As I read The Savage War I found myself comparing it to Hiroshima, which we read earlier in the year as a component for Journalism class. I found a drastic difference in the story telling styles of the two journalists. I preferred that of Hersey in Hiroshima.
I found The Savage War difficult to read because it felt more like a story than a summary of what happened. In Hiroshima, I felt as though I was reading a long article with very little personal opinion from the author. The editorializing from Brewster in this book really weighed down my interest. His opinions clouded the story and over exhausted moments.
Examples of editorializing:
Page 94 "They chatted in stiff, high-backed, Queen Anne-style chairs before an unlit, grey marble fireplace in the heavily guarded presidential palace. Karzai wore a sport coat over his white shalwar kameez. He was without his trademark green-and-purple cloak and his karakul, the grey wedge cap he usually wore. "
Page 171 "He has weathered charm and lined face of a grandfather. Maybe it was the sweater vest. I'd never seen anyone wear a knitted sweater vest over a shalwar kameez. ......Kandahar was as hard on the faces of its people as it was on windows.
These extra details removed me from the story. I found myself drifting off and wondering why they were included. This was not an easy read and being over descriptive and more fruitful didn't fit in with the theme and was jarring to me as a reader.
Another thing I didn't like about the book was the way he spoke about women. I feel like every time he brought up women in the story he was stereotypical and condescending. Most females were described with overtly feminine qualities that could stereotypically be cast upon any woman. I feel like most of his female orientated commentary could have been left out, or introduced in a different manner.
Page 68 "The fact that Goddard now sat before me in the middle of war zone seemed both remarkable and gently inspiring. It was evident by the conversation that she fussed over them; several times she referred to team as "my crew."
The way he uses the word fuss really irritates me. Not to mention that he doesn't just call her inspiring, he calls her gently inspiring. Was that necessary? And what does that even mean?
Page 179 "With beauty-queen poise she spewed such ugliness it made you cringe."
I understand that he chose to use the word beauty-queen poise to make a large contrast against the ugliness spewed, but I feel as though he could have left it out. If what she was talking about was so disgusting, did her beauty really add anything to it? Wouldn’t it be just as vile if a man was delivering the news? Is it harder to hear disconcerting truths from a woman?
Desert Lions:
I was weary of Desert Lions because it was paid and edited by the military, so how much truth could really come from it? But I found the truths presented relatable. On a second note due to Brewster's opinion on women I basically second guessed everything he said. I took his opinion very lightly, which took away from the read because I wasn't connecting with his writing. Even though I'm sure the documentary, Desert Lions left a lot out I still trusted the voice that was presenting it to me. I wanted to listen because he has valid points to make. I did not trust the point of view of Brewster.
What can a journalist learn:
Don't alienate people. As Brewster said his goal for this book was that people would pause and think about what went on, and what is going on in Afghanistan. I think the way he told the story hindered my "pausing moment". I took more negative feelings away from the book than I did take time to reflect. I think he should have considered his audience more.
But what I can learn from this as a foreign correspondent, things aren't fair and you have to move on. And that YOU are the journalist, not the person taking you around, not the army Sargent who wants a certain story, and not the government who wants some positivity. Your name will be on the by-line, so tell the story you want the public to know, the story the public should know.
Tell the truth and leave the rest out.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
A life of neglect / Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child
Imagine growing up and the government telling you that you have to be white. They don’t give you enough information to be successful, just enough for you to lose who you are and adopt their characteristics.
...
Imaging growing up and every time you spoke your own language you were shamed and beaten.
...
Now try growing up to become a functioning person.
Richard Cardinal was a product of the 60’s scoop.
This is a period were aboriginal children were taken away from their families and adopted out into white homes across North America. Many parents have no idea where their children ended up.
By the age of nine Richard Cardinal had already been placed in eleven different care facilities, foster homes and emergency wards.
Richard Cardinal desperately wanted to make it back to his family. He never made it back home as he took his own life at the age of 17.
Although Cardinal resided in Alberta and his suicide took place more than 20 years ago (1984), his story still resonates with the aboriginal community as an example of a “life of neglect.”
I spoke with a Metis student who is currently in her last year of pursuing her Bachelor of social work at the University of Manitoba. Danielle Wedalke told me that a high concentration of the suicide rate in Manitoba is made up of aboriginals. Wedlake explained to me that the aboriginals in residential schools and even those in care had extreme problems with understanding or even having their own identity. They had an internal conflict of self. Some students at residential schools were able to go home on the weekend, or throughout the summer months. The constant back and forth, and the contrast between the back and forth was confusing. Students ended up either hating their parents who made them ‘native’, hated white people for shaming them, or found no other source of solace but to hate themselves.
As I watched the documentary about Richard Cardinal it seemed apparent that this is not a healthy way of life. What did the government expect the outcome of these living conditions to be?
Traditionally aboriginal people are against conflict. It’s not a part of their society. They have such distaste for conflict that most choose to internalize to avoid the cause of any disruption. When you are continually confronted with conflict, such as the situations Cardinal faced on a daily basis, and you are internalizing all of it, where does that path lead you?
Cardinal was taken away from his home at the age of 4. After more than 28 different living placements, physical abuse, mental abuse, starvation, being dismissed as a human due to bed wetting, being asked to retrieve his own stick for his foster parents to beat him with, where did this leave Cardinal?
Broken down, with no one to turn to ...not even being able to self identify.
This is a link to the documentary about Richard Cardinal: http://www.nfb.ca/film/richard_cardinal/
...
