The topic my group chose is U.S.-Russian relations. The topic is of national importance and is a concern that has been around for a long time. Most importantly, the issue is not going away any time soon so it was a good selection for this project. Relations have been strained recently with the Snowden issue and Obama canceling the summit and now of course conflict in Syria. I have kept up with the issues decently well to this point, but it would always be nice to know more. I have an interest in the topic and it was just the right topic for this project. I’m hoping to get more in depth knowledge of the issues than the base of knowledge I currently have. I am looking forward to reading some quality coverage of all the issues involved.

Question:

How do you think the conflict in Syria has effected U.S.-Russian relations?

Jeremy Feghali:

“To be honest I have no idea”

Grant Kawata:

“I believe Syria was run by communist Russia back in the day, so, the Syrian conflict can have some  communist background to it, I believe. So that’s not looking too good for US-Russian relationships because we kind of, didn’t really like that, hence, the Cold War, and many other things. So, I think its kind of deterred the relationship a little bit.”

 Jace Silcox:

“I think the conflict in Syria is probably making any negotiations or future negotiations between America and Russia more difficult”

Blake Deer:

“I think it could lead to strengthened relations as the nations work together to deal with a common enemy and issue”

Jackson Turner:

“On the surface it looks like things may have improved because we are ‘cooperating’ with the disarmament proposal, but really its only heightened the tensions. Essentially we’ve allowed Russia to look and feel more important than they are, while making ourselves look weak and small in the eyes of the international community.”

Dakota Liles:

“I think Obama getting us all involved in the conflict and all that stuff in Syria has just made everything worse.”

Cole Emerte:

“The relationship has obviously been pretty strained for a while now. But I think it is too early to tell whether the most recent conflict in Syria will effect both sides in the end. Obviously it is strained right now, but I think it could get better or worse depending on the outcome.”

This exercise was certainly different than anything I had done before. It was a bit awkward just walking up to people, and trying to explain to them what I was asking. It was a little uncomfortable but I just decided not to worry about and just do it. Once I did it once or twice it became easier. Although some of the people I interviewed were pretty apprehensive to give their full names or have their picture taken.

BU to Honor the Years at the Case

This article uses quotes effectively to understand the relevance and the thinking of the ones making decisions. Quotes from the Director of Baylor Sports Network, and Walter Abercrombie add a lot to the article.“We came up with the idea last spring just as a way to commemorate previous players and say goodbye to The Case,” Fertsch said. This quote shows exactly what the intentions are for the upcoming game and why they chose to do so. “Most of them want to be a part of this,” Abercrombie said. “They all want to be a part of what’s going on right now in Baylor, and we’re glad to have them be a part of it.” Abercrombie gives the view of the former players that helped pave the way for current success. Also it looks into the motivations of former players and thier desire to support the Baylor program.

Honestly, I would not like to be quoted in an article unless I was an expert or something in the field I was being interviewed. An article quote nowadays is something that will be online and always accessible to anyone who comes across it. I would be too worried about saying something I would regret unless it wasn’t anything serious or I was qualified to talk about the subject. Otherwise I would be very careful about any type of quote I gave and allowed to be published.

The Huffington Post is an online news aggregator and blog. I think it is targeted toward educated, liberal-leaning individuals between ages 18-50. It is an online site only and does not circulate in print. It’s website is very different from the other news agencies we’ve read so far. It seems to be more focused on what would be most popular, not necessarily the most important. But I did like the website and its layout, and the way it presented the stories online

House Votes To Cut Food Stamps By $40 Billion

The House of Representatives passed a bill containing reforms for the Nation’s food stamp program. The new provisions would make it tougher to qualify for food stamps. Applicants would be made sure they were actually in poverty. It would allow states to require drug tests. And to deny benefits to able-bodied individuals who don’t work or won’t enroll in job training for 20 hours a week. The changes would also cut $40 billion in funding for the program. The bill goes to the senate next where it will face more difficulty passing with the democratic majority. Also, the White House has said it would veto the house’s demands for stricter rules on food stamps.

It got to the point quickly but it took way too long in my opinion to get to the important details. The article had a liberal slant but I knew that would be the case going in. It was well written though and I enjoyed it. Learned what the article set out to report and got opinions from both sides of the issue.

Obama Takes On Coal With First-Ever Carbon Limits

The Obama administration is pushing ahead with new requirements for power plants that use coal. It is supposed to eliminate many of the greenhouse gasses that coal power plants emit into the atmosphere, being a point of emphasis for President Obama’s global warming agenda. Coal is already struggling to compete with natural gas and the new restrictions proposed would be almost unfeasible for old coal plants to put in place because of the costliness.

