I'm So Lonely!

For the final installment of this journalistic blog, I was trying to think of what I could be interested in. And then I found this. The article says that people can catch loneliness by being around lonely people. I find this fascinating, and I can see it as being true. I know I adapt to situations surrounding me and borrow traits of those I'm closest to, so I can see this being plausible. I also find it strange that it took them quite awhile to realize this correlation between the two. The quotes within the article were slightly confusing, and I think they could have picked better ones, but overall it was short and to the point.

Necessary Harry Potter Article

So I figured I should include an article or two about Harry Potter. I remember reading this earlier in the week and being extremely happy that this was happening. Naming common rooms in England after the Harry Potter houses is something I wish I could do at Ball State. I'm thinking of naming our room after it now. I was sad to read that they probably would not be able to keep the names of the houses because of copyright laws and whatnot, but I hope that they will continue to call it the "Gryffindor Common Room". It makes me want to go to England even more, although judging by the quotes they chose to include in the article, the news may be a bit dry to read.

Going to College to Learn How to Grow Pot

This article caught my eye mainly because of the headline. I know that medical marijuana has been making a rise lately, but it amused me to think that there was a school that was investing in it. This school was founded specifically to teach people how to effectively grow marijuana for medicinal purposes. While there are a lot of your typical suspects, there is a surprising number of people who are trying to do this to benefit others. The article goes into the background of how it was legalized in Michigan and details certain classes they take. There was one sentence I did stumble over, however, and it took me awhile to realize why it was not making sense. "For Mr. Tennant, who is certified as both a caregiver and a patient — he said he has stomach problems and anxiety — Med Grow replaces the auto detailing business he started straight out of high school, only to see it founder when the economy contracted." There is what I would imagine is an "l" missing from the word "flounder". Otherwise, I could not see any other mistakes in the article.

Stem Cell Research is...Back?

Today I got a breaking news story about stem cell research. As seen from the headline, stem cell research is in full swing. The National Institutes of Health were asked to re-write guidelines to make it easier to conduct stem cell research while still being ethical, because of the potential lives it could save. It interested me because many have been criticizing President Obama for not accomplishing a lot in his first year in office. The stem cell debate is something I also do not really understand. The article itself makes sure that readers are informed as to what is going to be done in the labs, detailing the process. In it, it says that the stem cell lines are from embryos that were tested and proved to be rejected for fertility, which to me says that they would go to waste. The only thing the article did not fully explain is what stem cell lines were in the beginning, but this is because this story is still in development. The article is well-written for being a breaking news story and having little time to form a coherent story.

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz? Broadway? Two Words that Should Not be in the Same Sentence

At first I was hoping that I misread the title for this article. And then I continued to read. Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, after horribly failing to lip-synch on Saturday Night Live, made it to Broadway. Not only Broadway, but Chicago. And not as a minor role even. She is the main character. Chicago has been one of the longest and most well-known musicals, and the thought of her in this made me cringe inside. But the article itself offered many different aspects of how those close to her view both her Broadway debut and her marriage. It also offered what she had done previously, not mentioning the SNL fiasco. I also noticed that throughout the article they referred to her as Ashlee, which makes sense. Most of her family is interviewed, and Simpson-Wentz takes up too much room for a story. All in all, the article itself was brief but explained the facts. My issue is with the actual content.

Looks Like African-American's Don't Agree on Everything

Today's article is about same-sex marriage laws, again. As you can see, this is a topic I am very much for. The article likens it to the civil rights activists of the 1960's, and how many young people (myself included) see it as their generation's civil rights battle. It provides a lot of information about what has been going on in Washington, D.C., and how everyone is reacting to the approval in the district. The first thing I noticed was that it kept referring to Washington, D.C. as "the District" and for readers like myself who usually do not read the Washington Post, it was slightly confusing at first to figure out what they were referring to. Another thing I noticed was that during a quote, there was no use of punctuation. The speaker was listing off the types of support they will provide, and nowhere in the list was a comma, which bugged me. Overall, though, it was a well-written article.

