This slide show was about the crime occurring in Venezuela.  What is interesting is that what is being stolen are peoples bones.  People who practice a Cuban religion called Palo are stealing the bones from graves to use in rituals.  What was missing for me was I didn’t know anything about Palo.  The slide show would have benefited from some more back ground.  The religion is discussed in the later slides a bit more, but it seems that it would make more sense if they were discussed in the beginning.  Also, why are the bones being stolen in Venezuela and not Cuba? This Cuban religion has migrated to Venezuela, more of that…  The photographs were good.  It was definitely important to show the reaction of someone who’s relative’s grave was dug up and bones stolen.  Though a slide show isn’t the actual article and clearly cannot give all of the info, there are still things that definitely need to be mentioned.  For me it was more about this Palo religion and why the bones are needed.  I wanted to see more of this and in the beginning of the slide show.

All I have to say about the multimedia portion of this article on the perils of body building in today’s paper is the following: Ew.

In short, the article reveals some recent research done on body builders and their rapidly deteriorating kidneys, as a result of anabolic steroid use. The article doesn’t really have a sense of timeliness or urgency–especially since it is widely known that these enormous people we see walking the streets once or twice a year are most certainly taking steroids, painkillers, diuretics, and the rest of the pharmacy, all on regular basis. The novelty of the article is in its technical discussion of steroids in relation to kidney disease, using several body builders as evidence. The article lacks any truly solid quotes. Despite the dry delivery of a not-so-newsworthy topic, body building is the sort of thing that has, at one time or another, astounded all of us non-muscular people. With that, it was not enough for the article to mention that somebody actually pulled a 40,000 lb bus with his body. Seeing actual footage of it is infinitely more satisfying.

The multimedia section offers a video featuring Patrick Antonecchia, a body builder who has been forced to quit building after 25 years of lifting and muscle-making. He speaks to the camera quite eloquently, unknowing of the fact that it’s impossible for us to listen to a damn word he says when we’re watching him move a school bus with his shoulders. Watching body builders, many of whom we know take steroids, flex their muscles, flash their trophies, and pose in ridiculous outfits is reminiscent of watching a car wreck: no matter how terrifying, you just can’t look away.

The multimedia portion (in this case, video and photos) really make this piece worthwhile. It’s not that body builders losing their kidney’s is un-newsworthy. It was fine to read without the visual, and I really do feel for body builders whose passion is taking a toll on their kidneys, but seeing what they look like once again (in the event that anybody has never seen a body builder, or has forgotten what they look like) really helps to build a stronger, more memorable article.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/12/07/travel/20091207-greenland-slideshow_index.html Slideshow

It hard to imagine living in Greenland as an Inuit hunter… especially these days when much of the Arctic is literally melting away. In this slide show Greenland looks not so much like a different country but more like a different planet. The Photos were taken in black and white  giving them a timeless quality. The people in the photos look just as desolate as the landscape. One article accompanying the slide show talked of global warming and the shrinking Greenland. However, now this isolated terrain is only a non-stop flight away from Washington and is becoming a tourist hot spot. The article went on to question if tourist expeditions, starting at $5,745 + airfare, should be encouraged. On one hand the emissions from the flights alone, there is at least one leaving every week, are adding to Greenland’s climate change. Dennis Schmitt, the leader of one such Greenland voyage, thought it was important to bring people face to face with global warming and its effect on a land and culture. I think the pictures severed as one way to show the effects of global warming with out the cost and harms of an actual trip. Though I have to say, if I had the time and money I would jump on a trip to the Arctic.

I also liked this slide show about Chicago food. It made my mouth water and shows how much multimedia can add to an article. I think it would also be very effective if somehow they could incorporate smell….http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/29/travel/20091129-chicago-slideshow_index.html

This piece was about a “big wave”(meaning any wave over 20 feet) suffering competition in Hawaii, which hasn’t been done since 2004. But I thought this worked as a multimedia piece mostly because it’s visually appealing. It just made the whole subject seem much more alive and attractive, otherwise the words by themselves would have been dull. The words by themselves were mostly quotes that nobody would care about besides hardcore surf fans. The fact that I’m in New York city in December made them all the more alluring. The pictures really helped depict the fact that this event rarely occurs and tons of people showed up.

