1. Headline: "A City Drenched in Sugar".
Byline: Julia Moskin
Date:January 29, 2013.
Publication name: The New York Times
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/dining/king-cakes-abound-in-new-orleans.html?ref=style&_r=0
2. Summary: The feature article " A City Drenched in Sugar" describes the different scrumptious sweets that is created in New Orleans. It explains how many traditional recipes the bakeries follow to create their cakes. The article also provides a detailed description of a particular cake known as "King Cake". The "king cakes" are usually very popular during Mardi Gras. The article also includes some history regarding when sugar started to be produced in New Orleans.
3. A. The people interviewed in this feature article was the person in charge of one of the most popular bakeries in New Orleans, which is the Buttermilk Drop Bakery and Cafe. They also interviewed a co-owner of the bakery Debbie Does Doberge. Two residents of New Orleans who are frequent customers at bakery shops.
The research made the story come together very well. When the writer Moskin decided to interview the owners of two bakeries, it gave a deeper insight into how passionate they are about their products. For example, it states that "I don't want to do anything else but eat cake," declared Charles Mary, the co-owner of Debbie Does Doberge, a tiny cottage business run by Mr.Mary with girlfriend, Charlotte Mc Gehee."
It also states that " Ms.Mc Gehee who has described herself as "a little O.C.D.", has made the doberge even more complex, with eight layers of cake, pudding and fruit filling, and glass-smooth icing that enrobes the outside."
B. The vocabulary in the story was easy to understand. The feature piece was not too wordy, it was very descriptive and included a lot of essential information. It was a wonderful read. One of the most essential pieces in this feature, is when it starts to describe the history of sugar for New Orleans. It states " The region has been coated in the stuff since the 18th century, when spectacular fortunes were amassed on the French-and British- owned sugar plantations all along the River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge."
C. There were a couple of direct quotations, but one of them stood out the most and brought the whole story together. It states that " New Orleans is a sugar town, always has been," said Dwight Henry, the owner of the Buttermilk Drop Bakery and Cafe in the Seventh Ward, who has been baking here for more than 30 years." It was the perfect way to start off the story.
4. A. The lead was very strong because it immediately explained how eating cake in New Orleans is basically a tradition.
B. The nut graph was very strong because it demonstrated that old fashioned traditions continue to be followed every day.
C. The ending could have been a little better. They writer could have used another quote for the ending, instead of incorporating a quote reading the price of one of the king cakes.
D. A majority of the story was very strong and it incorporated great information. It was very detailed and it was perfect to include quotations from the residents and owners of bakeries in New Orleans. The ending could have been much better. Overall the story was a captivating piece.
5. I enjoyed learning the history of sugar plantations in New Orleans and I also enjoyed learning about the different sweets there as well.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Comments based on the feature "A Teenager with a Stylist."
1. Headline: "A Teenager with a Stylist."
Byline: By Bee- Shyuan Chang
Date: January 25, 2013
Publication name: The New York Times.
Link:
2. Summary: The feature article titled "A Teenager with a Stylist" they talk about the young woman actress Chloe Grace Moretz, who is the star of the show "The Carrie Diaries." The article also mentions some of the films she is participating in this year. It also explains which fashion trends she follows and fashion events she attends.
3. A. There were no official interviews answers, but it is clear that Moretz was interviewed. The writer also used observations to create the story as well.
B. Some of the phrases used in this feature piece needed to be defined by the writer. One of the phrases was the name of a movie. The film title was "Movie 43." The second phrase was the name of a place. The place mentioned was Plaza Athenee. The third and final phrase was brogues.
On the website rottentomatoes.com, they provide brief information about the film "Movie 43". It says that " From the twisted minds of producers Peter Farrelly (Hall Pass, Shallow Hall) and Charles Wessler (There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber) comes Movie 43 the outrageous new ensemble comedy starring some of the biggest names in Hollywood."
On the website reference.com they define where Plaza Anthenee is and they also define the word brogue. As for Plaza Anthenee it says that "The Plaza Anthenee is a hotel in Paris, France. It is located at 25 Avenue Montaigne, near the champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower. It is part of the Dorchester Collecction group of international luxury hotels." As for the last word brogues, it says that "Brogues, often known as wingtips in the United States, are low-heeled shoes made of heavy leather, originating in Scotland and Ireland as a coarse, usually untanned leather shoe. The term wingtip derives from from the toe cap pattern, which forms a w and resembles the profile of spreading bird wings."
