Class Reflections

The world of feedback is here, and here to stay. Never in my life have I been involved with the comments board this much. At the beginning of the class, looking at the comments and commenting was an assignment. Throughout the course of the past four months, it has grown from an assignment to a regular, enjoyable activity.

With that being said, it is important to pick your battles. Some of the comment frays are completely garbage, but there are those which are informative and helpful. The ones I have found to be the most informative throughout the semester have been local news paper websites and op-ed columns comments. Stay away from YouTUBE clips and huge newspapers, as I found the just turned into arguments instead of talking about the articles. They can be the spot to find some good one-liners, so if your having a bad day, you may want to check them out.

Assignment 3B

For Assignment 3, I chose the Mike Vick story. I figured it was a topic most would have an opinion about, especially since he is about to be released from prison and looking to get back into the NFL. I tried to stay away from topics like gay marriage and abortion, fearing what would happen a year down the line when a company I applied to googles my name.

However, the Mike Vick story did not receive many comments. Only receiving 2, it seems that most do not have an opinion on the case or the topic wasn’t controversial enough. Maybe I did not entice people to comment on the story enough in terms of wording.

With that being said, to elicit more comments next time, I would absolutely post the post on my Facebook or Twitter accounts, or even both. I’m sure I could find a contingent of dog lovers on those sites ready to voice their opinions, as well as the Mike Vick following to show their support.

Maybe if I had wrote the blog entry after ESPN 360′s E-Ticket about Mike Vick’s former dogs was released, I would have got more comments as well. Anyways, check out the E-Ticket.

Too Close for Comfort?

Thanks to Air Force One, thousands of people close to lower Manhattan had a 9/11 flashback today when the 747 flew dangerously low. The government has since apologized for the scare, but what the hell is going on here?

There have been rumors circulating it was a photo-op to show off the 747. Some people question whether it was a so called “fake fire alarm”, seeing how fast people could evacuate with a plane being so close.

Either way the government tries to spin it, it is inexcusable. We are not test dummies, and we sure don’t need to be scared shitless every time a plane is flying overhead.

Reddit commentor provides  his insane theory:

My theory: They did this to distract Fox News for a few days while they rush through a Socialized Medicine bill and DESTROY AMERICA FOREVER.

In Big, Big Trouble

The beginning of the end started a long time ago. Now it is just a matter of time. The New York Times released their first quarter results for 2009 yesterday(If your infatuated with the old school style of print, look away).

The Times reported an operating loss 0f $61.6 million.

• 28% ad drop year-over-year
• Internet ad sales slipped 6.1%

Forget the saying “there is nowhere to go but up from here.” The downward trend will continue until the print publication moves to a weekly newspaper or strictly online.

Forget all the meetings newspaper reps are conducting now to strategize and organize. If they were smarter and more prepared, these would have taken place 10 years ago. Too little, too late. And now it is everyone’s problem.

Challenge Yourself

Check out this video. Chris Webber challenges Charles Barkley to eat a slice of bread within 30 seconds without using a drink.

I tried it out. It took me 1:19 to finish it. I was begging for a cup of water by the end of this. This could become a serious game.

How do they Do It?

First off, congratulations to all the runners who completed the 26-mile Boston Marathon today. Regardless if you finished the journey in 2 hours or  10 hours, it is quite an accomplishment.

Secondly, how do these marathoners do it? Running at that pace for such a long distance is unbelievable. I have trouble driving my car 26 miles without getting tired.

The marathon got me and my roommate into a bet though. We have a deal in place to challenge each other to run 26 miles in a month. I know the marathoners only get a day to do it, but whatever. The first person to complete the 26 miles will get 26 bucks.

Would you like some Comments with that?

From the Top 10 badass umbrellas on a rainy day, to students poisoning a teacher’s coffee, to a feud between Mexico and Burger King, the comment conversation may not have been highly intellectual but at least it was a little fun.

Generally, I don’t like to comment on stories or give my opinion so this was kind of like “forced feedback” for me. Maybe that is just my introversion coming out, but I’d rather read the article and take in everyone else’s perspective because I already know what mine is.

What to do with Mike Vick?

Every football fan is aware of the situation. Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is expected to be released from prison on July 20th, 2009(or earlier if state trial goes his way).

Vick served a year and a half for operating Bad Newz Kennelz, a dog fighting program designed to force pitbulls to fight to the death. Gruesome details emerged from the story that if one of Vick’s pitbulls lost a fight, he would have the dog doused in water and electrocuted.

Now that he has served his punishment, the question becomes whether the former franchise quarterback will play in the NFL. He is expected to meet with commissioner Roger Goodel shortly after he is released about re-instatement, which he most likely receive.

Tonight’s Host: John Ziegler

Where to begin with this one? I would start by crediting David Foster for writing an incredible piece. He was able to bring the audience into the studio with poetic imagery of host John Ziegler’s reactions and movements, the studio setting, and a conversational story-line.

For me personally, the Host read like talk radio, talking about a talk radio show. What does that mean? Foster portrayed Ziegler’s conversations, the setting of the station, problems in the media(a la the OJ Simpson scandal, Scott Peterson trial), switching and back and forth between the mediums. In the text, Ziegler was the talk radio show host arguing and with his callers about substantial topics.

Everything’s Amazing, Nobody’s Happy

Funny interview, Check it out!