Debate (blogpost 13.0)

The town hall style Presidential debate took place at Hofstra University in New York on October 16th. President Barack Obama and opposing candidate Governor Mitt Romney went head to head in heated arguments over education, taxation, and womens' rights. The debate was moderated by CNN news anchor Candy Crowley. There were many points of controversy in which the two candidates spoke over each other in an attempt to make the most of their time. Crowley did her best to appease the roar, but that did not stop Obama and Romney from frequently saying "just one more thing". 

One of the more memorable moments from the evening occurred when Romney was asked how he plans to improve equality for women in the workplace. Romney proceded to speak about the cabinet that served him as Governor of Massachusetts. "I went to a number of women's groups and said, 'Can you help us find folks?' and they brought us whole binders full of women." 

This line was widely received, processed, and thrown back in Romney's face by the internet. Within minutes of "binders full of women" leaving Romney's lips, several parody facebook, twitter and tumblr accounts were activated and spitting political satire. 

Obama repeated his past criticism of Romney's unclear tax plan, saying "when he's asked how are you going to do it, which deductions, which loopholes are you going to close, he can't tell you." The Obama campaign even set up this anti-Romney website humorously declaring plan to be purposefully delivered vague. 

But when it comes to statistical evidence, Romney has no shortage. "We don't have to settle for what we're going through," Romney said at one point. "We don't have to settle for gasoline at four bucks. We don't have to settle for unemployment at a chronically high level. We don't have to settle for 47 million people on food stamps. We don't have to settle for 50 percent of kids coming out of college not able to get work. We don't have to settle for 23 million people struggling to find a good job."

Obama waited until his final statement to hone in on Romney's statement about the 47%. "Think about who he was talking about," Obama said, "who've worked all their lives," veterans "who've sacrificed for this country," students, soldiers and "people working hard every day." The president said he wanted to fight for those people "because if they succeed, I believe the country succeeds."

Obama and Romney continuously tried to win over the audience members asking questions. If one candidate gave a seemingly disappointing answer, the other attempted to reassure the asker with information supporting their own possible presidential term, whether or not the facts were true. They battled back and forth about the cost of education and immigration. Both candidates played politics during this debate. According to CNN, Obama is viewed as the overall winner, with 46% of watchers agreeing. 

Biased piece (aka: Why I Am Moving to Sweden if Romney is Elected): 

When it comes to some politicians these days, it seems their policies reflect their own beliefs, rather than the interests of the American public. This gets in the way of good, clean politics. In fact, the words "good" and "clean" hardly seem fit to describe politics any more. Most campaign ads are designed to shoot down the opposing competitor instead of build one up. Politicians scuttle around details of their plans to cover up what may be controversial. But these controversial details are the ones that we, the American people, need to be aware of if we want the next 4 years to be as successful as possible. 

Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney is no exception. Romney's campaign party has maneuvered around tax plans and teetered on the fence of telling media exactly what Romney's stance on issues like abortion are. This untruthful approach to Presidency makes me uncomfortable and fearful for what might come should Romney be elected in a week and a half. 

Let's talk about an issue that has been presented, faulted, denied, covered-up and restated again and again. Romney has issued a statement(s) that, should he become President, he would cut funding for Planned Parenthood. 

“I’ve said time and time again, I’m a pro-life candidate, I’ll be a pro-life president. The actions I’ll take immediately are to remove funding for Planned Parenthood. It will not be part of my budget."

I would like to remind Governor Romney that Planned Parenthood is not an abortion factory. They also specialize in cancer screenings, vaccinations, sexual health education, STD testing, adoption referrals and so many other services that both women and men depend on in the United States. 

But just because a law is passed or funding is cut, that will not stop some women from performing unsafe, unsanitary abortions that could be permanently damaging and potentially lethal. Abortion was unaffordable or even illegal, sure, some people would have children they didn't ask for, and perhaps are not ready for. That is another mouth to feed, a mind to school, a bed to occupy, a job to give. Is that beneficial to your economy plans, Governor Romney?


Something needs to be clarified here: Romney isn't cutting Planned Parenthood for money/tax/economy issues. Romney wants to cut Planned Parenthood because he, personally, does not believe that abortion should be legal. This is a perfect example of politicians enforcing their beliefs on citizens. It is, in a way, an abuse of power. Their beliefs should not be treated as our beliefs. 

