James Nachtwey

• What did James study in college?- Art History and Political Science from Dartmouth
• What inspired him to be a photographer?- The images from the Vietnam War and the American Civil Rights movement inspired him.
• What are some honors and awards that he has received?- He was shown at the International Center of Photography in NY. He also received the Common Wealth Award, Martin Luther King Award, and Photographer of the Year (seven times).
  

• Choose one photo essay from his gallery to look through:
• What was the photo essay about?- I did the Deeds of War
• What was your favorite photo in the essay?- I really like the photo of the clergyman going to Pop John Paul II's funeral during war.
• Why was that one your favorite?- I think that it was interesting because even though there were all of these sad concepts (war and death) this one man is still going to a funeral. I also like how this picture, like the others aren't posed and are a moment in time.

Digital Truth

1. The "Conveniently Placed Toys" were really disturbing. The picture of the rumble and debris in general is upsetting. Knowing that people's lives were lost and that a city was destroyed is tragic enough, but addressing that children were there makes it worse. When someone hears a story about a murder it is sad, but add a kid it makes it more interesting and more depressing. Having the toy makes sense if you are trying to make it sad, but it makes it annoying because of how staged it is. Also making it a Disney toy is heartbreaking.
2. In "Kiss by the Hotel De Ville" the kiss was staged. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal because in general people like reading about love and romance. It is really disappointing to hear about this because it seems does take away the "moment" of it all. I think that not hearing the truth is almost better.
3. The "Cottingley Fairies" picture is very interesting because looking at it now it seems so ridiculous that people could have believed this. Even Arthur Conan Doyle believed it which is shocking because he was considered a pretty smart man. Come to think of it though, people believe a lot of different photoshopping now a days, it really isn't much different.

Canadian province of Ontario legalizes brothels in landmark ruling

By Paula Newton, CNN, March 26, 2012

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/26/world/americas/canada-ontario-legalizes-brothels/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

In Ontario, Canada, the court officially ruled prostitution laws unfair because apparently they discriminate against prostitutes. While this might make sense in a very illogical way (discriminating against people is wrong), brothels should not be made legal. The judges continued to say that a prostitutes should be able "to work indoors, in location under her control." Basically the new law is the prostitutes can work indoors, but they cannot go out on the street to try to get costumers.

This is newsworthy because in America prostitution is illegal so it is interesting that a place that is so close to have it legalized. Also the fact that insulting the prostitutes is inappropriate and Canada is uncomfortable with that. I find the whole situation odd.

Should prostitutes start getting insurance for their 'jobs' or benefits?

Prostitution: Legalized... in Canada

Who's really flying the plane?

By Thom Patterson, CNN, March 26, 2012

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/24/travel/autopilot-airlines/index.html?hpt=li_c2

Do you know how a plane is flown? Neither do I. Millions of people travel each year and yet most of them have the wrong facts on how a plane is flown. "There are millions of people out there who are under the impression that the airplane is flying itself and the pilots are there in case something goes wrong," says Patrick Smith, a young commercial pilot. There are computers that allow the pilots to stop piloting for a period of time, but for the most part, there is always someone in the cockpit with their hands on the wheel. Many pilots actually get offended that people have these false impressions on piloting.

This is newsworthy because without an actual pilot accidents like the Sullenberger would not have been saved. Sullenberger or Sully piloted the airplane without any auotpilot on the Hudson River in 2009. A pilot is more important than an auto pilot. That is why there is training involved to become one.

Autopilot vs. Pilot

When was autopilot invented?

Two Men, Two Flips of Fate

Within just two days of each other, two different football players on different teams got into car accidents. St. Louis Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas were both in accidents with another in the car. Thomas was in the car with his friends who died and Bruce was in the car with his girlfriend who survived. Due to the accident Thomas needed to go through six hours of surgery and ended up paralyzed from the chest down. Bruce was fine. He was going to play for the rest of his life. He would wear his Super Bowl championship hat and shirt. Bruce says it was all God’s decision. He doesn’t think that he could have been Thomas.

This is such a shocking and tragic story. It tells that there is no reason as to why some people get injured horribly and why others walk away fine. Thomas will never be able to play again and Bruce is perfectly fine, both of them weren’t wearing their seatbelts. The article definitely shows the dangers of not wearing a seat belt, but also that accidents happen and they are scary. The interesting take on God makes the article a bit more eerie, but somewhat uplifting.

Gunman Kills 4 at Jewish School in France

By Steven Erlanger, March 19, 2012, The NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/world/europe/gunman-kills-3-at-a-jewish-school-in-france.html?_r=1&hp

In Toulouse, France this morning a unnamed gunman went to a Jewish school, Ozar Hatorah, and killed four people as well in injuring one. Three out of these four were just children. It is suspected that the gunman was shooting just to shoot and didn't really have a specific target. Michel Valet, whose two children were killed said, "He shot at everything he could see, children and adults, and some children were chased into the school." The current president Nicolas Sarkozy was in the middle of a campaign for his hopeful reelection when he stopped to go to the scene. Likewise, his opponent Francois Hollade did the same exact thing. There is no more information known as of now.

This is definitely newsworthy because four innocent people at a school were killed for no clear reason. Considering that most of them were young children, and the one injured a 17- year old boy, this could be linked towards a hate crime, or just an insane man with a gun. Either way this is tragic and hopefully investigators will find out who committed such a crime.

4 Killed, 3 Children, at School in France

Does France, or any other country have a "code blue" like America does?

How "Hunger Games" Built Up Must-See Fever

By Books Barnes, March 18,2012, The NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/business/media/how-hunger-games-built-up-must-see-fever.html?ref=arts#

The latests trend all around is "The Hunger Games". It is a trilogy by Suzzane Collins and the first book is now being released as a movie starring Oscar nominated Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth. The books are about a futuristic world where once a year 24 children are selected to off each other in a fight to death in a televised arena. This is pretty dark material, which caused advertisement companies a hard time to sell it. They could have been straight forward, knowing the immense following of the series anyway, but for those who haven't read the books, they would be put off. What advertisers decided to do was create Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and an ubiquitous fiery logo. They didn't just advertise, they got the public involved with contests and online scavenger hunts.

This is newsworthy because it is hard to understand what adversities advertisers must go through when selling critically acclaimed as well as undeniably dark books turned movie. With all of this advertising world wide the box office is estimated to make $90 million opening weekend. That is a great deal more than the first "Twilight" (a strong competitor) and more on par with "Ironman". The movie comes out this Friday everywhere, unless you are like me and you are seeing it at midnight on Thursday.

"Hunger Games" is Everywhere

How much money goes into all the advertising?

Sports Journalism

Why might you read a newspaper article about a game, whether or not you saw it?

You would read it for the highlights of the game. Also the article can include other stats about the players or coaches. There could just be more information about sports in general, not just exactly what happened.

Norway: Man is Charged in Rampage

By The Associated Press, March 7, 2012, The NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/world/europe/norway-man-is-charged-in-rampage.html?ref=europe

In Norway, Anders Behring Breivik was formally charged on Wednesday for terrorism and murder. This was in relation to the 77 killings last July. While he did indeed confess to this, prosecutors said that he will most likely not end up in prison. They said that Breivik could be considered psychotic and would be admitted into a care facility. There will be a trial starting next month for full charges on this case. Prosecutor Inga Bejer Engh said that Breivik will most likely spend his life in captivity.

This is newsworthy because a terrorist attack should never be taken lightly. In this case, it clearly isn't especially considering that Breivik did confess to these murders. Hopefully, this man will be convicted properly next month. It just shows that terrorism isn't stopping and also that it doesn't just happen in the Middle East.

Terrorist Charged in Norway

Was anyone else involved in this attack?

Boy's Death a Homicide; Man Charged

By Channing Joseph, March 11, 2012, The NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/nyregion/brooklyn-boys-death-a-homicide-man-charged.html?ref=nyregion

On Saturday, Jacqil Degraffenreid, a twenty- three month old, from Cypress Hills was found unconscious and unresponsive in his home by his mother. According to the authorities, it appeared that Jacqil had suffered from many massive injuries to his organs. Officially his death was caused by "lacerations of the liver and pancreas with internal hemorrhage due to blunt-impact injuries." Though medical examiners have no idea who would do this, neither do family members. Tyree Wright was the only person in the house when the injuries occurred. The nineteen year old was charged with assault to a minor. The mother is not considered a suspect in this.

