#1. Summary
Ivan Watson reports in Istanbul about female artists who are now getting to play a part in the design of the Islamic mosques. Zeynep Fadillioglu is getting her first chance to do some interior design with the help of other designers to paint inside the Sakirin mosque. She made a career decorating restaurants, hotels, and homes for the wealthy. Blown-glass raindrops are hung from a chandelier. This is the first mosque to be designed by women. Professor Ali Kose discusses that traditionally mosques were only for men even though women played a bigger role in the design during the times of the Prophet Muhammad. Yet because that role has been almost completely wiped out, the effects on women in the muslim religion has also been affected. The women and children have a designated area in the back of the mosque that is apart from men. A women named Deniz Urash was interviewed to say that the area is too small and quite crowded. Women feel that they have been neglected.

#2. Was this podcast effective in getting its point across?
The podcast was to discuss the way that women are now getting a chance to once again be involved with parts of their culture, such as designing the mosques and the story was done very effectively. Even though they also discussed how women are affected in the mosque, it was still on topic because discussed the point was to show how women’s rights have been affected by society, particularly in the mosque.

#3. What techniques (sound effects, music, interviews) were used to tell the story?
No music was used before, during, or after the podcast. During the interviews you could hear the people in the background designing the mosque and the reporter described a women who was showing someone how to hang the glass raindrops which really gave the listener a good view of the mosque in its beauty, along with the description of the stained-glass windows where they prayed. The interviews were put together just using important clips which were most of the time only a few sentences and you didn’t actually hear the reporter asking the question. Only their response was heard since the reporter was also narrating.

#4.I liked this podcast
I felt like it was very effective and well thought out. There were more than one interview which made the podcast more interesting. The only man who was interviewed was the professor but he didn’t give any of his opinions he just gave some of the facts about the design of mosques. It was a good thing that there were no men giving their opinion because it would have taken away from the podcast considering it’s supposed to be about women. This podcast was well done.

#5. The only thing I would have changed in this podcast would be to perhaps add some of the prayers that the muslims would pray when they were in the mosque to give the listener an idea of the intimacy that goes along with prayer and it would have explained why the women value their prayer time and don’t want to be in a crowded room at the back of the mosque.

Celeste you got it right!

#2. Was this podcast effective in getting its point across?
The podcast did a quality job of getting its point across. It was created to convey a message about the troops and how they are able to have some sort of normalcy when out in a foreign country. Even though they also made it a point to say that it wasn’t easy getting troops a Thanksgiving dinner, letting the troops know that they are still being thought of and still deserve to have something special on the holidays really has an impact not only on the troops but on the families back at home who would want nothing more than for their loved ones overseas to have a Thanksgiving meal.

#3. What techniques (sound effects, music, interviews) were used to tell the story?
Once again no music was used but I thought it was interesting how in the beginning there was Michelle Norris who introduced All Things Considered as a whole and then introduced the article with Philip Reeves who reported throughout the whole story. During the personal interviews you could tell that they were out in the valley because you could hear that background noise of convoys driving by and the wind blowing which added a realistic effect and made it feel almost as if you were right there with the troops.

#4. I liked this podcast
Even though the war has never been something I’ve been particularly interested in, I felt the organization of the article was well thought out. Having no music was better but perhaps some sound effects could have been put in like some explosions or something when they talked about the bombing of the convoy. It could have been done just enough to put some powerful impact into the story without making it corny and dramatic.

#5. Along with adding some sound effects to the article I would have put in a quick closing using Michelle Norris because she introduced All Things Considered so had she closed it also it would have flowed better and not appeared so random. Otherwise it was a good quality article.

October 18, 2009 (5:40)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113916951

1. This podcast was about whether or not homeless people should be protected under the hate crime law. Some don’t agree with this, while others believe homeless people deserve to be protected under the law as well. The podcast also shares some stories of real homeless people who share their experiences of being on the street.

2. Was this podcast effective in getting its point across?
Yes, I feel this podcast was effective in getting its point across because it contained very good information concerning homeless hate crime. It also had a few interviews with actual homeless people which I feel made the podcast more effective.

3. What techniques (sound effects, music, interviews) were used to tell the story?
The segment contained a few good interviews which helped make it a little more interesting to listen to. They also played a little tune at the end of the podcast. Other than that they didn’t really use any other sound effects.

4. I liked this podcast because it was an interesting topic to hear about. The segment seemed to flow along nicely, and it wasn’t boring. I really enjoyed listening to the interviews they added in because it seemed to be more effective hearing it come from someone who actually experienced being homeless.

5. There wasn’t a whole lot I would’ve changed in this segment. I do think there should have been more music or sound effects throughout the podcast. Other than that I think it was well done.

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=11145342&m=11145343

Summary

Zainab Salbi is an Iraqi woman who was forced into an arranged marriage in 1990 by her parents to an American man in order to give her a better, safer life. However, when she got to America her husband turned out to be abusive. So after about three months of this she left him and was homeless with just four hundred dollars to her name. She is now the President of Women For Women International, which is a group that helps to support women surviving wars around the world. She works so well with the people that she is trying to help because she has lived through it and is understanding about what is going on. She knows what it means to worry if you are going to die during the night while you are sleeping, or if you’ll be able to make it through a camp without being raped. These are the stories that get swept under the rug, and she works hard to help people just like this. Zainab works closely with her organization to help people deeper than just distributing aid to them by a number or worry about statistics or exposeing their personal lives and privacy.

Was this podcast effective in getting its point across?

I believe the point of this podcast was to let listeners know that refugees are more than just a number and it did so very well. Every refugee has a story and has had war affect them in some way. Zainab’s interview helps to give us a look into the world of a refugee and how they are treated. Most of the time when we see something on the news about refugees and we learn of their stories, it comes down to a reporter just walking into someone’s tent, their home, and completely disregarding their privacy and their pains to get a good story. Women For Women International is helping refugees better than any other organization because it has experienced workers that go beyond the surface of someone who has fled their country to help them physically, emotionally, and mentally.

What techniques (sound effects, music, interviews) were used to tell the story?

There were no sound effects or music present in this podcast., but it almost felt as if you didn’t need it. The interview with Zainab was just enough. She tells the story of the refugees and her foundation so well that you can picture it all in your mind. Her personal experiences that were shared helped paint a picture for us of what life would be like if we were in that situation.

I liked this podcast.

This is yet another one of those podcasts that make you look at something that everyone is familiar with in a whole new light. Most of the time we forget that these refugees are people with lives and families and stories. We see statistics and war on the news, but what are over looked are the lives that will forever be changed because of something like this.

I would’ve done this to improve the podcast.

I think it would have been cool to possibly interject some sort of music into this podcast. Zainab’s interview was good but it never hurts to add a little something to add flavor, help paint that picture in your mind, and set the mood. I’m really surprised that there wasn’t sounds of babies crying considering that rape is a big issue and children result from that, which in the end puts more on a woman who is struggling to flee her country. So that would be another thing that I would put into this somewhere when they were talking about being labeled as a rape victim.

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=113207915&m=113251595

1. In this podcast, the lady went up to the Upper Peninsula and she went into a tiny shop that makes these little meals called pasties, and they’ve been making them since they were in third grade with their grandparents. To make pasties, they mix meat, onions, potatoes and rutabaga in a tub. Then add all the spices. The mixture is then scooped into the dough, and the crust is folded over the stuffing, then it gets sealed up. Then they added at the end of the podcast how the bank thinks it is really funny because their money smells like these pasties they bake.

2. Was this podcast effective in getting its point across?

I believe so because this is just a small shop trying to get by. I like the fact that what they make up there is something that I’ve never even heard of. I would love to try a pastie because it was a very interesting little thing that looked really neat and probably is delectable. The people in this interview seemed very nice, and very excited to get their business on the radio. There point was that they were baking a product that numerous people don’t even know about, and I feel that after listening to that, I would love to take a trip up there, find there little bake shop, and definitely try one.

