The Plagiarized Pieces of Jayson Blair

Jayson Blair, a 27 year-old staff reporter from The New York Times repeatedly wrote false pieces ranging from topics like sniper attacks in Washington to topics about grieving with war. Blair managed to keep his faulty pieces running through the press from October 2002 to April 2003; not a very long run.

Compared to the situation seen in the film "Shattered Glass", Stephen Glass managed to go years before being caught, and wrote 27 plagiarized pieces. Something that may have separated both Glass and Blair from each other was their characteristics.

Glass, in the film, is described as this awkward, nervous and self-conscious people-pleaser. Being this kind of character gave him an edge where other people feel they need to defend him. Blair maybe might not have had these characteristics or something similar to them, instead he may have been a suspicious person which would've led to him getting caught.

Below is the link to the The New York Times' message to their readers concerning Blair's plagiarism.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/us/correcting-the-record-times-reporter-who-resigned-leaves-long-trail-of-deception.html

The Heat: Good and Bad Reviews

Looking at both a positive and negative review of The Heat, by top critics Cath Clark and Stephanie Zacharek, it's obvious that The Heat wasn't the summer's blockbuster comedy. The Heat came across as  the standard comedy with hidden meanings which do not openly express themselves.

The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, follows the story of an uptight FBI agent (Bullock) and an angered, constantly pushy Boston cop (McCarthy), both in pursuit of a drug lord throughout a majority of the movie.

Positive Review: A positive review of the film, written by Cath Clark, states that the film really does do a good job making a comedy where these two characters from different worlds, work together for a common cause. They do also state the presence of a hidden meaning for the film, which is how much disrespect the two receive in their two workplaces and how this is mainly the same for women in the police force.

Negative Review: In the review written by Stephanie Zacharek, she gives a slightly lower review on the film mainly talking about the predictability of the film. She touches base on some of the funniest moments and how ridiculous it is to find Bullock as the comedy fall guy to McCarthy. Zacharek also states that even though it features the dream team from Bridesmaids (director Paul Feig and actress McCarthy), it is not the blockbuster we were expecting.

My Word: I saw The Heat when I without social contact for a couple weeks and found myself in the situation to say, "Why not," Going in I wasn't expecting much although I also didn't know what to expect. But after seeing the film I still say that it's a bit underrated. Both the positive reviews and negative reviews point out the week points about the film like it's predictability, but it is a comedy film not next years Oscar.

The Heat created the unexpected combination of two brilliant actresses and put them both in an unusual situation to make a better comedy movie than most. These two critics are well known for their reviews and certainly can be trusted in giving you an honest, true review of films to come.

http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-06-26/film/the-heat-movie-review/
-Cath Clark

http://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-heat
-Stephanie Zacharek

Mr. Byron Williams: An Invisible Writer

Most everyone can have their profession identified by the way they look. Construction workers have the signature orange clothes and hardhat incorporatd with their uniforms. A business associate or an attorney may be seen more than once dressing up nicely in a suit or dress.

Writers however are the invisible people. A writer could be dressed in most anything in public, and you probably wouldn't know it. Mr. Byron Williams best captures the example of an “invisible” writer.

Williams is a Roosevelt teacher with a majority of his classes taking place in a workshop. He teaches classes which introduce students to the basic techniques of construction and metalworking. At the same time he finds time his day to express his creativity in writing.

Williams spends, on average, 30 minutes a week writing novels and short stories.

He puts teaching and his family and kids before his writing and hobbies, but even though he finds time to create stories when they're his priority.

“I used to make up stories for them at bedtime when they were younger. That's what I first started writing about,” Willams said.

Williams feels most comfortable writing during the evening where he can reach a calm, peaceful place where the matters of the world do not interfere.

Writing is not only a form of expression for Williams, but is also something for him to leave behind for the future.

Although writing wasn't something he always wanted as a kid, it was something that never left his thoughts.

“It was always something that lingered when I was younger. It wasn't a definite yes or not, but was a way of expression in my self,” Williams said.

Along with teaching the youth, he would also like to see more of the youth expressing themselves through writing. He feels that the youth can express their feelings and ideas through writing as opposed to acting out.

“”I think it's okay to write. I think we should let our youth know it's okay to do something not everyone else is doing, to do something different,” He said.

Williams is on his way to finishing his novel and will soon be on the road to publishing. Although most writers, like Williams, don't aim for fame, he aims to inspire.

Partner Interview

Manikka Creighton Crum, a Roosevelt sophomore taking Journalism that still has them time in her day to be not just a cheerleader, but Roosevelt's cheerleader.

A person can have so many favorite things, at least one for food, colors, feelings. Although one of Manikka's favorites is her time of the day. She definitely does not prefer the morning, but does prefer the late afternoon where cheer practice has just ended giving her relaxation time.

Her favorite color is light blue and her favorite food is chicken curry. Her favorite movie currently is “Grease”, she says this is because it's just a movie she's been watching a lot lately.

Her favorite pastime was when she lived in Bali a couple years back and spent time with her father. Bali is in Indonesia, which is obviously very far away, where a trip to see your father means a lot.

Manikka currently has a job at B-Bops, a well known burger joint here in Des Moines. Manikka also said if she were to change anything she would change the lunch food and the time periods for lunch.

Manikka's plans for after high school include going to college, where she is currently considering the University of Iowa or a college located in New York. Right now she has no favored or preferred major.