Writing an opinion piece: Dare to speak when others remain silent

Writing an opEd has always been a nightmare for me. Unlike hard news where you just place information in context, there is much more to writing an opEd than merely sharing information.  It is crucial to support your opinion with factual information. OpEd pieces demand a genuine issue, clear stance / opinion on the issue, relevant evidence to support the issue, all tied up in the form of an engaging story. 

CHOOSE A TOPIC YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT
Unquestionably you must be passionate about the issue. It should also be topical and current. If you are a jerk like me who have diversified interests, you will get lost easily. Avoid the temptation of working on multiple topics that interest you and focus on one or two topics.

LET YOUR OPINION BE KNOWN
It's your opinion so state without any apology or defense. Come to the point as early as possible and be prepared to defend it instead of boring the readers with long opening sentences.

BACKUP YOUR ARGUMENTS BY RELEVANT AND REQUIRED RESEARCH
We should have the a solid understanding of the topic and a thorough analysis of the phenomenon, and this needs research. A good opinion piece must be based on factual information. Add data to support your argument.  I will suggest just do the relevant research keeping in view the scope of your story. Don't prepare for a research paper.

PERSUADE IN AN OBJECTIVE AND SIMPLE WAY
Provide the background and insight to the readers.  The evidence and facts mentioned must be authentic and accurate. Provide both sides of a story. Use relevant analogies from daily life to illustrate the complicated technical point to make them understandable to the readers. Engage readers by asking rhetorical questions. Embellish with your personal observations and experiences to add authenticity.

SUGGEST SOLUTIONS AND SPARK THE READER FOR ACTION
Don't just raise an issue, provide potential solutions. Spark the reaction in the reader so that they agree or disagree, change their point of view. Aim to inspire your reader for action. It must be focused around the issue and must acknowledge and address the opposite argument.

CHECK THE ARGUMENT AND STRUCTURE AGAIN
Finally check, do your arguments make sense. Readers are very smart in picking up errors and gaps in the arguments.

Finally keep in mind, a good opinion piece illustrates well constructed arguments, with supporting evidences, express a position and influence a reader to change their perception of the subject or react emotionally, on a timely issue.

Right to be forgotten: France rejected Google’s appeal 

By Tazeen Hasan on September 28, 2015

Cougar spotted in Edmonton house shot by police by Tazeen Hasan

Robert Stebbings had no idea that he is going to encounter a Cougar in front of his garage, 
when he went out of his house to smoke a cigarette, early morning this Friday, in North West Edmonton, Canada.

According to Stebbings, he heard heavy breathing and initially mistook the beast as a big Mastiff dog but then he realized the animal in front of him was a Cougar. He immediately secured himself by slipping in his garage and locking the door. “I just got scared. I started sweating … He was a huge cat. I could hear him breathing like something you would hear at the zoo.”

He came out at about 7:45 a.m and saw the cougar sleeping under a tree. This time, he called the police for help.

The police arrived along with Alberta Fish and Wildlife staff who tried to tranquilize the beast. Unfortunately, it didn't work and the Cougar, an adult male, ran away in the direction where a police officer was standing.

It was the decisive moment for the other police officer who was watching. He immediately shot the animal to save the life of his co-worker.

The Cougar was just 5 meters away from the officer in danger when he was shot dead at 9 a.m. The dead body of the Cougar was carried away by Alberta Fish and Wildlife team.

It was the first Cougar, Alberta Fish and Wildlife has dealt in last 15 years in a residential area.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife spokesman Brendan Cox said that a necroscopy would be done to see if the animal had any health problems.

“Any animal can cause significant injuries to a person, and so we have to take all those circumstances into consideration,” said Edmonton police Staff Sgt. Steve Jones.

Opinion Piece: Dare to speak when others remain silent by Tazeen Hasan

Thinking about writing an opinion piece has always been a nightmare since it is always challenging to organise my thoughts and arguments over an issue and giving them the form of a story. I do not know how many of you face the same problem.

For writing an opinion piece, we must have a stance, that is to say, strong opinion on an issue about which we are passionate.
Opinion is someone's stance on a given matter. We all have opinions but to write an opinion piece one should be objective and support his point of view the evidence. A good opinion must not only highlight the problems but suggest possible solutions. It must be focused around the issue and must acknowledge and address the opposite argument.
CHOOSE A TOPIC YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT
Unquestionably you must be passionate about the issue. However, it should also be topical and current. We can scan the newspapers what is hot and can engage the readers as well. If you are a jerk like me who have diversified interests, you will get lost easily. Avoid the temptation of working on every topic, you are passionate about and focus on one or two topics. You can always take notes for future work but do not start working at once on every topic that interest you.

LET YOUR OPINION BE KNOWN
It's your opinion so state without any apology or defence. What exactly are you trying to say. Come to the point as early as possible and be prepared to defend it instead of boring the readers with long introductions.

BACKUP YOUR ARGUMENTS BY RELEVANT AND REQUIRED RESEARCH
We should have the a solid understanding of the topic and a thorough analysis of the phenomenon, and this needs research. A good opinion piece must be based on factual information. Add data to support your argument. By the way this is my week point and I will suggest just do required and relevant research keeping in view the scope of your story. Don't try to write a research paper otherwise you too will be confused.

PERSUADE IN AN OBJECTIVE AND SIMPLE WAY
Provide the background and insight to the readers. The challenge is to persuade the reader objectively for your point of view by conveying a simple message in an unambiguous way. The evidence and facts mentioned must be authentic and accurate. Provide both sides of a story. Use relevant analogies from daily life to illustrate complicated technical point to make them understandable to the readers. Engage readers by asking rhetorical questions. Embellish with your personal observations and experiences to add authenticity.

SUGGEST SOLUTIONS AND SPARK THE READER FOR ACTION
Don't just raise an issue, provide potential solutions otherwise it's a pointless story. Spark the reaction in the reader so that they agree or disagree, change their point of view. Aim to inspire your reader for action.

CHECK THE ARGUMENT AND STRUCTURE AGAIN
Does your argument makes sense otherwise whole point of writing opinion piece is lost. Readers are very smart in picking up errors and gaps in the argument.

Finally keep in mind, a good opinion piece illustrates well constructed arguments, with supporting evidences, express a position and influence a reader to change their perception of the subject or react emotionally, on a timely issue.

Anything that makes you think.It provokes thought. It provokes opinion.

History of deadly incidents during Hajj

Since the days when my grandmother went for Hajj from India in the 2nd decade of 2oth Century, shortly after the fall of Ottoman empire, the landscape of Hajj has been changed significantly in terms of facilities and infrastructure. My grandparents hajj journey was about  4 months long and left India probably from Karachi or Bombay along with their one-year-old infant, leaving the older children behind. My aunt tells me in those days one had to carry the tent with him all the way from Mecca to Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafah and back to Mina. Food was cooked in Mina, probably by individual families. 

Below is a timeline compiled by Agence France-Presse (AFP) of significant incidents during the annual event, which draws around two million Muslim faithful from around the world.
• 2015
September 24: A stampede during the “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina leaves at least 717 pilgrims dead and over 860 injured.
September 11: 109 people are killed and hundreds injured, including many foreigners, when a crane collapses on Makkah’s Grand Mosque after strong winds and heavy rain.

• 2006
January 6: 76 people die when a hotel collapses in the city center.
January 12: 364 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina. The ritual involves Haj participants throwing pebbles at three headstones, symbolizing their rejection of Satan.

• 2005
January 22: Three pilgrims are crushed to death in a stampede at the stoning ceremony in Mina.

• 2004
February 1: 251 people are killed in a stampede at Mina, also at the stoning of the devil.

• 2003
February 11: 14 faithful, including six women, die on the first day of the stoning ritual.

• 2001
March 5: 35 pilgrims, including 23 women, die at the ritual in Mina.

• 1998
April 9: More than 118 people are killed and 180 injured in a stampede at Mina.

• 1997
April 15: A fire caused by a gas stove rips through a camp housing pilgrims at Mina, killing 343 and injuring around 1,500.

• 1995
May 7: Three people die and 99 are injured when a fire breaks out at the Mina camp.

• 1994
May 24: 270 people are killed in a stampede during the stoning, an incident authorities attribute to “record numbers” of pilgrims at the site.

• 1990
July 2: A huge stampede in a tunnel at Mina after a failure in its ventilation system kills 1,426 pilgrims, mainly from Asia.

• 1989
July 10: A twin attack on the outside of the Grand Mosque kills one and wounds 16. Sixteen Kuwaiti Shiites are found guilty of the crime and executed weeks later.

• 1987
July 31: Saudi security forces suppress an unauthorized protest held by Iranian pilgrims. More than 400 people, including 275 Iranians are killed, according to an official toll.

• 1979
November 20: Hundreds of gunmen opposed to the Saudi government barricade themselves inside the Grand Mosque, taking dozens of pilgrims hostage. The official toll of the assault and subsequent fighting is 153 people dead and 560 wounded.

• 1975
December: A huge fire started by a gas cannister exploding in a pilgrim camp close to Makkah kills 200 people.

More than 700 pilgrims died in the worst hajj incident in Last 25 years

Basma Attasi writes in Aljazeera "I was not allowed to film and talk to the injured to get their testimonies about the incident in Mina" and  "international journalists were not allowed to leave the media centre of the information ministry until 4pm local time, seven hours after the incident". This pops up a number of questions about the incidence.

More than 700 pilgrims died in Mina outside Mecca in a stampede while on their way to the stoning ritual today morning.

Today's disaster was the deadliest Hajj incident since July 1990 when 1,426 pilgrims suffocated in a tunnel near Mecca. 

Hajj has been the scene of deadly stampede,  fires, and other disasters. About ten days back, a construction crane fell down in Grand mosque and killed 107 pilgrims. 

According to Saudi disaster officials, the incident occurred in Mina, near Mecca, at 9 am local time (0600 GMT) after two large masses of pilgrims coming down streets 204 and 223 fused together.

The head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Sa'eed Ohadi said at least 1,300 people have been killed including 125 iranian nationals in a crush during Hajj pilgrimage rituals outside Mecca. The Iranian national news agency, press TV reported.

Saudi Government has spent billions of dollars upgrading  Hajj infrastructure and crowd control technology and was able to reduce significantly the frequency of the incidents in recent years but this year has seen two major and several minor incidents killing at least 900 pilgrims. And hence much is needed to be done to manage the crowds at pilgrim sites.

Below is a timeline compiled by Agence France Presse (AFP) of significant incidents during the annual event, which draws around two million Muslim faithful from around the world.
• 2015
September 24: A stampede during the “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina leaves at least 717 pilgrims dead and over 860 injured.
September 11: 109 people are killed and hundreds injured, including many foreigners, when a crane collapses on Makkah’s Grand Mosque after strong winds and heavy rain.

• 2006
January 6: 76 people die when a hotel collapses in the city center.
January 12: 364 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina. The ritual involves Haj participants throwing pebbles at three headstones, symbolizing their rejection of Satan.

• 2005
January 22: Three pilgrims are crushed to death in a stampede at the stoning ceremony in Mina.

• 2004
February 1: 251 people are killed in a stampede at Mina, also at the stoning of the devil.

• 2003
February 11: 14 faithful, including six women, die on the first day of the stoning ritual.

• 2001
March 5: 35 pilgrims, including 23 women, die at the ritual in Mina.

• 1998
April 9: More than 118 people are killed and 180 injured in a stampede at Mina.

• 1997
April 15: A fire caused by a gas stove rips through a camp housing pilgrims at Mina, killing 343 and injuring around 1,500.

• 1995
May 7: Three people die and 99 are injured when a fire breaks out at the Mina camp.

• 1994
May 24: 270 people are killed in a stampede during the stoning, an incident authorities attribute to “record numbers” of pilgrims at the site.

• 1990
July 2: A huge stampede in a tunnel at Mina after a failure in its ventilation system kills 1,426 pilgrims, mainly from Asia.

• 1989
July 10: A twin attack on the outside of the Grand Mosque kills one and wounds 16. Sixteen Kuwaiti Shiites are found guilty of the crime and executed weeks later.

• 1987
July 31: Saudi security forces suppress an unauthorized protest held by Iranian pilgrims. More than 400 people, including 275 Iranians are killed, according to an official toll.

• 1979
November 20: Hundreds of gunmen opposed to the Saudi government barricade themselves inside the Grand Mosque, taking dozens of pilgrims hostage. The official toll of the assault and subsequent fighting is 153 people dead and 560 wounded.