3. What techniques (sound effects, music, interviews) were used to tell the story?

In this podcast, they used the interview style to tell their story. This made it more real to me. I could sit back and listen to their casual conversations, and not feel like the information they were giving me was fake. I think this is a good attribute to the podcast because it made npr seem more real in a way that if npr tried to do this story without the interview, then you have no idea how it turned out. There would have been no way they could have made this interesting with out the interview. You could hear in the background noises like pans clinking together, and little things like that that just made this podcast come to life.

4. I liked this Podcast…

This podcast gave me a homely kind of feel, almost as if I were sitting in my hometown, just enjoying a nice cup of coffee, and eating the well known pastie. Kind of like the Rendezvous (haha just kidding, I never will go there again). I just really enjoyed how everything seemed so real. No scripts, just talking. Nothing planned except for questions, but just conversations, but still getting a good story. I hope that we can put together a good show like some of these podcasts because I think it has potential to be really cool.

5. I would have done this to improve the podcast…

I would have added some music to this podcast, maybe in the beginning and end, or something else besides just them talking. Maybe some more noises such as a bell, like the food was ready. I also would have liked to interview the people in the diner to see what they thought of the pasties, instead of just the people who worked there. Getting an outsiders point of view could be very helpful in situations like these. Overall though, this was a nice little podcast.

Ariel – I’d like to see you go international with this one.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4224577

#1.
A fifth-grade teacher, Steven Williams in Cupertino, California has been stirring up national controversy in school by involving Christianity in his teachings. He claims that the religion isn’t taught thoroughly enough and so he continually talks about Jesus Christ. History books, says Williams, don’t discuss the importance of religion.He’s filed a lawsuit against the school for religious intolerance. Many parents are complaining that he is scaring students and overstepping his bounds and includes religion not only in just history class but in math and science as well. He says wants to “give his students an accurate representation of history” by including religion in his lessons, but his agenda doesn’t seem to be going over well with many. Police cars are often seen at the school because of the issue.
Teachers argue that religion is discussed in school including the value of separation of church and state.
Many people are eager for the issue to come up in court.

#2. Was this podcast effective in getting its point across?
This podcast thoroughly discussed many different viewpoints regarding religion in school. Steven Williams, parents, and other teachers were all interviewed and there was a large range of opinion which was very effective considering the title used the word “Debate”. Each person was trying to get their points across and validate their line of reasoning like found in a debate. The podcast was very effective. It was clear that this issue is a controversial one. So much so that they’re taking it to the courts.

#3.What techniques (sound effects, music, interviews) were used to tell the story?
Once again no music was used in this podcast. There was the narrator, Elaine Korry, who repeatedly came up throughout the podcast. Instead of music you could occassionally hear loud roaring of people in the background. There were many different interviews but not long and drawn out. They were short and precise and powerful statements.

#4. I liked this podcast.
I enjoyed the broad range of interviews. There were men, women, teachers, parents, christians, jews, etc. You got a good look at all the sides of the story; some supported the issue and many others did not but the podcast wasn’t one-sided at all or biased and didn’t persuade you to feel a certain way. Any opinions you felt were based on your own personal beliefs. A good podcast needs to make sure they get all the issues across and have their facts straight without trying to force somebody to think a certain way.

#5. I wouldn’t have done anything to improve the podcast.
It was long enough to be in depth enough and cover everything yet short enough to not ramble on and become monotonous. All the different points were clear and proved that their was a lot of controversy on the issue.

Celeste I’d like to see you go International with this one.

Hunter…9:29 PM on Sunday night on a week long assignment is maybe procrastinating. See me – we’ll talk but I’m not promising anything. Also you need to spell posts correctly.

I got your voice mails – don’t be sorry…if I hadn’t you would not have gotten credit. Make sure this time around to post before Sunday.