Thursday, April 27
Weblog Post #17 - A Gastastrophe
While poking around the weblogs of my fellow classmates, I dropped in on Kristine's weblog. Her post on April 25 talked about her frustration with the recent hike in gas prices. It turns out she is so frustrated that she said: "honestly it makes me so angry I don't even want to discuss it."
I'm in the same boat, but I think I'll try to write a little about it.
When I first got my license, it cost just over $10 to fill the tank of my Buick Regal. Eight years and a Ford Taurus SHO later, it's costing me $35, and it's rising. Why is this happening? It's really tough to say.
The first violent increase occurred shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the southern part of the country in late summer of last year. I think that was when paying over $2 became a mainstay.
I was working for the Sun-Gazette at the time and I even did a story about what Gov. Ed G. Rendell was going to do to stop price gouging. If I remember correctly Rendell really liked to say the word "gouging." Anyway...
At a time when some state gas pumps couldn't even register $2 gallons, Rendell said that gas stations that price gouged would face harsh penalties. Prices did manage to go down closer to $2, but as far as I know nothing else came out of it.
****SLIGHTLY FUNNY STORY SIDEBAR****
I was part of a joint phone interview with Rendell and a few other news reporters. After giving his heroic speech about how people should conserve gasoline and that he'd stop gouging dead in its tracks, one of the reporters asked the governor why he was attending a football game in Pittsburgh and then flying to a game in Philadelphia on the same day that weekend - all while telling people to conserve gas. He did an impressive job avoiding the question, but I thought it was a funny question.
I'm in the same boat, but I think I'll try to write a little about it.
When I first got my license, it cost just over $10 to fill the tank of my Buick Regal. Eight years and a Ford Taurus SHO later, it's costing me $35, and it's rising. Why is this happening? It's really tough to say.
The first violent increase occurred shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the southern part of the country in late summer of last year. I think that was when paying over $2 became a mainstay.
I was working for the Sun-Gazette at the time and I even did a story about what Gov. Ed G. Rendell was going to do to stop price gouging. If I remember correctly Rendell really liked to say the word "gouging." Anyway...
At a time when some state gas pumps couldn't even register $2 gallons, Rendell said that gas stations that price gouged would face harsh penalties. Prices did manage to go down closer to $2, but as far as I know nothing else came out of it.
****SLIGHTLY FUNNY STORY SIDEBAR****
I was part of a joint phone interview with Rendell and a few other news reporters. After giving his heroic speech about how people should conserve gasoline and that he'd stop gouging dead in its tracks, one of the reporters asked the governor why he was attending a football game in Pittsburgh and then flying to a game in Philadelphia on the same day that weekend - all while telling people to conserve gas. He did an impressive job avoiding the question, but I thought it was a funny question.
*****
President Bush is doing a similar thing these days. Bush orders gasoline price probe
In short, Dubya's gotta do what he's gotta do. With people groaning at the pumps and his approval ratings hitting record lows, this "probe" is necessary action for him.
I am by no means a political science major, but when you are dealing with multi-billion dollar companies and one of our country's most important imports, shouldn't you have a better idea of what's going on?
Gasoline was $1.19 less than a decade ago. Shouldn't Dubya, or someone in the White House, have some idea if $3 gallons are too much? It seems to me that if there is a need for them to be suspicious, than something rotten is going on.
I was never into the "we're at war because of oil" line, but since Dubya and Dicky C have their very apparent oil ties, why should be beleive them when they say they're are going to hunt down these price gougers? Wouldn't that be screwing their friends? They are going to need jobs in two years, they aren't going to want to do that.
Considering that companies like Exxon-Mobil are making $31 billion profits, the, "well, gas prices are high right now and that's why you want to make sure there's not (market manipulation)" line isn't enough for me. That sounds like, "people are making a stink about it and we've got nothing better to do."
Now there is talk about giving a $100 rebate to tax payers to help. (Can I get a laughing smiley?) 
I am a graduate student, I walk to class, I have a job that's less than a half a mile away, I drive to the super market once every two weeks, I drive to State College once a month and I drive home on the holidays. Compared to the average American, I don't drive much.
