Fly on the Wal

“Fly on the Wal” by Charles Platt, New York Post 2.7.09

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02072009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/fly_on_the_wal_154007.htm?page=0

At first, I thought Charles Platt’s “Fly on the Wal” was another piece of his fiction writing. Then, I thought it was possibly a brilliantly conceived satire. Unfortunately, it is none of these things.

The piece is about Platt going undercover as a worker at Wal-Mart only to discover that working there is the best thing that has ever happened to him. In reality, it is a shameless advertorial.

Controversial view of Wal-Mart aside, the writing is sophomoric at best. The article is a stream-of-consciousness rant filled with clichés, poor word choice, contradictions, and lies.

I know many people who have worked at Wal-mart. The summer-before-last I applied at Wal-Mart. None of my personal experience or experience of my peers re-enforces what Platt claims. There is no diabolically ingenious quiz, the store does not run as a Timex watch, not once have I ever been greeted by anyone pope-esque.

The main question I’m left with after reading this piece, and I’ve read it multiple times, is how much Wal-Mart paid Mr. Platt and the Post for this story?

Now that would be a Wal-Mart story worth reading.

-Allen Reed

Op-Ed Group Project

The project will chronicle two poorly constructed op-eds and use specific examples to highlight how not to write.

Fly on the Wal
The Kindle Swindle?

By Allen Reed and Kaycee Toller

The Millennial Generational Test

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rodriguez2-2009mar02,0,199145.column

Hyper-idividualism at its finest is what Gregory Rodriguez calls the Millennial generation. He paints a vivid picture of who we are and contrasts our generational test, surviving the current economic conditions, with that of the Greatest Generation, baby boomers and generation Y. I enjoyed his descriptive language that pokes fun at the "me-first" mentality of "the most educated and technologically savvy generation ever." What I really liked about this piece though is the research that he did to support his idea that yes, we will survive. He interviewed and included quotes from actual Millennials looking for jobs and included statistics and comments from specialists. He nicely balanced everything out with a sprinkling of his own opinion, which I think is crucial to this kind of writing.

The Kindle Swindle?

This piece is from the New York times and was published on February 24. In it, the president of the Authors Guild makes the argument that Amazon's latest e-book portable device, Kindle 2 infringes upon audio book rights with its text-to-speech capability. The writer injects some good information about advancements in computerized voice technology and seems to be very familiar with the Kindle 2 features.
What was lacking in this op-edwas a convincing comparison between authentic audio books and the voice of the Kindle. The writer also failed to provide supporting facts that suggest the flourishing audio book industry has taking any hits as a result of this kind of technology. What I did take away from this piece was the message that writers need to be aware of their rights in a time when their ideas are so accesible and can be transmitted so easily.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/opinion/25blount.html

Revenge of the Glut

This Op-Ed piece by Paul Krugman appeared in The New York Times on March 1st and deals with the origins of the global debt crisis. I liked this column because it is from a reliable and trusted source who’s very fluent in economics (Krugman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in October), but who can still write about the subject in a way that people who are not familiar with economics can understand.

In the column Krugman states that when Asian countries stopped importing capital after their financial crisis of 1997-98 and began protecting themselves by exporting capital, the world was “awash in cheap money,” looking for somewhere to go, with a lot of it going to the United States and European countries.

The inrush of capital created the illusion of wealth in small European countries, such as Estonia, Ireland and Iceland, just as it did for homeowners in the U.S. This created the bubble that would, at some point, have to burst.

Krugman is honest about not yet knowing exactly how we are going to get out of this financial crisis, but his account of how it began and still unfolds is interesting and informative.

Back Online by 2010

This op-ed column is by Eric Schmidt, the chairman and chief executive of Google, and it is from March 1 in the New York Times. It discusses our economic crisis. Rather than a dark, gloomy piece about stocks continuing to plummet and how there is no end in sight, he has a rather positive spin on the situation, which you don't see very often. Schmidt says he expects to see growth by the end of the year and thinks investors will start to take advantage of bargain stocks. He also says the Internet will play a key roll, since it allows small businesses to compete on a more level playing field with large corporations. It is well-written and his positive outlook is refreshing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/opinion/01schmidt.html

Op-Ed: Gay Marriage on Trial

Gay marriage on trial

The next round in California's long fight over same-sex unions takes place before the state Supreme Court. And controversial Prop. 8 is just the beginning of the argument.

By Nicholas Goldberg
March 1, 2009
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg1-2009mar01,0,2867679.story

This Op-Ed piece from the LA Times talks about the recent struggles over gay marriage issues in California. It breaks down the issues and then explains beyond the issue itself and goes into what will happen in the oral arguments the Supreme Court is about to hold this Thursday taking on Proposition 8.

