This piece is about the things that children don't want to tell their parents. The whole story is a collage of answers from teenagers, telling us things like them being gay, stealing money from their parents, siblings doing drugs, and some other eye-popping secrets. One thing that could have made this story better is if they asked the question in the beginning of the story. This would have introduced us more on the topic rather than having to read the details page. I really like the idea of the collage, it keeps giving excitement, one answer after another. It really makes you wonder what their parents would do if they found out all these secrets.
This piece is about ditching and the excuses told by the students. A good technique of this review is that the answers are told in a collage format with music in the background. This makes the story more interesting and it really makes you want to hear more. The answers were funny One weak point in the story is that there should have been narration in the beginning about what the story is about and maybe even telling the listeners what inspired her to create this story and how a teacher got the answers out of her students, especially the one who ditched her class.
This piece was about a young girl telling a story about how the school she used to go to was so nice, clean, and spacious. Now that her little brother goes to school there, the place is crowded, smelly, and sticky. This piece is very descriptive, for instance throughout the story she describes about what you first see when you get there, what you smell, and how you would feel, "hot and sticky." Especially in the end when she talks about how she wishes she wanted things better for her little brother. One thing I think would've made this piece better is if the narrator were to interview her little brother and let him describe what it was like, and also tell us how she knows what it is really like now even though she doesn't have that class anymore. She had a really great description, she made me feel like was a student at that elementary, like I was dying to get into the great wide open and breath some fresh air. One thing that would have made this story better is if she talked about how this is a problem in a lot of schools in the whole country.
This piece was interesting to me because to me abortion is an issue that I have two sides to. Although this piece didn?t make up my mind about abortion, I still strongly recommend it to everyone. The narration was very good because in the beginning the narrator described how pre-marital sex and abortion is looked upon from where he lives. When he says, ?Abortion is murder,? you really get the feeling that they believe abortion is wrong and when he talks about how nobody would even say the word abortion you can really feel the tension. Something the narrator could have done would have been to talk about his feelings on abortion, like does he follow his community?s opinions or does he stray to different feelings? Something that really set this story apart from other abortion stories is that the narrator interviewed someone who went through the process of being pregnant and stuck at a crossroads of what she should do. A very good thing about this piece is that ?Ruby? talks about her decision making process, like if she should follow her community?s opinions or follow her own conscience. When ?Ruby? talks about her pregnancy, you feel really sorry for her and you wonder what she is going to do. In conclusion, ?Ruby?s? dilemma shows us that there are more than two sides to the topic of abortion.
This piece made me laugh for minutes on end. This piece was about what teachers do when they go on break. The technique of making a collage of all the answers was very unique and brilliant. The use of mixing all the answers instead of organizing them from typical teacher answers to surprising answers is very good, it gives us some amazing and startling moments. The diversity of the answers is intriguing and humorous. The answers show us that teachers have a way of being just like us. Like for instance, listening to heavy metal, belly dancing, and having fun in mosh pits. Teachers may try to distinguish themselves from their students, but I think the truth is that they spend too much time with us so therefore, they become just like us. They might not let on, but they do.
Rebecca did an awesome job on reporting about the homeless youth, especially about the three interviewed. She collected good history on them and what they do to survive like panhandling or living with others. She also did a good job of conveying what they are going to do to get out of their situation. Her voice was very clear and passionate about the homeless. The introduction is very picturesque, it puts a clear image in your head when she describes Arnold in front of the cafe. She describes a type of isolation when he stands outside in the cold panhandling instead of inside of the warm caf? with the customers. This story was very interesting to me, I would love to hear this on the radio.
This piece would be good for a show about teenagers and health. With the issue of teenage obesity, this story shines some light on why people still eat fast food when they know fast food is unhealthy. Jenn found a variety of reasons why people like to eat and don?t like to eat fast food. The majority of the people she interviewed like fast food for a simple reason: they think it tastes better than healthy food. One thing that could have made the story richer would be if she asked more descriptive questions and if she stated some of the health effects of fast food and how common they are in teenagers and adults. Jenn?s voice could have used more energy throughout the story. This piece had interesting moments, but overall it covered a lot of old territory with not much new information.
This piece I think is pretty relevant to a lot of teenagers, especially during the summer. The introduction is very appealing because all teenagers can relate to needing money and spending it as fast as they can get it. She also does a pretty good job of interviewing people and asking them how they got their job. One thing that separates this piece from many of the other pieces about teenagers and summer jobs is that it doesn?t fall back on stereotypes about teenagers and summer jobs. She identifies the summer jobs where people use their talents like playing a harp or rock climbing. I especially like the fact that she compared teens? work schedules during summer and during school, because teenagers? priorities and focus shift once school starts. Sara?s voice was nice and clear and her voice had a lot of energy. Another good thing this piece had was that she put a little comedy into the story about the strange connections it sometimes takes to get a summer job. Something that could have made the story better is if Sara would have asked the teenagers if they liked their job and if they could have a different job than the one they have now.