So, $100 fills up my tank two and a half times. Not bad, that can last me about a month, maybe a little more. You give $100 to the average American SUV-driving commuter and that $100 is spent in less than a day. I'm sure the average driver, like myself, would never turn down $100, but it isn't going to solve any problems. 
So the lesson here is: we are too dependent on oil. Everybody knows that and I'd like to think of a solution, but I can't. We just need more from our politicians. One hundred dollars is not going to keep us happy for very long. The job of "solution finder" is in their hands because they should know when the American people are getting screwed.
Thursday, April 20
Weblog Post #16 - The Rene Portland Debacle
After nearly six months, Penn State University has finally announced the findings of its investigation against women's basketball coach Rene Portland. University finds Portland in violation of discrimination policy
Judging by Collegian articles from the past several weeks, the climate on the Penn State campus is quite heated. Catch-an-Immigrant Days, Sweat Shops and the foolish Peachy Paterno "issue" are just some of the most recent protests and topics hounding the school.
This week it's Portland and in today's blog I am going to try and explain why the actions committed by the University were useless.
First of all, Portland's punishment will be a $10,000 fine in lieu of a one-game suspension. There was also talk about enrolling Portland in some kind of discrimination education class.
I see two possible underlying statements from this result:
"We think Rene is innocent and we are doing this to keep her and shut people up."
or
"We don't really care and we are doing this to keep Rene and shut people up.
Will it shut people up? Heck no! These people never shut up.
If the allegations are true, I would agree that the punishment is ridiculous. Ten grand and some classes aren''t going to do anything to a 50-year-old woman who doesn't think she did anything wrong. The only cost is humiliation.
The biggest mistake is not releasing any sort of findings or results to the public. This just further separates the supporters from the doubters. Personally, I think Harris is full of it. I went to a lot of women's games when she was on the team and she was visibly a hot head. It was apparent at times that she was not a team player and she rarely hid her displeasure with the calls from officials or the coaching staff.
So regardless of the accusations, when Portland says Harris was a disturbance to the team, I believe it.
There are also a lot of odd holes in the case that I haven't read anything about. Jen Harris was dismissed from the team with two other players. What are their stories? Are they lesbians? What's the deal with that? Harris isn't alone in this, but people continue to think she is.
The only thing I keep reading is that Portland thought Harris should dress more feminine. (Well gosh, that must mean she's a lesbian, right?) If every men's basketball coach had to go through this lawsuit bologna for telling his players to dress more "manly," there'd be a good number of silly lawsuits. I am sure many coaches have told their players to not dress like "thugs", "pansies" or messy.
I need more. I need to hear what the other two players have to say. I think Harris is looking for easy cash and some attention. But if I am wrong and there is some proof (the key word is proof) that Portland clearly discriminated, then her punishment needs to be more harsh.
So overall, a meaningless punishment, an unclear conclusion and further confusing messages to the public have not been very helpful to the public who might be paying for Harris's crazy lawsuit when all is said and done.
Judging by Collegian articles from the past several weeks, the climate on the Penn State campus is quite heated. Catch-an-Immigrant Days, Sweat Shops and the foolish Peachy Paterno "issue" are just some of the most recent protests and topics hounding the school.
This week it's Portland and in today's blog I am going to try and explain why the actions committed by the University were useless.
First of all, Portland's punishment will be a $10,000 fine in lieu of a one-game suspension. There was also talk about enrolling Portland in some kind of discrimination education class.
I see two possible underlying statements from this result:
"We think Rene is innocent and we are doing this to keep her and shut people up."
or
"We don't really care and we are doing this to keep Rene and shut people up.
Will it shut people up? Heck no! These people never shut up.
If the allegations are true, I would agree that the punishment is ridiculous. Ten grand and some classes aren''t going to do anything to a 50-year-old woman who doesn't think she did anything wrong. The only cost is humiliation.
The biggest mistake is not releasing any sort of findings or results to the public. This just further separates the supporters from the doubters. Personally, I think Harris is full of it. I went to a lot of women's games when she was on the team and she was visibly a hot head. It was apparent at times that she was not a team player and she rarely hid her displeasure with the calls from officials or the coaching staff.
