Wishing For Some Good News

I first blogged about Sky Metalwala on November 7th, 2011. Three months later, I was hoping that when I typed his name into the Google search bar I would find happy articles and pictures of his reunion with his father and and close-ups of his mother in an orange jumpsuit. This is not what I found when I hit enter. Unfortunately, there are no new leads as to where Sky might be... only ideas and theories that seem far-fetched and improbable. A little recap: Sky Metalwala was reported missing near Seattle, WA after his mother allegedly left him in her car for an hour while she and her daughter went to get help for their broken down car. After investigating the case, officials found that the car had no problems and had a full tank of gas: proving her a liar. Sky's father, Solomon, now has custody of the daughter, Maile, and says that he is inclined to believe that Sky might be with a third party or a friend of his mother's. Although Solomon has not said much publicly, his attorney makes himself very clear as to what the two think, saying "We are talking about a life of a 2-year-old child, whose mother is so vindictive and hateful, probably due to mental illness to some degree, that she is obsessed with the thought that she must prevent Solomon from (having) their children... She is not intelligent, and she definitely does not have what many would consider a creative side … I am not saying that to be mean, but we are in the trenches trying to come up with a way to circumvent Julia’s silence while her baby is missing" (cnn.com). It is very sad that Sky is missing. I just hope that he is alive and happy somewhere and that someday we will all know what really happened to him. 

The author of this article, Matt Phelps, uses a unique structure in his writing. After every two or three sentences he starts a new paragraph, neglecting to indent. Looking at only the structure, this article looks like a bunch of short sentences put together. I do think that this technique makes this article easier to read. If this were not spaced out I think that many people would be too overwhelmed by the large article that they would not read it. I think that Phelps is aware of his audience and knows that many people just want an update on Sky, and not some lengthy fluffed up article. He does a good job of recapping what happened to Sky without going into too much detail that it would make the article boring. I hope someday soon he has good news for us. 


Click Here For The Update On Sky's Case

Stop Abusing Infants

Abuse of any kind is horrible. Child abuse is unthinkable. But infant abuse is unimaginable. Sadly, the journal Pediatrics, surveyed almost 89% of hospitals in the U.S. and looked at the 2006 Kids Inpatient Database from the Department of Health and Human Services. This study found that for every 100,000 children, 6 were seriously abused. But for children under 1 year old, this likelihood increased more than 8 times, making the rate 58 in every 100,000 for infants. This rate is higher than Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which gets much more research opportunities and publicity than child abuse. The study also found that infants covered by Medicaid were abused 1 in every 752. Karel Amaranth, executive director of the J.E & Z.B. Butler Child Advocacy Center, explains that there is a "strong association between poverty and child abuse such as stressful economic situations and lack of support for young mothers" (cnn.com). Still, no matter how broke you really are, there is no excuse for taking out your frustration on your baby. Your baby who is unable to protect itself in any way, shape, or form. 

The author of this article, Nadia Jounang, does a wonderful job enhancing the logos and ethos in her writing. I did find, however, that she was lacking in pathos. This is somewhat surprising because when talking about child abuse there seems to be a myriad of opportunities to play up on the pathos. I think that her article would've have a greater impact on the reader if it had enhanced people emotions a little more. But, this was a medical article and therefore it is fitting that she did not play up the pathos. 

Click Here To Read This Logos-Packed Article!

Lyme Disease Studies

Dr. Maria Diuk-Wasser of the Yale School of Public Health and her colleagues spent over three years running pieces of cloth through forests collecting ticks. With the information that they gathered, they were able to create a map that shows which areas of the country are most affected by Lyme Disease. This disease is transmitted by the bite of a deer tick. Although antibiotics usually cure people, some victims develop arthritis, meningitis, and other serious illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the latest data available is that there were 30,000 cases of Lyme Disease in 2010. They also say that "more then 90 percent of those cases were in 12 states: CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, MN, NJ, NH, NY, PA, VA, and WI" (huffingtonpost.com). This data coincides with the map below very well. 

The author of this article, Holly Ramer, provides some good background information on Lyme disease, stating that is was originally named after a small Connecticut town. However, I think she does not place this information in the appropriate or best place. She places this information right in the middle of the passage. I am not sure of the technique, but I think it would have been better if she discussed Lyme disease towards the beginning so that the reader could then understand the rest of the article. Maybe she wanted to add suspense. She does make good use of logos, though, when she says "About 1 in 5 ticks collected were infected- more than researchers expected- and that percentage was fairly constant across geographic areas" (huffingtonpost.com). Overall, I am glad that I read this article. 


Click Here To Read This Article!

First Anniversary Trumps Super Bowl.. rough

Stacy Tavor Merwin is putting her foot down, and I am not so sure that I would do the same. Would you? Here is the situation: Her husband, Josh, is a freelance sports photographer for Sports Illustrated and ESPN. They were married on February 5^th of last year, which at the time was the day before the Super Bowl. Now it is on the day of the Super Bowl. Stacy, insisting that their first wedding anniversary trumps the Super Bowl, has made dinner reservations for 8:00 pm… right in the middle of the game. But trying not to be a very controlling wife, she is allowing her husband an hour and a half of the game. Personally, I think they could’ve celebrated their anniversary during the day and enjoyed watching the game together. Clearly, sports are a big part of her husband’s life. But hey, who am I to give marriage advice?

Merwin appears to be on the defense throughout her article. She has to know that so many men and women sports fanatics are out there judging her marriage and her demeanor. She says, “But before you judge me as a demanding, insensitive wife, I should explain: It's our anniversary. Our first anniversary” (huffingtonpost.com). She uses the repetition of, “It’s our anniversary. Our first anniversary,” to add dramatic effect and importance of the phrase. Merwin is trying to get people to take her side on this issue. She then goes on to say that, “Before you start throwing rotten tomatoes, know that I make my fair share of sacrifices for my husband” (huffingtonpost.com). But is it really about an eye for an eye? Should Merwin make her husband miss the game?

Click here to read this article

Memoir #2

For my second memoir, I will be reading "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs.