Journalism: NY Times Article Reviews

Gene Therapy in Embryos

November 28th, 2016

I read an article today that was in the format of a letter to the editor, although it was very short it was very insightful when attempting to open new windows. The author, Robert Klitzman is the director of the master’s of bioethics program at Columbia University and is the author of  “The Ethics Police?: The Struggle to Make Human Research Safe.” This opinion piece was slightly biased because of the lack of opposing views but I am able to look past it due to the credible and professional views of the doctor. The points that were made were not backed up with evidence or data, but he also referenced other articles that delve deeper into the topic. By skimming some of the other articles I established multiple connections between the original piece and the opinion piece. This topic interests me because I hope to become a pediatrician in the future and my English class is also doing a debate on this topic. Some main ideas that I noticed throughout this article were:

• "...rightly celebrates the first birth of a child using mitochondrial replacement therapy, performed in Mexico." This point adds a global aspect and it also provides a moral perspective into how the United States does not allow this type of research and the effects that it has.
• "...fears of potential long-term adverse effects, and of opening a Pandora’s box of altering genes in embryos." This point was a definite weakness because it really left such a strong point open ended, I wish the author could've established a definite stance.
• "The considerable health benefits to patients can potentially outweigh these risks, as long as this technology is used carefully, in controlled ways, with close, continuing monitoring. Recognizing and addressing these ethical issues will be the best way of allowing research to proceed that may benefit innumerable patients." These points should be delved into deeper but I definitely enjoyed the vast array of perspectives (health, technical, ethical, etc.) that are included in this article.

I would definitely enjoy reading more articles like this one but more research definitely needs to be conducted before solidifying a definite stance.

Stalking Black Friday Bargains

November 29th, 2016

While reading this article, I must note that there was a massive variety of advertisements and pop-ups displaying, black Friday and cyber Monday deals. This article was very insightful and I learned what Black Friday is like from a mother's perspective which is definitely something that I never thought about. I also never considered that the election would be taxing for Black Friday shoppers, considering that it distracts them from making lists to organize their shopping experience. Although looking at it from the perspectives of two mothers was very interesting, it causes this piece to become very limited when it comes to a variance in outlooks. I also extremely respect the opinion of the money-saving mother that decided to not spend as much money on electronics such as tablets, computers, or phones but rather make her own gifts that will make the overall family atmosphere happier with free foot massages and family trips to the movie theater. This article also makes itself very attractive by beginning with a narrative that will relate to the average mother: "With a baby strapped to her front, a knapsack on her back and a Donald Duck coffee mug in one hand..." This is not the type of article that should include statistics or data but it could've added credibility with the addition of graphs, charts, or statistics especially when comparing online shopping to local business shopping.

Pickle

November 30th, 2016

This article is perfectly summed up in the first sentence of the second paragraph: "In spite of their inherent sadness, the stories were also entertaining. That was largely because of the unusual array of animals my father and his wife collected, but also because of the lengths they would go to to keep them alive and comfortable." I very much enjoyed the voice of this article because it introduces a first person view and adds an emotional and relatable appeal to this article. For some reason this article really drew me in and I was really interested in all of the story of these animals, it is probably because I have five pets at home that I am very much devoted to. The adorable qualities of this film 'Pickle' really adds another dimension to this article because this is an opinion piece the opinion should be credible and accurate. I believe that this article did a very good job of incorporating this essential element by saying, "I try to find a funny side to everything, and tragedy is no exception. This film’s unrelenting march of death has a light side, but hopefully between morbid curiosity and chuckling at the sheer volume of casualties, the audience will find a bit of themselves in this film." Overall this article made me smile because of it's very unique attributes and it's nothing like I've ever read before.

Museum Cafeteria Serves Black History and a Bit of Comfort

December 1st, 2016

As an employee in the food industry I can vouch for the stressful atmosphere of a restaurant. The people chatting, the glasses clinking, and the constant motion of the staff. I cannot imagine the pressure put onto this staffs shoulders, by accepting the responsibility of telling the story of the African diaspora through food that customers grew up eating and have deeply held opinions about. Cooks at the Sweet Home Café inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture literally have the weight of history on their shoulders. I was unaware that there statistics about black-owned food service companies but according to this article, Thompson Hospitality is the largest one and it owns the café. I was also very surprised that this restaurant was the Smithsonian’s first attempt to embrace the idea that a museum’s cafeteria. The whole purpose of the museum is to place people into history and help them to understand culture as the art, literature and historical documents on display. It was very liberating learning the goals and aspirations of this restaurant as it definitely impacts a very wide variety of people so they are determined to satisfy. "Sweet Home Café is intended to both expand the understanding of the black experience in America and comfort museum-goers who spend hours exploring a collection that is both painful and powerful."

You’re a Bee. This Is What It Feels Like.

December 2nd, 2016

This article attracted me initially because of it's first two sentences. Throughout this entire article, you presume the role of a bee which is very different than any other article I've ever read. It's like a four dimensional movie in which it stimulates all of your senses taste, touch, smell and more in which the bee tries to decide what to pick up and bring home. This article really got me thinking and inspired me to come up with a new perspective for any story. Maybe the plot can be the life of a man with Alzheimer's but from the perspective of his dog, kind of like, "Disney's The Shaggy Dog" or "Dog With a Blog" but all of it in the dogs perspective.
Anyway, to get back on topic, the way they worded this article, they were able to add definitions in randomly without it sounding disorganized or sporadic. Not to mention that all of the information and definitions were well organized and sourced with hyperlinks. It also included a sort of interactive questionnaire that destines which path you are going to take in your bee experience. I learned many interesting facts about bees the first time that I clicked through the interactive qualities but once I went back through and selected the option, pretending as if I were a bee expert, there was no new facts that I could learn from. I also felt that the interactive feature over powered the overall learning opportunity, it just went on for far too long. It was also not helpful that there was no button to go back so once you got far along and you made a mistake, you were forced to either continue or start over. Overall, I really enjoyed this article, I definitely recommend it, and I hope I could read more like it that do not have over powering features but is loaded with information and resources.

TV Review; 35 Years of Game Shows Surveyed

December 5th, 2016

I may have stumbled upon the greatest vintage article that has an account from 1984 about TV shows which is great because I am a old series and movie fanatic. It is so nostalgic to read a piece that was written in the past  about the future, to be able to pick out the inaccuracies throughout this piece was just adorable. In fact, in the article, he refers to television as ''that strange-looking radio with the window.'' This article also got me thinking about the quality of game shows that we have on nowadays, you would think that with less of a quantity of game shows, the quality would be better but it has remained about the same. Throughout the duration of this article, the author writes about 'Mr. Reiner' and does a basic review of his radio talk show. By the author drawing from an outside source, it adds credibility to his claims and it really helps to open your eyes about the future considering the events on the past from the accounts of two completely different people. I loved that I didn't understand some of the references that were made in this article, it just goes to show how much the times have truly changed and what was popular then isn't so popular now. I would be very intrigued to read the rest of Mr. Reiner's talk show, I can only imagine how classically superior it is compared to the monotonous drivel that we are used to today.