This is newsworthy because there is no proof that Wright actually committed the crime to the little boy. It seems a little too early to charge him with assault. It is interesting how the justice system works and that Wright can be charged so soon. More will come out about this soon, but as of now Wright is looking at man slaughter charges as well.

Little Boy's Death Considered Homicide

Why was Wright convicted so soon?

Topic for Fashion Article

I am writing a feature piece on Tavi Gevinson, a thirteen year old girl with her own fashion blog, and who has been to NY Fashion Week (and met the likes of Anna Wintour).

Officials Tell of Fake Labels Hidden Beneath Fake Labels

This brief article by Nate Schweber discusses the recent arrests of twenty nine people who were involved with counterfeit goods. A bunch of UGG-like shoes were shipped to New Jersey to be sold, by putting actual UGG labels on the shoes. The plan was to sell around $325 million worth of these so called goods in the United States. An attorney from New Jersey said, "It's one of the largest counterfeit-goods cases ever prosecuted in this country." The goods came from China and were brought to the US with full intention of selling them illegally. The goods were found in warehouses in Newark and Roselle, NJ. The UGG boots weren't the only counterfeit item that these people planned on selling, they were also selling, purses by Coach, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Gucci. The selling of counterfeit items, besides it being illegal is harmful for the actual companies.

At Least 15 Dead in Poland Train Collision

By The Associated Press, The NY Times, March 3, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/world/europe/poland-train-collision-kills-8.html?ref=europe

On Saturday in Poland two trains collided which killed 15 people and injured around 50. Locals say that it was one of the worst train disasters in history, for the area. The trains collided because they were both on the same track. One was heading from Warsaw to Krakow and the other from Przemysl to Warsaw. Maintenance is not exactly sure how the train going to Krakow ended up on the same track. Pictures of the trains are all over the Polish television channels.

This is very newsworthy because the fact that two trains ended up on the same track is ridiculous. Maintenance needs to figure this out right away, so that this will never happen again. Lives were lost over a major mistake in the system.

Two Trains Hit Each Other, 15 Dead

How often are their train accidents all over the world?

Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" Has Huge Opening Weekend

By Brooks Barnes, March 4, 2012, The NY Times

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/dr-seuss-the-lorax-has-huge-opening-weekend/

This weekend at the box office, "The Lorax" was the biggest seller. In total, the movie was made for around $70 million. It actually ended up making $70.7 million for this weekend. The price will most definitely go up within the next few weeks. Interestingly enough, the second most popular was "Project X"- a completely different movie. While "The Lorax" is about saving the Earth and appreciating our world, "Project X" is about a bunch of drunk kids partying (apparently based on a true story). "Project X" made $20.8 million in sales (and that includes people going to midnight premieres). Though "Project X" only cost the production studio $12 million to make.

This is newsworthy how two completely different movies can make so much money in one weekend. It is clear that the movies are still alive and well. For a while people weren't so certain of it because of advances in technology- it would seem pointless to go to a movie and see film when the DVD/Blu-Ray is of better quality.

"The Lorax" Beats "Project X"

Do family movies tend to do better in theaters?

The Devil Wears Prada

• What did you learn about working in the world of fashion journalism from this movie? Be specific (meaning use examples from the movie).
  
• If you could report on any part of the fashion industry, which part would you work on? (think about the movie, and think about that sheet I gave you originally about fashion journalism)

From watching this film, I realized that the world of fashion journalism requires a vast knowledge of the industry. When Miranda makes her speech on what Andy is wearing and how she didn't really pick it out, she references Oscar de la Renta and YSL. In order for Miranda to clearly make her point she would need to know all of the past fashion lines that these designers had. Also in a meeting with the other workers at Runway, Miranda is trying to figure out another new photo shoot that doesn't copy any other previous shoot. A journalist would need all old fashion lines and new items coming out. They would need to know when someone is copying another designer.

I would probably think of the fashion from a different point of view, instead of focusing on the clothing, I would focus on the models. In the movie, Emily is obsessed with losing weight for the Paris trip so she can easily fit into all the clothing. While it was supposed to be a running joke throughout the movie, it does stem from a very real issue. Also the fact that sample sizes only come in twos and fours. This means that models who aren't naturally thin have to go to extreme measures to lose weight. This is a very important issue because it affects young girls around the world.