...are as follows:
1) I find it SCARRRRY and completely appropriate for halloween that Palin is still on the McCain ticket... haha
1) Okay, really, here's the first thing I noticed in this article, IT WAS SHORT!!!, but more so than that, since I doubt that really counts as something I noticed, I thought that it was funny how to be good at journalism, it's really just about getting lucky. That reporter was in the right place at the right time, AAAND that's about what it amounted to.
2) I found it incredible that he was almost entirely alone in Alaska until that Monday... are journalists absolutely dense?? It seems so obvious, yet he was the only one jumping on it... incredible.
3) I thought that it was interesting how he commented on her always being ready to jump on "the next thing"... it's a very accurate respresentation of her from what I've seen so far. People are always talking about how she's looking to 2012. Now that may just be pure speculated bull sh!t, but I have a feeling there's some substance there. She calls it being a maverick... I call it A.D.H.D.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Bold Strategy Supreme Court...
A piece on cnn.com told the story of Troy Davis. Troy is a black man in Georgia who was convicted of killing a police officer and given the death penalty... the Supreme Court has rejected his appeal. Soon he will die. Think he deserves it? Well, there was no physical proof tying him to the killing, the murder weapon was never found, Troy has ALWAYS declared his innocence, seven of the nine witnesses have since recanted their testimonies against him stating they felt pressure from superiors and other police officers to testify against him, and the primary alternative suspect happens to be a police officer who testified against Troy ... interesting, eh? I thought so to. Amnesty International, among others including myself, are pissed. This is rediculous. This is living (soon to be dead) proof that the justice system has its biases. A black man in the South, condemned to death despite a mountain of more than reasonable doubt... Coincidence? That's about as doubtful as Troy being the cop killer.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Poll of Polls?
I love how the polls all come up with so many different results. They're supposed to be reliable, statistical, and provide insight into the election... the insight I get, is that they're about as reliable as dollar store deodorant. Okay, so I'm not giving them much credit... I sure do like what they say about my main man! But here's one of my requests: Let's give Obama a few more points!! And I know how to do it!
We see poll after poll of Obama and McCain being compared to eachother, but I say, "What about the other guys??" What happened to including Nadar and Barr into the mix? Let's come up with a number of points that may, in fact, be added to Obama's numbers IF the cell phone people are counted. Just adding in Nadar and Barr we see at least 2 more points added to Obama's lead. What if we now add in the "cell phone voters"? The polls lean much to my preferences, however, I think Gallup can do better! Come on, Pew, I don't want any of this "14pt lead" stuff... lemme see a TWENTY!!!!!!
Here comes another Becky theory... Maybe the reason the Bradley Effect hasn't been seen in any of Obama's prior campaign races is for the very reasons I stated above? The lack of reporting in the polls that I have pointed out actually offsets the Bradley Effect that could/would/does take place.
A Wall Street Journal piece called "Are the Polls Accurate?" by Micheal Barone sparked my thinking along with the some of the polls listed on RealClearPolitics.com... This blog is not extremely well researched and/or cited, however, I think this idea is some good food for thought.
We see poll after poll of Obama and McCain being compared to eachother, but I say, "What about the other guys??" What happened to including Nadar and Barr into the mix? Let's come up with a number of points that may, in fact, be added to Obama's numbers IF the cell phone people are counted. Just adding in Nadar and Barr we see at least 2 more points added to Obama's lead. What if we now add in the "cell phone voters"? The polls lean much to my preferences, however, I think Gallup can do better! Come on, Pew, I don't want any of this "14pt lead" stuff... lemme see a TWENTY!!!!!!
Here comes another Becky theory... Maybe the reason the Bradley Effect hasn't been seen in any of Obama's prior campaign races is for the very reasons I stated above? The lack of reporting in the polls that I have pointed out actually offsets the Bradley Effect that could/would/does take place.
A Wall Street Journal piece called "Are the Polls Accurate?" by Micheal Barone sparked my thinking along with the some of the polls listed on RealClearPolitics.com... This blog is not extremely well researched and/or cited, however, I think this idea is some good food for thought.
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Rise of Socialism, Inc.less
Becky VanDyke
Advanced Journalism
Public Affairs Analysis
The Rise of Socialism, Inc.less
With the current chain of events that has taken place so far this month, The Fall of America, Inc. is a very timely article, full of insight from our past and into our present and future situation. This article, written by Francis Fukuyama, explores America’s capitalist ideals and influence on a world-wide scale. Most articles written over the past few weeks and months delve into great detail about our national financial crisis, local economic problems, and the candidate’s plans for the mix; but few articles have made the case that this article does. This article addresses the global nature of the problem at hand and the massive effect our meltdown in economics and foreign policy has had on the world’s view of America’s “brand”. The Republican brand has been discussed time and time again, yet America’s brand as a whole and the way the world now perceives it has rarely been a prominent topic of conversation. This article presents that very issue, an issue that should have been on the forefront of political discussions more often than it has been, and it presents it in a very clear, understandable manner.
