'American Gangster': An American Critique
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Fresh Air from WHYY, November 2, 2007 · The expansive new mob drama American Gangster stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Fresh Air's film critic says it's a whopping overdose of perverse '70s nostalgia, a panoramic portrait of a nation disintegrating from moral rot.
But the charismatic real-life monster who inspired the film — a druglord who exults in his scams and brags about his murders — has become so controlled, and domesticated, that even with Washington's star power, he doesn't carry the movie. Crowe, credible as an obsessed detective, helps somewhat. But ultimately the movie feels like Scarface drained of blood, at arm's length from the culture that spawned it.
In this writers attempt to compare this film to that of "Scare Face" instantly brings me to the assumption that I will not agree with anything this idiot has to say. The only complaint I had with the movie had to do with the length. If the time got trimmed down an hour it would be perfect.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Investigative Story; Virgina Tech Shooting
Massacre on a Managing Editor's First Day
At a National Writers Workshop this weekend, Collegiate Times' Bobby Bowman gave his first out-of-town speech on covering the Va. Tech shootings his first day on the job.
By Joe Grimm (more by author) Detroit Free Press recruiting & development editor
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On April 16, Bobby Bowman became a managing editor, a source, part of a story that devastated his university and one of its ambassadors -- all at once.The day that student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people at Virginia Tech University was Bowman's first day as a managing editor of the Collegiate Times. As a student affected by the tragedy, he was called by networks from FOX News to Al Jazeera. He later was approached on campus by Geraldo Rivera, who also asked him a few questions.
Bobby BowmanThis weekend was another first for Bowman. On his first business trip, he spoke at the National Writers Workshop in Wichita. He wore a maroon golf shirt bearing the now-familiar VT logo. The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle and Poynter co-sponsored the event. CT staff members confronted a story that would challenge even the most accomplished journalist. And many of them aren't even journalism majors. Bowman, 21, is studying industrial systems engineering. link is www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4334 - 38k
One thing reporters do when trying to unearth a tuff story is to not give up, and keep on digging. They say that if you are looking to get the dirt then you need to be prepared to jump in the mud.
At a National Writers Workshop this weekend, Collegiate Times' Bobby Bowman gave his first out-of-town speech on covering the Va. Tech shootings his first day on the job.
By Joe Grimm (more by author) Detroit Free Press recruiting & development editor
E-mail this item Print this Page Add Your Comments on this Article
On April 16, Bobby Bowman became a managing editor, a source, part of a story that devastated his university and one of its ambassadors -- all at once.The day that student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people at Virginia Tech University was Bowman's first day as a managing editor of the Collegiate Times. As a student affected by the tragedy, he was called by networks from FOX News to Al Jazeera. He later was approached on campus by Geraldo Rivera, who also asked him a few questions.
Bobby BowmanThis weekend was another first for Bowman. On his first business trip, he spoke at the National Writers Workshop in Wichita. He wore a maroon golf shirt bearing the now-familiar VT logo. The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle and Poynter co-sponsored the event. CT staff members confronted a story that would challenge even the most accomplished journalist. And many of them aren't even journalism majors. Bowman, 21, is studying industrial systems engineering. link is www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4334 - 38k
One thing reporters do when trying to unearth a tuff story is to not give up, and keep on digging. They say that if you are looking to get the dirt then you need to be prepared to jump in the mud.
Dramatic Online Narrative; New Orleans Ordeal
Dramatic narrative of New Orleans ordeal
The story in question is being discussed widely online, and likely has been emailed all around the world. It is the tale of two visiting paramedics trapped in New Orleans during the hurricane, and it is a shocking narrative -- case upon case of the most brutal and callous official hostility and indifference.
The only problem is, I will bet the proverbial dollars to doughnuts that it is a fake.(What are we going to do when the price of doughnuts gets up to a dollar?).
We'll hear the definitive story before long, but even at first reading the story rings false, in much the same way as the CBS memos did just about exactly a year ago. Like the memos, it contains enough genuine material to convince those inclined to believe, but also enough problematical bits to give away the game. And like the memos, it is just too good to be true -- "good" in the sense of fitting the authors' political agenda (loony fringe radical socialist, in this case).
Again, there is no doubt that elements in the narrative reflect actual events. That they have been rewritten, spun, joined together, and added to, however, is equally beyond doubt.
I'm sure this is being discussed all over the place, but for now I'll point you to the thread at www.samizdata.net, where many of the points above have been argued with great specificity, yet where many commentors still attempt to defend the account by pointing to elements that are consistent with other news reports -- efforts that would be better spent tackling the inconsistencies, instead.
Posted by David on September 8, 2005 2:08 PM
The story in question is being discussed widely online, and likely has been emailed all around the world. It is the tale of two visiting paramedics trapped in New Orleans during the hurricane, and it is a shocking narrative -- case upon case of the most brutal and callous official hostility and indifference.
The only problem is, I will bet the proverbial dollars to doughnuts that it is a fake.(What are we going to do when the price of doughnuts gets up to a dollar?).
We'll hear the definitive story before long, but even at first reading the story rings false, in much the same way as the CBS memos did just about exactly a year ago. Like the memos, it contains enough genuine material to convince those inclined to believe, but also enough problematical bits to give away the game. And like the memos, it is just too good to be true -- "good" in the sense of fitting the authors' political agenda (loony fringe radical socialist, in this case).
Again, there is no doubt that elements in the narrative reflect actual events. That they have been rewritten, spun, joined together, and added to, however, is equally beyond doubt.
I'm sure this is being discussed all over the place, but for now I'll point you to the thread at www.samizdata.net, where many of the points above have been argued with great specificity, yet where many commentors still attempt to defend the account by pointing to elements that are consistent with other news reports -- efforts that would be better spent tackling the inconsistencies, instead.
Posted by David on September 8, 2005 2:08 PM
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Public Document; Goverment policy on disaster's
Anticompetitive Conduct After a Natural Disaster
In the wake of devastation caused by a natural disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) works with state and local government agencies to solicit competitive bids for cleanup and rebuilding contracts. Anticompetitive conduct that subverts the competitive bidding process includes:
Bid rigging: Two or more firms agree to bid in such a way that a designated firm submits the winning bid.
Price fixing: Two or more competing sellers agree on what prices to charge, such as by agreeing that they will increase prices a certain amount or that they won't sell below a certain price.
Customer or market allocation: Two or more firms agree to split up customers, such as by geographic area, to reduce or eliminate competition.
These agreements are generally secret, and the participants defraud customers by holding themselves out as competitors despite their agreement not to compete. They harm consumers and taxpayers by causing them to pay more for products and services and by depriving them of other byproducts of true competition.
The steps I had to take in order to track down this particular public document wre few and easy. By simply attempting a basic Google search, I was able to locate a site that seemed to have been goverment funded. The site is www.usodoj.gov/atr/pubdocs.html
In the wake of devastation caused by a natural disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) works with state and local government agencies to solicit competitive bids for cleanup and rebuilding contracts. Anticompetitive conduct that subverts the competitive bidding process includes:
Bid rigging: Two or more firms agree to bid in such a way that a designated firm submits the winning bid.
Price fixing: Two or more competing sellers agree on what prices to charge, such as by agreeing that they will increase prices a certain amount or that they won't sell below a certain price.
Customer or market allocation: Two or more firms agree to split up customers, such as by geographic area, to reduce or eliminate competition.
These agreements are generally secret, and the participants defraud customers by holding themselves out as competitors despite their agreement not to compete. They harm consumers and taxpayers by causing them to pay more for products and services and by depriving them of other byproducts of true competition.
The steps I had to take in order to track down this particular public document wre few and easy. By simply attempting a basic Google search, I was able to locate a site that seemed to have been goverment funded. The site is www.usodoj.gov/atr/pubdocs.html
Blog I Like; "Oh Raiders, My Raiders"
O Raiders! My Raiders! O Raiders! my Raiders! our fearful trip is done;McCown throws naught but INTs, Jordan can scarcely run;The end is near, the horns I hear, the talking heads all staring,While follow eyes the silver and black, the D once grim and daring:But O sack! sack! sack!O the offense fled,Where on the field my Raiders lie,Fallen cold and dead.
