We chose to focus on Global Warming as our disaster, and while Global Warming is not a disaster in and of itself, it has vast potential to become one. The blog we chose can be found here, http://globalwarmingwatch.blogspot.com/. Throughout the course of the blog, the author evokes the idea that global warming is getting progressively worse, and brings up numerous points to try to show that the odds of global warming being human caused are getting higher and higher. He goes further and brings up what is currently being done to combat the problem, and what needs to be done in the future.
Featured Articles
"How climate denial really works," "How climate denial really works part 2," "Our problem is climate change is not our problem."
http://globalwarmingwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/our-problem-is-climate-change-is-not.html http://globalwarmingwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-climate-denial-really-works-2-50-of.html
http://globalwarmingwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-climate-denial-really-works.html
How we create global warming is one problem, but whether we believe we humans are the cause or not is the bigger disaster. Before we can figure out a way together to put a stop to the gradual heating of the planet, we must all agree on what the causes actually are, natural or man-made ones. The blog author believes global warming is man-made, and in these posts he explains how denialists (those who believe global warming is a natural occurrence) come to be denialists because of the news media. Another problem the author states is our lack of proactiveness. Global warming will not be a major disaster until much later, but because the “urgent always trumps the long term,” it will be too late if no effective actions are taken now.
"The 90% chance we cause observed global warming now sits at 95%"
http://globalwarmingwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/90-chance-we-cause-observed-global.html
This featured article discusses the recent changes in observed global warming that have led the percent likelihood that it's been caused by humans to increase from 90 to 95%. Edinburgh University determined that the initial study underestimated man's effect, for now our reach has spread even to Antarctica. Based on this evidence, it would be very hard for anyone to say that global warming was natural, and if the information we have is correct, Global warming is on pace to become a great disaster.
Based on the paragraph, it's said that there is increasing evidence in reports pointing that global warming is very likely man-made, and some of the scientists from different institutions suggest the percentage taken in natural variation in climate change has lessened and is not the major influence of global wariming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states there is an increasing body of observations which give a collective notion of a warming world and other changes in the climate system and the new and stronger evidence is that most of the observed warming is attributable to human activities based on the scientific papers the panel had access to.
In order to obtain this information, more than 100 scientific papers were accessed, of which a vast majority cited evidence which pointed to human involvemnet in the recent climate changes. Such human influence has led to changes in the Arctic which has led to a shrinking of the Arctic Sea ice at a rate of 600,000 sq. km per decade. The only dissent in this belief is that disasters such as Hurricane Katrina have been falsely blamed on man's involvement.
"Emissions down, interest up: Banking on a carbon neutral future"
http://globalwarmingwatch.blogspot.com/2010/09/emissions-down-my-interest-up-carbon.html
This post is an overview of the actions one bank (NAB) has taken to reduce their carbon footprints in an effort to cut emissions, and save energy. With the ever prevailing threat of global warming top 200 CEOs are making carbon neutral pledges such as switiching printers and photo copiers to print doublesided, cardboard boxes replacing paper waste baskets and installing communal recycle bins. All of these steps have resulted in a savings/reduction of 60K tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. That fact in itself the author seemed impressed with concluding "They are a bank of the future." Overall, Australia is taking a step in the right direction to prevent the ever present doom and gloom of global warming.
Conclusion
The articles we selected above illustrate what we feel to be the best summary of the author's perspective on global warming. As the blog progressed, the author shifted from the realization of the current issue, to what the public is doing in an attempt to halt the spread of global warming. Despite global warming's lack of urgency, this blog reiterates the vast potential which global warming possesses to become a full blown disaster.
Writting by Ryan Yusuf, Ryan Welty, Adrienne Bradley, Hsin Ying Wu
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
After the terrorist attack of 9/11, Americans’ perception altered to form a new era of American pop culture and changed the public’s perspective of disaster, giving the public an actual event as a reference point between real life and fictional disasters.
The general audience could include any American that was personally affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Americans share a special bond with the event in a sense that everyone felt the same way when the news came about. The feeling was a uniform fear of terrorism. Shortly after this feeling, though, an up rise of hope and determination to fight terrorism was established, sending a shock wave of patriotism across the United States. With this patriotism, we were able to move forward from this tragedy and engage terrorism at its core.
The poster is effective because it relates to the audience through symbolic figures of patriotism. The statue of liberty takes up the largest portion of the poster and it displays the freedom of the United States. The audience can relate to the poster because everyone knows what the statue of liberty is and knows the message that comes along with the structure. Analytically, we can infer that the location of the poster is New York City, the place of the terrorist attacks because of the World Trade Centers in the background. A plane is shown, along with a message that explains that it is the only plane that did not reach its destination along with the other planes. People know of this plane, the American citizens on board caused the plane to land away from its intended target and only caused the citizens on board to pass away.
Nate, Dan, Pete
The general audience could include any American that was personally affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Americans share a special bond with the event in a sense that everyone felt the same way when the news came about. The feeling was a uniform fear of terrorism. Shortly after this feeling, though, an up rise of hope and determination to fight terrorism was established, sending a shock wave of patriotism across the United States. With this patriotism, we were able to move forward from this tragedy and engage terrorism at its core.
The poster is effective because it relates to the audience through symbolic figures of patriotism. The statue of liberty takes up the largest portion of the poster and it displays the freedom of the United States. The audience can relate to the poster because everyone knows what the statue of liberty is and knows the message that comes along with the structure. Analytically, we can infer that the location of the poster is New York City, the place of the terrorist attacks because of the World Trade Centers in the background. A plane is shown, along with a message that explains that it is the only plane that did not reach its destination along with the other planes. People know of this plane, the American citizens on board caused the plane to land away from its intended target and only caused the citizens on board to pass away.
Nate, Dan, Pete
United 93 Thesis and Audience
Despite the controversial nature of thematic disaster movies, such as United 93, the infusion of such disaster into Hollywood blockbusters depicts the American public’s desire to indulge in the disaster represented on the big screen.
The intended audience would be the American public. Within the scope of the American public are Americans who are drawn to this disaster genre as well as Americans who want to satiate their appetite for disaster; in this case the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Madeline, Huihong Chen, Ryan
The intended audience would be the American public. Within the scope of the American public are Americans who are drawn to this disaster genre as well as Americans who want to satiate their appetite for disaster; in this case the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Madeline, Huihong Chen, Ryan
United 93: Duane', Adrienne, Ferris
1. Tragedy and terror against the United States inspires a dramatic increase in patriotism via unification of the general public because there is no social boundary in disaster.
2. The intended audience might consist of the everyday and average American who cares about the economic state and reputation of their country. The intended audience would not consist of someone who is indifferent about the state of their country and who disregards and lacks patriotism as a whole.
2. The intended audience might consist of the everyday and average American who cares about the economic state and reputation of their country. The intended audience would not consist of someone who is indifferent about the state of their country and who disregards and lacks patriotism as a whole.
By Hsin Ying, Bonnie, Ryan and Syn Dee
Thesis:
Disaster movies after the 9/11 incident were no longer blithe because Americans were more experienced with real-life disasters. Movies are now made to connect with the solemn feelings of the American people through a more realistic perspective via fictional disasters on the screen.
Audience
The intended audience is American public who have been or have not been exposed to the 9/11 incident, as well as people who are familiar with previous disaster movies.
United 93: Thesis by Jordan, Dallas, and Corey
Unlike fictional disaster movies of the post-9/11 era which focus mainly on apocalyptic, sensationalistic disasters, non-fictional movies portray peoples' renewed patriotism and their struggle for freedom in the face of insurmountable resistance, which reflects the attitudes of the American people following the tragedies of September 11, 2001.
The movie United 93 targets Americans who have forgotten about the fourth plane that crashed during the tragedies of September 11th. This fourth plane is a symbol of resistance and the traditional American value of courage. However, Americans often forget about the United 93 flight because of the focus on the collapse of the two World Trade Center towers in New York City and the attack on the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
United 93 by Kyle Witham, Nicole Lefton, and Jina Yu
Thesis:
The emphasis on the englarged Statue of Liberty in the movie poster of United 93, which alludes to America's history of welcoming immigration, portrays a direct contrast to the way 9/11 triggered foreign paranoia.
