Possible lead:
The sustainability movement is gaining momentum and not surprisingly college students are the frontrunners for change. Not quite as heavy or abstract as environmental justice but not as light as the green movement, sustainability is nestled right in the middle. The environmental protection agency (epa.gov) says that sustainability calls for policies and strategies that meet society’s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
has mass appeal because it is easy to get involved. Minor changes in everyday living is all it takes to get started.
(to be continued.)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
intro to how-to, goes global
How to goes global.
This ridiculous article is a horrible attempt at breaking down step by step how to seduce a girl no matter how you are in the world. It is simplistic and dumb. The writing is not necessarily weak, but the subject matter and content and organization and treatment of the topic is the bad part. Seduce her with Food, Seduce her with technology, etc. It is so silly.
On to the organization or structure. It is clear, with dividers in obvious places. Not overwhelming with large blocks of texts which I liked. Small interjections with quotes.
I could not tell if this was a satire or real life.
This ridiculous article is a horrible attempt at breaking down step by step how to seduce a girl no matter how you are in the world. It is simplistic and dumb. The writing is not necessarily weak, but the subject matter and content and organization and treatment of the topic is the bad part. Seduce her with Food, Seduce her with technology, etc. It is so silly.
On to the organization or structure. It is clear, with dividers in obvious places. Not overwhelming with large blocks of texts which I liked. Small interjections with quotes.
I could not tell if this was a satire or real life.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Musical genius among us
Joshua Bell.
A social experiment by the staff of the Washington Post.
This article had so many moments that were memorable and creative. The writing was elaborate without being boring which I enjoyed.
The style of it, with detail and a pace setting tempo of the sentences made me keep reading. There are questions posed and then all caps sentences which show the break of a section.
The lead and first few paragraphs were kind of in a story-telling type of way so it set up a scene. I am a visual person so it was so interesting for me to continue on and paint a visual in my head.
The style of it, with detail and a pace setting tempo of the sentences made me keep reading. There are questions posed and then all caps sentences which show the break of a section.
The lead and first few paragraphs were kind of in a story-telling type of way so it set up a scene. I am a visual person so it was so interesting for me to continue on and paint a visual in my head.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Outline (with edits)
Outline of Article
Concept: How-To Green Your Space. This will be a list of steps someone can take to green their lifestyles in a collegiate setting.
Sources: For the people I want to interview, I was thinking Lauren Kastner who is the President of Coal-Free IU, Bill Brown the Director of the Sustainability Office, I also want to use myself as a source if that is possible because I’m really passionate about this stuff.
I. Lead
a. I do not have the specifics of the lead in mind yet like how I want to word it, but I do know how I want the article to begin.
i. I want it to start of kind of like a trend piece
ii. It will grab the reader with probably an anecdote or relevant rationale as to why the green movement is a legitimate trend
iii. After introducing the trend I want to create a pull for the reader, which I am assuming to be around my age, to want to be involved.
iv. I am also debating whether to include what IU’s Sustainability Grade is (we got a C+) as recent as 2009
II. Body of the article
a. In order to avoid being boring and bland which can happen sometimes with the green movement I want to bring in very simple but innovative and fun ways to be eco-friendly.
b. Some things I have are as simple as turning off your lights when you are not using them, others are a little more heavy like putting up a clothes line by your bed and hanging dry the bulk of laundry instead of using a dryer to conserve energy.
c. Refilling a harder shelled water bottle instead of the plastic ones from Wal-Mart, although probably equally cost effective, one is just obviously worse for the environment.
d. I want to expand on certain points with either anecdotes or more statistics and facts, because simply throwing away a water bottle can have an adverse effect to the human body and environment alike
e. I want to be creative and interesting without over-doing it or pushing my excitement for this topic on to others.
i. People are easily turned off by over excitement for abstract topics
f. I will also be using plain English rather than lofty terms and anything too technical or focused.
g. This will also hold the quotes from my sources, my expert, a student leader in a related organization and a student that has maybe tried out some of these things.
