Brit's Kzoo News

Yoruba Dance Revision

2008-12-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

KALAMAZOO COLLEGE SPOTLIGHTS AFRICAN DANCE
By Brit Sumyk

KALAMAZOO, Mich.— On Tuesday, Oct. 14, an enthusiastic Kalamazoo College crowd turned out to hear a lecture on the cultural meanings and roots of the African tradition of Yoruba Dance.
Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka of the University of Kansas spoke for the First-Year Forum and Liberal Arts Colloquium event. Approximately 80 percent of the Connable Recital Hall was filled with approximately 65 attentive and interested students and faculty.
Ajavi-Soyinka followed her welcoming applause with a background and history of Yorubaland, Nigeria. The visual mapping aid helped set the stage for her introduction of Yoruban culture, which relies heavily upon philosophy and a holistic system, drawing inspiration from the Living, the Ancestors, and the Unborn.
While describing the dance, Ajayi-Soyinka mentioned how Yoruba is the attitude of that body and cultural body, and said that “you are supposed to flaunt it; flaunt that body.” There are different purposes for Yoruba Dance, one of which is to mark the different rites of passage in life. “Each age stages its dance to mark its passage in the culture,” she said. Yoruba Dance also plays a religious role, and tells the stories of the deities.
Costumes play a significant role in the dance, and are usually made from fabrics and items that have the ability to be in motion. “That’s when the dress becomes alive; that’s when the dress tells its stories,” said Ajayi-Soyinka. In order for a story to be a success, the dancers must perform and listen well to what they are hearing in the music.
Ajayi-Soyinka mentioned how Yoruba dance is gaining popularity and recognition worldwide, and is becoming a contemporary form of theater. First-year student Katie Wright said that “it is truly a wonderful thing that a dance with such historic significance is taking a forefront in such a prevalent industry.”

China’s Tainted-Food Inquiry Widens Amid Worries Over Animal Feed

2008-11-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/world/asia/01china.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

The article I chose focuses on food contamination in China, and how the chemical melamine has leaked its way the U.S.’s animal feed.

The lede is a hard news lede because the article was published the same day the information became available, and answers the questions who, what, where, when, and why. The second paragraph clearly and concisely elaborates on the lede, because it expands on where the feed recalls were made, and the effects that the chemical melamine can have on humans.

The fourth and fifth paragraphs are the nut grafs, because aside from following shortly after the lede, they explain further the repercussions of the contamination. It describes how the past milk crisis ties into the story, and that this incident is another crisis causing concern about food from China. The fourth paragraph shows what safety officials in China are willing to do about the problem, and the fifth paragraph explains how the situation concerns the international public. An example of how citizens of the U.S. are coping with the problem is given in the fifth paragraph, where it shows how consumers e-mailed each other about candy and chocolate made in China in lieu of Halloween weekend.

The article is written in A-B-A-B format, because it begins giving an overview of the problem and how China is at fault, and then segues into the response of Chinese officials. Accusation is then turned over to the FDA and American food experts, who gave more evidence against the Chinese food industry. Paragraph fifteen contains the killer quote. Although it is not the first quote of the article, it sums up the basic problem contained in the article. The concern was whether or not melamine was leaked into the feed, and Qin Huaizhen, manager at the Gaocheng Kaishun Chemical Company, said directly that he heard that melamine was still being sold to feed producers.

The article ends with an important quote that looks toward the future, because it shows how the situation is being resolved. By offering details about how the feed is being regulated by the government, it shows that China has taken strides in the problem, and that the Chinese government is doing something to correct the situation.

Press Release

2008-10-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/oct08/threatletters_102308.html

From the FBI, there is a release about a hoax involving threatening letters sent to banks nation-wide.