• 1975
December: A huge fire started by a gas cannister exploding in a pilgrim camp close to Makkah kills 200 people.

Exotic World of documentary film-making by Journalists

“Independent documentaries are more and more important as trusted sources of information for American citizens.  .... we discovered that both journalists and filmmakers have cultivated a rich and sometimes informal body of knowledge about different aspects of journalistic documentaries,” says Patricia Aufderheide, professor and the principal investigator of the  report by the centre of Media and Social Impact at American University. 

Explore Filmmaking Course  by National Film and TelevisionSchool (NTFS)

Exploiting the power of film to tell the stories can be exotic for journalists as pointed out by the report. There are no professional credentials required either for Journalism or film production. The report says that boundaries between art of documentary making and journalism are blurring. Back in the days when CNN, Aljazeera, and Geo introduced documentaries to tell the investigative stories to the television viewers, I always dreamed of making documentaries. So when I heard that National Film and Television School has announced an online course 'Exploring Filmmaking', I could not help myself and joined it instantly. But let me confess, I was totally ignorant of the process of filmmaking. I was not even able to distinguish between the director and the producer.

But the course took me to a journey from Scriptwriting to the Screen.   Let me confess again that I did not understand everything that was presented but felt that even if I can digest 40 to 50 percent of the contents, it 'll be a big success. I realized that the art of film productions is a pretty challenging project.   Much more difficult than producing an investigative report as a feature writer.

British Academy of Film and Television Arts

I was intrigued by the idea of short films from 90 seconds to 40 minutes, which can be produced by even individuals. The world of BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts)  was opened to me in the very first week. The Bafta Guru's inspirational contents included 400 interviews with film professionals. I watched three video productions in a day i.e "The Road to Guantanamo" (Story of three Guantanamo detainees from Tipton England); and two short films i.e. The mass of men (In the backdrop of 2011 London riots); and Echo (a story about a girl who uses her extraordinary talent in acting  to earn money by deceiving people on roads)

The distinction between plot and theme

In second week writer and the director of  'Gone too far,'  Destiny Ekaragha discussed the distinction between plot and theme and says that Film is a great way to tell stories. While writing too far, she had a feeling that black youth is demonized as just horrible people by the British Society

How to produce in budget and other restraints

The most interesting part of learning began in the third week when the director of Mass of the men discussed low-cost productions. It was fascinating to know that while writing the script you shouldn't bother about the budget and the director and the production team can decide how a scene can be changed according to cost. Mike Figgs gave marvelous tips about low-cost lighting and Camera options.

The power of editing

The fifth week reviewed how editing can be efficient in so many ways. It was fascinating that editor not only put the sense of time and space but they can also change the perception of the characters as scriptwriters and directors. Although I could not grasp it fully. However, the use of flashbacks and deciding how much a scene is needed after the shooting were the exciting ideas.

Explore Filmmaking Online Course by National Film and Television School (NTFS)

Explore Filmmaking Course  by National Film and TelevisionSchool (NTFS)
by Tazeen Hasan

Exploiting the power of film to tell the stories can be exotic for journalists. The boundaries between the art of documentary making and journalism are already blurring. Luckily, no professional credentials are required either for journalism or film production. Similarly, multimedia has become almost vital part of news stories, and features and so a  freelancer must be equipped with a range of skills including filmmaking skills.

Back in the days when CNN, Aljazeera, and Geo introduced documentaries to tell the investigative stories to the television viewers, I  used to dream about making documentaries. So when NTFS announced the online course 'Exploring Filmmaking,' I could not help myself and joined it without giving it a second thought. But let me confess, I was totally ignorant of the process of filmmaking. I was not even able to distinguish between the roles of director and the producer.

The six-week online course introduced several resources to learn the skill. Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Guru was one of them. It;s inspirational contents include 400 interviews with film professionals. I was particularly intrigued by short films from 90 seconds to 40 minutes duration. How effective and challenging  it must be to tell the stories in 90 seconds? I am thrilled.

Film professionals from different backgrounds hosted each week of the course. Destiny Karagha, writer, and director hosted the second week and talked about the distinction between the plot and theme. She mentioned her film 'Gone to far' and the tough time she faced to find out the sponsor for a comedy with the entirely Black cast.

