problem. The sources seemed very reliable and the statements from officials were very thorough and gave more than just a "one-liner" from some random congressman. It seems that Frank really pressed hard for more lengthy responses. I also really appreciated how short the paragraphs were, it really broke down the story into coherent parts that were easy to follow.
Article
Sunday, February 14, 2010
JOU Articles: week 5
Article 1: Olympic Officials' Icy Response to Death of Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili is Way Off Track. Written by Filip Bondy of the Daily News on February 14th, 2010.
This story is one I'm sure almost everyone in the whole world knows about, which is why I chose to read it. I'm a big fan of all things Olympian, so this story has been buzzing around my television for the past few days. All of the coverage on this tragic accident have similar tones of mourning and remembrance, but this article takes a more controversial view. It quotes a few officials who claim that Nodar was inexperienced and wasn't an athlete of a high enough caliber to successfully run the treacherous course instead of taking fault for having a course with extremely unsafe elements. One of the interesting parts of the article was the part with quotes from other lugers. It really gave me some perspective on what the others were feeling, and it was smart for Mr. Bondy to have included their opinions. It was a nice article, but with all the heavy, more interesting coverage surrounding this tragedy, it will most likely fade into obscurity.
Article
----------------------
Article 2: Kevin Smith Oversized? Ejected From Flight. Written by Matt Sayles of the Associated Press on February 15, 2010.
Since my news-reading tendencies usually lean towards the tragic and dramatic, I specifically wanted to find something a little less depressing. So, when looking at the St. Pete Times website, I found a tagline from the AP. The keywords were "overweight" and "plane", so I just had to read it. What stood out the most in this story was how Southwest airlines practically tripped over themselves to make it up to Smith. Any regular joe who couldn't fit properly in the seat would probably be ignored and treated as insignificant. Maybe, just maybe, after some sort of legal action, would the overweight passenger find restitution. But no, since Smith is a famous director he got multiple apologies and almost as many gifts.
Article
--------------------
Article 3: 4 Mega-Awkward Things You Need To Say. Written by Lauren Otis from Cosmopolitan magazine on February 14, 2010.
Okay, so girly advice columns actually interest me. I read them a lot, but they're not always the easiest to review when putting together my journal of articles. But, I'm going to try from now on to include these types of journalism because they're fun and generally enjoyable. The sources were very well-established early on in the article, and the author used these sources a few more times throughout the story. I really liked that because you can take two doctors who have a strong knowledge base on the psychology of relationships and use their expertise to back up points in your argument. A little more variety in sources would have been nice, though, because two people's opinions aren't the only ones worth hearing. Also, since this is an advice column and less about reporting news, I don't really know what their stance is on getting quotes from people who have experienced these problems before. I would have liked to see an example sent in by a reader showcasing how they've dealt with the same situation.
Article
------------------
Article 4: Gators Suspend Gary Brown. Written by Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun on February 15, 2010.
News about the Florida Gators is always news to me! Therefore, I reacted strongly to this article. I am so sick of hearing about players who can't stop breaking the goddamn LAW. STOP DOING THAT. It seems to happen all over the country, but UF is supposed to be better than that. How are we supposed to continue our image of being this exceptional state university when the football players can't stop getting in trouble with the police? Also, the type of infractions are particularly damaging. You don't hear about players getting in trouble for accumulated parking tickets, you hear about them allegedly physically hurting women and drunk driving. As far as the quality of the article, I noticed something sketchy that we had gone over in class that deals with the issue of "good journalism". Andreu sources that "According to the police report...", then continues his perspective. I felt that he was being lazy by using some random "Anonymous source" that wasn't even a real person at all. He could've tried to get a statement from an arresting officer.
Article
This story is one I'm sure almost everyone in the whole world knows about, which is why I chose to read it. I'm a big fan of all things Olympian, so this story has been buzzing around my television for the past few days. All of the coverage on this tragic accident have similar tones of mourning and remembrance, but this article takes a more controversial view. It quotes a few officials who claim that Nodar was inexperienced and wasn't an athlete of a high enough caliber to successfully run the treacherous course instead of taking fault for having a course with extremely unsafe elements. One of the interesting parts of the article was the part with quotes from other lugers. It really gave me some perspective on what the others were feeling, and it was smart for Mr. Bondy to have included their opinions. It was a nice article, but with all the heavy, more interesting coverage surrounding this tragedy, it will most likely fade into obscurity.
Article
----------------------
Article 2: Kevin Smith Oversized? Ejected From Flight. Written by Matt Sayles of the Associated Press on February 15, 2010.
Since my news-reading tendencies usually lean towards the tragic and dramatic, I specifically wanted to find something a little less depressing. So, when looking at the St. Pete Times website, I found a tagline from the AP. The keywords were "overweight" and "plane", so I just had to read it. What stood out the most in this story was how Southwest airlines practically tripped over themselves to make it up to Smith. Any regular joe who couldn't fit properly in the seat would probably be ignored and treated as insignificant. Maybe, just maybe, after some sort of legal action, would the overweight passenger find restitution. But no, since Smith is a famous director he got multiple apologies and almost as many gifts.
Article
--------------------
Article 3: 4 Mega-Awkward Things You Need To Say. Written by Lauren Otis from Cosmopolitan magazine on February 14, 2010.
Okay, so girly advice columns actually interest me. I read them a lot, but they're not always the easiest to review when putting together my journal of articles. But, I'm going to try from now on to include these types of journalism because they're fun and generally enjoyable. The sources were very well-established early on in the article, and the author used these sources a few more times throughout the story. I really liked that because you can take two doctors who have a strong knowledge base on the psychology of relationships and use their expertise to back up points in your argument. A little more variety in sources would have been nice, though, because two people's opinions aren't the only ones worth hearing. Also, since this is an advice column and less about reporting news, I don't really know what their stance is on getting quotes from people who have experienced these problems before. I would have liked to see an example sent in by a reader showcasing how they've dealt with the same situation.
Article
------------------
Article 4: Gators Suspend Gary Brown. Written by Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun on February 15, 2010.
News about the Florida Gators is always news to me! Therefore, I reacted strongly to this article. I am so sick of hearing about players who can't stop breaking the goddamn LAW. STOP DOING THAT. It seems to happen all over the country, but UF is supposed to be better than that. How are we supposed to continue our image of being this exceptional state university when the football players can't stop getting in trouble with the police? Also, the type of infractions are particularly damaging. You don't hear about players getting in trouble for accumulated parking tickets, you hear about them allegedly physically hurting women and drunk driving. As far as the quality of the article, I noticed something sketchy that we had gone over in class that deals with the issue of "good journalism". Andreu sources that "According to the police report...", then continues his perspective. I felt that he was being lazy by using some random "Anonymous source" that wasn't even a real person at all. He could've tried to get a statement from an arresting officer.
Article
Sunday, February 7, 2010
JOU Articles: week 4
Article 1: Facebook's Doppelganger Week is Viral Groupthink. Written by Dan Fletcher from Time Magazine on February 6, 2010.
This article is a little different from what I usually read because it is more light-hearted. It definitely caught my attention, though, because it's about something that I can directly relate to, which I liked. I mean, I have seen plenty of my friends change their profile pictures to a celebrity "look-alike" and I assumed there were others doing it, too. I really like the way this article was written because it was more like an opinion column than a source-based informational article. It was funny, too, and had a great ending sentence. All in all it was just a fun story about something that has become very popular on a social website.
Article
---------------------
Article 2: Toyota Has Pattern of Slow Response on Safety Issues. Written by James Kanter, Micheline Maynard and Hiroko Tabuchi in the NY Times on February 6, 2010.
I chose this story because it's one of the few stories I have seen repeated often in the past week or so. The Toyota safety recalls have been all over both local and national news channels, so I thought I'd read more about the problem's continuation and see how similar their stance was. This story addressed all the problems Toyota had addressed (or not addressed) and it was really good because of how fair the coverage was. The writers got quotes from both sides of the issue, which is of course very important. I read the statements of Toyota executives, as well as the transportation secretary who was less than pleased with Toyota overall. The article itself was a little long, but I guess I can't complain since it was full of good information. It just got a little redundant in some parts and maybe it could have been edited down.
Article
---------------------
Article 3: UF Will No Longer Sanction Student Trips to Haiti. Written by Nathan Crabbe, published in the Gainesville Sun on February 5th, 2010.
Amidst all the Haiti news we have been bombarded with over the past month, this article caught my eye because it was slightly different. The Haiti issue itself isn't new, but it was interesting to see it from a more selfish point of view because it directly affects something in the area that I live. This story was short, but it managed to have a good source as well as a quote from a graduate student who wants to go back to Haiti. I'm actually glad it was short, because unlike the article I read previously, it kept my attention and told me what I needed to know without evolving into this huge commitment. I know that's extremely lazy of me, but unless the article is AWESOME, I don't want to read it for very long.
Article
----------------------
Article 4: Toyota to Announce Action Soon for Prius Hybrids. Written by Kelly Olsen of the Associated Press on February 7, 2010.
Another Toyota article, no WAY! Now I can write a little bit of comparison between the last Toyota article I posted and this one. This one, unlike the previous, focuses more on Toyota's specific announcement made to deal with the Prius hybrid's breaking problems instead of Toyota's general history of blunders. Also, instead of considering a full recall, however, the executives ask for Prius owners to simply bring in their cars for repairs. Of course, both Toyota articles have a negative twist, but how could it not? They're both about manufacturing problems, so you can't really have a happy-go-lucky story about brake pedal failure. As a journalist, I don't know what I would have done differently to spice up a beaten-to-death story like this, but that's what should've been done.
