InkTank

An Unlikely Miracle

The longer I’ve been here, the more I’ve recognized the importance of coming to D.C. with an open mind. While in a program like Washington Journalism Center, going to different parts of town is inevitable. Saturday I experienced two very opposite parts of town in a matter of hours, and I learned things in places I didn't necessarily expect to.

Bus Day.

Around 10 a.m., a group of six of us from WJC and ASP left the Dellenback for Anacostia—one of the most impoverished areas of the city.  The intersection where we got off the bus was a bit desolate on the cloudy, chilly morning. Our first stop was a Bethel Christian Fellowship, a small church near our bus stop. The door was unlocked, so we walked inside. There was a group of African-American children near the stage, and scattered adults in the chairs. Everyone turned to look at us.

Is music for one person or to be shared?

Imagine a room full of people laughing and having a good time. No television, no iPod, not even a radio are present in the room and yet the party does not need these things. The room fills with the sound of a grand piano and then the soft sweet sound of a woman’s voice. The people sit and sip wine while the woman sings.

That is how it was in the early 1800s. Today music is not shared in this way. People put their headphones on and shut out the other people around them. The intended community of music has been lost to modern conveniences and perhaps just the laziness of today’s society. It is easier to flip a switch then to sing together as a group for the satisfaction of the human need for other people.

In the early 1800s music was a community event. People would gather together with their instruments to entertain themselves and others. It was a way of communicating feelings and emotions in an open way with friends and family. It was a way to become closer with people while at the same time being entertained. However the very purpose of music from it’s origins was to share it. Composers took extra time to write a song down in order that later it could be played or sang by someone else or at a social function. Today music is not so much of a community event. Music is more personal, something that is not shared with others. iPods have become super popular making listening to music a one man show. Music has become more of a white noise for people. People don’t focus on it’s lyrics which are about the human condition. It is simply something to block out the silence while doing everyday activities

In the 1800s music was a sort of refinery. It was a statement of wealth and social status. Only the wealthy could afford the instruments needed to create music. To listen to music was to make a statement that one was successful in the world. It meant more than just entertainment. Today music is something that is accessible to all people. Radios are inexpensive luxuries and any song imaginable can be bought from iTunes for ninety-nine cents. Music still creates a statement according to the genre that one listens to, but it is no longer a statement of wealth and refinery.

"The Beast" ate my writing skills

By Amy Seed and Leah Girard

The day we landed in Washington, DC was the day we forgot how to write.

Everything we thought we knew about writing we quickly learned was false. OK, not everything, but it sure felt that way. From the beginning, WJC staff Terry and Greg told us stories of ledes gone wrong. Terribly wrong.  A couple weeks ago, they introduced us to "The Beast."

This is the most common and boring lede that could possibly be written. It sounds something like this: "This group met on this day and did this."

Lame. We realized we've been writing ledes like that for most of our young journalistic careers. Can you say, "Uh oh?"

From the World of InfoTainment....

The Colbert Report's Stephen Colbert gives a powerpoint on the basics of Hip Hop/Free Style Rap Battles

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Conservative Rap Battle - Michael Steele Gets Served
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart on CNN "Fact-Checking" Saturday Night Live.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
CNN Leaves It There
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

LOST on Flash Forward

LOST makes an appearance on the pilot of the new pre-apocalyptic show Flash Forward. Anyone see the reference?

It's hard to miss.

H/T The illustrious Tom Peeling.

Superhero, Barack Obama

Review: "Twilight"

Okay, just to be clear here: I'm reviewing the book, not the movie. I haven't seen the movie, but I use the pictures because it brings more hits. True story.

Now, I approached this book with a bit of trepidation. After all, what would I tell people if I actually liked it? Twilight has earned the rap of being a girl's book and more specifically a tween girl's book. However, as a writer in the fantasy genre and some one who's been fascinated with vampire books for a long time (recent evidence), I thought it was worth a read.

So here are my thoughts:

What if Church worship looked like an NBA game?

Ironically, this spoof video isn't too far from some of the things I've seen. This YouTube video should have been called, "Does your worship ALREADY look like NBA game?"

Why Sony wins the video game wars

Yes. I think Sony wins the video game wars. You will either find this statement (a) entirely credulous since I already sunk $600 into a 60GB Playstation 3 (personal bias revealed) or (b) entirely incredulous, because the Wii is clearly the fastest-selling system, and the XBox 360 has the most marketshare of next-generation games.

Let me start by saying that there is nothing wrong with either of the other two systems. But here are my reasons for this statement.

Why LOST still matters

Full disclosure: I'm a LOST nerd. No really, I'm that guy. The one who has all the crazy theories about the Island, who Jacob is, etc. I'm going to try to be objective about my appreciation for this show...actually I won't.

For those of you not similarly addicted, here's a brief summary (is that possible?) from Wikipedia:

 LOST is an American serial drama television series. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney, Australia and Los Angeles, United States crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Each episode typically features a primary storyline on the island as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character's life, though other time-related plot devices change this formula in later episodes. The pilot episode was first broadcast on September 22, 2004, and since then five full seasons have aired.

When ratings began to drift in season two and early season three and accusations flew that the writers didn't know where the show was going, ABC did something unprecedented. They allowed the writers to set an end date for a successful show.

Now LOST did shed some viewers in the process (in the five seasons, they've gone from 16 million viewers to 11 million). LOST is essentially a niche show on a broadcast channel, yet it has managed to be relatively successful both by critics and viewers. How has it done that? I have no clue. But I have some ideas about why the show still matters:

(1) The writers of LOST, unlike most other broadcast shows, have decided to reward obsessive compulsive viewers like me, while leaving causal viewers in the dust. Some studies have shown that though LOST doesn't have the best ratings during the broadcast hour, it does fabulous online. It's one of the highest recorded shows on DVR, frequently tops iTunes for downloads and tops hulu in views as well. So despite the moves other shows have taken to become more procedural on broadcast, LOST has maintained it's serial nature.