Examples of album reviews

Favorable

RAP

EMINEM- THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP2 by Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone Magazine

The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is the kind of sequel that gets people shouting at the screen in disbelief before their seats are warmed up. The first song, "Bad Guy," is seven white-knuckled minutes of psycho-rap insanity in which Stan's little brother comes back to chop Slim Shady into Slim Jims, tossing him into the trunk and driving around Detroit – listening to The Marshall Mathers LP, of course. "How's this for publicity stunt? This should be fun/Last album now, 'cause after this you'll be officially done," Em raps, playing his own killer.

Eminem could use a publicity stunt, and The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is just what the therapist ordered. During the 13 years since The Marshall Mathers LP, he's never lost his acrobat-gremlin skills on the mic. But some subsequent albums felt hermetic, perverting rage into rock-star griping on 2004's Encore, horror-show shock tactics on 2009's Relapseand 12-step purging on 2010's Recovery. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is about reclaiming a certain freewheeling buoyancy, about pissing off the world from a more open, less cynical place; he even says sorry to his mom on "Headlights," where he's joined by Nate Ruess of fun.

Nostalgia is everywhere. Em surrounds himself in allusions to classic hip-hop, like the Beastie Boys samples producer Rick Rubin laces together on "Berzerk." It's telling that the only guest MC is Kendrick Lamar on "Love Game," probably because his slippery syllable-juggling owes a lot to Eminem.

Yet Em's former obsession – his own media image – has been replaced with a 41-year-old's cranky concerns. He's still a solipsistic cretin, but in a more general, everyday sort of way. He raps about how he can't figure out how to download Luda on his computer and waves the Nineties-geek flag with references to Jeffrey Dahmer and the Unabomber. He's playing his best character: the demon spawn of Trailer Hell, America, hitting middle age with his middle finger up his nose while he cleans off the Kool-Aid his kids spilled on the couch.

Much of the album hews to the stark beats and melodies he loves rapping over. But the tracks that lean on classic rock are loopy and hilarious. "Rhyme or Reason" brilliantly flips a sample of the Zombies' "Time of the Season"; when the song asks, "Who's your daddy," Em answers, "I don't have one/My mother reproduced like a Komodo dragon." "So Far . . ." shows some love for a Rust Belt homey by rhyming over Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good": "Jed Clampett, Fred Sanford, welfare mentality helps to/Keep me grounded, that's why I never take full advantage of wealth/I managed to dwell within these perimeters/Still cramming the shelves full of Hamburger Helper/I can't even help it, this is the hand I was dealt to."

MM LP 2 fits in well in the year of Yeezus and Magna Carta . . . Holy Grail, records by aging geniuses trying to figure out what the hell to do with their dad-ass selves. (It's like hip-hop is the new Wilco or something.) Since Em has always been a mess, he'll probably still be able to give us pause when he's rhyming about retirement ventures through dentures and cleaning out the colostomy bag he wears up inside his saggy drawers. MM LP 3, 2026. Let's do this.

ROCK

BALANCE AND COMPOSURE: THE THINGS WE THINK WE'RE MISSING

This is it.

A group of young, talented musicians have managed to resurrect the highlights of 90s grunge/alt rock while simultaneously building on the fundamentals of their authentic sound to create a simply jaw-dropping release. 

Balance & Composure have been at it for a few years now, particularly with the success of their highly lauded debut album,Separation [2011]. The band’s history and seasoned discography displays their lyrical and musical growth since their inception. What we can hope is that their sophomore album is the push they needed to acquire the full-time highly acclaimed musician status they so well deserve. 

There was a load of anticipation building up to the new record - not only as a direct result of their impressive discography and energetic live shows. Collectively, let us all admit that we lost our shit when B&C released, "Reflection," because the track is one of the best songs they have ever written, both lyrically and musically. There’s not much else to say besides that - just listen to it and see for yourself. To generalize, this record is, by far, their best work to date.

