In March 2017, photojournalist Tomas Van Houtryve came to WCC to present his work to students. In this presentation, he highlighted his project “Traces of Exile” which focuses on the stories of refugees. In his project, Houtryve is able to give people insight to the daily life of a refugee through the use of photos posted by refugees on social media. To learn more about Tomas and his projects, click here.
The story I chose to read for this assignment was called “Mine Eats City.” This story focuses on a 400 year-old city in the Andes mountains in Peru called Cerro de Pasco. This city is slowly being swallowed from the inside out by an open-pit mine. The mine is slowly consuming not only the city landscape, but the people that inhabit it. The mine causes health problems among the people of the city. Children are being harmed because school playgrounds are covered with debris from the mine. Areas right on the edge of the mine are on the verge of being swallowed at any day. People are trying their best to access clean water and make sure they stay as healthy as possible. Most citizens don’t want the mine shut down because it is central to the city’s economy, but they want the mining companies to act responsibly and with the city’s best interest at heart. Houtryve’s use of multimedia in this story essentially makes the post. In a story like this, of course one can just write about the mine. However, to show pictures of the mine and the town itself changes the whole thing. Houtryve’s use of photography helps him to portray the tragedy faced by all of the people in Cerro de Pasco. He uses photos to show readers the mine, the town and the people living there and what they go through on a daily basis. Houtryve also adds links to other websites where readers can get more information on the story.
I sat down with 17-year-old Angela Colonna and discussed her life-long fear of elephants.
For more information or a different perspective on elephants, click the link below.
https://thegreenogre.blogspot.com/2011/05/pachydermophobia.html
The podcast I chose for this assignment was a segment from “Cosmo Happy Hour” which the podcast portion of Cosmopolitan Magazine. I chose an episode that focuses on mental health and the importance of keeping your brain healthy. It also focuses on the stigma that surrounds mental health.
I enjoy not only this episode, but the entire podcast because the host, Elisa Benson, has fun with the topics. Not all of the episodes are about serious things, in fact most of them are fun topics. I think that’s how this podcast differs from traditional radio broadcasts. Since the podcast is from Cosmopolitan Magazine, it is to be expected that some of the topics aren’t radio appropriate.
These podcasts also feature guests depending on the episode. In the mental health episode I focused on, the guests were Dr. Susan Biali, medical and wellness expert and founder of The Den Meditation and singer Mary Lambert. I thought these guests were beneficial because they provided different perspectives on mental health.
http://www1.play.it/audio/cosmo-happy-hour/mental-health/
The article I chose for my first blog assignment was one from Hollywood Reporter. The article is on the cancellation of the premiere of ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ due to a boycott from PETA. PETA decided to call for a boycott on the film when a video surfaced on TMZ of a German Shepard being forced into water while filming on set. The article explains PETA and includes quotes from them about the situation. The article also includes a direct link to the original video on TMZ and has photos from the film. There is also a comment section where people have displayed their own opinions on the situation. The only thing I would have done differently if I were writing this article, is talked a bit more about what the movie is about. Personally, I think that is a big part of what makes this story so unreal. The fact that a movie that is supposed to focus on the bond and love between a dog and his owner could have potentially harmed animals while filming is unbelievable.
To read more about the story from Hollywood Reporter, click the link below:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/a-dogs-purpose-premiere-cancelled-controversy-966354