Audio Interview Response

This assignment was fun for me because I got to interview someone with a really interesting story.  I was excited about the topic and I think that was a motivation to the interviewing process.  What worked well was that  I understood how to use the equipment and I knew that I was going to get a story.  One challenge was that after about five minutes of interviewing, I turned off the recorder, but my subject kept talking and I got some really good details.  The only good thing about turning the recorder off early was that my subject and I talked for about thirty minutes and I would have had to choose a story three minutes long from all that information. 

Something I would do differently next time is have better questions for the subject.  My questions were pretty open-ended and vague, and I didn’t exactly know how the interview was going to turn out.  I would want to do more research to have better knowledge of what I am discussing.  Also, I would ask the subject to re-state what they are saying so I won’t have to keep my questions in.

The editing system is challenging only because I’m not completely comfortable with it yet.  Once I use it more and more, I think I will be an expert with it, and I really enjoy it, so I definitely want to learn more.

SOURCE NOTES ONE-FIVE

Summary: Maryland’s mandatory minimum sentencing law has put ninety percent of black repeat drug offenders behind bars “even though national rates of substance dependence and drug dealing among blacks and whites are virtually identical.” 

Topic: Mandatory minimum’s inequality towards races.

Category: Journalism

What is it? News report from MSNBC.com

Title: Report: Md. drug sentences unfair to blacks

Publication Information: MSNBC.com, Feb. 28, 2007.  IMAGE: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/05/06/us/0506-nat-webDISPARITIES.jpg.

Author: Does not say

Location: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17357576/

Accessed: January 23, 2009

Support: 

• Washington-based group that promotes alternatives to incarceration
• Justice Policy institute
• Drug Free America Foundation Inc.
• State Delegate Curtis S. Anderson
• Associated Press
• Justice Policy Institute Executive Director Jason Ziedenberg
• Drug Free America Executive Director Calvina Fay

These sources represent the knowledge of the law and how it is used.  They also represent the people who are affected by the laws put into place under mandatory minimums.

Source Analysis:  MSNBC is a news site that is intended for all different purposes ranging from hard news to entertainment.

Usefulness:  This article tells how mandatory minimums are being used.  It shows how the system works in color and has hierarchy and its own stratification.  One source noted that the majority of blacks being sent behind bars was due to money issues with finding a good lawyer or not, which technically isn’t the system’s fault.  But it shows the relatonship between race and the laws that were meant to be objective.

Works Cited:  MSNBC.com at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17357576/. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/05/06/us/0506-nat-webDISPARITIES.jpg.

Summary:  New policies are being used to exponge Reagan-era mandatory minimums to keep more drug users out of prison and put into rehab. 

Topic: Mandatory minimums–are they useful or are they outdated?

Category: Journalistic

What is it? News report from CNN.com

Title: Mandatory, Minimum, and Mislead

Publication Information:  CNN.com, Februray 15, 2008

Author: Niko Karvounis

Location: http://www.motherjones.com/news_analysis/2008/02/mandatory-minimum-and-misguided.html

Accessed: January 23, 2009

Support:

• Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
• Attorney General Michael Mukasey
• US Attorney Gretchen Shappert
• US Sentencing Commission
• Justice Department
• Bush Administration
• Senator Joe Biden
• US Conference of Mayors
• Then-Speaker of House (1986) Tip O’Neill
• Ronald and Nancy Reagan
• Supreme Court
• Hillary Clinton
• Barack Obama
• John McCain

The use of these sources is where all the laws and acts come from.  The laws and acts are in response to the outstanding number of drug abusers going to prison instead of receiving help with an addiction.  The laws are to help the citizens, not to out-punish the other party like in the Reagan era.

Source Analysis:  This article was a search powered by google on CNN.com. 

Usefulness:  This report was based around the alarming number of people going to jail for crack-cocaine, but also if congress retracts the laws against mandatory minimums, if could mean that many, many prisoners will be let free.  What the story is saying is that judges are able to decide who gets to leave and who needs to stay.  But congress and many others are working on laws and acts to help drug offenders at the beginning and lessening their chances of becoming repeats.  Many believe that the war on drugs has failed, and mandatory minimums are not keeping drug users off the streets once they’ve been released. 

Works Cited:  CNN.com, http://www.motherjones.com/news_analysis/2008/02/mandatory-minimum-and-misguided.html

Summary:  Mandatory minimums are failing the US.  They are failing to deter crime, have worsened racial and gender disparity, and contributed greatly to prison overcrowding.  They shift decision-making authority from judges to prosecutors, who operate without accountability.

Topic:  The uselessness of mandatory minimums.

Category: Journalistic

What is it? Defining problems with the war on drugs from the Drug Policy Alliance Network through CNN.com

Title:  Mandatory Minimum Sentences

Publication Information: CNN.com, no date. IMAGE: http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/images/race_us_prison.jpg.