So regardless of the accusations, when Portland says Harris was a disturbance to the team, I believe it.
There are also a lot of odd holes in the case that I haven't read anything about. Jen Harris was dismissed from the team with two other players. What are their stories? Are they lesbians? What's the deal with that? Harris isn't alone in this, but people continue to think she is.
The only thing I keep reading is that Portland thought Harris should dress more feminine. (Well gosh, that must mean she's a lesbian, right?) If every men's basketball coach had to go through this lawsuit bologna for telling his players to dress more "manly," there'd be a good number of silly lawsuits. I am sure many coaches have told their players to not dress like "thugs", "pansies" or messy.
I need more. I need to hear what the other two players have to say. I think Harris is looking for easy cash and some attention. But if I am wrong and there is some proof (the key word is proof) that Portland clearly discriminated, then her punishment needs to be more harsh.
So overall, a meaningless punishment, an unclear conclusion and further confusing messages to the public have not been very helpful to the public who might be paying for Harris's crazy lawsuit when all is said and done.
Monday, April 10
Weblog Post #15 - Net news 'on the road' to your home
"On the Road" is an interesting article about a reporter named Jim Axelford who, during the time when Hurricane Katrina and its devastation were garnering the most air time on news shows, traveled cross-country to see how rising gas prices were affecting Americans.
The article doesn't touch on what he found on his NY-to-San Francisco trip, but rather its main topic is about how he did it.
Axelford, who claims he has trouble programming his VCR, and his Dodge Caravan, were a moving newsroom. Equipped with wireless Internet access, a digital video camera, a cell phone and text-messaging technologies, Axelford was able to post text and video blogs, contact local and national radio stations and file reports for the CBS Evening News.
"WOW!"
That is pretty amazing. Axelford said he is able to receive feedback to his blog posts, which give him future story ideas and he rightfully calls this brand of reporting a "conversation, not a soliloquy."
Imagine the possibilities...
I have always been skeptical of how people treat and receive Internet news and as a journalist, I can see this "mainlining journalism" going both ways.
The Good
If you are a writer, the idea of posting half-baked story ideas and letting others shape them for you before it goes to print is a dream. You get just about all the credit and in the end, you probably get a better story and isn't a better story what it's all about?
Axelrod mentions how nice it is to not worry about filing reports with time and space limits. This is a huge benefit of Internet news. As a reporter, one of the most aggravating things is when an editor cuts out part of your story for space reasons.
In the end, having this type of technology will always be beneficial to journalism. The possibilities appear to be endless when it comes to up-to-date, on the scene reporting.
Even though these new toys can greatly help how in depth our news is, there might be some bad side-effects.
The Bad
How many reporters are going to want to do this? This is driving around in a Dodge Caravan, it's not quite reporting live in Iraq. Of course, the stories will be different but for these technologies to be put to good use, a huge commitment from the reporter has to be made.
As stated above, reporters can post story ideas for readers to polish and shape. This could lead to lazy reporting and unsharpened brain storming. You can't always rely on the public to chime in correctly, if at all, on everything.
More Good
I think this is a great example of how important it is to include some sort of Internet journalism in college curriculums. I remember when I was hired as a news reporter, the editors were glad I knew how to use e-mail...Imagine if I knew how to use a digital video camera.
The article doesn't touch on what he found on his NY-to-San Francisco trip, but rather its main topic is about how he did it.
Axelford, who claims he has trouble programming his VCR, and his Dodge Caravan, were a moving newsroom. Equipped with wireless Internet access, a digital video camera, a cell phone and text-messaging technologies, Axelford was able to post text and video blogs, contact local and national radio stations and file reports for the CBS Evening News.
"WOW!"
That is pretty amazing. Axelford said he is able to receive feedback to his blog posts, which give him future story ideas and he rightfully calls this brand of reporting a "conversation, not a soliloquy."
Imagine the possibilities...
I have always been skeptical of how people treat and receive Internet news and as a journalist, I can see this "mainlining journalism" going both ways.