Imaging growing up and every time you spoke your own language you were shamed and beaten.
...
Now try growing up to become a functioning person.
Richard Cardinal was a product of the 60’s scoop.
This is a period were aboriginal children were taken away from their families and adopted out into white homes across North America. Many parents have no idea where their children ended up.
By the age of nine Richard Cardinal had already been placed in eleven different care facilities, foster homes and emergency wards.
Richard Cardinal desperately wanted to make it back to his family. He never made it back home as he took his own life at the age of 17.
Although Cardinal resided in Alberta and his suicide took place more than 20 years ago (1984), his story still resonates with the aboriginal community as an example of a “life of neglect.”
I spoke with a Metis student who is currently in her last year of pursuing her Bachelor of social work at the University of Manitoba. Danielle Wedalke told me that a high concentration of the suicide rate in Manitoba is made up of aboriginals. Wedlake explained to me that the aboriginals in residential schools and even those in care had extreme problems with understanding or even having their own identity. They had an internal conflict of self. Some students at residential schools were able to go home on the weekend, or throughout the summer months. The constant back and forth, and the contrast between the back and forth was confusing. Students ended up either hating their parents who made them ‘native’, hated white people for shaming them, or found no other source of solace but to hate themselves.
As I watched the documentary about Richard Cardinal it seemed apparent that this is not a healthy way of life. What did the government expect the outcome of these living conditions to be?
Traditionally aboriginal people are against conflict. It’s not a part of their society. They have such distaste for conflict that most choose to internalize to avoid the cause of any disruption. When you are continually confronted with conflict, such as the situations Cardinal faced on a daily basis, and you are internalizing all of it, where does that path lead you?
Cardinal was taken away from his home at the age of 4. After more than 28 different living placements, physical abuse, mental abuse, starvation, being dismissed as a human due to bed wetting, being asked to retrieve his own stick for his foster parents to beat him with, where did this leave Cardinal?
Broken down, with no one to turn to ...not even being able to self identify.
This is a link to the documentary about Richard Cardinal: http://www.nfb.ca/film/richard_cardinal/
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Power of photography
I am currently reading the book Savage War. As I read through the pages I can't stop thinking about the importance of photo journalism and wish that I was more skilled in this arena. It's interesting to think about how much more an image can convey rather than a 500 word story. I came across this image today and I think it speaks a very loud message without any words.
Japan Tsunami one year later.
Japan Tsunami one year later.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Visualizing Journalism
The information I have found/ The story:
The story I have chosen to visualize is a study done on the relationship between the socio-economic status (of a family or living environment) and obesity in children. According to the Canadian Journal of Public Health kids that live in neighborhoods with a lower socio-economic standing have a higher risk of being overweight or obese. The study targeted kids between the ages of 5 to 17 year olds. The results showed that a kid has a higher rate of obesity under the following living environments:
-kids who live in neighborhoods with higher unemployment rates
-lower than average family income-fewer neighbors with post-secondary education
The results:
“The percentage of overweight children varied from 24% in areas with high socio-economic status to 35% in low socio-economic neighborhoods.” (Source: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/051104/dq051104b-eng.htm )The study also gave reasons as to why obesity may more likely occur in kids with lower socio-economic surroundings. Kids in the lower socio economic areas have less access to organized physical activities. The study showed that parents in these low socio economic areas were “three times more likely than other parents to state that their neighborhood parks were unsafe.” From there they took the idea that these kids are getting less physical activity because it's unsafe to be outside where a majority of physical activity takes place for kids.
Potential interview subjects:
-parents of kids who live in lower socio-economic areas (Questions concerning if they think their environment effects their kids ability to be engaged in physical activity/ why or why not?)
-city councillor for the area (Questions concerning what alternatives these teens have)
How I would visualize it/the next step:
They did not have specific data that explained any sort of numbers throughout Canda, it was very generalized. If I was to carry on with this story my next steps would be to gather more specific information and then to follow through with it like this:
1. Map out the different socio-economic areas in Winnipeg (represented by color on the surface of the area)Additional information for each area would be the following:
- Map of how many parks there are in that area and community centers- The crime rates that are found in this area
-Find out if there are any ways to figure out the obesity rates per areaSunday, January 29, 2012
Headline magic
While I was interning at Shedoesthecity.com I came head to head(no pun intended) with my biggest weakness, THE HEADLINE. Sure in Editing for Print and Online we were taught about how to write proper headlines but in the blog world I find not all of the Canadian Press’ rules apply.
What I found out about headlines for a blog post:
-should be in your face
-should be hilarious
-should be interesting to your reader
-don't worry about length if it's clever enough
-say what you want to say
I left the headline writing up to the ever talented Haley Cullingham and would always be so pleased when I would see my stories go up. It’s really an art to create a clever headline for a blog post. Some serious thought must go into it but even when I focused my brain I wasn’t coming up with much.
Here are some of my favourite headlines done by Haley:
Another online presence whose headlines makes my eyes tear up are those over at Dose.ca. Here are some of favourites written by them:
What I found out about headlines for a blog post:
-should be in your face
-should be hilarious
-should be interesting to your reader
-don't worry about length if it's clever enough
-say what you want to say
I left the headline writing up to the ever talented Haley Cullingham and would always be so pleased when I would see my stories go up. It’s really an art to create a clever headline for a blog post. Some serious thought must go into it but even when I focused my brain I wasn’t coming up with much.
Here are some of my favourite headlines done by Haley:
Another online presence whose headlines makes my eyes tear up are those over at Dose.ca. Here are some of favourites written by them:
Monday, January 23, 2012
Coming back after an internship...
I've just finished my 6 week work placement with Shedoesthecity.com. This was a huge feat and an amazing learning experience. But finishing our work placement means a lot more than just that. We are at the beginning of the end of our CreComm experience. In roughly ten weeks we embark on our second internship and then we ARE GRADUATED people. Boiling this down means.... in 13 weeks I may be living a completely different life than I am now. The plan is to sell the car, pack up all my goods into boxes, grab my cat and hop a ride to the big smoke. I've always been a dream big type of a girl, and with my goals in mind Toronto seems like the perfect city to get things accomplished in. It's just a weird feeling to have relied on the term student for the past 17 years of my life. What comes after the word student? Professional?
We are all about to step out games up. Lets enjoy these last months of youthful bliss.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Hiroshima
When I read true stories, such as Hiroshima I can never really say what doesn’t work for me in the book. I want the story to be told however the journalist experienced the situation whether that is uncomfortable for me to hear about or not. It doesn't matter if some situations are hard to take in, too gruesome, or graphic because these true stories are not about the reader but about the people who were there. I don’t want to be sheltered as a reader or spared from anything. I’m reading for the truth.
“Of a hundred and fifty doctors in the city, sixty-five were already dead and most of the rest were wounded. Of 1780 nurses, 1654 were dead or too badly hurt to work.”
I would have appreciated more dialogue throughout the book to be able to get more in touch with how the people were acting amongst one another. Although this may have been impossible given the circumstances, but theoretically it’d be interested to know more about the inner conversations. Were people talking? Were people praying? Were people saying good byes?
"They said they would, but the little, broken man got away from them, and the last priests could see of him, he was running back towards the fire."
There is a real art of story telling in this book due to the fact that it feels like very little story telling is happening, if that makes sense? The book flows naturally. One moment, followed by another. Not exaggerating any moment, or expressing opinion but just letting the story be the story. And I appreciate the lack of emotion that was used in the story telling. It’s emotional for the reader to read, but on their own terms.
The whole way, Father Kleinsorge was oppressed by the thought that all the damage he saw had been done in one instant by one bomb.
Like Alyssa mentioned in class, this book was hard to read. I’m not a naive person but when you sit down and just read this book it feels like a story. And then when you shake your head and think this isn’t a story this is humanity, you totally get taken a back. It's important to understand history and if we don’t learn from it as a whole, as a country then at least take your own message from it and keep those morals and live your life accordingly.
“Of a hundred and fifty doctors in the city, sixty-five were already dead and most of the rest were wounded. Of 1780 nurses, 1654 were dead or too badly hurt to work.”
I would have appreciated more dialogue throughout the book to be able to get more in touch with how the people were acting amongst one another. Although this may have been impossible given the circumstances, but theoretically it’d be interested to know more about the inner conversations. Were people talking? Were people praying? Were people saying good byes?
"They said they would, but the little, broken man got away from them, and the last priests could see of him, he was running back towards the fire."
There is a real art of story telling in this book due to the fact that it feels like very little story telling is happening, if that makes sense? The book flows naturally. One moment, followed by another. Not exaggerating any moment, or expressing opinion but just letting the story be the story. And I appreciate the lack of emotion that was used in the story telling. It’s emotional for the reader to read, but on their own terms.
The whole way, Father Kleinsorge was oppressed by the thought that all the damage he saw had been done in one instant by one bomb.
Like Alyssa mentioned in class, this book was hard to read. I’m not a naive person but when you sit down and just read this book it feels like a story. And then when you shake your head and think this isn’t a story this is humanity, you totally get taken a back. It's important to understand history and if we don’t learn from it as a whole, as a country then at least take your own message from it and keep those morals and live your life accordingly.
Monday, November 14, 2011
The importance of broadcast journalism writing
Weekly we try to conquer our way through broadcast journalism class here at Red River College. As first semester comes to an end certain things that Joanne Kelly has taught me stick in my head:
-talk to your audience directly
-don’t tell but show
-and don’t be cliche or use jargon
How embarrassing is this reel of newscasters reporting on the fact that Conan O’Brien will be broadcasting a same sex marriage? Is there just one writer that works for every news organization in America? Or are these people just too lazy to try and come up with something that hasn’t already been said? I can’t even give kudos to the first person who reported on the topic with the phrase ‘pushing the envelope’ because that’s just too easy.
As I continue my work in attempting to become a broadcast journalist I’ll try to PUSH THE ENVELOPE. HA!
-talk to your audience directly
-don’t tell but show
-and don’t be cliche or use jargon
How embarrassing is this reel of newscasters reporting on the fact that Conan O’Brien will be broadcasting a same sex marriage? Is there just one writer that works for every news organization in America? Or are these people just too lazy to try and come up with something that hasn’t already been said? I can’t even give kudos to the first person who reported on the topic with the phrase ‘pushing the envelope’ because that’s just too easy.
As I continue my work in attempting to become a broadcast journalist I’ll try to PUSH THE ENVELOPE. HA!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Remembrance Day Reflections
Remembrance Day means something different to everyone.
Neither of my grandfathers fought in the war. My papa Stewart (the only grandpa I’ve ever known) was a farmer and therefore he was exempt from war. I remember when I was younger watching kids in my class cry at Remembrance Day ceremonies because their grandfathers had fought in the war. I was always curious about their emotions and their families because I did not have that connection.
For me, Remembrance Day is a time for me to give thanks for those who fought for me to be a Canadian. I am very appreciative of living in this country. We are so lucky. I attend a service every year to give thanks to those who fought and to give myself time to reflect on how I feel to be Canadian. But sometimes it’s hard to explain what being a Canadian means. Peter Mansbridge shed light on this matter when I attended an Encounter with Peter Mansbridge at the Convention Centre on Friday night.
Mansbridge told 3 stories about what being a Canadian meant to him and they all revolved around our nature to care. One story stayed with me and had special significance as we approach November 11th.
Mansbridge was in the Netherlands in 2005 on the anniversary of D Day. There was a celebration of the soldiers and these men that are now in their 80s walked amongst the crowds. And there was one mom who held her 4-year-old child on her hip, and he gave high fives as the soldiers walked by him.
Mansbridge went up to the child and his mom and asked why she would bring her 4-year-old child to this event. She said so he’d know what a Canadian was.
It’s import to be thankful and as our soldiers grow older we cannot let our gratitude fade out. We must continue to teach others what they’ve done for us.
Lest we forget.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Trusting your newscaster.
As a novice journalist I am just beginning to have my first experience with telling sensitive stories, such as the St.Amant radiothon story I am writing for The Lance this week. As I’m confronting these different stories I begin to question what part does emotion play in journalism, especially broadcast journalism.
My question for Peter Mansbridge would be how do you deliver the news or tell someone’s story without losing control of your own emotions and remain poised? Is it possible to separate yourself emotionally from the story you’re telling, especially if it’s some sort of world tragedy like war or natural disaster?
As a kid I would sit down and watch the news with my dad every chance we got. We even watched the news while we were in different provinces or states enjoying summer vacations together. I always looked up to broadcast journalists as someone who can be trusted and someone who can be counted on.
And even today at this age when I think about it, it’s still true to a certain extent. People have favourite broadcast journalists, people that they have grown to trust and want to hear the news from. With this comes a lot responsibility especially if you’re reporting on a national level.
I think Peter Mansbridge is an exceptionally smart guy and he is the newscaster who I trust the most. I just find these relationships between the person delivering the message and me the person receiving the message extremely interesting.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
WATCH THESE VIDEOS
As a journalist I want to tell stories. And today I want to share this story with you.
This story has already been told but I wanted to share it with all of you guys. Sometimes being in this program you can take a hit, fall down and not want to get back up and all together just become discouraged. After a rough Thursday ***cough BROADCAST J cough*** sometimes it's hard to want to carry on.
Then I came across this story. Now I'm not talking about the story itself (which of course was inspiring) but more so I am talking about the way its being presented. After watching this I thought, "Oh yeah THIS explains why I am in this program."
I want to tell stories like these and present them in a manner that is appealing to others. When Ross Capicchioni retells the story of getting shot and the sound of the guns goes off every time he mentions it, it gives me a chill and makes me want to present my stories in the same manner.
Thanks to The Berrics for reminding me I love journalism.
This story has already been told but I wanted to share it with all of you guys. Sometimes being in this program you can take a hit, fall down and not want to get back up and all together just become discouraged. After a rough Thursday ***cough BROADCAST J cough*** sometimes it's hard to want to carry on.
Then I came across this story. Now I'm not talking about the story itself (which of course was inspiring) but more so I am talking about the way its being presented. After watching this I thought, "Oh yeah THIS explains why I am in this program."
I want to tell stories like these and present them in a manner that is appealing to others. When Ross Capicchioni retells the story of getting shot and the sound of the guns goes off every time he mentions it, it gives me a chill and makes me want to present my stories in the same manner.
Thanks to The Berrics for reminding me I love journalism.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Irresponsible/Annoying
For those of you who don't know I'll say it again, I LOVE RICK ROSS.
On Friday it was reported that while on a plane ride to Memphis from Florida, Rick Ross had a seizure. There was a doctor on the plane but Ross was unconscious so the plane had to make an emergency landing. The story broke while Ross was still unconscious. Fans waited with baited breath for the outcome. Thankfully, the medical team got him up and running again.
While the news was being reported I was stuck in class and in a full blown panic attack mode. I desperately needed to be following the story. Sources that were reporting on the incident were not updating fast enough on his progress, so I took to twitter to follow the people in his entourage. Eventually tweets came in that Rick Ross was fine and it was nothing but a minor hiccup in the world of his health.
TMZ had the most up to the minute report on the situation and I was continuously refreshing their page all day. Eventually other entertainment sources were carrying the story as well. And then some information was released that I don't believe.
BET tweeted:
The link led to a video of Ross sitting on a plane. In the video he says that he just boarded the plane and was headed to Memphis. Now in my opinion, this video was filmed before the seizure as he doesn't mention anything about the incident. But as you can see BET claims it was filmed after the incident to prove that he’s ok. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS VIDEO WAS FILMED AFTER THE INCIDENT. NO WAY. I thought how can an organization get away with posting a video and claiming it’s footage of the rapper after his seizures, when clearly it is not.
Then I saw on Ross' twitter that he posted the video as well.
It’s a weird situation. In the video Ross looks completely fine and not disoriented at all. He does not mention the seizure or the emergency landing. He talks about his upcoming show in Memphis and asks us all to download his new singles off itunes. (DO IT)
Anyways, I just don’t believe the time frame of this video. I feel like they are claiming that this video is something that it is not. And it's REALLY bugging me. Whether Ross is condoning it or not, it's still annoying to be given fake information.
Of course everyone wanted to know that Rick Ross was ok (except for his competition), but posting a video under false pretenses is not the ethical way to go about confirming that he's doing better.
On Friday it was reported that while on a plane ride to Memphis from Florida, Rick Ross had a seizure. There was a doctor on the plane but Ross was unconscious so the plane had to make an emergency landing. The story broke while Ross was still unconscious. Fans waited with baited breath for the outcome. Thankfully, the medical team got him up and running again.
While the news was being reported I was stuck in class and in a full blown panic attack mode. I desperately needed to be following the story. Sources that were reporting on the incident were not updating fast enough on his progress, so I took to twitter to follow the people in his entourage. Eventually tweets came in that Rick Ross was fine and it was nothing but a minor hiccup in the world of his health.
TMZ had the most up to the minute report on the situation and I was continuously refreshing their page all day. Eventually other entertainment sources were carrying the story as well. And then some information was released that I don't believe.
BET tweeted:
The link led to a video of Ross sitting on a plane. In the video he says that he just boarded the plane and was headed to Memphis. Now in my opinion, this video was filmed before the seizure as he doesn't mention anything about the incident. But as you can see BET claims it was filmed after the incident to prove that he’s ok. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS VIDEO WAS FILMED AFTER THE INCIDENT. NO WAY. I thought how can an organization get away with posting a video and claiming it’s footage of the rapper after his seizures, when clearly it is not.
Then I saw on Ross' twitter that he posted the video as well.
It’s a weird situation. In the video Ross looks completely fine and not disoriented at all. He does not mention the seizure or the emergency landing. He talks about his upcoming show in Memphis and asks us all to download his new singles off itunes. (DO IT)
Anyways, I just don’t believe the time frame of this video. I feel like they are claiming that this video is something that it is not. And it's REALLY bugging me. Whether Ross is condoning it or not, it's still annoying to be given fake information.
Of course everyone wanted to know that Rick Ross was ok (except for his competition), but posting a video under false pretenses is not the ethical way to go about confirming that he's doing better.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Can't Stop Won't Stop
Imagine a world where Queen Latifa, Will Smith, Ghetto Boys and Public Enemy all go on tour TOGETHER. Well, that happened in 1991.SHOCKED. If only I wasn’t two years old at that time. Today that would never happen in hip hop. The different styles within hip hop have become isolated and in my opinion a lot of love has been.
On Wednesday, I was more than excited to attended the lecture given by Can’t Stop Won’t Stop A History of the Hip Hop Generation’s author, Jeff Chang. The Uniter hosted the speaking engagement at the University of Winnipeg.
I love snapshots of history especially when it relates to something that influences my life on a daily basis. Personally I do not think that you can say hip hop originated from one spot in the world, at one point in time, with a certain group of people witnessing it. Jeff Chang disagrees to a certain extent. He spoke about the origination of hip hop. He spoke about the birth place of hip hop, the Bronx. He covered topics such as abandonment, DJs, the universal zulu nation, and what got the gangs out of the Bronx and what brought hip hop in.
The speech was long, so I’ll narrow it down to what I found most interesting. Something that relates to hip hop today, the split.
Chang spoke about the point in hip hop culture where it split. The split he refers to is when it was possible that music could move across the country and world. Hip hop used to be something you had to experience then and there. You had to be in the ballrooms, you had to be at the parties and you had to be dancing in the parks to know what hip hop was and then the record was created and it took hip hop all around the world.
This began to create imprints around the world of what was happening in the Bronx. Hip hop was no longer a moment, it became a replica that could travel. You didn’t need to be there to experience what was happening in places like the Bronx, like Jeff Chang you could be in Hawaii at recess experiencing what those in the parks of the Bronx were making happen.
And from there it grew and changed and we've landed on today or a couple years prior to today, and hip hop has becomes a part of commodity culture. Who wins? An original lyricist, or someone who has you wearing their clothes, drinking their energy water and has been shot in the chest a handful of time? In the world we are living in now, 50 Cent wins.
As the world of hip hop music continues to evolve, I’m not sure where it's going to land next. Here are some stats to help the guess...
2000- 90 million hip hop records sold- 13% of the market
2010- 27 million hip hop records sold- 8% of the market
Chang spoke about the difference between true artists and money makers. I can agree there’s a difference between someone like 50 Cent vs Nas. And I can also say that there are artists who transcend it all..
By the end of the lecture all I heard was Jay-Z is incredibly dope.
(that’s why he can fall into both categories)
word to that.
On Wednesday, I was more than excited to attended the lecture given by Can’t Stop Won’t Stop A History of the Hip Hop Generation’s author, Jeff Chang. The Uniter hosted the speaking engagement at the University of Winnipeg.
I love snapshots of history especially when it relates to something that influences my life on a daily basis. Personally I do not think that you can say hip hop originated from one spot in the world, at one point in time, with a certain group of people witnessing it. Jeff Chang disagrees to a certain extent. He spoke about the origination of hip hop. He spoke about the birth place of hip hop, the Bronx. He covered topics such as abandonment, DJs, the universal zulu nation, and what got the gangs out of the Bronx and what brought hip hop in.
The speech was long, so I’ll narrow it down to what I found most interesting. Something that relates to hip hop today, the split.
Chang spoke about the point in hip hop culture where it split. The split he refers to is when it was possible that music could move across the country and world. Hip hop used to be something you had to experience then and there. You had to be in the ballrooms, you had to be at the parties and you had to be dancing in the parks to know what hip hop was and then the record was created and it took hip hop all around the world.
This began to create imprints around the world of what was happening in the Bronx. Hip hop was no longer a moment, it became a replica that could travel. You didn’t need to be there to experience what was happening in places like the Bronx, like Jeff Chang you could be in Hawaii at recess experiencing what those in the parks of the Bronx were making happen.
And from there it grew and changed and we've landed on today or a couple years prior to today, and hip hop has becomes a part of commodity culture. Who wins? An original lyricist, or someone who has you wearing their clothes, drinking their energy water and has been shot in the chest a handful of time? In the world we are living in now, 50 Cent wins.
As the world of hip hop music continues to evolve, I’m not sure where it's going to land next. Here are some stats to help the guess...
2000- 90 million hip hop records sold- 13% of the market
2010- 27 million hip hop records sold- 8% of the market
Chang spoke about the difference between true artists and money makers. I can agree there’s a difference between someone like 50 Cent vs Nas. And I can also say that there are artists who transcend it all..
By the end of the lecture all I heard was Jay-Z is incredibly dope.
(that’s why he can fall into both categories)
word to that.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Reporting on Graffiti
Kidult has been blowing up all summer long in France, but he’s only crossed my radar now. And I am thoroughly OBSESSED.
The simple idea behind Kidult (the terrible kid), is that he wants to reclaim graffiti for it’s culture. In his opinion it has become too commercialized. Kidult has began to spray paint the store fronts of high end luxury stores with his tag, giving them what they want...
LouisVuitton -Paris
Hermes- Paris
To take it further, could you say that you’ve had a “plan” in mind since the beginning of all this ?
“I’ve never had any plans. I act in the moment, and it’s about a truth that’s not necessarily spoken, so I shout it and write it on stores. At some point, all these shops have used graffiti culture as a commercial image, riding the trend without being a part in the least and for which the only point is to make some cash. All I say to them is “hello”; if these brands really like graffiti, I only give them what they like, so what if it’s beautiful or ugly. We gotta stop these brands from dictating a culture that belongs to us.” (taken from highsnobiety.com)
There is always going to be the discussion of whether graffiti is art or not. And at this moment in time the discussion becomes even more interesting because some artists are becoming idolized and praised (Banksy), where some remain vandals.
As of late I’ve become really interested in graffiti culture. I've starting watching a handful of documentaries on netflix and opening my eyes to the graffiti in our city. In my opinion, graffiti is art, graffiti is a culture, graffiti is a club, graffiti is a voice. What I’ve gathered is that graffiti artist are not trying to ruin, destroy, deface and kill cities. This is an art form and a way to express themselves or deliver a message.
I met a very successful graffiti artist this summer who described his work as, “social work through art.”
It can be thought provoking, it can ad a new dimension to a city or it can just be art for arts sake.
And artists like Kidult who are spreading a message inspire me. I wish I had the courage to declare my opinions to the world in vibrant paint.
Besides what’s the difference between this..
And this..
And this..
Monday, September 26, 2011
Page One is powerful.
Last Thursday I went to see Page One: Inside the New York Times.
When the lights turned back on and I walked out of the theatre I had a furry of emotions rumbling and rolling inside my brain.
The New York Times makes me want to be a good journalist. Not that I ever wanted to be a bad journalist, but watching that documentary just makes you want to do good and do more and to become a journalistic voice that counts.
I've always wanted to be a journalist who focuses on entertainment; whether that be fashion, pop culture or music. I never really considered anything else because that’s where my passion lies.
Watching this documentary made me open my mind to new ideas. It made me want to toss out my blazers and heels (Which I had planned to wear to work once I left Red River College), and trade them in for a bowler hat and a pipe aka something that looks more appropriate for an investigative journalist. Watching this documentary really made me realize what journalists do for the public. They inform the public on things which the public may not have access to. They investigate the story, they find the details and they unveil it to the public whether the government aggress or not. (to some extent) Journalists are truth tellers. I’d like to be known as that.
I was high strung with emotions while I was watching the documentary. The New York Times is an entity. It’s almost indescribable the way the documentary made me feel about the Times. The Times exudes this overwhelming feeling of power and prestige and importance to me. It gave me chills just to look at the interior of the building. It seems like a whimsical other world.
Who actually works at the Times? There are people that are intelligent enough, sophisticated enough, cutting edge enough and talented enough to work there? I hung off of ever word that the reporters spoke. How did they get to this point in their lives? It’s amazing to me and unfathomable.
What I really took out of the documentary was that the journalist is not dead. Maybe all forms of news publications have a grim future but not the journalist. The journalists future is bright. We need someone to tell the stories of the world. It doesn’t matter if those stories are about war, politics, puppies or fashion the stories should be told. And they will be told. Bloggers, Twitterers and others cannot comment, cannot speculate, cannot write about a situation unless there is a journalist reporting to them what the situation is.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
One small step for World Peace.
If I was a sports reporter this is what I’d be writing about this week:
Ron Artest.
Or should I say Ron One Love.
Excuse me, I mean Ron I Love The World.
Just kidding it’s Metta World Peace.
This weekend in basketball news, one of my favourite forms of news to follow for stories exactly like this, Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace.
This is not an April Fool’s day joke. Dear friends, it’s only September . The name change became official last friday when Artest’s lawyer had this discussion with Commissioner Matthew C. St. George;
St. George: "Mr. Artest has requested a name change to Metta World Peace?"
Rajan: "Yes, your honor."
St. George: "And it's for personal reasons, he said?"
Rajan: "Yes, your honor."
St. George: "OK. All right. He'll now be known as Metta World Peace. Thank you."
Clearly the name change is due to boredom. The NBA is locked out right now and players and fans are beginning to stir. Obviously Ron was experiencing boredom more severely than the rest of the NBA. The poor guy just wanted some excitement in his life. His first move towards activity came by signing up for Dancing With The Stars. The second step was the name change. And the next part will be changing his 8 year old daughter’s last name to match his.
PS the child’s name is Diamond. So her official name would be Diamond World Peace. (ha!)
FACT: for a minor to change their last name both parents must give consent. I’m curious to see if the ex-wifey will allow this to happen. All I can say is save your kid from World Peace.
I am looking forward for the lockout to be over, I mean who doesn’t want to get their hands on a World Peace jersey?
As a journalist, my question is not for Ron Artest, it’s for the other sports journalists out there. How can ANYONE write about this story without questioning his mental health?
Although I am not, some people are taking his name change seriously. The Los Angeles Times reported;
World Peace's publicist, Courtney Barnes, said his client had been contemplating the switch for years, "but it took many years of research and soul-searching to find a first name that was both personally meaningful and inspirational." Metta is a Buddhist term that means loving kindness and friendliness toward others.
“Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world," World Peace said in a statement. "I'm glad that it is now official,"said Ron Artest.
I feel that this name change will bring great change to the world. I’m already beginning to feel the overwhelming feeling of world peace creeping over the world.
I’d like to personally thank the player formerly known as Ron Artest for saving the world.
Ron Artest.
Or should I say Ron One Love.
Excuse me, I mean Ron I Love The World.
Just kidding it’s Metta World Peace.
This weekend in basketball news, one of my favourite forms of news to follow for stories exactly like this, Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace.
This is not an April Fool’s day joke. Dear friends, it’s only September . The name change became official last friday when Artest’s lawyer had this discussion with Commissioner Matthew C. St. George;
St. George: "Mr. Artest has requested a name change to Metta World Peace?"
Rajan: "Yes, your honor."
St. George: "And it's for personal reasons, he said?"
Rajan: "Yes, your honor."
St. George: "OK. All right. He'll now be known as Metta World Peace. Thank you."
Clearly the name change is due to boredom. The NBA is locked out right now and players and fans are beginning to stir. Obviously Ron was experiencing boredom more severely than the rest of the NBA. The poor guy just wanted some excitement in his life. His first move towards activity came by signing up for Dancing With The Stars. The second step was the name change. And the next part will be changing his 8 year old daughter’s last name to match his.
PS the child’s name is Diamond. So her official name would be Diamond World Peace. (ha!)
FACT: for a minor to change their last name both parents must give consent. I’m curious to see if the ex-wifey will allow this to happen. All I can say is save your kid from World Peace.
I am looking forward for the lockout to be over, I mean who doesn’t want to get their hands on a World Peace jersey?
As a journalist, my question is not for Ron Artest, it’s for the other sports journalists out there. How can ANYONE write about this story without questioning his mental health?
Although I am not, some people are taking his name change seriously. The Los Angeles Times reported;
World Peace's publicist, Courtney Barnes, said his client had been contemplating the switch for years, "but it took many years of research and soul-searching to find a first name that was both personally meaningful and inspirational." Metta is a Buddhist term that means loving kindness and friendliness toward others.
“Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world," World Peace said in a statement. "I'm glad that it is now official,"said Ron Artest.
I feel that this name change will bring great change to the world. I’m already beginning to feel the overwhelming feeling of world peace creeping over the world.
I’d like to personally thank the player formerly known as Ron Artest for saving the world.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Just Do It
Sometimes the best advice you can get is from Nike,
But as a CreComm student there is no time for exercising. And as Lindsey Peterson I genuinely just don't have any interest in it. That being said the Nike slogan that has changed my journalistic life is... JUST DO IT.
We are constantly, and by constantly I mean CONSTANTLY thrown into situations that would make most novice journalists scared, anxious, nervous and sweaty. And with each situation that gets thrown my way I think, "THERE IS NO WAY I CAN DO. OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH. THERE IS NO WAY I CAN DO THIS." (I wish I didn't come across as a ditz in writing but..) The next step is always having Emily Wessel turn to me and go, "You're stressed hey." Hmmm she knows me so well.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. JUST DO IT. As a second year CreComm I'm not allowed to freak out as much because lets face it, that's something the FIRST years do. With no other option in site I've adopted Nike's way of life and I'm just doing it.
Situations that I can now feel more at ease about include: (but are not limited to)
-wrestling sharks
-interviewing Manitoban politicians for upcoming elections
-talking to Clara
-asking the government to release information that they seem to be keeping secret
But as a CreComm student there is no time for exercising. And as Lindsey Peterson I genuinely just don't have any interest in it. That being said the Nike slogan that has changed my journalistic life is... JUST DO IT.
We are constantly, and by constantly I mean CONSTANTLY thrown into situations that would make most novice journalists scared, anxious, nervous and sweaty. And with each situation that gets thrown my way I think, "THERE IS NO WAY I CAN DO. OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH. THERE IS NO WAY I CAN DO THIS." (I wish I didn't come across as a ditz in writing but..) The next step is always having Emily Wessel turn to me and go, "You're stressed hey." Hmmm she knows me so well.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. JUST DO IT. As a second year CreComm I'm not allowed to freak out as much because lets face it, that's something the FIRST years do. With no other option in site I've adopted Nike's way of life and I'm just doing it.
Situations that I can now feel more at ease about include: (but are not limited to)
-wrestling sharks
-interviewing Manitoban politicians for upcoming elections
-talking to Clara
-asking the government to release information that they seem to be keeping secret
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The voice in journalism.
I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.
Hunter S. Thompson -father of Gonzo journalism
Hunter S. Thompson -father of Gonzo journalism
(extreme version of what I'd like to accomplish.)
I was never interested in journalism to tell the news, I was interested in telling stories.
What I learnt from my first formal instruction in journalism was to tell the facts and keep my opinion out of it. Last year, I took to my blog to express my voice and I took to the classroom to tell the news. But, I never wanted to be a “news teller”.
Growing up I didn’t spend my time reading the newspaper, my introduction to journalism was through the multiple magazine subscriptions my Dad would get in the mail. When the monthly subscriptions arrived I’d quickly scan through the latest copy of Rolling Stone Magazine or Spin Magazine from front to back. (For a short time I was also reading Blender but that was short lived.) Once the initial scan was over I would go back and read the articles with the most enticing headlines or just turn to my favourite journalist of the magazine and read their article.
Andy Greenwald (formerly at Spin) and Chuck Klosterman (formerly at Spin) taught me about journalism and inspired me to be a storyteller. My favourite journalists weren’t decided based on how well they told the facts or how their stories were laid out. My favourite journalists were the ones who had a style, opinion and voice that intrigued me. Greenwald and Klosterman both wrote with a strong voice. We didn’t necessarily agree on everything but their opinions were always interesting. These guys were interviewing people and/or writing the news and their opinions were obviously strewn throughout the article. Their opinions weren’t even hidden or subtle. I fell in love with this style and wrote with my own voice until I was taught differently.
First year Journalism has improved my skills tremendously. My version of a news story was not up to any standards before I was taught better by Steve and Duncan. Although I do leave my voice out of my stories for class.
There are many forms of journalism. And I am grateful to become skilled in all forms. But until I can become a voice that people want to listen to I’ll be telling the facts. I’ll write the news everyday until I am given the opportunity to use my voice.
What I learnt from my first formal instruction in journalism was to tell the facts and keep my opinion out of it. Last year, I took to my blog to express my voice and I took to the classroom to tell the news. But, I never wanted to be a “news teller”.
Growing up I didn’t spend my time reading the newspaper, my introduction to journalism was through the multiple magazine subscriptions my Dad would get in the mail. When the monthly subscriptions arrived I’d quickly scan through the latest copy of Rolling Stone Magazine or Spin Magazine from front to back. (For a short time I was also reading Blender but that was short lived.) Once the initial scan was over I would go back and read the articles with the most enticing headlines or just turn to my favourite journalist of the magazine and read their article.
Andy Greenwald (formerly at Spin) and Chuck Klosterman (formerly at Spin) taught me about journalism and inspired me to be a storyteller. My favourite journalists weren’t decided based on how well they told the facts or how their stories were laid out. My favourite journalists were the ones who had a style, opinion and voice that intrigued me. Greenwald and Klosterman both wrote with a strong voice. We didn’t necessarily agree on everything but their opinions were always interesting. These guys were interviewing people and/or writing the news and their opinions were obviously strewn throughout the article. Their opinions weren’t even hidden or subtle. I fell in love with this style and wrote with my own voice until I was taught differently.
First year Journalism has improved my skills tremendously. My version of a news story was not up to any standards before I was taught better by Steve and Duncan. Although I do leave my voice out of my stories for class.
There are many forms of journalism. And I am grateful to become skilled in all forms. But until I can become a voice that people want to listen to I’ll be telling the facts. I’ll write the news everyday until I am given the opportunity to use my voice.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Moonlight Sonata Of Beethoven Blatz
This play was PRETTY COOL.
Armin was a creative writing teacher at RRC before he retired and Karen took over. I suck at creative writing so I figured me and this Armin character wouldn't really get along. But he was interesting and engaging as he spoke to our class the following Thursday. He even grinned through all the sex scene questions. HUBBA HUBBA.
The play itself was an interesting story of marriage, betrayal, the desire to have children and some sort of lesbianism. This is a play that needed to be seen with other people in the audience. If it wasn't for the non CreCommers in the audience I wouldn't have known when to laugh and when to cry. I followed the cues from the audience on how to react to parts of the play that I did not understand.
And to the ladies who were whispering about college kids being late for everything, this is CreComm. I’m never late.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
COMING TO AN END. (idea stolen from Pam)
So there is a week left and then it's summer. I'll continue to blog throughout the summer if Chelsea will give me any attention! But this is my farewell CreComm post. (next week my blog will host a review of Armin Wiebe's new play) but for now BYE BYE BYE.
Everyone should check out Pam's blog because she has a big..
And Pam will say beautiful things about life.
My heart is a little smaller than Pam's and it's black and made of steel..
So i'll see you kids on the streets.
Everyone should check out Pam's blog because she has a big..
And Pam will say beautiful things about life.
My heart is a little smaller than Pam's and it's black and made of steel..
So i'll see you kids on the streets.
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