Ukweshwama is the ritual killing of a bull, a ceremony performed by the Zulu tribe in Africa to celebrate the new harvest. The killing is done bare-handedly and is unnecessarily brutal, creating a conflict between the tribe members and animals rights groups that have taken up the cause, calling the ritual cruel.

Though I am a vegetarian myself, I am not sure that I side completely with the animal rights group, which brought the issue to court. This is not simply a question of right or wrong, it is also a question of acceptance of other cultures. Zizi Kodwa, a spokesman for President Jacob Zuma, and a Zulu himself, said, ”This is reminiscent of the arrival of European settlers on our shores who declared that our people were barbaric heathens who needed to be civilized,” and remained staunchly for the annual ceremony. Besides, who is to call the Zulu’s barbaric, when there are slaughterhouses that kill tons of cattle each day?

The descriptions of the actual killing, though, are difficult to read: the bull is trampled on, sand stuffed in its mouth, its tongue ripped out, and its penis tied in a knot (?!) Some claim this is not the way it supposed to be, the bull’s neck is supposed to be snapped, so that its death is quick and painful- clearly, though, this does not always happen. Anyways, there are some great photos, in spite of the fact that they usually do not let cameras in. Number 5 on the slideshow seems to be the picture everyone expects, it depicts a tribe leader wearing a traditional headdress who looks like he’s about to go for the bull…

This works well as a multimedia piece because without the pictures you don;t really get a sense of how remote the Zulu culture is from our own. Of course, like many professional photos, the beautiful images shown probably idealize the Zulu’s exoticism. I think that the fact that the pictures were added, though, might show that the writer leans towards the side of the tribal members, the pictures don’t at all appear barbaric, but glossy and beautiful.

here is the main article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/world/africa/09safrica.html?_r=1

A video works well because you really need to see a LifeStraw in action to understand how it works – it would be difficult to get this across otherwise. The reporter demonstrates how it’s used in a Central Park fountain, followed by a video of someone using it in Kenya, which gives a cool juxtaposition. This tactic makes it hit closer to home; I cringed a little when he starting drinking from the fountain before I realized how clean that was in comparison.

I didn’t feel that this use of multimedia was gratuitous, nor did it feel promotional; I remember seeing a commercial about these a few years ago, one of those really sad, 4-minute long ones (Sarah McLachlan-ish). I was afraid the video was going to take that route, but it was strictly news.

Side note: I’ve always loved this series in The Guardian, 24 Hours in Pictures. Pictures throughout the world, taken on the same day. Here’s yesterday’s.

Why does this piece even exist? It chronicles, in an unnecessary amount of detail, a couple who is struggling to decorate their first apartment. To make a long article short, the apartment is in the West Village, the Times convinced a decorator to work with them for free, and they ended up spending 2.5 times their original budget, $730 of which was spent on “accent” pillows. How does one not only pitch, but justify adding so many multimedia features to a piece this frivolous? Surely the multimedia effort could have been better spent elsewhere.

I clicked on it because it had 57 comments. Here are some of them:

Id, from Boston: “Only $4,000? How ever do they manage? I will keep this young couple in my prayers.”

Lilly, from Brooklyn: “. . I think the commenters so far, who would have made throw pillows out of middle eastern dresses and repainted the classic dining room chairs instead of spending all their time shopping, could have made a far more exciting design story.”

George, from Florida: “Like so many Americans, the Wootens succeeded at failing. The end result pleases them. BUT. Like so many Americans they were unable to live within their budget. Starting at $2,000 they doubled it to $4,000. Spent $5,175 pre-tax. Enjoying the bubble machine, living the American way! Elect the Wootens to Congress, they would fit right in!”