Trent Richardson Traded To Colts From Browns For First-Round Draft Pick

Trent Richardson, prior 3rd overall pick and cornerstone of the Cleveland Browns was traded on Wednesday. It caught my interest because it was big news and caught a lot of people off-gaurd. The article explained what the Brown’s executives were thinking when they traded Trent Richardson. It was well written and I enjoyed reading the article, even though I was skeptical reading a sports story on this news site.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/food-stamp-cuts_n_3957509.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/obama-carbon-limits_n_3958693.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/trent-richardson-traded-colts-browns-1st-round-pick_n_3950957.html?ir=Sports

Why Rangers manager Ron Washington’s Job is in danger

This is a well written article that gets to the point quickly, has a good mix of sentence types, and uses short sentences and paragraphs.

Good writing uses short sentences:

The writer does a good job of keeping his sentences concise. And if one was a little longer, there were never two long ones back to back. “It’s all about getting the most out of your players. And at the end of last season, the Rangers tightened up and fell apart. This year’s collapse just started two weeks earlier.”

Comes to the point quickly:

The article gets to the point in the first two sentences. The manager’s job is in danger. “If this is the end for manager Ron Washington, it’s not going to be a case of the media running him out of town. But his own team just might run him out.”

Mix of sentence types:

The article uses different sentence types and mixes them well, keeping the article from getting stale or monotonous. “That’s correct. And no manager since the days of player-managers ever has been totally responsible for September meltdowns, but that hasn’t kept hundreds of them from getting fired.”

Good writing has short paragraphs:

This article has no paragraph longer than four lines (or three sentences).  The paragraphs are short and sweet and get to the point.

“Washington calls it aggression. It’s how he was schooled in the Kansas City Royals’ system 40 years ago. Today it’s a mode that is considered somewhere between high-risk and obsolete.”

This was one of the longest paragraphs in the article.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas-rangers/headlines/20130917-cowlishaw-why-rangers-manager-ron-washington-s-job-is-in-danger.ece

Writing the leads for the homework took more critical thinking than I expected. It was not too difficult for me to write the leads on the assignment. However, once I received the assignment back I realized some basic errors that will help me in the future. The most helpful thing was getting feedback from my instructor and seeing my mistakes. Hearing the most well-written leads in the class also was very helpful. Being able to discover my own mistakes was the most constructive thing for me moving forward.

After learning about the inverted pyramid style and applying it I would expect to be able to recognize it in news articles. I understand how it is used and the will look for it when reading news articles in the future. I should be able to know everything I need to know within the first four paragraphs!

The Washington Post is an American daily newspaper, and is the most widely circulated newspaper in Washington D.C. It was founded in 1877 and because of its location in the capitol, it emphasizes national politics.  The Post is famous for its involvement in investigating and the reporting the Watergate scandal, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Syria’s Assad says he will give up chemical weapons if U.S. ends strike threats

The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has acknowledged he is in possession of chemical weapons, which was already widely believed to be true. Not only this, but in an agreement with Russia, said he would cede control of chemical military weapons under his control.  But this will only happen if the U.S. stops sending weapons to Syrian rebels and ends the threat of military strikes. Secretary of State, John F. Kerry said that a diplomatic resolution is preferred.  However, at this time, it is unclear whether an acceptable agreement for weapons disarmament can be reached. Skepticism lingers on whether Russia and Syria are serious about this plan to turn over the weapons.  In upcoming talks with Russia, Kerry said he needs  to see that the Russians are serious about their plan, and intent on enforcing it. Syrian rebel leaders have rejected the proposal, saying it is not enough to disarm Assad; he should also be held responsible for those killed in the chemical attacks in recent months. Time will tell about the possibility of a diplomatic solution, but for now, many hurdles still exist.

Out there: NASA says its Voyager 1 probe has become first spacecraft to leave the solar system

NASA announced Thursday that the Voyager 1, launched thirty-six years ago, is the first spacecraft to ever leave the solar system. The voyager will now be able to study things never before encountered.  It will be able to examine exotic particles and phenomena and report the data back to earth via radio. Although only recently announced, scientists believe it crossed the threshold last year. But only recently did scientists gather enough evidence to support making this proclamation.

Roger Goodell on the Redskins name

This issue has gotten national attention and the attention of some senators. Some members of the Native American community have taken offense to the name “Redskins,” and petitioned to have it changed based on reasons of racial insensitivity. 10 Members of the Congressional Native American Caucus also wrote a letter to Goodell urging the NFL to intervene. Goodell has had a strong stance that the NFL will not get involved, and that the name is a source of pride and respect for many individuals.  Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, has said that he will never change the name of his team.

