The Rest of Methland with some New York Times Fun!

                METHLAND!

Lori Arnold in an article for The Sun. Picture from the Internet.

         Two words. Lori. Arnold. She was introduced at the end of part one and I can't believe it.  She was dirt poor and became a millionaire by selling meth. I hope no one reads Methland and gets that idea! An image I keep thinking about is the walls of her house stuffed with money. It was shocking that she went back into the business after she was arrested and charged. I read an article on Lori and it was interesting to read about her side of the story.
           When Nick Reding talked about mirror imaging, it made me frustrated to think that Sudafed, Actifed, and Benadryl were being looked at to change it's molecular structure. They'd be doing all that work because of meth addicts. I didn't know that the small percentage of addicts purchasing these medicines would make such an impact on the companies. Larry Murphy seems to be the most sensible person so far. He sees the problem, knows what caused it, and he is motivated to help rebuild Oelwein. Instead of changing the ingredients in medicines or busting every meth lab, he knows that starting with providing steady jobs with benefits is the right step. He knows that Oelwein doesn't need any more meat-packing plants or low-paying jobs with no benefits.


           I thought the beginning of Methland was more interesting and more fast paced. Towards the end it's been more information and facts. It's interesting but I loved the stories that Reding gave us. The Combat Meth Act was really interesting to me and was a great step towards controlling meth being produced. Pseudo companies have cut their production by two-thirds (from 1,130 tons to 275 tons). WOW!


            I liked the ending of the book with Murphy talking to his wife about what he saw in the suburban home. The last sentence is something I have to agree with. "How do you stop it if you can't even see it--if you can't even imagine it?" If I had the chance to go into a meth lab and see what it would look at, I would definitely do it. I'm so curious. We've been learning about meth for the second half of the semester and it's hard to imagine what the stories are talking about. I think it would be fun to have a recovered addict talk to our class about their addiction.


                 NEW YORK TIMES! (Click titles for the NYT articles!)

Learning to Play the Game to Get Into College

         I picked this article as an example for literary journalism, because they turned a story about a program called Let's Get Ready into something a lot more inspiring. They talk about two students, Jessica Charles and most importantly, Nathaly Lopera. They take a close look at Nathaly's life and her background and how she has been a hard working student. Since elementary school, Nathaly has been up and ready to get on her school bus at 6:30 am. After her school activities, she gets home as late as 10:00 pm. THEN she starts studying.

Nathaly Lopera studying. A pic from the article!

           Let's Get Ready is a free SAT Preparation for low-income students from all socio-economic backgrounds. Michael Winerip, the writer of this article, did a good job talking about this program by taking real students who struggle and try hard to continue on to higher education. He got quotes from her teachers who helped her along the way. It's an inspiring story and it opens my eyes that not everyone has the resources that I get.

At Prep School, Rolling Up Sleeves and Working the Soil

        This article is a good example of literary journalism, because it talks about the farm-to-table movement that has been recognized at private schools. For example, the Hotchkiss School, "a prestigious coeducational prep school," is returning to its roots and incorporating agriculture into its curriculum. Not only do students learn about the landscaping, they are using the fresh produce for their dining halls. The sauteed kale, parmesan roasted potatoes, zucchini squares, mixed salad greens, squash soup, pickled beets, braised parsnip, buttered carrots, green beans, and onions are all from their harvest.

        This article shows good literary work through its descriptions. I love this sentence, "The new students hiked up to the farm from campus, and shortly after, Mr. Hicks cajoled them into digging up the soil with their hands. They obliged. But the wrist-deep discovery of earthworms elicited shrieks of disgust, and the bulbous acron squash drew quizzical looks for some." It has great visual and I enjoyed the article very much! Very interesting.

A photo from the article shows students going out to gather food. Picture from NYT.

Reporters Meet the Fists of the Law

        This article started off explaining how New York cops have "arrested, punched, whacked, shoved to the ground, and throwing barriers" at reporters and photographers. I realized it was a possible literary piece, because Michael Powell (the writer of the article) began using the word "I." He writes, "I've run across the Brooklyn Bridge as protesters tossed bottles at cops, stood inside illegal squats on the Lower East Side as police massed outside..." I really enjoyed his take on the problem. He didn't put his opinion about the problem in his article, he added facts about his own position as a reporter.

          

          The best part of this article was a report on the reporters. It's rare to read a story on what they go through and it's refreshing! Reminds me of when my professor Valica Boudry has told us that in the past she has gotten punched for trying to take pictures of her subject.

         "As the police carried of a young protestor whose head was covered in a crown of blood, a photographer stood behind a metal barricade and raise his camera. Two officers ran at him, grabbed the barrier and struck him in the chest, knees, and shins."