The big celebrity news of the day is the announcement of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s engagement to be married. An article in USA Today discusses that the pair has six children together and have been in the domestic partnership for years. Brad is quoted saying that the kids were pressuring the two to marry, and he knew it was going to happen eventually.

With all of this news it seems some forgot a proposition the couple once gave to the world. They declared that they would not come together in holy matrimony until any and everyone could marry. This was a focus on gay rights, and was an inspiration to many. Why the change of heart? Is the LGBT community hurt by the change? Those individuals continue to be suppressed the right to openly love and marry the person of their choice. One Day they will be granted an equal opportunity.

Mississippi Town

This article caught my attention not only because I am fascinated by storms, but also because it focused on an area other than Alabama, which is where I feel most stories have focused. I like the was this piece was written because there were so many personal accounts and quotes included.

I know most everyone’s heart goes out to all of those who got the worst of the weather, but the personal stories make you really see the pain and suffering that these people are now enduring. Hearing that the tornado literally sucked the air out of people’s lungs blows my mind. It’s horrifying.

I believe that the author, Rick Jervis, did an excellent job at shining light on the terrible storms that have taken place durning the past week. There has been so much attention on other things such as the NFL draft and the Royal Wedding that people lost sight of what was really important. These people are in desperate need of help, and article like this is going to let the rest of us know what is needed.

A boy’s view of heaven…

I chose the article A boy’s view of ‘Heaven’: Is it real? because of it being Easter weekend. The holiday made this article timely. This article tells the story of a young boy who told his family that he visited Heaven while undergoing surgery for a burst pancreas. It was a very serious surgery and the doctors said that his chances for surviving were not too high. The story goes on to talk about the boys accounts of what happened. He claims to have met and even sat on Jesus’ lap, along with seeing a grandfather, and an older sister that he never got to meet.

I liked this article because it really makes you think. So many people claim to believe in God, or somewhere that you go after death, but there are so many questions. This little boy claimed to know and see things that are unexplainable, unless where he went was the real thing. I think the author of this piece did a good job at showing the innocence of the boy from the very beginning when including the part about him ordering an oreo desert and scarfing it down as quickly as possible.

Craig Wilson is a columnist for USA Today, and has been for over 20 years. He is from New York.

Just as this article made me think, I believe it will do the same to others who take the time to read it. It may not be hard news, or the most exciting story, but it definitely has an impact. At least, it did with me. I wouldn’t have changed anything or done anything differently if this article would have been written by me.

Applebee’s and Olive Garden serve alcohol to children…

This article is about two reports that were made regarding Applebee’s and Olive Garden serving alcoholic beverages to young children. An Applebee’s in Michigan filled a 15-month-old’s sippy cup with margarita mix and alcohol, and an Olive Garden in Florida served alcoholic sangria instead of orange juice. These are two very successful restaurants giving media a great story to cover. It’s appealing to many because it has babies, alcohol, and common food places involved. Restaurant and public relation consultants say that they are going to retrain the staff of these places and take other precautions when it comes to the serving of any alcoholic beverage.

I liked this story because it exposes a serious problem that occurred in more than one location. There is no excuse for an alcoholic beverage to end up in a sippy cup. Clearly that is a questionable action that needs to be investigated further. Something like that doesn’t “accidently” happen. I also think that the author did a very good job at keeping any sort of opinion or personal emotion out of the story. With something so inappropriate that took place, I think it is important to just lay out the facts. It’s clear that this is a serious ordeal, so the emotion doesn’t need to be added.

I think this article is going to have people form strong opinions against these restaurants and the people that they are hiring. I’m sure after a lot of people read this article these two dining facilities are going to get some not so nice letters sent to them. Most people are going to take this very seriously. Especially since the two children who were effected were of a very young age.

Bruce Horovitz wrote this piece. He is a USA Today money reporter who normally writes about new production, food and restaurant business and advertising. He is also a reporter on Super Bowl and Olympic marketing trends. He is 58 years old and is from Virginia.

If I would have written this article I think I would have tried to get reactions from people instead of just the PR peoples quotes. This would have been a good way to show emotion and add a little more to the story besides hard facts. It’s pretty clear that most anyone is going to be appalled that an event like this took place, especially since it occurred more than once and in different states.  A story like this does not have to have emotion because it is more hard news that anything else, but I think it would add a little substance.

Library Tours

I chose the article 10 great places to take a library tour because it has to do with traveling and seeing new things. This is one of the aspects of journalism that catches my interest the most. I love going new places and seeing things that cannot compare to what I have in my little home town.

This article gives a short explanation of what makes each of the ten libraries unique and then has links to photographs, and the libraries website. Not that the idea of touring libraries sounds like the most exciting thing to do with your time, but the libraries that made the list are more than impressive, and nothing close to what may be considered traditional.

This story is inspiring because of the idea of traveling around and finding the best of the best. I love traveling and getting to meet new people along the way. This is why I also believe readers would be interested. I think everyone likes traveling, or at least seeing new things, even if it’s just pictures.

This article was written by Larry Bleiberg with help from Rebecca Miller. Larry is a journalist with experience in magazine, newspaper, and web. He was once senior editor of Time Inc.’s Costal Living, and has written books as well. Rebecca Miller is executive editor of features for Library Journal.

If I had written this story I think it would have been cool to mention libraries from outside the United States. Having more photographs on the main article page instead of having to click on different links would have also made it more appealing to readers. The pictures that are included are excellent though.

I would like to see more articles like this. I love anything that involves traveling, and who would have thought that there would be so many cool libraries in the United States.

What I Learned at School

In What I Learned at School the author talks about a specific case in which a teacher helped her most in life. The article starts off mentioning the large budget cuts that have been affecting schools and their teachers recently. She then goes on to talk about how as a columnist she regularly receives reader feedback, but recently received something she was not expecting. It was a letter from the teacher who had an enormous impact on her life. After sharing what the letter said the article then cuts back to when the author was in this teachers class, and the large roll this specific teacher had on her life.

When I was first going through articles to find one that inspires me I was having trouble. As a future journalist I’m not really interested in things that are considered to be hard news. I want to write more feature-y human-interest types of articles. My major is magazine journalism, and I want to write about people that are different, or people that are making a difference. People that are considered “average joes” but yet are making the world a better place. Writing about the economy, or the biggest celebrity scandal is not what I want to be writing about for the rest of my life.

That is what led me to this article. I know it is an article that is largely opinionated, and that made me nervous in choosing this one to write about. …Especially since it is our first one. The reason I was drawn to it is because of how personal it is, and how it draws attention to the current issue of budget cuts that are affecting teachers everywhere. I think this article is also easy to relate to. I feel that everyone has one experience in school where a teacher did something causing a large impact on their life, maybe just during the moment, or maybe for a lifetime.

I don’t know if this story would have much of an effect on those who read it. Though I think it is an easy piece of writing to relate to, it is not about a significant or world news type of topic. For those of the readers who do read this article and connect with it I think it gives a sentimental type of feeling.

The author of this article is Marie Myung-Ok Lee. She is a Korean American writer who has written three young adult novels and has had her essays appear in Newsweek, the New York Times, and other newspapers.  She is a graduate from Brown University, where she now teaches creative writing.

If I were the author of this story I think I would have kept it just as she did.  Since it is about her personal experience it is hard for me to imagine writing it instead. The only think I might have done more of was connecting it to the real world issue of budget cuts a little more. This would have made it a little more powerful in affecting peoples views on the issue.

I like stories like this because it lets you see into someone else’s life for a few minutes. I like when you feel like you relate to someone just by reading something that they wrote.  I also enjoyed this story because It shows that the author’s work was being admired by someone she hadn’t had contact with for a long time. I hope that once I’m established in a career I could write something and get feedback like that. It would definitely mean a lot.

 

Students get active in anticipation of spring.

Ball State student, Zach Harrison, created a new activity for students to participate in while waiting the arrival of spring. The Nearly Naked Mile is a weekly run around campus in which participants are supposed to wear as little clothing as they feel comfortable with. The point of the run is to not only have fun, but to also promote healthy habits around campus and in Muncie, Indiana.

• Runners meet near the bell tower at noon and the run starts at 12:10 pm. Participants will run approximately a mile around campus. There is not an exact route that will be taken every run.
• Event will take place every Friday until the first day of spring.
• Beginner level runners are more than welcome to join.

There are five rules to the Nearly Naked Mile:

• 1.) Tell Everyone
• 2.) Tell Everyone
• 3.) Be nearly as naked as you can
• 4.) Respect everyone around you
• 5.) Only run as fast as the slowest person

More information can be found on the event’s Facebook page.