The Good
If you are a writer, the idea of posting half-baked story ideas and letting others shape them for you before it goes to print is a dream. You get just about all the credit and in the end, you probably get a better story and isn't a better story what it's all about?
Axelrod mentions how nice it is to not worry about filing reports with time and space limits. This is a huge benefit of Internet news. As a reporter, one of the most aggravating things is when an editor cuts out part of your story for space reasons.
In the end, having this type of technology will always be beneficial to journalism. The possibilities appear to be endless when it comes to up-to-date, on the scene reporting.
Even though these new toys can greatly help how in depth our news is, there might be some bad side-effects.
The Bad
How many reporters are going to want to do this? This is driving around in a Dodge Caravan, it's not quite reporting live in Iraq. Of course, the stories will be different but for these technologies to be put to good use, a huge commitment from the reporter has to be made.
As stated above, reporters can post story ideas for readers to polish and shape. This could lead to lazy reporting and unsharpened brain storming. You can't always rely on the public to chime in correctly, if at all, on everything.
More Good
I think this is a great example of how important it is to include some sort of Internet journalism in college curriculums. I remember when I was hired as a news reporter, the editors were glad I knew how to use e-mail...Imagine if I knew how to use a digital video camera.
Saturday, April 8
Weblog Post #14 - Team spirit had a chance...I remember it.
And now choosing to be introduced as a team, The New England Patriots...
Remember that?
It wasn't too long ago (around five years) when the Patriots, as a team, came charging out of the tunnel at the 2001 Super Bowl.
Up until then, each player was introduced to their own fireworks display, music montage and of course a ridiculous dance that every 300-pound man should avoid.
But finally, and I don't know whose idea it was, a team got it right. They showed the millions watching what sports is really all about, especially team sports. Unfortunately, it didn't stick. The Florida Panthers tried it the following year and people called them impostors and copy-cats. Can a team not copy a good idea?
It's really too bad because since that shining day of team spirit, sports overall has taken a nose-dive into the toilet. This NFL season saw league officials make new rules banning end-zone celebrations - the same celebrations that take up at least 15 minutes of Sports Center time every week and the same immature celebrations that are the pinnacle of self-centered showboating.
I am not going to say they're not funny or entertaining, but in the grand scheme of things I would be embarrassed to see my teammate making a fool of himself after scoring six points. I'd tell him "Win a Super Bowl, win two, celebrate with me on the sideline and geez we're 3-14, stop making a fool of yourself and our team."
There is no "I" in team, right? For being "professionals," not too many sports players get it and the epidemic stretches way out of the NFL.
In the NBA, Kobe Bryant is averaging around 35 points a game. He scored 51 last night in a loss to the Suns and he scored 81 earlier in the season.
"WOW!" right? He's averaging more than Michael Jordan, the Lakers must be in first place. NOPE! They are barely squeaking into the playoffs this year and they will most surely lose in the first round. One player cannot win you a championship.
When the Lakers won their three championships, the team as a whole was crazy good. Shaq, Kobe, Glen Rice, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher etc..etc... They played as a team and made results. Then in a move of pure selfishness, the team combusted. They would be "seven-peating" this year if they had done things the right way.
It seems that if they had taken the advice they most likley heard from their junior-high basketball coaches, they'd be making history. History that means something, like winning seven titles in a row.
Instead, teams that play together are racking up the rings. The Spurs and Pistons got it right and they will continue to get it right. The Patriots got it right and won three Super Bowls in the last five years.
In baseball, all these idiots juicing on steroids haven't won any championships. Mark McGuire won some in the 80s, with juice maniac Jose Canseco, but the whole Oakland team was loaded with talent to begin with.
So what happened? Did we forget about the Patriots? I believe it was that team spirit that won them that Super Bowl. The same goes for the Spurs and Pistons who will probably be in the finals again this year.
These "stars" need to peel the Benjamins from over their eyes and do their jobs. They need to do what it takes to win.
Because if a player on your favorite football team is more worried about their end-zone celebration then winning games, you're in trouble and you deserve more.
