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My 320 Final Project

My project is focused on the Craft Center.
I was planning to do an elevator story but the video came out so bad that I had to change the topic last minute with a permission from Adam.
I had a video footage from my other journalism class but I decided to have a different focus, which is on the Craft Center.

First of all, my video covers how students enjoyed the Street Fair at the SSK Festival with couple interviews. I included my voice over to explain the video better.(Street Fair was sponsored by the center)

And my photoslides include some pictures of the Craft Center. Also some from the Street Fair.

My main bar is on the Craft Center based on the interviews with the director and the graduate assistant. (How the center works. What kind of difficulties they face. How many students at the center so on and on)

The last but not least, my side bar story is on how art/crafts can help you maintain mental health and little bit on art therapy!!

I also tried to put some links to enhance the interactivity among readers/viewers through out my posts/entries.



Good luck on your finals and have a good summer!! :)

Roosevelt Redevelopment

For the last year or so there has been a considerable amount of redevelopment in Roosevelt quad. Directly adjacent to circle road, or better known as the outer loop to campus residents, is a hindrance called construction. A new dormitory is being built the spot where the old Roosevelt Cafeteria once stood. Due to constant construction, surrounding buildings often have no hot water and students’ living environments are constantly being disrupted. I plan to report on the status of this redevelopment project and the problems it has caused for the residents of the surrounding dormitories. I think some good sources might be campus housing officials, construction workers, building managers, Roosevelt quad director and students. I plan to answer questions such as: What is being done to speed up the construction, how are students being comforted for living in such harmful and annoying conditions, are there plans to make more space for parking, etc. I think my findings will deliver some type of argument from both sides of the spectrum, both university and students. My side bar will most likely be a profile or human-interest story on someone greatly affected by the ongoing, never-ending construction

Stony Brook recycling

Over the past year there has been a large push forward by Stony Brook to increase awareness about recycling.

My story will focus on Stony Brook recycling efforts. I will be covering Recycle mania and Earth stock.

The story will also focus on Stony Brooks efforts in the past. My sources include but are not limited to Mike Youdelman plan the manager of Stony Brook's recycling department. Enthusiast on campus and event coordinators. Not all students are satisfied with Stony Brook's efforts and say the university could be doing much more.

Campus Safety

In the past three years, Stony Brook University has seen an increase in burglaries/thefts and weapon crimes on campus, according to the Stony Brook University police website. The number of stolen laptops, textbooks and other valuable personal belongings have increased. There have also been more instances where disciplinary referrals were issued to armed persons on campus. Although the alleged gunman incident on campus this past February was concluded to be an inaccurate report, it exposed the troubling problems. Some students I have spoken to believe that the police on campus did not control the situation properly and did not make them feel any safer on campus. Other’s were worried that professors were not prepared and were unaware of what procedures to follow in the event that there was an actual threat on campus. As a result of the increasing number of crimes, the university is planning new ways to crack down on these growing trends. I will talk about new plans, hirings, meetings and crime prevention systems. I will interview the following people for this assignment:

1. Doug Little, the Asst. Chief of the University Police
   
2. Robert J. Lenahan, the Director of Campus Emergency Management (hired Jan.10th of this year)
   
3. Neil Sluiter, Captain Training & Special Events Coordinator.

I will also interview students, professors and others, who make up the 40,000 people, who frequent the campus daily and get their reactions to new changes and proposed future changes to ensure campus safety for every individual and his or her own property.

Starbucks on Campus

My final project is going to be about the Starbucks that just recently opened on campus. I will focus on the popularity of the new name brand coffee shop and compare it to other coffee houses on campus. I see if Starbucks has any effect on the business of the others.

I want to also incorporate why students choose Starbucks over other coffee brands on campus, such as Seattle's Best. From what I see, students are overwhelmingly choosing Starbucks over Seattle's Best. Perhaps it is the fact that Starbucks is a well-known brand or simply more people prefer the taste of Starbucks over others.

The people I will interview will be students who purchase Starbucks and other coffee brands and staff members at Starbucks and other coffee houses around campus.

Campus buses

For my news package, I am planning on detailing the new upgrades to the campus buses. There are over nine buses that run daily on campus from as early as 5:30 a.m. to as late as 11:45 p.m. There are ten routes throughout campus, including the outer loop, inner loop, hospital and express routes. The buses currently run on Biodiesel. “Biodiesel is a domestic, renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from natural oils like soybean oil,” according to biodiesel.org. The university is planning on improving the air emissions even more in the next few years and I plan on finding out exactly what they will be doing. I will be interviewing James O’Connor, Director of transportation and parking services, the Stony Brook chapter of NYPIRG, Michelle Pizer, the President of the Environmental Club, and Daniel Knopf, a professor in the atmospheric sciences department specializing in atmospheric chemistry, microphysics and chemistry of atmospheric aerosols, heterogeneous atmospheric chemistry and kinetics.

Roth Regatta

Every year at Stony Brook, there is a boating event at Roth Quad pond. It is the Roth Regatta. Organizations/clubs on campus, residence halls, sometimes even academic colleges, team up and build a boat for the regatta and sail it on the pond.

From the past regattas I've been to, the scene is always vibrant. All kinds of people show up, and some boats are extremely creative.

I want to cover this event. I figure it'll make a good video component and a colorful narrative piece. I can talk to an organization/club about how they're constructing their boat and write something colorful about that.

Did I mention that the boats can only be made out of cardboard and duct tape?

The story would detail how many boats are going to be competing this year, how many people are expected to attend. I'd like to go into the history of the Regatta and answer questions like: How long has this been tradition? Who started it? Why?

So you should let me report this. Cardboard and duct tape always make a good story!

