In-class Exercise: Miller Murder

Carl Morton, 37, was arrested this morning on charges of murdering 47-year-old Milred Miller, a pianist at the Plaza Hotel as well as in nightclubs.

Miller was found by Plaza Hotel staff last Thursday in her room, where she had been living. She appeared to have been raped and strangled, according to Det. Sgt. Richard Raskover. Additionally, Raskover said her bed was on fire when it was found.
 
The television set and radio were missing from her room, Raskover said, and the radio was later found in Morton's room. Morton was also living at the hotel.

Morton is unemployed and has previous convictions of robbery and burglary. According to Raskover, there were no eyewitnesses to the event.

Response to Jay Rosen's "The production of innocence and the reporting of American politics"

In his blog, “The production of innocence and the reporting of American politics,” Jay Rosen writes about his frustrations with reporters who are trying to be “innocent” and “demonstrate even-handedness” in their articles. They claim that they have no opinions, show no bias, and equally portray both sides of a story. I believe that there is a lot of pressure in the reporting industry to do just that, perhaps rightfully so. The purpose of news, or at least the public perception of news, is to report the “facts,” or information on what is happening, to the public. That way, the public can decide for themselves their own opinions on what is taking place. In part, there is some truth to this notion, for the public cannot form their own opinions if an opinion has already been presented to them, especially if that opinion has omitted or distorted some of the facts. However, it is also true that journalists are people, and they will inherently have opinions and views of their own. Journalists need to recognize that they stand on a side, like everyone else, and that they are not above it. In other words, journalists don’t need to go above and beyond to “advertise their own innocence” by exaggerating the inclusion of both sides in a story. They do, however, need to remember that there is a place to report personal opinions: on the opinions page. (This includes reporting with the rhetorical use of word choice to frame one position as being held in a higher regard over the other, as David Espo’s excerpt demonstrates.) Information ideally needs to be reported as fairly as possible so as not to deny the American public their right to know all sides of an issue.

Observation Article

Andrea Tomlinson

ENG 365

David Crisp

22 September 2013

Observation Article: A Day at Zootoberfest

            The sun shone brightly as people young and old roamed around. Trees provided an escape from the sun’s rays for some spectators who decided to take rest in areas of shade. Notes from the “National Emblem” march rang out through the air along with the strong smell of popcorn.

            This was the scene at Zootoberfest, held Saturday at Zoo Montana in Billings.

             The event seemed to be a success as a multitude of people attended. Parking spaces became valuable commodities as the gravel lot filled to capacity. Attendees filed into line at the zoo gates, eager to enjoy the day’s festivities. The scent of popcorn and alcohol was not hard to detect as it filled the air upon entering. It was an interesting combination of smells, but children enjoyed their popcorn and adults drank their traditional Zootoberfest beer. The sound of voices pierced the atmosphere as people conversed with their friends. Children laughed and yelled as they slid down the playground slide. Their quick rush of running feet contrasted with the soft sound of footsteps across the grass, which could be heard constantly as adults walked between the rows of vendors. Underneath the white tent, vendors displayed their wares on tables covered with light green tablecloths. One such table glittered with a colorful display of glass: orange, yellow, blue, green and pink. The colored glass belonged to jars which had been made into unique birdhouses. Another table carried the sweet aromas and flickering lights from the Scentsy candles.

            The Red Lodge Band, Alte Kameraden, took to the makeshift trailer stage at noon. Their banner proudly hung across the bottom front center of the stage, marking their name in blue print along with a graphic of a pint of beer. The booming voice of the conductor sounded over the park: “One, two, three, four.” Shortly after, the “om-pahs” of the low brass and the trills of flutes caught the attention of passer-bys, who stopped to listen to the march tunes in the shade of the trees. A young father sat upon the grass to listen with his two small children. As the band played on, he explained to his daughter about how the band was making the live music, and she eagerly watched and listened. The grass-covered ground felt cool to sit upon, and the light breeze helped to ease the effect of the sun’s heat. Dragonflies buzzed over the grass sprinkled with clover as the band played, and even a peacock meandered by in front of the stage, showing off its iridescent green feathers.

            The roar of applause echoed across the park as the band articulated their final note. The merriment continued as people began to walk around again, and lines formed at Jimmy’s Greece Pit as the smell of smoke from their grill wafted through the air and aroused people’s lunchtime appetites.

            The chattering of voices, the soft crunch of grass under feet and the exclamations of children continued to fill the air throughout the afternoon. Smooth jazz from a radio replaced the music of the live band, but the popcorn kept popping and glasses were filled anew with frothy beer, allowing the festivities of Zootoberfest to live on for the rest of the day.

Chapter 15 In-Class Exercise

Andrea Tomlinson

ENG 365

David Crisp

22 September 2013

Ch. 15 Exercise- In Class

Joseph L. Galloway, Jr. will be speaking to journalism students at the local college tomorrow night. Galloway served three tours for the UPI in Vietnam, and he began reporting for the UPI in 1961. His book, written with Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore, “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young,” recounted his experiences in Vietnam in which he was the only civilian to be awarded a Bronze Star for rescuing wounded American soldiers.

In his lectures, he will share his philosophy and wisdom reflecting his years in journalism. Galloway describes that “given the time and material, a person who has learned the basics of bricklaying can build a grand cathedral. Without those basics his structures will turn out to be hollow and dangerous shells. It is no different for the reporter.” The basics of entry-level journalism, Galloway claims, is often obituary writing. Rather than to take this job lightly, Galloway suggests that this task is “an opportunity.” He elaborates in saying that good reporters find people to interview, listen and learn from them to bring the story to life. “The obits are probably read by more people with greater attention to detail than any other section of a newspaper,” Galloway said.

Further advice that Galloway offers is simply to read. “Read for your life,” stated Galloway. He recommends examining every newspaper for style, content, ideas and pleasure. He also doesn’t discount the value of books, for he said that “publishing has a 500 year head start on you” as a student. Galloway emphasized the importance of reading: “Never mind your transcript or résumé. Let me see your bookshelves at home and your library card.”

Joseph L. Galloway, Jr. speaks tomorrow night. Admission is free. For more information, please contact event staff at the local college.

Chapter 2 Workbook Exercises

Andrea Tomlinson

ENG 365

David Crisp

17 September 2013

Ch. 2 Workbook Exercise 1

The Freeport city school system has appointed Herbert Gilkeyson as the new superintendent.

Gilkeyson comes from a similar position in Carson, California. He graduated from the University of Florida and earned his master’s degree and doctorate from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. He taught high school in Huntsville, Ala. and was principal in Savannah, Ga. The 45-year-old is married and has three boys, ages 17, 19 and 20. Gilkeyson’s wife, Lauren, has taught elementary school for the past 12 years.

Gilkeyson is an advocate of educating teachers, and believes that increasing teacher knowledge can increase fundamental learning in students. Gilkeyson stated, “I see my first job here as the education of our teaching staff and the re-establishment of public trust in the teacher, who is the carrier of the major values of civilization.” He goes on to state that “once the teacher begins to make demands on the students so that they can think for themselves, the public will begin to trust the teacher.” Gilkeyson believes that this philosophy will help the educational community by producing better teachers and students equipped with basic education and that voters will then see a reason to approve bonds and pay raises for the school.

While the National Federation of Teachers stated upon Gilkeyson’s appointment that they “neither oppose nor endorse the appointment by the school board” and they “shall see whether his ideas are workable in this community,” it appears that Gilkeyson has gained favor since his official appointment two months ago. Helen Carruthers, the local head of the NFT recently stated that “we will cooperate in every way with Dr. Gilkeyson in his attempts to administer a harmonious school system.”

Ch. 2 Workbook Exercise 2

English author, literary critic and poet James Talbot will present a lectre on modern poetry at noon tomorrow at Mallory College.

Talbot’s work appears in the Times Literary Supplement in England. His most recent book titled Melodious Frontiers states that the work of modern poets are as rich and varied in their work as any period in history. The 45-year-old man said, “Yes, it’s true I like modern poetry because of the variety.”

Sitting in his room, the tall man dressed in a gray suit dwelled on the works of Elliot, Cummings, Ginsberg, Whitman, and many more. Talbot enjoys “the rich lushness of a Thomas singing hymns to the grass” and also the “dry, sometimes incomprehensible, lowercase Cummings.” When Talbot considers the poets of the past, he says, “what we have here is all this mooning about—boy wants girl and then tightens bow to shoot arrow at resistant target.” And on a more serious note, readers can discover the “great understanding of the democratic experience” through Walt Whitman. As the hour of our conversation drew to a close, Talbot stated, “Sorry time to go. As T.S. would say, ‘Hurry up please it’s time.’”

Ch. 2 Workbook Exercise 4b

An underwater extravaganza will be held next month at the world’s largest indoor swimming area, the Belmont Motel’s Turquoise Pool in Freeport. The festivities will begin June 21 and run through June 23.

Paul Nissen’s Bathing Beauties, a coordinated swimming and diving act, will begin the event at 8 p.m. Friday. The 12 talented and athletic swimming starts hail from Miami, Fla.

Olympic swimming stars Frieda Swartz of Berlin and Mark Switzer of Switzerland will unite to offer a fantastic underwater acrobatic display on Saturday morning. Following the performance, guests of the hotel are welcome to compete in various swimming categories including the 100-yard dash (under 21 years old, 21-35 and senior citizens), backstroke (same divisions), and diving from high and low platforms (open). Winners will enjoy an all-expense paid weekend at the Belmont Hotel.

Celebrity appearances by Buster C. Rabbe, star of television drama Seafarer, and Holly (Kitten) Grove, television actress, will be featured on Sunday along with a toddler’s wading contest in the children’s pool as well as other activities. Rabbe will demonstrate a new lightweight underwater movie camera, made by the Hashiki Industries of Tokyo. They also created the official underwater camera to be used at the film festival, the famous Hashiki-O.

Holly (Kitten) Grove, a Southern actress pursuing her career in Hollywood, has appeared in several television shows. She began winning beauty contests at age 16. Her accomplishments over her 19 year career include runner-up in Athens Press Photography Beauty Queen, Athens High School Miss Cut-Up, University of Georgia Freshman Beauty Queen, Miss Revlon, Maid of Cotton Semifinalist, and Miss Salvo, Naval ROTC, University of Georgia.