What I really like about this piece is that the writer knows what he is talking about and backs all of his opinion up by a ridiculous amount of facts. He also outlines the issues thoroughly and answers questions most people have about the gay marriage issue with what he knows and what he thinks. This piece is very smart, very well-written and extremely thorough. Read this article if you are curious about the gay marriage debate and want some behind-the-scenes information about it.

Op-ed: One ride forward, two steps back

I don't have any kids, but this op-ed piece from the New York Times seemed to0 interesting to pass up. The article explores the possibility of forward-facing strollers as a factor in language development problems in children.
I liked how the article mentions some evidence that backs up this claim, but does not say that children who ride in forward-facing strollers will absolutely have slower language development. The article merely suggests that rear-facing strollers encourage parents to interact with their children more, which can help a child's linguistic development.
I also liked how the article provided possible solutions to the perceived problem, such as parents talking to their children regularly and stroller companies coming up with affordable strollers that take child development into account.
I think the best part of this op-ed is that it included numbers and data, and still managed to keep my interest. I know I sound like a twelve-year-old, but I tend to stop reading an article if it has too many numbers.

Op-ed: Cowherd: Looking at life through the prism of Facebook

This op-ed column, published on March 2 in the Austin American Statesman, was about a columnist who recently joined Facebook.

Kevin Cowherd, columnist for the Baltimore Sun, spoke of how the social networking site is a new way to waste time.

I liked how he made the column personal by talking about his experience on Facebook and that of his children. Some of the remarks he made were funny too. However, one thing that might have improved the column is statistical data. Maybe he could have included statistics regarding the age range of Facebook users, or the amount of people on Facebook in one hour. In all, it was a good slice of life column.

Just incase the above link doesn't work, the Web address is below.
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/03/02/0302cowherd_edit.html

Op-Ed: Big Mother is watching

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-klein2-2009mar02,0,2898685.story

This op-ed by Karin Klein from the Los Angeles Times is over the issue of a kid's privacy. Usually you hear that kids should have no privacy, but Klein gives an opposite opinion. She states that although she enjoys having the option of checking up on her kids, even checking up on what they're spending their lunch money on, she would rather have them have their childish worries and learn from their own mistakes.

I thought this was very well written. She developed her opinion very well and made you see another side of the privacy argument from a parent's viewpoint.

Op-Ed: Yellow Is the New Green

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

Yellow Is the New Green

By ROSE GEORGE

Published: February 27, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/opinion/27george.html?_r=1

 Being "green" is like being cool now, and we didn't start that trend. The idea of conservation and using our resources to their maximum potential has been around for a long time, but I agree that we all could do better, just not something as taboo as separating our urine from our bowel movements. This op-ed was done really well. I found it to be well-researched and easy to read. It has four good sources, and it focuses on a topic of the public's general interest. I thought it was a tad lengthy. It was, however, really good about localizing something from China and applying the same ideas to our lives here in the U.S.

Education could be key to a successful marriage

How to achieve 'happily ever after'

By: Ashley Sanchez, regular contributor to the Austin American-Statesman

Published: Feb. 27, 2009

As the rate of divorce climbs and the rate of marriage declines, Rep. Warren Chisum of the Texas Legislature is proposing education for couples who have minor children and file for divorce based on the grounds of insupportability. Those couples would have to submit with the divorce petition proof that at least one of them had completed a crisis marriage education course. There are certain requirements and waivers that are included in the bill, but overall Chisum is hoping that the education course could help out some couples who just need a little perspective. This would be a victory for adults and children alike.

I think this op-ed piece is very well-written and detailed. Ashley Sanchez clearly explains the different parts of the bill and why it is being proposed. In addition, I thought the piece was on a particularly interesting topic, one that needs to be addressed. Sanchez's thoughts on the bill seem to be quite valid, like when she mentions Chisum's bill appears to have no downsides. At worst, it eats up 10 hours of someone's time, which is nothing at the risk of saving their marriage.

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/02/27/0227sanchez_edit.html

Statesman Editorial: Sickening state of U.S. food supply

I chose an editorial from the Austin American Statesman that was printed on Feb. 11, 2009. The headline for the editorial is, "Sickening State of U.S. Food Supply." The piece uses facts about the peanut processing plant that was recently shut down in Texas to comment on the state of food safety in the U.S. The editorial also reports on a proposed legislation that would create an independent administration to oversee food safety in America.

I like this editorial because of how it employs the information within it. The writer delivered a very strong message by letting the alarming facts speak for themselves. Except for the last couple of paragraphs, the editorial is full of factual content. It is the manner in which these facts are presented that reveals the writer's strong sentiments on the subject. The writer backs up every bold comment with informative statements.