The Third week was hosted by Mike Figgs and the discussed the low budget films. How to cut cost by making changes in the script? How to find out alternatives for the unaffordable situations. He also shared some very useful tips on inexpensive lighting and camera stability. The director of 'Mass of the men' said script and cast are the two vital ingredients. If they are done right, it is hard to go wrong.

The Fourth week was hosted by Corin Hardy, who talked about breaking the scenes and the use of storyboarding to detail and imagine the scene from the script. Brian Tufano, the head of cinematography at NTFS talks about the roles and range of skills that a DP need. Apart from lighting and camera work, he should be imaginative and adaptive and prepared to be flexible. A 2-minute  clip to understand the effects of lighting.

The fifth week discussed the power of editing via 'Iron Lady.' The use of flashbacks, transition in times, and deciding what to leave and what to cut a scene were the essential tasks of editing.

As a first exposure to film production, it was not bad. However,  let me confess,  I do not fully understand everything and am not able to complete the assignments yet. Luckily, there is no deadline.

Right to be Forgotten: France rejected Google's appeal

Tazeen Hasan, Sept 23, 2015

France rejected Google's appeal to limit the right to be forgotten (RTBF), this Monday, saying compliance must be global. Google may face heavy fines, and the scope of the law may expand to the broader EU territory. 

If you are a jerk like me who has been exploiting  the cyber technology carelessly since 20 years or so, you may be embarrassed sometimes by what you posted as juvenile or may be afraid of your cyber activity history.  You would probably welcome this EU initiative that allows you  "to be forgotten" from the search engines.  

All you have to do is to fill a form available online and submit your request to remove particular website regarding information about yourself. The search Engine will assess your application and will de-list it from their search results if the public interest is not compromised. The Url containing the data will remain on the internet, but it will be excluded from the search results.

Right to be forgotten is the reflection of citizen's desire that private data about themselves must be removed on their request. It has emerged as a fundamental right in the recent decade, and it reflects the claim of an individual to have certain data deleted so that third persons can no longer trace them. EU already considers it a fundamental component of human Rights Law.

The recent conflict stemmed from a ruling from a 2014 European Court of Justice that European citizens can demand search engines to delete results  for their name when they are out of date, irrelevant or inflammatory, in compliance with the right to be forgotten.

However, the newspapers and the media companies are exempted by this data protection law. However,  EU doesn't consider search engines as media companies and hence they were obliged to delist all data that is “inadequate, irrelevant, or no longer relevant.”

In June 2015, the French regulator,  (CNIL), ordered the US company to delist search results affected by RTBF requests from all its websites, including Google.com.

However, Google refused to scrub the data globally exposing itself to heavy fines. Google insisted that this law may be used by authoritarian governments to censor vital information from their citizens. It further argued that one nation should not have a right to dictate what citizens globally are accessing through the internet. Google also objected the RTBF as a restriction to the freedom of Speech.

"Global de-listing remains too controversial without an international agreement," said Luciano Floridi, a professor at Oxford University who was on the panel advising Google.

The French Data protection authority, CNIL, says it has no interest in helping other countries' governments misuse the RTBF.  

A treasure of tips for freelancers: Science Writers' handbook

The Science writers' handbook by Thomas Haden and Michelle Nijhuis has some excellent tips for emerging journalists. The book is fundamentally intended for Science writers, but I found it useful for all classes of freelancers. I am trying to summarize here what I learned and what I am attempting to learn.

My most curious questions are about the pitch. Recently, I have worked on some stories but could not pitch them, and I feel I can learn a lot about story development and pitch from this book.

The topic and the story development

The most interesting concept I found in Chapter two is the difference between the topic and the story. It always happens with newbies that they have intriguing topics but do not have any idea of the underlying story development. But the book suggests you can't write until you have a story to write.

According to the writer, Story contains characters engaged in some journey or conflict. It follows the characters towards a discovery and resolution through a series of linked events progressing through a clear beginning, middle and the end.

Journalistic stories must have a hook, a reason to write them, and a connection to a larger subject.

To test our ideas, we can tell them to our friends. If we can define the story in a few sentences than it works. We can test further to tell the story ideas to strangers, and if no follow-up question appears, the story isn't worth of your time.

