July 19 1973

July 19, 1973  Seeking Balance

I was born ten and half months after my brother. My mother was always honest about the tears she shed when she found out she was pregnant with me, since she almost died during my brother's birth (apparently last rights were given...my mother isn't Catholic.)

She claims I was a still baby...a very still baby. My mom, affirms that doctors were convinced I was a still born, but against their advice, she carried me anyway. She had decided on the name Sunni Day (my mother wasn't even a hippy.) My mother claims that when she saw me, she knew my name had to be Angel.

I was born with duality, the instant anguish over the knowledge of my conception, the vexing pregnancy and joy of my birth. When I look at other events: newspapers, comics, book reviews, music and movies, that swirled around July 19, 1973, I see the same duality and dance for balance.

While I was trailblazing my way into the world, defying medical advice.... south Texas was preparing for its own groundbreaking, a new hospital!! 

(Were they worried about my arrival? Did they think, Angel is here, we need a new hospital!!) 

One thinks of a hospital and often thinks illness or injury, and has a negative thought, but a new hospital often brings with it the latest technology and often the hope of better medical care. 

On July 19, 1973, Snoopy was evaluating balance and fairness in his world. 

Also, on the day I was born, The New York Review published and article: "Sophocles Our Contemporary?" by D.S. Carne-Ross reviewing the book: The Eating of the Gods: An Interpretation of Greek Tragedy by Jane Knott. 

D.S. Carne Ross quotes a line from Knott's book beautifully:

"…two separate and contradictory structures co-exist. The eating of the god, the rite of death and renewal" (Carne-Ross, 1973, p. 8).

Knott's examines Greek tragedies which are known for probing the balance of human nature and morality: the co-existence of light and dark. 

Led Zeppelin was on tour in North America in the summer of 1973 and played Philadelphia on July 20 of that year, the day after I was born. 

Arguably their biggest hit, "Stairway to Heaven," would become one of my all time favorite songs!!

The Exorcist directed by William Friedkin, was released in 1973 and was a groundbreaking success both critically and at the box office. The film was adapted for screen by William Peter Blatty from his New York Times best seller by the same name. The film was nominated for ten Oscars (won two) and influenced the horror film genre and pop culture. (The Exorcist is ironically, my favorite film!) I favor it for its technical execution and the brilliant writing. 

On July 19, 1973, the day I was born, my mother didn't know I was born into a world seeking balance and questioning the duality of the human spirit. 

She didn't know that a hospital that  would see both death and saves lives was announcing its arrival. She didn't know Snoopy was questioning the fairness of his little friend Woodstock. I am sure she was completely unaware of the book review that outlines the ancient Greek theories about the inner struggle of man. My mom claims she never listened to Led Zeppelin, so their 1973, hit song, "Stairway to Heaven" and the lyrics that illustrate the seduction of spirit in a material world had no influence on her. She couldn't know that film, The Exocist,  would be released late in the year, and that the writing would so deftly write about inner versus outer demons. 

Who would have guessed, that on that day, when she looked at me and named me Angel, that I would grow up to marry a man, take his last name and become...Angel Helle? 

It is fair to say that our experiences color our perspective on how we see the world. Snooping around what was happening on July 19, 1973 revealed the way I see the world. When I look at the periodicals, the music,  and the movie, I see the beautiful balance  of light and dark. I see the yin and yang of life.

 I wonder if I had been born on any other day, if I would still see the same thing. 

References

Retrieved from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KS619wM3WrI/UiIzJ4A7k4I/AAAAAAAAPZU/X93qrqTvdpc/s1600/Angel-Wings-Fallen-Angel-Wings-Dark-Light-Satan-God-Evil-Good.png

Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/258534834832767681/

Carne-Ross, D. S. (1973). Sophocles Our Contemporary. The New York Review of Books,20(12), 8.

Led Zeppelin : Stairway to Heaven (New York 1973). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqqKKa9AJK4

Peanuts Comic Strip, July 19, 1973 on GoComics.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1973/07/19

Table of Contents - July 19, 1973 | The New York Review of Books. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nybooks.com/issues/1973/07/19/

THE EXORCIST - Trailer - (1973) - HQ. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDGw1MTEe9k

'The Exorcist': 25 Things You Didn't Know About the Terrifying Horror Classic | Moviefone.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.moviefone.com/2013/12/26/the-exorcist-facts/

The Dallas Morning News fights for attention over the Huffington Post

 I often read things posted by others on social media and wonder, “Where do they get this information?” I think to myself, “Do they read the news?” I turn the question on myself. Do I read the news? How do I even define the news? Well, I do read the news, usually New York Times, Nation Public Radio, and Huffington Post driven by Facebook newsfeed. I consider news to be local, national and world current events. When I think about it, I realize I do not consume enough news, especially local. The Dallas Morning News is my local paper and I am less likely to follow a link to its article than I would Huffington Post. Although DMN is local and easy to access, I prefer The Huffington Post for  the laid back style and interesting stories.

I love having awareness of my surroundings. I really want to like The Dallas Morning News but unless there is an earth shattering story that is happening blocks from me, I am not interested. 

I do like that The Dallas Morning News is local and the website has a calendar for events under entertainment. 

I like the linear way the DMA website is displayed but it does not visually interest me and its companion Facebook page tries too hard to be cool with its campy photo shopped pictures and does not drive me to their news website.

The website content seems lacking too. I caught bits and pieces of the local news on television and I am interested in a story that kept repeating. I do not see anything about that story and I do not want to search for it. Overall, I would say, although The Dallas Morning News is a local source for news and has a clean website; it drops the ball for me on content and lacks visual punch.

The Huffington Post however, has an overall tone to both the website and especially the Facebook page that peaks my interest and drives my attention to the news website.

I do like the bold, oversize lead story front and center. 

I like the solid coverage of political happenings and the less serious but engaging human interest stories.

However, The Huffington Post website suffers with a vertical layout. I find the horizontal sections created by The Dallas Morning News makes for quicker scanning and is easier on the eyes that The Huffington Post's vertical layout. 


Overall I prefer The Huffington Post to The Dallas Morning News for relatable content and visual stimulation. 

Questioning others news consumption made me question my own. I realize I do not consume enough news overall and should probably diversify my news pallet. I see how my news diet has changes over the years and how I do read most of the news online from links. I think it is important to updated on current events and to get different perspectives on opinion based issues. Although, the creativity of the Huffington Post makes me feel like I am eating dessert, I will put forth more effort and try to consume my local news vegetables from The Dallas Morning News. 

Where is the money?

The debate between online news publications and Google over copyrights infringement can be described as no less than heated. Publications understandably want compensation for their headlines and their content. This war between Google and online news sources has been compared to the copyright war in the music industry. This comparison begs the question: “Is Google “sampling” too much?” Google claims it samples only a little, giving readers only a taste for the content of most stories and drives traffic to the original source for the real meal. Interestingly, the editor at Wall Street Journal, Robert Thomson, vocally supports newspaper mogul, Rupert Murdoch and other online publications, who call foul on Google, but uses search engine optimization to get the most out of Google search.  Google argues no copyright infringement on their part and seemingly demands a “thank you” from online news publications for driving traffic to their website.

These articles really encompass the question posed in Tuesday’s lecture: “Where’s the money?” It is like mystery movie or a great puzzle, that once solved will expose a reveal akin to a M. Night Shyamalan movie. Everyone will be saying, “It was right there the whole time!”