A guide to teaching international students: NYU professor Denice martone explains how she does it
by Marita Vlachou
In her international writing workshop class of 12 students a few years ago, NYU professor Denice Martone announced the last assignment for that semester. Students would be required to pick a problem in the world and write about it using sources from literature.
Kishan Kishan, a freshman from India and a student in that class was excited about this final assignment. He had decided to write his paper on human impact on the environment.
Martone read his draft carefully and sent him a response that was longer than the paper itself, Kishan recalls.
After countless emails and private conferences with Martone, what Kishan thought would be an essay on the environment turned out to be a paper about why humans love pizza.
While Kishan was fluent in English, he was missing the cultural nuances in U.S. society and therefore he was struggling to make sense of his ideas in an organized way. Martone was there to guide him through.
“There’s a certain flexibility you have to have when working with people not only from different cultures, but also other ways of thinking and approaching writing,” Martone said leaning on her office chair putting her hands behind her head. “You just have to be open to seeing that there are ways of expression that are just different.”
Having a liking for students who are different, Martone, 58, the director of the International Writing Program and the associate director of the Expository Writing Program at NYU has devoted her career to working with international students. Through her position at NYU, the number one destination for international students in the 2013-2014 academic year, she has taught 1,000 students how to develop their own ideas on writing and help those who still have trouble bridging the language barrier.
“It requires patience and interest,” said Martone about the nature of her job.
During the 1990s, John Maynard, director of the Expository Writing Program at the time, invited Martone to help develop a unique curriculum for international students within the College of Arts and Science. Martone believed there should be no distinction between the curriculum for American and international students. The only difference she proposed would be for foreign students to complete the requirements over two semesters.
Martone was working at the American Language Institute at NYU, the department that focuses on teaching English as a Second Language students, at the time following her training on the subject through the Master’s and PhD in English Education she received from the NYU Steinhardt School of Education.
While this formal education contributed to her understanding of teaching writing to international students, she says her ability to identify the needs of foreign students came more from personal experience.
“I’ve seen a lot of life from a perspective that’s not American and I have a lot of respect for everything they’ve already done just to get here,” Martone said.
Her partner of 30 years is Brazilian and did not have much exposure to English prior to visiting the U.S. Through this relationship, Martone learned Portuguese, the only foreign language she speaks and also came to know first hand the problems faced by foreigners coming to the U.S.
Being aware of those problems, Martone has tried hard to communicate the realities of foreign students to faculty members who express an interest in teaching international writing. Currently, only 15 of the 100 professors in the Expository Writing Program teach the international writing. Martone has been working on increasing those numbers.
David Cregar, pedagogy coordinator for the program, is one of the people Martone chose for the International Writing Program. While he was always interested in teaching a diverse group of students, he spent a lot of time working closely with Martone on the tools to teach those students effectively.
“She told me once, ‘Your discomfort with calling on students especially with international students is matched by their discomfort in volunteering,’” Cregar said. “That seemed like something clicked when she said that.”
Martone has had to overcome this discomfort herself when dealing with challenging cases of students. A few years ago, Martone had a Korean student from the Tisch School of Arts who had already failed the introductory writing class for international students twice. While Tisch faculty were concerned about the situation, Martone did not hesitate to take that student into her class.
This particular student could not write more than three sentences for each assignment and despite his failing record showed no motivation to improve his writing. However, she encouraged him to stay in the course, participate in class and put in at least the minimum effort required.
Thankfully, her student was able to pass the class on his third try, offering Martone a moment of relief and satisfaction. While many viewed her student as a lost cause, Martone was able to see through him and help him develop both as a thinker and as a writer.
“The way to reach people who are struggling is to be generous with your time,” said Martone who spent many hours working with the student to help him improve his writing.
While Martone is devoted to her work, she also enjoys her other passion, photography. Her love for pictures is evident in the way her office is set up. A large assortment of cameras is placed on the top shelf of her office above her countless books.
Martone has tried to incorporate this love for art into her writing curriculum to give students more breathing room. Through screening documentaries and discussing images with students in the classroom, she tries to help them think ‘outside the box.’
“What works so well in Denice’s teaching is a balance between guidance and freedom in the way she works with students,” said Dara Regaignon, the director of the Expository Writing Program at NYU about Martone’s approach to learning.
