Blog 4 - Jasmin

"Apache cheapest as $16 billion in deals numbs investors"

This picture of a well in northern British Colombia, Canada is a contrast between warm nature and modern day technology. The warm colors of the sky contrasts with the dull colors of the well. It also uses rule of thirds, with the focus both on the well and the sky.

This picture represents one of the many effects of an $85 billion budget cut: longer lines at the airport. The way they highlight this problem is by rule of thirds, leading lines, and focus point. The blurred background of the long line of travelers makes the lady in the picture seem more distant from her destination.  

Blog 4

Blog 4

The two blogs cover different ranges, each being a specific topic covering a broad range of subjects. IndiaInk covers news and culture topics that are related directly to India, though not being an Indian based blog. Gadget Tech covers technological issues related to changing advancements or problems that have risen more prominently in today's society. Both are adjusted to modern society, and could arguably be cultural. They are certainly both globally related, though IndiaInk certainly targets a more specific audience based on their interest levels; while that could also apply to gadget tech, technology and its developments most certainly affect everyone, whether they have access to it or not.

Blog 4

Joy the baker's blog combines pictures and photos and Amanda Boyce's blog is mostly writing about fashion trends. The baker's blog often discusses experiences she has had in food, so they're similar just food vs. fashion. Joy's blog is more personal and discusses her personal preferences in first person, Boyce's blog is more from a third person's point of view.

Blogs #3 and #4

Two blogs that I follow are The Conscience of a Liberal, an op-ed column by Paul Krugman for the New York Times, and Fashion Toast, a fashion blog by Rumi Neely, a style icon who's been writing since 2008.

The Conscience of a Liberal is an op-ed column published by the New York Times. He's a Nobel Prize winner in economics, with a focus on international economics, liquidity traps, and currency crises, and he's one of the most influential economists in the world today. His blog covers serious topics, of course, such as the value of the euro and the application of Keynesian economics, but he writes in a light, casual, humorous tone and includes graphs, charts, and other visuals to help the viewer process information easily.

On the other hand, Fashion Toast is a blog written by Rumi Neely, a fashion blogger of Japanese, Scottish, and Dutch descent. She writes about her life and involvement in the fashion industry, as well as analysis and criticism of new trends and designer collections. Neely has a strong voice in her blog posts, bolstered by the vivid images, usually taken by Colin Sokol. She describes her travels and experiences to places like Hong Kong, Paris, and more, all the while documenting her outfits and latest finds.

The two blogs are vastly different in content, of course, but they do share the same tone and voice... serious and professional, yet personable. Neely's blog is filled with photography to supplement her text posts, while Krugman primarily posts text with infographics to assist the reader. Personally, I like both formats because they each fit the subject matters of the blogs well.

Blog 3&4

Two blogs I follow are listed below:

1. From Head to Toe is a fashion, make-up, nail (and all-around girly) blog all in one. I find watching Jen's tutorials refreshing and interesting. She uses her face as a canvas; it gives me an artistic outlook on how someone can blend colors and manipulate shadow in their favor. Not only does she talk about make-up but she also posts information and shares stories on her travels, which are also interesting to read. One thing that especially attracted me to her blog was that she made makeup tutorials for monolids (eyelids without a crease). Make-up tends to not show up and eventually smear for those who have monolids, but tutorials found in this blog effectively get around those problems. She has many pictures of her finished looks, which provide the viewer a quick preview.

2. The blog of Kevin (MD) gives updates on the top stories of medicine. As I am curious about how life is in the medical profession, I often read his blog for insight on how doctors deal with difficult real-life situations (as opposed to those seen on TV). He holds a very professional tone; many articles on his blog are resourceful and pertinent to today's scientific world. I consider becoming a doctor a tentative path for my career, so I find the readings especially interesting - perhaps they will be a part of my future.

The two blogs are different as Jen's blog is more personal and artsy/creative. By contrast, Kevin's blog is factual and information-based. Both blogs encompass ideas from other sources. Kevin's blog includes postings of different physicians, and Jen's blog has linked videos and websites of her make-up inspirations. Although the topics that are found on either blogs are on nearly opposite ends of the spectrum, I enjoy both; they provide useful as well as interesting information.

Michelle Huang
Bellaire TPP
Staff Editor

Blog #4

Jane Aldrige, the teenage fashion icon, blogs about her latest fashion advices and vices. She tends to post pictures and adds comments. I really like her blog because she gives her honest opinion about the fashion out there and gives her readers her best advice. She posts fashion that can be worn in different ways, and she gives the reader a more affordable option. She has a young tone and brings her passion for fashion through her writing. By contrast, Michael Becker is much more factual about his writing. His writing is, for one, way more serious. He talks about social/scientific issues. He has a bit more substance to his writing. He remains opinionated though, which I like because it gives it a more blog tone. I really enjoy getting nerd updates from him because he reports over the most random things but never fails to keep us informed. Science is moving at a rapid pace and soon enough we will be hearing about all of his obscure reports.

