Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Was I wrong about Carl?
So, the email scandal did not take Carl down, and it seems to have emboldened his supporters. As much as I hate to admit it, I find him entertaining, and his brash, ridiculous statements (telling Susan Arbetter he was going to take a baseball bat to Albany, for one) somewhat refreshing in a state where legislators complain about working four day weeks and can't pass a budget. While enjoying wide support in Western New York, Paladino is a virtual unknown downstate. Picking Tom Ognibene, a conservative from Queens, was a smart choice in spreading his name around the state, but I doubt it's going to get him a win in the Republican primary, much less a win against Andrew Cuomo. At the end of the day, he seems more like a caricature of a candidate, something Hollywood thought up (he reminds me of the politicians in Robocop,for some reason), to be over the top and almost out of control, and less like a legitimate candidate for governor. Carl may be "mad as hell", but he won't be governor.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Hey, Carl!
I am willing to bet that the email scandal Mr. Paladino is currently involved in will effectively end his political aspirations. I'm not sure I get his defense. Forwarding an email, without actually checking its contents is insanely stupid (if even true). "Oh hey mom, huh? No, no, I had no idea I sent you a woman having sex with a horse, I swear!" Anyway, I won't shed a tear over it.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Big Plans
I've had all sorts of big plans for this blog. I've wanted to write about local politics, New York State politics, national politics, sports, Buffalo, Buffalo history, etc... I've found that being in school has made keeping up with any of those ideas nearly impossible. I have to get past this, and keep this updated, if only for the practice it provides. I've heard that some people read this, but maybe no one does. I wouldn't blame anyone, blogs with one update every six months aren't very exciting. Anyway, I'm going to push myself to produce more posts, and try to follow through on some of the plans I had for this. If you do happen to check this from time to time, stay tuned.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Interview Article
Here is an article I wrote about a friend of mine.
Bryan Maury is a local journalist who has experienced the good and the bad of choosing journalism as a career path.
When Maury landed a journalism job with the Buffalo Current during the semester before graduating in 2005, he thought he was set. “It didn’t pay much, but it was the best $7.50 I’ve ever made in my life,” Maury said. Maury worked in the entertainment wing of the paper, and was able to meet bands and musicians he had long admired. “I was able to meet Brian May from Queen, and interview the Dropkick Murphys,” he said, “I usually interviewed and met really cool people.” Six months into the job, however, Maury was laid off, and the paper shut down. “Everyone got laid off, it totally sucked,” Maury said.
Since that time, Maury has worked as a freelance journalist, contributing to local papers and Internet sites. He has written about sports and local matters, from the Boston Red Sox to the new roundabouts in Hamburg. “I’ve had opportunities to freelance, and it’s something I plan on doing more of,” he said. “I’ve written for a few on-line magazines and some local papers.”
Maury received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Buffalo State College, but it was in high school when he first discovered his love of writing. “I wrote for the high school newspaper, but I never thought about pursuing it,” he said. That changed when he attended Erie Community College for English. “Erie Community College didn’t have a newspaper, so I got together with a few other students before the start of my second year, and we started a full fledged newspaper,” he said, adding, “after graduation, I looked back at things I wrote, and really liked it. I wanted to do it.”
Maury transferred to Buffalo State College, after graduation, to pursue a career in journalism. Maury believes that Buffalo State has a great journalism program. “I really learned a lot, really developed my voice as a writer,” Maury said. He also wrote and edited “ The Record” while there. “Writing for ‘The Record’ was a good experience,” Maury said, “it gave me experience for when I started writing for other publications.” Maury also did two internships while at Buffalo State. He was a photo runner for Reuters during Bills games, and he interned at Night and Day, a local newspaper. Working with “Night and Day” wasn’t the exciting reporter’s job he was looking for, but it taught him a lot. “I was interviewing people about the school supplies they were buying, and how they were going to decorate their dorm rooms,” Maury said.
Maury is currently looking into graduate programs for journalism, and freelancing as much as he can. He believes the Internet will open up new opportunities for current and future journalists alike. “As much as I love print journalism, the internet is a great tool,” Maury said. “It gives you more freedom as a writer.” He also sees social media playing a role in the future of journalism. “Social media is a huge part of where journalism is going, again; it’s just a great tool,” Maury said. According to Maury, journalists need to embrace new technologies to stay relevant. “It sucks that newspapers are closing, but it’s the new way.”