It is likely that her instinct to combine art and teaching stems from her family background. Martone grew up in a family of five children in Connecticut, with her father who was a college professor and her mother, an artist.
During her childhood, she developed a sense of curiosity for things that were outside the norm. As a child, she would love to go to the beach and collect the “ugliest rocks,” the ones that seemed most fascinating to her.
“I was just attracted to things that were not mainstream, that were almost on the edges,” Martone said.
Despite the occasional challenges, this element of the unexpected is what keeps Martone still going in her teaching career of more than 30 years.
“Every way of approaching an idea or a thought is different and so there are lots of surprises,” Martone said. “That’s challenging and fun.”
Kishan, now a senior studying biology, recently surprised Martone when he emailed her with an unusual request. He wanted Martone to write him a letter of recommendation for his medical school application.
Martone, was initially shocked as most people applying to medical school get recommendations from professors teaching science courses. However, Kishan explained that she supported him when he was taking a critical turn in his life, adjusting to college level courses in the U.S. after having spent his entire life and high school years in India.
“She was the one that gave me those tools to allow this transition to occur and for that I’m always grateful,” Kishan said.
Despite providing him with tools that proved very useful while in college, Kishan said Martone stood out from any of his other professors at NYU simply because she would always take the time to listen to her students.
“Every single student has an interest thing to say, an interesting place to go if you ask for it,” Martone said.
In her international writing workshop class of 12 students a few years ago, NYU professor Denice Martone announced the last assignment for that semester. Students would be required to pick a problem in the world and write about it using sources from literature.
Kishan Kishan, a freshman from India and a student in that class was excited about this final assignment. He had decided to write his paper on human impact on the environment.
Martone read his draft carefully and sent him a response that was longer than the paper itself, Kishan recalls.
After countless emails and private conferences with Martone, what Kishan thought would be an essay on the environment turned out to be a paper about why humans love pizza.
While Kishan was fluent in English, he was missing the cultural nuances in U.S. society and therefore he was struggling to make sense of his ideas in an organized way. Martone was there to guide him through.
“There’s a certain flexibility you have to have when working with people not only from different cultures, but also other ways of thinking and approaching writing,” Martone said leaning on her office chair putting her hands behind her head. “You just have to be open to seeing that there are ways of expression that are just different.”
Having a liking for students who are different, Martone, 58, the director of the International Writing Program and the associate director of the Expository Writing Program at NYU has devoted her career to working with international students. Through her position at NYU, the number one destination for international students in the 2013-2014 academic year, she has taught 1,000 students how to develop their own ideas on writing and help those who still have trouble bridging the language barrier.
“It requires patience and interest,” said Martone about the nature of her job.
During the 1990s, John Maynard, director of the Expository Writing Program at the time, invited Martone to help develop a unique curriculum for international students within the College of Arts and Science. Martone believed there should be no distinction between the curriculum for American and international students. The only difference she proposed would be for foreign students to complete the requirements over two semesters.
Martone was working at the American Language Institute at NYU, the department that focuses on teaching English as a Second Language students, at the time following her training on the subject through the Master’s and PhD in English Education she received from the NYU Steinhardt School of Education.
While this formal education contributed to her understanding of teaching writing to international students, she says her ability to identify the needs of foreign students came more from personal experience.
“I’ve seen a lot of life from a perspective that’s not American and I have a lot of respect for everything they’ve already done just to get here,” Martone said.
Her partner of 30 years is Brazilian and did not have much exposure to English prior to visiting the U.S. Through this relationship, Martone learned Portuguese, the only foreign language she speaks and also came to know first hand the problems faced by foreigners coming to the U.S.
Being aware of those problems, Martone has tried hard to communicate the realities of foreign students to faculty members who express an interest in teaching international writing. Currently, only 15 of the 100 professors in the Expository Writing Program teach the international writing. Martone has been working on increasing those numbers.
David Cregar, pedagogy coordinator for the program, is one of the people Martone chose for the International Writing Program. While he was always interested in teaching a diverse group of students, he spent a lot of time working closely with Martone on the tools to teach those students effectively.
“She told me once, ‘Your discomfort with calling on students especially with international students is matched by their discomfort in volunteering,’” Cregar said. “That seemed like something clicked when she said that.”