In short, this blog is about the Oakland Raiders football team and their imberrising performance displayed in front of a national television audience. The reason I like this blog is because it is a spoof on another poem I know called "Oh Captain, My Captain". Sometimes being a Raider makes you feel as if you are the one lying dead in the middle of the field.
In short, this blog is about the Oakland Raiders football team and their imberrising performance displayed in front of a national television audience. The reason I like this blog is because it is a spoof on another poem I know called "Oh Captain, My Captain". Sometimes being a Raider makes you feel as if you are the one lying dead in the middle of the field.
Narrative Story; Edison was no joke
THE FIRST EDISON CENTRAL STATION
A NOTED inventor once said at the end of a lifetime of fighting to defend his rights, that he found there were three stages in all great inventions: the first, in which people said the thing could not be done; the second, in which they said anybody could do it; and the third, in which they said it had always been done by everybody. In his central- station work Edison has had very much this kind of experience; for while many of his opponents came to acknowledge the novelty and utility of his plans, and gave him unstinted praise, there are doubtless others who to this day profess to look upon him merely as an adapter. How different the view of so eminent a scientist as Lord Kelvin was, may be appreciated from his remark when in later years, in reply to the question why some one else did not invent so obvious and simple a thing as the Feeder System, he said: "The only answer I can think of is that no one else was Edison."
The plot line in this narrative about Thomas Edison, gives reason for a cross examination of the accusation's that have previously been made by critiques of his work. The plot, leads the reader to believe that an unflattering picture will first be construed of Edison. Followed by evidence, and counter arguments that will intise the reader into believing that Edison was truly one of the greatest inventors ever to live.
A NOTED inventor once said at the end of a lifetime of fighting to defend his rights, that he found there were three stages in all great inventions: the first, in which people said the thing could not be done; the second, in which they said anybody could do it; and the third, in which they said it had always been done by everybody. In his central- station work Edison has had very much this kind of experience; for while many of his opponents came to acknowledge the novelty and utility of his plans, and gave him unstinted praise, there are doubtless others who to this day profess to look upon him merely as an adapter. How different the view of so eminent a scientist as Lord Kelvin was, may be appreciated from his remark when in later years, in reply to the question why some one else did not invent so obvious and simple a thing as the Feeder System, he said: "The only answer I can think of is that no one else was Edison."
The plot line in this narrative about Thomas Edison, gives reason for a cross examination of the accusation's that have previously been made by critiques of his work. The plot, leads the reader to believe that an unflattering picture will first be construed of Edison. Followed by evidence, and counter arguments that will intise the reader into believing that Edison was truly one of the greatest inventors ever to live.
Non-traditional lead; Tofu, a healthy substitute
For years a vegetarian staple, tofu is finally working its way into mainstream diets. Diehard meat-eaters are considering tofu products as a way to improve their diets and provide a variety of health benefits. High in protein, vitamins and minerals while low in calories, sodium and fat, tofu packs a one-stop nutritional punch not found in many other foods.
This article talks about the many benefits one can gain from eating a steady diet of tofu. It is an nontraditional lead due to the fact that there is nothing in the lead that would constitute as being attention grabbing.
In my opinion I would label this a luggage lead because the writer piles to many facts and ideas into the lead. At the same time by having such a content heavy lead it is still unclear what exactly the main concept of the article is about.
Is the article talking about the high number of people who are switching to vegetarianism, or is the article supposed to be about the health benefits of eating tofu. After reading a lead their should be no doubt in the readers mind what it is that story is about.
This article talks about the many benefits one can gain from eating a steady diet of tofu. It is an nontraditional lead due to the fact that there is nothing in the lead that would constitute as being attention grabbing.
In my opinion I would label this a luggage lead because the writer piles to many facts and ideas into the lead. At the same time by having such a content heavy lead it is still unclear what exactly the main concept of the article is about.
Is the article talking about the high number of people who are switching to vegetarianism, or is the article supposed to be about the health benefits of eating tofu. After reading a lead their should be no doubt in the readers mind what it is that story is about.
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