I would interview the FDIC (Federal Desposit Insurance Corporation) or another one of the affected institutions, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Mother Pleads Guilty to Putting Newborn In Plastic Bag

2008-10-22T22:25:00.001-07:00

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1236698,mother-guilty-newborn-bag-102208.article

MOTHER PLEADS GUILTY TO PUTTING NEWBORN IN PLASTIC BAG

The Chicago Sun-Times

This article goes back to a case from 2007, where a newborn baby was found wrapped in a plastic bag. Alsina Shelton, 24, of Cook County, pleaded guilty to one count of both aggravated battery and aggravated assault last year, although there was no agreement reached with the prosecutors. On Wednesday, October 23^rd, Shelton pleaded guilty to the charges of placing her newborn son in a plastic bag and sealing it shut. Shelton said that she thought the infant would die within 10 minutes, but when paramedics arrived, they were able to revive the newborn on the way to the hospital. Sentencing will take place November 13^th, and Shelton is facing 3 to 7 years in prison.
This is an example of a good crime story because, not only does the headline emotionally grip the reader, it is a follow up to a previous large news story. Shelton is a local criminal, since she is from Cook County. The lede answer who, what, when, where, and why, and puts the most important information at the front of the piece. It is such a shocking crime, one that is very rare, and also is emotionally disturbing because it involves the intentional harming of a helpless newborn. The article also tells of proceedings and what will happen next, because it tells about her sentencing and possible punishment. Readers like to hear the conclusion, and how justice will be served.

Article Review

2008-10-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

N. Korea Allows Nuclear Inspectors

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Article Review

www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-AS-Koreas-Nuclear.ntml?ref=world&pagewanted=print

The lede in this article is a summary lede, because it gives the reader what the article is going to be about. It tells when, where, what, who, and why. The article is “hard news” because it has immediacy to it (less than a 24 turnover…reported on Monday, about Monday). The next paragraph is the elaboration of the lede, because it expands upon the plans of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The killer quote follows in the fourth paragraph, which quotes a restricted IAEA document. Most sources from the article draw from the IAEA, United Nations (such as Secretary-General and his spokeswoman), the Pyongyang plant, and diplomats (one of which remains anonymous for coming forward with confidential information). The nut graf comes in the ninth paragraph, because it tells us why we, the reader, should care. This paragraph shows North Korea’s position, in which they choose not to cooperate with IAEA officials.

The remainder of the article provides background history and information pertaining to the situation with North Korea and their nuclear power. Seven paragraphs from the end, the article discusses plans for the future, in which North Korea will most likely reenter six-party talks with the U.S., Russia, China, South Korea, and Japan.

The article fizzles out at the end, and has a fact-based ending. Although the ending doesn’ t look toward the future, it finishes up saying how the Pyongyang plant cut itself off from government-level contacts with South Korea, which ends the article in the present-day situation.

Article Analysis

2008-10-07T00:54:00.000-07:00

Fed Considers Plan to Buy Companies' Unsecured Debt

By Edmund L. Andrews and Michael M. Grynbaum

The New York Times

7 October 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/business/07markets.html?ref=business&pagewanted=print

This “New York Times” article discusses the current credit market and stock situation. It outlines the Federal Reserve’s plan, currently being discussed with the Treasury Department, to restart the nation’s financial system. The story is a chronological narrative, because it goes through the current economic decline from the beginning by exploring the stock market plunge, oil prices, and international markets.

The article draws its sources from the U.S. government by quoting officials, investment strategists, and current and past members of the Fed. Not only does it talk about the situation in the United States, it draws upon statistics in Europe to back up the claim that the world economy is deteriorating. It also gives the reader an abundance of facts and figures to demonstrate the market’s downfall.

The urgency in which the article was published makes it “hard news.” It was published on October 7^th, and clearly discusses the events of Monday, October 6^th. The article also tells what happened, and the factors leading up to it. Starting off with a summary lead, the rest of the story takes on the inverted pyramid structure. The lead is a summary because it tells what happened to whom, and why. In this case, the Fed is proposing a plan to recharge the economy because the stock and credit markets are crashing. The paragraph following the lead holds the lead elaboration because it tells what the Fed’s plan of boosting the economy is, and what the result would be. The nut graf follows shortly in the fourth paragraph, because it shows the background information of the economy’s decline, why the story is newsworthy, and why the reader should care. The stock market figures affect real people, and therefore make them want to read on.

Ed Yardeni’s quote in the eighth paragraph talks about how the credit crisis has become global, making it the killer quote. This quote sets off the remainder of the story, which discusses how the economic problems facing the U.S. are affecting the rest of the world, followed up by quotes from various current and past government officials. The article fizzles out, because it references a following article. Aside from that, it finishes with a quote from George Bush, who says that “we don’t want to rush into this situation and have the program not be effective.” This quote attests to what the article was trying to say, and provides an appropriate close from the president, who has the most power over any national decision.