Cari Bonilla
Bellaire TPP
Staff Editor

Blog #3

This picture uses balance to show students buying their lunch at the food stand. The students on the left are balanced out by the woman on the right, and leading lines tie them together from right to left.

Here students overcrowd a table outside in order to sit with their friends. On either side of the table people stand, chatting with those sitting down. While it would have been better to have more faces, the directions of the students' heads show how they are interacting with their friends. The center of the table occupies the right Rule of Thirds line. 

Blog 4

Eat your kimchi is a blog with a unique perspective. Simon and Martina have lived in Korea for about five years, so they are pretty much assimilated to the culture. They speak the language and know native manners (such as bowing, the difference between informal and formal language etc.). They have a unique perspective because people who don't know them will treat them as tourists, so they can relate the korean experience to people who are just visiting; however, the fact that they have lived there for so long allows them to relate their experiences to korean natives, korean-americans or anyone who is familar with korean culture. 

Wandering Earl on the other hand comes from the perspective of a tourist, and although he slowly learns a lot about the cultures of the 83 countries he has visited, he will always keep the perspective of someone who truly doesn't belong to those 83 cultures. He cannot give as much insight as Simon and Martina because he doesn't stay in one country long enough to fully assimilate into the respective culture. 

Both blogs are extremely heavy on visuals. Wandering Earl utilizes a lot of pictures (at least 10 per post) and the occasional video blog. Simon and Martina however, mainly utilize their videos on youtube to relate their information to their audience. It seems as though Eat Your Kimchi is more of a v-log with text supplement, and Wandering Earl is the opposite.

I much prefer Eat Your Kimchi's version of blogging because the v-logs don't require the listener to pay constant attention and allows for multi-tasking.  

Blog #4

This photo of the British Prime Minister symbolizes a momentous occurrence, the first visit by a British premier to Jallianwaga Bagh. It had a profile shot of him with a balanced composition. The contrast between the Prime Minister's skin and the building in the background help him to stand out. 

Here is another picture from the Prime Minister's visit. This one is more lighthearted, with the men in suits being bare footed and leaning over a stove making flat bread. It captures the men's enjoyment of the situation as well as showing how the Prime Minister is attempting to participate in their culture by adopting their head wear. 

Blog #4

Claudia Feldman and Jodi Gonzalez both typically blog about more light-hearted subjects such as fashion or an uplifting story about someone rescuing an animal. Gonzalez's blog is more informative in that it tells readers where the best sales are and what is in style. She uses her blog to allow readers a look into the current fashion of Austin. Feldman's blog is more narrative as she tells stories about middle class families and different stories of happy and sometimes a bit sad people and families. I enjoy Feldman's blog because it is interesting to hear different people's odd stories and uplifting narratives.

Blog #4

Bird Invasion
This photo uses the bands of texture to interest the readers. The texture of the trees melting into the texture of the birds which moves to the smooth blue sky creates movement and interest in the photo. It also successfully illustrates the bird invasion in Tennessee.



High End Appliances
The use of the repetition of the knobs and the leading lines of the handles creates an interesting image of a seemingly mundane, everyday object.

Blog #4

Blog 4 - Anna Ngo

This picture from Chron.com of Senator John Cornyn has a great angle of him. The camera is angled from the bottom, so it shows his true facial expressions as well as the microphones shoved at him.

This is a great action shot of the player dunking because it depicts the entire body, and his face is visible enough to see his expression. Also, the action of the ball falling through the hoop gives the picture an extra effect.

Blog 4

The Carpetbagger ( NYT Blog)  is more of an entertainment blog. What's interesting about it is that everything posted has something to do with award shows like the Oscars, whether it's a prediction of who's going to win or talking about a speech given at an award show. The author takes a very narrow topic and makes it broad.
Bookish (Houston Chronicle blog)is similar to the Carpetbagger in that it focus' on a very narrow topic, but it is very different. It is far less appealing to the eye because the webpage is not organized very well. It is less opinionated even though it "reviews books". Most of the post are book summaries and any opinion given is positive and rarely critical of the author or book.

Journal/Blog #4

Journal/Blog #4

TPP

Kyle Somers

In Montana, there has been an increase in the creation of armed guns. In response to the recent, controversial gun control debates in Washington, gunsmiths in Montana have been crafting guns. Taken from The New York Times website, these guns brings in the readers attention by showing homemade guns. Although the stock and barrel of the guns would create a better image, the old styled and homemade weapons provide a good image for the article.

Louro, a two-month-old restaurant in Greenwich Village, has been receiving a skyrocketing amount of business since the grand opening. The restaurant's photo does not provide a lot of information about the busy eating establishment. Taken at a different angle and having no pedestrians would increase the interest in not only the photo, but the article as well.

