Newspaper Log- Wednesday March 31st

Today's paper surprised me with the amount of articles that interested me. I read (not completely though) five articles. Some I read through the entire article, and some I just read the first few paragraphs.

One of the articles I read completely through was called, "Access to Google is Interrupted in China." The article pretty much just informed us that late last night, Google wasn't working in much of China. At first Google thought they had the problem, but later found out that Google wasn't causing the problem. There are speculations that the country might have blocked Google for this amount of time to "get back" at them for pulling out of Beijing and operating a new uncensored website out of Hong Kong.

Another article I read fully through was called, "Through Cage Bars, an Exotic Peek Into Drug Wars." This article touched my heart because of all of the terrible things the author described that happened to these animals. Most of them were beaten by their owners and forced to take illegal and harmful substances. I feel like this article most definitely displays the element of journalism that is "journalists must make the significant interesting and relevant." The author of this article at one point describes a lion that has been taken into this sanctuary to become healed and his diet before he was admitted. The lion used to eat the flesh of death-squad victims. The article captivated me all the way until the end, bringing up examples of all different animals at the sanctuary one after the other. This type of description definitely falls under the category of "interesting" in my opinion.

Fake Obituary

She had what we liked to call, a "passion for fashion" said Lee Cooper, the grandmother of Erin Copeland. "She always dreamed about working in the fashion industry and having fashion be a major part of her life."

Copeland was only 19 when mother nature took her away. She was a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire studying journalism in hopes of one day being a writer for a major fashion magazine.

"English and writing were always her best subjects in school, but her passion for fashion directed and narrowed her writing to something she has always loved," said Andra Copeland, the mother of the teenager. "She was always a good student in our eyes, and she was just a good kid, you know one of those kids that never got involved with the wrong crowd or got involved in bad things."

Copeland was born and grew up in Long Island, New York. Her parents moved her and her brother when she was 12 to a small town in New Hampshire where she had a hard time adjusting to her new life.

"She hated it here," Andra said. "But over the years she came to love New Hampshire and the ways of life here. She was always interested in new places and culture."

Copeland's grandmother helped submerge Copeland into the outside world. Cooper and her husband were the ones who took her on her exotic vacations. Because of her grandparents, Copeland was able to travel to many places that kids her age have never been.

"At first, she didn't want to go to South Africa. She though it would be boring" Cooper said. "She knew she was wrong, though, after a few days there. She didn't want to leave when it was time to come back home."

Traveling was a big part of Copeland's life, and something she had wanted to continue throughout the rest of her life.

Since she was a baby, her parents had taken her to the Cayman Islands almost once every year up until she passed. Cayman was her spot; somewhere she looked forward to every year.

"I'm sure that if she was still with us, she would be talking about the next vacation we should take, and trying to convince us of some crazy place to go next," Andra said.

"This is one of the things I loved about Erin," said Randi Krzesinski, a long-time friend of Copeland. "Whenever she would go on a vacation, she would always bring back a souvenier for me and her other close friends. Even small trips to other states, she never once stopped thinking about her friends," Krzesinski said.

Deanna Scott, a good friend of Copeland's said Copeland was always someone she could talk to about anything, and someone who meant alot to her.

"Erin was always, always there for me. If I called her with a problem or advice, she was always able to listen and help me out," Scott said. "And she wasn't just there when I needed her. She would call me up and say 'let's do something spontaneous' and we would go out and do random things around town, but we loved it."

Copeland's friends and family will remember Copeland for the fashionista she was, and the good friend that she has been throughout her life.

Newspaper Log- Tuesday March 30th

In today's paper I found two articles to read. One of the articles I read today was the advertising portion of Business Day. The article discusses the new way of watching television: in 3-D. I just read the first few paragraphs since I was interested in this new technology and learned that it might be hard for it to grow rapidly. The glasses alone needed to watch this 3-D television cost $150 which seems like quite a bit of money, especially on top of the cost of the television itself. I'm interested to see how this new technology expands.

