The little girl walked closely with her mother in the gift shop, eyeing all the ceramic figurines. Shelf after shelf contained tiny statues of light blue angels with outstretched wings or teddy bears with their paws in casts. The mother picked out a palm- sized jewelry box with a teddy bear sitting on top. She walked over to the to cash register where a white-haired woman promptly wrapped the box in white tissue and dropped it in pink plastic bag. The mother handed the bag to her daughter who tightly clutched the small bag close to her heart with both hands. She gazed downward so nobody could see her porcelain face with bright red cheeks. Mother exited the gift shop with daughter following closely behind, careful never to stray away more than a few inches.
The pair rejoined members of the their family waiting in the hospital lobby. The mother seated herself among the circle of cousins, aunts, and an uncle. The small girl took a seat on her mother’s knee, still grasping the pink bag that blended in with the pink stripes on her shirt. The girl’s mother began fixing the girl’s hair into two dark-brown pony tails that sprouted from her head. The mother struck up a conversation with the girl’s aunt. Meanwhile the little girl stared wide-eyed around the hospital. The blue chairs and couches of the lobby were nearly empty, only a few visitors and nurses strolled. There was a cappuccino station, but it stood abandoned in the corner. Nobody was going to get their strong brew this morning.
After almost an half-hour of conversation, the family began making their way down a corridor. Posted above them were glowing signs with navigating arrows guiding everyone through the web of hospital sectors; emergency, radiology, cancer center. The little girl still clung near her mother, like a moon that never dares leave its orbit. Next to her hung the pink bag in the girl’s small hands.
The group turned right into a room where even more family waited. Everybody entered the room slowly because of the limited walking space.
At last the mother and daughter entered the room.
“Go ahead mama,” said the mother, giving her daughter a gentle nudge forward.
The little girl walked to the side of her great-grandmother seated on a chair in a blue hospital gown with a green blanket draped over her legs. The little girl stretched out her arms, finally loosening the grip on the pink bag to give it to the smiling matriarch. The great-grandmother closed her eyes, grinned even wider and held the pink bag close to her heart with both hands.
“Thank you mama,” said the great-grandmother.
The little girl looked down and disappeared behind her mother.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
A journalist in lawyer's clothing
Recently I interviewed Geoffrey Rynex, a 21-year-old journalism student. Geoff hails from Chicago and attends school at USC where his focus is print journalism and political science. The following is an interview with Geoff on his reasons for studying journalism, and his hopes of pursuing a career in law.
Q: What are some interesting things that you have done?
A: I’m going to Washington D.C. this summer. I have an internship at a newspaper covering politics. It’s called the The Institute on Political Journalism. It’s affiliated with the Fund for American Studies, which is through Georgetown University.
Q: How did you find out about it?
A: I found it on a Facebook ad. I always wanted to work at D.C. As a journalist I want to cover national and international politics.
Q: Why?
A: I was interested in politics. It seemed like a natural way to fill out the watchdog function of the media. What appealed to me was the idea of being a watchdog and informing the people and making a difference. Journalism is a way to know things before anyone else. And I like writing.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: After Fall semester. I’ll get out a semester early. I get credits from Georgetown University.
Q: What are you going to do?
A: I decided I wanted to go to law school. I am going to have a year and a half between the LSAT and law school. I’ll do freelance reporting, or paralegal work to get me started and learn the ropes. I’m going to try to go to NYU or Columbia. I like New York, it is one of my favorite cities. I would go back to school the Fall of 09.
Q: Why did you want to go to law school?
A: I feel the law is another way of approaching politics. I always thought I could practice law for five years and if I hated it I can always go back to journalism.
Q: What do you want to practice? Do you want to be a prosecutor, a defense attorney?
A: Constitutional law is where I would want to practice, or international law.
The law is a profession that never seems to shrink it always seems to grow, and I can still make a difference.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
A: Hopefully I will have a successful law career and move into supreme court reporting, or judicial reporting for a major paper.
Q: What are some interesting things that you have done?
A: I’m going to Washington D.C. this summer. I have an internship at a newspaper covering politics. It’s called the The Institute on Political Journalism. It’s affiliated with the Fund for American Studies, which is through Georgetown University.
Q: How did you find out about it?
A: I found it on a Facebook ad. I always wanted to work at D.C. As a journalist I want to cover national and international politics.
Q: Why?
A: I was interested in politics. It seemed like a natural way to fill out the watchdog function of the media. What appealed to me was the idea of being a watchdog and informing the people and making a difference. Journalism is a way to know things before anyone else. And I like writing.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: After Fall semester. I’ll get out a semester early. I get credits from Georgetown University.
Q: What are you going to do?
A: I decided I wanted to go to law school. I am going to have a year and a half between the LSAT and law school. I’ll do freelance reporting, or paralegal work to get me started and learn the ropes. I’m going to try to go to NYU or Columbia. I like New York, it is one of my favorite cities. I would go back to school the Fall of 09.
Q: Why did you want to go to law school?
A: I feel the law is another way of approaching politics. I always thought I could practice law for five years and if I hated it I can always go back to journalism.
Q: What do you want to practice? Do you want to be a prosecutor, a defense attorney?
A: Constitutional law is where I would want to practice, or international law.
The law is a profession that never seems to shrink it always seems to grow, and I can still make a difference.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
A: Hopefully I will have a successful law career and move into supreme court reporting, or judicial reporting for a major paper.
Friday, January 12, 2007
My 3 favorite Web sites
My favorite Web sites for information did not originate on the Web, but are extensions of two radio shows and one newspaper that I already frequently read or listen to.
First is National Public Radio's Web site at www.npr.org I was already a fan of the show's in- depth news stories and analysis, and the Web site offers more of the same. Some of the best features of the Web site are the Politics & Society section, which features stories about the latest, controversial or heated national debates. The Web site's Opinion section gives news analysis and commentary. The articles are informative, not sensational, and reflect ideas or points of view not previously heard. One example off the top of my head was a story comparing veterans' benefits after WWII to benefits today.
Another Web site I go to is www.latimes.com When I'm too cheap to buy the paper, I can always log onto the Web site. I can read the daily stories as well as updated articles. Often times, I can read the next day's print stories online the night before. Also I am a fan of the Times' opinion section. Like NPR, the Times' also publish interesting op-ed pieces which provide a different perspective to current events which I have not heard before. Lastly, the Times' can be cumbersome paper to read, full of useless ads for a lot of junk I do not need or can't afford. Reading the paper online eliminates throwing away unwanted coupons.
My third, and probably one of my favorite Web sites is www.coasttocoast.com The Web site is the online version of Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell. Art Bell is the guy to listen to for anything weird and bizarre such as UFOs, fringe science, ghosts, time travel, etc. It's the kind of show where you will hear theories about how aliens built the pyramids, or how the military used psychics to help find Saddam Hussein. No, I do not believe in everything on the Web site, but it's fascinating and entertaining. The Web site includes information on upcoming guests as well as links to Web sites explaining their wild theories. The site also has thousands of pictures that fans have taken of "ghosts", "aliens" and even "demons". The Web site is a lot of fun and a good substitute for one of the coolest radio shows I've ever heard.
First is National Public Radio's Web site at www.npr.org I was already a fan of the show's in- depth news stories and analysis, and the Web site offers more of the same. Some of the best features of the Web site are the Politics & Society section, which features stories about the latest, controversial or heated national debates. The Web site's Opinion section gives news analysis and commentary. The articles are informative, not sensational, and reflect ideas or points of view not previously heard. One example off the top of my head was a story comparing veterans' benefits after WWII to benefits today.
Another Web site I go to is www.latimes.com When I'm too cheap to buy the paper, I can always log onto the Web site. I can read the daily stories as well as updated articles. Often times, I can read the next day's print stories online the night before. Also I am a fan of the Times' opinion section. Like NPR, the Times' also publish interesting op-ed pieces which provide a different perspective to current events which I have not heard before. Lastly, the Times' can be cumbersome paper to read, full of useless ads for a lot of junk I do not need or can't afford. Reading the paper online eliminates throwing away unwanted coupons.
My third, and probably one of my favorite Web sites is www.coasttocoast.com The Web site is the online version of Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell. Art Bell is the guy to listen to for anything weird and bizarre such as UFOs, fringe science, ghosts, time travel, etc. It's the kind of show where you will hear theories about how aliens built the pyramids, or how the military used psychics to help find Saddam Hussein. No, I do not believe in everything on the Web site, but it's fascinating and entertaining. The Web site includes information on upcoming guests as well as links to Web sites explaining their wild theories. The site also has thousands of pictures that fans have taken of "ghosts", "aliens" and even "demons". The Web site is a lot of fun and a good substitute for one of the coolest radio shows I've ever heard.
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