Key questions needed to be answered by  a pitch

The fundamental element of a pitch remains same no matter how short or how long it is required for an individual publication or by an editor.

The story idea: What are we proposing to write?

Relevance: Why does this story matter? Why is it good for a specific publication?

Timeliness: Why should this story be written now rather than, say,  a year ago or in six months? Is there breaking news or an upcoming anniversary?

Execution: 350-word news brief or a 3000-word feature? Does it require travel or hard-to-get interview?

Extras: Photos, graphs, data, or other possible adornments to the primary story?

Author: Why am I the writer for the job.? the reason might be writing experience, knowledge of the subject, access to the key sites or resources, or the unique perspective on the issue.

Clear, thought out, and polished queries make the editor feel more secure in taking a chance with us.

We need to show it is as a story.

Mistakes to be avoided in a pitch

Dumb typos and silly mistakes.

Errors left after cut and paste, 

Incorrect editor's  names,  

Informal language in initial emails. First name and hi

Wrong magazine

Pitching the story that just ran

Not mentioning the distinct perspectives for  hot topics

Forsaking the phone initially before doing a lot of research on the intended ideas

British nurse infected with Ebola in critical condition By Tazeen Hasan on January 5, 2015

British nurse infected with Ebola in critical condition By Tazeen Hasan on January 5, 2015

Ridley Scott’s Exodus spurs up controversy By Tazeen Hasan on January 4, 2015

Ridley Scott’s Exodus spurs up controversy By Tazeen Hasan on January 4, 2015

Crab fossil 110-million-year- old, found in Colombian mountains by Tazeen Hasan on January 4, 2015

Crab fossil, 110 million-year -old,  found in Columbian mountains by Tazeen Hasan on January 4, 2015

Erdoğan remarks spark anger in international media By Tazeen Hasan on January 4, 2015

Erdoğan remarks spark anger in international media By Tazeen Hasan on January 4, 2015

Human Rights Activist Sentenced for 52 Months Prison in Bahrain by Tazeen Hasan on December 19, 2014

Human Rights Activist Sentenced for 52 Months Prison in Bahrain By Tazeen Hasan on December 19, 2014

Amazon plans shattered as FAA proposes new rules for drones by Tazeen Hasan on February 22, 2015

Amazon plans shattered as FAA proposes new rules for drones By Tazeen Hasan on February 22, 2015

More than nine million refugees from Syria flee their home by Tazeen Hasan on March 1, 2015

More than nine million refugees from Syria flee their homes 

Mosul museum artefacts destroyed: ISIS video released By Tazeen Hasan on March 2, 2015

Mosul museum artefacts destroyed: ISIS video released

Battle with Ebola needs help from global community

Battle with Ebola needs help from global community

Hundreds of migrants feared dead in Mediterranean disaster By Tazeen Hasan on April 20, 2015

http://theglobalpanorama.com/hundreds-of-migrants-feared-dead-in-mediterranean-disaster/

Knitting History From Cultural and Environmental Debris (Unpublished)

Tazeen Hasan looks into the life and work of Dr. Joseph Greene, Curator and Assistant Director, Harvard Semitic Museum.

A Coincidence led him to the field of archeology

In the year 1972, a young philosophy student from Louisiana volunteering for a Catholic School near West Bank, Palestine was intrigued by an opportunity to work at the newly opened biblical excavation site at Tel Aphek.  This experience changed his life forever.  “It set me on the path to a career in archeology,” recount Dr. Joseph Greene. Today with a massive experience of more than 40 years in the Middle East and the Mediterranean as an archeologist, Dr. Greene is still working tirelessly as the Curator and Assistant Director at the Harvard Semitic Museum.

On further probing into his earlier childhood connection with history or archeology, he recalls, “it was hardly a childhood obsession, just a happy accident.”  After this stimulating experience as a teenager at the ancient site, he ended up at the distinguished Oriental Institute, at the University of Chicago founded by renowned American Egyptologist of the time James Henry Breasted.      

Dressed in a buttoned down casual shirt, blessed with a towering height an impressionable face, he moves about briskly through the calm and serene corridors of the Harvard Semitic Museum.  “He is direct in what he wants to be accomplished,” says Adam Middleton, a co-worker at the Harvard Semitic Museum.

