‘Waste of Time:’ Teachers question wisdom of state testing during a pandemic As students in New Orleans are getting ready to take yearly state testing, teachers paint a picture of a chaotic year capped with confusion over why testing is going on. Many Orleans Parish schools re-opened in the Fall 2020 semester, only to closeContinue reading “1500 word article – Education beat, May 2021”
Author Archives: mattvla
2 700-word articles – April 2021
Another Roaring 20s? Crimson Pictures, a local production company announced in early April a “boom” in movie production work that has resulted in “most of the crews [being] booked until fall.” On April 2nd, the CDC announced that “people who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States.”Continue reading “2 700-word articles – April 2021”
300 word articles – religious beat – March 2021
Archdiocese of New Orleans issues statement encouraging Catholics not to receive J&J Vaccine On February 28th, the Archdiocese of New Orleans released a statement advising Catholics not to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine is available. In their statement, they labeled the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as “morally compromisedContinue reading “300 word articles – religious beat – March 2021”
Ben Blunt
What do you want people to hear when they listen to your music? “Basically, my pain. My struggles, the stuff I go through. Respect me. Respect what I’m saying. You don’t have to like it, just respect it.” Just what his pain and struggles are, can be a bit hard to get out of him.Continue reading “Ben Blunt”
YBWN: Rapper, tech entrepreneur, Google Executive, soul-searcher
Nash and I meet on a sweltering summer day in New Orleans. I meet him at his rental in the Bywater area. He splits his time between San Francisco and New Orleans (his birthplace.) When I arrive, I’m greeted by his girlfriend. “Hey, Nash is on a call. He’ll be out in a few minutes.”Continue reading “YBWN: Rapper, tech entrepreneur, Google Executive, soul-searcher”
06/03 Protest
Anxiety
My own experiences? I currently feel in a fog, so I’m turning to writing. I remember always being described as a shy kid. In high school, I remember on a 3 occasions breaking down and crying because I couldn’t clearly think, and felt like an idiot. Basically, I felt (and currently feel) as though IContinue reading “Anxiety”
Ice Cream Fiend
“I just wanted to be myself, you know what I mean? I just stir it … the more I stir … in circles … it just …” his sentence drifted off as he was saying this, mesmerized by the custard base moving round and round and round in the stainless-steel pot. He was showing meContinue reading “Ice Cream Fiend”
UPDATE
COVID is really getting to everyone. How has it impacted my life? I’m no longer working, school is online, and I’m spending a lot more time on the CPU. Anyways, here are some pics:
No Chauvinists 