Martone has had to overcome this discomfort herself when dealing with challenging cases of students. A few years ago, Martone had a Korean student from the Tisch School of Arts who had already failed the introductory writing class for international students twice. While Tisch faculty were concerned about the situation, Martone did not hesitate to take that student into her class.
This particular student could not write more than three sentences for each assignment and despite his failing record showed no motivation to improve his writing. However, she encouraged him to stay in the course, participate in class and put in at least the minimum effort required.
Thankfully, her student was able to pass the class on his third try, offering Martone a moment of relief and satisfaction. While many viewed her student as a lost cause, Martone was able to see through him and help him develop both as a thinker and as a writer.
“The way to reach people who are struggling is to be generous with your time,” said Martone who spent many hours working with the student to help him improve his writing.
While Martone is devoted to her work, she also enjoys her other passion, photography. Her love for pictures is evident in the way her office is set up. A large assortment of cameras is placed on the top shelf of her office above her countless books.
Martone has tried to incorporate this love for art into her writing curriculum to give students more breathing room. Through screening documentaries and discussing images with students in the classroom, she tries to help them think ‘outside the box.’
“What works so well in Denice’s teaching is a balance between guidance and freedom in the way she works with students,” said Dara Regaignon, the director of the Expository Writing Program at NYU about Martone’s approach to learning.
It is likely that her instinct to combine art and teaching stems from her family background. Martone grew up in a family of five children in Connecticut, with her father who was a college professor and her mother, an artist.
During her childhood, she developed a sense of curiosity for things that were outside the norm. As a child, she would love to go to the beach and collect the “ugliest rocks,” the ones that seemed most fascinating to her.
“I was just attracted to things that were not mainstream, that were almost on the edges,” Martone said.
Despite the occasional challenges, this element of the unexpected is what keeps Martone still going in her teaching career of more than 30 years.
“Every way of approaching an idea or a thought is different and so there are lots of surprises,” Martone said. “That’s challenging and fun.”
Kishan, now a senior studying biology, recently surprised Martone when he emailed her with an unusual request. He wanted Martone to write him a letter of recommendation for his medical school application.
Martone, was initially shocked as most people applying to medical school get recommendations from professors teaching science courses. However, Kishan explained that she supported him when he was taking a critical turn in his life, adjusting to college level courses in the U.S. after having spent his entire life and high school years in India.
“She was the one that gave me those tools to allow this transition to occur and for that I’m always grateful,” Kishan said.
Despite providing him with tools that proved very useful while in college, Kishan said Martone stood out from any of his other professors at NYU simply because she would always take the time to listen to her students.
“Every single student has an interest thing to say, an interesting place to go if you ask for it,” Martone said.
Q& A with a YOUNg fashion professional
Aspiring fashion designer Irene Mavridis on the steps to a career in fashion
by Marita Vlachou
Irene Mavridis, 20, is a young fashion professional who was born and raised in California, but decided to abandon the West Coast in order to pursue her dream career in New York City. Having earned her fashion design associate degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Mavridis currently works as a freelance fashion intern. She welcomes us into her cozy fashion studio in the East Village and talks about what it takes to be a young fashion professional in the city that never sleeps.
Q: What got you interested in fashion?
Irene Mavridis: I actually don’t know because it is a decision I took when I was around 13. All of a sudden I was like “oh I’m going to do fashion now,” and I started looking into a bunch of designers, especially Alexander McQueen and I was very fascinated with Lady Gaga and her aesthetic. I started researching who she was wearing and watching fashion TV and looking at runways and thought “well, I can actually do this for real.”
Q: What does fashion mean to you?
IM: I think of fashion as wearable architecture and something that defines you as a person.
Q: What are your fashion inspirations?
IM: I get inspired from paintings, like going to the Met and seeing paintings and the colors or textiles or ornamental things. Also when I touch fabrics I can get really inspired by that.
Q: What are the challenges of being a young fashion professional in New York City in an industry as competitive as fashion?
IM: It is very competitive and going into it you have to know that it is going to be very competitive because one, everybody tells you this and two, it is like this.
Q: What are your coping mechanisms?
IM: It’s good to look at what everybody else is doing, but at the same time it’s good because then you get too sidetracked with that and start doubting yourself. To be successful at what you’re doing you shouldn’t be insecure about yourself and you should know “this is what I’m going to do, this is my vision and I don’t care what everyone else thinks about it.”
