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.