I found this article on yahoo news this morning about our quarterback’s mother being arrested for defending her son when a fan spoke up about his role on the team. According to WDAM, the article hit the AP wire sometime this morning. The article makes snide remarks such as “It’s a wonder she didn’t start hitting him with her purse and start yelling at the guy not to talk about her baby like that,” or, “So a word to all you Southern Miss fans out there, make sure you look around before you talk trash about the Golden Eagles’ quarterback.” Apparently this isn’t her first time causing disruption at games. She was asked to leave a Petal baseball game after causing a disturbance there as well. What do you think the school will do to prevent anymore negativity in the news? After “where’s your green card” and the blackface scandal, I’m wondering if USM will ever make National news for something worthwhile. I think it would be a cool Student Printz story to investigate the situation, and see if Mrs. Alford will be allowed to attend anymore home games.
WDAM reporter Ashlea Surles wrote an investigative piece on bed bugs invading an apartment in Hattiesburg. Although the piece was written well, I believe she could have done more research. Most of Surles’ facts come from the resident affected by the bed bugs. Although this is not a problem, a good investigative piece has multiple sources proving the matter at hand. She states she knocked on 10 doors in the complex, but no one else had bugs. This does not prove her point that there is a problem with bed bugs, it proves the point of her dissenting source, the complex owner. An investigative piece needs to tell what is really happening. I believe Surles had the angle of the complex having a bug problem. In all actuality, she just wrote a news story about one person having a bug problem. I believe had she investigated this more thoroughly with more time spent on her angle, the piece would have been more affective. What I did like about Surles’ piece was the use of storytelling. I believe that the video attached to the story gave the reader a birds eye view into the problem. The video provides a visual of how serious the bed bugs were in the apartment to the point that the viewer almost becomes itchy. I think her use of video, still photos, and interviews served to be more effective than her written piece. I think we can all learn from this story that just because it has potential to be a big story, doesn’t necessarily mean it is a big story. Although the bed bugs proved to be disgusting, Surles failed to prove that the infestation was a problem for the complex. It was only a problem for the one resident. Investigative pieces take time, and lots of research. Also, we can learn that the use of storytelling through video and photos can enhance a story.
Hello friends!
I decided to feature my first underdog today. Considering I am a HUGE Dance Mom’s fan, I thought who better to feature than the cute little Chloe Lukasiak!
For a little background story on Chloe, visit this blog http://xx-dancemoms-xx.tumblr.com/tagged/chloe
If you don’t watch the show Dance Mom’s, you wouldn’t know that this beautiful little dancer is usually pushed to the side due to her team mate Maddie Zigeler getting all of the spotlight. Now, don’t get me wrong, Maddie is a beautiful dancer, but Chloe is often underestimated because of Maddie’s successes.
Chloe is often bullied and never good enough for her dance instructor Abbie Lee Miller, who does not care much for the kids, but for her reputation. This, in response to the harsh critism, causes Chloe to have a low self esteem.
However, Chloe had a huge comeback in the season one finale when she not only won first place in her division, but was also offered an elite scholarship to the Joffery Ballet Summer Intensive program. Maddie choked at the same compeition and was not offered anythign from the program.
Ofcourse, that was not enough for Abbie Lee. She cried and cried over Maddie’s incedent and completely ignored Chloe’s win. In the season 2 opener, she puts tons of pressure on Chloe to “take the place of Maddie,” in hopes that she too would choke.
Chloe overcame the pressure and won 5th in her division at a Las Vegas competition, and led the group to a win as well.
Chloe is a prime example of an underdog. She not only has a genuine soul, but has talent that clearly shines on the show. She has overcome so much pressure at the age of 11 that not many people could handle in their 20’s. To watch Chloe dance, visit this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNJS50fnXNY
We can all learn a lesson from Chloe. When the going gets tough, just keep your head high. In her case, when the going gets tough, keep on dancing.
Welcome to Ode to the Underdogs! This blog basically will feature people, events and press about those who you think would be the last person to succeed. To start out this blog, my first question that I was posed with was “What is an underdog?” Well, other than a popular cartoon, I found that an underdog is someone who overcomes a certain feat, or adversity that life throws at them. A prime example of an underdog would be the entire cast of Glee, but I promise I won’t sing you any show tunes….unless you ask.
I then had to come up with an idea of how to feature these “underdogs” in a way that wasn’t so cheesy to the point of it becoming an inspirational Disney movie like Miracle, or what not. (Although, I would highly enjoy that, don’t count me out yet Disney!)
So, what is a characteristic of an underdog?
- Least expected to succeed
- Has very low self esteem caused by societal pressures
- Endures and overcomes some type of adversity with grace
- Has a little thing called desire
One thing that we all have in common in this screwed up world, where dogs eat dogs, people eat people’s faces and so on, we all are brought together by one common thread. A desire to do something with ourselves. Underdogs understand this more than anyone.
So, kick back, relax, and enjoy the blog. You might find that the big dogs in town just so happen to be the Chihuahuas.
Nasty little things, aren’t they?
-E
Erinl5111's Blog 