Alex Luckey Blog 4

FDA approves first bionic eye

This picture is really nice and this person have really pretty eyes. The shadow teir eyelashes are casting on their eye looks really cool and it's an interesting picture that relates to the title of the story.

   Cardinal power lies in Europe

This picture is very eye-catching. The red on the back really leads    your eye into the picture and it's very effective. The shallow depth of    field also adds a lot to the image.

    

Blog #4

James C. McKinley Jr. is a writer that likes to focus on current events. He usually writes about events that are surprising and sometimes sad. One example is when he wrote about the rape of a girl by gang members. He tends to be very opinionated. Sometimes it isn't very obvious but when you look at certain words and phrases his opinion is evident. It is usually strong and only really lets you see one side, but his input and what he has to offer is interesting. He has had a lot of experience working in several different newspapers and has had many great opportunities.

Margaret Sullivan is a writer who likes to write about art and usually lighter events and subjects than James McKinley does. Her pieces are interesting. Some pieces include discussing the true meaning of very used terms. They are nice to learn about and provide interesting stories. Her opinions and conclusions are her own like McKinley's and she is very original. She is a diligent worker and has been able to become more well known as time passes.

Daniela Carlock
Bellaire TPP
Writer

Journal #3

Journal #3

TPP

Kyle Somers

Taken from Chron.com, this image is from the All Star Dunk contest taken place this past weekend at the Toyota Center. The image is clear, focused, and well detailed with the player's facial expression; it also adds some comedic relief to the event.

The Greenbay Packers vs The Houston Texans. One of the highlighted football games of the season. As the running back is taking the pig skin to the in-zone, he takes out one of the Texan's defensive linemen. This photo creates a strong connection to the spirt of the game and is clear with no blurs.

Blog 4

Cathy Horyn and Jennifer Steinhaue are different writers with contrasting topics and styles. Horyn writes about the newest fashion collections and trends while Steinhaue blogs about politics and government. Both writers update regularly and focus on specific issues/events. Horyn likes to include details on her interview with major designers, incorporating the personality of her interviewees. In her article "Tom Ford in High-Definition" she mentions the actions of Ford during the interview. Steinhaue is a more serious blogger who includes detailed updates and facts on current issues. Her latest 3 articles are all about gun control. She frequently uses statistics and dates to back up her stories.

Blog 4

Two bloggers, the well-known Perez Hilton and another successful blogger named Xu Jinglei, are both very different bloggers, one blogging about others' lives and the other blogging about her own personal life. Both blogs are popular. PerezHilton "is the gossip site celebrities fear most". Being a blogger who was "once dubbed 'Hollywood's most hated website'", Perez's successful blog basically caused him an undesirable light shined by the celebrities he  blogs about. Mario Armando Lavanderia, Jr  is "is famous for scrawling rude things". Last year, His reality show premiered on VH1. Several celebrities have complained to him constantly asking him to stop writing about them. His blog continues to be one of the most popular.  Xu Jinglei is a popular actress in China and in 2005, she began,reporting her daily life,  reflections, travels, social life and even her cats. In her blog she aims "to show a 'real person' behind the celebrity".

Blog 4

Although Jeff Gordinier and Cathy Horyn write about very different topics, they both write in an informal tone. Both of their blogs usually have a single picture. The picture is always really interesting and captures the whole blog. Cathy Horyn reports about the latest fashion news with more facts. She frequently writes about the latest fashion shows and what the setting was, the clothes the models wore and the hair and makeup. Jeff Grodinier's blogs include more of his opinions in them instead of just facts. His blogs are a little more random and more fun than Cathy's. He also writes blogs that focus on one person who enjoys food. These blogs are similar to an interview that is light and not serious.

Jennifer Wang
Staff Writer

Blog #4

Kirkland Schuessler

Houston mom gives birth to two sets of twins

This photograph is interesting because it only shows one of the four infants, leading the reader to question what the title means.

Good lessons learned from cruise gone bad

This photograph portrays the positive light that the article showed about the stranded cruise ship, showing the fun playtime that the kids had instead of the miserable conditions because of the loss of power.

Blog 4

Germain Lussier (http://www.slashfilm.com)

Germaine Lussier is a film critic and movie news blogger for Slash Film, an online film blog that covers everything movies. It contains the latest movie news and reviews along with personal columns and opionated or artistic articles that cover anything in the film universe. His style is very distinct in his reviews, blending verbose descriptions of film techniques while throwing in cheeky one-liners and easy-going conversational points that include the reader. Everyone likes to "talk movies", so he blends an obvious advanced opinion with everyday "popcorn chat". When it comes to his coverage of movie news, it is pure personal rambling, shown how he expresses his torn feelings about J.J. Abrams directing the Star Wars Episode VII. Lussier writes out of Los Angeles, California, the heart of the film industry. He graduated New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Cinema Studies program in 2002. After many years of moving around among blogs and online podcasts, he is now a head writer at SlashFilm, which is linked toThe New York Times, The Wallstreet Journal, The Guardian and has been featured on many lists for top movie blogging websites. Their slogan? "Blogging the reel world."

