Final Online Journalism Story

Many economists believe that the world is entering the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Many experts have gone public about what they believe to be the causes and the possible effects of a worldwide economic crisis. However, many Americans are still unsure of what this will mean to them.

Here is a timeline of some of the more localized effects of the recession that have happened this year:

• U.S. employers laid off 63,000 workers in February of 2008, the most in five years.• In April 2008 nine U.S. states were declared to be in a recession by Moody’s.
• In October of 2008 the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that an additional 156,000 jobs had been lost in September.
• In December 2008 the National Bureau for Economic Research published a report for Economic Research. It stated that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, when economic activity peaked.


Despite these warnings, many Americans are unaware of how this will actually affect them. A group of people that is among the most greatly affected by this recession is the small business owner. From bakery owners to technology consulting firm owners, the economy is an issue that weighs heavily on everyone’s minds.

Judy Ghosin, owner of Purple Awning Pastries in Endwell, New York, says that owning her own business during the current economic recession is difficult. “It's extremely difficult right now, mainly because I don't know yet how we'll be affected. We're anxious to see if people are cutting back over the holiday season, or how the first of the New Year is, or if brides cut back on the size and style of their wedding cakes. It's really the uncertainty that is creating angst right now.” Though, despite the uncertainty, so far, the bakery has not seen a drastic decrease in business. In fact, Ghosin adds that Purple Awning Pastries has seen a 20 percent year-to-year increase since last Thanksgiving. Regardless of the strain and the 60-hour workweeks that Ghosin must put in to keep the bakery running, she says that it is totally worth it. She says, “It's my business-to succeed or fail with, but it's pretty much on my shoulders. I'm not tied to corporate policy. I am corporate policy! I’m not tied to inefficient co-workers. You pull your weight here or you go. I’m not tied to the whim of some executive. I am the executive-in-charge here.”

Eric Camplin, the Executive Vice President and co-managing partner of Piocon Technologies in Oak Brook, Illinois also has voiced concerns over the current state of the economy. Camplin explains the purpose of Piocon;“We are a technology consulting firm. We focus on building business solutions for our customers, mostly around Oracle database software and something called 'Business Intelligence' (BI). BI is all about getting important information, usually in the form of measures or metrics, to key executives in a timely manner. The metrics help them see the state of their business at any given time.” Like Purple Awning Pastries, Piocon has not seen a significant decrease in business. Camplin says, “Fortunately, we've been somewhat insulated from the economic downturn. I say, ‘somewhat’ as we have seen the signs and our customers are certainly being more careful. The good thing about BI is that it is very important in a bad economy to be able to see what's going well or not so well and being able to react quickly. This is exactly what we provide, so our services are important in these times!”

So, while many are struggling in the current economic conditions, there are companies that continue to be successful. However, even these businesses must work hard and be dedicated to survive the recession.

Greece

Story can be found here. 

I found this story interesting for a few reasons.

The first reason is that I have personal ties to this story. My senior year of high school, I traveled to Greece, (Athens and Delphi) as well as Italy with a group from my school. Athens was the last stop on our trip, and the place that I felt most unsafe. While I loved Athens- the city, the culture, the language, the food- I could not help but feel that as Americans, we were not welcomed there. During the first leg of our trip, we watched footage on television of American flag burnings, riots and protests in Athens. We thought for awhile that we were going to have to cancel that part of our trip. Our tour guides told us that if any of the Greek people asked us our nationality, we should lie. We were told to tell people outside of our group that we were Canadian. 

I'm not implying by any means that all Greeks are violent. Riots like the one in the New York Times story have always baffled me. Why would you protest alleged excessive police violence with more violence? It just gives the police force a justifiable reason to get involved and use force. 

I just hope that this ends before more people get hurt or killed. 

(Former) President George W. Bush

Story can be found here. 

There are a few things about this story that I find shocking. I'll preface what I'm about to say with a little disclaimer. I'm one of the majority of Americans who doesn't like President Bush. I never have liked him and was sickened when he was elected.  Shocker, I know. 

First of all, who in their right mind would contribute to Dubya's Presidential Library? He is arguably one of the biggest failures as President, and I sure wouldn't want my name or money attached to a library in memory of those infamous 8 years. 

Secondly, he is an awful public speaker and at times seems borderline illiterate. At least Presidents Clinton and Reagan were intelligent and good public speakers before they signed book deals and toured as public speakers. 

Thirdly, I don't think it's plausible to compare Bush to President Carter. To me, despite his shortcomings during his presidency, President Carter deeply cares about the well being of the impoverished in the world. Bush has lived a life of luxury and seems to be one of the most selfish individuals ever, so I doubt he will go into peace work like Carter did.

