The most interesting article this week was an editorial from the Los Angeles Times called "When Giving Really Counts." On November 27, The Times noted that American generosity has been high and consistent and that even though people dug deep to help victims of the Tsunamis and Hurricane Katrina, Americans still met the usual mark for other charities as well. The Times noted that although Americans have given generously, now is not the time to stop as the holidays approach. The editorial successfully praises American's charity and encourages them to not give in to giving fatigue. The editorial gives deserved credit to Americans and shines a light toward future giving. The editorial is encouraging, hopeful, and well done. "knowing that there is true hunger and want in their midst, most Americans who have given and given will surely open up and give again," said the Times.
Link:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-giving27nov27,0,5015614.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials

"The Right Cure for Box-Office Blues," a commentary by Brian C. Anderson addressed the struggle of the movie industry and the slight lean toward more traditional, "right" wing movies. Anderson used the examples of Lord of the Rings, The Incredibles, Passion of the Christ and Spider Man 2 to represent movies that are more "culturally and morally conservative" because of their lessons about heroism and values. These movies have been the rare box-office successes in the last few years, suggesting that in order for a movie to be successful, it must be more conservative. Anderson's commentary is extremely insightful due to the traditional notion that Hollywood is largely liberal and will remain so. There is a possibility, according to Anderson that movies will start to represent more conservative values and will therefore become more profitable for the movie industry. The article is just in time for the big holiday movie season, making Anderson's predictions all the more brave because they are about to be tested. The emergence of conservative Hollywood is also a topic that is a stray from the LA Times' usual perspective. The positive spin on a conservative move is very respectable for the publication, and for Anderson.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-anderson16nov16,0,3013866.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

Another interesting story this week from the Los Angeles Times concerned video games and the changes in the entertainment industry. "Watching Ourselves Steal Cars," By Thomas de Zengotita a contributing editor at Harper's Magazine, was a quirky, insightful look at Young America and the interactive entertainment that is the video game. Zengotita first compares the numbers of people who watch movies versus those that rent or buy video games. "No wonder they're making more and more movies based on video games, rather than the other way around," commented Zengotita, due to the skyrocketing number of video game consumed by Americans. Zengotita attributes the rising consumption to the fact that teenagers can participate in video games, taking control of what's on the screen and being able to determine the outcome. In contrast, movies and television allow no such opportunity because the outcome is predetermined and have nothing to do with participation from the viewer. Zengotita talks about the violence of such games, letting teenagers who would not normally steal a car, do so with no reprocussions except the fun of the game. Also, he cleverly ties in reality TV in which former viewers can actaully be on thier favortie shows. These "revolutions" may be changing the way we perceive entertainment forever. Zengotita's ability to see and examine this revolution is commendable.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-video6nov06,1,3404796.story

The most interesting story this week was from the Los Angeles Times. "The Cyber World Shuts out O.C. Loner Too" by Times Staff Writed Kimi Yoshino. Yoshino introduces a boy who suffered from Asperger's syndrome, similar to autism, which made his socially inept. The boy was an outcast basically all of his life, which ended tragically when he shot a neighbor, the neighbor's daughter, and himself at the age of 16. Yoshino tells you this detail fairly quickly in the article, not leaving readers in the dark about the fate and destricution of this young man. However, she manages to win you over and sympathize with the young man as she leads you through his life of no friends, ridicule, and attempts to reach out. Yoshino interviews those who knew the young man and provides his posts on the internet just days before he commited the murders. While the warning signs seem obvious, she is also careful to point out that after the fact, everything always seems much clearer. Yoshino provides a sensitive, insightful look into the life of a young man that we already know ended brutally, giving the reader an perspective that is fresh, unique and intruiging. Throughout the article, she is careful to show his life in an unbiased way and subtly gains the reader's support and sympathy. She is an effective writer and does this story more justice than most reporters would given the devastating events.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cyberlife6nov06,1,3307992.story

