Reading for April 5 Class: When Columnists Go Bad

We will be discussing the Mike Barnicle disaster at the Boston Globe as part of our columnists-gone-wrong discussion for our next class.

It is important that everyone reads the following in order to be prepared. There might be a quiz.

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/features/98/08/13/MIKE_BARNICLE.html

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/features/98/08/20/MIKE_BARNICLE_STEALS.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec98/columnists_8-24.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/20/us/boston-globe-columnist-resigns-over-authenticity-of-1995-story.html


Be prepared to talk about Barnicle, his career and the role of a prominent columnist at a big paper. You may be asked to defend Barnicle -- or you may have to say why he should have been fired long before he was.

A neat little video

Hey all,

Here's a video I attached to my "Is Google Making us Stoopid" article that you might not get to see. It puts some stuff in perspective, but in youtube form, so we are all more interested. Enjoy. (For some reason it won't fit into the blog, so just click on the video itself and it will take you to youtube)

-Matt

MoDo on Monday Night

Hey Gang,

Go to this site and read ALL 10 entries for Maureen Dowd's 1999 Pulitize Prize for commentary.

If you don't know about Monica Lewinsky, the black dress, Ken Starr and what happened to Bill Clinton, do a little research. If you like it, read some more recent stuff by MoDo.

Please come to class Monday ready to talk and talk and talk about Dowd, her writing style, her effectiveness and what you think after reading her winning entry. Be prepared to talk about what works, what's over the top and what you think about her insider, gossipy style. How would you compare her to Steve Lopez?

It's possible I will ask you to write something in class about her. Hint.

E-mail me if you have any questions.

See you Monday evening. Please send me an e-mail if you won't be in class.

News From Perfesser Green

• Read Is Google Making us Stupid and write a blog post about agreeing or disagreeing with it. Be prepared to discuss the article in class. That means you will have questions and ideas to bring up so we have a discussion.
• Revise your 3/15 assignment if you want.
• Look for Maureen Dowd reading assignments on the blog by Friday.
• Compare and contrast the four Connecticut-based news websites I told you about: New Haven Independent, Connecticut Mirror, Connecticut News Junkie, Ameriborn News. Write a blog post -- for example, how they reported the same story, something you liked on one of the websites, something you strongly disagree with. Write about something where you can link to at least two of the four websites. We will discuss the websites in class, so you better bring some game to class next week.
• You MUST do three blog entries this week. I've given you two of them.
• IF YOU MISS CLASS, you need to contact me, preferably BEFORE you miss class.
• Matt: call me about your makeup assignment.

Don't Miss the Big Vote on Obamacare

March Madness

Hello all,

I appreciate the blog posts. Courtney, Darrell and Ramata -- I've enjoyed your postings. Matt, Kristen and Kels remember I'm looking for around three posts a week. Please don't just post your latest assignment from class.

PLEASE remember to self edit. Carefully re-read and re-edit your blog posts before you hit PUBLISH.

The short Chris Dodd editorials are due before class on Monday. Those of you who missed class (and the assignment) should see me.

Happy spring and see you tomorrow.

Back in Action Tomorrow

Hello Everyone,

I hope you had a good week off.

I'm looking forward to seeing you folks in class tomorrow. Remember to get your assignment in before class. Some of you have been blogging regularly. Remember, the blog will be 20 percent of your grade.

In class tomorrow we will:

• review what we've learned so far
• discuss Mortenson assignment and read our columns
• discuss blogs
• talk about the Chris Dodd Disaster (CDD) assignment: we will read, discuss and prepare for column assignment for next class.

See you.

Rick

Saturday Morning Check-In

It looks like nearly everyone -- six out of seven -- has a blog up and running. Thanks for sending me the URL. I have posted all of them on the blog roll on our class blog. Good job.

Please remember I don't want you to do five posts on March 14 and 15.

It was my mistake that I said the next column was due March 8. I realize that is the spring break week. Columns are due March 15. If you have any questions or concerns, contact me by email.

Remember, the column has to be about the Greg Mortenson lecture or another event that you discussed with me beforehand.

Rick

The NBA: Finally a Reason to Start Caring

Whether you like sports or not, you probably know what the NBA is. I wouldn't fault you if you didn't, however, because according to ratings like the 4.6 this year's All-Star game drew (the second lowest rating ever for an All-Star game), not too many people are watching. (Compare that to things like, American Idol, which frequently draws in the 10-15 range, or the regular season Packers-Vikings Monday Night Football game that drew a 14.2).

The All-Star game is supposed to showcase the game's best players, and was drawing in the in the 13's and 14's in the mid 90's when a little player named Michael Jordan was amazing everybody with his talents. In just a little over a decade since his 2nd retirement (we won't count the third one after an atrocious comeback with the Wizards), the NBA has still yet to recover.

"Well why should we watch now, Matt?" The answer is simple, Lebron James.

I think in American sports, at least when I was growing up, I was always told about legendary figures like Babe Ruth, Willy Mays, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, but never got to see them play. I wasn't quite old enough to appreciate Jordan's greatness at the time, but now I have the opportunity to witness greatness play on a nightly basis, but like you don't do it.

This could all change over the summer when Lebron James becomes a free agent and has the opportunity to go to a different team. The team with the most money, the New York Knicks, is a natural fit for King James because he has always showed love for the city of New York. What's better is that the Knicks have enough money to sign not one superstar, but two, this summer and if the stars fall into place, we might see the biggest media market in America fielding a team that includes James and possibly Dwayne Wade  (perhaps the league's third best player), Chris Bosh (top 10 in the league), or one of the many other star free agents.

So this summer keep an eye out for what happens with these big time stars and what they decide to do, if things end up where Lebron stays in Cleveland, then the NBA can expect more low ratings, but if things work out the other way, then we would be seeing basketball history, and maybe we'd start watching.

-Matt

(btw, here's another youtube video of Kels, this time he's shooting some hoop at the gym, he's number 23)

Ananda Ashram

When my mother first suggested we take a trip to the Ananda Ashram, which offers yoga classes called “Vinyasa,” “Iyengar,” and “Ashtanga,” I said “bless you.” After a bit of research, however, I found out that the Ananda Ashram in Monroe, New York, is actually the center of the Yoga Society. I didn’t even know there was a society. This Ashram was established by Shri Brahmananda (see the “Ananda” in his name?) Sarasvati in 1964, and continues today as a spiritual retreat, offering different types of yoga (Vinyasa, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Hatha), meditation, Sanskrit, even Eastern dance and music classes. The property, at the foot of the Catskill Mountains, is preserved in a natural and tranquil environment, complete with log cabins, weeping willows, and wooded trails weaving through the acres owned by the Ashram. I noticed a few people sleeping in their Hybrid cars overnight, with their front windows facing the not-so-distant mountains.

When my mom and I made our pilgrimage, there wasn’t anything in particular going on at the Ashram. But for the vegetarian, yoga-enthusiast mom, Ananda Ashram is a fool-proof plan. We pull into the gravel driveway, following the hand painted, wooden sign pointing us onward. The branches of a large weeping willow tree, like long, gentle arms, grazed the roof of the car, beckoning us to the peaceful setting. 

We squeeze between two Priuses, each adorned with dozens of bumper stickers. “Tree Hugger,” “Green is Good,” “Nothing Dumber than a Hummer,” and my favorite, with the words “Put the Fun Between Your Legs” written over a picture of a bicycle. A young eco-couple steps out of the car on the left (the “Legs” one), takes one collective glance at our ozone-destroying auto, and seem to immediately decide what kind of people we were. They head off, yoga mats swinging in hemp-cases over their backs, down a dirt path in the direction of the “Cosmic Temple,” as designated by another wooden sign. I spot a white cottage behind the willow tree, which has the look of a “Welcome/Register Here” kind of place, so we somewhat guiltily grab our plastic water bottles from the car, and make our way down the gravel path. A kind faced woman greets us on the front steps, serenely asks us to take off our shoes before entering, and then leads us over to a sign-in table. There’s a Level Two/Three Hatha yoga class at 11am that we decide to try, leaving us about ten minutes to kill (or should I say, use resourcefully).