A possible intended audience for the movie poster of United 93 may be patriotic Americans that would be intrigued by the focus on the Statue of Liberty. These people might be interested in the events of 9/11 because it openly relates to America and its sense of security and pride. The movie poster also has an educational appeal. In the subtitle, it states "Four planes were hijacked, three of them reached their target... This is the story of the fourth." This subtitle is probably intended to draw in audiences that are curious to learn what they do not know about the disaster of 9/11.
The emphasis on the englarged Statue of Liberty in the movie poster of United 93, which alludes to America's history of welcoming immigration, portrays a direct contrast to the way 9/11 triggered foreign paranoia.
A possible intended audience for the movie poster of United 93 may be patriotic Americans that would be intrigued by the focus on the Statue of Liberty. These people might be interested in the events of 9/11 because it openly relates to America and its sense of security and pride. The movie poster also has an educational appeal. In the subtitle, it states "Four planes were hijacked, three of them reached their target... This is the story of the fourth." This subtitle is probably intended to draw in audiences that are curious to learn what they do not know about the disaster of 9/11.
Class Exercise for October 21, 2010 (Thursday)
In groups of three (2 groups may have four people) -
Primary source (click on the picture to zoom in) -
Using the movie poster from United 93 as your primary source and a chapter from Ken Feil's Dying for a Laugh: Disaster Movies and the Camp Imagination (which was assigned as a thematic reading two weeks ago), develop a complex thesis statement.
*Juicy hint from the good work you did in class two weeks ago: If you look in the earlier post we did during the class discussion (under the Comments button), you'll find your summaries of the pitch of the argument in Feil's article, to give you a brief sense of what the main points in his article were. Be sure to identify the right summary because each group posted their summaries of both articles that were assigned in the thematic readings.
As you work on developing your complex thesis statement, be sure to avoid the pitfalls of the five kinds of weak thesis statements described in Writing Analytically. Each group is to post their thesis statement with all group members' names as a "New Post" on the blog.
Discuss to whom the message (in the primary source) is conveyed.
Speculate about the effectiveness of this message, using analytical claims (i.e. for the claims you make, refer to elements in the primary source to support your argument; always link claim-----evidence) as well as arguments in your secondary source to support your claims about the effectiveness of the primary source.
TASKS:
Primary source (click on the picture to zoom in) -
Secondary source -
Feil, Ken. “From Camp to Kitsch: 9/11, Taste, and the Imagination of Disaster.” Dying for a Laugh: Disaster Movies and the Camp Imagination. Middletown, CT: Wesleylan UP, 2006. Print. 119-141.
Using the movie poster from United 93 as your primary source and a chapter from Ken Feil's Dying for a Laugh: Disaster Movies and the Camp Imagination (which was assigned as a thematic reading two weeks ago), develop a complex thesis statement.
*Juicy hint from the good work you did in class two weeks ago: If you look in the earlier post we did during the class discussion (under the Comments button), you'll find your summaries of the pitch of the argument in Feil's article, to give you a brief sense of what the main points in his article were. Be sure to identify the right summary because each group posted their summaries of both articles that were assigned in the thematic readings.
As you work on developing your complex thesis statement, be sure to avoid the pitfalls of the five kinds of weak thesis statements described in Writing Analytically. Each group is to post their thesis statement with all group members' names as a "New Post" on the blog.
Discuss to whom the message (in the primary source) is conveyed.
Speculate about the effectiveness of this message, using analytical claims (i.e. for the claims you make, refer to elements in the primary source to support your argument; always link claim-----evidence) as well as arguments in your secondary source to support your claims about the effectiveness of the primary source.
TASKS:
- In groups of 3 (two groups may have 4 people), post a well-developed, complex thesis statement (that avoids the pitfalls of the five weak thesis statements).
- Write one short paragraph to identify whom the intended audience might be.
- In one sizable paragraph, speculate about the effectiveness of this message (in the primary source) to the intended audience you identified in part 2.
- As a group, comment on one other thesis statement in the class (I will assign the groups).
Using the "Comments" button:
- Identify if it is in danger of falling within one of the five types of weak thesis statements.
- Point to one great thing about the thesis statement (is it particularly compelling and how so, etc.)
- Identify one way in which your group thinks the thesis statement might be improved OR suggest one way in which a student with that thesis statement might introduce complicating evidence to develop a complex and compelling paper.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Blog Project Week Four: Trapped Miners in Chile
We chose to write about the trapped miners in Chile because it is a very current issue being discussed in the news. This event is an example of a disaster because 33 people were buried alive for 69 days. However, it is a miracle that all of these people were able to come out alive it is still terrible what these people had to go through. Additionally, this event is something that has affected the country of Chile, the miners that suffered from this traumatic experience and other miners around the world.