______
III. Conclusion
I would finish by bringing in ways to start asap. Like "as soon as you finish this article do _____)
Providing a call to action would be helpful.
f. I will also be using plain English rather than lofty terms and anything too technical or focused.
g. This will also hold the quotes from my sources, my expert, a student leader in a related organization and a student that has maybe tried out some of these things.
______
III. Conclusion
I would finish by bringing in ways to start asap. Like "as soon as you finish this article do _____)
Providing a call to action would be helpful.
Written by the same guy who wrote the flowery novels about life.
So Mitch Albom wrote this article called The Courage of Detroit. I immediately recognized his name as the author of those self-help and inspirational type books which my parents continually buy for me as if I'm in a quarter life crisis or something (which I am, but I don't want to read his books).
In any case, I tried looking past his name and giving this article a chance.
I think America, or at the very least I, consider Detroit to be like Britney Spears. Britney was in the depths of failure and has risen again, like a phoenix. And we were all routing for her, well at least I was. Thats how I think of Detroit. We are ready and supportive of their triumphant comeback.
The article was written in his usual chant-y type of you-can-overcome spirit that is always present in his writings.
I found it interesting how he used the phrase "and yet" which honestly reminds me alot of being back home in my Black Baptist church. The preacher would say that alot when he was all revved up (no pun intended)
Although the writing was still kind of flowery for my taste, I did want to keep reading. Overall I enjoyed it, which I'm surprised to say.
posted at 3:44pm 3/24
In any case, I tried looking past his name and giving this article a chance.
I think America, or at the very least I, consider Detroit to be like Britney Spears. Britney was in the depths of failure and has risen again, like a phoenix. And we were all routing for her, well at least I was. Thats how I think of Detroit. We are ready and supportive of their triumphant comeback.
The article was written in his usual chant-y type of you-can-overcome spirit that is always present in his writings.
I found it interesting how he used the phrase "and yet" which honestly reminds me alot of being back home in my Black Baptist church. The preacher would say that alot when he was all revved up (no pun intended)
Although the writing was still kind of flowery for my taste, I did want to keep reading. Overall I enjoyed it, which I'm surprised to say.
posted at 3:44pm 3/24
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Article
Green Living and green dorms would be relatively simple to turn into a how-to type article. After our in class discussions I'm considering a trend story or some type of mix between green living trends and how to green your living space.
I will think about this more in the coming days.
I will think about this more in the coming days.
Sources
So for sources, I am still fuzy on this subject.
I might ask my internship director and interview the volunteer in sustainability (IU) director.
I do not know if we can use ourselves or my own research as a resource or if that doesn't work.
I might ask my internship director and interview the volunteer in sustainability (IU) director.
I do not know if we can use ourselves or my own research as a resource or if that doesn't work.
Boys vs. Girls: sexual selection and science
The south is probably not the first place I would think about great scientific discoveries coming from. And that is precisely why this article is really interesting.
First we meet a cowboy who exemplifies certain stereotypes with the boots and lots of land and southern drawl, juxtaposed to his advancements in science when choosing a boy or girl for parents. To his surprise, it led to an increase in the selection of girls over boys.
The article takes time to situate the reader in some of the major theories between selection of sex, and how seemingly from the beginning of time males have been preferred.
The article immediately grabbed my attention and I was so invested in the outcome of certain situations that were brought up that I had to keep reading.
Based on our class discussion on Tuesday I would categorize this as possibly a human interest and trend piece. It is very well rounded with facts, figures, people, quotes, and anecdotes. It is a trend because it talks about how the economy and social interactions are even starting to reflect this trend.
First we meet a cowboy who exemplifies certain stereotypes with the boots and lots of land and southern drawl, juxtaposed to his advancements in science when choosing a boy or girl for parents. To his surprise, it led to an increase in the selection of girls over boys.
The article takes time to situate the reader in some of the major theories between selection of sex, and how seemingly from the beginning of time males have been preferred.
The article immediately grabbed my attention and I was so invested in the outcome of certain situations that were brought up that I had to keep reading.