First of all, this article’s headline is genius. It’s catchy, intelligent, funny, fitting, etc. The sub-title is a good insight to the rest of the article and sums up the thesis very directly. The wording in “a certain vision of capitalism has collapsed.” is a particularly good choice of words, the word “certain” helps explain the points he makes later that capitalism cannot be abolished all together, just the “certain” form it has been practiced in so far. This word, “certain”, ties into his pendulum references he later talks about when discussing the drastic changes that people tend to make when something isn’t working right.
I was reminded of my own writing style when I read the first paragraph. The events that have taken place over the last few weeks are listed by means of several fragmented sentences, a technique that I think is usually quite effective in an introduction. After the picture is painted of the current situation Fukuyama does an excellent job of citing his thesis point at the end of his lead and linking the previous fragments to the global perspective of the American “brand”. His introduction continues into the next two paragraphs, making the first three paragraphs to comprise a somewhat long but necessary introduction. The second and third paragraphs separately introduce the two areas that Fukuyama believes are the most affected areas of our “brand”, deregulation and democracy.
As the article continues, Fukuyama mixes stories of past issues in history such as European Socialism, more recent history of our own nation such as the Bush administration’s policies, and current events like the presidential election in order to give background, insight, and understanding to the situation we’ve come to find ourselves facing. The way he incorporates past, present, and future ideas with foreign and domestic matters is very effective in uncovering this multi-layered problem our nation is facing. History mixed with clear examples gives the reader a good understanding of the problem, the reason for the problem, and later, how the problem may be fixed.
Fukuyama also does a good job of not over using this year’s election throughout the piece. He doesn’t mention either of the candidates until the fifth paragraph and then only discusses them a few more times in the rest of the article. Though I am a political junkie, this technique is refreshing. The election is already going to be on the reader’s mind, and will be thought of through out the article without it actually being pushed in the readers face in every paragraph.
His article, for the most part, tries very hard to put forth a fair balance between the candidates when it does actually discuss them and also tries to be fair when it’s not discussing them. However fair the writer may be trying to be, the article still leans in Obama’s favor. The writer’s tone remains pretty fair, but the actual content is left-leaning and therefore, naturally seems to be more in support of Obama and Obama’s policies.
Aside from trying to be fair to the candidates, the article gives a very fair portrayal of opposing economic philosophies and unbiased views of different ideals. The article seems to be stating the downside of our past economic practices; and though some may say that it shows bias, I think it is simply stating the obvious. Just because the obvious is negative, doesn’t mean it isn’t fair.
One of Fukuyama’s writing techniques that stood out to me was his ability to effectively refer back to things previously stated in his article. Things such as Cheney’s statement of “deficits don’t matter” were stated and then later referred back to in order to make a point clearer and refresh the reader’s memory of past points and topics discussed. Sometimes it is helpful to the reader, as it was to me, to have a connection made apparent, a “brain break” as I like to call it.
The format of this article makes the connections easy for the reader to put together also. After the introduction, which is separated into three clear pieces, deregulation and democracy are discussed individually and at length. Once the reader has a clear understanding of the two problems America’s brand is facing, Fukuyama begins his conclusion with a change in tone, “if” paragraph, and solutions.
His tone changes at the fifth paragraph from the end. He starts talking about how America can and will recover. He proceeds to give what I like to call an “if” paragraph in which he has previously given the reader hope but then further explains that this positive and hopeful outcome can only come IF certain measures are taken and specific things are changed. He does this in the paragraph immediately following his tone change, beginning, “Still, another comeback rests on our ability to make some fundamental changes.” And finally he warns about problems to avoid and offers up solutions in the ending couple of paragraphs.
The actual conclusion does a great job of unifying the entire article which is key to making the whole piece work. Like the sub-title, the conclusion is able to sum up the main ideas of the article with just a few short sentences and, as I previously discussed, refers back to points previously addressed throughout the article. The conclusion is nothing innovative or risky as far as format; but it’s solid and unifying and considering the deep topics of the article it is also fitting.
The style of the article was straight forward and consistent, but the content of the article itself was very intelligent as well. Many profound points were made, cases presented, and ideas put forth. So not only was this a well written and laid out article, it was also full of valuable thought, ideas, insight, and conclusions.
Advanced Journalism
Public Affairs Analysis
The Rise of Socialism, Inc.less
With the current chain of events that has taken place so far this month, The Fall of America, Inc. is a very timely article, full of insight from our past and into our present and future situation. This article, written by Francis Fukuyama, explores America’s capitalist ideals and influence on a world-wide scale. Most articles written over the past few weeks and months delve into great detail about our national financial crisis, local economic problems, and the candidate’s plans for the mix; but few articles have made the case that this article does. This article addresses the global nature of the problem at hand and the massive effect our meltdown in economics and foreign policy has had on the world’s view of America’s “brand”. The Republican brand has been discussed time and time again, yet America’s brand as a whole and the way the world now perceives it has rarely been a prominent topic of conversation. This article presents that very issue, an issue that should have been on the forefront of political discussions more often than it has been, and it presents it in a very clear, understandable manner.
First of all, this article’s headline is genius. It’s catchy, intelligent, funny, fitting, etc. The sub-title is a good insight to the rest of the article and sums up the thesis very directly. The wording in “a certain vision of capitalism has collapsed.” is a particularly good choice of words, the word “certain” helps explain the points he makes later that capitalism cannot be abolished all together, just the “certain” form it has been practiced in so far. This word, “certain”, ties into his pendulum references he later talks about when discussing the drastic changes that people tend to make when something isn’t working right.
I was reminded of my own writing style when I read the first paragraph. The events that have taken place over the last few weeks are listed by means of several fragmented sentences, a technique that I think is usually quite effective in an introduction. After the picture is painted of the current situation Fukuyama does an excellent job of citing his thesis point at the end of his lead and linking the previous fragments to the global perspective of the American “brand”. His introduction continues into the next two paragraphs, making the first three paragraphs to comprise a somewhat long but necessary introduction. The second and third paragraphs separately introduce the two areas that Fukuyama believes are the most affected areas of our “brand”, deregulation and democracy.
As the article continues, Fukuyama mixes stories of past issues in history such as European Socialism, more recent history of our own nation such as the Bush administration’s policies, and current events like the presidential election in order to give background, insight, and understanding to the situation we’ve come to find ourselves facing. The way he incorporates past, present, and future ideas with foreign and domestic matters is very effective in uncovering this multi-layered problem our nation is facing. History mixed with clear examples gives the reader a good understanding of the problem, the reason for the problem, and later, how the problem may be fixed.
Fukuyama also does a good job of not over using this year’s election throughout the piece. He doesn’t mention either of the candidates until the fifth paragraph and then only discusses them a few more times in the rest of the article. Though I am a political junkie, this technique is refreshing. The election is already going to be on the reader’s mind, and will be thought of through out the article without it actually being pushed in the readers face in every paragraph.
His article, for the most part, tries very hard to put forth a fair balance between the candidates when it does actually discuss them and also tries to be fair when it’s not discussing them. However fair the writer may be trying to be, the article still leans in Obama’s favor. The writer’s tone remains pretty fair, but the actual content is left-leaning and therefore, naturally seems to be more in support of Obama and Obama’s policies.
Aside from trying to be fair to the candidates, the article gives a very fair portrayal of opposing economic philosophies and unbiased views of different ideals. The article seems to be stating the downside of our past economic practices; and though some may say that it shows bias, I think it is simply stating the obvious. Just because the obvious is negative, doesn’t mean it isn’t fair.
One of Fukuyama’s writing techniques that stood out to me was his ability to effectively refer back to things previously stated in his article. Things such as Cheney’s statement of “deficits don’t matter” were stated and then later referred back to in order to make a point clearer and refresh the reader’s memory of past points and topics discussed. Sometimes it is helpful to the reader, as it was to me, to have a connection made apparent, a “brain break” as I like to call it.
The format of this article makes the connections easy for the reader to put together also. After the introduction, which is separated into three clear pieces, deregulation and democracy are discussed individually and at length. Once the reader has a clear understanding of the two problems America’s brand is facing, Fukuyama begins his conclusion with a change in tone, “if” paragraph, and solutions.
His tone changes at the fifth paragraph from the end. He starts talking about how America can and will recover. He proceeds to give what I like to call an “if” paragraph in which he has previously given the reader hope but then further explains that this positive and hopeful outcome can only come IF certain measures are taken and specific things are changed. He does this in the paragraph immediately following his tone change, beginning, “Still, another comeback rests on our ability to make some fundamental changes.” And finally he warns about problems to avoid and offers up solutions in the ending couple of paragraphs.