Latin America Still Waits for Gay Marriage

This article caught my attention as I wandered around Google News to find a good article to blog about. While CNN is very good at making sure their stories are published without a flaw, I still went to the Web site hoping for something. I found a very interesting article, which got me thinking about human rights instead of journalistic ability. All of Latin America could have had a first on Tuesday if a judge had not blocked the ruling. What would have made it even more significant for the gay/lesbian/transgendered community was that the couple was planning on wedding on World AIDS Day. Not only did the article do a good job of covering the story, but it also brought attention to another issue the world is facing. It offers good background about the other things that were involved in the case, and other difficulties Latin Americans have had to face when dealing with same-sex couples.

Dead Body in a High School? What?

I found this article when I was browsing Facebook. The story in question is very brief, and it's a very odd occurrence. I was interested because it is in the same town as my high school, and I've passed by this school many times. It was released the day the body was discovered, just a few hours after, so this explains why there is little information on the subject yet. I was interested to know that school was not cancelled; I would have guessed it would close to launch a full investigation. The article makes sure to note where the body was found, and that it was not a student, so parents would not start to worry about the safety of their children. The article when posted online, however, made it to publishing with one mistake that jumped out to me on the first reading: "Police said the victim as not a Naperville Central student." I assume it should be "was" instead of "as," which is something that should have been noticed and corrected immediately. It distracted me from the rest of the article.

Screening for Cancer: Is More Better?

This article helps explain to the general public the controversies surrounding the new research over breast cancer screenings. It is the first article I've seen since the initial report came out, and it offers a lot of explanation about certain areas that are not as clear. I personally did not know about their findings for other types of cancer, not just breast cancer. It is very straightforward and easy to understand for the casual reader. Since breast cancer affects many families, there has been a lot of coverage trying to interpret the findings. The article offers information and tips for women, but does not read like it is telling them what to do.

Oprah's Leaving TV?!?! Noooo

Now that J102 is in and Thanksgiving is over, I can focus on this. I was stumbling around looking for things to catch my interest, and I found this story about Oprah Winfrey. I was very curious about the title, because I had no idea that she would be leaving television soon. She is someone who I just thought would always be around and would retire when she was much older, around Dr. Ruth's age. One thing that stood out to me in the article was that they still referred to her by Winfrey. In my mind she is always Oprah, just like Madonna or Seal. It was surprising to see, because she is such an icon, as the article stated over and over. The article itself was very well-written, examining both what has happened in the past with talk shows and how Winfrey's exit will effect that section of television programming. It is just very odd to me to think about referring to her by her last name, and to know that she will not be on TV much longer.

The Internet has a Cloud? What?

I have to admit, the only reason I read this article is because the title intrigued me. I had no idea what the "Online cloud" would have been. As I read further, the article did a good job of explaining what the cloud was in the third paragraph, although readers could probably have figured it out within the first two. John Sutter did a good job of explaining his process of investigation, as well as defining any other terms readers may not know. The information was organized in a clear, concise manner, and the gist of the article was gained fairly quickly, and it was entertaining to read. The persistence Sutter had in order to gather as much information as possible for the story was commendable, especially since most of the companies he talked to did not offer much information. At the end, he once again made sure that readers would understand what the online cloud was. He also tried to make sure that they know that it is fallible, and that they should take precautions so as not to lose all their data they have stored online. Overall, it was a well-written article.

The Crash of Doom

Since this made my return home for Fall Break about two hours longer, I decided to blog about this article. The lead captured my interest, making me want to read more. Many people I had talked to just said there was a crash, and the "earth-shattering explosion" definitely made me want to read more. However, after this first tidbit of information, nothing was explained. It did tell that the driver was in the hospital, but with only cuts on his face. Generally speaking, people in an explosion have more wounds than cuts on the face. It also mentions that I-465 would be closed for weeks, but a crash or explosion site would be cleaned up relatively quickly. We find out in the seventh paragraph that the explosion blew out a pillar, which is the reason I-465 would be closed for weeks. However, it is not until the fourth paragraph from the end that it is explained how the driver escaped with only cuts. It comes after naming the trucking company, which was unfortunate for readers who were more concerned with how he escaped.

Yay Journalism

Hi! Journalism assignment number E : blog about journalistic reporting and such. So. Here it is. Enjoy :-)