Aaron Blake (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/blogs-columns)

Aaron Blake is a politcal blogger and writer for the blogging section in The Washington Post. He covers national politics and writes regularly for Fix, thePost's top political blog. He is a Minnesota native and graduate of the University of Minnesota. Blake has also written about politics for theMinneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill. His style is very direct and hard-hitting, and even though his writing can be very biased, he is never short on facts. He is a straightforward writer who doesn't talk around his points and instead of focusing on word choice for emphasis, he will just punch out a word in italics or use an intenional crossout. He covers everything from Romney's future and Obama's inaugural event to GOP electoral vote gambits and opinions on the debt ceiling.

Molly Oretsky
Bellaire TPP, sports writer

Blog 4 Johnnie Sinclair

Blog 4

 The two blogs share contrast with each other as they talk about two different topics that are popular in pop culture. Mark Bittman writes (mostly) about food for the Times Opinion pages, and is The Magazine’s lead food columnist. He is the author of “Food Matters,” which explores the crucial connections among food, health and the environment, and “How To Cook Everything.” He covers the positive and negative sides of what we eat and how we eat. I read this blog because it always informed me about the hazards or benefits concerning a certain food. I  feel comfort when I know what exactly is going into my mouth, so this blog showed me the "do's and don'ts" about food and food consumption. David Pogue, personal-tech columnist for The New York Times, has been writing a Thursday column since 2000.   He covers all areas including cell-phones, televisions, game consoles and tablets. I read this blog regularly because I have a passion for technology and its adoption across the world. I like to keep updated about new hardware and software that is released that involves products I am interested in using. I believe that technology is the future, so being able to follow its progression and innovation is a joy.  The two blogs parallel with each other as they both appeal to what in the "new" of each category. I follow these blogs simultaneously because they are both things I am passionate about. 

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/
http://bittman.blogs.nytimes.com/

Blog #4 Victoria Petty

Cathryn Hornyn publishes a blog called On the Runway for the New York Times. Any event, any sports game, any performance, Hornyn discusses the outfits and styles in question. She also gives details as to the inspiration for outfits and the designers from which the stars get their evening wear. My favorite post of hers so far has been the examination of Beyonce's outfit during her performance at the Super Bowl. Her posts are very short and to the point.
The Frugal Traveler by Seth Krugal is not only extremely fun to read, but it also inspires some frugality in its readers. He travels the country and the world going to restaurants, plays, movies, and other events. But he is 'balling on a budget'. Not only does Krugal talk about his own experiences, but he also addresses topics such as travelers' insurance that may spark interest and curiousity.

BLOG 4 - Amanda Taylor

 http://www.parkandcube.com/
Born in Seoul, raised in Warsaw and now London based, Shini Park is a Graphic designer and writer behind the fashion blog, Park & Cube. The blog was launched in November 2008, consisting mainly of her photography and personal thoughts on topics ranging from fashion to food. Shini also is an ardent explorer of secret hideouts in London and fashion Fashion DIY projects. Shini's eye capturing blog mainly focuses on her travels to places like London, Paris and Seoul. She is always posting about her whimsical stays and activities, paired with her beautifully taken pictures. The range of topics written about on Park & Cube go from the best beauty products sold in Japan to hidden places to eat in Intanbul. I always go back for more... especially because I'm so jealous of her jet-setter lifestyle!

www.thecherryblossomgirl.com
This blog was created by a girl named Alix who was born and raised in Paris, hence her posts being written in both French and English. She worked as an intern for Alexander McQueen and Chloe where she gained inspiration to blog about fashion, her travel experiences and new beauty products. I really like how she writes in French because I speak French as well. Also, I like her photo heavy posts with short and to the point writing. It makes it a lot more intriguing since it's on the web.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST
The two bloggers are obviously very similar in the subjects they write about, such as fashion shows, urban cities in Europe and nice restaurants. The two differ though in their writing. While Shini is much more word heavy, Alix gets straight to the point. I prefer the blog of Shini though because of her much more easier to read layout.

Blog 4 - Sami Bissonnet

Disruptions: On the Fast Track to Routine 3-D Printing:A 3-D printer on display at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

- This picture is nice because instead of just showing the printer or the finished product it has both in one by showing the printer in motion. 

Inside the witness protection program

-I thought this was a great idea for a wintess protection program picture. It captures the fact that these are still people, but their identities can't be released. 

Blog 4

Both Leandria Medine from 'The Man Repeller' and Julia from the Free People blog write in an informal tone. Each blog uses many pictures to add a visual aspect to what the bloggers are writing about. Medine writes in a humorous way while Julia writes in a way that is very relatable to readers. Each blogger writes as if she is talking to the reader. Sometimes blog posts will simply be a picture with  not much of a description to go along on The Man Repeller. Julia's writing style always goes along with the subject she is writing about which could be anything from fashion to food to love.