Author: does not say

Location: http://www.drugpolicy.org/drugwar/mandatorymin/

Accessed: January 25, 2009

Support:

• Congress
• Judges
• US Sentencing Commission
• Department of Justice
• US Bureau of Prisons Director Kathleen Hawk-Sawyer

These are the laws coming from the source.  Hawk-Sawyer really is a primary source because she has witnessed the mandatory minimum laws fail time and time again right in front of her.

Source Analysis:  This is more of an awareness website to help find information on an issue. 

Usefulness:  It’s important because it helps define this type of sentencing objectively rather than through a specific story.  After reading this article I can start to understand why this system of mandatory minimums is failing. 

Works Cited: CNN.com, http://www.drugpolicy.org/drugwar/mandatorymin/.  http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/images/race_us_prison.jpg.

Summary:  Republicans are trying to solidify mandatory minimums in the sentencing process, as they haven’t been used as seriously.  Many judges consider the penalties a mere suggestion.  “The Bush Administration should be spending more money on local police to battle crime rather than proposing a large-scale and premature overhaul of our sentencing system.”

Topic:  Many Republicans plan to re-enforce mandatory minimums to help clean up the streets

Category: Journalistic

What is it?  News report from CBSnews.com

Title:  Bush Seeks to Re-Impose Mandatory Minimums

Publication Information: CBSnews.com, June 13, 2o07

Author: Lindsay Goldwert

Location:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/13/politics/main2924206_page2.shtml

Accessed:  Jan. 26, 2009

Support:

• Bush Administration
• Supreme Court
• Justice Department
• Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
• US District Judge Paul G. Cassell, Chairman of the Criminal Law Committee of the Judicial Conference
• Douglas Berman, Ohio State University sentencing expert
• Lamar Smith of Texas, top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee
• Washington defense attorney Michael Horowitz
• Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy

These are the people who are defending the laws or trying to change them and have first hand accounts of the criminals who are punished through these laws, so they are taking into consideration everything they have witnessed.

Source Analysis:  CBS news is a website that give the news similarly to MSNBC and ABC.

Usefulness:  This is helpful in seeing how different types of people respond to the laws made and enforced.  Many people want harsher laws for people who have broken the laws.  And other people want to help those people who broke the law in the first place because of the bad hand they were dealt .

Works Cited: CBSnews.com, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/13/politics/main2924206_page2.shtml

Summary:  Many people, both Democrat and Republican, oppose mandatory minimums because they cost a lot and are putting nonviolent offenders behind bars.  The purpose of mandatory minimums in the 80s was to capture the drug kingpins and, instead, regular drug dealers and users are the ones overcrowding the jails.

Topic:  The purpose of mandatory minimums

Category: Journalistic

What is it? News article from google

Title:  Poll: 60 percent of Americans oppose mandatory minimum sentences

Publication information: The Christian Science Monitor, Sept. 25, 2008

Author: Amanda Paulson

Location: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0925/p02s01-usju.html

Accessed: January 28, 2009

Support:

• Julie Stewart, president and founder of FAMM
• US Sentencing Commission
• Attorney General Michael Mukasey
• Fraternal Order of Police
• Jim Pasco, executive director of FOP
• James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University in Boston
• Molly Gill, FAMM report author

These sources are fighting for each decision to be passed or not.  They study the criminals and can decide, first hand, what policy works best for their situation.

Source Analysis:  I found this site through google, I hope it is legitimate.

Usefulness:  The sources are primary, which makes their opinion on sentencing more plausible.  I like this article because it gives the reasons why people don’t like the mandatory minimums, but it also has ways of backing it up.

Works Cited:  The Christian Science Monitor, http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0925/p02s01-sju.html

Obama’s inauguration speech

Inauguration day was a historical day for the United States yesterday.  I voted for Obama in November and couldn’t be more excited.  He is a leader with many followers and believers and I have hope for him to change this country only for the better.  President Obama is the first president I voted for in an election.  Voting in this historical election is something I will never forget. 

Obama started off his speech by wowing the crowd with promises that will be kept and America finally does not feel lied to.  America has trust in this man because he reflects the common man in so many ways.  And his promises and hopes for the future are something that America is willing to work for.  He comments on the challenges we will face, but says that those struggles will only help this country in the long run.  “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.  They are serious and they are many.  They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.  But know this, America — they will be met.”

His words feel real and he, as a president, as a person, and as a leader, can be trusted.

President Obama doesn’t mention anything about my Should Question (Should the US government enforce and/or regulate capital punishment?)  But I know that it is a topic of controversy and I want to pursue it. 

I think that this country only has a bright future and I am excited to be a part of it.

