Week 13: So long, April

1. This American Life: Nummi — Ok, this is a long, long episode of This American Life, but it's well worth the listen. Not only does this story touch on the state of the economy today, but it's local. The Nummi plant was located in Freemont, and closed only a few weeks back. Give a listen. What do you think of the story telling? Did this change your opinion of GM? American workers? Unions?

2. Hate: This is a piece from Newsweek that addresses the increase in militia like movements in the country. What do you think of the use of historical information in this piece? How about the statistics? Is the main issue with the rise in hatred and militia-like forces a product of a dwindling white majority? Or are we Americans generally more hateful these days? What are you thoughts?

3. The Economy of the NFL Draft: One of life's biggest events happened recently, and if you didn't watch it you must be crazy. The NFL draft is a fascinating process of player selection, all in an attempt to bring up the losers and temper the winners. But according to this piece, that's not happening with the current draft format. What do you think of the tone of this piece? It's serious, but there's something slightly ridiculous when it comes to tinkering with a process that is now broadcast 24/7 and more popular than any other sport's selection process.

Week 12

Firstly, check out the very thoughtful responses to last week's posts. The three ladies did an excellent job, but pay particular attention to Elizabeth's. Well done, ladies!

Two pieces from the Wall Street Journal.

1. An Homage to Hummer by Penn Jillette: That's right, Penn of Penn & Teller, laments about the loss of the Hummer. If GM doesn't find a buyer by May 1, the Hummer will be no longer. In an interesting and slightly unexpected essay, Penn ties the Hummer to a loss of freedom. hhhhmmm. He's a bit fast and loose with his sentence structure, but what do you think of his message? How does his form complement his purpose?

2. Altered States — U.S. Secession Efforts: Part U.S. history, part fantastical story-telling, this piece was on the front page of the Weekend Journal. Why? That's what I'd like you to comment on. Is this timely? Relevant to issues coming up today? And did you learn anything new from this piece?

Week 11: April Already

Two good pieces that complement each other quite well. Lots of talk about the Catholic church and the happenings of some abusive priests.

A Woman's Place is in the Church: Some folks think bringing more women into the inner circles of the church will help with some of the current dilemmas. What do you think? What do you think about the presentation of this argument?

What Went Wrong: Don't Blame Scandal on Celibacy: Some folks think celibacy has nothing to do with the issues facing the church. The church needs to reclaim more of its former conservative ways, clean house a bit, and then move forward. Any thoughts from you? A shorter piece than the first. Is this one more effective in presenting its argument?

Week 10: Final March post

1. Pelosi's Power of Persuasion: A great read from Time Magazine and Alec. An interesting look on Pelosi's life as Speaker of the House. What do you think of the style of the piece? There's a mixture of personal and professional information. Why would the writer choose to do this? Might this be a format for a profile of an MA person? If so, what person might be great for this style of profile?

2. Pushing Back at Stereotypes: An awesome piece from the NYTimes sports section. There's been a lot of press about the aggressive nature of women's college athletics, but is it something that has always been around or something that's on the rise? Can this be seen in MA's sports programs? Is there an MA hook in here? Is MA doing anything to educate players about managing anger during the game? Is there a time when it's ok to get angry and a time when it's not?

Article Ideas — Edition 7

Please post your ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). You MUST format your post in the following format:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

This edition will come out in early May.

Week 9

1. Do the Right Thing: From ESPN magazine and Nish. This post is full of insight and questioning about journalism and the media's doings as of late. There's the Kornheiser/Hannah Storm controversy, tape-delayed coverage of the Olympics, Tiger Woods, and more. ESPN's Ombudsman looks at some of the major issues coming up for not only ESPN but all of the media. What are you thoughts? Do any of these issues (specifics being different, of course) resonate at MA?

2. The Millenial Generation is getting Clobbered: From Newsweek, this is the world you have to face as the growing deficit and slumping job market make themselves more permanent fixtures in America. While your generation is more open, more socially aware, you will be faced with an aging population that relies on you for help. There's also that pesky sense of entitlement mentioned; that can't be helpful. What is your generation to do? Is there an MA hook in here?

Layout Work for Staffers

Folks

Here are two courses I'd like you to complete during our layout days. My expectation is that you will work on these courses during class and for homework (you can access the website from any computer), and then take some of the practices and principles from these courses and apply them to a design project.

1. Color in News Design
2. Typography for News Design

Once you are done with the courses, here's the next step:

http://www.greek-islands.us/traditional-greek-products/kimolos/Honey.jpg

Create a label for the MA Honey. That's right, the honeybee folks have harvested a bunch of tasty, delicious honey and now the jars need some art. Fun. I know.

Size/Shape: Oval 2.5" long by 1.5" high for front. 2" x 2" square for back of jar.
Copy: Marin Academy, Honey, Harvested March 2010 from the MA apiary by Club, Apiary is managed and by the MA Beekeeping Club, Raw (unheated), Local (from nearby wildflowers and the MA garden),
Graphics and design: up to you. Maybe a wildcat-honeybee? Sunflower? Honeycomb? Go wild. Just remember copyright laws .... we can't steal images.
Keep in mind: How are you going to split up the information from front to back? How are you going to prioritize the information? Create an information hierarchy; the most important info goes at the top.

You can create the designs on one InDesign document, just make sure each element fits the required size. Good luck. Have fun!