June 12, 2011

Sunday Stories


On second thought, I figured it'd be best to just post these here.

There were some really exceptional stories in today's Sunday Times (not a surprise). I still have to go through the Arts & Leisure and Sunday Magazine sections, but if anyone is interested, I'd suggest checking out the following:

From the front page:

Photobucket U.S. Underwrites Internet Detour Around Censors

"In an anonymous office building on L Street in Washington, four unlikely State Department contractors sat around a table. Josh King, sporting multiple ear piercings and a studded leather wristband, taught himself programming while working as a barista. Thomas Gideon was an accomplished hacker. Dan Meredith, a bicycle polo enthusiast, helped companies protect their digital secrets.

Then there was Mr. Meinrath, wearing a tie as the dean of the group at age 37. He has a master’s degree in psychology and helped set up wireless networks in underserved communities in Detroit and Philadelphia.

The group’s suitcase project will rely on a version of “mesh network” technology, which can transform devices like cellphones or personal computers to create an invisible wireless web without a centralized hub."
Photobucket For the Executive With Everything, a $230,000 Dog to Protect It
"This 3-year-old German shepherd, who commutes by private jet between a Minnesota estate and a home in Arizona, belongs to a canine caste that combines exalted pedigree, child-friendly cuddliness and arm-lacerating ferocity."

Sports
Photobucket The Mets’ Bat Whisperer
Photobucket Clemente’s 3,000th Hit Was Muted Milestone in Ambivalent City
Photobucket First in Mud at Belmont: Long Shot Ruler on Ice
“At the half-mile pole, I was hearing whips cracking behind me, and I could hear guys chirping to their horses, and all I’m doing is picking up the tempo,” said Valdivia, a 36-year-old from Peru.

A major drama was unfolding behind him with the Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, who was cut off out of the gate by Mucho Macho Man and became tangled with that colt and another one, Monzon.
Photobucket 24 Hours in Sports: One Reporter’s Quest

Misc.
Photobucket Before Reality TV, Life in an Actual Bubble
Photobucket Making Room for Art That Really Moves

--

Also, photos are emerging of Gabrielle Giffords, which seem to have been released sometime this morning:

Photobucket In Facebook Photos, a Smiling Gabrielle Giffords (AP)
Photobucket Gabrielle Giffords: First photos reflect Giffords' recovery (Arizona Republic)

Speaking of The Arizona Republic, they've had some great stories on the Wallow Wildfire that's sweeping across the eastern half of the state. They also produced this stunning map, which illustrates the spread of the fire day-by-day.

The map got mention on several national news outlets, as well as by Charles Apple, the former design editor of The Virginian Pilot. And I have to mention another shout out by Apple, who recently praised The Plain Dealer, in Cleveland, for their awesome front page package on Terrelle Pryor.

This is a tangent, but I've been pretty wowed by the design work going on at The Plain Dealer (See: this and this and especially this).

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by Chase at 3:01 PM | 0 comments (create) - (View)

August 15, 2010

VA-PHX-TUS


Photobucket

I was lucky enough to get the window seat on all my flights.

Some people close their window shades on the airplane, a phenomenon I've never quite understood. Leaving mine open, I caught a glimpse of the Mississippi River on the way to Phoenix and back. I saw barges, cattle, rectangular countryside, sand and the blinking red light on the wing of the plane at night.

Landing into the Phoenix airport (Sky Harbor (awesome)), it amazed me again to see just how much space the city encompasses. It takes about three-and-a-half hours to drive around its circumference. Stretch across a gridded canvas, the city streets reach far enough in the cardinal directions you lose sight of their ends in the haze.

I stayed with a (newly) Phoenician friend my first night and spent all of the next day talking with editors at the city's main newspaper.

Mark came to the city to pick me up and drive me down to Tucson (roughly two hours southeast), but before our trip we polished off some In-n-Out Burger – one of the great pillars of "out West."

It was my very first paid vacation, a concept I still have trouble wrapping my head around. I used the time wisely -- lounging, drinking, watching copious amounts of 30 Rock, eating omelets and desert driving.

I reconnected with editors (of whom I've grown quite fond), met some new ones and talked with Silliman for more than an hour via phone. I made a journalism decision that may greatly alter where my career goes next.

Mark and I left Tucson for Phoenix Friday evening. We listened to Wolf Parade and The Arcade Fire:



There's something about leaving a small place and plopping down in the middle of cosmopolitania. Just the change in pace -- hearing people all around you all the time -- it makes a major difference. I like it a lot.

Phoenix was different this time around. Younger, energized, hotter and more eye-catching. It's a real city, too young for its space and still growing into itself.

I landed in the Shenandoah Valley, back in Virginia, without regrets and ready to get back into my routine. On the drive home I blasted The Hives.

Life is still good.

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by Chase at 8:18 PM | 2 comments (create) - (View)

July 21, 2009

Reoccurance


This seems to happen to me every summer. I start out with an idea to write a profile about somebody. I drag my feet, conduct too many interviews, and ultimately avoid writing the article. Then at the end of the summer, I sit down feeling re-committed to writing the piece.

Last year I ended up with one of my favorite articles I've written. This summer I'm hoping for another home-run.

I sat today down with several packed folders: court documents, interviews, newspaper articles, crime reports, etc. Now it's time to get to work and try my hand at this again.

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by Chase at 2:30 PM | 3 comments (create) - (View)