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/02/11/0211peanuts_edit.html

The editorial I chose is from the New York Times, published on February 5, 2009. It is a political piece praising President Obama's plans for America so far. I like the structure of the editorial and the arguments it makes. I also like the fact that it is a good reporting piece in addition to it being an opinion piece. It has good facts and sources and it is also a good length.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06fri1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Editorial: Austin's slice of stimulus is a flippin' waste of money

Austin's slice of stimulus is a flippin' waste of money

This is an editorial about the frivolity of the items on a list by the U.S. Conference of Mayors of shovel-ready projects that would benefit from the economic stimulus. Namely, a proposal for a Frisbee golf course in Austin.

My main issue with this editorial is while at one point in the article the author does correctly define the list as being a list of what could be done right now if the money was there, but for the most part the author is talking about the items on the list as if Austin is requesting the money for these projects.

It's definitely arguable that a Frisbee golf course would be a tremendous waste of money, $886, 000 according to the Austin parks and recreation department, but Austin isn't requesting money so they can do this.

There was a multiple page list of things that COULD be done with stimulus money right away, so I don't like that this editorial was written as if this request was the most important possible project to Austin -- like given some money they would rush right out and start building this thing.

I think the Frisbee golf course project is one thing on a list of many that has been taken out of context and turned into something it's not. I think the author of this editorial took the easy way out by simply finding silly things on Austin's list as well as the lists from other cities and dwelling on them.

There are many points that could be made from these different lists.

There were over 18,000 different individual, shovel-ready, projects on these lists. I think by going through and finding projects that could be considered a waste of money and then harping on them is going to dramatically affect the way the public is looking at a stimulus package and the projects different cities have in mind. The reality is there are probably more worth-while projects than not, but editorials like this one are giving people a very narrow view of what is actually going on.

The State of Texas High School Graduation Plans

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/02/05/0205diploma_edit.html

The editorial I chose comes from the Austin American Statesman and deals with changing Texas high school graduation plans. According the the writer, Texas graduation plans cater to students pursing a university education and white-collar jobs. Graduation plans don't properly prepare Texas youth who don't plan on attending college and don't equip them with skills for practical jobs such as electricians or plumbers.
The writer begins the piece with former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff commenting on the state of public schools: "Which is harder to find a doctor or an electrician?" The comment also serves as a lead-in to a bit of background about Texas high school graduation plans followed by the case for the legislature to change the plans to include special training in technical fields for students who hope to pursue more hands-on jobs. The writer concludes with a statement specifically to the Legislature stating that they can and should amend the current state of Texas graduation plans.
I don't believe the writer contained enough sourcing for this story and although contained some logical reasoning, and a somewhat thought out plan, I'm not buying it.
The writer's argument here is that by offering courses and graduation plans that prepare students for post-graduation plans other than college, will keep more kids in school and eventually save tax dollars. This is bogus. Keeping kids in school involves strengthening their support systems outside the classroom and helping them understand the value of education, something you won't learn in any amount of technical skills classes. Secondly, allowing students to follow a one-track plan to no where, or even straight into a university, only sets them up for failure. The average college student changes his or her major three times before graduation. Without a diverse academic background as a foundation, high school students who completed a fine arts track and find themselves wanting to pursue engineering will have to play math and science catch-up to be on a level playing field as their classmates. A lack of academic diversity doesn't just spell ruin for those pursuing college, but those not. If upper-level math courses, history and science classes are ditched for plumbing and electrician classes, the student will leave with a practical skill but no knowledge and no framework for higher reasoning. After all, isn't that what education is supposed to be all about in the first place?

Editorial Post: Some college tuition relief a good idea in hard times

The editorial I chose to post comes from the San Antonio Express-News. It was published February 2. The editorial discusses the need for the Texas legislature to focus on college tuition rates during the current legislative session.

I liked that the author used a lot of background information to support his/her points about freezing tution rates. Just incase the link does not work, the URL is posted below.

-Carline

http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/Some_college_tuition_relief_a_good_idea_in_hard_times.html

An Ode to the Stimulus Bill

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/opinion/05collins.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
I found this article at nytimes.com. It was published on February 4. The columnist, Gail Collins, is making the point that the Republicans are reverting to politics as usual in regard to O'bama's massive stimulus bill. She mentions John McCain pointing out all the "earmarks" in the bill when in reality there are no earmarks. The Republicans claim that the bill is attached with all sorts of liberal spending that they are being forced to vote for since the economy is in such bad shape.

I agree with Collins. The bill is very big and should definitely be thoroughly scrutinized, but it is also filled with good programs that will stimulate the economy. I like the fact that the bill is complicated. It shows a lot of thought was put into it, rather than some broad tax cut that was hastily put together. The Bush administration failed in many respects and the American people voted for competence when they elected O'bama. He has America's best interest at heart and his bill should be given a chance after it is thoroughly reviewed.