The actual conclusion does a great job of unifying the entire article which is key to making the whole piece work. Like the sub-title, the conclusion is able to sum up the main ideas of the article with just a few short sentences and, as I previously discussed, refers back to points previously addressed throughout the article. The conclusion is nothing innovative or risky as far as format; but it’s solid and unifying and considering the deep topics of the article it is also fitting.
The style of the article was straight forward and consistent, but the content of the article itself was very intelligent as well. Many profound points were made, cases presented, and ideas put forth. So not only was this a well written and laid out article, it was also full of valuable thought, ideas, insight, and conclusions.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
As my undecided little sister would say... "What a fake ass bitch!"
I will fill this post with quotes from throughout the night which, I think, capture the essence of what has gone on the past couple of hours. What may not be captured is all of the pauses on the DVR to lend way to me or my sister's political bitching, the escape tricks of my kitty, or the bomb diggity food that was cooked prior to the debate. **All boxed wine, people, and principles are stated as realistic and are not altered to promote a certain belief, bias, or pattern.**
Quote 1: "All she [Sarah Palin] is, is a cute little one-liner"
Quote 2: "He [Biden] just gave her a look like he was going to jump her throat."
Quote 3: "I just stopped watching. She was annoying to look at."
Quote 4: "No, I really don't like her [Palin] at all! He's dominating! She's just ughhh..."
Quote 5: "Can you even imagine if something, dear God, did happen and she was our president?
Answer: "end of the world"
Quote 6: I'm going to need another box of wine to get throught this thing... yes, that's
right... BOX!!!
The debate was filled, as predicted, with her glittering generalities, her coy responses, and her "joe-six-pack" rhetoric. But if a six-pack is what's getting into our oval office, I'd like to nominate myself, because though it didn't take a six-pack for me to sit through this debate, it sure did take the equivalent in wine...
Biden showed knowledge, Palin showed excellent "anchor" skills. I'm sorry, but I'd rather have knowledge than a pandering puttsing puppet (there's my signature alliteration) as my vice-president.
Obamba/Biden 'O8... I'll bitch more in class ;)
Quote 1: "All she [Sarah Palin] is, is a cute little one-liner"
Quote 2: "He [Biden] just gave her a look like he was going to jump her throat."
Quote 3: "I just stopped watching. She was annoying to look at."
Quote 4: "No, I really don't like her [Palin] at all! He's dominating! She's just ughhh..."
Quote 5: "Can you even imagine if something, dear God, did happen and she was our president?
Answer: "end of the world"
Quote 6: I'm going to need another box of wine to get throught this thing... yes, that's
right... BOX!!!
The debate was filled, as predicted, with her glittering generalities, her coy responses, and her "joe-six-pack" rhetoric. But if a six-pack is what's getting into our oval office, I'd like to nominate myself, because though it didn't take a six-pack for me to sit through this debate, it sure did take the equivalent in wine...
Biden showed knowledge, Palin showed excellent "anchor" skills. I'm sorry, but I'd rather have knowledge than a pandering puttsing puppet (there's my signature alliteration) as my vice-president.
Obamba/Biden 'O8... I'll bitch more in class ;)
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Ooops... I didn't do my homework!
Soo... I could sell my Feature story to this place because it's based off of a sad subject that can have a very POSITIVE outcome in future years if awareness is raised...
YES! A Journal of Positive Futures - Each issue focuses on a theme, showing the possibilities and practical steps that can lead us all to a more positive future. Readers tell us that our consistent message of realistic hope clarifies their thinking and encourages their active engagement in change. (Added: 14-Jul-2003 Hits: 2429 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Detail Visit Website Rate It
And... I could sell work to this place because... I LIKE TO MAKE THINGS UP... like cards?
P.S. Greetings Inc. - We manufacture Everyday greeting cards (including all major holidays) and have a very extensive Christmas program. Our line includes primarily traditional design work, with some new release or "alternative" designs annually. pop (Added: 11-Aug-2002 Hits: 8915 Rating: 6.33 Votes: 3) Detail Visit Website Rate It
YES! A Journal of Positive Futures - Each issue focuses on a theme, showing the possibilities and practical steps that can lead us all to a more positive future. Readers tell us that our consistent message of realistic hope clarifies their thinking and encourages their active engagement in change. (Added: 14-Jul-2003 Hits: 2429 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Detail Visit Website Rate It
And... I could sell work to this place because... I LIKE TO MAKE THINGS UP... like cards?
P.S. Greetings Inc. - We manufacture Everyday greeting cards (including all major holidays) and have a very extensive Christmas program. Our line includes primarily traditional design work, with some new release or "alternative" designs annually. pop (Added: 11-Aug-2002 Hits: 8915 Rating: 6.33 Votes: 3) Detail Visit Website Rate It
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