College Students & Caffeine

My project is about college students and caffeine or any stimulants.The stimulant Adderall, which is used primarily to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, is taken by students who use it to stay up for all nighters and crame for tests. Other stimulants i want to use for my project are energy drinks like- red bull, rockstar and explore the amount of caffeine in starbucks coffees that students drink several times a day. Since the Starbucks is on campus, there will be plenty of people to interview and shots of Broll. The SAC also sells energy drinks and there will be students i can talk to there also. I really want to find out all the effects that caffeine does on the body and its reprocussions- same with students taking the prescription drug adderall. I'd like to set up interviews with doctors, students, maybe a social worker on campus who deals with issues on drug abuse (about students abusing adderall). It's goint to take alot of work, but i'm excited about the topic!

Let's Get Ready To Rumble!!

Wednesdays Democratic debate between Sen., Barrack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia started out friendly, but quickly grew into a 12 round bout going to a decision. But who won?

Obama was questioned about his pasture and about his loyalty to the United States, while Clinton was questioned about her credibility after she misspoke about her trip to Bosnia.

Clinton was asked about the polls done by ABC, which the moderator told her that, “about six in 10 voters that we talked to say they don’t believe that you’re honest and trustworthy.”

This was the opportunity for Clinton to put this question to bed with a strong and truthful answer, but it seemed as if she danced around the question and bit her tongue to avoid putting herself in a bad situation. She apologized for it and said that it was a mistake, but did not really say why she said what she said. Obama was asked about what he thought about the incident, but rather than attack Clinton, he decided to take the high road. It seemed that he knew that it would soon be his turn on the hot seat and hoped that by having mercy on Clinton, she might return the favor. He was wrong . . .

When asked by a voter about his decision to remove an American flag pin during his campaign. Obama responded:

“This is the kind of manufactured issue that our politics has become obsessed with and, once again distracts us from what should be my job when I’m commander and chief, which is going to be figuring out how we get our troops out of Iraq and how we actually make our economy better for the American people.”

The bell sounded and Clinton wound up for a jab, pointing out Obama’s continued friendship with William Ayers, a professor who was part of the group known as “Weather Underground,” which attacked the Pentagon and other government buildings in the 1970’s and spoke out against the U.S. after the attacks on 9/11.

Obama ducked, evading the attack and countered with an uppercut, replying,

“I don’t think she would make it, since President [Bill] Clinton pardoned or commuted the sentences of two members of the Weather Underground, which I think is a slightly more significant act than me.”

Down Goes Clinton!

Clinton picked herself up, as the moderator reached an “eight count.”

The attacks were held to a minimum for the remainder of the debate as the candidates voiced there policies on topics such as, Iraq, NATO, Social Security taxes, the right to bear arms and gas prices. The democratic candidates even shared a laugh after hearing Republican candidate, John McCain mispronounce “audacity.” (Watch from 7:50-8:17 in the video below.)


Oh no, McCain’s turning into George W. Bush.

Debate/Fight results: Obama wins by decision.

A new poll by Associated Press-Yahoo news found Sen. Barack Obama more likely to beat Sen. John McCain in the general election than Sen. Hillary Clinton. The Poll has been collecting data since November 2007. In November, Clinton had a 63 percent chance of beating McCain compared with Obama’s 14 percent.

Clinton’s lead steadily declined over the last several months and April marked the first month where Obama passed Hillary by a 13 percent margin.

The analysis explains as Americans learned more about the once unknown Illinois senator, his supporters have grown. Clinton, widely known since the early 1990’s has been struggling with changing the minds of those who have been skeptical of her campaign since the beginning.

Since January, Clinton’s ratings in the honesty, likeability, and ethics categories have decreased whereas Obama’s ratings increased.

Obama may owe this to his winning streak in the primaries. Clinton still held the lead as the stronger nominee with 56 percent of Democrats — ahead of Obama’s 33 percent.

However, voters note Obama does have his flaws. Since the fall, the category rating him as “not at all honest” jumped nine percent. This jump coincided with his connection to his former pastor who has been criticized for anti-white remarks.




The poll was conducted with more than 1,800 randomly selected adults whose opinions are rechecked every few months.

A bitter Obama

Senator Barack Obama came under criticism Friday after some poorly-chosen words. According to USA Today, the Illinois Senator made some comments in private during a fundraiser in San Francisco, California which described some Americans who are fed up with the current economy status.


"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or anti-pathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations," said Obama.

After acknowledging his previous remarks in California could have been better phrased, he added:

"The truth is that these traditions that are passed on from generation to generation, those are important. That's what sustains us. But what is absolutely true is that people don't feel like they are being listened to."

The Clinton camp is using this opportunity to jump all over her opponent. The camp handed out buttons with the words "I'm not bitter" printed on them and held a conference call of Pennsylvania mayors to denounce the Illinois senator.

Where's the Love?

In a very competitive campaign where the Democratic Race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, it appears that Clinton has a new opponent. Her husband Bill Clinton has recently brought up what many refer to as the “Bosnia incident,” 12 years after he says that his wife misspoke.

In 1996, Hillary Clinton spoke about her trip to Bosnia saying that the plane “landed under sniper fire.” She later retracted the statement after video was released of her walking calmly off the plane when she arrived in Bosnia. Now 12 years later, she trails Sen. Obama by 157 delegates in a very close Democratic race, the incident has resurfaced complements of her husband.



As many expected Hillary Clinton did not want this incident to be brought up again. In Alexander Mooney’s article, “Hillary to Bill: Knock it off on Bosnia,” the reporter writes, "Hillary called me and said, "I misstated it, you said I misstated it, but you got to let me handle it because you don't remember it, either.' ... I said, 'Yes, ma'am,' " Bill Clinton said in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Hillary Clinton has stood by her husband during the Monica Lewinski incident, which led to his impeachment from office. Clinton, now has the opportunity to become the first female President of the United States, which means that her credibility is very important to her. She no longer has to only worry about what Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama say about her, but what her own husband says as well.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, and former President Bill Clinton are making very direct arguments to Democratic superdelegates, insisting that Sen. Barack Obama,cannot win a general election against Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain.


