so tonight i was returning from the boston pops with my friend daniel when we went into harvard square. as we passed the side T-stop and approached the main one, daniel went “GASP” and we saw a man laying in the street, not moving at all and maybe not even breathing. we hurried over, along with other festive fourth of july-ers, to find that no one had called 911 yet and that this poor dude was bleeding from the back of his head.

most people say he just collapsed and the thud that sounded was from the impact of his head on the gravel. i called 911 and shakily told them what happened, and where we were: in front of cambridge savings bank (right?) on mass ave at the square (even though i said yard like five times). i tried asking the guy not to move, and he was trying to sit up, and then i tried asking him what year it is. (typically if they don’t know what year it is, they could have serious head trauma.) he responded with a “of couuuurse i know what yeah it is blahhhh” so i was like ugh. then the dispatcher asked what his name was, and it turned out to be walter.

poor walter.

the paramedics came and most people dispersed but daniel and i were like BAH and decided to stay. the medics didn’t care about what a 16-year-old journalism student but i figured maybe i had some insight as to what happened. just maybe.

then the po-po arrived and we were even more nervous because as they approached us, walter was being set onto a stretcher. one officer asked us a few basic questions about what happened before moving on to another supposed witness (but i don’t remember seeing him in our concerned little group originally so he was just a poser). then the guy came back and asked me for my name (he spelled daniela wrong before making a comment about the quintanilla part) and he got my cell phone too, just in case of whatever. we also found out from the two po-po that were talking that walter’s name is walter burns and that he is most likely homeless and got out of MGH not too long ago, and that he wanted to go back there.

basically, cambridge po-po has my cellular. an odd thought.

Hi!!

I am happy to announce that there are people who are reaching our blog through google!!!

I mean… Today we have visits of people searching these on google:

You can see this in “Blog Stats”…

All the best,

Agb,

Prof. Sharp suggested I post my event article, so here it is!

It’s almost 4 p.m. on a summer Tuesday in Cambridge, Mass. The sky looks threatening, thunder crackles against the sky, and an occasional raindrop plunks to the ground.

However, the vendors and their customers at the Cambridge Farmers’ Market, located at the corner of Oxford and Kirkland Streets, aren’t worried. Dave Purpura, the owner of Plato’s Harvest Organic Farm and a merchant at the Farmers’ Market simply laughs off the rain, as shoppers mill around right outside Annenberg Hall.

“We just get wet,” he said, surrounded by organic, homegrown tomatoes and lettuce, while his produce is covered by a white tent. “And in three years, there’s only been a couple of days that it’s really been a washout.”

The Cambridge Farmers’ Market, a collaboration between the Food Literacy Project and Harvard University Dining Services, runs weekly on Tuesdays from 1-6 p.m. during the summer months. And while the Market is still three years young, Food Literacy Project Coordinator and Market Manager Theresa McCulla said that there is a regular customer base that has steadily grown.

“[The customer base has] grown from three years ago to now,” she said. “We have 1000 people on the [email notification] list.”

Every week, these dedicated customers come to the ten to 15 Massachusetts-based vendors who provide a variety of local produce, pastries and breads, herbs and plants, and jams and pies.

“Our goal is to provide a great place for the community to come together, and not just the Harvard community, but the surrounding Cambridge community,” said McCulla. “Because Massachusetts is actually very strong agriculturally, we want people to see what’s grown in our backyard.”

Some local vendors that McCulla recommends include the Somerville, Mass.-based Taza Chocolate, who “sell direct-trade chocolate, meaning it’s a step beyond fair trade. They actually go down to central South America and buy cocoa beans directly from growers and they grind the chocolate.”

Another vendor, Fiore di Nonno, a family shop from Lincoln, Mass, makes fresh mozzarella handmade every single morning.

Seven-year-old Julian Bellows-Knight and his father Jeff Knight are one of those regular customers who come despite the spitting showers. They live a few blocks away, and, in the spirit of being organic and environmentally healthy, ride their bicycles to the Market.