How much importance is placed on comment count? This article has 57, but most commentors didn’t get or like the piece. Is that the point?

I was pleased to find this piece in the Times’ photojournalism blog: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/showcase-64/

It seems that everything has been so heavy lately. With a deadly strain of flu affecting our world, a raven-haired Alaskan pocketing millions from a shrewd publishing deal, and a couple of major party crashers rubbing elbows with our President, I’ve been plagued with constant anxiety and fear. Luckily, though, Lens posted the aforementioned piece, spotlighting men with Presidential names and how they themselves shape up against the few individuals who have lead this county.

What works for me here, especially, is the visual element. Each portrait resonates, but I found George Washington’s the most compelling. Mr. Washington, back in prison for the fourth time, mimics the earliest known image of George Washington. The picture and the story provide a great contrast – this Mr. Washington has been to prison. This Mr. Washington thought he’d never live to see the day when the USA would elect a black president.

Oh, and this Mr. Washington is black, too.

And even though that would’ve been mentioned in the written portion of the piece, seeing the visual makes it resonate more deeply, adding another layer of context that elevates the idea of the piece even more.

21st Century Indulgences

Have you been bad today? Did you cut someone in line, shove someone on the subway, steal some chocolate covered almonds from the trail mix bar at Whole Foods?

There are many ways in which one can do wrong in New York City. Opportunity for sinning seems to be everywhere we look. But now, if you have a few bucks, and want to make things right again, you can repent: Ethos water at Starbucks provides clean water for children, the Gap sells t-shirts that save AIDS victims, and D’Agostino’s, the upscale grocery store, now has gift bags that help diabetic children.

Wait. We need to make a distinction here. There are two types of sins, mortal and venial. Mortal sins are committed knowingly while venial sins are minor and committed unknowingly, though sins nonetheless. In medieval times sinners could rid of their wrongdoings, and thus avoid damnation to hell, by purchasing indulgences, a practice in which sinners would unabashedly confess to their priests and pay a small price to purge. And you should really just pay anyways, even if you haven’t sinned—because chances are you have.

Paying indulgences takes on a new, more covert form in contemporary times.

I had my chance to purge last week, when I walked into my local D’Agostino’s to pick up a few things—organic whole wheat bread, soymilk, Amy’s brand organic soup. And I even remembered to bring my hemp, reusable bag.

Just to be clear, I am most certainly positive that I had not committed any sins that day, or at least none that I knew of. But just as I was loading my items on to the conveyor belt, I realized that I was about to be confronted with a difficult, perhaps fateful, choice.

“Would you like to buy a $10 gift bag to help children with diabetes today?”

The first man in line, two people ahead of me –clearly someone who had sinned that day- said “sure, why not?” He happily handed over the extra $10, and then even offered to bag his own groceries before waltzing happily out of the store. He had done his good for the day.

“Would you like to buy a $10 gift bag to help children with diabetes today?”

The woman directly in front of me said yes, too! As she handed over a crisp, brand new $10 bill, my palms started to sweat. The store was packed, it was peak time for grocery shopping, and I knew that if I didn’t buy a gift bag as well, I could be automatically thrown into the mortal sin category by not confessing to my daily venial sins. I ran through a list of possible things I could have done wrong that day without noticing—should I have offered my seat to that elderly woman on the bus? Should I have called my mom back earlier? Should I have tipped the barista who made my triple espresso latte earlier that day? Should I have…

“Would you like to buy a $10 gift bag to help children with diabetes today?”

I panicked, and then finally, “No, thanks.”

It would be nice if we were left to make the decision to do good, or bad, on our own time. Perhaps a world in which people are trusted to do good because they want to do good, and not because they want to purge their “sins,” has still not come into full fruition. So, without having paid off my dues, I marched out with my eco-friendly bag, and decided that in the meantime, I’d rather take my chances in hell.