Sean Thornton Suspension

In an article create by bleacherreport.com on December 14, 2013, details surrounding the suspension of professional hockey player Sean Thornton are released to the public. Thornton, a player for the NHL's Boston Bruins, is suspended for fifteen games after punching Pittsburgh Penguins defensemen Brooks Orpik. After being punched, Orpik left the arena on a stretcher. An analogy is drawn when the author of the article relates this suspension to another lengthy suspension received by Chris Simon of the New York Islanders. Definition is used when the author is drawing a comparison between  the definition of assault, both off and on the ice. A hyperbole is created when the author sarcastically states that Brooks Orpik has temples "being massaged angels." At the end of the article, another analogy is drawn when the author relates the NHL to the Lord of the Flies.   

"And the Games Went On"

In an article created by Sports Illustrated entitled "And the Games Went On," the impact of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the National Football League are compared. On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was shot and killed while parading through Texas in  procession. Kennedy's killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, was eventually arrested; he was killed two days later by a Texas civilian. America was thrown into confusion and mistrust. Leadership was blurred and citizens were left in utter disbelief. However, the National Football League supplied the sole sense of remote normality. At the beginning of the article, a football fight is described through the eyes of one of the players. He stated how one of the players had the head "swollen like a pumpkin," signifying a clear hyperbole. Another hyperbole is drawn when the author compares the ground of the football field to the bloodied floor of a slaughterhouse. In an analogy, the author compares the assassination to two other events, including the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the attacks on the Twin Towers. 

New York Train Derails

According to a report from CNN.com published on December 1, 2013, a train derailment has caused four deaths and close to seventy injuries; eleven passengers suffer from serious injuries. The train, containing eight interconnected cars, had seven cars travel off of the rail. Consonance is used many times during the article, but it is unintentional. When reflecting on the crash, one of the interviewed persons used "whoosh" as a description; this is an onomatopoeia. At one point in the article, the authors use an elliptical when stating how many of the cars were derailed in comparison to the number of cars in the actual train. Lastly, the authors make an analogy to compare this accident to another derailment that happened in July, in which there were no injuries. Another analogy is drawn to an crash between two train cars that happened last May in Connecticut.  

"Boston Strongman"

In a Sports Illustrated article entitled "Boston Strongman," the importance of Boston Red Sox player baseball David Ortiz is defined. Ortiz is also called "Big Papi" by his adoring fans. According to Red Sox owner Larry Luchino, David Ortiz is "probably the most beloved athlete in all of Boston." And this statement could not be any more true. His stats rank him among some of the best ballplayers in the history of baseball. Besides being a future hall-of-farmer, he is also a class-act. In the multiple faces of adversity, Ortiz only blossomed. One of the biggest adversities Papi faced was the Boston Marathon bombing, which affected parts of Boston that he was so familiar with. However, as always, he emerged as a leader, and the people of Boston had a strong leader to look to in time of crisis. 

Typhoon Haiyan

In a CNN.com article written on November 8, 2013, the destruction and wreckage of Typhoon Haiyan are put into perspective. Filipino authorities are estimating that about one thousand five hundred people had lives taken by the storm. However, others predict that the death toll is as much as ten times higher than the prior estimate. International help flew in as soon as possible. However, most frustration lies in the Filipino government who, in the people's opinion, did not respond as quickly or efficiently as they should have. Some victims have taken to looting and other crimes as a source of their survival. To compare this storm to others, Typhoon Haiyan was more than three times stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which struck the United States eight years ago. 

"The Dirty Game"

In a Sports Illustrated article entitled "The Dirty Game", the story of Oklahoma State University and their recruitment process is brought to public attention. The recruitment process as described in the article in not only illegal, but immoral and disrespectful. All of the morals that the University stood for were completely disregarded. First of all, a bonus system was created for players. If they played well, they were paid well. Jobs were created for players to get money. However, players either worked terribly or did not show, and still received money. Oklahoma State University staff members would do school work for the players. Teachers would bend grades in order for players to remain eligible. Drug tests were failed, but the results went under the radar. Members of a recruitment group had sex with recruits. All of these were direct violations of NCAA rules, and the University will be punished. 