Biden Takes Digs at McCain While Palin Attempts to Keep on Track

2008-10-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

BIDEN TAKES DIGS AT MCCAIN WHILE PALIN ATTEMPTS TO KEEP ON TRACK

By Brit Sumyk

In Thursday’s much anticipated vice presidential debate in St. Louis, Democrat Joe Biden outlined the Obama plan to rebuild the economy, as Republican Sarah Palin attempted to defend her running mate and digress toward issues such as the war and environmental reform.

Biden stressed the notion that Democratic nominee Barack Obama had warned the government of the looming subprime mortgage crisis. By pointing out that John McCain had, within two hours, switched his view on the economy under the Bush Administration, Biden tried to show that McCain is out of touch with what is occurring in our nation. Throughout the financial questioning, Palin continuously tried to divert attention from the economy and onto energy and the environment.

During their discussion of how to handle the financial issue of health care, Biden said that McCain’s recommended health care credit as “the ultimate bridge to nowhere.” In reference to McCain’s plans of deregulation, Biden said that “he voted for deregulation, and [deregulation] is why we are in the crisis that we are in.”

Throughout the debate, Biden took repeated stabs at McCain rather than Palin. He continued to bring up various shortcomings of McCain instead of attacking Palin’s weaknesses. Biden did, however, challenge Palin’s statements and strategies coming from the McCain camp. He did not bring up Palin’s political inexperience, but did welcome comparisons between the accomplishments of himself and Barack Obama to John McCain.

Biden also made strong comparisons between McCain and Bush, and said that he “[hadn’t] heard anything yet” to differentiate the two Republicans’ policies. On the topic of the economy, Biden said that Bush’s economic strategies over his terms in the presidency have been the worst economic policies in U.S. history, a statement supported by the present-day economic crisis.

Poll results from iReport.com show that Biden came out the victor of the debate, taking 51 percent of the vote for which candidate performed the best.

—30—

2008-10-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

New Connecticut Ban Raises Concern

2008-10-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

By Brit Sumyk

KALAMAZOO, Mich.--A ban on hand-held radar guns was ordered by Connecticut State Police yesterday because of a potential link between the radiation waves emitted by the devices and cancer.

State police spokesman Adam Berluti said that "the feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue. The whole situation is under review."

The emitted radiation is believed to be of concern because troopers could develop cancer from the long-term exposure to the radiation waves emitted by the devices. Affected by this ban are 70 radar guns, which will be withdrawn from service. However, radar units will still be used by state troopers with transmitters mounted on the outside of their cruisers.

Coming two months after three municipal police officers filed workers' compensation claims saying that they had developed cancer from using the hand-held radar guns, the ban is considered to be the first of its kind by a state police agency.

--30--

Apple Inc. Introduces the iPod

2008-09-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

By Brit Sumyk

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Apple Inc. released the iPod, its own portable music player, on October 23, 2001. Compatible with both Macs and PCs, the iPod has now been innovated to hold not only music, but video, pictures, and applications downloaded through the Apple Store.
The iPod’s design consists of a click-wheel, which has five different buttons. Each button holds a separate function, such as play, rewind, forward, pause/stop, and menu. In the middle of the click-wheel there is another button, used to select a song, artist, album, or playlist. The iPod is a rectangle and is round at the corners.
The iPod is white with a steel back plate. At the top of the iPod is a “Hold” button, which locks the screen. There is also a plug for the headphones or earphones. On the bottom is a slot where the USB chord is plugged in, which transfers the music from the computer to the device.
The back of the iPod has the company’s logo, which is an apple. Underneath the apple, it is branded by the player’s name and the amount of memory the device has the ability to hold. On the front, the screen is also a rectangle. When turned on, the screen lights and displays the menu or the current song, artist, and album.

Presidential Debate 2008

2008-09-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

A Present Day Great Depression?

Brit Sumyk

In Friday's presidential debate, Senator Barack Obama said that the current economic downswing is the worst United States financial crisis since the Great Depression.