So, what should President Bush do?

If I was him, I would hide out for a very, very long time. 

Pirates!

Story can be found here. 

The Oceania Nautica was "attacked" by pirates off the coast of Yemen in a Safety Protection area. I've been on a few cruises with my family, and the thought of a small boat armed with rifles being able to attack a giant cruise ship baffles me. I understand that pirates are a legitimate threat, but cruise ships seem pretty invincible to me. 

The coverage on the CNN website is logical and easy to understand. There are maps, links and video. Other sites should use CNN as a guide. 

Black Friday

First story can be found here. 

Second story can be found here. 

Every year when Black Friday rolls around, the media makes a huge deal out of the crowds of people who swarm stores in search of shopping deals. This is the first year, however, that I remember the deal toll climbing to 3 people. 

In Palm Desert, California, two people were shot in a Toys R Us. A Wal-Mart employee in Long Island was killed when people stormed the store. Four others were taken to the hospital. 

I don't know if it's the economic recession that's causing the madness this year or if it's just two isolated cases that happened on the same day, but this is disgusting. The holidays are time to enjoy being with loved ones, not to kill others over the last Tickle Me Elmo on sale or run over sales clerks so that you can get an ipod for less money than normal. It's just all so trivial. It's just shopping. 

Larceny in the Circle Apartments

Congo

Story can be found here. 

I found this story significant for a few reasons. 

Firstly, I consider myself fairly well informed on world events, but I had no idea that anything like this was going on the in the Congo. My TA for my Media and Politics class last year was from Zimbabwe and always complained how little accurate press coverage Africa gets. I guess that this proves her point. 

Secondly, I found the layout of this story pretty awful. I am not a huge fan of Yahoo! news but I use it because I have an Yahoo! email account and it makes it easy to read important headlines. However, they should have used more maps and graphics to make this story less tedious to read. I don't know if I could pick the Congo out on a map of Africa (I have a general idea, but I would probably be wrong) and I know that a lot of Americans don't know their African geography. 

Haiti

Story can be found here.

I found this story particularly heartbreaking because 2 years ago, I went to Haiti. I have never seen a more beautiful, yet depressing place in my entire life. Our tour guide told us that one private home on the entire Haitian side of the  island has internet service. The children that we saw were starving and underfed. I've traveled around the Caribbean fairly extensively and I've never seen poverty like that before. However, the Haitian people were also by far the most friendly, accommodating and welcoming people that I have ever met in my travels. 

The fact that something like this could happen after all of the economic and natural disasters that the people of Haiti have had to endure is awful. I hope that whoever is responsible for the poor conditions of this school is punished accordingly. 

As far as the presentation of this story, kudos to CNN.com. It is easy to read and organized, like usual. 

Sociology Professor Threatens to Sue Ithaca College

Hillary Clinton

Story can be found here. 

Politics is one of my greatest passions (it's also my second major). So, I found this particular article to be upsetting. I don't like Barack Obama or John McCain. I don't believe one word that comes out of Obama's mouth and think that he is IMMENSELY under-qualified to be the president. I have the upmost respect for John McCain as a person. He went through a great deal of hardships in life, mostly in service to our country. My dad is a Vietnam veteran too, so I have been taught to respect those who serve our country in the military. However, with that being said, as a die hard Hillary supporter, I am offended that McCain thought he could add Sarah Palin to his ticket and therefore gain support from the women who supported Hillary. 

There are so many differences between Senator Clinton and Governor Palin. Hillary is an intelligent, experienced and well educated woman. Sarah Palin is caribou Barbie. I would sooner vote for Tina Fey for president than Sarah Palin herself. 

The article posted above states that the McCain campaign is using Senator Clinton's voice in machine phone calls in battle ground states. To me, this political tactic is quite telling. I think that McCain, unlike Obama, understands Senator Clinton's importance in this election despite the fact that she didn't get the nomination. (I know plenty of Hillary supporters, myself included, who refuse to vote for either Obama or McCain). 

The quote that they used in the phone calls is: "In the White House, there is no time for speeches and on-the-job training. Sen. McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign, and Sen. Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002. I think that is a significant difference." 

I couldn't agree with her more. 

Wildfires in Southern California...

Story can be found here. 

I have family and friends in Southern California. I've been there more times than I can count. I'm considering transferring to USC next fall. Therefore, when there are forest fires, I try to keep myself as informed as possible so that I can make sure that my family and friends are safe. 

One thing that really frustrates me is that when I read most national news service descriptions of wildfires (Yahoo! is especially guilty) just describes the general area as "Southern California." That is awful because Southern California is huge. At least USA Today used Rancho Cucamonga as a starting point for their story. Most that I've found in the past don't do that. 