Monday, April 3
Weblog Post #13 - The E-Newsletter Review
I have been a satisfied subscriber of the "Home Plate Tribune" for two years now. The e-newsletter gives scores, updates and news to the fans of the Somerset Patriots. The Patriots are a minor league baseball team in the independent Atlantic League. The Patriots are three time Atlantic League Champions (01,03,05).
I am going to use the e-newsletter that announced the 2005 Championship as an example in my review. It can be viewed here.
Some people may find it annoying to get a newsletter in their inbox every morning in the summer updating them about the previous night's game but I think it does a terrific job in keeping its subscribers abreast of the team's success without being overbearing.
The graphics in the newsletter are simple. There is no overboard animation or huge graphics sprawled throughout the document causing slow downloading to your inbox. Instead there is a simple heading that includes the team's Web site., a picture of their home stadium (Commerce Bank Ball Park) and an action photo of team captain Emiliano Escandon.
Underneath the masthead are links that direct you to a page where you can buy game tickets and team merchandise. I think it would be better if these links were put along the side of the page and not in between the masthead and the story of the newsletter. It's important for those links/advertisements to be included, but the fact that it interrupts the path to the story is slightly annoying.
In journalism and writing, you hear a lot about the "busy reader" - the guy or gal you are writing for that doesn't have all the time in the world to read every story...So as a writer you work for that reader's attention. As a busy e-mail reader, I find the quick and "to-the-point" style of these newsletters helpful. Highlights and final scores are in the lead or near the top and further action and stats are spread throughout the story.
As a busy reader, I am not going to be able to take 5-10 minutes out of every morning to read every detail. Instead, I can open the link and see that the game went into extra innings, Ryan Radmanovich had a 2-run homer in the 13th inning and the Patriots won. If I am interested and have extra time, I can keep reading and read about the rain delays, the batting averages and the post-game entertainment. This is a constant that I really like about this newsletter.
Other important information that the e-newsletter provides is contact information at the bottom of the page. There is also an option to unsubscribe from the e-newsletter (which can't be seen on the page I linked above). Other neat options are being able to see the newsletter in your choice of HTML or text formats.
If I was getting a monthly newsletter maybe I'd want a more elaborate e-mail, but in the case of getting an e-mail for every game (and some about the team in the offseason), simpler is better.
I am going to use the e-newsletter that announced the 2005 Championship as an example in my review. It can be viewed here.
Some people may find it annoying to get a newsletter in their inbox every morning in the summer updating them about the previous night's game but I think it does a terrific job in keeping its subscribers abreast of the team's success without being overbearing.
The graphics in the newsletter are simple. There is no overboard animation or huge graphics sprawled throughout the document causing slow downloading to your inbox. Instead there is a simple heading that includes the team's Web site., a picture of their home stadium (Commerce Bank Ball Park) and an action photo of team captain Emiliano Escandon.
Underneath the masthead are links that direct you to a page where you can buy game tickets and team merchandise. I think it would be better if these links were put along the side of the page and not in between the masthead and the story of the newsletter. It's important for those links/advertisements to be included, but the fact that it interrupts the path to the story is slightly annoying.
In journalism and writing, you hear a lot about the "busy reader" - the guy or gal you are writing for that doesn't have all the time in the world to read every story...So as a writer you work for that reader's attention. As a busy e-mail reader, I find the quick and "to-the-point" style of these newsletters helpful. Highlights and final scores are in the lead or near the top and further action and stats are spread throughout the story.
As a busy reader, I am not going to be able to take 5-10 minutes out of every morning to read every detail. Instead, I can open the link and see that the game went into extra innings, Ryan Radmanovich had a 2-run homer in the 13th inning and the Patriots won. If I am interested and have extra time, I can keep reading and read about the rain delays, the batting averages and the post-game entertainment. This is a constant that I really like about this newsletter.
Other important information that the e-newsletter provides is contact information at the bottom of the page. There is also an option to unsubscribe from the e-newsletter (which can't be seen on the page I linked above). Other neat options are being able to see the newsletter in your choice of HTML or text formats.
If I was getting a monthly newsletter maybe I'd want a more elaborate e-mail, but in the case of getting an e-mail for every game (and some about the team in the offseason), simpler is better.
