End of the Semester Reflection

After taking this class, it really has helped my understanding of the journalism world. I never realized there was an entire writing style for journalism (AP). It took some time for me to get used to the style but I got the hang of it. It is because of taking this class, I have a higher respect for the people who are currently working in this field. It is much harder that I thought it would be. The pressuring deadlines. The information they need to do the story. The amount of work one has to go through to make a newscast or newspaper happen. The ideas one has to come up with. The list goes on and on.

I find it amazing how before taking this class I had the hardest time coming up with ideas that were interesting to not only to me, but to others. I would research ideas for countless hours and wouldn't come up with not even one idea. Now that I've taken this class, the only reason why I found it difficult was because I was making it difficult. There are endless amounts of interesting stories out there that are waiting to be written. For example, I am doing a research paper on social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, the soon-to-be-dead MySpace) and the psychological effects it has on us. Not because of any classes, it is a personal choice. I find that to be interesting, especially with the older generation joining sites like Facebook. It is amazing how the older generation, the generation who didn't grow up using computers, are online.

Even though I have a better understanding of the field, I think at this point, I may take a "detour" in my career path. Right now, with the economy the way it is and the fact the job market isn't very good, journalism isn't the way to go. As we all know, journalism is having a very hard time surviving because of the Internet (and the recession). But I am going to continue to write, after all, it is my favorite thing to do, especially after a long day at school and work. Studies shown it is a good way to relieve stress, especially if there is no one available to you. I write in a password-protected Word document that I write in on a daily (or almost daily) basis. Sometimes more if need be.

In the mean time, I am getting set to graduate from Inver Hills Community College next week!!!!!!! Whooooooo-hooooooooo!!!! (Sorry, I'm little excited.) I'm transferring to Saint Paul College, starting in January for Web Site Design. I thought I go into a program where people are needed, especially in this economy. I am starting my own little photography website. No, not Flickr or Slide but my own individual page with my own work. I'm hoping to get that online this week. If you want the link, feel free to e-mail me (kevinmjack@gmail.com). With the pushing from my photography instructor, I entered some of my work into a photography show for college students enrolled in a photography class. Should be interesting to see how far I go.

Maybe photojournalism is in my future??? Hmmmmm. Who knows.

Defriending can bruise your 'digital ego'

Defriending can bruise your 'digital ego'
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/10/30/online.rejection.defriending/index.html

Researchers say our reaction to social rejection is the same whether it happens online or offline. There are some users how think you can avoid the awkwardness of defriending someone by sending them an e-mail to explain. "You have no facial expression online; you have no tone of voice online; it's very easy to misinterpret phrasing in an e-mail. You have to be very careful about your wording and be more explicit with people when you're making or removing connections," Sepp said. "That's why it's so important to connect with people that you actually know."

(Note: I just would like to say that I use Facebook on a regular basis I've been on both ends of being defriended. When I get defriended by someone else it doesn't affect me because chances are, it is someone I haven't talked to or seen in quite some time. I won't go through my list trying to find out who deleted me. When I defriend someone, that person finds out quickly, then I get yelled at because of it. I have my reasons for defriending someone.)

Investigators: Military to Charge Ft. Hood Suspect

Investigators: Military to Charge Ft. Hood Suspect
Source: http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1242016.shtml?cat=1

Investigators officials report Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood massacre will be charged by the U.S. military rather than a civilian court. Officials also report the shooter, Maj. Malik Hasan communicated with a radical imam overseas at least 10 to 20 times.

Halloween Costumes

Ah. Halloween. When I was a young child, I always thought Halloween was a child's "holiday." We would dress up as ghosts and gobblins, princes and princesses and the list goes on. As I got older, I thought that I was getting to old for Halloween. I was wrong.

I realized over the last few years is Halloween is starting to become more of an adult holiday. I don't see children dressed up going trick-or-treating anymore. For example, only 10 children stopped at my house for candy. Compare that to the 100 kids we had last year. Of course, I believe the H1N1 scare may have played a big role in this.

