This class was fun...

I am not just saying this in hopes of a better grade, I really enjoyed my time in this class.  It seemed to be the one I prepared for most, and dreaded attending least.  Thank you for that, both classmates and professor alike.

My final portfolio is complete, the link is here:

http://thebrianmcavoy.weebly.com/

Book Club: Final Post?

Dexter Filkins has balls. 

I respect the hell out of the writer of this book for going into such a harsh, dangerous place to report the truth.  He gives both sides of every story, the way a story should be told.  He had so many near death experiences, it's incredible that he made it out alive.  He risked his life in the name of honest journalism, how can you not respect that?  Many journalists lost their lives in greusome attacks throughout the danger zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, Filkins made it out alive and I don't know how he did it.  Pretty remarkable.

The book itself was good.  The structure was interesting in a good way and a bad way.  The author structured it with purpose.  The way the stories make up the entire book makes it all right to jump around if you want to or need to.  I feel like if the reader wants to skip over a story, that's OK, no big deal, just start at another spot and not miss a beat.

The book is amazing in that it brings you into the action.  We, as readers, are used to seeing it on TV.  While reading the book, Filkins brings us into the real setting without the bullshit that news stations or news papers or anything else puts in for filters.  He is clearly a non-biased journalist reporting from war bringing it to our attention the realities and struggles of both sides. 

I would suggest it to anyone interested in war in general, history, and the like.  It was a good read with a lot of insight.  Again, I respect Dexter Filkins for reporting the way he did (un-biased), and for putting himself in the line of fire (literally) to get the story, or stories, he wanted. 

Serving in Florida

Barbara Ehrenreich's piece "Serving in Florida" sort of hits close to home.  It was a good read and, as a server in a restaurant, I could relate somewhat.  Also, having the pleasure of scrambling around with two jobs and full-time school, I understand her frustrations, worries, thoughts and the like.  It is not easy.

Any restaurant employee (past or present) is part of a somewhat proud group who can generally relate to each other. I have been doing it for a number of years and I now consider it easy because I am good at what I do, however, not a day goes by where I don't think about how much I will enjoy my life without having to wait tables anymore.  It is really an interesting line of work, one that is somewhat rewarding but dealing with hungry assholes every night is sometimes not worth the lucrative nature of the job.  Not many jobs are so compatible with my other job and my school schedule and the money is not bad at all.  Granted, in the industry one must take the good with the bad, the good usually outweighs the bad.  I am rambling.

The piece that Ehrenreich wrote is fun because one can relate.  I guess I speak for myself, but my story is not totally different from hers.  I pay rent, car insurance, cell phone, car payment, cable, electric, gas, food, etc.  The list goes on and on, and it is a struggle.  Everyday something comes up.  I just found out my cable got shut off because my brother and I got caught up during the holidays to realize it was due, now Comcast wants $280 for us to turn it back on.  Rent is due tomorrow, where does the money come from?  The author of the piece displays the hardships that others go through, the ones who struggle more than I do.  I consider myself lucky that I don't have to put up with what the characters in "Serving in Florida" have to handle.  I have a small apartment with my brother in Mansfield, these folks are struggling to stay at hotels and trailer parks.  I guess it could be worse.

Anyway, she brings up real issues regarding human battles.  Interesting binary oppositions between corporate and human, that's another issue that lines this article throughout and another one I can, unfortunately, relate to.

End blog here, cheers.

Book Club: November 16, 2011

The Forever War by Dexter Filkins

As I continue reading this book more details and different viewpoints present themselves.  Some styles that the author uses are appealing and some are not.  I am enjoying the book based on the intense descriptions of everything Filkins encounters, however he certainly leaves somethings unclear.

I wish the author set a better timeline for the piece.  This does not by any means ruin the work, but it would be easier as a reader if he didn't jump around so much.  I am about half way through the book now and I am realizing more and more that I lost track of where we are in time.  Maybe the author does that on purpose?  I'm really not sure.  If it is good for anything, I can relate as a writer sitting down with a subject and scrambling through notes and quotes trying to make some sense of it.  Maybe during his time in this area his notes were kind of all over the place, which in turn translated into a less structured timeline of events in the book.

Someone in my group had brought up an event in the book that I have just read about and it's remarkable to say the least.  The Americans brought in a blonde woman to a fake auction and were pretending to sell her to the highest bidder.  The Iraqi people went crazy.  While the bidding continued, American soldiers conducted searches of homes in three different regions and took all of the weapons and firearms they could find.  Some Iraqis offered their children, cars, goats, etc.  It is incredible to see how differently these individuals practice their courting among many, many other things in their lives. 

The aspect of this work that I appreciate most is the way Filkins explains both sides of each story.  We touched on it a little bit in the last book club, but I realized it a lot reading the parts that I read for today.  He is very non-biased and just wants to relay the truth to the reader without regard to previous opinions.  In fact, he goes to great lengths to achieve this truth, sometimes getting extremely close to violence.

My Website: Midterm portfolio

http://www.thebrianmcavoy.weebly.com/


Hope you like it!  This is a group of assignments that didn't really even feel like school work.  That is a first.  Have a good weekend.

