Matthew E. Semrau

Semper Reformada | Christian, Pro-Life, Pro-Liberty

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WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: Genocide on Campus

April 17, 2014 by Matthew Semrau

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Oakland University is talking about genocide after a student group presented provocative images of death camps, executions, and abortions to campus, last week — April 7th and 8th, 2014.

The Genocide Awareness Project

The exhibit, called the Genocide Awareness Project, was hosted by Students for Life at Oakland University. The exhibit belongs to and is sponsored by The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform which is based in Lake Forest, California.

“I would say that before this display was up here, say a week ago, very few people were really talking about abortion,” Mark Wolf said, a volunteer representing the center. “I would say right now the whole college campus is talking about this.” Mark adds, “It’s started conversations going that weren’t going before.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 411, Blog, Writing Tagged With: Activism, Events, Genocide Awareness Project, Graphic, journalism, Kresge Library, Mature, Mature Content, Oakland Center, oakland university, Pro-Choice, Pro-Life, ProChoice, ProLife, Student, Students, Students for Life, Voices for Choices

A Tutorial for the Photojournalist

March 11, 2014 by Matthew Semrau

A quick and easy guide

The folks at the Journalists’ Toolkit have compiled a list of articles from Photo Composition Articles into an easy to understand guide to the basics of photojournalism. In seven links, they address several important aspects of photography that should be considered by every photojournalist (or photographer for that matter.)

The tutorial covers:

  • Simplicity

  • Rule of Thirds

  • Lines

  • Balance

  • Framing

  • And how to avoid mergers

 Included, with each step of the tutorial, are photos and captions briefly explaining the principles covered in the article. This makes the subject material easy to digest and understand. Taking a cue from its first tutorial, the articles are simplistic. There is not large sections of text to digest, but rather a few sentences to each photograph. Most of the photos concisely pull together the concepts being discussed. The entire tutorial should take you no more than half an hour to fully-digest.

 The articles combine technical tips with aesthetics to make sure the photos you select (and take) are aesthetically pleasing. This means that in the process of understand the technical aspects of the photographic concepts, but that the overall impression of the photo to your average audience is pleasing and fitting.

 All of these articles are provided free of charge. They can be easily accessed via the Journalists’ Toolkit website at http://www.jtoolkit.com/photojournalism/ If this tutorial isn’t enough, the Photo Composition Articles website has a plethora of other content regarding photography at http://photoinf.com/

 If you’re looking for an even more succinct overview of the lessons you can checkout my slideshow embeded below.

Filed Under: 411, Blog Tagged With: journalism, JRN 411, photography, photojournalism

The Disaster that is Sochi

February 11, 2014 by Matthew Semrau

Storify by
Matthew Edmund Semrau
Tue, Feb 11 2014 13:41:28

The Disaster that is Sochi

Sochi was a bad choice to hold the Winter Olympics, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

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    Fourteen years ago, I visited Krasnodar, Russia. Krasnodar is the capitol of the Krasnodar Krai (think, state or province) which Sochi is located. What I find hilarious is all of the journalists surprised at the conditions of the area. Obviously, some people didn't do their research.
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    People have asked me what surprised me the most here in Sochi. It’s this. Without question … it’s … THIS. pic.twitter.com/1jj05FNdCP
    Greg Wyshynski@wyshynski
    ·

    Tue, Feb 04 2014 08:06:11

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    Surprised? Pardon me while I go laugh for awhile. Been there, done that.
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    Comparing Russia with English… It Makes Sense, I Swear

    Russia is considered a "second world" country. Unlike third world countries, a second world country is industrialized and on its way to becoming first world, but is still very different. Think of it as a comparison between Middle English and Modern English.

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    Changes in the English Language

    Changes in the English Language A Comparison of Old, Middle, and Modern English Luke 2:1-19 Key to Pronunciation þ – pronounced “th”ð – p…
    Bible-researcher
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    Great comparison of Old, Middle, and Modern English.
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    Englishclub
    ·

    Tue, Feb 11 2014 12:55:35

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    The above is a sample of Middle English. Notice how it has a lot of familiarities to what we know, but still is completely foreign? Yeah. That's Russia. It's developed enough to seem familiar, but not so developed that anyone who hasn't done their research could ever imagine what to expect.
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    Believe it or not, Shakespeare isn't "Old English." It's actually "Early Modern English."
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    Bl
    ·

    Tue, Feb 11 2014 12:59:06

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    Next time you complain about Shakespeare, just imagine you could be reading Beowulf instead. In Old English. You're welcome.
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    But, I digress. Second World countries are on their way to being modern, but many of the basic amenities, conveniences, conventions and safety standards are missing. They really want to be First, but they are stuck being Second.
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    First, Second, and Third World – Nations Online Project