The best story this week was an editorial by the LA Times called "Parks v. Profit." The editorial starts out with an "old Jewish Tale" which instantly intrigues readers because it seems to have little to do with the issue. The editorial tackled recently modified proposals that barely protect national parks and other natural resources from public use and the presence of farm animals.
According to the Times, the parks would be so overused that in the future, people would not be able to enhoy their splendor and beauty. Americans seem to value preserving parks and the nature we have left but the government is not responding to these concerns because of the price of doing so. The editorial is very well written because theTimes ties together an entertaining Jewish story, a government proposal about nature, and people's concerns in one well flowing article.
The Times does a good job giving the history of the proposal and the details of the modification. These details would be not well known to the public otherwise. Therefore, the Times is educating people on what the policies and confusing modifications are really all about.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-parks03nov03,0,5990576.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials

Continuing his series on Skid Row, Steve Lopez offered a perspecitve of Dr. Dennis Bleakley in "Offering Compassion, Not a Cure." Bleakley chose to work at a 6th street hospital and is now confronted daily with cases of Tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV from patients living on Skid Row. Along with confronting diseases, Bleakley tackles many patients' illiteracy, mental illness and struggle to survive. Lopez used Bleakley to raise the issue of whether addiction should be treated as a disease or as a "moral choice." Lopez combines an appeal to emotion through a heroic doctor and his devastating patients with a tie to morality and people's frequent ignorance concerning those in poverty. Lopez takes the reader with him to discover the dismal condition of Bleakley's patients and gains support in an effective way. He lets the reader distinguish if the government is acting properly towards drug addiction and what should be done. Overall, Lopez effectively communicates the stories of Bleakley and his patients. Since one of the most important aspect of journalism is telling a meaningful story that can spark change, Lopez demonstrates journalism at its finest in this heart breaking piece.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-lopez18oct18,1,6719432.column?page=2

A fashionable spin on politics? Booth Moore made it possible with his coverage of Fashion Week in Paris in "Big End to Anything-Goes Week." Moore mainly discussed the contraversial John Galliano show in which the designer featured models to represent the "post-trend" era. There were short models, old models, fat models, and cross-dressing models of all races and sexual orientations. The show demonstrated the growing understanding of beauty that has not been adequately represented in the fashion world. According to Moore, Galliano was also commenting on the gay marriage issue in the United States, contrasting it to France's more accepting policies. The featured homosexuality showed that not only does the fashion world need to be more open-minded on beauty, but the government on who deserves fair treatment. The article then continued to address different designers. I though Moore did a fantastic job on this piece because he appealed to one audience through fashion and managed to tie in politics. He vividly described the clothing and the shows, but took it to the next level that most people don't. The sophistication of that connection shows me that politics truly is in everything, and that such seemingly diverged interests could come together in America's "post-trend" era.

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/cl-et-fashion11oct11,0,4281979.story?coll=la-home-style

In "Catholics, Gays and Mixed Signals" Michael McGough investigates the recent contradictory language of the Catholic Church in terms of homosexuality. According to the commentary, in previous writing, the Catholic Church linked homosexuality to birth or early years of development. However, more recent language stated that homosexuality can be treated with intense therapy to help achieve "Christian perfection." Also, the Catholic churh has implied a connection between homosexuality and pedophilia, almost creating a scape-goat for the scandal of recent years. The position of the church implies a possibility of banning homosexuals from priesthood, even if they remain completely celebate. McGough provides countless examples of the contradictory language and seems to have done extensive research. He acknowledges the difficulty of grasping the exact position of the Catholic Church as well as the exceptions in the conservative beliefs. McGough also recognizes that although writing has implied that the church is considering a ban, such a discrimination would be "un-Christian." He demonstrates a lot of journalistic responsability by showing both sides of the issue. He also clarifies that "perhaps the pedophilia scandal was about pedophilia," reminding readers to be fair and not to generalize. McGough tackles the contraversial issue with tact, grace, and fairness.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcgough3oct03,0,7150751.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions