My dad sent me this article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/67847/page/1
It's titled: The Death of Social Mobility
I really enjoyed reading it - and I'm starting to find myself in a position where I simultaneously take in content while reading for structure. It's kind of cool!
Here's what I wrote back to my dad:
It's a sad state of affairs when college graduates are sweeping the streets and selling cosmetics because there are actually no jobs available. It seems like a waste of an education. But at the same time, there must be social divisions for a society to function. It's basic economics: a group specializes in the good/service in which it has a comparative advantage. An all middle class society will still have it's upper and lower classes, which are inevitable split by education and performs its task for society.
I'm surprised that the reporter didn't talk about emigration from these countries; or, for that matter, immigration into the "tigers" which definitely looked like the goldmine for economically-ambitious adventurers. I guess I think it's relevant to talk about international mobility along with social mobility. But that's also another can of worms that goes crazy when opened - just look at my SIP :)

Still, it was very informative, well researched, and well written.
Nice work, George Wehrfritz!

Assignment after a series of in-class press conferences. Here's my revised version:

FIRE IN OAKWOOD KILLS CHILD

By Sakhi Vyas

KALAMAZOO, Mich – A fire believed to be arson broke out in Kalamazoo’s Oakwood neighborhood, killing one child and injuring two others at approximately 2 a.m. on Nov. 1, according to Kalamazoo Fire Department Deputy Chief Patricia Clarksen.

Following the 2:10 a.m. phone call to the fire department, firefighters arrived on the scene and found that the seven of the ten tenants had escaped the fire. Kalamazoo Fire Department’s Sam Walshe of Company 4 and James O’Brian of Company 2 pulled out the three children trapped on the second floor of the building, according to Clarksen. Tiffany Blanchard, 3, and her brothers Tory, 5, and Terry, 6, were taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital. Tiffany died of smoke inhalation at 3:57am; Tory and Terry were treated for minor injuries and released at 10 a.m., said hospital officials.

Marie Blanchard, one of the tenants, is believed to have been the target of arson by an estranged boyfriend, Vincent DeNofrio, 33, of Mattawan, said Lt. Regina Santarpio.

Witnesses saw DeNofrio and another juvenile, 16, also of Mattawan, running from the building with canisters, according to Santarpio. The two suspects have been arrested and will appear for arraignment tomorrow morning. Police also suspect the use of an accelerant in the fire, though nothing has been proven yet. “There is a nexus between Marie Blanchard, Vincent DeNofrio, and the fire” said Santarpio.

In violation of city codes, smoke detectors were not found in the duplex. Approximately $250,000 in damages resulted from the fire, according to the Fire Department. Further investigation of the cause of fire is in progress under Fire Marshall Sam Johnson.

--xxx--

African farming neglected by the World Bank... click here:
So, this was a really interesting article, because in the first line, the author writes: The World Bank, financed by rich nations to reduce poverty in poor ones...
The first line gives it away - the World Bank tries to help reduce poverty, but it's financed by the rich nations who have a say in where the help is distributed. I wonder what the author's purpose was in including that statement. Is Celia Dugger saying that it's because of the said "rich nations" that African farming has been neglected? Or is she just being really thorough and explaining the distribution of funds by noting from whom the WB gets its funding?
Talking about the new president and his goals for Africa was a good pull up from that. The evaluation probably deserved some more breakdown. What exactly did it say? And why is Professor Sachs calling it “a blistering, devastating critique”?
It's a good article, but the title and initial information were a bit too drastic without much support. Towards the end, I found that some of the quotes and other information could have taken the piece in a different direction.

Still, it was good to read.

So, the assignment for tomorrow is to find a feature article and write about it in here. I've chosen one from last Tuesday's Science Times - look here for the full article, or copy/paste the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/science/30angi.html

So, this is really a fun article. It's part narrative and part human-interest profile, while also addressing the issue of science education in high school.

The author starts by asking the reader some questions that students in the class under profile have probably answered - and likely, these are questions that most audiences will have to think about seriously before arriving at an answer. After that introduction to the feature, she goes on to talk about the state of science education according to authorities such as the American Institute of Physics. She even answers the questions posed at the beginning of the piece.

Then, she goes into the real feature part of the piece with some narrative writing that really puts the reader into the classroom. The white lab coat seems to be the author's favorite visual reference, as it comes up numerous times and is also a key part of both photos next to the article. That's a good technique - every time I read about the lab coat, I imagined high schoolers getting dressed for class, just like she described earlier in the piece. The image tied it all together.

Towards the end of the piece, the teacher is profiled - her background and motivation/thoughts on teaching. This is a nice part, because it gives the piece a more personal feel. Then, the kicker at end quotes a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, who nicely sums up the learning philosophy of the class being profiled.

I think it was a nicely put together piece. I might have spoken with some of the students (aside from the one really short, kind-of insignificant quote), or maybe former students of this teacher to get their thoughts. Other than that, I think it was a strong feature: it was written with some punch (Marin's word) and great verbs and descriptors: Ms. Cascio, 57, is a law of motion herself; natty new lab jackets; dipsticking etc. I also thought that the scene of a high school science lab was well set up, but not overdone. The questions posed in the beginning of the piece served as strong grabbers, because it's only halfway into the feature that you can find the answers. Finally, the piece to a variety of audiences, which is, perhaps, one of the most important aspects of this feature.