Q: What drives you to continue working in this industry despite the challenges?
IM: I do it because I feel that it’s right and in my head at that moment that’s my vision. If I see something in my head and I know that is something I have to do, I will do it, because I’m a very stubborn personality. Myself is my drive, but also seeing other young people around me who are very successful in fashion and other fields drives me to keep doing it.
Q: What is the next project you have in line?
IM: I want to start a renewable vintage line, but with my own brand name. I want to get a bunch of stuff, then tear it apart and then sew it back together and add other things to it and make it contemporary in a way that touches upon a younger audience or an audience that’s around my age.
POLL FINDS MIXED REVIEWS ON OBAMA, BUT OPTIMISM ABOUT ECONOMY
by Marita Vlachou
Public opinion is divided on President Barack Obama’s overall performance, but a significant number of people believe the economy is doing better and the country is heading in the right direction, according to a poll conducted by New York University journalism students.
At a time when Obama’s presidency is winding down with the 2016 presidential elections approaching, 45 percent of those polled said they approve of Obama’s performance because they have seen improvements in the quality of their daily lives.
“I think it’s getting better from what I see in the news, and the positive changes I have experienced in my quality of life,” said Wei Lin, a 26-year-old recent college graduate from China who identifies as Independent.
However, 35 percent of respondents rated Barack Obama’s performance negatively, agreeing that he has not fulfilled his commitments to provide financial support to those from low-income backgrounds.
“He’s not keeping his promises,” said Michelle Wang, a 40-year-old banker from China who describes herself as Independent.
Despite the mixed reviews on Obama, most people interviewed were pleased with the present state of the economy. In the past year, only 1 in 10 lost their job or experienced job loss in their family. This is consistent with the reports in the February 2015 Labor Department statistics report showing a decrease in the unemployment rate from 5.7 to 5.5 percent. In addition, 65 percent of participants said they believe the country is heading in the right direction and the economy is improving.
Julia Hawrylo, a 57-year-old homemaker from Maryland who identifies as Democrat, said she believes the economy is doing well and the doubts raised by people in the news are intended to put pressure on the government.
“I think there are a lot of missayers trying to make us really concerned,” Hawrylo said. “I think they’re trying to throw an election.”
In the wake of that presidential election, Hillary Clinton’s expected run has generated controversy among people from different political backgrounds. While 45 percent of all respondents said Clinton would most likely win the election in 2016, 4 in 10 said they do not support her.
“I don’t trust her,” said 40-year-old Republican William Alexiadis who works at a company. “She’s very hypocritical.”
Meanwhile, 7 in 10 had no opinion on their preferred candidate to represent the Republicans or were not aware of the candidates for the Republican Party’s nomination in 2016. The only candidates mentioned were Chris Christie and Jeb Bush who were supported by 20 and 30 percent of the people polled respectively.
While politics is one of the top issues for people in Union Square, many said they would like to see the government take a more active role in the training of police officers, the legalization of recreational drugs such as marijuana, and the reduction of student debt.
In the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown, an African-American young male in Ferguson, Missouri by a police officer and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests all over the U.S. in December 2014, 55 percent of participants said they were not pleased with the way the federal government handled the situation.
“I think we really need to acknowledge the fact that there is not enough good training done with our police departments and we need to acknowledge that there is a racism problem,” Hawrylo said.
Americans are also concerned about the legality of marijuana use. Seventy-five percent of respondents said they would support a law to legalize the drug. Many of those polled argued that marijuana is not as harmful as most people think it is and is better than other drugs.
“When I smoke marijuana I’m so much safer than when I drink alcohol,” said Megan Russell, a 24-year-old actress from Ohio who is politically liberal. “I can drive, I can function, I can speak, I can come up with intelligent things to say.”
Yet, there are still people who do not feel comfortable with having marijuana readily accessible, because of its effects on brain activity.
“It is a drug,” said Andrew Lo, a 51-year-old Independent factory worker from Indonesia. “How could it be legal? Only America would approve this.”