Sources with knowledge of the conversation between Sen. Clinton and Governer Bill Richardson, prior to the Governor's endorsement of Obama say she told him , "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win." This is essentially Clinton's third or fourth endorsement of McCain over Obama. This is Hillary at her worst point...if she can't win...she will sure as hell bring obama down for the count. The odd thing about all this is why would she endorse a candidate like McCain, when Obama has very similar viewpoints as her??? What is she looking to be president in 2012??????

Another Clinton a liar? Im not shocked...

Hillary Clinton a liar??? A politician oh no!! lol well it's not that shocking, Hillary Clinton has been exposed for lying about her trip to Bosnia back in 1996. "I remember landing under sniper fire," she said in Washington. "There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."
.Clinton has described it as an international experience that makes her tested and ready to answer a 3 a.m. phone call at the White House on day one. News footage of the event however showed her to have been wide of the mark, and reporters who accompanied her stated that there was no sniper fire. Her account was ridiculed by ABC News as "like a scene from Saving Private Ryan". When Clinton was exposed the could be president blamed her embellishment on "exhaustion." Yeah Sure!! It's funny to see the videos of her greeting a young girl at the airport and casually walking around with her daughter chelsea- greeting more people and soilders. It's a situation that makes the public, as well as myself, very weary. Why would she embellish this story on several occassions- especially with it being videotaped? UMMMM Hello! If she lied about this situation, she can lie about others....any as we all know, the Clinton's are infamous for lying. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman..." YEAH RIGHT

SHOW THEM THE MONEY!

According to the New York Times, the income of both Democratic Candidate, Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill, the 42nd President of the United States have accumulated a shared income of $109 MILLION! While many people have spoke out against the Clintons’ for the Monica Lewinsky situation and their positions on certain issues, it appears that more people have contributed an overwhelming amount of money to the family's campaign.

In, “Clintons’ Income Topped $109 Million,” Mike McIntire and Lisa Tozzi report that, “Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton earned a combined $109 million between 2000 and 2007."

As of Jan. 2001 the Presidential Salary was increased, according to the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act (2000):

[[Page 113 STAT. 478]]

Sec. 644. (a) Increase in Annual Compensation.--Section 102 of title
3, United States Code, is amended by striking ``$200,000'' and inserting
``$400,000''.
(b) Effective Date.--The <> amendment made by
this section shall take effect at noon on January 20, 2001.

Considering the yearly income of a President, it would take 25 years to even equal Hillary Clinton's book income, which reached $10.5 million. While the Clintons' have earned a massive income, the New York Times article also points out that over the last eight years, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton have donated over $10 million towards helping the people, who make up the charities that the Clinton Family Foundation.

Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC?

So I did a New York Times search on Obama to read something and get an idea for this blog.

And I did.

Anyway, I stumbled on this great article that just opened my eyes to the election in a different way. Here's a quote:

Reporters covering the candidates have already resorted to traditional analysis of style — fashion choices, manner of speaking, even the way they laugh. Yet, according to design experts, the candidates have left a clear blueprint of their personal style — perhaps even a window into their souls — through the Web sites they have created to raise money, recruit volunteers and generally meet-and-greet online.

On one thing, the experts seem to agree. The differences between hillaryclinton.com and barackobama.com can be summed up this way: Barack Obama is a Mac, and Hillary Clinton is a PC.

The article delved further into the personification of the two websites. Barack's website, it concluded, was more "youthful" and Hillary's is more "regal." And strikingly enough, the differences seem to carry over to their supporters.

And I think this article offers fresh insight into the campaign...and websites, in general. How much should personal websites emulate the owner's personality? And how successful are they, if they do?

Here's the article: Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC?

Polls show Obama supporters more optimistic

A new poll, conducted by the New York Times and CBS News, found supporters of Sen. Barack Obama and supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton thinking differently about the future.

Both groups agree our economy is not getting any better. But supports of Obama are more optimistic the next generation will live better. The polls were conduced with data from a telephone interview, conducted Mar. 28 through Apr. 2 that questioned 1,368 adults throughout the U.S. Of the adults questioned 1,196 were registered voters.

In the Clinton camp, 35 percent of people said the next generation will live better than we do today, 31 percent said the standard of living will remain the same and 30 percent said it would decline.

Obama’s supporters are more optimistic. Of citizen who said they will vote or have already voted from Obama, 50 percent said the next generation will live better than we do and only 23 percent said they would live worse.

This could be caused by the demographic both camps are attracting. Obama is pretty much racking up the youth vote and by plastering his message of “change” all over the place, he may be attracting in a more energetic crowd with high hopes for the future.

Clinton on the other hand, is attracting a mix of youth and baby boomers. Therefore maybe her supporters are more realistic and realize the country can’t turn around after the last eight years and do a complete 180 right away. It will take time.

Bill "Headlock" Richardson

Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) the nations only Hispanic governor has publicly endorsed Barack Obama. "Barack Obama will make a great and historic president," said Richardson.

Richardson dropped out of the presidential race in January and has been waiting ever since to apply his next political headlock.

The endorsement gives a major boost in the race for super delegates for Obama and came as a shock to the Clinton campaign.

For those who don't remember, Richardson served as ambassador to the U.N. and as Secretary of the Energy Department under the Clinton administration.

Although Richardson has very close ties with the Clinton's he felt that Obama was the better candidate. "My affection for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver but it is now time for a new generation of leadership," said Richardson.

Still in play in the super delegate race are John Edwards and Joe Biden who so far have remained neutral.

I bet you thought there was only one Richardson headlock pic...

Stop the Fighting

According to a survey recently done by CNN it seems that Democrats on either side of the Clinton v. Obama struggle are getting fed up. The survey reports that 16% of Clinton supporters say they will not vote in the general election if Obama gets the nomination. A similar amount of Obama supporters say they same for Clinton. CNN points out that this will greatly effect the Democrats turnout in southern states. A large majority of African-American Democrats in the south could stay at home if the threats against a Clinton nomination are true.