Alison Elberger
TPP writer

Blog 4

Ann Brenoff is more informal when compared to Paula Nelson. Their biggest difference is that while Ann Brenoff blogs through personal experiences and opinion, Paula Nelson blogs through pictures and with more of a formal tone. Ann Brenoff discusses miscellaneous subjects and offers advice and her personal opinion. Paula Nelson blogs about current events and life changing news. Ann Brenoff is not as formal or serious in her writing. While she discusses daily routines and happenings, Paula Nelson reveals international news and informative bits of information. Both writers are informative and offer their styles to contribute the stories. While Ann Brenoff expresses her thoughts through words and paints the pictures for us, Paula Nelson uses pictures to tell the story as well as facts and her take on that specific event.

Sara Nabhan

Bellaire High School

Writer 

Blog 4

Both Olivia Palermo and Chriselle Lim use informal tone and pictures throughout their blogs. However, they are different in that Olivia Palmero's posts are usually quite short with multiple photo supplements. Chriselle Lim's posts usually include anecdotes and how-to articles. Olivia Palmero focuses on writing about various fashion week fashion shows. Chriselle Lim tends to stray away from fashion to include detailed articles on party planning and advice. Lim's advice columns are created from reader questions and include advice from makeup and hair to shoes. Instead of advice columns, Palmero writes numerous product reviews based on reader recommended products and personal favorites. Palmero's posts include numerous photos to explain products and upcoming trends. Lim's posts focus on one product instead of featuring numerous products like Palmero's postings. Both typically feature a trend or main product, followed by an advice column or review.

Sophie Daily
TPP Writer

Blog 4

When comparing the two writing styles of Fran Blinebury of www.nba.com, and Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times blog, striking differences can be seen. Blinebury writes his blogs with a very casual tone and employs many rhetorical fragments, for a light and humorous voice. The status quo for Blinebury's posts are clever puns and witty pop culture references. He is after all, merely writing about baskeball and giving his own point of view. Greenhouse's entries are more of the informational type. Long complex sentences and factual evidence fill up Greenhouse's blogs, and there is no room for clever word play. Greenhouse writes about Labor Boards and the economy and other business type stuff. It's not much fun, but just good, straight up information. These two bloggers are actually quite different in their styles and their blogs show two diametrically opposed writing voices.

Zean Liao
Staff Writer

Blog 4

As columnists for the New York Times, Mark Bittman and David Welch Poque both post regularly regarding recent developments in the areas they respectively write about, food and technology. However, the two bloggers differ in their writing styles and presentational formats.
1. Mark Bittman's posts are generally concise and written in an informal tone. His posts follow not only big developments in the food industry (e.g. FDA propsals, new food-related legislations, etc.) but also any daily/interesting  food encounters. The formats of his posts vary from news-style formats to photos with short criticisms/rhetorical questions (e.g."Do we really need that?").
2. David Welch Pogue's posts are much longer and detailed overall. His posts are usually structured to contain product reviews, in-depth descriptions of features, recent news, as well as personal preferences/troubleshooting advice. I like the emphasis placed on product features as it really helps distinguish pros and cons between similar products.

Blog 4

      Both Trey H and David Ubben both write about similar things. They both write about sports, one locally and one nationally. Trey writes in short sentences to get his point across because in a blog people just like to skim through it so he makes it easy to read. He has short concrete sentences that gives facts. He has some humor because he isn't a super serious blogger. 

       David writes complex sentences that features lots of information about particular players and stats. He elaborates on the details to make sure your understand what each stat means for the player or team. He is very knowledgeable about what he is writing about so it is to understand and read. 

Blog #4

This is a photo from Chron.com of the passengers of the Carnival Cruise Triumph and she is just returning to land and its a very emotional picture. I like how the photog , Johnny Hanson, got it at the perfect moment and the sun is not too bright and the lighting is great!



This is a photo from Chron.com of Pistorius in court for being accused of shooting his girlfriend. This photo is good because you can see the emotion on his face and the lighting is kinda bad but the way the background is really makes you focus on him.

Blog 4

In my last blog, I spoke about the polar opposites of Gothamist blog writer Ben Yakas and and CNN blog writer Brad Lendon. While Yakas is definitely more of a comedy writer, Lendon is straight hitting with hard facts with out any fluff. If you want to read the latest news while being entertained with witty banter, Yakas is your guy. On the other hand, if you just want to know what, when, where, and how, Lendon is a much better fit.

As for myself, I prefer the fluff pieces in Yakas writing. I found Lendon's writing dry and hard to read straight through with out it feeling as a chore. I have no doubt that a more mature person with longer attention span could enjoy Lendon's articles, but for now my alliance is with Yakas.