-Brian J. McAvoy

Harsh Reality in Iraq and Afghanistan

After reading a little bit further, the harsh reality of the living conditions throughout the earlier 2000's really shines through in the book.  What I really like about the author is that he is never apprehensive to talk to the locals and get their opinions.  He almost gets spit on by one man because of his absolute detestation of Americans and more importantly their occupation in Iraq, but the author still persists in order to get deeper into the story or just to get a point across.  I think that's what has set this piece apart from other works that have covered the war.  He spent so much time there and became familiar with so many people and places, who knows it better than he does?  His experience shines through every story, description and explanation.  It is impossible to miss.

The reading goes relatively fast, at least I think so, because Filkins often uses shorter passages that make up each chapter.  Almost like sub-chapters, he tells different stories or highlights a different person's struggle within the specific region (i.e. Afghanistan or Iraq).  I'm looking forward to reading more.

The Endless War: My First Impression

The Endless War is a great read so far.  I am really enjoying the different descriptions Dexter Filkins offers, descriptions that Americans aren't used to hearing or reading about.  The author has a direct, almost dry way of telling about his travels, but keeps the reader informed while doing so.  He will explain something that an average reader wouldn't normally know about and then tell us how it is.  I think it's remarkable that his first time traveling to Afghanistan was in 1998.  Even more remarkable is that was 13 years ago, the nation has seen war for a very long time.

I now understand what Jessica and Sarah were talking about in book club a couple of weeks ago; the author jumps around quite a bit and it could be easy for a reader to get a little bit lost.  At this point, I think he is just telling different stories about what he has seen in different places, and will probably be able to tie it all back together later on in the book.

While Afghanistan and Iraq are certainly different wars, they are undoubtedly similar and one can see that through just the first parts of this book.  Filkins paints an awesome picture in his writing, which helps me realize the severity of each of these occupations and the struggles that the Iraqis and Afghans face every day.

"Iraq was filled with people like Yacob Yusef.  They weren't survivors as much as they were leftovers." Filkins, p. 72

"Murder and torture and sadism: it was part of Iraq.  It was in people's brains." Filkins, p. 73

Those are a couple of things I underlined in a really dark part of the book.  I am looking forward to finding out more about his experiences in these war battered areas.  It is really nothing Americans have ever seen.  End blog here.

The Endless War, Book Club Blog #1

I have not gotten the book yet.  I am not slacking it has just been a very busy couple of weeks for me.  However, I am excited to get started reading the book.  I have read up on Dexter Filkins and his work, and this is sure to be a great read.  He has been very, very involved in covering the war in Afghanistan so his outlook will be a trustworthy one for sure.  Also, I am looking forward to reading an unbiased look at the war.  I hope this work is one not of political nature but one of factual nature instead.  I hope to pick up the book this afternoon or tomorrow morning, so I will be more prepared to talk and blog about the actual content of the work instead of speculating.  End blog here.

POST 2: Who I am interviewing and questions to ask

I decided (with the help of Jessica P.) to interview my friend's father, Bob Gallagher.  I plan to tell the story of his battle with drug addiction, the experiences he had hitting rock bottom and his recent ascent back to happiness leading a normal life.  I think this will be an interesting piece because his story has so many ups and downs.  Additionally, I think people will be able to relate to a story that hits so close to home.  He is a family man, former head hockey coach at Oliver Ames High School (from my hometown), hard worker and a generally great guy with a great sense of humor.

Not only do I think the general public would be able to relate to this story, I also know that many people from my hometown would be excited to read it.  I have flirted with the idea of trying to get it published in the Easton Journal if I get his approval, and if I really love the outcome.

Possible Questions:

1.) How were you introduced to drugs?  Specifically, what did you use?
2.) When did you realize it was time to seek help?
3.) Tell me what it was like when you were asked to step down as OAHS Head Coach.
4.) How hard was it to recover?  What did you take away from the recovery process?
5.) How have you learned to cope with addiction on a day-to-day basis?  What helps?

First Post: Possible Profile Personalities

I have thought quite a bit about the profile assignment we are supposed to do and a few candidates have come to mind.  One thought keeps irking me, however.  I feel like this is meant to be a powerful piece so I feel obligated to find someone completely interesting and from from, I feel the pressure.  Anyway, here are my possible candidates and why I might choose him or her.

1.)  My boss:
I work for Bertucci's in Mansfield and the General Manager (Travis Foster) of the restaurant is a very interesting individual.  He is large, African American, loud at times, somewhat militant and one of the hardest workers I have ever met.  Although he is sometimes intimidating, I am intrigued by his work ethic and how he achieved the success that he has.  Profiling Travis Foster would certainly be a learning experience.

2.)  Peter Narsasian
Peter is the owner of a prominent landscaping (PA Narsasian Landscaping) company in my hometown, Easton, Massachusetts.  He is only a few years older than I am but has achieved great success in a short period of time.  I am the owner of a landscaping company from the same town, but on a much, much smaller scale because I am still in college.  I knew Peter well in high school and it has been enjoyable watching his company grow to be what it is today.  Profiling Peter would help me with me endeavors and would also be an interesting piece about hard work and where it can take you.

3.)  Robert Gallagher
Former hockey coach from my high school, his son is my best friend.  He fell on hard times when he began dealing with drug addiction and eventually hit rock bottom.  Recently, he has been working his way back to living a normal life.  This piece would be interesting to find out how this all occurred and how it could have possibly been prevented.  A profile of Mr. Gallagher would be an insightful story of a man who pretty much lost everything and had to scramble in order to get it back.

I am still not sure which story I am going to pursue.  I suppose it all depends on how available these guys are and when I am able to meet with them.  This assignment seems like it will be an enjoyable one at least.