Australia Wildfires

In a CNN.com article written on October 20, 2013,  the wildfires in Australia are written about. So far, fifty-six different wildfires have been reported. Their damage has affected close to 270,000 acres of land. The lack of rain in recent time has played a big role in the wildfires' appearances. Close to three hundred homes have been affected; one hundred and ninety-three homes have been burnt to the ground, leaving many families homeless. New South Whales has declared a state of emergency for a very large area including Sydney. For so much destruction, only one death has been reported. An older male died of cardiac arrest while fire overwhelmed his home. 

Government Shutdown

In a CNN.com article posted on October 13, 2013, the government shutdown is analyzed. Even though it has been almost two full weeks since the government shut down, there still has been no compromise reached regarding the United States debt limit and other issues, including health care. The Republican Party and Democratic Party have clashing opinions in such national fields.  According to representatives from both parties, progress is being made. The president is not accepting any of the offers made by the Republicans in the House of Representatives.  Hopefully there will be an agreement reached in the near future. If not, there is chance that further budget problems will occur in the United States. 

Alex Rodriguez sues Major League Baseball

On Friday, October 4, CNN.com discussed how Alex Rodriguez, a baseball player for the New York Yankees, is going to sue Major League Baseball. Rodriguez argues that Major League Baseball, in their attempt to find him guilty of using performance enhancing drugs, disregarded rules and regulations of the MLB's drug and illegal substances policies. Rodriguez's reputation has been marred forever with the allegations brought against him. However, the MLB is remaining strong in their fight against the all-star third baseman. They are denying the claims created by Rodriguez. Earlier this season, Major League Baseball punished other players who were tied into the same steroid situation as Alex Rodriguez. These players accepted the disciplinary actions with no response. 

Kenyan Mall attacked by Al-Qaeda

In a CNN.com article posted on September 22, 2013, the story of a Kenyan mall attacked by a division of Al-Qaeda is released to the public. Fifty nine people have been killed, and and close to one hundred and seventy five people have been injured. Fifty nine people have been taken hostage and are still being held in the well-established Kenyan mall. The location of the attack is the Westgate Shopping Mall, a destination well-known to both locals and foreigners. Two of the victims killed were relatives of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Al-Shabbab is the division of Al-Qaeda that is taking responsibility for their attack on the Westgate Shopping Mall. Kenyan soldiers formed a perimeter around the mall following the attack. 

The Investigation of the TWA Flight 800 Crash

The article I chose is the June 20, 2013 article from CNN.com that discusses the investigation of the crash of the TWA Flight 800 passenger airplane. This airplane crashed mysteriously on June 17, 1996 on its way to Paris, France. All of the two hundred and thirty people aboard the flight perished. Witnesses of the crash reported seeing a strange ray of light and a large explosion, which created the suspicion of terrorism. After extensive investigation, the  National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the accident occurred because of a short circuit in the fuel gauge line. However, others disagree with the claim of machine malfunction. The data from the radars is evidence against the claim of malfunction. Now, there is a petition to reopen the investigation case of the crash of TWA Flight 800.

"Frank Hall, American Hero" summary

The article "Frank Hall, American Hero," located in the June 24, 2013 edition of Sports Illustrated tells the story of Frank Hall, a high school teacher and football coach from Chardon, Ohio. He has four adopted children and is known to be very caring. Although he is an enormous man, he is considered a gigantic teddy bear. However, this "teddy bear" faced one of the most trying days of his life when a student by the name of T.J. Lane opened fire within the cafeteria in which Hall was monitoring. Lane killed three students in the cafeteria and paralyzed another on his rampage through the school. There would have been more casualties if not for Frank Hall, however. He chased Lane out of the school. In the days following the shooting, Hall saw himself as no hero. He only thought of how he could have saved the three lives who were so abruptly taken. The purpose of this story is to tell the heroic actions of Frank Hall, even though he sees himself as no such hero. Students, teachers, and parents are all part of the audience. The author uses repetition twice to share facts about the event.