I read President Obama’s inauguration speech at MSNBC.com.  Here is the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28751183/

Should…?

Should the United States government enforce and regulate capital punishment?

This question is something I am interested in because I don’t have an opinion on the death penalty.  I would like to be enlightened to the arguements surrounding this subject.

I will be defining capital punishment, what states it is legalized in and what states it’s not.  I will weigh the pros and cons of capital punishment and find stories that have delt with this issue.

Obama’s Inauguration Coverage

January 20, 2009:  Legacy Broadcast

ABC News coverage of the inaugurational is basically the anchors talking about what just happened.  They showed the luncheon and Obama shaking hands and talking with many people after the speech ended.  Obama was shown talking with Al Gore and John McCain.  The anchors talked about Obama at his speech when he forgots the words to the oath when he was repeating them.  The moment was humorous.

They interviewed an Alabama congressman.  He said he has hope for Obama.  “Congress will absolutely rise to the occasion.”

The website had fun facts about other inaugurations.  Those were interesting to read about because it shared historical information in short amounts so I wasn’t memorizing anything, but I still learned a little bit.  For example, one fun fact was that Abraham Lincoln was the first president to include black people in his inaugural parade.

The was also a link to inaugural fashion dos and don’ts.  It covered George and Laura at both inaugurations and ended with the fashionista Jackie Kennedy and her stylish wardrobe.

The inauguration had a vibe that was hopeful and progressive.  Everyone seemed very proud of the 44th president of America!

Interviewing and Storytelling

For this assignment, I am answering questions about interviewing skills and a storyteller who is talking about skills. 

1.  Interviewing people was fun, but challenging.  I felt like a robot asking questions that were personal and tedious.  I know that when I was being interviewed, I found it hard to come up with a story to each question.  Maybe that’s just me, or maybe I don’t feel like I have great stories worth listening to.  The challenge was trying to find an interesting path through the life lessons and goal-oriented questions I asked.  But maybe interviewing a person with a lot of imagination and creativity will be better for an interview.  I know I can write a creative story through someone else’s experience.

2. Ira Glass was actually really interesting to watch and to listen to.  I liked that he said that it takes a while for people to really get good at what they do.  And how he struggled even eight years into his career.  I kind of always thought that if someone was in the business, he or she would excell from the beginning and that’s why that person stayed with the job: talent.  It’s good to know that i’m not the only one having trouble.

SALT!

When you think of salt, you might think of sodium chloride or high blood pressure.  But salt is an esssential diet to humans, even animals and plants!  One of salt’s major functions is to regulate blood volume and pressure, including the flexibility of blood vessels.  Also, physiologically speaking, the sodium salt provides regulates the heartbeat and the body’s balance of fluid. 

Salt is used in many, many different ways:  the preservation of Eqyptian mummies, as chlorine in pools, as water softner, for ice control, superstitiously, and, of course, for food!

But salt has historical and cultural significance as well.  There are over 30 references to salt in the bible. 

From ancient times to the present, the importance of salt to humans and animals has been recognized. Thousands of years ago, animals created paths to salt licks, and men followed seeking game and salt. Their trails became roads and beside the roads, settlements grew. These settlements became cities and nations.

 

“He is not worth his salt”, is a common expression. It originated in ancient Greece where salt was traded for slaves.  Roman soldiers were paid “salt money”, salarium argentum, from which we take our English word, “salary”.  Salad, sausage, salute, sailor, soda, and salvation are also words deriving from salt. 

 

The widesread superstition that spilling salt brings bad luck originated with Judas at the Last Supper, celebrated in Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting. 

The superstitious belief about spilling salt is thought to arouse hostility because it is believed to be a direct act of the devil, a peace disturber.  To counteract the superstition, that person then throws salt over the left shoulder in order to hit the devil in the eye, to temporarily prevent further mischief. 

Charles Dickens coined the phrase, “To be taken with a grain of salt.”

 Salt is most commonly used for culinary purposes.  There are at least nine different types of salt. 

Most recipes referring to salt are asking for table salt which has additives like iodine ( to prevent thyroid disease) and an anti-caking agent to prevent lumping in humidity.

Many chefs prefer kosher salt which is additive-free.

SOURCES:

Salt Institute.  http://www.saltinstitute.org

Recipe Zaar: Salt.  http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=359

Morton Salt.  http://www.mortonsalt.com

 

 

Gateway Exercise

here is the link to an article i have to read for my gateway class:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/health/research/03smoke.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=third%20hand%20smoke&st=cse

Blog ONE

Today I started my first blog ever.  I am very unsure about this because I am not very good with computers.  And now I have to figure out how to use this crazy website.  I hope it comes easy to me.  I am excited to learn about electronics.  See ya next post!

Hello world!

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