But I saw more adults (my age) wearing costumes and going to bars to have a great time. Trust me, I did the exact same thing. Only expection: I wore a piece of tin foil as my costume. Keep in mind, I only did this because Chipotle was handing out free buritos for anyone wearing a buritto costume or tin foil in shape of a buritto. I will admit that a spicy burrito and alcohol don't mix. I find it amazing what people would do for free food. But I went out dressed like I usually do. Nice shirt, jeans and a pair of really nice shoes.

I was riding Metro Transit bus route 6 on Halloween night heading from my friend's house in Dinkytown to Downtown Minneapolis and I saw a guy who was dressed exactly like a robot from a TV show. I thought it was "American Dad" but it wsan't. (I know it's an adult cartoon. Maybe someone out there knows what I'm talking about.) But what made it funny was it was so big, he couldn't fit into the seat. By the way, he was laughing about it to so, I suppose it was okay to laugh along. Great costume though. It was really the only creative one I saw the entire night.

WI Drunken Driver Reports Herself

WI Drunken Driver Reports Herself

Source: http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1228700.shtml?cat=1

A Wisconsin driver turned herself into local police after drinking and driving. The call came into the Clark County Sheriff's office on Oct. 24, which led to Mary Strey, 49, of Granton being charged with a misdemeanor. She was driving twice over the legal limit for Wisconsin.

Why I Interviewed Face to Face Instead of Technology

I had a few people comment on my blog why I had the courage, the guts, whatever you want to call it, to interview two people face to face instead of e-mail or the phone. Truthfully, even though it isn't my strongest thing in life (yet), I like public speaking and everything it has to with it. So, I thought I take a little time out of my schedule and share why I would do this.

First and for-most, I like to talk to people face to face. While sometimes it's nice to be chatting over Facebook or instant messaging or e-mail, I'm also old school and like to talk to others personally. We live in a society where technology is running our lives and face to face communication is dying. Well, I like to keep it alive. You establish more of a connection with others if you talk face to face instead of Facebook. Remember, it is more easy to misunderstand what a person is trying to communicate over technology than it is face to face. You get a better idea with face to face communication on how that person is feeling and whether or not he/she is comfortable being around you. You wouldn't want an entire relationship built around a computer screen would you? You want to meet that person.

Each semester, I take online classes at Inver Hills. Main reason: it takes an hour and a half via Metro Transit to get there. However, I take time to go to campus and meet my instructor so he/she knows I'm more than a name on a discussion board. Makes my life easier. It is harder to meet my instructors at Anoka Ramsey Community College since it takes almost three hours to travel to the Coon Rapids campus via the bus. In this situation, even I will admit that I have more important thigs to do. By the way, the days I have class on campus, I like to either talk to the driver or pull out the laptop and watch a movie. Makes the time go by quicker.

Even though I do get a little nervous when it comes to public speaking but for whatever the reason, I like the thrill of it. It brings me out of my comfort zone a little bit more. It proves to me that I'm not as shy as I think I am. It helps build character, and self-confidence. I joined a group called Toastmasters that has helped out in a big way. It also helps knowing my group members are fellow City of St. Paul, and Ramsey County employees.

Remember how it was when you go out on your first date or falling in love for the first time and you get that nervous feeling? Butterflies in your stomach? Trust me, I've been there, many times with the first date situations. Well, in a way, so is interviewing a person. Or the person being interviewed. You don't know the person and the person doesn't know you. It's important to make that first GOOD impression. While I didn't show up in a suit and tie, I did bring my A game. Some are explained in this blog.

For me, it helps if I have a plan. Knowing what the important points are and what the important facts are. Writing my questions or speech early and then reciting them in the mirror or family and friends is a big help. A little constructive criticism isn't bad after all! It can only help you. Now, it may be tough in journalism since we have to know right away but since we are college students and have some time to do this, we are able to do this with others.

Research, research, research. Honestly, how many times have you gone to a job interview without researching the company first? You need to know a little background information about the company so you can ask questions about it during the interview. Because we (or most) are new to journalism, this is where Google can come in handy with finding questions. While it may not precisely give you the questions you want, it can at least provide a basic idea and then go off that. That's what I did and helped out quite well.

There's no question fear is there. The best thing we can do, in any situation, is don't let it get the best of you. Don't let it win. Take a couple deep breaths before going in, looking and acting your best and you'll do just fine. You'll feel like you actually accomplished something!

Remember, who, what, when, where, why and how are your friends. When you really think about it, we ask those questions in everyday conversation, no matter who it is. For example, I'm graduating from Inver Hills Community College at the end of this semester and for quite sometime, I was asking myself those questions as I plan for my new school starting in Januarary. It took me a while to figure it out but it got done using those questions.

A wise man told me many, many, many, many times to "just shut up and do it". Yes, my father is quite wise, let me tell you!!!!!

I'm sure I'm missing some important points but at least I can say, "this is a start."

As for the two people I interviewed, they seemed like nice people. They really seemed to care about their students, making sure they wre taken care of, regardless of the issue at hand. I appreciated the fact they took time out of their extreamly busy schedules to let me come in and talk to them.+

On a side note, Anoka Ramsey (Coon Rapids) has a very nice campus. And a nice student union. Inver Hills has something but not as nice as flat screen TVs and video games like Anoka Ramsey has. I put on my Facebook status as I was leaving campus last Tuesday afternoon: "Spent the morning at Anoka Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids... Better campus than Inver Hills... Should have taken more classes at ARCC...."

Interview Transcript

Since I have been extremely busy with exams, and filling in for sick co-workers, I scanned by transcript. You may notice there are no questions on the transcripts. Only reason: I built up some guts and actually interviewed Ashley Weatherspoon & Melissa Schultz.

If you click on the image, it will open a larger viewing of the .jpg.

Enjoy!!!

Wayward Northwest/Delta pilots admit to using laptops in violation of company policy

Wayward Northwest/Delta pilots admit to using laptops in violation of company policySource: http://www.twincities.com/topstories/ci_13647744

In what is now called the infamous "150-mile-mishap", Northwest Airlines pilots admitted to federal investigators they were using their personal laptop and not taking a "ill-time nap." There was 144 people on the plane at the time of the incident. The flight was going to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.

Hospitals Restricting Visitors to Stop H1N1

Hospitals Restricting Visitors to Stop H1N1
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568588,00.html

Hospitals around the country are turning away children and tightening restrictions on adults in hopes of limiting the H1N1 flu. Some hospitals are trying education, instead of rules, urging people to postpone the visit if they have a sniffle or cough. In Nevada, over 2,600 people stood in line, sometimes over two hours long, to be the first in southern Nevada to get the injectible vaccine.

Here's the story from 5 Eyewitness News on the subject: http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1199065.shtml?cat=1

Top Economist Says Unemployment Could Peak at 10.5 Percent

Top Economist Says Unemployment Could Peak at 10.5 Percent
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/11/economist-says-unemployment-peak-percent/


Mark Zandi, who is a co-founder of Moody's Economy.com, warned on "Fox News Sunday" that the economy recovery could be "halting" and "fragile". New figures released last week showed unemployment rose to 9.8 percent in September, the highest since 1983. He also said unemployment will continue to rise and could peak at 10.5 percent.

Interview with Isaac Jenson

My questions are in bold

Tell me about your hobby/activities you're involved.

My favorite hobbies for me would include sports. Almost any kind of sport. My favorite to play would be basketball, then football, then third would be badminton. To watch, hockey would be my favorite. A close second would be football and then baseball after that. I am also involved in the church. Every Sunday night I volunteer and help at the Youth Group at our church, helping out the Youth Director, playing and just hanging out with all of the kids that come.

Can you tell me more about the volunteer work that you do? How long have you been doing it, what activities you do with the children, what church you do this volunteer work at, etc.

I volunteer at United Methodist Church in Princeton. A lot of the times I just sit with the kids and talk with them. I lead the small groups in the weekly conversation. I play the games with them and just be there. The Youth Director at our church is only 23 and I'm 20, so it is really nice for the junior and senior high youth to have a some people around their age, but older to talk about school, life and their spiritual life too. Its a blast.

How has this impacted your life? What is the best moment you have ever had with getting involved in the church? Who introduced and instructed you to working with the kids? Why did you get started with getting involved? What is the biggest challenge for you and the easiest? Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your hobby that

might surprise or interests us?

This has greatly helped my life in a positive way. I have grown a lot spiritually. The best moment I have had was this summer when we went to South Dakota for our Summer Service Trip. We had a blast helping people fix up their houses and playing with the kids. One day the Youth Director called me up when he got the job and asked if I wanted to help out the Youth Group. It was weird because I was trying to think of a way to get involved in the church. The hardest thing of helping is getting some kids to pay attention and get serious in those times that need to be quiet and serious. The easiest thing was to hang out and talk with the kids. I am really a laid back person so it fits my lifestyle perfect.

A Shortage of Sleep Can Cause Major Accidents

Having trouble staying awake after that first cup of coffee in the morning? A professor at the University of Minnesota Psychology Department says you might not be getting enough sleep.

Professor Diana Gant, who has been in the department for 17 years, says people should be getting nine to 10 hours of sleep, including an afternoon nap. "People on average gets about seven hours of sleep of night."

Not everyone agrees with her but wants people to think of sleep like exercise. "People exercise it's healthy. Sleep is healthy." Despite the reasons why people are not getting enough sleep, she said some of the consequences for the lack of sleep will materialize.

"Going without enough sleep is as much of a public and personal safety hazard as going to work drunk," she said. "It can make people clumsy, stupid, and unhappy."

Disasters like the shuttle Challenger, the accident at Russia's Chernobyl nuclear reactor and the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in Gant's words, were caused by a lack of sleep.

Another example Gant gives is an eight percent increase in accidents the day after the time change, and there's a corresponding decrease in accidents in the fall when people gain an extra hour of sleep.

Almost everyone in the field agrees on how to solve the problem of sleep shortage, Gant added. It can be as easy as finding a place that's dark and quiet, relax an hour before going to bed, the room temperature should be cool.

Twins win to set up second one-game playoff for AL Central title in a row

Twins win to set up second one-game playoff for AL Central title in a row
Source: http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_13486484

For the second straight season, the Minnesota Twins needed an extra game to help decide whether or not they will go to the post season. The Twins, who won Sunday 13-4 against the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers, who won 5-3 against the Chicago White Sox. Last year, the Twins lost to Chicago 1-0 in an extra game at U.S. Cellular Field. Since Monday Night Football has control over the Metrodome Monday, the Twins and the Tigers will play Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.

Should be an exciting game. Looking forward to picking up tickets somehow, someway. If you ask me, it has been an exciting few days in Minnesota sports. Twins winning and playing an extra game, Vikings taking on the Packers and the Wild's home opener.

Earliest Memories

One of my earliest memories when I was a child was hosting and attending sleepovers. I would spend almost every weekend either at someone's house or at my house. Sometimes it would be with one individual or with several others. My parents even agreed once to let a girl spend the night once. Her parents agreed to it as well. Only reason why this was allowed is my parents and her parents knew each other very well. As a matter of fact, her day and my dad worked together for the City of St. Paul and played softball together. To say the least, we were close friends (meaning my family and her family).

Another memory I can think of is the time I spent the night in the bathtub. While I have no prior memory of this, my parents kept telling me this though out my teenage years. Of course, even to this day, I keep thinking to myself: "How did I get in the bathtub to begin with?"

County Commissioners Vote Against County Sheriffs

A disagreement over equipment and personnel boiled over in a board meeting Friday between county sheriffs and several county commissioners. The sheriffs accused county commissioners of “shortchanging” them to save money.

“You’re putting the lives of the people of this county in jeopardy” said Sheriff Gus DiCesari. County commissioner president Anne Chenn disagreed. Chenn says the county doesn’t have the money hire new police officers or sheriffs. DiCesari wants to hire five new officers.

Commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Layborne, who support the sheriff’s, said in the meeting that the county should spend more money on law enforcement officers than for migrant workers who come to this county to work.

“We never had problems until we let migrant workers come to this county to work. They have been a problem with our law enforcement, schools and our healthcare system”, said Shenuski during a heated argument with Chenn.

Chenn denied that immigrants are the problem. “Those people who come here to work are decent, hardworking people who are working jobs that residents don’t want to do. They add a great deal to the economy and pay their fair share of taxes”, said Chenn.

Chenn said the county ran short of funding this year because of increased costs in for healthcare for employees and higher fuel costs. The budget for this year was $127 million.

DiCesari also needs $580,000 to purchase new eight new police cruisers, to replace eight old vehicles, each with more than 150,000 miles on them. “It is getting too costly to maintain the older vehicles. Chenn told DiCesari that the sheriff’s department would have to make do this year because the county didn’t have the additional money he was requesting.

One suggestion Chenn brought up to DiCesari is that deputies should not drive their cruisers home each day to make each vehicle more available to other officers and preserve mileage.

The commissioners voted 5-2 against the sheriff’s request for additional money for eight new cruisers and five additional deputies.

Secret Service Probing Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook

Secret Service Probing Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,556722,00.html

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a Facebook "poll" that asked the most unsocial, unspeakable question: Should President Obama be assassinated? The poll was posted on Saturday and was taken down as soon as Facebook officials were alerted of the poll. Possible answers were "no", "maybe", "yes" or "yes if he cuts my healthcare." A Facebook official told Fox News in a statement that they suspended the "third-party application" while the poll was taken down. They are cooperating with the Secret Service while the investigation goes on.

First Day at Anoka Ramsey Community College

Truthfully, I never (technically) had a first day at Anoka Ramsey Community College. I'm only taking this class and another journalism class online. I was going to take a class in the classroom but after I found it takes two and a half hours by Metro Transit (3 buses - 2 transfers), I decided against the classroom class. I have the same problem at Inver Hills but it is an hour and 45 minute trip (two buses - one transfer). Time goes by much, much quicker since I talk to the drivers on routes 68 or 71.

Anyways, since I'm not a regular student of ARCC, I'm going to talk about my first days at the University of Minnesota in 2003. I went there for technically 2 semesters (I'll tell you why technically in a bit). I thought at that time it was a very good idea. Big school meant plenty of opportunities to meet new people and take interesting classes. I was was right, except I wasn't prepared for the big classes. I was very overwhelmed by the amount of people and the workload the classes presented. I knew college was going to be stressful and it involved hard work but wow. I was in for a shock. Obviously for big classes, chances are the professor won't even know you exist, even if you talked to him/her before or after class or during office hours. I'm one of those types of people who want to get noticed, especially by the professor. Even as I take online classes here at ARCC and Inver Hills, I want to meet my professors. Let them know I'm more than a "person" who post something on a discussion board.

Outside of class was the funnest (what else is new right). I joined a group called Commuter Connection. Basically, it was a group for people who traveled to campus by car, bus, bike or walk (weather depending of course). The requirement of the group is you couldn't live on in the dorms. It was extreamly fun time. It would be the place to go before or after class. We all became friends quite quickly. Free tickets to Gopher football games, ultimate frisbee when the weather was nice, playing cards, watching movies, free pizza lunches bi-weekly, free breakfast at the beginning of the semester or during finals.

Anyways, there were many more road blocks as I continued my U of M career. During the second semester there (spring 2004), Metro Transit decided it would be fun to go out on strike for 44 days and leave all their customers to fend for themselves (the technicality I talked about at the beginning). On the very first day of the strike, I took buses that were runned by private organizations and it took me almost three hours to get there. Normally it would take me about 70 minutes to get there by Metro Transit. I ended up calling my dad that morning when I arrived on campus and he picked me up at the St. Paul campus. During the length of the strike, that is what I did: had my dad drive me to the St. Paul campus and pick me up there. By the way, the campus buses were still running since they are not operated by Metro Transit. I ended up dropping that semester and dropping out of the U of M. I determined I wasn't ready for college, especially in a big environment like that. By the way, I was a happy camper when the Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit reached an agreement on a contract.

From 2004-2007, I attended college on and off. I took a year off, then attended Inver Hills, then another semester off, then Minneapolis Community and Technical College, then Century College and back at Inver Hills, and never left again. I took a Introduction to Mass Communications course last semester at MCTC and now two journalism classes at ARCC. I get to switch schools again at the end of this current semester because I'm graduating!!!!

It turns out that smaller colleges and classrooms is what I needed. I don't feel as overwhelmed. The campus is in the middle of nowhere (in Inver Grove Heights), fewer students, classes are easier to find and professors actually know I'm alive. Was I nervious. Not really since I've already been through that "first day" experience. I went in there with high hopes.

Since I have the issue with taking public transportation, I attempt to take all my classes online. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately I got stuck taking an 8:00a.m. Introduction to Digital Photography class at Inver Hills, which means I have to wake up at 5:00a.m. and on the bus at 6:25a.m. Gross huh?

Authors Note: I probably should have named this blog "First Day at the University of Minnesota and Others." : )

Higher Education / Bonuses for top MnSCU staff knocked

Title: Higher Education / Bonuses for top MnSCU staff knocked
Source: http://www.twincities.com/ci_13362749

Leaders of the Minnesota State Colleges and University System has been paid $287,500 in bonuses in a time where staff are experiencing pay cuts and layoffs and students are experiencing skyrocketing tuition increases. The Chancellor of MNSCU, James McCormick, received the largest bonus of $32,000. Other top executives were paid a bonus between $3,000 to $15,000.

Leaders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said "people (members of AFSCME) are very appalled by this." Members took pay freezes, 60 people were let go and 550 system jobs were either left open or eliminated because of declines in funding.

The Pioneer Press published a list of who made what in bonuses. http://www.twincities.com/ci_13359505?IADID.

As for what I have to say about this: Pretty much what other students and staff say: This stinks. My fellow students at Inver Hills are not happy regarding the bonuses our president took and other presidents, along with top leaders. Funny how their pay increases while everyone else is suffering either from tuition increases or layoffs. I was talking to my dad about this and we agreed when he said "must be nice they can write their own contracts".

Serious Accident Kills Two and Injures 20 Others

Two people were killed and 20 others seriously injured in an early morning crash on Interstate 169 in Golden Valley, the Minnesota State Patrol said.

Just before 7 a.m., two tractor trailers going north on I-790 collided with each other and started a chain reaction crash. According to Golden Valley Police, a total of four tractor trailers and 14 vehicles were involved in the crash.

“One of the tractor trailers was hauling diesel fuel”, said Sgt. Albert Wei of Golden Valley Police. “We were very lucky that the tractor trailer didn’t roll over or dump any fuel”. The front end of the tractor trailers were damaged when a car hit it. The drivers of the tractor trailers weren’t hurt according to Wei.

Two people driving cars were killed in the crash while 20 others were hurt, four of them serious. They were taken to local hospitals. The four seriously injured drivers have life threatening injuries, said Golden Valley Fire Chief Tony Sullivan.

In the 18 years he’s been with the department, Sullivan said this accident looked like a war zone, with bodies laying along the road, people covered in blood, emergency workers running up and down the road helping the injured, and sirens wailing in the background as fire trucks and ambulances were arriving on the scene.

Wei said the officers on the scene were having a difficult time identifying which vehicle belong to people and trying to identify who was the driver and passengers of the vehicles involved.

Ambulances and fire trucks from Golden Valley and surrounding communities had to be summoned in to help with the accident. Those patients were taken to Hennepin County Medial Center. A helicopter also had to be called in for the most serious injuries. Those patients were taken to Memorial Hospital in north Minneapolis.

The interstate in both directions were closed throughout the remainder of the morning. Wei didn’t know when the interstate would reopen to traffic.

The names of the victims were not released.

University of Minnesota stadium's play-by-play reaches ears 2 miles away in St. Anthony Park

Title: University of Minnesota stadium's play-by-play reaches ears 2 miles away in St. Anthony Park
Source: http://www.twincities.com/ci_13331289

The Golden Gophers debuted in their new stadium last weekend. While it was an exciting time for everyone attending the game in Minneapolis, others were not. Residents of the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul reported to the Pioneer Press they could hear the game announcers 2 miles away. These people prefer to hear the sounds of "normal", meaning the sounds of the State Fair (including concerts), St. Paul Saints games at Midway Stadium and the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.