While the Democrats fight it out between each other and create further tension between party members, the Republicans are in the shadows, for now, able to regroup the troops for the general election. More of an emphasis needs to be placed on unity when it comes to the Democrats. The longer this fights ensues the deeper the convictions of both sides will become. But the Democrats need to remember not to push or bully Clinton the wrong way. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.


There has been a recent outcry from Obama endorsers for Clinton to drop out of the race. I just hope they know what they are doing- she is one woman I wouldn't want to deal with in the future.

STOP THE VIOLENCE!!

The Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean has recently warned both Obama and Clinton to come together in unity rather than become adversaries of one another. In an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Dean said, "One of these two candidates needs to win. We're not going to win unless we divide ourselves and that, we cannot do."

Throughout the Democratic race, arguments between Sen. Barrack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton have grown heated. Instead of focusing on what position either Democrat takes on the health care, housing, the economy and other major issues in the United States, the 2008 Presidential has become a Political Jerry Springer Show. There is far too much focus on what Hillary Clinton’s husband Bill does or what her daughter says. It’s wrong to look at Mrs. Clinton in a negative way for what Bill Clinton did with Monica Lewinsky or whom her daughter believes will make a better President. It’s ridiculous! Obama has also received negative attention. After all of his hard work to gain the trust of many Americans, in his pursuit to become the first African American President of the U.S., many are ready to forget the good that he has done because the Priest of his church says that he hates America. Yes, it can be seen why it is relevant, but he is not his priest and just because his Priest may believe the US is bad, it does not mean that Obama does, too. Reverend Wright has chosen the religious path, while Obama has chosen his own path, to lead the U.S. and make positive changes along the way.

With all of the negative attention from the private lives of the candidates and the unnecessary disputes between candidates of both parties, which take away from important issues, there is only one question that remains . . .

WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

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Hillary on Health Care

Recently, Sen. Hillary Clinton has said in an interview if she was to be elected after the election, she would want a universal health care plan that would limit what people pay for health insurance to no more than 10 percent of their income.

Clinton has favored a cap on premiums from the beginning but has not gone into detail about what exactly she would do if she was president.

I think this is something that many Americans will like, even if they aren't supporters of Clinton. Personally, I don't she can be trusted to follow through with this plan but I guess we'll have to just wait and see.

Chelsea on the defensive

This week Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Clinton and Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, swatted away a question about her mom's credibility during a talk at Butler University in Indianapolis.

“What I said was, I just wanted to know your opinion (if) Hillary showed weakness during the Lewinsky scandal and she might not be a strong enough leader," said Evan Strange, a reporter for the campus newspaper.

Clinton's reply set off a debate as to whether or not she should be forced to answer these types of questions.

"'Wow,' Clinton told Strange, 'you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question in the, I don't know maybe, 70 college campuses I've now been to, and I do not think that is any of your business'."

Does she have a legitimate argument to not have to answer this question? Did he pose a legitimate question?

I can see both points of view.

His side brings out the journalist in me. We aren't paid to ask what the weather's like, we are paid to ask tough, down-in-the-dirt questions. I feel as a journalist he was doing his job, but I'm not really sure his question was worded correctly. I think he should have explained more about reason for asking the question. Why is Hillary Clinton on trial and her credibility in question because her husband had an affair? If Strange meant because Hillary Clinton didn't properly address the affair when it happened, he should have said that. He should have been clearer.

However, I can also see Chelsea's side. She's not a professional journalist, she never asked for this life where her parents are always in the spotlight. Has it benefited her? Probably. But think if your dad had an affair and the entire world knew about it and years later people are still brining it up. It would be embarrassing for any child. Chelsea is no different.

I bet she doesn't even want to be campaigning for her mom. But it is her mom so she has to suck it up.

The ironic thing is Evan Strange is a Clinton supporter...for now.

Primaries

John McCain is looking down from his place on top of the political world and is now searching for a running mate.

There is speculation that among the possible choices are Gov. Tim Pawlenty, of Minnesota and Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio but neither has been named as of yet.

Ohio has the potential to be a major battleground this election and that would make Gov. Strickland a valuable addition to the McCain campaign.

Barack Obama increased his delegate lead over Hillary Clinton this past week as he won the Mississippi and Wyoming primaries.

He now has a lead of 131 delegates overall as the two head toward Pennsylvania for the April 22 primary.

For Senator Clinton, Pennsylvania may be her next “last stand” before conceding the race to Obama.

The democrats are in the midst of a nomination fight that has every indication of lasting until June while John McCain has moved forward and is now in the next phase of his fund raising efforts to prepare his campaign for the victor.

my reaction to spitzer

First of all, I am disgraced at his behavior. When I first heard about it I couldn't believe it. I think the media has been doing a good job covering the scandal as well as giving the public more information about Spitzer's call girl, Ashley Alexandra Dupre.

When we were assigned to go around and ask Stony Brook students their reactions on the Spitzer scandal, I was shocked to find out how many people were in the dark about it and had no idea or interest in what was going on. I mean, it's hard to avoid considering it is on the front page of all major newspapers and is the top story on most news broadcasts.

All in all, I think by resigning Spitzer is doing the state of New York a favor and apparently he isn't fit for the job of governor.

Streaking Their Way to the White House

From Feb. 9th to the Vermont polls on March 4th, Sen. Barack Obama won 11 straight states. Sen. Hillary Clinton countered by winning the following three polls that day, which included the states of Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island. Now, Obama has won the last two primaries held in Wyoming and Mississippi. After the Mississippi polls closed on Super Tuesday, Sen. Barack Obama won his 27th state out of the 43 states that have held primaries up to this point. Obama won the state of Mississippi earning 61% of the votes, according to the New York Times.