The blog can be found at this link http://trapped-miners-in-chili.blogspot.com/
The blog can be found at this link http://trapped-miners-in-chili.blogspot.com/
Summary
Trapped Minors in Chile is a blog that contains a collection of articles about the disaster. Many of the articles that can be found on this site are from reliable sources such as CNN, New York Times and Fox News. The author of the blog adds her own thoughts to the articles she shares with readers. The articles that are provided on the blog give daily updates on the current situation. The blog originated when the trapped miners were discovered and continues through today with updates how the aftermath is being handled.
Featured Articles
http://trapped-miners-in-chili.blogspot.com/2010/08/story-of-one-chili-mine-disaster-family.html
This article was featured on Yahoo News at the end of August, just when the collapse was discovered. The article discusses how Chile has been through several hardships over the past few months. They recently experienced an earthquake and a tsunami. It is said that there were known problems with the mine, but they were just ignored. The country had other things to deal with such as rebuilding the destroyed country and did not have time to worry about another possible disaster occurring. This article is told through a story of a family in Chile. The family explains that they felt so blessed for being able to survive the earthquake and the tsunami. They were not ready to be hit by another disaster when the husband and father was trapped in the mine for 69 days. The article shares the story of this family and how they survived three disasters, but focuses on the mining incident.
http://trapped-miners-in-chili.blogspot.com/2010_09_14_archive.html
This article, from an British news site, was written in mid September. It gives an update on the situation. More specifically it shares how the miners are expected to be evacuated. A technical team from Chile's Army created a steel rescue cage that is only 21 inches in diameter. The capsule is protected by a roof to keep miners safe from falling rock and debris. This is a very small capsule for people to fit into, especially men. It becomes a safety hazard for the miners. Although it is a good idea, it makes some people unsure if everyone will be able to get out safely.
http://trapped-miners-in-chili.blogspot.com/2010/10/first-miner-florencio-avalos-reaches.html
This article was featured on CNN on September 12, 2010. This was written on the day that the first miner reached the surface after safely coming out of the mine. The first man out was Florencio Avalos, he was surprisingly good condition considering everything he had gone through. When he came out of the mine on September 12th, it was the first time he had been above ground in 69 days. After he was removed from the mine he was taken to a hospital in Chile to make sure he was safe and healthy. Shortly after he came out with the help of the steel rescue cage the other 32 men were also rescued. Everyone who was trapped in the mine survived which is truly a miracle.
Conclusion
The disaster that occurred in Chile is devastating. It would be terrible to happen anywhere in the world but with Chile currently being destroyed this incident is even more disastrous. Although this was a terrible thing that happened we are very fortunate that everyone was able to survive. It is a shame that Chile did not look into the safety of mines earlier, but now they know that they are dangerous and the regulations need to be updated.
Overall, we really enjoyed this blog. It was easy to follow and find current information about this particular event. We also liked that his blog followed the event with daily updates with new information. Additionally, the comments that the author posted were very interesting. Her comments made us think about different aspects of this disaster more in depth. Now that the men have been rescued from the mine, on the blog, we would like to hear about how the men are doing and how they will be compensated for what they have gone through.
By: Nicole Lefton and Bonnie Ha
Group: Nicole Lefton, Bonnie Ha, Ferris Wu and Huihong Chen
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Blog Project III: Hurricane Katrina Insight
We decided to focus this week's attention on Hurricane Katrina. The blog selected for this week is "Deadly Katrina" which tracked the aftermath caused by the hurricane shortly after the event. "Deadly Katrina" can be accessed via this web address: http://deadlykatrina.com/
Overview of the Blog
"Deadly Katrina" is a collection of articles obtained from various well-known news centers such as CNN or NBC. Unfortunately, some of these articles have disappeared over time only leaving a few readings left. However, the ones that are left provide a very insightful take on the disaster. The aspect that draws the most viewers for this site is the wide variety on the different articles posted. None of the stories are the same, which makes it refreshing and keeps the reader engaged as well. This made it the prime candidate to be featured as this week's blog.