Nice work, Natalie Angier!

This was the first assignment of the class. We had to write a piece without using adjectives or adverbs. After spending some time in the writing center, I found out that the purpose was to find strong verbs that can stand alone without requiring descriptive words. I still ended up using some adj/adv but, here’s a revised version of my piece.

Wickford Drive

My house is at 1305 Wickford Drive. Wickford Drive extends ½ mile between Highway M43 and J Avenue. More than a road, Wickford Drive converges man, nature, beauty, simplicity, technology, and functionality.

Light darts across the sky before it warms the road. School bus wheels rumble too early as children race toward their “cheesewagon” (the bus). Chipmunks dodge cars on the quest for breakfast. Birds hover over the Peach Tree and settle inside. The squirrels drive them out. Rabbits scamper to and fro, but the cat strays in and out at his leisure. Wheelbarrows cross to trade firewood; wagons clatter by delivering Girl Scout Cookies and tins of popcorn. Neighbors import and export flowers, vegetables, baked goods, cups of milk and sugar, sympathy, birthday greetings, picnic, baby-sitters, and goodwill.

Roller-skates crunch over stones while roller-blades skim the concrete. Bicyclers train hamstrings and quadriceps on the incline by 907 Wickford Drive. Training wheels attach and detach and attach again and detach again. Strollers lull babies into slumber. Nike strikes the ground; Adidas strokes the ground; stilettos clack to the mailbox on occasion; flip-flops follow the dogs and clean up their poo. Slippers pull the herby out while bare feet slap under the recycle bin’s weight.

Dads and children foam up the care and then hose it down, leaving rivers in the gutter. A truck croons melodies while delivering ice cream. Families piled into cars travel through Wickford Drive to see the rest of the world.

Here's an obituary that we're writing after a fake press conference in class last Tuesday. This is the revised version.

KALAMAZOO NAVAL HERO AND FIREFIGHTER DIES
By Sakhi Vyas

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Local naval hero, Jeffrey R. Ahson, 79, died of emphysema last night at his home in Kalamazoo.
Mr. Ahson served during World War II as a petty officer in the Navy, said Lt. Cmdr. Jeraldine Fyfe. He was assigned aboard the USS Emery during the Battle of Midway in 1942. During the course of the battle, he crossed a burning deck, removed four wounded soldiers, and removed the body of a gunner before taking over the gunner's position and shooting down three enemy planes. For this, he was awarded the Purple Heart, Navy Cross, and was promoted to the rank of ensign, according to Lt. Cmdr. Fyfe.
Born in Chico, Calif., he moved to Kalamazoo in 1946 after his time with the Navy. Mr. Ahson was locally known as a firefighter. He and other firefighters restored antique fire trucks as a hobby and then drove the trucks to locals schools. A 1924 fire truck restored by Mr. Ahson and other firefighters is on permanent display at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Mr. Ahson served as a firefighter until 1966 when he joined Don Seelye Ford until 1985.
He also served as Post Commander of the American Legion Post 702 and VFW Post 4206. He was also a member of the Elks Lodge, National Checkers Association, and Gideons International. Parish members know him as an usher at the John Calvin Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Ahson is survived by his wife, Theresa Alpert; three children; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at Littleton Mortuary at 10:00 a.m. Saturday followed immediately by the burial at Memorial Park Cemetery. Viewings will be held at the Mortuary on Friday between 4:00-5:30 p.m. and 7:30-9:00 p.m. The family requests no flowers.

-xxx-

I just want to reflect quickly on our assignment from Tuesday. We had a "press conference" in class with Lt. Cmdr. Jeraldine Fyfe (aka. Prof Heinritz) and it was really cool!

We had to write a fake obituary on a local soldier who died at his home in Kalamazoo yesterday. I had a great time with the whole experience, because it was both realistic and yet so unlikely.

Real, because we had a 20 minutes conference where she talked, I scribbled like mad, and then proceeded to write an article on a deadline. Towards the last few minutes, I was so hyper and jittery (though it might have been because of the extremely strong coffee that I'd made before class). But I imagine that a real journalist's heart must race 1000 miles a second during those last few moments before deadline.

The whole experience was also extremely unreal. First of all, my classmates and I were technically all journalists striving to write the best article for our respective papers. But, instead of competing and being stealthy about our information, a small group of us sat down at the row of computers on the second floor of the library and were talking/laughing/sharing information for the remainder of the time. I'm not sure that is entirely allowed and I know it's definitely not an accurate re-creation of a typical journalist's experience. But it was so sweet to be part of that group. We spelled out names, honorific titles, ships, battles, AP technicalities, capital and lower case letters, and even punctuation for each other. Our camaraderie in this assignment was a really beautiful thing to observe and be part of. Especially because we're students and I don't think that we necessarily face the competition that real, working people do on a day to day basis. I don't really know the reasons or psychology behind that, but I just thought that was a very refreshing class period.

ok if any of my classmates are reading this, I'll see you all in 9 hours. Go to sleep soon :)