Blog 4 Stephen Proler

           Over the past couple of months I have been viewing the writing styles of two very impressive bloggers. One being the Keith Brown of Crow Bar Man Cave Blog and the other being The "Superior" Anthony of "The Movie Blog." Keith Brown writes his blog to be more of an informative one like his critique of the rising star of Jadeveon Clowney. The controversy going around is if Clowney should play this next year or sit out to not get hurt for next years draft. In Brown's blog he is giving more information than actually critiquing, but in The "Superior" Anthony's Blog he gets right to his criticism like in his blog about the Oscar poster. He viewed the poster as an eye-catcher but could of been better. Although these two bloggers are in two un-related types of news, they do both percent their points while acknowledging the views of others. In Brown's blog about Iman Shumpert's trade rumors, Brown takes the stand on why he thinks Shumpert should be traded, but he also notes why others want him to stay. The "Superior" Anthony does the same thing in his view on the new Iron Man 3 Teaser. Although Anthony would like to see more of a twist at the end of the trailer, he does agree with others how it does show how the movie will be filled with action. These two writes different in category of news are alike in their writing.

Blog 4

Christina Uticone's blog Fast Time as well as Katharine Shilcutt's blog "Best of" are both food blogs that although are both based in Houston are very different from each other in their personal writing styles. Christina Uticone writes in a much more personal style that relates to the reader in terms of preemptively answering any questions that the reader might have. For example, in her most recent Valentine's Day Dining Blog she writes it to provide suggestions to where couples should go on Valentine's Day as well as mentioning which prices would be preferable. This actually goes to relate to the reviews that Uticone usually writes, being that they usually are casual fast food blogs. Contrarily, Shilcutt's blog "Best of" is a bit more more serious and formal as she gives comprehensive reviews about more formal restaurants than just fast food joints. She also tends to focus on things like the quality of food and not mentioning more personal things like prices and accessibly. 

Blog 4

Mark Mardell's blog is usually just a short commentary on American affairs. It is sometimes accompanied by a photo of an event from Getty Photos or the AP that relates to the story. Mardell often addresses current affairs with a historical perspective, drawing parallels from European and American history.

Roger Cohen's blog is composed of longer editorials based on his own political views and studies from other think-tanks. It is usually does not have a photo, the emphasis put on the opinion and commentary. He often addresses one topic a week or per post, but goes into great depth.

Blog 4: Claire Fisher

Robert Mackey's blog, "Blogging the News with Robert Mackey," on the New York Time's The Lede focuses mainly on conflicts in the Middle East, while Richard Dunham's contributions on the Houston Chronicle's blog, "Texas on the Potomac," focus on national and state-wide news.

While the blogs discuss news from different regions, the writing style of both reporters is similar: factual, with a little bit of personal flair.

Both blogs also talk about controversial topics, but discuss it eloquently, leaving you without the feeling that they have offended anyone.

These hard-hitting news blogs keep you updated on everything in Texas, America, and the World, and only require 15 minutes of your time.

Claire Fisher
News writer

BLOG #4

Simon and Martina, a married couple that moved to South Korea in 2008 and have been there ever since, blog about their cultural experiences in South Korea. Not only do they blog on the Internet, they also post popular videos on Youtube through three channels which have been viewed a total of 108,713,613 times. Because Simon and Martina employ the Internet in two different and prominent ways, they are able to reach a larger, global audience. A large number of their videos and blog postings have to do with the South Korean entertainment scene. Unlike many bloggers, they are able to interact with celebrities in person which allows Simon and Martina to have a more insightful perspective. They also live and teach in South Korea so their readers can gain a more authentic and realistic view in the Korean lifestyle.

NetizenBuzz, a Korean American female, blogs about the latest celebrity tabloids and news and injects some of her own opinions and thought processes. Unlike Simon and Martina, she does not live in South Korea so she does not have a first-hand view of the society. Her blogs mostly focus on the opinions of South Korean netizens which can be greatly biased and skewed. She also comments on the societal and cultural problems that occur every once in a while, through articles on government scandals and the public's reaction to them. Because she lives in the United States, she has a certain cultural bias because South Korea and America are extremely contrasting. Sometimes she explains how she does not agree with some Koreans' views; these views, however, would be extremely commonplace and accepted in Korea.

Manlin Yao
Staff Editor

Blog 4

1. Jerome Solomon - Now that the Texan's football season is over, Mr. Solomon is expanding his focus to more general sports news, as shown by his last two blogs about the Joe Paterno scandal and the Houston Rocket's signing of Royce White. We can see that Mr. Solomon is strictly a sports blogger, and he attracts readers with his informal tone and the occasional witty remark.

2. Emma Bryce - Ms. Bryce has continued to provide interesting coverage of important agricultural and environmental news from all around the world. Her second most recent blog talks about a "coffee curse" that is harming crops in Central America. Her most recent blog discusses trawling (a method of fishing that involves pulling a net through the water behind a boat) in the New England coastline and its potentially harmful effects on the fish population in the area.