Maury has advice for those who are thinking about journalism as a career. “You really have to love it, and not be concerned with money, especially starting out,” he said. “You’re going to have to pay your dues.” The most important aspect, according to Maury, is finding your voice as a writer. “Find your voice,” he said. “I’m still working on it, but it’s about making people think, laugh and feel something.”
Bryan Maury is a local journalist who has experienced the good and the bad of choosing journalism as a career path.
When Maury landed a journalism job with the Buffalo Current during the semester before graduating in 2005, he thought he was set. “It didn’t pay much, but it was the best $7.50 I’ve ever made in my life,” Maury said. Maury worked in the entertainment wing of the paper, and was able to meet bands and musicians he had long admired. “I was able to meet Brian May from Queen, and interview the Dropkick Murphys,” he said, “I usually interviewed and met really cool people.” Six months into the job, however, Maury was laid off, and the paper shut down. “Everyone got laid off, it totally sucked,” Maury said.
Since that time, Maury has worked as a freelance journalist, contributing to local papers and Internet sites. He has written about sports and local matters, from the Boston Red Sox to the new roundabouts in Hamburg. “I’ve had opportunities to freelance, and it’s something I plan on doing more of,” he said. “I’ve written for a few on-line magazines and some local papers.”
Maury received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Buffalo State College, but it was in high school when he first discovered his love of writing. “I wrote for the high school newspaper, but I never thought about pursuing it,” he said. That changed when he attended Erie Community College for English. “Erie Community College didn’t have a newspaper, so I got together with a few other students before the start of my second year, and we started a full fledged newspaper,” he said, adding, “after graduation, I looked back at things I wrote, and really liked it. I wanted to do it.”
Maury transferred to Buffalo State College, after graduation, to pursue a career in journalism. Maury believes that Buffalo State has a great journalism program. “I really learned a lot, really developed my voice as a writer,” Maury said. He also wrote and edited “ The Record” while there. “Writing for ‘The Record’ was a good experience,” Maury said, “it gave me experience for when I started writing for other publications.” Maury also did two internships while at Buffalo State. He was a photo runner for Reuters during Bills games, and he interned at Night and Day, a local newspaper. Working with “Night and Day” wasn’t the exciting reporter’s job he was looking for, but it taught him a lot. “I was interviewing people about the school supplies they were buying, and how they were going to decorate their dorm rooms,” Maury said.
Maury is currently looking into graduate programs for journalism, and freelancing as much as he can. He believes the Internet will open up new opportunities for current and future journalists alike. “As much as I love print journalism, the internet is a great tool,” Maury said. “It gives you more freedom as a writer.” He also sees social media playing a role in the future of journalism. “Social media is a huge part of where journalism is going, again; it’s just a great tool,” Maury said. According to Maury, journalists need to embrace new technologies to stay relevant. “It sucks that newspapers are closing, but it’s the new way.”
Maury has advice for those who are thinking about journalism as a career. “You really have to love it, and not be concerned with money, especially starting out,” he said. “You’re going to have to pay your dues.” The most important aspect, according to Maury, is finding your voice as a writer. “Find your voice,” he said. “I’m still working on it, but it’s about making people think, laugh and feel something.”
I realized something the other night, while picking up some Clash cds my cousin burned for me. Music is so impersonal when we download it. Yes, it's quick and easy, but that's it. There is nothing else to it. Picking up the cds, I talked with my cousin about the albums he burned. We talked about the different tracks on them, what each song meant to him, and the songs I should check out first. It made getting these cds exciting, and personal.
I miss the days of waiting for a record to come out, and going to home of the hits or discovery records to get it. It made it an event, something to look forward to, not just a few clicks on the computer. Maybe I am getting old, and antiquated, but I really feel that we are missing out on a lot with the increased digitization of music (and, for that matter, almost everything).
On a side note, I'm going to make an effort to start making mix cds for people. It's a lost art.
I miss the days of waiting for a record to come out, and going to home of the hits or discovery records to get it. It made it an event, something to look forward to, not just a few clicks on the computer. Maybe I am getting old, and antiquated, but I really feel that we are missing out on a lot with the increased digitization of music (and, for that matter, almost everything).
On a side note, I'm going to make an effort to start making mix cds for people. It's a lost art.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
NY - 23
It's kind of funny that the conservative, tea party candidate lost. They even brought in the big guns!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
