For my example of a profile, I decided to post this week's Newsweek article on Don Imus and the entire controversy surrounding his comments. There is obviously a great deal amount of material being written about the situation, but I decided to post this article since it delves more into his history (and his history of inappropriate statements). It also goes into detail about many of the issues surrounding the entire situation.
At the very least, I figured it would be an article that could get a good conversation going. Most people seem to have strong opinions on the subject, and I thought it would be interesting to get some different thoughts. I, for one, was ecstatic that CBS and MSNBC fired him, and I also hate most of the other similar radio/TV personalities, like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, or Howard Stern.
I'll give a much-more detailed reaction on the article and on the entire situation tomorrow.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18110453/site/newsweek/
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
Blog Recommendation
For our class, we needed to send a link to a blog that we enjoy reading. I actually have a few different blogs that I like, so I thought I'd send a few different links.
The first is Bill Simmons' "The Sports Guy" blog on ESPN.com. I enjoy his work a lot because he writes solely from the perspective of a fan. He has one of the most influential and widely read sports columns on the web and his work has become widely imitated by other sports writers. He tends to write with a completely free-lancing style, and his columns could easily go from the NBA to Major League Baseball to "Entourage" to random MTV shows in a single sentence. He's not perfect, and I have my own problems with some of his work (not to mention the fact that he tends to hate on the Pistons), but I have been reading him for quite some time and I also check for any updates.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index
The second one that I'm posting are two Detroit Pistons blogs that I usually read every day. They differ in style, but I enjoy both of them. The first, and my favorite of the two, is called "Need 4 Sheed" and is written by a diehard Pistons fan. I like her blog because she gives detailed write-ups on each game and posts links to most Pistons articles on the web. Plus, any site that you can order T-Shirts that say "Ball Don't Lie" with Sheed's face on it and "Count That Baby And A Foul" with George Blaha's face on it. The second Pistons blog is written more in a style that A Free Press or Detroit News beat reporter would cover the team.
http://www.need4sheed.com/
http://www.detroitbadboys.com/
Plus, Rog's blog is just as good as these two, and we agree on 99.9% of Pistons-related topics, so I'll post to his, too.
http://kzooguru5.blogspot.com/
The first is Bill Simmons' "The Sports Guy" blog on ESPN.com. I enjoy his work a lot because he writes solely from the perspective of a fan. He has one of the most influential and widely read sports columns on the web and his work has become widely imitated by other sports writers. He tends to write with a completely free-lancing style, and his columns could easily go from the NBA to Major League Baseball to "Entourage" to random MTV shows in a single sentence. He's not perfect, and I have my own problems with some of his work (not to mention the fact that he tends to hate on the Pistons), but I have been reading him for quite some time and I also check for any updates.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index
The second one that I'm posting are two Detroit Pistons blogs that I usually read every day. They differ in style, but I enjoy both of them. The first, and my favorite of the two, is called "Need 4 Sheed" and is written by a diehard Pistons fan. I like her blog because she gives detailed write-ups on each game and posts links to most Pistons articles on the web. Plus, any site that you can order T-Shirts that say "Ball Don't Lie" with Sheed's face on it and "Count That Baby And A Foul" with George Blaha's face on it. The second Pistons blog is written more in a style that A Free Press or Detroit News beat reporter would cover the team.
http://www.need4sheed.com/
http://www.detroitbadboys.com/
Plus, Rog's blog is just as good as these two, and we agree on 99.9% of Pistons-related topics, so I'll post to his, too.
http://kzooguru5.blogspot.com/
Why I Don't Like My Personal Essay
So, I have obviously posted my personal essay about my niece. I can say that I like the first 1/2 or so - the section where I am basically telling a story. I enjoyed writing that part, and it seemed like it flowed pretty well. Then, I completely hit the wall. I had about 9 different versions of the next part, including:
By the way, I do feel bad leaving my nephew out of most of my essay, but it was hard to get both of them into the one essay.
- Detailing the actual night she was born
- Writing about what was going on in my life the year she was born
- Writing about how my life has changed since she was born
- A section where I spoke about my family has changed since her birth
- A section where I detailed fun times I have had with my niece
- Comparing my situation with my niece to my relationship with my siblings
- Writing about how important my family is to me
By the way, I do feel bad leaving my nephew out of most of my essay, but it was hard to get both of them into the one essay.
Personal Essay - The Day I Met My Niece
The Day I Met My Niece
“Go ahead and hold her,” my sister told me. I responded by giving her a look somehow encompassing shock, fear, sheer terror, and confusion into a single facial expression. Here I was, a junior in high school with a great deal of experience with being nervous in my life, having given speeches in front on my entire school, played in overtime football games, shot free throws to win a game in front of a packed gym, and faced a full count with two outs and the bases loaded in the final inning, but nothing compared to my feeling of sheer terror at being handed my screaming niece.