I've never been fond of the categories entitled "pro-life" and "pro-choice". Since I am pro-choice, it makes me feel like I am categorized, somehow, as anti-life. I am the furthest from. I understand the fragility and sacredness of the life that these politicians are trying to protect. But here is what I want to protect: the stability and happiness of people who are alive right now. I believe that no one has the right to enforce anything on someone's body, whether that be a fetus or a politician. Abortion is a personal choice, and no one should have the right to take that choice away. 

Current event: Things Romney Says

Back in June, Presidential candidate Mitt Romney encouraged business owners to attempt to vacillate their employees' political views, saying that it was peremptory that they should pellucidly state their personal preferences in regards to the upcoming election.

Romney apparently believes that the will of the business owner should interrupt how the employees desire American businesses to be run. This patronizing treatment of workers is not exactly archaic. It is an axiom that those in power tend to abuse that power, even if they do not realize it. It is considered an iniquity by many to usurp more than just a business or a position of power, but the people who then fall subject to said position.

Romney is perspicacious when it comes to manipulating words. He is abstemious in answering exactly what is questioned of him as to only prove the points he wants to prove, and expurgate his more muddled plans as a Presidential candidate.

More recently, in the Presidential Debate on tuesday, Romney made a comment that is making its rounds on the internet. When asked to address gender inequality in the workplace, Romney gave a personal account of his experience as Governor of Massachusetts in which he was brought "binders full of women" to hire out of. This comment was meant to showcase Romney's care of womens' equality and rights, but has not sat well with the online community and has become the joke of week.

Hearing the not-so-dulcet voice of our next possible President make ignorantly misogynist comments about women in the workplace is not reassuring. Granted, Romney has recently become the scapegoat of conservative republicans and probably wishes for a talisman to protect him from the constant questions and having every word that comes from his mouth go into a recording device.

In the mean time, the internet is an atelier for "Romney's Binder" jokes, with numerous facebook, twitter and tumblr parody accounts already high functioning from the moment Romney said "binder".

Quickie Monday: Felix Baumgartner's Fall From Space

Yesterday, after years of planning and two and a half hours of rising into the sky in a space pod, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumped from 128,000 feet (over 24 miles) in the stratosphere, breaking five world records.

The fall to Earth took four minutes and 19 seconds (just 17 seconds shy of breaking a sixth world record) while zooming down at 834 mph, faster than the speed of sound. Baumgartner wore a specially made pressurized suit to keep his body stabilized as he tumbled through the air at low oxygen levels.

Though Baumgartner broke the record for most views watched on a YouTube live stream, a surprising amount of TA students and faculty missed this historical moment. When asked what they thought of the fall from space that took place yesterday, the most common response was, "Somebody fell from space?"

The few who could give an opinion, were amazed and terrified by the incredible height, but had little to say about the momentous feat that had just taken place.

What does this mean for modern generations? Are we bombarded with too many world records and technological accomplishments that we've become apathetic to them?

RD (blogpost 10.0)

observation/description of subject on stage ie: The theater is quiet. A group of student actors are scattered across the stage, scripts in hand. Among them is junior Camden Loeser, who is playing [character's name] in this years production of The Crucible

“[My favorite part is] the nerves before you go on stage,” says Loeser. “Knowing that people are about to see you and be impressed with your talents.”

Loeser has been involved in theater since age four, when he played a mouse in his first show, Twas One Crazy Night Before Christmas. Loesers favorite performance to this day is The Sound of Music,  in which he portrayed Frederic in the Ogunquit Playhouse production in the summer of 2010. “When you perform the show as much as I did, you become the character,” says Loeser, who valued the production for its professional experience.

Loeser plans on pursuing musical theater after high school, though he’s worried about the competitiveness of art schools. “Sometimes you’re hard on yourself and feel like you should be able to do what everyone else can do.”

It takes incredible dedication to become an artist. For many graduates, art is created on the side in conjunction with a day job. With an overflowing wave of young artists, it is difficult to stand out and be successful.

“Everyone  likes drawing, everyone like photography, everyone likes writing,” says senior Danielle Morin, “It’s hard to excel and get noticed.” (story on danielle either before or after this quote)

Nowadays, a masters degree in art is essential to a professional career in many artistic fields.