Dow Freeport site leader’s candor valued

http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=6881b61968ecc516

This editorial was posted in the local newspaper, The Facts, in my hometown. Dow Chemical Company is what makes our community back home successful and like every other business in this economy, it is being hit hard. There have been thousands of layoffs and now many people in the community aren't sure what will become of Brazoria County and specifically Freeport, TX. Gary Hockstra, the new VP of Operations, held a press conference to try to ease the nerves of the community.

I really liked this editorial. I believe it was very well written and gave the view on the community's worries. The writer also made Hockstra seem more human instead of the VP that most assume would just feed the community lies to keep them from second guessing the company. The writer also expressed where The Facts stood in the whole situation and she reassured her readers that the publication will only be reporting the facts-- not the rumors.

Money down the toilet

Wall Street's boundless greed and self-indulgence

AIG, Merrill Lynch reward abject failure will million dollar bonuses.

This editorial is about some of the ways companies have been spending their bailout money. The bailout was supposed to help struggling companies and give our economy a boost, but some people have been using the money for their personal gain.
Executives have spent the money on everything from vacations to expensive toilets.
The writer seemed like he knew a lot about the subject, but I can't get over the typo at the top.
I'm pretty sure AIG and Merrill Lynch reward failure with bonuses.

Also, I posted on the site as KCTee.

You can't ruin it for everyone!

A Win for Free Speech Online
Published: January 26, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/opinion/27tue2.html

This is a New York Times editorial about the Supreme Court refusing to save the Child Online Protection Act, which protects children from sexually explicit online material. Their decision was based on the reason that the law tried to infringe too much upon constitutionally protected free speech. The New York Times editorial board agrees with the Supreme Court on this issue, allowing free speech to prevail.

Overall, I thought this editorial was very well-written, and it is certainly evident that the editorial board did a sufficient amount of research on the topic. The editorial includes several references to previous cases involving this issue, as well as some of the decisions made by the Bush administration. I definitely agree that the Child Online Protection Act infringes upon free speech, which is protected under the Constitution. As mentioned in the editorial, there are other methods that can be implemented to avoid children coming across sexually explicit material online. Parents can use filtering software that will keep indecent material away from their children, but will not infringe upon free speech rights for everyone else. It's all about compromise.

Obama Supporters Show True Colors...Not Green

Sprucing up our front yard

THE WASHINGTON POST

Friday, January 23, 2009

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/01/23/0123mall_edit.html

This was an editorial from the Washing Post, found on the Austin American Statesman website, about the deterioration of the Mall. Obama's inauguration only further brought to light the state of the Mall, and millions of dollars are in consideration to renew the look of the Mall. I thought this was a good editorial, short and sweet. However, I think it should have condemned more the people who left tons of trash on America's front lawn. So much for Obama supporters being "green. As far as the editorials format. I thought it was easy to read and understand; starting with a statement followed by an Obama quote. Then the editorials opinion with supporting background information for the argument. And then ending with a line that worked well as the title of the piece. Well done.

Palin files lawsuit over Beluga whales

Suing the Belugas

The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/opinion/29thu3.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

The editorial criticizes former (vice) presidential hopeful and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on a lawsuit she filed seeking to remove Beluga whales from the endangered species list.
The piece makes the claim that Palin along with convicted felon Ted Stevens want the whales removed because of proposed industrial projects in the region they inhabit.
I think the editorial is concise, and spot-on. Environmental issues are always tricky to advocate because they are situations in which no actual person (technically everyone) wins yet one physical entity/corporation loses.
One problem was the length. I feel that the situation is so ludicrous that Palin could have been roasted for much longer. I wish the author would have cited specific examples of proposed developments in the region in question.

-Allen

Writing on the blog or Who the heck are you?

Name: If you signed up for the blog using a name not easily recognizable as your name, please type your name at the top or bottom of your post, as a byline would be typed. Otherwise, I won't know who the post is from and won't be able to give you credit.

Each post should have a headline. Make it creative, interesting and appropriate for a media publication.

The blog URL is: http://txstateeditorials.blogspot.com

(Yes, you know that if you are looking at the blog, but in the event you print this out to use as directions, it might be handy to have the blog URL.)

How to Blog

You will be invited to the blog via an email sent to your Texas State email account.

Click on the link in the email and accept the invitation. You must create a Google account to access the blog. If you already have a Google account (gmail, etc.), you may use that account. If you don't, then use your TX State email to begin the process to get a Google account, following the steps outlines on the screen.

Note: Once you have the account set up, Blogger sends you to a screen to create your own blog. You do not want to create your own blog for the purposes of this assignment. For this assignment, you want to post to the class blog that is already established. Navigate around Blogger and the class blog using the links in the top right of the screen. Dashboard takes you to the class blog.

This blog will be open to the public for viewing (ie: not a private blog). You may consider that when building a profile and setting a screen name.