moving!

In the process of moving to WordPress for a punchier layout and a space for a pseudo-portfolio (?). There are lots of little features to play around with before I get the site up, so posts here might be scarce. Sorry, Blogger!

health care rally

Covered a protest outside of the the Prospect Street Whole Foods Market on Friday afternoon spurred by company CEO John Mackey's Op/Ed in the Wall Street Journal. A crowd of people very upset by Mackey's call for more individual responsibility regarding health care, as opposed to Obama's interest in a government-funded public option. In his letter, Mackey encouraged high-deductible insurance plans coupled with health savings accounts as an alternative, a system that he says works well for Whole Foods employees. Protesters stressed, of course, that system is not affordable and available to all. They were also pretty riled up by Mackey's statement:

"A careful reading of the both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That's because there isn't any. That 'right' has never existed in America."

Oof. Along with Mackey's previous comments comparing labor unions to herpes, he's certainly making some enemies.

An important thing to remember, though, is that Mackey's opinion is just that-his personal opinion and suggestions regarding reform, which he is free to express just as the protesters on Prospect Street are. With people boycotting Whole Foods, the company is currently trying to remind people that they don't actually have an official position on health care reform, because that seems to be a common mixup right now. Since Whole Foods is too expensive for my struggling-student budget anyway, I don't have to even worry about boycotting it in the first place. Now I'm on a health care kick, gobbling up articles and looking into different systems in other countries (spoke to a woman at the rally from the Netherlands who was interesting)!

Update: The full article from the protest is now posted, if you want to read some quotes!

vanishing venice

This National Geographic article, "Vanishing Venice," is worth a look. Newman's descriptions of Venice as a sort of paradox, balancing between water and land, "fairy tale" and "tourist trap" are poetic, accurate, and so well-written. Newman really captures the inevitable love affair that results from seeing the city. The feature is full of metaphors that try to describe the fantastical theatrics of Carnevale and nostalgia for the city's gilded past. It's a bit long (9 pages), but stick it out to the end and you'll hit the modern-day Romeo and Juliet story that really pulls together the theme: "Beauty is so difficult." Newman's piece tugs desperately at Venice, very aware of the aqua alta that threatens to destroy it.

I was excited to see that Jodi Cobb's accompanying photos include one of the drag show in piazza San Marco (which I went to! the emcee was a drag version of Queen Elizabeth!). I never did get close enough to take any pictures. My own attempt at capturing Venice can be seen here. Rich colors, costumes, and textures galore. Here's to hoping we can hold on to that beauty as long as possible.

just one of the guys

So the big story in Cambridge for the past week or so has, of course, been the Henry Louis Gates arrest. It spread like wildfire within what seemed like an hour, starting as just one article and becoming hundreds all over major news sites. I don't think anyone has ever read the Cambridge paper more!

It's really hard to pick sides on the issue, at least from what I've read and heard. From the police report to the recently released 911 tape, a lot of details regarding the incident seem unclear. The other day, I went out to get some "man on the street" reactions from Cambridge residents. The opinions ranged from calling the incident a "black mark" on the Cambridge police, to accusing Gates of "playing the race card," to describing the hype as an overreaction and backing up both Gates and Crowley as stand-up guys. I do agree that in light of the situation, the Cambridge police training and protocol regarding racial profiling should be reexamined, and there's no doubt that racial profiling is still a problem across the US today, whether or not it is specifically for this case.

One thing I do want to comment on is Obama's role in all of this-undoubtedly part of what made it into the overwhelmingly publicized story that it is. The president unfortunately chose his words unwisely when he said the Cambridge police acted "stupidly," leading to a media frenzy that didn't make Obama look so hot. But even more interesting was the way he handled the aftermath of his comment-in a way that is, I think, both absurdly entertaining and incredibly humble. The president personally called up Sergeant Crowley (who was just chillin' and having a Blue Moon in a Cambridge pub) to make amends, and arranged a reconciliation beer with Gates and Crowley at the White House. Talk about just being one of the guys.

Kudos to you, Obama, for a) making me laugh throughout this media madness, and b) being so damn cool about your mistake.

All I have left to say is: how can I get in on that White House beerfest?

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informed scribbling

Ok. So DoodleBuzz might just change the way I search for news. Who knew you could get important information about anything from Obama's healthcare plan to the newest Apple products by creating amorphous shapes? With this new interface, you choose a topic and scribble on the screen to get results. Doodle a bit more and you get excerpts from headlines that interest you. The result? Cool maps of stories that, well, just look neat.

It may not be the most practical way to catch up on events, but who ever said practical was fun?

short stuff

My editor mentioned the One in 8 Million series to me the other day, and wow, am I impressed. I can't believe I missed this on NYTimes-they've got quite the collection of profiles already. Another example of the type of reporting I love the most-quirky, human stories. I've made it through some of the slideshows already (did I mention the layout is just as impressive as the concept?!) but still have a bunch to catch up on. I love hearing the voices of the individuals too. It really makes the story feel more intimate.

At the Chronicle, we've started up our own little series based off of this model and others that we're calling "In Short."I started off the first one with the hippie puppeteer in Harvard Square (pictured above), and it turned out to be one of the most read articles on the site for a good week or so. Brainstorming some more "In Short" targets, but I want my next one to require a little more digging!

don't bleep it out

A recent article in TIME says that cursing actually does help ease pain. A study done at a British university shows that those who swear can withstand discomfort for longer, and have a duller perception of pain intensity. Hell yes! Let those f-bombs fly, then.

like to run (errands)?

We're running a story on RunMyErrand.com at the Cambridge Chronicle, and after overhearing a runner being interviewed, I did a little research on my own. The service sets up "runners" with people who need help with their everyday tasks-anything from laundry to shopping to wedding preparations. The errands are between $7-$15 and can be completed by anyone who has passed the application process and is in the area, willing to help.

Although at first I thought it was a little weird (and sad...really, we can't even do our own dry cleaning these days?), I've started to warm up to the idea. In today's struggling economy, RunMyErrand provides people with a connection that could give them a little extra cash. And honestly, for the unemployed, even a little helps. Being one of many in need of some extra cash, I applied to be a runner. Fingers crossed!