Article
This article is a little different from what I usually read because it is more light-hearted. It definitely caught my attention, though, because it's about something that I can directly relate to, which I liked. I mean, I have seen plenty of my friends change their profile pictures to a celebrity "look-alike" and I assumed there were others doing it, too. I really like the way this article was written because it was more like an opinion column than a source-based informational article. It was funny, too, and had a great ending sentence. All in all it was just a fun story about something that has become very popular on a social website.
Article
---------------------
Article 2: Toyota Has Pattern of Slow Response on Safety Issues. Written by James Kanter, Micheline Maynard and Hiroko Tabuchi in the NY Times on February 6, 2010.
I chose this story because it's one of the few stories I have seen repeated often in the past week or so. The Toyota safety recalls have been all over both local and national news channels, so I thought I'd read more about the problem's continuation and see how similar their stance was. This story addressed all the problems Toyota had addressed (or not addressed) and it was really good because of how fair the coverage was. The writers got quotes from both sides of the issue, which is of course very important. I read the statements of Toyota executives, as well as the transportation secretary who was less than pleased with Toyota overall. The article itself was a little long, but I guess I can't complain since it was full of good information. It just got a little redundant in some parts and maybe it could have been edited down.
Article
---------------------
Article 3: UF Will No Longer Sanction Student Trips to Haiti. Written by Nathan Crabbe, published in the Gainesville Sun on February 5th, 2010.
Amidst all the Haiti news we have been bombarded with over the past month, this article caught my eye because it was slightly different. The Haiti issue itself isn't new, but it was interesting to see it from a more selfish point of view because it directly affects something in the area that I live. This story was short, but it managed to have a good source as well as a quote from a graduate student who wants to go back to Haiti. I'm actually glad it was short, because unlike the article I read previously, it kept my attention and told me what I needed to know without evolving into this huge commitment. I know that's extremely lazy of me, but unless the article is AWESOME, I don't want to read it for very long.
Article
----------------------
Article 4: Toyota to Announce Action Soon for Prius Hybrids. Written by Kelly Olsen of the Associated Press on February 7, 2010.
Another Toyota article, no WAY! Now I can write a little bit of comparison between the last Toyota article I posted and this one. This one, unlike the previous, focuses more on Toyota's specific announcement made to deal with the Prius hybrid's breaking problems instead of Toyota's general history of blunders. Also, instead of considering a full recall, however, the executives ask for Prius owners to simply bring in their cars for repairs. Of course, both Toyota articles have a negative twist, but how could it not? They're both about manufacturing problems, so you can't really have a happy-go-lucky story about brake pedal failure. As a journalist, I don't know what I would have done differently to spice up a beaten-to-death story like this, but that's what should've been done.
Article
Monday, February 1, 2010
JOU Articles: week 3
Article 1: Rip Torn Heading to Rehab After Arrest. Written by Stephanie Reitz of the Associated Press on February 1, 2010.
I picked this article to read because Rip Torn plays one of my favorite characters in the movie "Dodgeball". I didn't really have previous knowledge of him clashing with the law, so this really caught my eye. After reading it, the first thing I noticed was that it seemed a bit biased in favor of Mr. Torn. How does that make sense when the entire article is centered around his drunken, illegal shenanigans? Well, aside from the main factual points of the article itself, there really wasn't even coverage in terms of attributions to his character. In one quote, from Torn's own attorney no less, Torn is described as "a very nice person" and "a very friendly individual". With the type of offense that Torn is responsible for, I think it would have been better to have someone talk about how serious his mistakes were. The man's blood-alcohol content was twice the legal limit, for chrissakes! I would've liked to see a quote from an arresting officer who knew how dangerous being plastered and carrying an illegal firearm is.
Article
-------------------------
Article 2: Doc Who Tied Vaccine to Autism Ruled Unethical. Written by Eben Harrell from Time Magazine on February 1, 2010.
The first thing that stood out about this article was the impressive amount of sources and helpful material. There were pictures, links to related videos, and a whole bunch of statistical evidence. Mr. Harrell could have been a lot more vague and generalized while writing his article, but he lit a fire of real interest in it by having so much information. It was also fair. Instead of having a story that simply attacked this doctor for all of his alleged faults, there was at least a whole paragraph listing the doctor-in-question's achievements and history working with autistic children. Once again I see I am attracted to more serious, controversial articles, but most of the time that's all there is to read. Also, I definitely tend to avoid sports articles. They simply do not interest me... like, EVER.