Based on our class discussion on Tuesday I would categorize this as possibly a human interest and trend piece. It is very well rounded with facts, figures, people, quotes, and anecdotes. It is a trend because it talks about how the economy and social interactions are even starting to reflect this trend.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Check your morals at the door
The newsweek article titled, "So Long, Gideons" is about Gideons Bibles in hotel nightstands, or lack thereof.
As of recently the trend has been to remove the Bibles in nightstands and some controversy has ensued as a result. Seemingly always at the forefront of making statements, a boutique-styled Manhattan hotel is used juxtaposed to even more conservative hotel chains like Marriot doing the same things like taking these Bibles away.
Instead of religion, these nightstands are now being filled with things that would encourage a little more wild lifestyle. Condoms, sexual toys, etc., now stock the bars within rooms, late check-outs for hangovers and a general catering to a younger generation is on the rise.
This article makes me think of how political correctness and cultural and religious sensitivities have had a huge role in this change.
The author Roya Wolverson kept my interest the entire article which is always a plus. The first few articles automatically provide human interest which is something that I usually look for. It also had appeal to my age group.
The writing style was descriptive and fluid, nothing seemed out of place necessarily. I did wish, however that the article was a little longer because I was actually intrigued with this subject.
(posted at 2:15pm March 8, 2011)
As of recently the trend has been to remove the Bibles in nightstands and some controversy has ensued as a result. Seemingly always at the forefront of making statements, a boutique-styled Manhattan hotel is used juxtaposed to even more conservative hotel chains like Marriot doing the same things like taking these Bibles away.
Instead of religion, these nightstands are now being filled with things that would encourage a little more wild lifestyle. Condoms, sexual toys, etc., now stock the bars within rooms, late check-outs for hangovers and a general catering to a younger generation is on the rise.
This article makes me think of how political correctness and cultural and religious sensitivities have had a huge role in this change.
The author Roya Wolverson kept my interest the entire article which is always a plus. The first few articles automatically provide human interest which is something that I usually look for. It also had appeal to my age group.
The writing style was descriptive and fluid, nothing seemed out of place necessarily. I did wish, however that the article was a little longer because I was actually intrigued with this subject.
(posted at 2:15pm March 8, 2011)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Almost a Mile Below South Dakota continued
So I decided to write more on this because within our class discussion I have more things that I was thinking of.
There is so much techy and sciency-y lingo that it was distracting from easy readability. Sentences like the following: " the entire assemblage will eventually contain 31 gallons of –154°F liquid. xenon—the medium that will actually detect the dark matter— so precision is essential. "
was such a distraction because I felt lost with the constant usage of terms like that.
It was my least favorite article that we have read because it seemed like weak writing, I can not identify the exact thing that made me feel that way but it was jus
There is so much techy and sciency-y lingo that it was distracting from easy readability. Sentences like the following: " the entire assemblage will eventually contain 31 gallons of –154°F liquid. xenon—the medium that will actually detect the dark matter— so precision is essential. "
was such a distraction because I felt lost with the constant usage of terms like that.
It was my least favorite article that we have read because it seemed like weak writing, I can not identify the exact thing that made me feel that way but it was jus
Story Ideas
My current story ideas are How-To articles:
I either want to do how to green your dorm room, because that is a huge part of my current internship or, how to survive as a recessionista.
I will be developing these further at a later date.
______________________________________
Edited today 7:00pm
How-to articles are hard because they have to be skillfully written and not be cheesy so while I'm still exploring that idea, I also want to consider other options.
I intern with the IU office of sustainability and I really love it. I have 3 main responsibilities, the most important is arguably the creation of a stable green dorm room certification program. As a part of my work I have developed multiple lists and even a website for this subject and I think it could be relevant and interesting.
The green movement, namely sustainability have become huge topics of discussion recently and I would like to draw on that.
Secondly I know that there have been many takes on the recession and how to deal with it so I thought why not make a list of things that a woman can do to make her life recession-proof. This would have a slightly smaller audience of females, or I suppose it could also include males. I'm still trying to work with it.
I either want to do how to green your dorm room, because that is a huge part of my current internship or, how to survive as a recessionista.