If you ask me, this is pretty ridiculous. While I understand that not everyone is a college football fan (I am!) but when you think about it, 5 or 6 games a season (maybe 2 or 3 games a month) between September and November for a few hours isn't too much to ask. These are the exact same people who have to put up with the State Fair for 12 days, Saints games for 4 months and the U of M from September to May. I really liked what Emma Quinlan Connolly said "She is growing tired of the constant complaints — from road construction to Fair noise. The latest drama about the new stadium was over the top, she said. 'For me, it was the last straw,' she said. 'Like, get over yourself. We live in the city; just deal with it.'"

Favorite Coffee Shop/Restaurants

For someone who is very rarely home, I visit restaurants and coffee shops on a daily basis. One of my favorite places to visit is the Minnehaha Cafe near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. As a resident of St. Paul, there really isn't any small restaurant businesses I visit.

The food there is very delicious and cheap. It doesn't cost you an arm and a leg like a typical bar/restaurant would. For me, it's easy to get there via the Metro Transit system from either downtown (via bus from St. Paul and light rail if I'm in Minneapolis). It's within a few miles from where I work (a direct bus ride to and from).

Leads

Leads should be clear and to the point right away. Without it, it will turn the reader right off. People want facts of the story early without having to read the entire story. I've always been a bug fan of the local briefings you see in the local section of the newspaper. Its short, it’s to the point without any other mumbo jumbo. Keep it simple and to the point. I feel that sometimes newspapers put a little too much into their leads. There are some things that could be left out.

I shouldn’t have to go back 5 times and reread the article to find out what the lead meant. It drives me nuts. I love to read the newspaper on the bus. Call me old school if you want but I love reading the paper, not a computer screen. I don’t have time to be searching for the lead of a story, especially if I’m getting off at my stop and still don’t have a clue what’s going on.

Students Covering Bigger Share of Costs of College

Students Covering Bigger Share of Costs of College by Kate Zernike Published: January 15, 2009 Website: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/us/16college.html?_r=2


I realize that I said I was going to follow the St. Paul Pioneer Press for my newspaper, but I couldn't resist posting this story (I got it from another story off the Pioneer Press).


The artice, published in the New York Times, was about how college students are paying more to educate them.



As we all know, everything is going up, including education. Notice how public schools, like the University of Minnesota, is almost as expensive as attending a private college (for example, St. Thomas and Hamline University. We've heard something called "gas gouging" since gas keeps going up for no reason. I think we should call this college price gouging. My family keeps telling me how it cost about $130 dollars a semester to attend. And that was a lot of money!


“Students are paying more, and a greater share of the costs, but are arguably getting less,” said Jane Wellman, the executive director of the Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs, Productivity and Accountability, which drafted the study. I find it interesting that we, as college students, are paying more and getting less quality, meaning that we are not getting a high quality college education as we (meaning our parent's generation) once were. I know instructors say "students get out of a class what they put into it" but even that seems to be redundant. Although the politics that instructors try to spoon feed to their students also play a roll in poor college education.

How Newspapers Could Stay Relevant Today

As we all know, newspapers are a dying trend. Newspapers are filing for bankruptcy, cutting days of production, limiting delivery and raising costs. Their biggest competition: The Internet. Almost everyone these days has access to the Internet in some way shape or form. Advertisers are going to the Internet, the biggest support one newspaper can get or any other type of business can get, especially when it comes to delivering news (and that's including broadcast journalism). As we all know, especially with bigger events, we want information right away. Newspapers can't do that. Television and the Internet can do that. Basically what I'm saying is newspapers are having a hard time staying relevant to today's main source of getting information.

3 Newsworthy Events

Newsworthy Event #1: Killing on Metro Transit bus

On this spring 2007 Saturday evening (or Sunday morning in this case), I went out with a group of friends to a Downtown Minneapolis nightclub. Knowing I was going to have a couple drinks, I was going to take the bus to and from Minneapolis. Because of the heavy traffic leaving downtown (I believe there was a Twins game that evening and normal heavy traffic in the Warehouse District), the bus I was on (route 94, an express route going from Downtown Minneapolis to Downtown St. Paul via Interstate 94) was running late, and missed my transfer in Downtown St. Paul. Luckily, there was one bus that was still there but it was a further distance to walk. I decided to take that bus instead of waiting in Downtown St. Paul for an hour.

