Assignment #4

A Good Lead: Browse through a variety of print media (online or otherwise) and copy/paste three leads (must be in the first two sentences of story) that stand out to you as especially curious, engaging, humorous, off-the-wall, etc. Write a short paragraph under each lead describing why you chose it. Post as a new Blog entry.

LEAD 1: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - After a long day hunting, there's nothing like wrapping your paw around a cold bottle of beer. So Terrie Berenden, a pet shop owner in the southern Dutch town of Zelhem, created a beer for her Weimaraners made from beef extract and malt.

REASON: I found this lead-in to be quite humorous because of how odd it was. I know in the past people have let their dogs sip on some beer just for giggles, but for someone to go the lengths as to put beef extract and malt in beer is funny. It seems as if the dog owner was more considerate of her dog’s liking for the beer. I also liked how the writer personified a dog. It added the humorous touch. At first, I did not necessarily notice that the writer was speaking of a dog who is drinking beer, but then I caught on in the second sentence of the lead-in.

LEAD 2: DELRAY BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- The partially mummified body of a baby, wrapped in 1950s newspapers, was found Monday by a woman going through her deceased parents' belongings in a southeast Florida storage facility, according to police.

REASON: I chose this lead-in because I was especially curious to hear the story behind it. I am addicted to the show Law & Order (Special Victims Unit), so mystery-like stories always catch my attention. The story is very sad, but a mysterious one at that. The story had no real explanation, just guesses, but I would be interested to find out what actually happened in the 1950s when the baby died.

LEAD 3: John Sherick was driving home peacefully to Cambria with his wife, Margaret, when their Honda Element suddenly rolled off Highway 1, tore down a highway sign, crashed through some bushes and came to rest in the shrubs.

REASON: I was mostly intrigued to read the article when I saw the title “When is it time to give up the keys?” After reading the lead-in, I wanted to find out what happened to the couple. I soon realized the article was about elderly people who are no longer able to handle the responsibility of driving and how devastating it can be to them. The lead-in about the couple was an example to set up for the real issue at hand. I could relate to the message of the article because my grandpa has actually said that he would rather die than not be able to drive anymore. A couple of years ago, he had failed a written driving exam and was very upset. He passed the second time, but had he failed, his license would have been revoked.