Barack Obama now leads Hillary Clinton by 106 total delegates (1,586-1,480), according to the Washington Post's, "Democratic Party Delegate Tally." The table also shows that, while Sen. Clinton trails in the total delegate count she remains 32 super delegates ahead of Obama. While Obama leads the democratic race, it is far from decided. At the rate that this race is going, it will take until the final primaries on June 3, in order to decide the true winner. For now, we will have to wait 39 days until the Pennsylvania primary to see whether Obama will win a third consecutive state or if Clinton will begin a new streak of her own.

Student reaction to Spitzer

By Rohma Abbas

As the evening draws to a close in the emptying halls of the Frank J. Melville library, students react to Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s recent prostitution ring scandal.

“He’s an idiot, that’s my reaction,” said Usman Naqvi, a senior sitting in a group of friends in the library commuter lounge. Some disagreed.

“People do stupid things,” said Victor Valentinyi, a junior sitting at the table. “I just think it’s stupid he took it across the state.”

Jennifer Chee, a junior, took a more calm approach. “I’m sure there’s tons of people that are married that do this,” she said.

“I support it as long as the girls are happy with it,” joked Riz Younis, a junior sitting across from the three.

“He might get impeached,” said Naqvi.

“So what?” respond Chee.

But some students were not aware of the Spitzer scandal.

“I have no clue about that at all,” said Jackie Song, a senior. “I don’t even know what’s going on.”

Outside a lone freshman sitting at a table is surprised by the news. “The only thing I have to say is that I’m shocked because he hasn’t even been in for a year and he already has something against him,” said Amira Soliman.

But others are angry.

“I think he’s a douche bag,” said Geraldine Blanco, a sophomore. “I think he should resign his position. I think our government is just…crazy.”

She continued, “If I were his wife, I wouldn’t stand by him.”

“I’m a little bit disappointed,” said Erica Valdivia, a graduate student. “If the man’s fighting wrongs in society, why would he do that? Especially if he’s a public figure.”

Others echo Valdivia’s sentiments. “I think he should resign,” said Alan Lepinksy, a junior sitting at a table near the center exit of library. “People look up to him.” But Erik Martinez, a sophomore sitting across him said “I’m virtually unaffected.”

Outside, Emily Colbeck, senior, finishes off her cigarette. She said that Spitzer’s personal life has no relevance to his political career. “How does that have anything to do with politics?” she said. “I don’t think it really matters.”

SBU Students React to Spitzer's Call Girl

"It’s a microcosm of national politics at large,” Lino A. Medina Mendez, a student at Stony Brook University said when asked about his reaction to Governor Eliot Spitzer’s connection with an international call girl ring based in New Jersey. “It is a great example of double talk straight out of 1984. It deepens my complete frustration with the political system.”

“I found out at Starbucks where I work,” Merve Yazicilar said as she paused from her homework for a moment. “I’m from Albany, so I’ve seen him. He has a wife and kids. I couldn’t look at him the same way after this. It’s like if he was my father. I wouldn’t be able to look at my father the same way if he did this. He should resign because no one will take him seriously anymore.”

“Why do they trust politicians anymore?” Joe Cottone asked. “Don’t trust anybody. Spitzer should resign, not because he cheated on his wife, but because he used taxpayer’s money to perform illegal acts.”

While the majority of students felt that the actions were immoral and an apology was owed to the people of New York, not everyone felt he should have to resign.

“If he was someone else no one would care,” Stony Brook student, Felix Ceballos stated.

“He shouldn’t resign. What you do in your personal life shouldn’t affect your career. He was elected by the people and should stay for the rest of his term. He won’t be re-elected. Who has morals anyway?” Julio Yarce explained.

Feelings were mixed and opinions varied, but one thing was certain and that was the concern over Spitzer’s promises to Stony Brook University.

“It sucks,” Felix Ceballos said. “He was talking about making Stony Brook a flagship university. It’s unfortunate. He was building a legacy. It is just a corrupt system.”

“He disappointed New York,” Merve Yazicilar continued. “Forty-three hundred dollars on one lady.”

“People in public office should not be caught with prostitutes,” Markell Watson, an offensive tackle for the Stony Brook football team said. “He shouldn’t have to resign, but it is in his best interest to. He took a severe hit to his morality with this incident. I don’t know why he was caught with a prostitute anyway because his wife is pretty hot.”

What will happen to the flagship?

During January’s State of the State address, Governor Spitzer announced plans to make Stony Brook a “flagship campus” in the SUNY system for higher education. Now three months later, Spitzer is entangled in a prostitution ring and faces resignation.

If Spitzer is forced to resign, Stony Brook’s flagship status could suffer.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Felix Secbalos, a Stony Brook student. “It hurts because he was trying to take Stony Brook to the next level and build a strong reputation as an ethical politician. But he is still a politician.” Secbalos hopes the university will still achieve its flagship status even if the governor resigns.

As Attorney General, Spitzer vowed to prosecute more violent crimes. He is responsible for breaking up two prostitution rings during his reign and harshly criticizing those involved.

Many students don’t think the university should worry. “I don’t think it will affect Stony Brook,” said Meagan Bordon. “But it doesn’t look good for our state. It’s pretty crazy for someone with so much political power to do something so stupid.”

The governor openly apologized to his family and constituents yesterday in a press conference. “I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public to whom I promised better.”

Still others feel Spitzer did not cross the line. “They all do bad stuff,” said Sandra Rizkitz, a junior. “Some get caught some don’t.” Rizkitz does not think Spitzer should be forced out of office.

Bordon disagrees. “Its kind of a big deal,” said Bordon. “It’s such a silly thing to get caught on.” She believes the governor should resign.

If Spitzer does resign, Lieutenant Governor, David Paterson, would step into the role of Governor until the next election. Paterson would be the first African-American to hold position of Governor. He is legally blind

Still other students sympathize with the escorts of the Emperor’s Club V.I.P., the high-end escort service involved in the scandal. “In some parts of the world, people have no ability to make money,” said Hee Sang, a freshmen at Suffolk Community College. “They must expose their instincts by other methods.”

SBU Student reaction to Gov. Elliot Spitzer

After news quickly spread about Gov. Elliot Spitzer's involvement in a high priced prostitution ring, the reactions of many were those of disgust, while others were not in shock at all. According to some SBU students Gov. Elliot Spitzer is already the former Governor of New York State, after it was learned that he was involved in a prostitution ring.

"On one hand I was surprised at what he did because he seemed like he was a good person, but then again a politician is a politician," said Anita, a Math major. "I think that he should resign."

The positive image that Spitzer once held in the eyes of some students was tarnished by his poor decision making ability. Many believed that because he chose a powerful decision that he receives credit for all the good that he has done, he should accept the negative attention he has recieved recently.

"I think that the Gov. Spitzer should resign because as a public figure, he has a lot of responsibility," said Merve Yazicilar. "I just think that if his own family can't trust him, then how can we."

"What he did was illegal," Lauren. a multidisciplinary major said. "He is a U.S. citizen just like everyone else and has to abide by the same rules."

While some were some wanted Spitzer out of office, others said that it is simply his personal life.

"I don't think that he should resign," Ali Fadhil said. "I don't think that his personal life should effect his job. We should judge him solely on what he does as governor and not his personal life. Most people cheat, If we throw everyone that cheats out of office, then we won't have anyone in office."

Some students are waiting for more information from the investigation.

"It is bad and illegal, but I'm not sure how much he was involved," Jennadi, a History major said. I don't like invading his personal life, but if what he did was wrong, then he has to resign."

Stony Brook Reacts to Spitzer Scandal

Students at Stony Brook University had harsh words for governor Spitzer a day after his sex scandal headlined network newscasts across the country. With the intense media coverage over the past two days students are sounding off on what they believe is a breach of trust created by the scandal. The shock of Spitzer's actions is a direct contrast from the squeaky clean image he portrayed in public and the tough standards he set for all in public office.

The no non sense former attorney general of Manhattan made his career on imposing record fines for the securities industry and other white collar crimes. In 2006 Spitzer was elected governor and since then has had a controversial first term in office the last of which was an executive order to grant drivers licenses to illegal aliens. Before the allegation surfaced Spitzer was in the prime of his political career. Now he finds himself in the precarious position of scratching and clawing to stay in power. Fresh on the heels of Albany day students are still digesting the fallout of the scandal.

On average students were outraged and had feelings of disgust for Spitzer. The opinions although mixed ranged from calling for the governors resignation to those who were more accepting of his actions. Some students tried to put aside the scandal as a personal matter. "It's his personal business , but it's still wrong. Now do i think he should be fired, no." said Pete Giovanello, 19, Business major. Giovanello feels that Governor Spitzer's private life should be kept seperate from his career.

Other students had harsher words for the governor. "I think it's disgusting, I hope he gets fired," said Liz Burbidge 22, Theatre major. Burbidge believes that politicians should walk a straight line in their personal and professional lives. "I do care what the governor does in his private life," said Burbidge. Students such as Ling Lam, a 26 year old Economics major have little sympathy for Spitzer. "He's a disgrace, I say he should resign." Lam says he thought the governor should have resigned yesterday. "What is he waiting for?"

Stony Brook Students React to Spitzer Scandal

Governor Elliot Spitzer has been reportedly involved in a prostitution ring. According to sources familiar with the investigation, he has been linked to at least 7 or 8 "call girls" for several years. Calls that were wire-tapped revealed this information that now has the governor of New York facing the possibility of resignation. His resume is impressive, with having attended both Harvard and Princeton.

All over the country, especially in New York state, people are outraged and disgraced at the governor's behavior.

Jason Ryu, a international exchange student from China, said "He should resign. It isn't right."

A junior at Stony Brook University, Delmira, had strong opinions about the topic. "I personally think this is more than him being involved in a prostitution ring. It's more like sex slavery than prostitution." "It seems like he is covering up much more that we don't know about yet."

However, some students at Stony Brook University have no knowledge about the scandal and have not been following the news.

"I don't really know much about what is going on with Spitzer, only that he is involved in some prostitution thing," said Diane Decker, a junior. "I'm sure people are pissed though and from what I know it sounds like he's in a lot of trouble."

Junior, Munirah Hasan had an opposing view on the situation. "Even though it's wrong, it's his own business. We shouldn't be prying in his personal life just because he is a politician. "It's not causing us any harm and I don't know why we always put politicians on a higher standpoint," Hasan said.

As far as resigning, an ultimatum has been made for Spitzer to either resign or in two days the minority leader of the New York State Assembly will introduce articles of impeachment.

"I think the whole thing is a bit ridiculous because his initial platform was all about honesty and being ethical. He has a beautiful resume and I really feel bad for his wife," said Lynn Hseich, a journalism student.

The future of Governor Spitzer is looking bleak. In the following days, the governor of New York will be forced to make the tough decision of either resigning or facing impeachment.

Bush Endorsing McCain Could Lead to Trouble

Sen. John McCain continued to show his dominance in the Republican race on March 4th, winning the states of Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. McCain has not lost a state primary since the Feb. 9th primary in Kansas. Nearly a month after he lost a poll, McCain has won 12 consecutive polls on his way to accumulating 1,289 delegates, according to CNN.

Now as the Republican party's nomination for the upcoming election, McCain has recently received an endorsement from President George W. Bush.



It might be seen as a major honor to some, to receive the support of the current President of the United States. However, it is important to remember that . . . it is GEORGE BUSH! While some may support him, especially those from southern states, many Americans are opposed to the current Commander and Chief because of a few reasons:

• He has yet to capture the man responsible for the Sept 11th attacks, Osama Bin Laden.
  
• He has the United States involved in the ongoing war in Iraq.
  
• Last, but not least, he can barely finish a sentence without making up a word and looking like a fool!!

If Ya Can't Beat em Join em...

Democrats who can't decide between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton saw the possibility Wednesday that they could end up with both.
Clinton said,"That may be where this is headed," She made clear she was thinking Clinton-Obama if anything.

Obama did not rule out teaming up with her..."I think it is very premature to start talking about a joint ticket," he said.

It would be the Democratic dream team if they decided to pair up ,however, I can see it now...Obama's wife "ripping Bill Clinton's eyes out," Bill & Hillary forming their own click and Obama being the nice but silent guy stuck in the corner.There colaboration could either be spectacular or just a clash and a major mistake for the United States. I could also see Bill making his way into hill's job, just the way hillary did to Bill when he was president.

Still sometimes politicans can get it together and get down to business for what needs to get done!

Imagine that? Bill, Hillary, Michelle & Barack...all under one big roof! haha...wow, kinda scary!

Florida and Michigan

The democratic race is so close every single vote counts.

Therefore, leaving out states such as Florida and Michigan make it impossible for Obama or Clinton to get the amount of delegates needed to win the election.



I understand the Democratic party felt the need to reign in these states after they openly defied the party. The Democrats had to assert their authority and this drastic measure was a way to do that.

But now that the race has become so close, the party needs to realize upholding this rule is hurting the candidates, not helping them. They run the risk of having the public so fed up with this on-going battle that they will loose interest in the "move for change." However, the fact that Americans are embracing Obama and his message for "change" with such open arms leaves me to believe it really won't matter how long the battle rages on because come election day, a Democrat will be on top.

Of all the reasons for not re-scheduling the primaries, "well, we don't have the money" should not be one of them.

Find some.

Make the candidates split it themselves it they have to.
Hold fundraisers. If both states chip in, the party chips in, congressman and legislatures chip in, and the candidates themselves chip in, they can make it work.

A Clinton Nomination Puts a Rebuplican in the White House

This is the most historical primary in the history of our country. A woman and an African American are vying for the democratic ticket for the first time in our countries- almost- 300 years of existence. The sad part is that, while we've made leaps and bounds as far as equality is concerned, we are still not quite there. The simple truth is that if things continue to shape out the way they are we could see a racial divide between democrats and a sure republican victory come November.

If Obama controls the popular vote handily, but does not clinch the democratic nomination due to back-door Clinton/Super Delegate deals, we will see a "Los Angeles" type outcry from the African American population of this country. Clinton winning in such a way will guarantee an easy victory for McCain come election time.

If the democrats want to take a seat in the oval office they best get their act together and avoid a primary decided- not by the people- but by super delegates.

Primaries

It couldn’t get any closer in the democratic primary as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton scratch and claw for votes in Texas and Ohio ahead of the March 4th primaries. Hillary has had a busy month raising about 35 million dollars while Obama has been equally busy though has not released the details of his campaign’s fund raising for this month.

On the Republican side John McCain has all but secured his nomination yet Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul remain in the race. The republican party got a nice boost as Ralph Nader decided to join the race for the presidency. Nader--who is seen by many as a spoiler for the democrats—lashed out at the democratic candidates this week.

Meanwhile the Vermont and Rhode Island primaries are being virtually ignored by all the candidates as delegate rich Texas and Ohio take center stage.

2 points!

Let me begin this post with mentioning that I've finally made up my mind between Barack and Hillary.

In a recent New York Times article titled "In Painful Past, Hushed Worry About Obama" the nation is worried about Obama's safety. The article cites the assasinations of MLK Jr. and RFK to justify citizens' fears.

One thing that struck me out of the ordinary was this:

"Before Mr. Obama decided to run for president, he discussed his safety with his family. His campaign employed a team of private security guards before he was placed under Secret Service protection. Since then, he has grown fond of the agents who surround him, inviting them to watch the Super Bowl at his home in Chicago and playing basketball with them on the days he awaits the results of an election."

He plays basketball with his Secret Service?!

Anyway, the article didn't elaborate on who gets more protection. Bummer.

"The Secret Service does not discuss details of its protection, including whether Mr. Obama is receiving more protection than Mrs. Clinton.

But my point with this little detail is that it is so telling. It humanizes him and paints a picture that feels like home.

For some reason, when I think of Hillary's meaningful detail, all I can think of is that stupid scene of her crying after being asked a question along the lines of "How do you do it?"

Puh-leaaaaze.

"The gay vote"

At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold! ...Well for Clinton and Obama that is! Both are fighting for the "gay vote." But as Clinton has been a favorite to the gay community (for example her walking in the gay parade in 2000) alot of the gay community is crossing over to Obama. Both Clinton and Obama oppose same-sex marriages while supporting civil unions.A major difference between the candidates is that Obama supports full repeal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a law signed by Bill Clinton -- under pressure from a Republican-dominated Congress -- that prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages and permits states to do the same. Hillary Clinton wants to roll back only part of the law.Hillary is also tied to the "Don't ask don't tell" which reversed a campaign pledge he made to allow gays to serve openly.So it all boils down to the Texas and Ohio primaries...Obama has full-page advertisements in gay publications in Texas and Ohio.Clinton's campaign started a statewide committee this week to undertake efforts in gay areas of Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus. Even though Clinton has a long relationship with the gay community, it may not be enoough to out weigh Obama's success and popularity. Clinton better cross her fingers...

Bring On The Ads

This week the attack ads are out in full view. With four days to go until the Texas Primaries, the democratic candidates are taking swipes at their apponents with new ads designed to make Americans uneasy. First Hillary released an ad showing a house at night with sleeping children and asked "who do you want answering the phone in the middle of the night?" Her add:



Obama retaliated by saying this ad is much like others that have come before it in trying to put fear into the american people.

However, several hours later, Obama ran an extremely similar ad.




Obama's pitch during a rally today claimed that Hillary's ad is legitimate, but the focus shouldn't be on who picks up the phone, but rather what that person will do to address the situation. A valid point.

It seems Hillary is now ready to gamble with ads such as this one to try and attact voters in the last push before the next primaries. If she was ahead of Obama by a landslide, she probably would not be resorting to these types of tactics.