The jam "Parachutes" gets the momentum started on The Things We Think We’re Missing. The track is not the bouncy, blood-pumping, “HEY! LET’S GO!” introductory song that is so typical of modern rock albums. In fact, "Parachutes" is parallel to "Living Together," the opening track to Circa Survive’s, On Letting Go [2007]. (Psst! Anthony Green makes a guest appearance on "Keepsake" and it is fantastic). Both tracks have a singled-out guitar part that plays at a slightly different tempo or rhythm to the rest of the instruments at times, and their peaks rest in the infectious rhythms as well as their strong vocalists; in B&C’s case, vocalist/guitarist Jon Simmons emits such blood-curdling screams on "Parachutes" and throughout the record that they will make any listener quake in their shoes.

The band has worked with an army of acclaimed music producers and engineers to make the great work of The Things We Think We’re Missing even greater. Their team consisted of experts who have worked with the likes of Sunny Day Real Estate, Title Fight, Smashing Pumpkins, and the Foo Fighters. So, it's no wonder that the record is adorned with classic B&C sounds meshed with some 90s alt rock curb appeal.

Two songs on TTWTWM that are very frank in the 90s rock influenced part of the record are "Back of Your Head" and "Notice Me." What starts as a slow, eerie, looming destruction feeling coming from a single guitar and the tone of Simmons’ laments quickly adjusts to an enticing grungy beat, accompanied with semi-lax lead vocals overlapping some background screams of the same lyrics. "Back of Your Head"continues to dwell in that dark undertone territory while holding onto the jumpy tempo throughout, while Simmons’ gutsy delivery of, “All you wanted was that feeling/All you wanted was that spark to glow and never fade away,” lingers in your thoughts well after the song ends. Now if you don’t listen to, "Notice Me"and immediately recognize some Nirvana influences within the first twenty seconds, you need to find a time portal and transport back to the 90’s, and just stay there. There is a ton of B&C and Nirvana stylings intertwined in this song; to put it simply, consider the idea of Nevermind’s "Lounge Act" and "Drain You"hooking up with Balance’s "Patience," and "Notice Me" is the result. To top it off, Simmons’ aggressive growls in the song’s final forty seconds will give you irreversible goosebumps and most likely haunt your deepest dreams.

"Cut Me Open" is more familiar with the B&C sound we all know and adore, with its driving guitars and heavy drums. Suddenly there is a pause, as the song dips into something that seems like it will evolve into a chant or gang vocals. Then you actually listen to it and hear Simmons vocalizing the words, “God save us men/Cut by jagged edge/Fall to your knees...” in a way that is reminiscent of a spiritual. The drums and vocals together make it feel like you are undergoing a religious experience, while the intricate guitar chords and arpeggios are genuine Balance and Composure. Songs like "I’m Swimming" and"When I Come Undone" display easily recognizable B&C melodies while introducing some dark alternative guitar tones similar to the likes of 3 Doors Down, Daylight, and The Dangerous Summer. "Dirty Head" stands out significantly on this record, but not in a way that causes a break in the continuity of sound and melodies. The track features Simmons and a single acoustic guitar, most likely recorded in one take by the sounds of it. The song feels sad and heavy-hearted, and is in a key that I’m sure most funeral hymns are written in. But it is the feeling of hearing Simmons’ emotional delivery within the lyrics and guitar playing that makes this track so powerful.

Not only is every song on The Things We Think We’re Missing completely remarkable, even for the high standards Balance and Composure have set for themselves, but the album is free-flowing from one track to the next. A lot of bands in the alt rock scene have released their sophomore record in 2013, and a lot of those bands have succeeded in avoiding the dreaded “sophomore slump” that plagues a few disappointing musicians each year. But Balance and Composure have created not only one of 2013’s best sophomore albums, but one of the year’s best alt rock records period. At this point, the only direction is up for Balance and Composure, because they have certainly displayed their potential at being astounding musicians with this record.

4.5/5

Melissa Jones

MIXED

POP

Lady Gaga- Artpop

Lady Gaga is at her peak when she's playing the neon queen of all the world's outcasts. And with her constant prodding, her Little Monsters have filled the biggest big tent in modern pop. But in the five years since Stefani Germanotta's arrival, weird has become the currency that overwhelmingly fuels pop culture – from seapunk Tumblrs to American Horror Story. So for Gaga to stay on top in 2013, she has to keep cranking up the cray.

For better and for worse, Artpop meets the mandate. It's a bizarre album of squelchy disco (plus a handful of forays into R&B) that aspires to link gallery culture and radio heaven, preferring concepts to choruses. It's sexual but not sexy, filled with bitchy fashion designers and one-liners like "Uranus/Don't you know my ass is famous?" and "Touch me, touch me, don't be sweet/Love me, love me, please retweet." Gaga wants us to believe the LP was inspired by Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons and Sandro Botticelli; at its best, it sounds like it was creatively directed by RuPaul, Dr. Ruth, and Beavis and Butt-Head.

Artpop opens with four tracks of thumping futuresex/lovesounds where Gaga vows to lay her intentions, and body, naked. She cops a drag queen's arch humor on intergalactic journey "Venus," examines sex and power on gothy grinder "G.U.Y" (which stands for "girl under you"), and woos a lover whose "boyfriend was away this weekend" on the slinky "Sexxx Dreams." Yes, we can read her poker face.

But just as Artpop gets into a groove of high-tech Pop&B, her creative impulses splinter. She plays hook girl for Too $hort, Twista and T.I.'s thugged-up, self-parodic "Jewels N' Drugs" and falls for her own cutesy wordplay on the glammy "MANiCURE." The Rick Rubin-produced "Dope" is a turgid ballad about the slippery slopes of romance and drugs that lunges for Elton John and crash-lands near Meat Loaf.

Gaga's previous albums – 2008's electro-pop romp The Fame and its brilliant follow-up EP, The Fame Monster, and 2011's inventively nostalgic Born This Way – were largely the result of partnerships with producers RedOne and Fernando Garibay. Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair worked on most of Artpop, but there's a pile-up of names in the credits including Zedd, Madeon, David Guetta, Infected Mushroom and Will.i.am. In the past two years, Gaga has split from her longtime stylist/choreographer and manager and canceled a world tour to recover from a serious hip injury. Could Artpop simply be a distraction obscuring the drama behind the curtain?

Ironically, Gaga redeems the LP with a pair of tracks that strip away the artifice in favor of plain sentiment: "Do What U Want," a spectacularly growly and groovy R. Kelly duet, and "Gypsy," an Eighties-style anthem where Gaga admits her love of performing and love of love often clash. "I don't want to be alone forever, but I love gypsy life," she sings without abandon. Neither track is subtle, but they work because they weren't born from the chilly conceit that art and pop need an arranged marriage to get busy.

-Caryn Ganz

INDIE

Sigur Rios- Inni

As Iceland's premier atmospheric rockers, Sigur Rós understand delayed gratification, andInni -- a double live album (plus live DVD) -- is a master class in geologically paced, ethereally pretty buildups. Capturing all but one song of a November 2008 London set, it's also an exercise in downturn-era austerity: no strings or brass, just the classic four-piece lineup. Still, with xylophone, piano, and even piccolo to complement frontman Jonsi's bowed guitar and angelic vocals, the songs, drawn from each of the band's albums, soar. After three-plus years without fresh Sigur Rós material, though, the real treat is the contemplatively buzzing, ambient finale "Lúppulagid" -- an honest-to-goodness new song.

- Marc Hogan

Negative

METAL

Avenged Sevenfold- Hail to the King

Since the release of Death Magnetic, news on a new Metallica album has been pretty quiet. Heavy touring has kept fans from frothing at the mouth, but every year takes a little more out of the average ‘tallica devotee. While Death Magnetic held a few strong songs, there was hope that with the next record they could combine their old aggression with a little more honest songwriting. What we all failed to realize is that they would just completely disregard writing anything with a bite or a fuing pulse, and here we are left with Hail to the King.

While Metallica tried to reclaim some semblance of their early days with their past records,HttK sounds like a cover band trying to replicate The Black Album. Beginning with album opener “Shepherd of Fire” right on through closer “Acid Rain” there is an incredible lack of anything resembling ‘energy’ (and an apparent fascination with song titles relating to burning/sexually transmitted diseases). Hetfield’s voice seems to have regained some punch, but that punch belongs to the front man of a scene mallcore band apparently, as he sounds more pussified than ever before. The riffs don’t fare much better, as Hetfield and Hammet’s guitar playing has become so by the numbers they make the riffs from “Sad But True” sound like they could have come from Kill Em All.

I really wanted to use this space to talk about how great the solos are, but it’s post “One” Metallica. Yeah. You get it.