She had been very premature, being so tiny that she had been able to fit in her Christmas stocking a month before I saw her, and during my seven hour flight to
I was expecting to be eased into this whole “uncle thing” one small step at a time. Maybe get accustomed to my surroundings for a little while, grab something to eat, do my taxes, read a book; anything but having to step into all-out uncle mode right away. I was 100% confident in my inability to be able to hold my niece. However, my sister had other ideas, and, for some strange reason, within minutes of my arrival, thought that the perfect first time for easing me into this unknown territory would be to hand me her hungry, tired, and crying daughter.
Now, here is where I would normally describe how she immediately calmed down when I held her and how she never cried when I held her from that day on, but that would not entirely be the truth. Luckily, I didn’t drop her (nor have I to this day), but she did continue to cry, which I still think is hilarious as her first reaction to seeing me. Though our first meeting did not go exactly as planned, it is only the first chapter in the many great experiences I have had since my niece and nephew were born. She is only five (and a half, as she would tell you), but I have already had some of the best times of my life with her.
The best experience about watching my niece grow up has been watching our family change along with her and to see how important she and her brother, Liam (born two years after Aisling), have become to our lives. From both of our initial nerves, my brother and I have changed into the best uncles in the world (if I do say so), quick to outfit our niece and nephew in Baby Air Jordan’s and Detroit Pistons gear, and even quicker to take any challenge from them to play any of the games of the days. My other sister has even been gracious enough to give Aisling another play partner in her husband Franco, who has instantly been welcomed into the family.
I never could have imagined how much fun being an uncle could be. Once I put aside my nerves, I was able to sit back and watch my niece grow and learn. Six years ago, I never would have guessed the amount of hours spent playing hide-and-seek, re-enacting entire scenes from Christmas plays, or being chased around the house during an intense game of “dragons.” I now can’t picture my life without voicemail messages on my phone with a tiny, British voice on the other end or the many drawings sent on birthdays and holidays and I’m able to share in the joy of first steps, first words, and first days of school.
Being the youngest of my five siblings, I also feel that my relationship with Aisling has allowed me to experience the same joy and feelings that my siblings had as they watched me grow. They were the ones who played with me, who I drew pictures for, and who I chased around the house. They love to tell me stories of how I was a kid and I can feel their pride in knowing the part that they all played in getting me to where I am today. Now, Aisling allows me to return the favor to them in a way and gives me the chance to share the same pride in watching her grow, until it’s her turn to become nervous about meeting her own niece.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
"Badge of Courage"
I did not enjoy the second article, "Badge of Courage" by Deborah Lewis, as much as many of the other articles I read for today's class. It was a good story, but I did not feel that Lewis was able to keep me involved and interested in the article for its entirety. I understand that the author was using her tattoo to symbolize all of the pain and struggle during her battle with cancer. The tattoo was a type of closure for her, allowing her to focus on her victory one last time before getting back into her normal everyday life.
However, I thought that she have included more information on her struggle with her breast cancer. I felt that a small chronicle of the days of pain and the hours in hospitals would have added a great deal to her story. As a wife and a mother of two children, an anecdote about their experiences with her cancer could also have added depth to her writing. Now, the subject may be too difficult for her to speak about, or the trauma may be too soon to appear in the her writing. I just was dissapointed with the way her story ended up. I read the opening paragraph and thought that she would detail her experiences. Instead, she ends up arguing with several friends about what style of tattoo to get. I suppose that I sound inconsiderate to the woman, but I just felt that she had a great story to tell, and failed to tell it.
However, I thought that she have included more information on her struggle with her breast cancer. I felt that a small chronicle of the days of pain and the hours in hospitals would have added a great deal to her story. As a wife and a mother of two children, an anecdote about their experiences with her cancer could also have added depth to her writing. Now, the subject may be too difficult for her to speak about, or the trauma may be too soon to appear in the her writing. I just was dissapointed with the way her story ended up. I read the opening paragraph and thought that she would detail her experiences. Instead, she ends up arguing with several friends about what style of tattoo to get. I suppose that I sound inconsiderate to the woman, but I just felt that she had a great story to tell, and failed to tell it.
"Pattern of Migration"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/magazine/25Lives.t.html?ex=1332302400&en=e0232c3c7444bf0f&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
My first post on the blog is a reaction to the article "Pattern of Migration" by Trish O'Kane. First, I knew I had to write on this article when I saw such a good name as "O'Kane," which I immediately thought was Irish. I also enjoyed reading her perspective on her life and her constant migration from place to place, without ever really finding a "home." I could identify with a few aspects of her constant travel, having spent time living in Kalamazoo, Flushing, Chicago, and Madrid in the last two years. However, unlike O'Kane, I have a firm sense of where my true home is, having grown up in the same house in Flushing my entire life. I have always considered my parents' house to be my home, even when I was living in a foreign country and even as I am moving out of the house for the final time in two months when I go to work in Chicago.