Featured Articles
"Sean Penn accuses Bush of "criminal negligence""
http://www.deadlykatrina.com/?p=115
This post talks about the experiences of the Oscar winning actor Sean Penn in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Sean Penn went to New Orleans to help out as many people as he could. Sean said that everyone around him seemed to be suffering or dying. In addition, he also comments that in the days that he was there, he saw only three government boats. He claims that President Bush has committed “criminal negligence”. Additionally, the policemen were incredibly degrading to the general populous according to Ged Scott another man featured in the article. This article provides a very different view of the disaster. People of higher status usually do not get involved in such projects and Penn's experiences gives us another lens to look through.
"Horrific Stories of Rapes, killings and Terror"
http://www.deadlykatrina.com/?p=102
In this post, the blog tells about the atrocities of Hurricane Katrina through accounts of rape and murder. Since police and all other forms of law enforcement were absent, criminals could commit virtually any crime without any sort of punishment. Many accounts of rape and murder involve law enforcement, but the police officers do not act upon protocol. This blog post describes the terrors that those in and around New Orleans faced daily which makes it easier to relate to the desperation of those in city.
"Somebody's coming to get ya"
http://www.deadlykatrina.com/?p=111
This post features a tragedy event that happened after Hurricane Katrina in which a woman died of drowning because the promised rescue did not arrive on time. It was also mentioned that many people died during the aftermath of Katrina Hurricane due to the delay of rescue. This post shows the significance of the aftermath actions after a disaster. If the aftermath rescue is conducted properly and effectively, it will greatly reduce the number of victims in a disaster. This article shows the importance to performing rescue operations quickly and efficiently.
Conclusion
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is devastating. This blog does a great job in portraying what the people of Louisiana went through as a result of a true disaster. What made Hurricane Katrina one of the largest disasters the world had ever seen was the lack of help from the American government. Acting upon the wreckage that Hurricane Katrina left behind came way too late for some people. It also prolonged the suffering of the inhabitants of New Orleans a few days later than it could have been.
However, there is also a problem with the blog itself. Most of the articles that are featured seem to be very anti-government. There are none or barely any that actually tries to back up the government during the situation. Another problem with the blog is that due to it not being updated in such a long time (the 'newest' article is from September 10th, 2005) which means many of the featured posts have disappeared. Which makes it difficult to get the full story just from this single blog.
Looking at a blog talking about an event that happens many years ago truly make one see how life changing it really was. It destroyed homes, tore families apart and lowered the morale of the people living there. The articles on the aftermath only builds upon our perception of this event. It provides for a very frightening but dare we say insightful read.
*****
We would encourage everyone not only to read the posts that we summarized but to read the other posts as well. We would like to get your input on this tragedy as well by commenting on this week's blog.
Written by: Dan, Kyle, Nate, and Peter
Overview of the Blog
"Deadly Katrina" is a collection of articles obtained from various well-known news centers such as CNN or NBC. Unfortunately, some of these articles have disappeared over time only leaving a few readings left. However, the ones that are left provide a very insightful take on the disaster. The aspect that draws the most viewers for this site is the wide variety on the different articles posted. None of the stories are the same, which makes it refreshing and keeps the reader engaged as well. This made it the prime candidate to be featured as this week's blog.
Featured Articles
"Sean Penn accuses Bush of "criminal negligence""
http://www.deadlykatrina.com/?p=115
This post talks about the experiences of the Oscar winning actor Sean Penn in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Sean Penn went to New Orleans to help out as many people as he could. Sean said that everyone around him seemed to be suffering or dying. In addition, he also comments that in the days that he was there, he saw only three government boats. He claims that President Bush has committed “criminal negligence”. Additionally, the policemen were incredibly degrading to the general populous according to Ged Scott another man featured in the article. This article provides a very different view of the disaster. People of higher status usually do not get involved in such projects and Penn's experiences gives us another lens to look through.
"Horrific Stories of Rapes, killings and Terror"
http://www.deadlykatrina.com/?p=102
In this post, the blog tells about the atrocities of Hurricane Katrina through accounts of rape and murder. Since police and all other forms of law enforcement were absent, criminals could commit virtually any crime without any sort of punishment. Many accounts of rape and murder involve law enforcement, but the police officers do not act upon protocol. This blog post describes the terrors that those in and around New Orleans faced daily which makes it easier to relate to the desperation of those in city.