Since they deemed it unnecessary to write anything of note, I guess we can delve into a deep lyrical analysis of the album. I use the word “analysis” only because it contains the word “anal”, and despite this album holding almost zero lyrical depth it definitely fills your ears with post-coital shit. While neither storytelling nor imagery was ever a strong point with the band, at least they used to put on the pretense of trying. The first lyric on the title track is “Watch your tongue I'll have it cut from your head/Save your life by keeping whispers unsaid” while the next line is “Children roam the streets now orphans of war/Bodies hanging in the streets to adore”. Let’s have a brain exercise: try and figure out what thefuck those two lyrics could mean together. I’ll give you a minute. I’ll go grab a sandwich while you try and work it out.

If you ended up sitting in your chair, head lazily bobbing to the side with your tongue lolling out, congratulations, you have begun to feel what it is to listen to Hail to the King. It’s as if Metallica decided to try and court the 16 year old post-mall goth crowd with a bunch of inane Black Veil Bride like lyrics, while adding in a bit of Avenged Sevenfold-lite songwriting. The question will eternally remain as to why the former kings of thrash decided to try and emulate the bands who emulated them, but hey, at least this is Metallica via Avenged Sevenfold via Metallica and not Metallica via Trivium via Metallica, right?

POP PUNK

Real Friends- Put Yourself Back Together

If I may, I’d like to pose a question that’s been on the minds of one side of Real Friends’ divided fanbase regarding Put Yourself Back Together: what the hell happened? The EP essentially takes the group’s stellar release Everyone That Dragged You Here and dumbs down the vibrant pop-punk sound present there, while keeping with exactly what worked in the lyrics department. Focusing in on the lyrics for a moment, they’re unfortunately just about as formulaic as they come. Maybe I’m being a bit cynical, but if vocalist Dan Lambton is so broken after a toxic relationship with an unnamed person, there are more constructive ways to get rid of the angst than yelling about said person on every fucking track on the EP. The lyrical content, unsurprisingly, begins to grate about halfway through the first listen. What’s more, the phrase “bony knees,” already starting to wear thin from repeated use, is utilized on no fewer than three different choruses in three different songs over the course of the release.

Combined with the cookie-cutter music, the lyrics fall even flatter. It would be one thing if the band could pull an Everyone That Dragged You Here again - that is, interesting structures, upbeat and catchy music, and a variegated sound that never really gets old. However, the vocals don’t fit over the rest of the music as well as they have in the past, and end up detracting from instead of complementing the guitars and drums. Also, while every song on Everyone That Dragged You Here was memorable, all seven songs on Put Yourself Back Together blend into each other, save for the excellent “Dirty Water,” the one song which takes a lesson from what worked in “Home For Fall” without sounding too much like a carbon copy. Sure, everything here is upbeat and can be construed as “fun,” but that alone can’t do much for the health of the release.

So, re-posing my earlier question: what the hell happened? Real Friends proved they could make an exhilarating 15 minutes worth of music with Everyone That Dragged You Here. However, everything on Put Yourself Back Together is derivative, cookie-cutter, and two-dimensional. There are so many possible answers to what went wrong. The band could be still hung up on a relationship that ended badly, so much that they can’t write anything about something else. They could have gotten lucky with their previous work, akin to countless artists in the industry, and were unable to replicate their success. They could have just made a colossal misstep, one they will hopefully rectify with their next release. Or, the most terrifying possibility, the band may have gotten lazy. They might have seen something that worked to the umpteenth degree and decided to continue on with that, knowing full well that many of their fans would soak it all in as if it were sliced bread. And, judging by the group’s divided fanbase, the last option might not be too far from the truth.
-Will Robinson

Holiday Spending

The Holiday season is a time of giving, and apparently, giving means spending. In 2012, the average family spent $854 on Christmas gifts. To most, this number is far too much and I’m guessing that the majority of these families didn't realize how much they spent until afterwards. I think this is important because it shows how people, for once, aren't conscious about their money. With the economy the way it is, people are stingy with their money more than ever. I think it’s very relieving to see that the average family is still willing to spend on the people that they care about. It’s easy to take a step back and look at the staggering 135.16 billion spent on Christmas in 2010 and laugh at the excessive nature of our country, but giving gifts is not necessarily excessive. Giving a gift is an act of love, appreciation, and gratitude. The friendly atmosphere of the Christmas season is priceless, even if that price is high. Now, every cent spent on Christmas is not a financially wise investment. The 13.24 billion spent on cards and the 13.34 billion spent on decorations are absurdly high numbers. Those are the numbers that characterize society’s excess. Giving gifts is a pastime that shows love between friends and family, sending cards and decorating doesn't have the same value.