“I especially like the bakery [the Danish Pastry House],” said Julian. “Once, we got some blueberries and they were so good that we ate them before we left.”

Mr. Knight, his father, added, “It’s nice to have.”

And, in three words, how would he describe the market?

“Open, green and good.”

xoxo grace

http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/save-the-press/

http://jonswift.blogspot.com/2007/11/journalism-101.html

This is a great website that has the rules of journalism and what to avoid or what to make sure to do when you’re writing an article. woot!

Plagiarism at Harvard

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – It’s 2 a.m. and you have an essay due tomorrow morning. You tap your pen, you take a shower, you stalk some friends on Facebook. But no matter what you do, that unwritten paper is still looming on the blank page in front of you, becoming alarmingly more ominous as you desperately try to ignore it.

You have to do something, and quick, because the clock’s ticking and you’re feeling a little drowsy.

You have two options. You can stay up even later and attempt to write a mediocre paper with fabricated facts or quotations with the limited resources of the internet and that textbook under your bed, or you can Google a few words and copy-paste a brand new essay for a low fee…and suffer the burden of plagiarism.

According to a standard Merriam-Webster dictionary, to plagiarize is to “steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own” or to “use (another’s production) without crediting the source.”

But plagiarism itself can be ambiguous. Copying a sentence from a website versus taking an idea from an essay but using your own words can have entirely separate results and penalties.

The price for plagiarism can be colossal, for students and professors alike. At a prestigious university like Harvard, it can be everything, like losing a scholarship or a degree; but even worse, plagiarism can destroy a reputation.

A recently publicized case was the book, “How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life” by Kaavya Viswanathan, a then Harvard sophomore, who directly used several passages from the books “Sloppy Firsts” and “Second Helpings,” both by Megan F. McCafferty, as mentioned in David Zhou’s article “Student’s Novel Faces Plagiarism Controversy” that appeared in the Harvard Crimson in April 2006. Viswanathan was a sophomore at the college when the scandal came to light.

David Zhou said, “Neither Harvard College’s Administrative Board Guide for Students nor the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Student Handbook mention the ramifications of non-academic plagiarism.” Thus, Harvard could take no action in disciplining Viswanathan, but her reputation as a writer and a student was stained with the foul colors of literary theft.

Some could even say that Viswanathan’s stint with plagiarism was more organized than other plagiarists’. “What is the price of plagiarism?” was an article published in the Christian Science Monitor and said that most students that plagiarize do so by means of the Internet, since its vast availability makes the task of tracking down a sentence or two in cyberspace nearly impossible. Plagiarizing by means of the Internet is also the easy, lazy way out, the article said.

Jane Kirtley, a professor at the University of Minnesota, said, “There’s a sense among students today that if it’s something they can find on the Internet, then by definition, they can use it freely without attributing it to anybody.”

In other cases, Harvard students who plagiarize on their work are sent to the Administrative Board, a committee composed of students and faculty members who work together to justly penalize honor offenders, according to an online version of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Student Handbook.

The Handbook says that “the full Board hears all disciplinary and academic review cases. Violation of the alcohol rules, disruptive conduct, academic dishonesty, and sexual harassment are typical of the disciplinary cases it handles.”

The first step involves the discovery of plagiarism in the student’s work and then the report by the professor or teacher’s assistant. An investigation ensues to determine the integrity (or lack thereof) of the student’s work before appearing before the Administrative Board, which will meet quickly to conclude what the penalty will be.

(x)

But unlike (x) , most professors do care about plagiarism and bringing negligent students to justice. Assistant Dean to the college, Jay Ellison, spoke of his time teaching, saying, “I have found cases of academic dishonesty a few times in my courses. I reported them to the Administrative Board for investigation as required by faculty rules.” Ellison is the Secretary on the Administrative Board and said that there have even been multiple repeat offenders of plagiarism, but that six students this year were pardoned of the charges against them.