Laurence Zhang
TPP Writer
Bellaire

Blog Post 4

Julie Zeilinger and Keith Bradsher have very different styles of writing. Zeilinger is writing to a different audience than Bradsher. Her audience consists of teenagers and women, while Bradsher writes an older audience of business professionals. Their topics are completely different too. His writing style is much more professional and official than Zeilinger. He focuses on getting the facts across rather than his opinion. Zeilinger is completely biased and makes her opinion known. She makes sure her voice is heard and posts whatever is on her mind. Keith brings great insight to world events. He is using a direct style of writing to inform the US of Chinese issues and events. Zeilinger plays a more active role in the feminist movement, and informs teenagers of events and how they can get involved. 

Jackie Wertheimer
Bellaire TPP 
Entertainment Writer

Blog 4- Fashion blogs

Last blog, I mentioned two fashion blogs: collegefashion.net and thebeautydepartment.com. Both have a single paneled, simple layout that have themed days.

College Fashion has a variety of links pertaining to fashion and tredning items. Hautelinks, a weekly post dedicated to interesting websites, puts current fashion events, trends and cute animals. It also has a list of sales that are happening for the week. This contrasts with the every day themes of The Beauty Department which focuses more on nail art and facial beauty. Although College Fashion features makeup tutorials now and then, it is not as regular.

The Beauty Department and College Fashion are similar in that multiple writers contribute to the blog. College Fashion has writers exclusively in college whereas the Beauty Department has stylists and makeup artists contributing every week. There is also a different audience between the two: College Fashion is inherently for college students on a budget, so most of the items are not incredibly expensive. The Beauty Department is for young women and their makeup items are usually higher-end makeup products.

Elaine Shen
Chief for J1

Jonathan Tilove writes  the “First Reading” blog for The Austin American-Statesman. His writing style is very matter-of-fact and detailed, but with a good mix of humor. He covers a very small area (Austin) and the city and state politics going on there. His sense of detail is from the perspective of a native Austinite looking out instead of an outsider looking in, making more emotion come out in his work. His use of light humor in his political stories is evident from the use of “Oh Snap!” in his headlines and phrases like “All right then” in his personal commentary, which is never scathing. 

Harvey Morris writes for the “International Herald Tribute” section of the New York Times. He writes about one hard-hitting issue, like the use of horse meat and other fillers in European meat or the removal of wrestling from the 2020 Olympics, and connects it on a global scale. Unlike Tilove’s blog there is not much humor to it. The spectrum of Morris’ stories are different as well, as Morris provides an issue encompassing many countries and shows the connections between them. Also unlike Tilove, all of the places Morris compares are on an equal level. Morris compares country to country looking across one level, or zeroing in on just one country, but Tilove goes from city to state to country in America only.

Mort Rosenblum also writes for “International Herald Tribune” and his articles do have a global focus, but they do feel quite a lot like op. ed pieces in terms of how much of his own opinion he injects into his work. It does not detract at all from the point however, and in general his writing style is more like Jonathan Tilove’s than Harvey Morris’. Rosenblum’s use of person, like how he met the famous figures in his stories (former Serbian president and Bosnian genocide co-conspirator Radovan Karadžić among them) adds a layer of personality that Harvey Morris does not have. Out of the three writers he is the most personal of all of them, and I enjoy his material for that purpose.

Nicolas Aldape

Staff writer

Blog 4: Comparison

FOX411 has great pictures and visual examples of the entertainment on which it is reporting. I really enjoy this visual example because it helps me picture my own opinion and think about what the images really mean. There are many quotes by even some celebrities which gives another point of view about the picture, from people way different than me.

The Z Report offers deep discussion on sports' news. The author gives his point of view and also other athletes' points of view. This lets you see what your opponents think of every game from various sports. You can see what they think both teams need to do, what the strengths and weakness of each team are, and what the high and low points of each game are.

Leslie Cundiff
Sports Writer

Blog 4: comparison of two bloggers

note: copy and pasted from blog 3

The Borowitz Report by Andy Borowitz of the New Yorker parodies real-life political news events with satire and wit. Borowitz, as a satire columnist, is in the unique position to highlight what's wrong with society by dead-panning (sometimes offensive) statements in a parodied news story format. Borowitz writes "news stories" (columns) as suggestive as they are ridiculous. His columns' titles are premises such as "Al Qaeda disbands; says job of destroying U.S. economy now in Congress's hands" and "Billionaires warn higher taxes could prevent them from buying politicians." He tends to be left-wing, poking fun at actual Republican policies but only finding tics in Obama's personality to nitpick.

The Onion is collectively a satirical publication, again providing social commentary of news events. Its whole staff is the next author I follow, since they don't publish bylines. They frequently get political as well, although I think their wit is a little weaker than that of the almost always right-on Borowitz. I get the sense that The Onion tries too hard for humor sometimes and falls flat. I have to hunt around for gems in their collection; "Depressed groundhog sees shadow of rodent he once was," the headline story on their website today, wasn't my style. An alternate theory I have for why they don't do as well as Borowitz is they diversify into other areas besides politics, straying away from the jungles of D.C., which really tend to inadvertently poke fun at themselves in moments so perfect they don't even need a satire columnist to pick them up and twist them (George Bush's "Mission Accomplished" sign being one prominent example of this frequent occurrence). Regardless, they occasionally do pull off good humor at The Onion.