Summer Response

The structure of the traditional school schedule is being challenged due to America's concern with our academic performance versus the rest of the world.  Some journalists such as David Von Drehle have proposed that summer vacation is the problem. Drehle accuses summer as "a season of boredom, inactivity, and isolation". He goes on to explain how Summer is a time of learning loss for low income students, "while low income students slip as many as three months in reading comprehension compared with middle income students". However, Drehle doesn't seem to offer an alternate plan and instead relies on research, "first documented in 1906" that states the obvious; that low income families are at a disadvantage. Somehow, Drehle feels that providing basic facts about the economy, he can make "a case against summer vacation" when in reality, he's only creating a case against Capitalistic America. Fixing school schedules is a social issue that will be talked about forever, but the problem is no solution is being propose and arguments such as Drehle's fall sort of offering incriminating evidence against traditional vacations.

Hawaii Woman with 40-Character Surname Not Allowed License, Vote

Lokelani Khineuhanilahenualkiaklekiliamaenanelili, a young Hawaiian woman, was not issued a license or identification by the Kauai County government because of her 40-character surname. The county could not fit the woman’s full last name on a license card, much less her first name or middle initial. Deciding not to issue her any license or identification at all, Kauai County found itself a victim of its own indiscretion when Khineuhanilahenualkiaklekiliamaenanelili was pulled over for a routine traffic stop and was promptly taken to the town’s police station for driving without any form of license or identification, despite her protests that she was denied identification due to her lengthy surname. The county realized that they had denied license and ID because of the length of her surname, and Khineuhanilahenualkiaklekiliamaenanelili also claimed that she had been denied the right to vote for the same reason as her arrest: no form of license or identification. The indiscretion has since been corrected and Lokelani Khineuhanilahenualkiaklekiliamaenanelili is now a fully licensed, registered citizen of Kauai County, as well as an easily identifiable citizen thanks to her impressive last name.

Company that sends stuffed animals on vacation is launched

A company in Tokyo is sending stuffed animals on vacation. The business is run by a 38 year old woman who feels that providing vacations for stuffed animals is therapeutic for people who can’t experience vacations for themselves. Apparently, clients who aren’t able to afford vacations or have disabilities are often relieved when they receive pictures of their plush toy in the center of Tokyo, or other landmarks. The best part is the cost of sending your stuffed animal around Japan is only about $50. 

Words

Words to be added

1.) Vine (noun)- A short 6 second video of random stuff, usually ending with a girl making a face 

2.)No Shave November (Noun)- A month long process that occurs throughout November where, most commonly, high school and college males refrain from shaving all month

3.) tbh (noun)- an acronym for "To be honest" usually used in internet terminology and often followed with a phrase of honesty. Ex: "tbh i dont kno u but ur rly funy nd chill"

4.) Hate-Mosher (noun)- A large person, usually a male, usually with no shirt and large muscles that goes to rock, metal, and hardcore concerts and hits, spin-kicks, and intentionally hurts other concert goers 

5.)Post up- (verb) (not the basketball move)- To stand or chill in a particular area for an extended period of time. Ex: "I am posting up at Hess standing on the sidewalk" 

6.) Hess-Rat- (Noun) A teenager student that will often be seen standing outside of Hess Express, generally doing nothing. They are often smoking cigarettes or selling illegal drugs in broad view of others. They are seen at all hours of the 24 hour day. 

Made Up Words

1.) literallygirl- (noun)A female who uses the word literally in sentences where it does not belong, most commonly at the beginning of their sentence that is expressing their current annoyed state of mind. Ex: "Literally, I literally hate my mom for taking my phone literally."

2.) Nortonlate- (Adj)- Referring to being promptly on time for Norton High School at 7:39 when school starts at 7:40, but still getting screamed at by administrators and locked into the front office. A student will end up being actually 5 minutes late to class instead of on time due to this process.