I found some of the sentences to be very wordy, but there is one sentence that stands out the most. This particular sentence talks about what Moretz ate for breakfast and the outfit she wore. It says that "Finally, I did get dressed for eggs Benedict downstairs and put on black fitted jeans from Aeropostale (I'm a brand ambassador there) that I rolled up to the ankles and a white, black and blue button-down shirt from Topshop."
C. There were no direct quotations in this feature article.
4. A. The lead was very weakly written. It discusses when Moretz started acting and it is not necessarily relevant to the story.
B. The nut graph was strong because it explains what her stylist does to help her with fashion choices for upcoming activities.
C. The ending of the story was very weak. The ending just mentioned what she did during a dinner. It did not mention anything interesting or important.
D. The story was decent. The writer should have incorporated quotes, created a better lead, and a more interesting ending.
5. The story was all over the place. First it discussed movies she Moretz will star in, then clothing styles, fashion events she attends, and when she goes to dinner. If the story is supposed to be about Moretz fashion styles then focus on that. If the writer wanted to provide some information about the actress and what she stars in, she could simply say she stars in one of the most recent biggest TV show hits "The Carrie Diaries."
Byline: By Bee- Shyuan Chang
Date: January 25, 2013
Publication name: The New York Times.
Link:
2. Summary: The feature article titled "A Teenager with a Stylist" they talk about the young woman actress Chloe Grace Moretz, who is the star of the show "The Carrie Diaries." The article also mentions some of the films she is participating in this year. It also explains which fashion trends she follows and fashion events she attends.
3. A. There were no official interviews answers, but it is clear that Moretz was interviewed. The writer also used observations to create the story as well.
B. Some of the phrases used in this feature piece needed to be defined by the writer. One of the phrases was the name of a movie. The film title was "Movie 43." The second phrase was the name of a place. The place mentioned was Plaza Athenee. The third and final phrase was brogues.
On the website rottentomatoes.com, they provide brief information about the film "Movie 43". It says that " From the twisted minds of producers Peter Farrelly (Hall Pass, Shallow Hall) and Charles Wessler (There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber) comes Movie 43 the outrageous new ensemble comedy starring some of the biggest names in Hollywood."
On the website reference.com they define where Plaza Anthenee is and they also define the word brogue. As for Plaza Anthenee it says that "The Plaza Anthenee is a hotel in Paris, France. It is located at 25 Avenue Montaigne, near the champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower. It is part of the Dorchester Collecction group of international luxury hotels." As for the last word brogues, it says that "Brogues, often known as wingtips in the United States, are low-heeled shoes made of heavy leather, originating in Scotland and Ireland as a coarse, usually untanned leather shoe. The term wingtip derives from from the toe cap pattern, which forms a w and resembles the profile of spreading bird wings."
I found some of the sentences to be very wordy, but there is one sentence that stands out the most. This particular sentence talks about what Moretz ate for breakfast and the outfit she wore. It says that "Finally, I did get dressed for eggs Benedict downstairs and put on black fitted jeans from Aeropostale (I'm a brand ambassador there) that I rolled up to the ankles and a white, black and blue button-down shirt from Topshop."
C. There were no direct quotations in this feature article.
4. A. The lead was very weakly written. It discusses when Moretz started acting and it is not necessarily relevant to the story.
B. The nut graph was strong because it explains what her stylist does to help her with fashion choices for upcoming activities.
C. The ending of the story was very weak. The ending just mentioned what she did during a dinner. It did not mention anything interesting or important.
D. The story was decent. The writer should have incorporated quotes, created a better lead, and a more interesting ending.
5. The story was all over the place. First it discussed movies she Moretz will star in, then clothing styles, fashion events she attends, and when she goes to dinner. If the story is supposed to be about Moretz fashion styles then focus on that. If the writer wanted to provide some information about the actress and what she stars in, she could simply say she stars in one of the most recent biggest TV show hits "The Carrie Diaries."
Monday, January 28, 2013
Comments on the first feature article from New York Times
1. Headline: How a Queen's Home Became a Cradle of the Gay Rights Movement.
Byline: David W.Dunlap
Date: January 21, 2013
Publication name: New York Times
Link: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/in-queens-an-unlikely-and-cozy-landmark-of-the-early-gay-rights-movement/
2. Summary of the article: In the article "How a Queen's Home Became a Cradle of the Gay Rights Movement they explain how one family changed the lives of gay individuals. The Manford family from Queen's, NY welcomed gay individuals into their homes. These gay individuals, consisted of people who had a tough time telling their family the truth about who they preferred to be with regarding relationships. When the end result was bad after coming clean, they needed a place to stay so the Manford family took them in.
3. A. The people interviewed were friends of the Manford family and the current owner of the home. The research made the story interesting, because the friends that were interviewed were very close with the family. They lived around the same time and they were able to explain the love that these gay individuals felt while living at the Manford house.
B. The vocabulary in this feature piece was very descriptive and engaging. There were similies also that made the story even more captivating. There was one sentence that I found to be flabby and wordy. In the article "How a Queen's Home Became a Cradle of the Gay Rights Movement" Dunlap drags on when he mentions students at school that are supposedly distracting and very loud.
C. There was one direct quotation that was not necessarily bad, but needed to be more defined. The quotation is the following: "It was a very Ozzie-and-Harriet-type house,"recalled Allen Roskoff, a friend of Morty Manford. It needs more defining because many people especially in their early 20's and 30's do not know what or who Ozzie and Harriet are. It is important to define terms that may be confusing to the readers because the best newspaper is one that people can relate to.
4. A. The lead was very strong because it immediately made the readers feel extremely sad inside because of the disrespect and abandonment these people faced from their "supposedly loved ones."
B. The nut graph was strong because it explained how wonderful these people felt being in the Manford home.
C. The ending was strong because it explains that regardless that the Manfords are long gone and there are no gays staying there anymore, their presence is still very strong. The compassion is still present.
D. The story organization was strong because it incorporated numerous important factors. It included interviews from people that knew the family and of the situation that went on during that time period. The writer also did a lot of research in finding out the history of this particular family and the struggles they faced. The writer also had a beautiful ending to the story. Throughout the entire story, different emotions are developed inside the readers that range from happiness to sadness and so on.
5. I enjoyed the piece because it shows that anyone can get through any obstacle in their life with the necessary support. It shows that people don't need to feel alone because someone will always be there.
Byline: David W.Dunlap
Date: January 21, 2013
Publication name: New York Times
Link: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/in-queens-an-unlikely-and-cozy-landmark-of-the-early-gay-rights-movement/
2. Summary of the article: In the article "How a Queen's Home Became a Cradle of the Gay Rights Movement they explain how one family changed the lives of gay individuals. The Manford family from Queen's, NY welcomed gay individuals into their homes. These gay individuals, consisted of people who had a tough time telling their family the truth about who they preferred to be with regarding relationships. When the end result was bad after coming clean, they needed a place to stay so the Manford family took them in.
3. A. The people interviewed were friends of the Manford family and the current owner of the home. The research made the story interesting, because the friends that were interviewed were very close with the family. They lived around the same time and they were able to explain the love that these gay individuals felt while living at the Manford house.
B. The vocabulary in this feature piece was very descriptive and engaging. There were similies also that made the story even more captivating. There was one sentence that I found to be flabby and wordy. In the article "How a Queen's Home Became a Cradle of the Gay Rights Movement" Dunlap drags on when he mentions students at school that are supposedly distracting and very loud.
C. There was one direct quotation that was not necessarily bad, but needed to be more defined. The quotation is the following: "It was a very Ozzie-and-Harriet-type house,"recalled Allen Roskoff, a friend of Morty Manford. It needs more defining because many people especially in their early 20's and 30's do not know what or who Ozzie and Harriet are. It is important to define terms that may be confusing to the readers because the best newspaper is one that people can relate to.
4. A. The lead was very strong because it immediately made the readers feel extremely sad inside because of the disrespect and abandonment these people faced from their "supposedly loved ones."
B. The nut graph was strong because it explained how wonderful these people felt being in the Manford home.
C. The ending was strong because it explains that regardless that the Manfords are long gone and there are no gays staying there anymore, their presence is still very strong. The compassion is still present.
D. The story organization was strong because it incorporated numerous important factors. It included interviews from people that knew the family and of the situation that went on during that time period. The writer also did a lot of research in finding out the history of this particular family and the struggles they faced. The writer also had a beautiful ending to the story. Throughout the entire story, different emotions are developed inside the readers that range from happiness to sadness and so on.
5. I enjoyed the piece because it shows that anyone can get through any obstacle in their life with the necessary support. It shows that people don't need to feel alone because someone will always be there.
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