I felt that one of O'Kane's greatest strengths in her story was her powerful use of imagery. She excelled at describing locations and allowing the reader to picture locations where they had never been. Her descriptions of her parent's home truly brought the building to life. It was easy to close my eyes and picture "the wild peacocks strutting among the roses" and to picture the family sitting on their the porch, listening to "the sound of the coyotes howling in the desert at night." The city of Montgomery was given a great deal of texture with the descriptions of the forests, rivers, and birds, which became her temporary home. When she and her fiancee moved to New Orleans, her
She also used her imagery to bring the characters in her work to life. Her parents became identifable to me with her description of her father tending "the 20,000 young orange trees in his care, as if they were his children." I also felt that she brought the reader close to Miss Mabel, a woman who she did not even know, with her coloring of Miss Mabel's garden.
Though I enjoyed her writing style, I would never wish for O'Kane's life. I do not think that I could ever handle her constant moving, never allowing herself to settle down. On the one hand, it would allow for an exciting life, with brand new locations, people, and adventures simply a new job away. She is able to see a great deal of the world and meet many more people than she would living in a single location her entire working life. And, in some ways, I would enjoy her lifestyle for a part of my life. I am only 22 and would enjoy doing all that I can while I am still young.
However, I also see a great deal of positives in settling down in a single location, advantages that O'Kane may not agree with. When you stay in a single city for a long period of the time, you do not only get to know the location, you become closer to the people and the community. You learn all of the ins and outs of a city. I remember moving to Kalamazoo my freshmen year and thinking that I knew everything about the city in around a month, but the longer I have lived here, the more you are able to learn about it (Not to say that Kalamazoo is New York City by any stretch of the imagination). The job that I have taken in Chicago will force me to get to know everything about my specific area of the city, including the people, the schools, and the businesses. I will essentially need to throw myself into the community and its people to become a presence there, or else I will not be able to succeed in the business side. My work will require that I do exactly what O'Kane has been unable to do; to settle down, to become comfortable in a new location, to finally be able to call another place my second home.
My first post on the blog is a reaction to the article "Pattern of Migration" by Trish O'Kane. First, I knew I had to write on this article when I saw such a good name as "O'Kane," which I immediately thought was Irish. I also enjoyed reading her perspective on her life and her constant migration from place to place, without ever really finding a "home." I could identify with a few aspects of her constant travel, having spent time living in Kalamazoo, Flushing, Chicago, and Madrid in the last two years. However, unlike O'Kane, I have a firm sense of where my true home is, having grown up in the same house in Flushing my entire life. I have always considered my parents' house to be my home, even when I was living in a foreign country and even as I am moving out of the house for the final time in two months when I go to work in Chicago.
I felt that one of O'Kane's greatest strengths in her story was her powerful use of imagery. She excelled at describing locations and allowing the reader to picture locations where they had never been. Her descriptions of her parent's home truly brought the building to life. It was easy to close my eyes and picture "the wild peacocks strutting among the roses" and to picture the family sitting on their the porch, listening to "the sound of the coyotes howling in the desert at night." The city of Montgomery was given a great deal of texture with the descriptions of the forests, rivers, and birds, which became her temporary home. When she and her fiancee moved to New Orleans, her
She also used her imagery to bring the characters in her work to life. Her parents became identifable to me with her description of her father tending "the 20,000 young orange trees in his care, as if they were his children." I also felt that she brought the reader close to Miss Mabel, a woman who she did not even know, with her coloring of Miss Mabel's garden.
Though I enjoyed her writing style, I would never wish for O'Kane's life. I do not think that I could ever handle her constant moving, never allowing herself to settle down. On the one hand, it would allow for an exciting life, with brand new locations, people, and adventures simply a new job away. She is able to see a great deal of the world and meet many more people than she would living in a single location her entire working life. And, in some ways, I would enjoy her lifestyle for a part of my life. I am only 22 and would enjoy doing all that I can while I am still young.
However, I also see a great deal of positives in settling down in a single location, advantages that O'Kane may not agree with. When you stay in a single city for a long period of the time, you do not only get to know the location, you become closer to the people and the community. You learn all of the ins and outs of a city. I remember moving to Kalamazoo my freshmen year and thinking that I knew everything about the city in around a month, but the longer I have lived here, the more you are able to learn about it (Not to say that Kalamazoo is New York City by any stretch of the imagination). The job that I have taken in Chicago will force me to get to know everything about my specific area of the city, including the people, the schools, and the businesses. I will essentially need to throw myself into the community and its people to become a presence there, or else I will not be able to succeed in the business side. My work will require that I do exactly what O'Kane has been unable to do; to settle down, to become comfortable in a new location, to finally be able to call another place my second home.
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