Another source of concern, especially for younger participants, was the high cost of attending college. Students in many cases have to incur large amounts of debt to pay for college. Over 70 percent of those who graduated from U.S. colleges in 2014 were in debt, with an average of $33,000 per student, according to an analysis of National Center of Education data by student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz. This was a 10 percent rise from the average debt for graduates of 2013.
While two-fifths of respondents argued the government or the universities themselves should resolve the issue by providing more aid, some said the mindset of college applicants has to change.
The poll was conducted on March 28 at Union Square with a total of 20 participants: six females and 14 males. The ages of the participants ranged from 14-60. Of the respondents, 13 identified as Independent, two were Republican, three were Democrats, one was liberal and one was undecided.
RENA DOUROU TALKS ABOUT GREEK ECONOMY AND THE REGION OF ATTICA AT NYU
by Marita Vlachou
Greek politician and newly elected left-wing regional governor Rena Dourou declared that the Greek government is working hard to avoid pulling out of the eurozone and defaulting on its debt, at her speech at NYU Friday evening.
“We are in a very difficult negotiation,” Dourou said. “What we have for granted is that Greek people do not want to return back to drachma.”
Dourou also discussed the challenges she has had to face as the governor of the greater Athens area due to the difficult economic situation the region is in. The unemployment rate among young people has reached 60 percent and 300,000 small and medium sized enterprises have shut down during the last five years.
Dourou argued that a leftist government can provide solutions to these problems by boosting public sector spending and creating new jobs for young people.
“We are an administration from the people, by the people, for the people,” Dourou said, though she did not give specifics of how those people would be recruited in the public sector and where the funds to compensate them would be found.
Members of the audience also raised concerns about the ways in which Dourou would decrease the unemployment rate in the Attica region.
Natalia Bougadellis, 19, a Greek student at the Tisch School of Arts who runs a startup company in Greece said politicians are not reliable, and thus she is reluctant to believe Dourou’s promises.
“Still I haven’t seen results and it’s still only talking,” said Bougadellis who did not vote for Syriza in the general elections in January.
Dourou is also talking about fighting corruption and restoring credibility in politics. For instance, she said she and the new government are committed to eliminating tax evasion by implementing stricter penalties for those who choose not to follow the law. She added that politicians and especially members of the Greek parliament should serve as the primary example for transparency in economic transactions.
Yet, she also cautioned that if she and Syriza fail as a leftist government, that failure will pave the path for the rise of the extreme right-wing party in the Greek parliament, known as Golden Dawn.
“This is the kind of dawn Attica does not need,” Dourou said.
Audience member and professor at the University of Athens Makis Kouzelis who has been a member of Syriza for the past 20 years said he has faith in Dourou, who is inheriting a large budget deficit and high unemployment figures.
“It is not easy to turn that kind of almost a destruction of the country and gaining possibilities of having new jobs,” Kouzelis said.
Dourou was elected as the governor of Attica in municipal elections in May 2014. She won after a tight second round of elections getting the 50.87 percent of the vote, becoming the first woman to be elected in the position.
“The vast majority of the mainstream media used all possible stereotypes against my candidature: the young woman, the inexperienced woman,” Dourou said. “It was a campaign similar to the fight of David against Goliath.”
Before she ran for governor, Dourou had been a member of the Greek parliament with the party of Syriza since 2012. However, she resigned in March 2014 because she wanted to focus on her campaign for the governor position.
Through the leadership positions she has held in the past, Dourou has shown interest in providing support to the underprivileged groups of society. While she was a member of the Greek parliament, Dourou tried to increase social welfare spending from 1.9 million euros to 13.5 million euros. The additional money helped establish food banks, healthcare insurance for those affected by the economic crisis that hit the country starting 2008, and assistance to women who have experienced assault.
Dourou also ensured many households would get electricity after having been disconnected from the power supply for several months due to their inability to pay their bills. This move created tension in parliament as many of her opponents said she was trying to win popularity with irresponsible actions.
Tilemahos Koutsogeorgas, 19, a Greek-American student at the NYU College of Arts and Science said while he is skeptical of the approach Dourou is taking, he is still optimistic that she will be successful in improving the everyday lives of young Greek citizens.
“She’s hopeful,” said Koutsogeorgas who identifies as Independent. “They’re definitely trying to help the young people.”
Overall, Dourou said she realizes the challenges in her position but is committed to honoring the faith Attica citizens showed in her.