It was a route 74 I took (a route that goes from 46th Street Station in Minneapolis to Sunray Shopping Center in St. Paul via Downtown St. Paul). My normal bus, route 63 (From McNight Road & Londin Lane to Summit Ave & Cretin Ave via Downtown St. Paul and Grand Ave) already left. When I got on, there was shouting and yelling, so I sat as close to the driver as I could get (which is normal for me). The 74 bus barely made it out of the bus stop (at Minnesota Street & 6th Street) and at 6th & Sibley Street, the bus pulls over, to pick up and drop off customers, when someone in the back went out the backdoor, and shot a teenager. When I turned on the news the next morning, it turns out the teenager died.

That was the first (and so far) the only time I witnessed something like that and I've been a faithful Metro Transit customer for over 6 years. I remember that evening, I had to be held back and was interviewed by Metro Transit police, St. Paul police and the local media. I was actually interviewed by KSTP and the interview was played on their Sunday morning show.

Newsworthy Event #2: 35W Bridge Collapse

While I wasn't personally involved in this (but I had friends who were), I still felt this was a newsworthy event to talk about. I was at work when the bridge fell down on August 1st, 2007. At first I thought it was a joke, but when I logged into the computer, there it was. Pictures of the 35W bridge in the Mississippi River. It was hard to look at. I don't live in the area but I do frequently visit the area (I have friends that live in the Dinkytown area) and as I said, I know people who were involved in this.

It was something that I couldn't turn the TV off. I remember heading to work, listening to coverage on the radio and showing up to work and immediately turning on the TV and watched more coverage. It was one of those stories that you needed more information of and quick.

While seeing the pictures of the event unfold on TV was amazing, there was nothing like actually visiting the site with your own two eyes. I thought it was a bad dream that never ended. I went there over the course of two months, snapping amazing pictures of the wreckage.

By the way, the people who I know who were involved are okay.

Newsworthy Event #2: 9/11
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I've been a life long news junkie. But I'll even admit that I didn't follow the news very closely until September 11th, 2001. I was a junior in high school when the principle got onto the intercom and announced that terrorism hit New York and Washington D.C. Every class I had for a few days turned into history class. And that's exactly what it was: History being made.

Introduction

Hi everyone!!!

My name is Kevin Jack and this is the only semester I'll be attending Anoka Ramsey Community College. I'm actually a full time student at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights. The only reason why I'm taking the class here at ARCC is because the same class that was being offered at IHCC was canceled due to low enrollment. By the way, I'll be graduating from Inver Hills this coming December, so I'm looking forward to that!!! : ) I work for and live in the City of St. Paul. I've been (almost) a life long resident and an employee for over 6 years!!!

I've been a "news junkie" for almost my entire life. It makes me feel like I know what's going on in the world and it makes me feel smarter. My favorite channels to watch is KSTP (locally) and Fox News (nationally). Although I will admit that I like to flip around to get a different opinion on the matter.

I've been a life long writer as well. I've received excellent opinions and feedback about my writings, whether it's on a blog or on paper I'm turning in to my professor. Which is why I've decided to go into the journalism field as a career. I'm planning on transferring to Metro State for that. I'm also planning on going into the Visualization Technology program at St. Paul Community and Technical College. So I still have a lot of schooling left in me!!!

Just some random things about me:
Favorite Music: Classic Rock & Roll (I'm not a big fan of music of today, which explains why I've never attended a concert in my life). By the way, I like to listen to smooth jazz before I fall asleep.
Favorite Song: Too many to decide
Favorite Time Killer Activity: Going on Facebook. Surprised? You shouldn't be.
Favorite Physical Activity: Going for a walk (with music of course)!!!
Favorite TV Show: Family Guy
Favorite Color: Green (Although I will be using different colors when I post blogs)
Favorite Hobby: I have two: Writing and photography
Siblings: One younger brother

That's it for now. Looking forward to working with you over the course of the semester!!!!!