    And why is our music called world music? I think people are being polite. What they want to say is that it’s third world music. Like they…
    Nationsonline
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    If you're interested in what determines a nation's standing, I strongly urge you to read that page.
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    Welcome to the Real Russia

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    Ria
    ·

    Tue, Feb 11 2014 13:04:53

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    And this is a good neighborhood.
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    I think the major issue here is that these journalists aren't use to experiencing a places as the denizens do. They are use to their expense account paid hotels in capitol cities, the plush offices of heads of states, and the immaculate embassies designed with the sole purpose of expressing the majesty of a country and people.
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    Telegraph
    ·

    Tue, Feb 11 2014 13:13:04

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    Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: rising concerns over Games mar 100-days-to-go celebrations

    Spinu claims that he has 100 colleagues who are still waiting to be paid a total of 15 million roubles (£300,000) – many of them, like hi…
    Telegraph
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    As you can see, before the $50 billion stimulus, Sochi wasn't what we'd think of as Olympic material. What we're seeing now is a hastily applied paint job trying to cover cracks and crevices that really weren't fixed, just hidden, or, in true Stalinist fashion, mowed over.
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    Castles in the sand

    WITH seven months to go before the 2014 winter Olympics, Sochi is a gigantic construction site. Lorries run up and down dusty roads, exca…
    Economist
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    "The whole place resembles nothing so much as a Communist-era
    construction project. Cost, efficiency, nature and human lives never
    stood in the way of Soviet rulers who reversed Siberian rivers, built
    cities in permafrost and planted corn in virgin land—often to ruinous
    effect. In scale, Sochi 2014 is similar, yet the amount of public money
    it will cost makes Soviet projects pale in comparison." – "Castles in the Sand", The Economist, July 13 2013
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    Aljazeera
    ·

    Tue, Feb 11 2014 13:17:42

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    Russia cracks down on green activism ahead of Sochi Olympics

    Construction waste in the countryside in Sochi in October 2013. Thomas Peter/Reuters/Landov Last December, as the world celebrated Russia…
    Aljazeera
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    Some habits are hard to break… like throwing political opponents in jail.
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    Nothing Against Russia

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    Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Russia. Three of my siblings were adopted from there. I think the Russian people are amazing people who have endured more than many societies ever have. I think Russia is a great nation that's recovering from almost a century of oppression and failed sociopolitical and economic policies. The point is, they are trying. But trying isn't the same as being there. Sochi clearly didn't have the needed infrastructure to do this. They didn't have enough time, enough management, and enough development.
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    StacyStClair

    Stacy St. Clair@StacyStClair
    My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, “do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous.” #Sochi2014

    Mon, Feb 03 2014 19:45:40

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    Water restored, sorta. On the bright side, I now know what very dangerous face water looks like. #Sochi #unfiltered pic.twitter.com/sQWM0vYtyz
    Stacy St. Clair@StacyStClair
    ·

    Mon, Feb 03 2014 19:57:34

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    Although it may sound like I'm poking fun at Sochi and Russia (and maybe I am, a little), I'm actually trying to stand up for them and explain their way of life. I've seen some rather biting remarks from journalists who seem to think they are too good for Russia.
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    This is the one hotel room @Sochi2014 have given us so far. Shambles. #cnnsochi pic.twitter.com/RTjEkmyan3
    Harry Reekie@HarryCNN
    ·

    Tue, Feb 04 2014 00:33:15

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    You don't travel to a second world country with a struggling economy and political system and expect to find the Ritz Carlton. Then have the audacity to mock them for not pulling off something most developed countries struggle to pull off. Turning a town in the middle of nowhere into a premiere international sporting center without a few some many OKAY lots of kinks.
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    No Respect

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    Ex-Soviet Union struggles with democracy

    When the Cold War ended two decades ago, President George H.W. Bush and his counterparts across the Atlantic set out to build a Europe “w…
    Barbara Slavin and Nicholas Kralev
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    When the majority of the former Soviet Union is struggling both economically and politically, we shouldn't forget where they came from, what they overcame, and where they are going. Even if they aren't there yet, even if they are struggling, they have come a long way from the mass murdering five year plans of Stalin.
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    Russia is doing the best it can, and maybe Sochi will teach them, the Olympic Committee, and journalists a thing or two about planning, modernization, and research. Journalists, of course, should know better than to run into an area blind. It wouldn't have taken a whole lot of work to get an idea of what to expect.

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