“Our responsibilities include acting in a reliable, complete and consistent way as to ensure that the dawn of another Attica becomes a reality for every citizen,” Dourou said.
The event titled The Dawn of Another Attica was part of the Greece Strikes Back event series hosted by the A.S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies at NYU with the purpose of informing the public on the political landscape in Greece with Syriza in power.
WEEKEND REPORTING: SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER'S PRESS CONFERENCE
by Marita Vlachou
U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced his support for new legislation to prohibit known or suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms and explosives from gun stores at a press conference held Sunday.
The legislation “Denying Firearms and explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015” calls for known or suspected terrorists to be added to the NICS database, which at the moment restrains felons and mentally ill spousal abusers from purchasing guns. Schumer is a co-sponsor of the legislation led by Sen. Diane Feinstein.
Senator Schumer said the reason why such legislation is not already in place was pressure National Rifle Association. The NRA did not respond to a request for information.
“We prohibit felons from buying guns, we prohibit spousal abusers and mentally ill people from buying guns, but we don’t prohibit people on terrorist watch lists from buying guns,” Schumer said.
Schumer presented statistics by the Government Accountability Office showing that 94 percent of the people who were able to purchase guns were on the terrorist watch list, including the no-fly list.
The new legislation will also enable individuals who believe they were incorrectly restricted from purchasing guns to question the denial. Individuals will be able to file a lawsuit against the Department of Justice, which however will have the authority to withhold information if it is deemed threatening to national security.
Schumer’s press conference comes a few days after the arrest of three men in Brooklyn on Feb. 25 for planning to travel overseas to be involved in terrorist activity in collaboration with the Islamic state.
“As the risk of domestic terrorism increases, as the risk of lone wolves importuned by terrorists overseas to do terrorism here increases how can we let them walk into gun stores and buy guns?” Schumer said.
Senator Schumer mentioned FBI Director Coney’s statement that he holds extremist organization searches in every state to highlight the need for measures to restrain terrorist activity in the United States.
NY Post reporter Kathleen Culliton, 29, who attended the press conference for her paper said she is in favor of the new legislation.
“Gun control is a good idea. In my job I see a lot of shootings so I am not a fan,” Culliton said. “I don’t think people can commit acts of terrorism if they don’t have the instruments to commit acts of terror.”
WABC reporter Peter Cinnante, 51, said while he supports the main points of the legislation, he would like to get the side of the NRA and more details on the issue.
“A lot of times the devil is in the details, but our producers will get this information and they’ll research it, and see if there’s any flaws in the legislation,” Cinnante said. “In theory it would help, but I don’t know the real details. But I don’t want a terrorist to be able to buy a gun or explosive, that’s for sure.”
In 2007, President George W. Bush tried to pass similar legislation, which was dismissed after pressure from the NRA.
Attorney General Eric Holder said Obama was also in favor of the legislation in at a Judiciary Committee hearing in 2009.
CNN Newsroom tour
by Marita Vlachou
Employees stride in and out the Time Warner Building located near the corner of 59th Street. They encounter the main lobby area with a large silver sign reading “Time Warner,” but no indication of CNN. Yet, a few floors up are the newsrooms of one the nation’s largest TV networks.
An overpowering red CNN poster welcomes the employees to the seventh floor of the building. The heavy glass door to the left only strikes open when the reporter taps a white card. The long corridors leading to the newsrooms and studios are decorated with portraits of famous news anchors that CNN has birthed over the years, giving a sense of pride that newer reporters want to live up to.
CNN has multiple newsrooms due to the various audiences the network tries to reach through its different platforms. The only thing that remains unchanged in each newsroom are the multiple Apple computer screens properly set up on every desk, signaling the reporter’s need to be alert in a 24/7 news cycle.
Next to the assignment desk are large glass windows looking out to what most residents do not see in Manhattan: the view of Central Park engulfing New York’s tallest skyscrapers. That is where most of the staff is actually working, out in the field getting video and sound bites that readers will access almost instantly through their computers, mobile devices or TV.
NYU Professor Phil Rosenbaum, who is an executive producer for CNN, explains that headlines are no longer enough to draw the audience into a story. The amount of work that goes behind the scenes at CNN gives some indication as to why it is one of the most popular networks in the world.