"Somebody's coming to get ya"
http://www.deadlykatrina.com/?p=111
This post features a tragedy event that happened after Hurricane Katrina in which a woman died of drowning because the promised rescue did not arrive on time. It was also mentioned that many people died during the aftermath of Katrina Hurricane due to the delay of rescue. This post shows the significance of the aftermath actions after a disaster. If the aftermath rescue is conducted properly and effectively, it will greatly reduce the number of victims in a disaster. This article shows the importance to performing rescue operations quickly and efficiently.
Conclusion
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is devastating. This blog does a great job in portraying what the people of Louisiana went through as a result of a true disaster. What made Hurricane Katrina one of the largest disasters the world had ever seen was the lack of help from the American government. Acting upon the wreckage that Hurricane Katrina left behind came way too late for some people. It also prolonged the suffering of the inhabitants of New Orleans a few days later than it could have been.
However, there is also a problem with the blog itself. Most of the articles that are featured seem to be very anti-government. There are none or barely any that actually tries to back up the government during the situation. Another problem with the blog is that due to it not being updated in such a long time (the 'newest' article is from September 10th, 2005) which means many of the featured posts have disappeared. Which makes it difficult to get the full story just from this single blog.
Looking at a blog talking about an event that happens many years ago truly make one see how life changing it really was. It destroyed homes, tore families apart and lowered the morale of the people living there. The articles on the aftermath only builds upon our perception of this event. It provides for a very frightening but dare we say insightful read.
*****
We would encourage everyone not only to read the posts that we summarized but to read the other posts as well. We would like to get your input on this tragedy as well by commenting on this week's blog.
Written by: Dan, Kyle, Nate, and Peter
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Class Exercise for October 7, 2010 (Thursday)
I. There are three parts to our class exercise today:
a. Identify the central arguments in both thematic readings. Articulate these in complete sentences using both the tools of quotation and paraphrase, making sure that you identify the source clearly when you quote/paraphrase. Produce at least two sizable paragraphs (one for each source) that identify their central arguments.
b. (See p. 223 of Writing Analytically) As a group, select one argument that you would like to develop further and cite it in its entirety. As the authors of Writing Analytically advice, “if you are citing a source to frame the discussion, the more reasonable move is both to agree and disagree with it. First, identify shared premises; give the source some credit. Then distinguish the part of what you have cited that you intend to develop or complicate or dispute” (Rosenwasser and Stephen 223). Produce a sizable paragraph developing your argument.
*Post your writing to the class blog as a "New Post" for part b., including the names of all your group members.
c. Using the movie poster from Aftershock, discuss how you would use arguments from either or both of these secondary sources as a lens for analyzing the image. One sizable paragraph.
Class Exercise - part a.
a. Identify the central arguments in both thematic readings. Articulate these in complete sentences using both the tools of quotation and paraphrase, making sure that you identify the source clearly when you quote/paraphrase. Produce at least two sizable paragraphs (one for each source) that identify their central arguments.
Post your arguments using the "Comments" button and remember to include the names of all your group members.
Post your arguments using the "Comments" button and remember to include the names of all your group members.
Class Exercise - part c.
c. Using the movie poster from Aftershock, discuss how you would use arguments from either or both of these secondary sources as a lens for analyzing the image. One sizable paragraph.
Post your group response using the "Comments" function and remember to include the names of all your group members.
Post your group response using the "Comments" function and remember to include the names of all your group members.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Blog Project Week II : Haiti through the Lens
Our group has chosen to focus on the 2010 Haiti earthquake and to take a closer look at the effects on the local community in Haiti as well as an American's perspective on the devastating event.
The featured blog here is called "Haiti Earthquake Stories" and can be accessed by clicking HERE.
About the Blog
The blog author is James Lea, a freelance photo/video journalist from the USA.
His goal in writing his blog is to inform his readers of the conditions of Haiti, post-disaster, as well as of the efforts of volunteers who have generously sacrificed their time in giving aid.
(Refer to his introduction *here*)
Featured Posts
BRINGING HAITI ORPHANS TO THE US *Click here to get to post*
This post talks about how the Haiti disaster did not only affect people in the local Haitian community but it also changed the lives of some Americans. People in America offered help, not only by providing physical aid e.g. rations and donations, but also by adopting Haitian orphans. This shows us how disasters have positive outcomes to it, especially after disaster relief efforts are carried out.
AN INTENSE DETERMINATION TO SURVIVE *Click here to get to post*
In this post, the author gives a different perspective about the situation by sharing the experiences of the Haitian people instead of merely reporting facts. He is playing the role of a journalist while also grabbing the audiences' attention through a more casual way of describing the effects of the disaster on the people.
VIDEO STORY *Click here to get to post*
As the saying goes, "seeing is believing". Apart from merely writing about the earthquake's aftermath, the author has also posted visual representations of the effects of the disaster. Though reading about the situation in Haiti is helpful, people are more likely to be impacted by seeing through photo or video evidence what exactly is going on. The video demonstrates the aid provided to the victims, especially medical aid, and gives documentation to the things that relief workers and medical personnel are actually doing to offer their help to those in need.
Conclusion
This journalist uses a blog as his resource to effectively get word out about the Haiti disaster. His role in the media is important because he is able to inform people of what is actually happening there, and by posting stories and videos of victims, survivors and relief workers, his readers are able to truly grasp the situation through his in-depth and first-hand, personal experience. On top of that, his being a journalist gives him credibility. This makes his reports and stories more believable to most readers.
However, his posts do have their downsides. They are pretty much from an American's point-of-view, so it doesn't tell us what and how other countries are doing to help Haiti in its time of need. This demonstrates that, as always, media can be biased. So, readers have to be cautious and get more information from more than one source to get the full story.
Taking a closer look at Haiti in its current state, it is clear just how big of a toll the earthquake took on this country, not only in the initial disaster, but even more in the aftermath.
The featured blog here is called "Haiti Earthquake Stories" and can be accessed by clicking HERE.
About the Blog
The blog author is James Lea, a freelance photo/video journalist from the USA.
His goal in writing his blog is to inform his readers of the conditions of Haiti, post-disaster, as well as of the efforts of volunteers who have generously sacrificed their time in giving aid.
(Refer to his introduction *here*)
Featured Posts
BRINGING HAITI ORPHANS TO THE US *Click here to get to post*
This post talks about how the Haiti disaster did not only affect people in the local Haitian community but it also changed the lives of some Americans. People in America offered help, not only by providing physical aid e.g. rations and donations, but also by adopting Haitian orphans. This shows us how disasters have positive outcomes to it, especially after disaster relief efforts are carried out.
AN INTENSE DETERMINATION TO SURVIVE *Click here to get to post*
In this post, the author gives a different perspective about the situation by sharing the experiences of the Haitian people instead of merely reporting facts. He is playing the role of a journalist while also grabbing the audiences' attention through a more casual way of describing the effects of the disaster on the people.
VIDEO STORY *Click here to get to post*
As the saying goes, "seeing is believing". Apart from merely writing about the earthquake's aftermath, the author has also posted visual representations of the effects of the disaster. Though reading about the situation in Haiti is helpful, people are more likely to be impacted by seeing through photo or video evidence what exactly is going on. The video demonstrates the aid provided to the victims, especially medical aid, and gives documentation to the things that relief workers and medical personnel are actually doing to offer their help to those in need.
Conclusion
This journalist uses a blog as his resource to effectively get word out about the Haiti disaster. His role in the media is important because he is able to inform people of what is actually happening there, and by posting stories and videos of victims, survivors and relief workers, his readers are able to truly grasp the situation through his in-depth and first-hand, personal experience. On top of that, his being a journalist gives him credibility. This makes his reports and stories more believable to most readers.
However, his posts do have their downsides. They are pretty much from an American's point-of-view, so it doesn't tell us what and how other countries are doing to help Haiti in its time of need. This demonstrates that, as always, media can be biased. So, readers have to be cautious and get more information from more than one source to get the full story.
Taking a closer look at Haiti in its current state, it is clear just how big of a toll the earthquake took on this country, not only in the initial disaster, but even more in the aftermath.
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We encourage you to explore the other posts in the featured blog, construct your own opinion of it and the Haiti earthquake, and give us your input via the comment box to further facilitate discussion.
Written by Dallas, Jina, Jordan, and Syn Dee
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