The second article caught my attention specifically because it had to do with teenagers committing suicide after bullying and online bullying. I know of a girl from the town I used to live in who killed herself last week because of this, and also a boy from my high school who killed himself in January because of depression and bullying. The article was titled, "9 Teenagers Are Charged After Classmate's Suicide." This article, in my opinion follows the elements of journalism perfectly. The article brings to our attention the truth of the recent suicide that has caused all of the commotion, and also gives the public something to talk about and discuss since this problem of bullying is an increasing issue in the United States. The article also makes the significant interesting and relevant which is an element of journalistic writing. The author of this article really hits home and touches readers when he talks about the suicide and says, "Her sister found her hanging from a stairwell at home, still in her school clothes, at 4:30 p.m."

Newspaper Log- Monday March 29th

Today's paper had three articles I was interested in reading. The first, I barely finished the second paragraph because the title captivated me and I just wanted to know enough to know what it meant. The title was, "Unearthing the Sex Secrets of the Perigord Black Truffle." The second article was about advertising a common red brick to find the best advertiser in the world. The last article I read was actually in the New York section and it was called, "In New York, Breaking a Law on Roommates." The article is about New York City's law that no more than three unrelated people can live in an apartment together. This rule though, is hardly enforced which the article says may be a good thing since it is financially beneficial for teenagers getting an apartment in the city to live with more people. I definitely agree with this article.

This roommate article also falls under one of the "elements of journalism." One of the elements says that "Journalism must provide a forum for public criticism" which I believe this article most definitely does. The article speaks of the benefits of breaking this New York law, and the practicality of having many people live together. I'm sure many New Yorkers agree with this article, but there are certainly other people who don't agree, and those would be the people who will criticize.

Another element of journalism says that Journalism's first loyalty is to citizens, which this article also displays. The purpose of the article is to bring to the attention the fact that this rule is not necessary and the citizens of New York would be better off without this rule.

I believe that this article is a good role model for what a good piece of journalistic writing should look like.

Newspaper Log- Wednesday March 24th

One of the articles I read in today's paper was called, "Calorie Data To Be Posted At All Chains." This article was about the new system that is being created in all chain restaurants that requires them to show the calorie count for every item on the menu.

According to the book, "Elements of Journalism," element number seven says that Journalists must make the significant interesting and relevant. I believe that Stephanie Rosenbloom, the author of this article did a fantastic job with that. At the beginning of her article, she uses examples that everyone can relate to to make the article interesting. When she says, "In other words, as soon as 2011 it will be impossible to chomp down on a Big Mac without knowing that it contains over 500 calories." She also mentions in the article the calorie count of a king-sized Snickers bar, which is 440 calories.

She definitely spices up the article by putting in actual calorie counts from foods that we Americans like to indulge in. I was very intrigued by this article, and read through the whole thing.

Rosenbloom also follows another of the principles of journalism defined in the book, "Elements of Journalism." The principle, journalists should keep the news comprehensive and in proportion is in play in this article as well. Rosenbloom uses plain words that mostly everyone can understand, but still makes the article sound good and intelligent. To me, this article fits perfectly with the principles of journalism and is a great example of those two specific principles.

Issue news story

An upcoming question on the June 4th ballot in Biddeford, Maine is a controversial one. Should the city of Biddeford shut down the Biddeford City Airport at a cost of about $3 million?

According to the records in the city manager's office, to shut down the 126-acre property, it would cost Biddeford about $3 million and to keep it running, it would cost about $60,000 a year.

Some people think that it would make more sense to keep it running, since it would cost less, but others disagree.

Paul Archambault, Chairman of Shut Out Little Airport has lived in a house at the end of the runway for 24 years.

"Once we started looking at the airport, we came to the conclusion that there is no financial benefit at its existing size and capacity," Archambault said. "It continues to be a tax burden."

John Bubier, Biddeford city manager has records that state that the airport takes in about $56,000 annually from sales of gas, property taxes, and land leases.

Roland Pelletier, who has lived next to their airport for 25 years said "I just hope that the referandum will educate people. Times are tough in the economy."

The airport is also dealing with other problems as well as money issues.

"We have pedestrians, motorcycles, four-wheelers (and) ATV's all using it," said Airport manager Tom Bryand. "They just use it as a backyard and that's against regulations."

Although Phyllis Landry enjoys the airport and think's its a great resource, even she has had problems with pedestrians.

"Once about five years ago I had to abort a takeoff because a bunch of neighborhood kids ran onto the runway right in front of my plane," Landry said.

But what about citizens who want to keep the airport running?

Landry has been flying out of Biddeford Airport for 25 years and has seen lots of changes during that time.

"I love this airport," Landry said. "If I couldn't fly out of here I'd have to go to Sanford or Portland."

"Maybe it's expensive to run the airport. But it's a great resource," said Landry. "I know business people who fly in here all the time."

Landry, and other Biddeford citizens will be saddened to see the airport go. It even has been rumored that Charles Lindbergh once stopped here looking for directions to Old Orchard beach.

Bubier said that the City Council really hasn't come down on one side of the issue or the other. "I think they'd prefer to have the voters settle this one," said Bubier.

the vote on June 4th will finally solidify the decision about the closing of the Biddeford City Airport.

Newspaper Log- Tuesday March 23rd

Today's paper only had two articles I was interested in reading. I read the article about Toyota replacing accelerator pedals that have already been fixed, because I want to keep up with what's going on with Toyota and their issues. Luckily, I haven't had the problem with a sticky accelerator pedal with my 2007 Camry, but I should probably knock on wood now that I've said that. The other article I read was called, "U.S. Set to Expand Role in Protecting Air Travelers" and was about how to accommodate customers who sometimes have to wait hours on the tarmac. I think that is a good idea, since I've run into this problem before, having to wait two hours on the tarmac a few years ago on a flight home from the Cayman Islands. Surprisingly, I read completely through both of the articles... I suppose the writers did a good job of keeping the readers attention.

Newspaper Log- Monday March 22nd

Today's paper only had one article that interested me! I went through all of the paper and couldn't find anything worth reading, so I went through it a second time and decided I wanted to know about the new health care bill since I've been hearing about it but didn't know exactly what happened. The front page article titled, "What the New Legislation Will Mean to Consumers' Wallets" was very informative on the new health care bill. I learned that this new legislation will give health care to everyone. and by the year 2014, it will be a requirement for everyone to have health care, or they will have to pay a fine. For the affluent, the bill isn't exactly something that they are going to like, since they will have to pay additional taxes. Personally, I'm just glad that I am covered under my parent's health care until I'm 26, so at the moment, I'm not too worried about any of this.

Newspaper Log- Thursday March 11th

Today's paper only had two articles that I was interested in reading. I passed through the first section of the newspaper fairly quickly, as there was nothing that caught my eye. The business section is where I found the fun stuff, like usual. The first article was about the store, American Eagle and how they are doing very well with money at the moment. I was interested in this article because I shop at American Eagle and was interested in the fact that in the title, it says, "American Eagle Outfitters Limits Markdowns." Hopefully it doesn't limit them too much!

The second article I read was called, "Tropicana Orange Juice Raising Prices." They had to start raising prices because of the deep freeze that ruined a lot of Florida's citrus crop. Tropicana orange juice is the only oj I buy, so once again I was a little concerned about the raising of it's prices. It seems as though the bad economy is targeting me....

Newspaper Log- Wednesday March 10th

Today's paper had nothing in the international section that interested me. The business section, however, had an article that I was immediately drawn to because of the picture. The picture was of four Barbie dolls dressed professionally. As I read the title, "'Mad Men' Dolls In a Barbie World, But The Cocktails Must Stay Behind," I realized that the Barbies were supposed to be characters from the show Mad Men. I've never seen the show, but I read the article and was amazed at the price of just one of these Mad Men Barbie dolls. One of the collection of four has a suggested retail price of $74.95. In girl form, that would be equal to about two pairs of good jeans, or maybe three or four nice shirts.

Keeping in the realm of fashion, the fashion section in today's paper wasn't all that great. I was not a fan of the furry boots and jackets the models were wearing down the runway. I don't think it is an attractive look at all. Sometimes, fashion is just too crazy for me.

Newspaper Log- Monday March 8th

Today I only found one article interesting enough for me to read! It was called "Strangers in the Net, Exchanging Glances." This article was about the new "social networking" site called ChatRoulette. I found this article interesting because I have used ChatRoulette before with my friends and it's a pretty messed up website. I think it is pretty sketchy that you can chat via webcam with a random stranger around the world. The article basically informed people who didn't know about ChatRoulette what it was and how it was used.

Pretty boring newspaper in my opinion today.

Newspaper Log- Thursday March 4th, 2010

Today's paper had a good amount of articles in the Business section that I was interested in. The first one that caught my eye was about Facebook advertising. I could very much relate to the article since it's bringing up the fact that Facebook sometimes has really weird ads. They try to target you by saying things like, "19 year olds, win this free pink mac!" There are also strange ads that you wouldn't think would be on Facebook. The article says that Facebook will soon have better and higher quality ads. Whoo Hoo. The other article I read was called, "Acceleration Incidents Cited on Repaired Toyotas." Sadly, I find this comical. Toyota is dealing with so many problems, and over one million people have gotten their accelerator pedals fixed, but apparently the problem still lingers. This doesn't look too good for my '07 Camry that I still haven't gotten fixed. Maybe I won't get it fixed though if the problem still exists. Who knows...

Newspaper Log- Wednesday March 3rd

Today's paper didn't have much good news. The three articles I read were about the Geneva Auto Show having low expectations because of the poor car industry, Hulu getting rid of comedy central shows (I am deeply saddened by this) and the iphone suing HTC because of its violation of 20 differnt Apple patents. The article that impacted me the most though was the article dealing with Hulu. I use Hulu all the time to catch up on the shows I miss, and I love comedy central. It will be sad to see those shows go, but oh well. The other two articles I didn't fully read through because I got bored towards the middle. Once again, international news didn't strike me as interesting so I just read within the Business section.

College Officials Speak On Underage College Drinking

On February 23, 2010, NHPR talked to two college officials about the ever-lasting problem of college drinking.

Ann Lawing, Dean of students at the University of New Hampshire spoke about the consequences of college drinking and how it greatly affects students academically and socially. Because of college underage drinking students have been missing classes, drinking and driving, vandalizing, and being part of assaults nationwide. Over 1,700 students die annualy from binge drinking Lawing said.

Another official who spoke about college drinking was Sheila Lambert, Coordinator of Wellness at Southern New Hampshire University. Lambert said there has been an attitude shift in underage drinking. From the Spring 2009 survey she conducted, the result was that students drink four or fewer drinks a week. "Not all students drink in high risk ways," Lambert said.

Although Lambert said there has been an attitude shift, college drinking is still a problem. Dartmouth College students have had severe over consumption of alcohol which has been a target of attention.

Sting operations were suggested to catch underage drinkers, but that was decided against since officials are afraid sting operations would discourage students from calling an ambulance if a friend needed medical attention.

Although officials are trying to handle and control the college drinking, they want to make sure their students are still enjoying their time in college.

"There has always been an emphasis and effort to work with college students and get them to have a good college experience," said Lawing.

Newspaper Log- Tuesday March 2nd

Today's paper was extraordinarily bland for me. I read the first few lines of an article about two suspects who entered the U.S. after a killing in Dubai. The title really grabbed my attention but I just wanted to know the basics, so I read the first few lines. Another article I read was called, "Medals for Ads During NBC's Winter Olympic Coverage." Again, I was bored after the first couple of paragraphs. Other than those two articles, nothing struck me as worthy enough to read. Maybe tomorrow's news will be more exciting.

Newspaper Log- Monday March 1st

My interests in today's paper were a little odd considering usually I find the most compelling articles in the Business section, but today, the International and National sections had the most for me. And by most, I mean two articles. I enjoyed reading about Canada's great pride on the front cover. I didn't know that in these Olympic games, they won the most gold medals in history. It was fun and warming reading about the spirit the Canadians had during the last big hockey game.

The other article I read was called, "In Hawaii, Calm Prevailed Despite Tsunami Warning." I was pretty surprised at how calm the people of Hawaii were when they found out about the warning. I'm sure I wouldn't be as calm as they were, but then again they know these kinds of things can happen at any time and are quickly able to prepare for them. Go Hawaii.