3.) Croosh (Adj)- Refers to a person in the hardcore music community that constantly insults different bands on the internet but doesn't have an established band. They also stand outside during concerts and never support other bands. They are often "drug free" and preach it to everyone. Even though they supposedly have morals, they often mosh violently and hurt other people.

4.) askfmer- (Noun) A person, usually a teenager who frequently uses the website "ask.fm" and wants people to ask them anonymous questions

5.) Baghiding- (Verb)- The act of placing a bag on a desk or table during school hours to hide the act of texting. It's usually done by females and is a very obvious technique used to hide texting.

Response to limiting teenage use of Technology

While I may agree with the idea that teens are much too absorbed by senseless media, such as texting and tweeting, I disagree with the overall recommendation. It’s obvious that media, especially social networking, has led to bullying that ends in tragedy, but simply “limiting” a teenager will not stop them from entering the darker areas of media. In fact, limiting a teenager from using media will only cause them to spend more time on the social aspect of media, and almost no time being productive with it. As the article challenges parents, “This is the 21^st century and they need to get with it”, I think the doctors need to understand that teenagers will go great lengths to obtain media, regardless of any restriction.

 

-          Sean Mathews (Norton High School)

Question 11/6

What is your opinion on tattoos in the workplace? Do you think that people with tattoos should be turned down a job because of them? Why or why not? What factors should employers consider when dealing with tattoos?

Magazine Analysis

1.) My Magazine is Sport Illustrated, the issue published on Feb. 9th 2009 after the 43rd super bowl. The article I randomly selected my 100 words from was the main article about the Super Bowl. It had 5 sentences and 148 syllables, which calculates to the readability level of a 14 year old.

2.) The whole magazine had 70 total pages with 16 of them containing ads. The content to ads ratio comes out to 27:8. This content ratio is considerably high for a sports magazine, but it still has many ads. It shows that this magazine has multiple page articles that cut down on the space for ads. This particular issue may have been higher in content than others because its main article was the Super Bowl, which is kinda important in the sports world I'd say, meaning the article would be more detailed and longer.

3.) The other magazine at my table was a fishing magazine, with a readability of a 12 year old. It's content to ad ratio was 5:3 but with more ads than content. This comparison shows that most magazines that would be aimed at an older male audience, fishing and sports, are very low on the readability level. It shows that, when reading a magazine about a basic interest or hobby, males don't want to read anything that will challenge their brain. It shows that Sports Illustrated is a little more challenging because it has more content than a fishing magazine.

4.) The profile of a common Sports Illustrated reader would be a male, ranging from the age of a early teenager to a grown man, with grown men being the most common reader because they're the ones subscribing to it. The immediate interests of the consumer would be sports and subjects such as athlete interviews, game coverage, and behind the scene sports stories. The socioeconomic status would be pretty much anything, but most commonly middle class teenagers and their fathers. The values of the reader wouldn't be too deep, but they'd be reading this magazine for entertainment and inside knowledge. The reading level of most readers would be generally higher than the 14 year old that the Fry Graph suggests, but the older readers aren't going to turn away the magazine because it's content is so basic. The journalistic style is not so much journalism as it is a report on a game so the readability should not be too difficult.

Data Driven Essay

Sean Mathews

10/14/13

F Block

Data Essay

Is space travel worth the time and the money?

            “I always wanted to be an astronaut,” recalls Mansfield High School student Chris Cameron, “I got the idea from watching Star Wars when I was young”. Chris’s childhood dream is not an uncommon one when asking current high school and college students. The new millennium was supposed to be the beginning of the sci-fi era of flying cars, extensive space exploration and robots. Star Wars made space all too real, and Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles took place during the early 2000’s. Fast forward to 2013, none of this science fiction seems to be happening; which begs the question, is it just that, fiction? It just might be. With the 2011 closing of the NASA shuttle program, many saw space travel taking a step back. Now, with the current government shutdown, space travel is growing increasingly at risk. NASA is shut down along with the government. Its website is down and although the people already in space “are safe”, there are no foreseeable rockets being launched.  What does this mean? Is space traveling just a waste of time and money? How does the younger generation feel about their childhood dreams being shut down, once and for all? High school and college students gave their different opinions.

            Local high school and college students were asked if they; strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, strongly disagreed or were indifferent to the statement, “Space travel is worth the time and money”.  Out of a pool of 22 students, 17 of them agreed with the statement. 8 of these 17 “strongly agreed” leaving 9 simply “agreeing”. Only 5 students disagreed with the statement and none of them voted “strongly disagree”. Perhaps the most alarming conclusion from the survey was that no student said they were indifferent.

            In a day and age where young adults are quick to say “who cares” the subject of space ignited fierce opinions within some of the 22 students in the survey. No student expressed indifference, but some students were adamant behind their feelings toward space travel. Most students who strongly agreed with space travel had in depth defenses on the matter. Boston University student John Snyder was most passionate in his response claiming, “I don’t care how we fund it, it just has to get done. I’d pay 50% income taxes if it all went to space travel”. However, he went on to say private space is superior to NASA, “because private space isn’t determined by a bunch of clueless old rich dudes”. Now Snyder brings up a whole different argument, which has to deal with the recent progress made by southern California companies, launching their first rockets into space. Others, such as Umass Dartmouth student Russell Orcutt shared Snyder’s opinion by saying space travel, “moves faster with private industries”. On the contrary, Norton High School student Nate Barrett countered with, “We already have a great program running”, in regards to NASA. Another college student, Connor F or the University of New Hampshire agreed with Nate, “I don’t think the private industry is well-equipped to handle such an endeavor”, but he also offered an alternative that suggested international help with the space program, “if several of the world’s superpowers were to combine funds and resources, things would move much quicker”.

            Out of all the different opinions thrown out on the subject matter, most of the students in favor of space travel expressed the need to find a planet to occupy once Earth is used up. This fear was common in about half of the students who advocated space travel. As Merrimack College student James Patten puts it, “as a species, we have a time limit on the planet we reside on”.  Norton High student Sam Carignan shared the same opinion and stated, “bottom line is, we need to invest in it (space travel) for our own survival”. Finally, A Brockton High School student, Tyler Bryan, had a darker view on things saying, “With the way we treat our planet, we have no choice but to explore other possible planets”.

            Others, however, were not concerned about when doomsday comes, but were simply intrigued by exploration as a science in itself.  Norton High school student Kylie Werner said, “Discovery is worth it” and her classmate Nicole Littlefield said, “who knows what we could find”, but only after admitting, “it’s really, really dangerous”. Similar to Patten’s opinion, regarding humans as a species with a duty, Assumption College student Matt Olbert was quick to state, “We are explorers, with nowhere to go but up”. There was certainly a sense of duty felt in some of the students in the survey.

            Only a small portion of the 22 students disagreed with space travel, but the opinions expressed by the 5 disagreeing students all seemed to concern the problems here on earth first. Norton High school student Cody Shannon was blunt in saying, “it’s just too much money”. Others, such as Levi Kahn, elaborated and said, “We have enough issues on earth to worry about”. The tendency of students against space travel is that they think the government is shut down and that at times, humans can’t even function properly on earth. Space should not be a priority. As Bridgewater State student Brian Farrell puts it, “Let’s explore our own oceans first”.

            Space is out there for humans to explore. Is now the time? For some, yes it is, more than ever. But for some, it’s just a waste, a hopeless endeavor and a distraction. However, among young adults and students, the common opinion is that yes, space is worth the time and the money put into it. Whether it may be for survival reasons or just for pure exploration, most students seem to think NASA and private industries must continue to receive funding. Some students don’t agree and see the government shut down as representative to our society, where we have too many problems to be in space. One thing is for sure though, students have an opinion on space travel and they all seem ready to defend their opinion to whoever asks.

           

           

           

           

            

Data Driven Research Question

I'm very interested in space travel, and with the 2012 closing of NASA's space shuttle program, along with the recent government shutdown basically guaranteeing the complete shutdown of NASA, I wonder: What do students think of space travel? Is is worth the money when poverty strikes much of the world? Is it worth closing down after we've gotten so far/already spent billions of dollars to get to space?

Interview with Kylie Barrows

Sean Mathews

F

9/23/13

Interview with Kylie Barrows

            I interviewed Norton High School student Kylie Barrows and learned about her as a person.  In her spare time, she is usually with her friends or family. She also enjoys baking in her free time. Her love for baking is something she wants to pursue when she’s older: “I want to open my own bakery”. She loves baking, but surprisingly her favorite foods are mashed potatoes and steak. When Kylie is not baking, she’s busy with different school sports including softball and track. She also plays on a travel softball team, where her team made it to nationals in Virginia. Speaking of traveling, Kylie says she’s been to Arizona and the state parks there. She says the highest suspension bridge in the world, The Royal Gorge, “is really creepy watching cars drive over it”. Back in Norton, Kylie attends Norton High School. Her opinion towards school is that, “School is school. I tolerate it” but optimistically she adds, “The new school is motivating me to do better”. She enjoys listening to country music: “I listen to country and only country”. Her favorite movies are all similar to The Last Song, she says, “I love all cliché, gushy movies”.  If she were ever arrested or in trouble she says she’d call her sister because “if I did something stupid, she’d just laugh”. She also works a nanny job in addition to all her other activities. Finally, she says her biggest pet peeve is when “people chew loudly”.

Rolling Stone Controversy

Sean Mathews
F Block Journalism
Position Piece

Journalism Controversy: “The Bomber”

            The face of a terrorist, a murderer, the cold blooded “Boston Bomber” stares emotionlessly at you from the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. He’s made up and handsome, looking innocent and very much like a rock star. What’s your reaction? Do you pick it up and dive into the featured article? Or do you take offense? You cannot believe that Rolling Stone would portray a killer in such a manner. Much controversy has surrounded the recent article “The Bomber” by Rolling Stone, which has created an argument: What is Journalism? And when should political correctness be considered? Journalism is exactly what Rolling Stone has always done, and continues to do. “The Bomber” is a well- written and essential inside look on a man that journalists dream of covering, its cover, is hardly worth all the outrage.

            As soon as Rolling Stone released its story on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the cover of the issue was immediately a hot topic throughout the country, specifically in Boston. Many places, including CVS pharmacy, opted to ban the issue from its shelves. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, protested Rolling Stone and the citizens of Boston stood behind him. So what was the big problem with the article? The source of the controversy was its cover. Internet writer Carmen Rasmusen of Desert News calls the article “heartbreaking” and boldly states, “This is outrageous.” Her reason for anger was that the image seemed to glorify the terrorist: “Does this mean that creating an act of terror is now considered something great here in the United States?” That question was asked everywhere, which lead to the opinion that Rolling Stone was not falling “within the traditions of journalism” as they claimed in defense of the article. But what really ignited the fury? David Carr of The New York Times offers insight to the argument. “It was not the image,” Carr claims, “it was the fame” and Carr has a point. Angered writers such as Rasmusen argue that being on the cover of the iconic Rolling Stone is “a huge honor”. However, Rasmusem doesn’t seem to consider the art of journalism. She aims for the politically correct stance on the matter, when in reality, the article is journalism at its finest.

            What is Journalism? What’s acceptable to cover? And what’s off limits? Journalism has always been something that uncovers a story and reveals the truth. Rolling Stone reports without bias, with thoughtful consideration, and with extensive research. The weakness in Rasmusem’s argument is that she rants, “What’s even more baffling is how this story got approved. Someone had to propose the idea. Someone had to approve it”. The counterargument to her point would be, “Of course someone proposed the idea!” This was the biggest story of the time! There is a mystery behind the bomber. Uncovering this story would be a great accomplishment for any journalist. She’s baffled at how it was proposed and approved, the process of choosing the story, but in reality, she’s forgetting the endless hours of research, interviews, and unfolding that the people of Rolling Stone conducted. Her argument becomes biased, picking apart the article and making her own personal connections to it by claiming she knows “a great deal about mental illness” because her parent is a psychiatrist and that “mental illness is no joke”. She complains about Rolling Stone and their validity and journalism skill, when her validity needs to also be considered. Rasmusen is an internet writer who not long ago, was a contestant on “American Idol”, yet she has the credibility to tear apart the staff at Rolling Stone?

            Rolling Stone was not out of line with their article on the Boston bombings. They were trying to sell issues, yes, but they were also providing the nation with a very thorough work of journalism. Critical articles such as the one by Rasmusem’s leave out the fact that this story was at the time, the biggest happening in the nation. It was a worthy topic and controversial before the Rolling Stone article. What is journalism?  The Rolling Stone article is journalism.