The Washington Post appeals to many Americans, as it is widely circulated. The paper especially targets educated adults who want to know about national politics in particular.  The Post has a reputation for a left-wing slant in their paper, but the articles I read seemed unbiased. The top story was well written, and informative. I could sense the article leaning left but it did not detract from the validity of the story. I read the NASA story because it was on the front page and looked interesting, and I enjoyed the story. The Redskins-Roger Goodell story could have been done much better. It didn’t give much of a backstory and that detracted from really understanding the issue to its fullest. However, overall I enjoyed reading the Washington Post, though I would put it second to the New York Times reading from last week.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kerry-russian-delegation-in-geneva-to-explore-syrian-deal-to-eliminate-chemical-weapons/2013/09/12/891c6ca8-1b9a-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html?hpid=z2

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/out-there-nasas-voyager-1-becomes-first-spacecraft-to-speed-through-interstellar-space/2013/09/12/55a9b094-1bd4-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html?hpid=z1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2013/09/11/roger-goodell-on-the-redskins-name/

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper and is the most popular news site.  It has been around since 1851 and is circulated throughout the United States.  It covers all kinds of news, local, global, political, business, sports and most things in between.

Obama Faces Barrier in His Own Party on Syria.  President Obama finds himself in a new situation with Syria.  After running on an anti-war platform with regard to the middle east, he has gone against that and asked congress for permission to use military force in Syria.  The core of Obama’s supporters were against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and are reluctant to vote for another unpredictable conflict in the middle east.  Democrats in the senate want to be loyal to the current administration, but also are there to speak for the people they represent.  And the people are saying “no” to another middle east war.  This contradiction is making it difficult for the Democrats to come to grips with a decision, and are a major barrier to Obama’s plan to strike Syria.  Some do believe the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be punished because of accusations that his own forces used chemical weapons on civilians.  Some feel it is their duty to not divert anymore resources away from the people who elected them and need them. Some hard work still remains for President Obama to get approval for his plan of military action against Syria in his own party.

In Giants’ Openers Against Dallas, Results are Sour (for a Week, Anyway)

This title caught my eye because football season is about to kickoff and the headline had the Dallas Cowboys in it.  The story discusses the history of season openers between the Cowboys and Giants. The history was not too kind to the Giants, with Dallas winning all five previous matchups.  The games were usually dramatic and memorable, and each one ended in a Dallas victory.  The story goes on to point out that the season-opening losses to the Cowboys hasn’t been too terrible of a thing, because two of those times, the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl.

E-Cigarette Use Doubles among Students, Survey Shows

The amount of middle and high school kids who have tried an E-Cigarette has doubled. I saw these when I was in high school starting to become somewhat popular so this story interested me. They are promoted as a healthy alternative to traditional cigarettes, but are not regulated by the FDA.  The fear is the unknown long-term effects and the popularity among kids.  While most agree that it is a much safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, it is reaching more kids and could become a gateway to smoking traditional cigarettes.

The New York Times appeals to a large number of Americans, as shown by its popularity.  I think it is targeted at educated individuals 18 and older who want to know the major stories going on in the U.S. and the world.  This paper does appeal to me and I enjoyed reading it, especially the top story. It was well written and informative. It only gave the outlook of the Democrats in this particular story but it was on purpose and understood.  The story was about the Democrats reaction to the Syria conflict and their struggles with it.  It gave different perspectives and different angles to look through. Overall I enjoyed reading the New York Times and would do so again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/health/e-cigarette-use-doubles-among-students-survey-shows.html?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/sports/football/when-giants-open-with-cowboys-result-is-often-sour.html?ref=sports&_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/world/middleeast/obama-faces-barrier-in-his-own-party-on-syria.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=todayspaper&

My name is Cody Darden, and I am a senior here at Baylor University blogging for the Journalism/ Film and Digital Media 3372 class I am currently taking.   This blog will continue through the course of the semester and will be updated weekly.  Over the course of this semester I will be analyzing and evaluating the quality of a variety of news sources.  I currently get my news through a few different avenues: mobile, online, print, and television and radio.  I watch ESPN, listen to ESPN radio, and read articles on their website. I am subscribed to the Wall Street Journal because, after all, I am a finance major in the business school.  I receive print copies and read articles online.  A few other places I go to get news are FOX News and CNN.  I watch both on television occasionally but mostly on their mobile sites.  I receive text alerts from all of the aforementioned news outlets.  I personally think that the Wall Street Journal is the most credible and best source of news I receive.  The articles are well written and the authors are extremely knowledgeable and credible.  My feeling is that you have to be careful with Fox and CNN because of their agendas often put a spin on the news.  ESPN is extremely reliable but often not the most well written, however if you want news about sports it is the place to go.  So those are my go to news sources and my thoughts about them.  There will be more to come.

Until next time,

Cody Darden