Katherine Fang
Editor-in-chief

Blog 4

FOX411 is an entertainment blog, keeping up with today's trends and celebrity gossip.  The authors use an informal tone to mirror the informal subject matter.  Additionally, this blog uses many pictures to provide visual evidence to the reader.  I think the pictures are also used because often when people are looking up celebrity gossip, they aren't really in the mood to read paragraph after paragraph.  Usually the blog postings elaborate on a recent magazine article or announcement. 

Gretawire is a news blog, keeping people posted on current events.  The author, Greta Van Susteren, writes with a more formal tone to mirror the often heavier topics and worldly issues.  This blog has many open threads for people to comment and piggy back off of one another.  This feature makes for an interesting read, as I can see what other people think of various issues.  I also like this blog because the entries are often accompanied by a brief video clip, cutting down on the reading time involved to stay posted. 

Laure Cundiff
Entertainment Writer
TPP

Blog 4 Katie Martin

Blog #1
"The Middle Lane" by Claudia Feldman on chron.com is a blog about things typical middle class people face day to day and stories of these experiences. She writes about working, your marriage, how to deal with your kids, and different inspiring stories like a dog saved from euthanasia after being taken to the pound because its owner believe it to be gay. Her writing consists of a very inviting tone like she is speaking to you directly as she tells relatable stories. She has many stories on profiles of people and an interesting quality or experience they've had.

Blog#2
"The Goods" by Jodi N. Gonzalez on statesman.com is an Austin based blog about the many different deals in clothes, shoes, accessories, and all other clothing items. She gives specific stores and the deals they are having. She also blogs about what is currently in style and where to find these items at a reasonable discounted price.

Katie Martin
Entertainment Editor

Bl0g 4- Victoria Petty

ick between 2 and 4 blog authors from the chronicle or any other popular newspaper or online reputable blogs site. State the blog author’s names and the type of content that they typically blog about. State as much background information as you can about them, which will help you understand their style of writing. Then follow these chosen bloggers regularly for 2 weeks, as in the next blog 
you will compare the writing styles of at least 2 of your chosen bloggers.



Blog #1

Cathryn Hornyn publishes a blog called On the Runway for the New York Times. Any event, any sports game, any performance, Hornyn discusses the outfits and styles in question. She also gives details as to the inspiration for outfits and the designers from which the stars get their evening wear. My favorite post of hers so far has been the examination of Beyonce's outfit during her performance at the Super Bowl. Her posts are very short and to the point. 


Blog #2

The Frugal Traveler by Seth Krugal is not only extremely fun to read, but it also inspires some frugality in its readers. He travels the country and the world going to restaurants, plays, movies, and other events. But he is 'balling on a budget'. Not only does Krugal talk about his own experiences, but he also addresses topics such as travelers' insurance that may spark interest and curiousity.  

Blog 3 - Jasmin Vasquez

This photo isn't very good because the focus is more on the lockers than the people eating. And the people you do see are distant and fuzzy.

This photo uses leading lines and shows a group of girls visiting and eating. They are a little distant and two of the girls face are turned away from the camera.

Blog 3: Comparison of two bloggers

The Borowitz Report by Andy Borowitz of the New Yorker parodies real-life political news events with satire and wit. Borowitz, as a satire columnist, is in the unique position to highlight what's wrong with society by dead-panning (sometimes offensive) statements in a parodied news story format. Borowitz writes "news stories" (columns) as suggestive as they are ridiculous. His columns' titles are premises such as "Al Qaeda disbands; says job of destroying U.S. economy now in Congress's hands" and "Billionaires warn higher taxes could prevent them from buying politicians." He tends to be left-wing, poking fun at actual Republican policies but only finding tics in Obama's personality to nitpick.

The Onion is collectively a satirical publication, again providing social commentary of news events. Its whole staff is the next author I follow, since they don't publish bylines. They frequently get political as well, although I think their wit is a little weaker than that of the almost always right-on Borowitz. I get the sense that The Onion tries too hard for humor sometimes and falls flat. I have to hunt around for gems in their collection; "Depressed groundhog sees shadow of rodent he once was," the headline story on their website today, wasn't my style. An alternate theory I have for why they don't do as well as Borowitz is they diversify into other areas besides politics, straying away from the jungles of D.C., which really tend to inadvertently poke fun at themselves in moments so perfect they don't even need a satire columnist to pick them up and twist them (George Bush's "Mission Accomplished" sign being one prominent example of this frequent occurrence). Regardless, they occasionally do pull off good humor at The Onion.

Katherine Fang
Editor-in-chief