We hike back up the gravel path to the artistically worn, gray wooden building which we’d been told would house our yoga class. Inside, the room was rather full, though not as much as it is during the week, according to a woman setting up her mat next to me. The instructor, a middle aged woman with a strange European-who-moved-to-New-York accent, asked the group, who had never been to a yoga class before? A bearded man in a red bandana, another mother and daughter duo, and a slightly nervous looking pregnant woman all raised their hands. The instructor advised them to only attempt poses they felt comfortable doing, and that yoga is not about holding one’s balance in a difficult position, but getting back up when one falls. I instantly thought of the bike bumper sticker. 

The sudden sound of exaggerated inhaling and exhaling brought me back: the class was beginning. Plinky-plunky music, like the sound of chimes in a soft breeze filled the room. Yoga, I’ve found, no matter what the type of class you try, has the same effect each time: a sort of ‘flow’ occurs, the instructor leads the group through poses, and participants of all levels move together, some holding their balance and others not. This class was different, though. It was probably the ridiculously peaceful setting, or the organic food (which looked delicious, and was apparently made out of flowers and sunshine). Or it could have just been the lingering scent of hemp. But somehow, I could feel the earth beneath my feet, through the wooden floor. And somehow, even the most pressing stressors seemed silly right now. Soon the instructor’s voice began to flow as well, and at the end of class, it was time to lie back on our mats and close our eyes for meditation and reflection. 

Despite the sarcastic remarks I’d been voicing to my mom about the people, the atmosphere, and pretty much everything, I could feel myself succumbing to the tranquil flow, my eyes closing as though I could drift off to sleep. Funny, I think drowsily, I’m actually being put to sleep without the help of a pill with “PM” in the name. But then its over. After only a few blissful minutes the instructor brings us back to the present with a hand-held chime, which she strikes sharply three times. I hate that chime. She wishes everyone ‘Namaste,’ and we turn to one another and do the same (like in church) before standing up with creaking knees (OK, just mine). We roll up our mats, and leave with better karma than we had when we entered. There seems to be a pleasurable, heavy sensation lingering with us, like how you feel when you finally sit down after hours on your feet. I felt like I’d been standing for a hundred years, and just now took a seat. Must be all that good karma.
Krystin Barnett

U.S. Team Loses the Cold War

Yesterday the U.S. Men's Olympic hockey team was dealt a severe blow, losing not only for themselves, but for their country; beaten by the Evil Empire in what was a surely a low point in the Cold War against Soviet oppression, leaving their dreams and hopes shattered like so much...  I'm sorry, what was that?

They played Canada?  The guys in red were from Canada?  They weren't Soviets?

Then why, oh why, did the NBC commentators keep blathering on about the "Miracle on Ice" team of the 1980 games as if they were playing this year?

Okay, so the U.S. Men's team hasn't won the gold medal in hockey since that 1980 game, but yesterday's match up had about as much in common with that Cold War battle as it did with the 1960 games when the U.S. took the gold and Canada won the silver.

Let's look at some of the differences:
- 1980 U.S. team:  college students.  2010 U.S. team: NHL professionals.
- 1980 matchup: U.S vs. Soviet Union.  2010 matchup: U.S. vs. Canada (I would think this was obvious, but maybe it's just me).
- 1980: Cold war going strong between the two global superpowers with enough nuclear weaponry to obliterate the Earth.  2010: U.S. and Canada still have the longest unprotected border in the world, and share a big beer maker (MolsonCoors).

NBC should have presented this as a rematch from the Salt Lake City games when Canada beat the U.S. 5-2, and needs to accept that in spite of their desperate need to produce a heartwarming story of victory every few minutes, they will never be able to cover the 1980 victory in Lake Placid.  It happened already.  Find another story, fellas.

And another thing, NBC, when are you going to stop making our U.S. athletes feel like total failures for winning silver?  It is not like the U.S. team rolled over and humiliated themselves in a 17-0 loss.  They took Canada into overtime for Pete's sake.  They should feel proud of themselves for their performance.

I'll wager we'll hear about that 1980 game again in 2014 when the games are held in Russia.  Whaddya bet?

--Darrell McChesney