Summary based on the article "Tips for Public Speaking."

In the article "Tips for Public Speaking" by Teddy Wayne provides some methods people can follow in order to reduce anxiety when it comes time to make speeches. Some of the tips listed are to take a walk before the speech, focus on someone in the middle of the room, and to practice your speech. I disagree with one of the tips presented in the article. Focusing on one person is ineffective and will make the other audience members feel left out. When speaking to an audience you are supposed to get your points across and the way to do this is to look at everyone in the room. Make strong eye contact with each audience member. The other two tips listed I definitely agree with. Overall the article is beneficial for nervous speakers.

Comments based on the article "Red Carpet Trends of the Past 15 Years."

1. Headline: "Red Carpet Trends of the Past 15 Years."
Byline: Eric Wilson
Date: January 30, 2013.
Publication name: The New York Times.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/fashion/red-carpet-trends-of-the-past-15-years.html?ref=fashion

2. This article explains how the dresses celebrities wear constantly transforms over the years. The article also includes many pictures of the different hairstyles and dresses as well.

3. A. There are no interviews in this story. This story was solely based on opinions and observations. The lack of interviews made the story boring and very dry. A great example of this is when it states "Ah, the anticipation of all the frocks has come to play as significant a role at the Oscars as who goes home with an award."
B. The vocabulary was very easy to understand. The sentences were flabby and wordy. An example of this is when it states "For instance, of more than 400 gowns categorized by shape, designer and color, the most popular style over the years has been strapless, with a total of 127 examples."

C. There were no direct quotations.

4. A. The lead was okay. The lead explained how when it comes to award shoes everyone is anxious to know the designers of the gowns.
B. The nut graph was okay as well. It explained that The New York Times found photographs of the gowns from over the years.
C. The ending was extremely weak. The ending just explained how some of the outfits stood out and that was it.
D. The story organization was extremely weak because they did not have a list of the designers that created the dresses or interviews from the celebrities. The sentences were terrible.

5. I disliked everything about this piece.

Comments based on the article "The Sweet Smell of Success."

1. Headline: "The Sweet Smell of Success."
Byline: Ruth La Ferla
Date: February 22, 2013.
Publication name: The New York Times
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/fashion/jessica-chastains-sweet-smell-of-success.html?_r=0&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1361744643-Ohk0/XLngK6QAr6VuQ4hwg

2. This article focuses on the actress Jessica Chastains and her accomplishments. The article explains how she is viewed as a fashion icon, an extremely talented actress especially in the film "Zero Dark Thirty", and her new business venture, which is beginning a perfume line. Her list of accomplishments continues to increase and people enjoy working with her.

3. A. The people interviewed in this story are Chastain herself, Jenny B.Fine the woman in charge of WWD Beauty, and Stephan Bezy manager of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté. The research brought the story together in a wonderful way and a great example of this comes from an interview by Jenny B. Fine. "When an up-and-coming actress signs with such an iconic name, it becomes part of her brand," Ms. Fine said. "It's a win-win for both parties."

B. The vocabulary was self-explanatory. The only phrase I needed to define is serendipity. On the website dictionary.reference.com they define serendipity. It states "an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident." I found the sentences to be precise and an example of this is when it states " One of Hollywood's most avidly courted actresses, she is bait these days for the style set as well, having shone in recent months as fashion's favorite clothes hanger."

C. There were great quotations in this article and one of them comes from Jessica herself. She says " I approach my fashion choices the same way I approach my acting choices," she said. "I don't want anyone to typecast me in a character. And I don't want anyone to say, 'This is what Jessica wears'."

4. A. The lead was very strong because it explains how journalists and celebrities immediately become anxious when she is in the room. It is a clear demonstration of the respect she receives.
B. The nut graph was strong because it begins to explain her numerous achievements.
C. The ending was very strong because it explained the recognition once again and ended with a quote from Jessica. "They're starting to recognize me now," said Ms. Chastain said."
D. The story was very strong because it incorporated interesting interviews, a list of her accomplishments, and gave amazing insight into the life of Jessica Chastain.

5. I enjoyed everything about this piece. I enjoyed reading information about what Jessica does in her career and the interviews made the story stand out even more.

Interesting information learned based on a description of English Proverbs from the website phrases.org.uk

On the website phrases.org.uk, they have a section where they provide information regarding English Proverbs and how it is used in everyday language. I learned that besides the word "good" being used all the time (in daily conversations and in some writing pieces), that the word "never" is also being over used.  I also learned something interesting regarding proverbs. In the section titled "English Proverbs", it states that " Proverbs are short and pithy sayings that express some traditionally held truth. They are usually metaphorical and often, for the sake of memorability, alliterative."

They also provide a huge list of popular sayings that use proverbs. These proverbs are also over used. There are a few that I recognized from films (like "Forest Gump" ) or reality shows (Like "Mob Wives)." These two sayings include "Blood is thicker than water" and "Stupid is as stupid does." Not only is this list of various proverbs, but they are also cliches. These sayings can be heard anywhere.

Comments based on the article "Steve Madden is Back."

1. Headline: " Steve Madden is Back."
Byline: Laura M. Holson
Date: Feb. 13, 2013
Publication name: The New York Times. Fashion and Style.
Link: www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/fashion/steve-madden-is-back.html?pagewanted1&_r=0&ref=style.