“[It’s scary] knowing that there will always be someone better than you,” says Loeser. For professional actors, competition, training and preparing for auditions is an enormous part of the business, not unlike professional athletes. “That’s your entire life.”

But what constitutes being successful? Yearly salary? Number of tickets sold or books published? “As long as I feel happy in what I’m doing and feel like this what I’m supposed to do,” says Loeser, “I want it to feel beneficial to me.”

“I don’t think I’ll do anything else. I don’t love anything else more than theater enough to want to.”

end connects back to beginning




RD is incomplete. I haven't gotten interview w/ Danielle or much observation from Camden. Waiting for camera to complete the latter so I can kill two birds with one stone. So I haven't a solid lead. What I have completed, I believe, is done well. I just need to expand and elaborate on my ideas.

Vocabulary (blogpost 9.0)

https://apps.facebook.com/wpsocialreader/?fb_source=bookmark_apps&ref=bookmarks&count=0&fb_bmpos=2_0

Millions of interlocutors across the world have joined Twitter, a social media website that allows a carte blanche of free thought and opinion sharing for anyone with internet access. Some people believe that the internet is a stygian place that condones or even encourages contemptuous behavior. This sophistry argues that social media is a place rife with procrustean individuals with no regard for others or their own responsibility and has caused quite a donnybrook from a generation so acclimated to these tools. The internet offers a virtual, cosmopolitan lifestyle because of easy access to global information and experience. Today, there is only a vestige of people strewn across the earth who haven't been affected in some way by social media.

Twitter and its other rivalry networks are attempting a metamorphosis in how users are evaluated in terms of popularity ratings. These social network sites are concerned with how their users are able to view their popularity. On twitter, users can "retweet" (internet nomenclature for post again or share) what someone else posted, creating a sort of incantation of one person's thought. Twitter is beginning to consider that retweeting may more accurately portray a user's success, because their tweet has been sent to more than just their own followers.

I am nonchalant about the way twitter tracks it's users. As long as an internet brigand or hacker does not steal my account from me, I'll be all set.

Quick Story Mondays (blogpost 8.0)

Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie

by Sam Saucier and Sarah Beth Campisi

On September 21, 2012, the long awaited film Perks of Being a Wallflower premiered in select theaters. Perks of Being a Wallflower is a novel by Stephen Chbosky published in 1999.

Jill Kehoe, the librarian in Thornton Academy’s Library and Academic Commons, read the book several years ago. “I read it at the same that I read Catcher in the Rye, because this book was supposed to be the contemporary Catcher in the Rye,” Kehoe said. “You really can’t compare. I guess [Perks of Being a Wallflower] was okay.”

Perks follows the story of high school freshman, Charlie, an introvert with a troubled past who is just trying to blend in.

Hanna Langley, a sophomore, says that Perks is “a really great story and I cried reading it.” Anxious to see the film version of her favorite characters, Langley is most excited for actress Emma Watson’s take on the character Sam. “She’s amazing,” Langley says, beaming.

Students are curious to see how the cast list turns out, worrying (as any fan would) about who will take on and foster the personalities of the characters they care about.  “I figured they’d end up butchering it,” says senior Nathan Morris. “It’s my favorite book because I can relate to Charlie so much.” Morris said that Perks is on his list of things he would save if his house were burning down.

"It's relatable,” says Sydney Curran, junior. “Everyone feels like that awkward kid.”

Perks will summon all the wallflowers into Maine theaters on October 6.

verb: to be
connect interviewees to story

The Lead (blogpost 7.0)

On writing news story leads: 

• A news lead typically written in 40 words or less
• starts with the main point of the article 
• the most important questions to answer are who and what
• could start with where then answer the who? and what? and other questions if appropriate
• could start with why then answer who? and what? etc
• present participle: starting with answering "how"
• begin with a prepositional phrase (no subject or verb) (ex: after two years of discussion...)
• start with a gerund (ing verb) in order to narrate 
• start with time period (temporal clause)
• Feature fact: the most important fact that should be featured in the lead
• vignette lead: storytelling approach to report major issues in order to bring them to a personal/human level. Paragraphs start long then become more traditionally short, newswriting form to bring facts to a close. Used in features.
• Descriptive or background leads: gives details of settings leading up to the story. Could include dialogue.
• start with a question that will hone in a reader's curiosity