However, as far as online journalism goes, this isn't the best example that I've seen. There aren't enough interactive features. I do really like the map though. Maps should always be used in situations like this. I can tell by the map that the fires are currently far enough away from my family and friends. 

Power Outage...

Story can be found here. 

I posted another story from The Buffalo News. Shocker, shocker. Honestly, beside being extremely happy that the Bills are 5-1 (YAY!), this power outage situation really got me thinking. 

First of all, I find it funny that 3 small helium balloons were able to knock out power to an entire professional size football stadium for an extended period of time. Looks like Ralph Wilson Stadium needs to update its power and electrical system. 

Secondly, I was driving back to Ithaca from Buffalo during this game. We had it on in the radio and couldn't figure out why the audio had such awful quality. Then, all of a sudden, the audio turned crystal clear again. Turns out that with the power outage, the radio station couldn't use its equipment to broadcast the game. Determined to still provide fans with a play by play (which is a darn good thing, because CBS couldn't broadcast the game on TV when the power was out. There would have been an uprising if the radio failed to do the same), someone from 97 ROCK called a play by play in on his cell phone. 

Dedication to sports and journalism at its finest! 

Sarah Palin and Abortion

Story can be found here. 

By now, most people I know think Sarah Palin is a lunatic. While I don't support Obama, (I'm a jaded Hillary supporter) I would tend to agree.  

She doesn't support abortion at all, even in cases of rape and incest? Really? So, what she's saying is that some poor woman who was already victimized and abused in one of the most personal and disgusting ways possible, should also legally have to carry a baby full term that she didn't ask for. That is vial. That poor woman will have to look at a daily reminder of an incident that she will more than likely want to forget. Sarah Palin will alienating a lot of women on this one. 

As far as the presentation of this story, props to CNN. It was easy to follow and enjoyable to read (or, as enjoyable as reading about Palin can be). 

Tompkins County 2009 Budget Proposed

The 2009 Tentative County budget meets the Legislature's goal of a tax levy increase of no more than 3 percent. 

Steve Whicher and Norma Jayne, executive assistant to the county administrator, spoke at a press conference at Ithaca College's Roy H. Park School for Communications on September 29. They spoke for a little over an hour to a group of News Reporting and Writing students, using the same presentation and power point that was given at the Tompkins County Public Library. 

Whicher and Jayne described the tentative tax levy increase of 2.77 percent from last year. This is under the goal of a no more than 3 percent increase from last year's tax levy increase created by the Legislature. A tax levy is the total amount of property tax revenue collected to balance the budget. 

Expenditures in the budget are as follows: 

• $19.1 million for mandated services
• $45.1 million for non-mandated services 
• $1.1 million for non-capital over target requests
• $700,000 for over target requests
  

Tompkins County revenue comes from the following sources: 

• $29 million from sales tax
• $36.8 million from property tax
• $4 million from other sources

The tax rate in Tompkins County this year is undergoing some changes as well. This is because the tax rate, or the amount of tax property owners pay per thousand dollars assessed value, has decreased significantly. The tax rate will drop by 13.7 percent from 2008. 

In the tentative budget for 2009 there is $250,000 budgeted for overcrowding in the prisons. "Spending money on a jail will invite more people to go to the jails, " Whicher said. He explained that the legislature has a "if you build it, they will come"  mentality about prisons and would rather spend the money elsewhere. There are no immediate plans to remedy jail-house crowding in the future. However, if conditions persist, the county is considering working with Cortland County to build a joint prison specifically for people who have been sentenced to a crime, Whicher said. 

Currently there are 80-84 inmates in the county's jail. The total capacity is 74. The county does not believe that the cost of expansion or other means of rectifying the situation are beneficial due to the cost. So, for the time being, the county will continue to bus its prisoners elsewhere unless the situation drastically changes. 

The budget vote will take place during the third week of November. While the tentative budget is under the 3 percent tax levy increase proposed by the County Legislature, unforeseen costs and the loss of state aid could cause this number to increase. 

Oh, Time Warner...

This is clearly a case of not knowing your audience. 

So, I've realized a few things.

1. Almost all of my blog stories come from The Buffalo News. Oh well. Stick with what you know, right? 

2. I hate Time Warner, mostly because they totally screw over IC students. It's ridiculous. 

But anyway, back home in Buffalo, they've dropped our local CBS affiliate. This is the stupidest thing that they could have possibly done. CBS has all of the Bills games. You do not deprive Bills fans of their games, especially when the Bills are 4-1 (stupid Arizona Cards). Also, Oprah and the most popular news shows are on CBS.

Congratulations, Time Warner,  you just lost yourself a lot of customers. 

