Written by Angelina Weir on August 26, 2010.
Spurn relatives:
Not relatives as in great uncle Albie and his stern second wife. But relatives like ‘better’, ‘worse’, ‘faster’, ‘slower’. They’re words we use entirely innocently in most sentences we speak in everyday life. But for journalists – and especially journalists aspiring to impartiality and independence – they’re pernicious little words that can do two things.
First, they can indicate that the journalist accepts, probably unquestioningly, one set of assumptions around an event. Second, accepting that set of assumptions closes off large areas of enquiry that are both legitimate and likely to yield a more interesting perspective.
Fortunately, most relatives – ‘There’s better news on interest rates …’ – are so obvious and prominent that any journalist would question the premise; ‘better’ for who?
But not all. Some, the really pernicious ones, aren’t obviously ‘relatives’; they don’t have the clear word form of a relative with ‘-er’ on the end.
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Written by Joel Ramsbotham on August 26, 2010.
WV Public Broadcasting features D&E Artist in Residence on blog, interview.
http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=16343
Written by Joel Ramsbotham on August 23, 2010.
Dr. Jeffrey Kahan, Professor of English, recently published “Bettymania and the Birth of Celebrity Culture“ (Lehigh University Press, 2010). In 1804, a kind of madness descended upon Britain. A thirteen-year-old boy, William-Henry West Betty, arrived and took Ireland, Scotland, and England by storm. Women were fixated on his beauty; men referred to him as the “personification of Hamlet.” Crowds were so intent upon securing tickets for Betty’s performances that officers were called out to stop rioters in the streets. What attracted audiences to this prodigy, why did his popularity fade, and why was he all but forgotten in a few short years?
Whether supporters of Betty or of more modern celebrities regret their acts of collective allegiance and personal devotion, their recriminations in no way invalidate their idealizations. Even later acrimonious rejections of Betty or, for that matter, of any former celebrity, add to and support the notion of a shared social investment. The real issue is whether fans fully appreciate that modern celebrity and long-term loyalty cannot coexist. Robert Burton,
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Written by Angelina Weir on August 22, 2010.
Lions Have Eight Players Heading into 2010-11.
SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo head women’s tennis coach James Bryce has announced the addition of three signees for the 2010-11 season, as the trio of Laura Kemkes, Bethania Laan, and Phoebe Di Leo join the eight-person squad. The Lions are looking to reload this with the departure of seniors Shaena Keefe and Gina Schifano.
The 2009-10 version of the women’s tennis team went 8-14, including a 2-6 mark in a difficult Sunshine State Conference. Despite the record, the Lions finished the year on a high note by defeating Eckerd in the seventh-place match at the Sunshine State Conference Championships. Saint Leo looks to use the final win of the season as catapult for even greater success in the SSC this season, while igniting hopes of earning their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four years.
Bryce feels his most recent signings will aid in that effort, as each player brings a critical skill sets to the table.
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Written by Joel Ramsbotham on August 19, 2010.
ELKINS—The Davis Memorial Hospital Cancer Care Center and Davis & Elkins College are sponsoring a free cancer prevention seminar “Reduce the Risk of Cancer” Friday, August 27 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the lobby of the Hermanson Center on the D&E campus. The event is free and open to the public.
This half-day seminar will focus on the linkages between poor eating habits, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, and the risk of certain kinds of cancer. Information provided at the seminar will educate participants on ways they can improve their diet, increase their activity levels and decrease their risk for breast, endometrial, colorectal, kidney, pancreatic and esophageal cancers. Also included will be discussions on the cancer patient and how fatigue can impact their life with possible solutions on management.
“West Virginia is eleventh in the nation for the numbers of cases of cancer each year, and fifth in the nation for cancer related deaths,” said Dr. Donald Fleming, project director and Cancer Care Center director. “Randolph Read more…