2. This particular article explains how Steve Madden is working on his business once again after serving jail time for stock fraud. His jail sentence was of almost three years and he is making up for lost time.

3. A. The people interviewed in this story are Steve Madden, his wife, and Marshall Cohen who works for a consumer company. The research in the story provided background information regarding what Madden was charged with and his sentence.
There was also information from interviews that were people close to Madden, who explained that he is still respected regardless of what he did to end up in prision. Madden also explained his side so that made the story great as well. One of the most important quotes came from Madden himself. In this particular statement he explains how terrible it was being in jail and the knowledge he gained from this experience. Madden states " It is a unique painful experierence that I had and I don't know how everybody reacts. I guess you get perspective, a different sort. I feel for things, I suppose." Mostly though, he said, " I thought about surviving."

B. The vocabulary used in the story was very easy to understand. I found all the sentences to be precise. A great example of a straight forward sentence is when it states "Collaboration can be tough, sure-but it beats sharing a jail cell, wondering if you can eveer rebuild the life you've left behind."

C. One of the best quotations comes from Madden. He says that " My impulse was to jump right in, but I had to lay back, watch, learn and see what needed to be fixed," Mr. Madden said. "So much of design is context."

4. A. The lead was very strong because it drew you in. It included great descriptive words and as soon as you read the lead, you want to go on to the rest of the story.
B. The nut graph was strong because it started to explain how being in jail took him away from his business. After the nut graph it starts to explain his charges and etc.
C. The ending was strong because the quote explained how when he was gone, his wife helped with the shoe business. He had someone on his side.
D. The story organization was very strong because it incorporated a lot of important information, some comedy, and great interviews.

5. I enjoyed everything about the piece and I never knew what happened to Steve Madden. Reading this story was very informative for me.

Comments based on "Everything but the Cook."

1. Headline: "Everything but the Cook."
Byline: by Julia Moskin
Date: Feb.12, 2013
Publication: The New York Times
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/dining/the-dinner-kit-is-served.html?ref=dining&_r=0

2. The article "Everything but the Cook" is about this famous chef, known as Nick Taranto devloping a meal kit for people that are too busy to cook dinner every night. This kit includes the following: Couscous, vegetable broth, dates, carrots, onions, cilantro, prunes and much more. This is Taranto's big help to the public.

3. A. The people interviewed in this story are Taranto, John Leeman, who is in charge of Fresh Direct
and Laura Shapiro author of a book based on cooking.

B. The vocabulary in this article were easy to understand. A majority of the article is written in a precise manner, but there is one sentence that was very wordy. It could be shorten down or seperated into two sentences. The sentence is the following: " Hello Fresh , owned by the German e-commerce giant Rocket Internet, delivers more than 10,000 boxes a week in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia, and has expanded its reach in the United States from Maine to Florida."

C.The best direct quote is from Taranto how cooking is in the sense draining. It states that "When we started jobs in New York we realized that cooking dinner is really, really hard", said Mr.Taranto said of himself and his business partner Josh Hix, 31. (They often cooked together in graduate school). "There's not enough time in modern lives to recipe-select or grocery-shop."

4. A. The lead was strong because it had a conversational style and it summarizes what the content will be in the article.
B. The nut graph was strong because it explains information about the dinner kit.
C. The ending was sort of confusing. The quote did not support Taranto's idea about the dinner kit. It went against it.
D. The story organization was great because it incorporated information mostly relevant to the story and it included different opinions from people.
5. I enjoyed this overall piece, but the ending could have been changed. It could have been more supportive of this beneficial idea.

Comments based on the article "In Camp, Reading 'Les Miserables' "

1. Headline: "In Camp, Reading 'Les Miserables' "
Byline: Louis P.Masur
Date: Feb.9, 2013.
Publication name: The New York Times The Opinion Pages.
Link: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/09/in-camp-reading-les-miserables/

2. The article titled "In Camp, Reading 'Les Miserables' " provides a deeper explanation of the story behind 'Les Miserables'. It discusses information about the Civil War, the July Revolution from the 1830's, and other battles as well. The writer explains some information about the author.

3. A. The writer did a little research into the history of this story.The author of the story was also interviewed, but with only question. The comments were very cruel from other readers.  There was barely any history. For example, he only discusses the author's history in one line. It states that "He was an opponent of slavery, and in 1859 defended John Brown. "Insurrection," he said, was a "sacred duty."

B. The vocabulary used was very easy to understand, but the sentences were confusing. A perfect example, is when it states that "Perhaps the most dramatic example of how the novel filtered into the imagination of the solider cane from Wilky James, the younger brother of William and Henry James." This sentence could be phrased much better. It makes no sense.

C. There were no good quotes. There were mostly negative comments concerning the book.A perfect example of the most negative comment states that " There is a great deal of trash mixed with the good: long and worthless episodes, not sufficiently connected with the story," claimed the Christian Advocate.

4. A. The lead was very weak because it just mentions when the story was published. That information should be included later on in the story, instead of in the beginning.
B. The nut graph was filled with cruel comments.It was a very weak and negative lead.
C. The ending was very weak because it just had a long passage that could have been shortened.
D. The story organization was weak and made no sense. It was all over the place if it was review and is supposed to make authors understand the story, it did a terrible job at it.
5. I disliked the entire piece. It lacked history about the author. It lacked information about his other published works and incorporated all negative comments. The passage was five miles long and it made the story drag.