The Whole Economy Debacle

Story can be found here. 

Honestly, I don't know as much about the economic crisis in the country as I should. Numbers, money and economics has never been my strong point by any means, but as a politics and journalism major I should probably make myself more informed. 

This article caught my eye for several reasons. First, Warren Buffet is an extremely intelligent man with a lot of business savvy (obviously... he's the 2nd richest man in the country and worth over 50 billion dollars), plus, he was technically my boss at The Buffalo News because he owns it. So, when he has something to say about the economy, I will absolutely listen to it. 

As far as the article itself goes, I think that it is a great example of online journalism. It was broken up into chunks which made it way easier to read. Plus, there were pictures, links to videos about how this could affect every day Americans, and links to other articles about this subject. The thing I like most about CNN's website (I read it a lot, especially considering Ithaca's cable is ridiculously expensive so I can't watch CNN... or ESPN... or really anything for that matter) is the "story highlights" feature at the top of the page. It makes getting the facts that much easier. I think I'll be using the links from this page to update myself on the situation.  

Most Important Sports Venues in the United States

Story can be found here.

I originally found it on the Los Angeles Times USC blog. 

As a fan of USC Trojan football, and the university in general, I frequently check the USC blog on the Los Angeles Times website as well as updates on the Daily Trojan website. I missed the story about the sports venues on the ESPN website, so I am glad that I caught it on the Times website. 

I found the criteria for this listing to be interesting. It's not called America's best sports venues, America's prettiest sports venues, or anything of the nature. These are the venues that have had the most significant impact on American sports culture. 

 I was disappointed that none of Buffalo's sports venues (The Memorial Auditorium, HSBC Arena, Ralph Wilson Stadium or Dunn Tire Park) made the top 100 list despite great sports moments taking place there. Unfortunately most of these "great moments" happen for Buffalo's opposition. The pain of being a Buffalo sports fan. 

I have, however, had the opportunity to go to Notre Dame Stadium and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Both had an awing effect on me. My family is full of Notre Dame alumni, so naturally we have made pilgrimages to worship the awesomeness that is Notre Dame football. I, however, being the black sheep of the family, am a USC football fan. USC and Notre Dame are arch rivals. They hate each other. It did not go over well with the family. 

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is ranked higher than Notre Dame Stadium. Apparently South Bend, Indiana is not so happy about this assessment. The University prides itself on the beauty and tradition of its campus and the famously known "Touch Down Jesus" painted on the side of their library that can be seen from the Stadium. The Coliseum, however, has hosted the first Super Bowel, a World Series, and games from 2 different Olympics. Take that, Notre Dame. 

Amethyst Initiative

Story can be found here.

My second story is also from The Buffalo News. It is a discusses the Amethyst Initiative, another topic that we have discussed in class. 

This article discusses the viewpoints of various college officials from different colleges and universities from across Western New York. While it is interesting for me to see the viewpoints of representatives from the colleges where most of my friends back home go, I don't see the relevance or the immediate newsworthiness of the article. There was no speech or official movement to inspire this article. 

I definitely have a bias when it comes to this issue, so I will be watching as it progresses. I don't honestly think that it will change any laws in time to affect people in my age group. I will be 21 in a little less than 2 years. I doubt that there will be any significant change by then. 

Mystery Solved!

I have been trying to catch up on the news back home in Buffalo lately. One story that has caught my intention can be found at the bottom of this post. 

Basically the premise is that New York State Police finally found a suspect in a 37 year old murder mystery that took place in an extremely rural area south of Buffalo. The victim was a 25 year old Vietnam War veteran. He was found frozen and stabbed to death in a ditch in the Town of Arkwright in January of 1971. The police identified Donald Saden of Austin, Texas, as the suspect in this case. He was 17 years old during the time of the attack and knew the victim. He left Western New York for Texas shortly after the murder. 

This story is similar to the Elmira example that we went over in class. However, I do not feel that The Buffalo News did a thorough enough job explaining the actual crime itself. I wasn't even born when the original crime took place, so I have no previous knowledge of what happened. I feel as though the details of the crime are an important addition to this story considering it happened nearly forty years ago. People old enough to remember 1971 may also not be able to recall this particular murder. For example, neither of parents remember what the details of the case were and they were both disappointed with the story as it ran in this morning's News. 

On a personal note, this story is heartbreaking. The victim was a Vietnam veteran who served our country, only to return home and be brutally murder. My dad is also a Vietnam veteran so I relate to it on a more personal level. Also, the story mentioned that the victim's dad died in the 90's, so he did not leave to see justice for his son's murder. 

I hope more details become available soon. 

Story can be found here. 

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