I will be developing these further at a later date.
______________________________________
Edited today 7:00pm
How-to articles are hard because they have to be skillfully written and not be cheesy so while I'm still exploring that idea, I also want to consider other options.
I intern with the IU office of sustainability and I really love it. I have 3 main responsibilities, the most important is arguably the creation of a stable green dorm room certification program. As a part of my work I have developed multiple lists and even a website for this subject and I think it could be relevant and interesting.
The green movement, namely sustainability have become huge topics of discussion recently and I would like to draw on that.
Secondly I know that there have been many takes on the recession and how to deal with it so I thought why not make a list of things that a woman can do to make her life recession-proof. This would have a slightly smaller audience of females, or I suppose it could also include males. I'm still trying to work with it.
More interesting lead
In a small town in North Dakota, dark matter is casting a dark shadow on scientific opportunity
“If it ends up that dark matter is not made of WIMPs, it will be much more disappointing in a philosophical sense than in a personal sense, in that humankind won’t know what dark matter is,” Shutt says.
__________________
Above was some random brainstorming...
Possible lead that I hope is more interesting?
Physicists in South Dakota are attempting to shed light on a dark matter. Dark matter could potentially hold the key to theories on the universe.
Today, most (but by no means all) physicists agree that dark matter exists, and that it is probably made up of what they call WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles. “Massive” doesn’t mean that the particles are large, but that they have mass and therefore both respond to and cause gravitational pull. “Weakly interacting” means that the particles, despite having mass, nonetheless only rarely interact with matter. Scientists also assume that WIMPs are electromagnetically neutral, which is why we can’t see them.
As revolutionary a concept this is, the truth is that no one has ever directly observed the stuff.
from there I have writers block ...
Retroactive post
So I might have had the worst week in the history of awful weeks. Probably just a case of re-occuring bad luck. I had my car broken into. Things totaling $400 were taken from my car and on top of that my computer has a virus, the kind that can not be fixed or if it is fixed will equal the cost of a new computer. How did this happen? I am not sure however, I am now in the market for a new laptop, I have told my parents that it would make a great early graduation gift.
Anyways...
A Race to Find Dark Matter
The reading for today was a sciency one. I will be completely honest I read the first few paragraphs multiple times to orient myself with the subject because I was extremely confused.
It did not catch my interest at all and being that I do not come from a science background I found it a little troubling to have to stop and reread parts so often. I think while a writer must always be aware of their audience it is equally important to consider who might just happen to read the article.
Even with the lengthly explanation of certain terms, I felt a little lost. It did not have a Colonel Troutman moment for me. The fact that these discoveries are happening a mile below the earths surface could have been really interesting but I did not feel that way.
The lead was week and standard, more of a newspaper sound that a magazine article. The use of sources was appropriate and added a little bit of depth. Some of the explanations or descriptions of people were insightful, witty and literature-like. Other than the dialogue, I just feel like the piece in general lacked an anchor of the story or a central theme. Including facts and figures like millions of dollars or ounces of matter is irrelevant if the writer has not been able to connect some of the dots for us in regards to why we should even care.
Anyways...
A Race to Find Dark Matter
The reading for today was a sciency one. I will be completely honest I read the first few paragraphs multiple times to orient myself with the subject because I was extremely confused.
It did not catch my interest at all and being that I do not come from a science background I found it a little troubling to have to stop and reread parts so often. I think while a writer must always be aware of their audience it is equally important to consider who might just happen to read the article.
Even with the lengthly explanation of certain terms, I felt a little lost. It did not have a Colonel Troutman moment for me. The fact that these discoveries are happening a mile below the earths surface could have been really interesting but I did not feel that way.
The lead was week and standard, more of a newspaper sound that a magazine article. The use of sources was appropriate and added a little bit of depth. Some of the explanations or descriptions of people were insightful, witty and literature-like. Other than the dialogue, I just feel like the piece in general lacked an anchor of the story or a central theme. Including facts and figures like millions of dollars or ounces of matter is irrelevant if the writer has not been able to connect some of the dots for us in regards to why we should even care.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)