Media/News Immersion

Day 1: Friday the 22nd

1. Source: the NY Times. “Helping Schools’ Chefs Find Alternatives to Frozen Pizza” by: Susan Dominus

Summary: This article talks about how chefs and organizations are trying to help NYC schools become healthier, by teaching their chefs simple tricks to making food taste better and taking out the frozen food altogether.

Social Issues: The social issue in this article is our future, and what actions we are taking to make it a better place.  Health nowadays is a huge topic since we know the results of un-healthy ways, and so we are all frantic to make this generation a better one, but sadly this is hard since we are so set in our un-healthy diets.

b) Source: NY Times. “New Way To Help Chicken Cross to Other Side” by William Neuman

Summary: This article is about how companies are thinking of gassing chickens before  or instead of hanging and splitting their necks, to create a stress free death for the chickens.

Social Issues: The social issues in this article are animal cruelty and how the world is trying to help it.  At the same time though, it is a bit ironic to feel the need to have things we breed to kill have stress-free deaths.  If we really cared that much about chickens, wouldn’t we try to stop their unnatural killing altogether?  I know this is hard, but it is the best solution to solving animal cruelty.

Day: Saturday the 23rd

1. Source: The NY Times. “13 Are Killed As Gunmen Storm House In Mexico” by Elisabeth Malkin

Summary: This article is about how in a drug filled city in Mexico, 13 people were killed in their home while celebrating a 14 year old boys birthday.  Police/government are trying to figure out wether death was from revenge or drug reasons

Social Issues: The social issue in this article is revenge (being our nature), and taking much too drastic measures.  If the deaths were from revenge, then all I have to say is that it is so sad that when there is a problem, we almost always go to violence.  It may be the fastest way to solve a problem, but at the same time it usually has the most consequences for everyone.  

b) Source: The New York Times “Haiti Fears Cholera Will Spread in Capitol” by Randal Archibold

Summary: This article talks about how recently, near the capitol of Haiti, there was an outbreak of Cholera, which hasn’t happened in Haiti for a long time, even though sanitation there is limited.  People are trying to install bathrooms and clean water, since the conditions there are not developed enough to handle cholera.  

Social Issues: The social issues in this article are mainly poverty, in a sense, since because of poverty and corruption, Haiti doesn’t have clean water which carries cholera.    After the earthquake there, everyone did such a great job trying to help them, and I wonder if we will be able to do that again, since in a way cholera is less ‘public’.

Day 3: Sunday the 24th

1. Source: The New York Times “In Triple-Murder Trial, the Exhausting Routine of Deciding a Killer’s Fate” by: William Glaberson

Summary: This article is about a man accused of many murders, and wether he did some of them or not, and how his trial is going on the point of sentencing him to death.  Since his accused murders, apparently Hayes has lost much weight, witnesses say maybe because of his shame. 

Social Issues: I think 1 social issue in this article is the benefits/motives for crime.  Besides sex for a bit, what pleasure would you get out of raping then strangling someone?  Criminal’s minds are so much more complex than we think, and I find it interesting people are saying he lost the weight because of shame, because I ask if a person not afraid to murder would be ashamed of it (when he has murdered multiple times).  Hatred isn’t a phase, so something must be on criminals minds... 

b)Source: The New York Times “Latino Immigrants to Sue a Connecticut Police Dept., Asserting Racial Bias” by: Sam Dolnick

Summary: This article talks about how police officers in Connecticut are being racist when latinos do an innocent act such as questioning why they are being beaten (for no reason on police’s half). 

Social Issues:  It seems like no-one nowadays gives a crap about what was said in the constitution.  Everyone is equal!  We established that so long ago!  I find no reason how based on our background why we have to be treated as differently.  And what is up with policemen doing this?  Aren’t they some of the most honored people in communities everywhere?  I am wondering where this racism suddenly came from, and how we can stop it (like we have many times in the past).  

Day: Monday the 25th

1. Source: The New York Times “Chilean Miners Win Cheers and Lose Game” by: Alexei Barrionuevo

Summary: This article talks about how the Chilean miners were celebrated and praised royally not to long after their surface to the ground.  Even the president of Chile had them over for dinner. 

Social Issues: Even though this article is happy, it brings up the issue of fame (in a sense).  The miners are now ‘famous’ all over the world for their time under the ground, and it’s interesting that that got them famous.  I guess they say fame can spoil some people, but in a way I guess this ‘natural’ fame is well deserved, even though the miners seem a bit hungry for it now.  I just hope this doesn’t make the miners or anyone really think the key to success is having something drastic done to your life.

b)Source: The New York Times “Deadly Blast Hits Shrine in Pakistan” by: Reuters

Summary: This (really short) article explains the bombing of a shrine in Pakistan, the bombers placing the bomb on a motorcycle on the gate of the shrine, killing at least 4 people. 

Social Issues: Though short, this article mentions that the bombers attacked the shrine because of  religious differences.  Still, the world can’t agree on things, and so we decide to kill the enemy.  Obviously killing never is really justified, but killing based on differences in the culture topic is not only cruel, but so stupid, since differences are what ‘make the world go around’.  

Day: Tuesday the 26th

1. Source: The New York Times “School Sees Salvation in Recruiting Chinese” by  Abby Goodnough

Summary: This article is about how a small, poor school in Maine is trying to get Chinese kids to come there, because they will have to pay a lot of money to come to the school, and that against all odds has a fantastic arts program.  Not only did employees/staff of the school visit China, but the cafeteria staff are making chinese food, and writing some welcome words in chinese on their bulletin boards.  

Social Issues: I think this article brings up the fact of stereotypicalism.  In the end of the article, the author says kids in the school are worried that since they heard Asians were academically motivated, so their grades might slip.  I mean, I have heard this statement too, but I think it’s so wrong to say that before you even met any people like that (the town, Author says, is all white).  I think it’s ok to make some things like the cuisine maybe more homey for the new-comers, but it seems as if the school is using the Chinese kids for their money, which is wrong!

b) Source: The New York Times “Former City Resident Is Accused of Trying to Join Terrorists” by: Kareem Fahim 

Summary: This article is about how a former city resident was found to be involves in joining terrorists.  Apparently, he tried to fly to Pakistan on a one-way-ticket to train in making bombs.  Abdel, the man’s name, was arrested on Friday in Hawaii, and his maximum penalty is 8 years in prison.

Social Issues: This article brings up the point of race/beliefs, and betrayal.  Obviously, we don’t know why terrorists become terrorists, but in this article they did mention that Abdel possibly “ thought it (joining the US army while being a terrorist) was a game.”  I wonder what would make people want to literally terrorize people, because surely that shouldn’t be in anyones religion!


Reflection:
I found many similarities between most of my articles and their social issues.  One of the things that was pretty shocking was the amount of social issues that not only have been going on for millions of years, but also been have been tried to solve forever, and apparently we never accomplished solving them, like evil crimes and racism.  It seems as if we can't move on completely, no matter what we do to solve problems.  I guess we never will make the world perfect, but it seems as if (until now) I never knew how complex things in our world were.  Problems are never 1 sided, and by being more aware on what's going on around us, I know we can all try to solve them slowly, and make the world a better place for everyone.