This piece is pretty interesting becuase there are not a lot of people who are half Native-American and half white. Jesse doesn't really give context on what it is to be Native-American and white. Jesse should have identified them by tribe and whether or not they live in a rural or urban environment. These things do count becuase not all Native Americans have the same cultural identity. They all do things differently. This information would help us distinguish how they do things and some tribes are starting to become extinct. Another thing is that Jesse should have given some history on Sydney and Karleen. He should have given history like where did they get their white and Native-American blood from. I'm sure a lot of mixed race people can relate to Sydney and Karleen. One thing that could have made the story better would be to have different opinions from Karleen and Sydney's friends about them being half Native-American and half white. Jesse's voice was clear but a little dispassionate. His voice could have used more energy and interest in Karleen and Sydney's situation. But other than that, this piece was appealing to me. It made me think about people of a mixed race.
Comment for
"Standing Outside an Execution" (deleted)
I thought this piece would be about Tookie Williams and his execution but instead I found it to be about the people who were drawn to his execution and what it meant to them. Stanley "Tookie" Williams was the co-founder of the Crips, a gang from South Central LA. Tookie was convicted in 1981 for the murder of four people and sentenced to death row. While in prison, Tookie decided to try and turn his life around, he wrote a book called "Life in Prison," and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Tookie tried to appeal his sentence but was denied by Governor Schwarzenegger. So Tookie was executed on December 13, 2005.
Greg has a strong and authoritative voice. He describes the scene outside of San Quentin Prison very well, from hippies to religious fanatics, to possible gang members. Greg uses some great description while also using some very good ambient sound. The ambient sound was very diverse; the drums were especially awesome. I believe the narration held the whole story together, one thing Greg could have done to make the piece stronger would be to give a history of Tookie Williams. Greg spoke clearly and he had my attention throughout the whole story. This piece is definitely one of my favorites. I would love to hear this story on the radio.
Comments by Janie Shorty
Comment for "What We Wish We Could Tell Our Parents"
Janie Shorty
Posted on May 09, 2006 at 02:12 PM | Permalink
Review of What We Wish We Could Tell Our Parents
This piece is about the things that children don't want to tell their parents. The whole story is a collage of answers from teenagers, telling us things like them being gay, stealing money from their parents, siblings doing drugs, and some other eye-popping secrets. One thing that could have made this story better is if they asked the question in the beginning of the story. This would have introduced us more on the topic rather than having to read the details page. I really like the idea of the collage, it keeps giving excitement, one answer after another. It really makes you wonder what their parents would do if they found out all these secrets.
Comment for "Where Were You Fifth Period?"
Janie Shorty
Posted on April 14, 2006 at 12:35 PM | Permalink
Review of Where Were You Fifth Period?
This piece is about ditching and the excuses told by the students. A good technique of this review is that the answers are told in a collage format with music in the background. This makes the story more interesting and it really makes you want to hear more. The answers were funny One weak point in the story is that there should have been narration in the beginning about what the story is about and maybe even telling the listeners what inspired her to create this story and how a teacher got the answers out of her students, especially the one who ditched her class.
Comment for "Southwest Side Stories: Forty in a Classroom"
Janie Shorty
Posted on April 12, 2006 at 01:58 PM | Permalink
Review of Southwest Side Stories: Forty in a Classroom
This piece was about a young girl telling a story about how the school she used to go to was so nice, clean, and spacious. Now that her little brother goes to school there, the place is crowded, smelly, and sticky. This piece is very descriptive, for instance throughout the story she describes about what you first see when you get there, what you smell, and how you would feel, "hot and sticky." Especially in the end when she talks about how she wishes she wanted things better for her little brother. One thing I think would've made this piece better is if the narrator were to interview her little brother and let him describe what it was like, and also tell us how she knows what it is really like now even though she doesn't have that class anymore. She had a really great description, she made me feel like was a student at that elementary, like I was dying to get into the great wide open and breath some fresh air. One thing that would have made this story better is if she talked about how this is a problem in a lot of schools in the whole country.
Comment for "Abortion"
Janie Shorty
Posted on March 29, 2006 at 08:14 AM | Permalink
Review of Abortion
This piece was interesting to me because to me abortion is an issue that I have two sides to. Although this piece didn?t make up my mind about abortion, I still strongly recommend it to everyone. The narration was very good because in the beginning the narrator described how pre-marital sex and abortion is looked upon from where he lives. When he says, ?Abortion is murder,? you really get the feeling that they believe abortion is wrong and when he talks about how nobody would even say the word abortion you can really feel the tension. Something the narrator could have done would have been to talk about his feelings on abortion, like does he follow his community?s opinions or does he stray to different feelings? Something that really set this story apart from other abortion stories is that the narrator interviewed someone who went through the process of being pregnant and stuck at a crossroads of what she should do. A very good thing about this piece is that ?Ruby? talks about her decision making process, like if she should follow her community?s opinions or follow her own conscience. When ?Ruby? talks about her pregnancy, you feel really sorry for her and you wonder what she is going to do. In conclusion, ?Ruby?s? dilemma shows us that there are more than two sides to the topic of abortion.