Article
----------------
Article 3: Nail Salon Tantrum Lands Birthday Girl in Jail. Written by Karen Voyles of the Gainesville Sun on February 1, 2010.
Okay, these first few sentences are being written PRIOR to reading the article. I just needed to mention that I ABSOLUTELY chose this story based on the totally awesome title. I laughed and immediately knew that this would be worth reading, no matter what. How could it not?
This article was concise, but it worked well being as short as it was. Strictly informational and without quotes, the entire story was covered in 5 short paragraphs. It included a picture of the woman arrested, which was really neat considering the story was only just written and she was only just taken into custody. Although, I'm actually not sure if the mugshot included is recent or perhaps from a previous arrest. Fun read, I was shaking my head in incredulity the whole time.
Article
---------------------
Article 4: Dream Deferred, a poem by Langston Hughes. LeAndra Valentine's chosen piece of writing.
One of the girls I swapped with gave me this short poem by Langston Hughes. Since it isn't very long, I will re-type it here:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
I'm not the biggest fan of poetry, but that's why I chose to read this. I wanted to expand my horizons a little bit, but I'm afraid the meaning of the poem itself kinda has me stumped. I mean, I get it, but I'm not sure what I'm interpreting is correct. Anyway, this poem was interesting because it wasn't full of grandiose metaphors and styles. Hughes keeps his comparisons simple, keeps them something almost every person can visualize and relate to. I couldn't tell what type of rhyming scheme he used, if any, and that was interesting, too. I liked the kinda mis-matched vibe, it kept the poem from becoming stagnant and repetitive.
I picked this article to read because Rip Torn plays one of my favorite characters in the movie "Dodgeball". I didn't really have previous knowledge of him clashing with the law, so this really caught my eye. After reading it, the first thing I noticed was that it seemed a bit biased in favor of Mr. Torn. How does that make sense when the entire article is centered around his drunken, illegal shenanigans? Well, aside from the main factual points of the article itself, there really wasn't even coverage in terms of attributions to his character. In one quote, from Torn's own attorney no less, Torn is described as "a very nice person" and "a very friendly individual". With the type of offense that Torn is responsible for, I think it would have been better to have someone talk about how serious his mistakes were. The man's blood-alcohol content was twice the legal limit, for chrissakes! I would've liked to see a quote from an arresting officer who knew how dangerous being plastered and carrying an illegal firearm is.
Article
-------------------------
Article 2: Doc Who Tied Vaccine to Autism Ruled Unethical. Written by Eben Harrell from Time Magazine on February 1, 2010.
The first thing that stood out about this article was the impressive amount of sources and helpful material. There were pictures, links to related videos, and a whole bunch of statistical evidence. Mr. Harrell could have been a lot more vague and generalized while writing his article, but he lit a fire of real interest in it by having so much information. It was also fair. Instead of having a story that simply attacked this doctor for all of his alleged faults, there was at least a whole paragraph listing the doctor-in-question's achievements and history working with autistic children. Once again I see I am attracted to more serious, controversial articles, but most of the time that's all there is to read. Also, I definitely tend to avoid sports articles. They simply do not interest me... like, EVER.
Article
----------------
Article 3: Nail Salon Tantrum Lands Birthday Girl in Jail. Written by Karen Voyles of the Gainesville Sun on February 1, 2010.
Okay, these first few sentences are being written PRIOR to reading the article. I just needed to mention that I ABSOLUTELY chose this story based on the totally awesome title. I laughed and immediately knew that this would be worth reading, no matter what. How could it not?
This article was concise, but it worked well being as short as it was. Strictly informational and without quotes, the entire story was covered in 5 short paragraphs. It included a picture of the woman arrested, which was really neat considering the story was only just written and she was only just taken into custody. Although, I'm actually not sure if the mugshot included is recent or perhaps from a previous arrest. Fun read, I was shaking my head in incredulity the whole time.
Article
---------------------
Article 4: Dream Deferred, a poem by Langston Hughes. LeAndra Valentine's chosen piece of writing.
One of the girls I swapped with gave me this short poem by Langston Hughes. Since it isn't very long, I will re-type it here:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
I'm not the biggest fan of poetry, but that's why I chose to read this. I wanted to expand my horizons a little bit, but I'm afraid the meaning of the poem itself kinda has me stumped. I mean, I get it, but I'm not sure what I'm interpreting is correct. Anyway, this poem was interesting because it wasn't full of grandiose metaphors and styles. Hughes keeps his comparisons simple, keeps them something almost every person can visualize and relate to. I couldn't tell what type of rhyming scheme he used, if any, and that was interesting, too. I liked the kinda mis-matched vibe, it kept the poem from becoming stagnant and repetitive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