The Handbook says that three main punishments may be given for disciplinary wrongdoing: a warning, probation, and requirement to withdraw. Because the degree of plagiarism varies between each offender, their penalties will also vary; the Administrative Board is careful and particular with each case, and is as likely to pardon an innocent student as severely penalize a guilty one.

Kelsey Quigley is approaching her final semester as a senior at Harvard. “Everyone writes papers, and everyone takes exams,” she said. She said that she has never plagiarized or been tempted to plagiarize, nor does she know anyone who has.

It’s about 2:30 a.m. now. You’ve sighed, you’ve grumbled, but now you’re ready. The blank page before you slowly starts to fill up, and you’re satisfied knowing it’s your own work.

Happy Birthday!

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If you have problems when posting, please send me an email… Or send me your work and I’ll post it.

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*This report may have style and grammatical errors. English is not my first languageso probably this is not going to be the best article! I hope this post is going to move you to post your work here… Even if it have errors! Don’t worry of what others are going to think… We are here to help us!

Every day, street musicians give Harvard a different atmosphere. Guitarists, violinists and even percussionists play in public places to delight the audience.

There are different opinions about why some people play on the streets, but in the end, everybody agrees that it is enjoyment that really drives people to perform. Max, who plays didgeridoo, an aboriginal instrument, said “It is not totally serious for me… sometimes I play for cash but it is pretty much just for fun.”

Max plays with a friend named Josh, a percussionist.

Peter Podobry from Russia is a full time street musician. He tried different jobs but in the end he realized that he had to be a performer. Ever since he made that decision he has worked as a guitar teacher and street musician. He has also played professionally for ten years. “I enjoy what I do…” He said.

Different from other street players, Podobry makes his living off his music. He plays up to six hours every day: “I come at 5:00 o’clock and play until 11:00.”

Because of the constant flow of people, Harvard Square and the “T” are the preferred places to play musical instruments. In Harvard Square there is even a place arranged for musicians, just in front the “Au Bon Pain” restaurant.

Podobry said “I like to play in the ‘T’ but only in the winter… I love Christmas”

Street musicians tend to remain in the same place for around 30 to 45 minutes, depending on “how you are feeling” said Max.

They learn music from very different sources. Max said, “I just like learning instruments by playing… I don’t take lessons for this or anything.”

Being a street musician is hard, but it also gives great rewards. Podobry said that what he really likes is to hear he is playing well… “The technique has to be perfect.”

Max and Josh, instead, think that the best thing of playing on the streets is to “successfully set a mood.” They added “We like to watch people chill out… or play in the park…”

There are apparently other benefits of playing an instrument. Max said “It is a good exercise for your lungs… this instrument [didgeridoo] is not difficult… it’s fun…”

Weather is a key factor for street musicians. Podobry said “One of the difficulties is that sometimes you play and starts to rain… You have to find a whole new place to play”

Some street performers write their own music. Podobry is one of them.

He has three different CD’s for sale, each one costs $15. Although he has composed his own music, he likes to adapt well known songs to his own style.

Street musicians change the atmosphere and immerse people around them in a comfortable setting. 

Ryan Todd, a Harvard student, said that he likes street performers but that it really depends on their venue and timing. “There is a guitarist who plays just outside the ‘Au Bon Pain’ and he plays at night… the music he plays fits the time and the place very well. That really adds a lot to the atmosphere.”

Albert Araguayo, a summer student at Harvard, said “Musicians bring a background to the environment.”

Araguayo said that he “feels sad because some of them are homeless… I always try to give them something each time I pass”

Dean, a student from Korea, said that street musicians are like “a part of Harvard’s own kind of culture, people come here, they play. It attracts the tourists; you know, you hear music on the streets, that’s good!”

Podobry, Max, Josh—three musicians, three different stories, three different lives.

As Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, a German novelist and writer, once said, “Music is the poetry of the air.”  This is definitely true for all the street musicians of Cambridge.

Antonio