One of his intense intellectual pleasures lies in knitting together the disparate pieces of available archeological data into an intelligible picture of an ancient landscape. His philosophy of ‘context focused reconstruction of the past’ rather than merely displaying random artifacts on glass shelves is revealed in the ‘House of Israel’ exhibition on the ground floor of the Harvard Semitic Museum. Here, life in early agricultural settlements of the Fertile Crescent has been modeled carefully with microscopic details using some original artifacts. “His knowledge of the working of Museums based on his years of experience is second to none,” Dr. Greene’s colleagues rightly say about him.

Recent trends in Museum organization are also visible in “the Nile to the Euphrates” and “Mesopotamia” exhibitions on the second and third floors. Carefully chosen exquisite collections are displayed,  still retaining numerous marvelous gems in the basement mainly because of space deficit and to protect these from continued exposure to bright light. Dr. Greene commented,  “ Contemporary museum practice is to display some small portion of the collection and keep the rest in reserve.”

In the last four decades, he has been involved in extensive excavations at various sites in Tunisia, Jordan, and Cyprus. His research interests focus on the archeology of the first-millennium B.C./A.D., and on museums and the history of museums.

*A hidden and undisplayed treasure from
Islamic periods in storage of
Harvard Semitic Museum

One of his most unforgettable projects was an Urn Burial Cemetery claimed to contain the remains of Phoenician children sacrificed to the principle Phoenician deities, Baal Hammon and his consort, Tanit. “Our excavations verified the accuracy of this claim.”

Working all day in a museum surrounded by relics of the distant past can be very exhausting. No wonder after a busy day at the museum, the workaholic curator can be seen at home cuddling the family pet, Sheba named after the biblical Queen of Sheba from Southern Arabia.  

His wife of 40 years, Eileen, calls herself an “archeologist by marriage”, but she is certainly not fascinated by, “big holes in the ground.” She describes  Dr. Greene as “Conscientious, thoughtful and habitual who eats almost the same thing every day (at least at every evening meal).”  

He has his unique interpretation of his field of work. “Archeological layers contain cultural debris to trace cultural change through very long periods of time. The same layers contain environmental debris; i.e. plant, animals, seeds, charcoal and molecular remains as ancient DNA found in bones as well as long-term evidence for incremental climate change.” He further explains,  “This allows an archeologist to reconstruct the ways humans have affected nature (and vice-versa) over long time scales,” says Dr. Greene. He views archeology as a way to study human interaction with nature.

*Picture Curtesy @Harvard Semitic Museum

Trekking in Himalayas with Kids

What exactly is a feature story: From Writing Feature Story by Matthew Ricketson

"It is hard news that catches people. Features hold them."

What exactly is a feature story?

The book tries to answer basic questions about feature writing starting from what exactly a feature is. A feature story is different from the hard news as it contains information, analysis of events and issues and emotions as compared to the hard news that only has information. The more the information, the more hardness.

Types of features

Categorizing feature stories is also useful for new freelancers as they can select their preference and specifically learn the tools of the trade for that particular category. So this was something I found useful.

1.Color Story (Red Carpet Premier / Less news value more atmosphere)

2.Human Interest (Voyage around the world)
3.News Feature (Explaining meaning of the news and implications)
4. Backgrounder
5. lifestyle Features (entertaining from best coffee shops to buying a house / relevant to everyday life
6.Travel Stories
7. General Features
8.Interview piece (Q and A)  and (engaging lead and describe the subject)
9.Profile and Hostile profile (Mini Biographies about the subject and different from an interview as it studies a subject from different perspectives)
thoroughly researched and sharply portrayed profile of compelling figures.
10. Investigative Features  big hit  must contain revelations
11. Columns: knowledge wit and personality
advice col, gossip col, pundits,
12. Reviews: reviews do not exist without something to review.
Literature, film, theater, / should be entertaining as well as informative.

Plan

This was especially intriguing to plan before start working because the fresh freelancers are often excited and begin working without even little planning. Half an hour planning can save days of efforts.   So better ask yourself four question:

Why now? 

Who is the audience? 

What is the Story  about? 

What are the key questions to be answered?