Comment for "Teachers Go Wild"
Janie Shorty
Posted on March 29, 2006 at 06:54 AM | Permalink
Review of Teachers Go Wild
This piece made me laugh for minutes on end. This piece was about what teachers do when they go on break. The technique of making a collage of all the answers was very unique and brilliant. The use of mixing all the answers instead of organizing them from typical teacher answers to surprising answers is very good, it gives us some amazing and startling moments. The diversity of the answers is intriguing and humorous. The answers show us that teachers have a way of being just like us. Like for instance, listening to heavy metal, belly dancing, and having fun in mosh pits. Teachers may try to distinguish themselves from their students, but I think the truth is that they spend too much time with us so therefore, they become just like us. They might not let on, but they do.
Comment for "Homeless Anchorage Youth"
Janie Shorty
Posted on March 02, 2006 at 05:59 AM | Permalink
Review of Homeless Anchorage Youth
Rebecca did an awesome job on reporting about the homeless youth, especially about the three interviewed. She collected good history on them and what they do to survive like panhandling or living with others. She also did a good job of conveying what they are going to do to get out of their situation. Her voice was very clear and passionate about the homeless. The introduction is very picturesque, it puts a clear image in your head when she describes Arnold in front of the cafe. She describes a type of isolation when he stands outside in the cold panhandling instead of inside of the warm caf? with the customers. This story was very interesting to me, I would love to hear this on the radio.
Comment for "Fast Foods"
Janie Shorty
Posted on February 28, 2006 at 04:59 AM | Permalink
Review of Fast Foods
This piece would be good for a show about teenagers and health. With the issue of teenage obesity, this story shines some light on why people still eat fast food when they know fast food is unhealthy. Jenn found a variety of reasons why people like to eat and don?t like to eat fast food. The majority of the people she interviewed like fast food for a simple reason: they think it tastes better than healthy food. One thing that could have made the story richer would be if she asked more descriptive questions and if she stated some of the health effects of fast food and how common they are in teenagers and adults. Jenn?s voice could have used more energy throughout the story. This piece had interesting moments, but overall it covered a lot of old territory with not much new information.
Comment for "Summer Jobs"
Janie Shorty
Posted on February 27, 2006 at 04:49 PM | Permalink
Review of Summer Jobs
This piece I think is pretty relevant to a lot of teenagers, especially during the summer. The introduction is very appealing because all teenagers can relate to needing money and spending it as fast as they can get it. She also does a pretty good job of interviewing people and asking them how they got their job. One thing that separates this piece from many of the other pieces about teenagers and summer jobs is that it doesn?t fall back on stereotypes about teenagers and summer jobs. She identifies the summer jobs where people use their talents like playing a harp or rock climbing. I especially like the fact that she compared teens? work schedules during summer and during school, because teenagers? priorities and focus shift once school starts. Sara?s voice was nice and clear and her voice had a lot of energy. Another good thing this piece had was that she put a little comedy into the story about the strange connections it sometimes takes to get a summer job. Something that could have made the story better is if Sara would have asked the teenagers if they liked their job and if they could have a different job than the one they have now.
Comment for "Native American Identity"
Janie Shorty
Posted on February 27, 2006 at 10:07 AM | Permalink
Review of Native American Identity
This piece is pretty interesting becuase there are not a lot of people who are half Native-American and half white. Jesse doesn't really give context on what it is to be Native-American and white. Jesse should have identified them by tribe and whether or not they live in a rural or urban environment. These things do count becuase not all Native Americans have the same cultural identity. They all do things differently. This information would help us distinguish how they do things and some tribes are starting to become extinct. Another thing is that Jesse should have given some history on Sydney and Karleen. He should have given history like where did they get their white and Native-American blood from. I'm sure a lot of mixed race people can relate to Sydney and Karleen. One thing that could have made the story better would be to have different opinions from Karleen and Sydney's friends about them being half Native-American and half white. Jesse's voice was clear but a little dispassionate. His voice could have used more energy and interest in Karleen and Sydney's situation. But other than that, this piece was appealing to me. It made me think about people of a mixed race.
Comment for "Standing Outside an Execution" (deleted)
Janie Shorty
Posted on February 09, 2006 at 01:09 PM
Review of Standing Outside an Execution (deleted)
I thought this piece would be about Tookie Williams and his execution but instead I found it to be about the people who were drawn to his execution and what it meant to them. Stanley "Tookie" Williams was the co-founder of the Crips, a gang from South Central LA. Tookie was convicted in 1981 for the murder of four people and sentenced to death row. While in prison, Tookie decided to try and turn his life around, he wrote a book called "Life in Prison," and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Tookie tried to appeal his sentence but was denied by Governor Schwarzenegger. So Tookie was executed on December 13, 2005.
Greg has a strong and authoritative voice. He describes the scene outside of San Quentin Prison very well, from hippies to religious fanatics, to possible gang members. Greg uses some great description while also using some very good ambient sound. The ambient sound was very diverse; the drums were especially awesome. I believe the narration held the whole story together, one thing Greg could have done to make the piece stronger would be to give a history of Tookie Williams. Greg spoke clearly and he had my attention throughout the whole story. This piece is definitely one of my favorites. I would love to hear this story on the radio.