Vocab Lesson 2

Almost anyone who has seen TLC's show, entitled Toddlers in Tiaras, would greatly appreciate this article.   The show, which the article says sexualizes young girls, depicts crazed mothers, and impotent fathers. As the girls mothers dance wildly in the isles, the fathers bury their heads in the audience, clearly feeling great chagrin.
A three year old child, dressed up as Julia Roberts in Pretty Women, is the antithesis of what an innocent toddler should be. As she struts around in slinky and diaphanous clothing, her mother does nothing but gloat to other parents of her daughters beauty. All the girls appear on stage dressed in elaborate costumes and all kinds of pointless bauble. If you have seen the show, you will know that some of the girls "trainers" take an almost bestial delight in pulling the girls hair up into giant do's, or putting on excessive amounts of make-up. In fact, girls who don't take these drastic measures appear bland and effete in comparison.
The toddlers emotions are like a maelstrom, screaming and crying one minute, smiling on stage the next. Although some would describe the pageants as nihilism, there are in fact an obscure set of rules and regulations.
The article describes that this type of sexualization of women is extremely harmful. Science has found that the sexualization of young girls is an impediment to their future education. In addition to that, it encourages eating disorders and low self esteem. It can be difficult for a grown women to navigate this labyrinth of emotion, let alone a toddler. In order for any shard of these girls' self esteem to be saved, pageants must emendate what they want their message to be. Female sexuality, or female beauty and empowerment?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/12/opinion/henson-toddlers-tiaras/index.html?hpt=op_bn4

Life in the Dorms

In the loud obnoxious cafe, we talked to Melo Geng, from Bozhou, China. In his quit voice he explain to us his first day, was exciting and felt like it was a new start. It’s now his third year, and although he does get home sick, he plans to go to college in the US. He says it’s a dramatic change from 7-10 hours 6 days a week in school to only 5 days and only 6 hours per day. When asked about changes between US and China, his first response was food and driving age.

O’leary has been apart of TA for 7 years. A so called “prep-school guy”, him and his family have been a part of the dorm school life since the beginning. When they first moved in they were worried about privacy, but soon realized they were just one big family. He says that TA is more of an open community, than what the dorm students are used to. He found that despite some differences all teens have the same needs.
Filip Takac from Slovakia, didn't come necessary for the languages or learning so much as the good old american sports. he thinks Thornton Academy has a great team, with a faster pace. There isn't a big difference between school, he has 8 hours and only 45 minutes per class, where we have longer classes, shorter hours. Unlike others that get home sick, he denis that he misses his home.

Reflection Pictures

Pulitzer Prize Feature

The story is so horrific, that it is hard not to be pulled in. Beyond that though, the author is careful to set the scene. It is clear from the first few sentences that this will be no happy story. This is attractive because humans are so strangely drawn to morbidity. When you first hear the tale, all you can think of is how horrible the parents must be. By the end of the piece though, there is definitely more sympathy felt for the parents.
I think on a deeper meaning, the stories in this article taught you that you have to examine a story from all sides. This appears repeatedly in feature pieces, the fact that the author looks at something from all angles. This gives so many different perspectives that by the end of it, the reader doesn't really know what to think.  For this reason, they are then left to their own devices and must form their own conclusions.
I noticed that this read a little more like a short story than any news article would have read. The author set the scene, and got to know the characters. He did not just relay facts to the reader. In relation to my own feature piece, this is definitely something I will have to keep in mind.
This article influenced me for sure. I had heard stories about parents leaving their children in cars before and always asked myself, "how could a parent do that?" However, after this article, it's more easy to accept that people are only human, and that no matter how horrific, things do happen.

Summary of Chapter 2

Three important questions to ask:
-What is the story?
-Where are the facts?
-How do I report it?

Primary source: eyewitnesses to an event
Secondary source: Someone who has some knowledge, but got their information from someone else
Beat System: Plan to cover all potential news sources in a specific area. Each contact or information source is known as a beat.

Information sources:
-School calendar
-school handbook
-a current student, faculty, and staff directory
-bulletins from the school
-Back issues of the school paper, yearbook and tapes of former broadcasts

Before an interview, one should get some back ground information and plan their questions. The list should begin with easy questions to establish comfort. Reporter must be flexible and in control. The "why" and how" should be emphasized. Shouldn't read directly from the paper.

Although internet can be helpful, it should not be the only source of information.
-use 'help' advice or shortcuts if available
-choose keywords search method
-review lots of the adresses that the search engine produces
-review the sites domain addresses

On google:
-ask direct questions
-quotations
-Common words are ignored, use + sign
-"OR"
-use a minus sign for a word to be excluded
-search dates choose from within the last 3-6 months of 1 year

Vocab 1

It seems there is a catfight brewing between Susan Eman of Arizona, and Donna Simpson of Ohio. The argument, however, is quite obscure. One women, Donna Simpson, holds the record for the heaviest women to ever bear children. Her rival, Susan Eman is striving to hold the record of World's Heaviest Women. While neither of the women live a very opulent lifestyle, they clearly are never dingy when it comes to food. The women's figures seem almost amorphous at first, lacking the normal human shape. Simpson first started packing on the pounds when she noticed her partner found larger women intrigueing and erotic. It seemed that her boyfriends wishes besieged her brain, and she was unable to say no to the food. Although the relationship may have been ephemeral, her passion for gaining weight certainly was not.
The real  issue is that Simpson is afraid to lose the so called "prestige" that comes with having that record, despite the fact that she has recently decided to go on a diet and rectify her bad habits. A clealrly un-altruistic friend of Simpson's argues that her statements are only a ploy to get her a reality show. The factious women both deny that they want publicity based on their weight.
Both of the girls are immobile, and their doctors frequently warn them of the carrion that can develop due to bed sores. Beyond this, Eman's doctor seems oddly unconcerned with her health. The man has the perspicacity to say that the 728 pound women is perfectly healthy, and has no psychological problems. Many believe that the weight gain is only an aegis for a much bigger problem. This ignoble doctor can be called nothing but a boor of a man. It can be assumed that others in Eman and Simpson's life are making fervent attempts at convincing them to lose weight. They fear that the women's weight is enervating both their bodies, and their minds.

What is a good piece?

Quietly, the scene is set for what blossoms into a heartfelt feature. The scene begins unassumingly, like the beginning of your favorite novel. A yellow house next to a stream in Maine. Not only is the image eye-catching, but it sets the stage for what eventually develops into a bigger concept.
Ultimately, this is what makes a feature piece great. It is the ability to connect with the reader on a person level, to make them imagine the scene and situation in a way that the news does not. It does not simply state facts and statistics, but delves into the world of the story.
Ultimately there is no "formula" for a perfect feature piece, every one is different. Yes, there are similarities in all of them. Such as the ability to grab the readers attention, and to deliver a powerful piece of information. Yet, this can not be accomplished by following a set of rules. It must be a story that is meaningful to the writer, something they enjoy and can write persuasively about. This alone, is the key ingredient to a well written feature piece.