If she looses, I blame her management. They underestimated Obama from the start and she should have tried to attract more voting groups such as youths and women. Many people in the beginning felt she was a shoe-in and I think Camp Hillary did not aggressively go after voters in the beginning.

Her campaign started out slow while Obama's started out running and hasn't looked back.

Is the Clinton Campaign Getting Desperate?

Since Feb 9th, Sen. Barack Obama has swept everyday of primaries in the Democratic race, winning 10 consecutive states. Sen. Hillary Clinton now finds herself trailing Obama 24 to 13 in state primaries won. According to the projected Democrat Delegate Account from the New York Times, Obama is projected to earn approximately 92 more delegates than Clinton. With the odds starting to amount against her Hillary Clinton is looking to do whatever she can do to regain the lead in the Democratic race; including commercials:



It appears that Clinton is getting desperate and is taking to the offensive to get her name back. I think that this commercial is absolutely ridiculous. The commercial says that, "you want someone, who has already been tested to lead in a dangerous world." The one question that I have is, I thought this was a Hillary Clinton commercial, not a Bill Clinton commercial. Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States and could therefore be the only Clinton that has been "tested to lead in a dangerous world," not Hillary.

The Obama campaign made a response to the Clinton commercial (shown below), pointing out that Obama did not support the war, while Hillary Clinton did. I really liked this response by the Obama campaign because Hillary Clinton is going to regret making the commercial with a message that could be easily countered. I think that this is now Obama's race to win or lose after not only embarrassing her in recent polls, but using her own commercial against her.

Obama Campaign's Commercial Response:

website critique-

Ask.com- Much like its competitor, Google.com, Ask.com is very plain. It provides just the bare basics for its users on its homepage. It has a very clean look and the layout is easy to navigate, even for those who hardly ever frequent the web. Once you start typing, the real fine qualities of Ask.com become apparent. When you start typing a search entry, the website will give you closely related searches based on the spelling of the word you type. Let’s say I type in “bl-“, the search engine will give me a list of searches underneath the toolbar. This brings up searches like: blonde jokes, blue book, and blog. It is a convenient way of searching for something you don’t quite know how to spell.

Once typing in a search, Ask.com pulls up a wide range of useful information. Broken up into three columns, Ask.com lets you really dig into the vast amount of information the internet provides. On the right-most column Ask.com lets you scroll through some related video, pictures and even music- if you searched for your favorite band. On the left-most column is a guide to help you narrow or broaden your search.

One of the coolest features provided by Ask.com is the binocular feature. This feature allows you to take a quick peek at the websites listed. All you have to do is scroll over the little binocular picture located next to the web-link and a screen shot of the homepage of that website shows up. In case you remember what the website looks like, but don’t exactly remember the name, this feature is a great help.

Wikipedia.org- Totally forbidden by academic teachers, Wikipedia offers a very accessible encyclopedia for those looking to grab a quick idea of what something is all about. This website contains user generated material. This user-based material worries many teachers and professors across America because much of the information is not verified; therefore making it at times, unreliable.

In the time of this new digital revolution, something like Wikipedia fits right into the mindset we have started to develop as creatures of the web. We enjoy sharing information with those around us and listening to others opinions and ideas. What was the most viewed video from the tragic events at Virginia Tech? It was a video taken by a student on their cell phone.

People are capable of being the watchdog over the information they consume, like that provided on Wikipedia. If someone notices an error on a page they just notify the people who run Wikipedia and ask for a correction or do it themselves if they have an account. It is a self governed- user provided website that is easy to use.

At the bottom of ever entry there is a list of related links and sites to further your understanding of whatever it was that you searched. Wikipedia comes in many languages, making it an international site that connects the knowledge of everyone interested in contributing.

TMZ.com- This online gossip magazine has more traffic than it knows what to do with. There are many reasons why this is true. Number one is the content they provide. It seems people these days love to read about the stars and all the gossip that comes with them. With the look of a blog, this celebrity news site is easily navigated. The stories are short and sweet and always contain some photo or video. They provide the information in the way that the reader wants to consume it. No one wants to sit at their computer for a half-hour reading about Britney Spears getting arrested. They want a quick blurb of what happened and a video or picture of her in her jail-cell best.

Another great innovation that TMZ provides is something people in the business call, “convergence”. They provide multiple media outlets covering the same story. An example of this is the various links TMZ provides linking you to videos found on the web and outtakes from their television show. The site provides a little entertainment, as well, giving the browser a variety of games to play- giving the site multiple hits and keeping those viewing the site, on the site. TMZ also has links to other blogs, which furthers the continuous traffic going in and out.

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All three of these sites have a common theme and that is a clean, easily navigated homepage. These sites look to provide the most information in the fastest, most easily manageable form. They do not look to confuse the browser. All three websites are very user friendly- even those who are not that computer-literate will have an easy time searching these pages.

Another similarity between all three websites is that they look to provide a wide variety of media forms- video, pictures, sound clips, etc. The real aim of these websites, and any well designed website, is to keep you on their site and provide everything for you. They do their best to create their own little Wal-Mart. They don’t want you to have to go anywhere else for information.

I think all three websites are great examples of successful sites. It is clear that there is a format that works online. There is a standard that most websites look to closely follow if not duplicate. Everyone knows the saying- "Less is more"- and all three sites try to abide by this golden rule- especially Ask.com. The only other website with the same amount of @#!$ as Ask.com is Google.com and Google may do it better. Going on name recognition alone, both websites are able to really get down to the bare minimum and streamline their site for the cleanest and easiest look.

Website critique

1

.Print website-

Upon my first arrival to the website it is very noticeable that the homepage is very evenly distributed and sectioned giving the viewer the ease of navigation. Its layout mainly consists of three columns. The center column divides the newest stories by its content topic. Those topics are also accessible at the top of the page just underneath the banner. The very first thing I notices about the layout is a link for subscription on the banner at the head of the page. This is important as magazine websites must implement technical strategies to keep circulation of their print editions fairly substantial. A standout visual element is the use of a slideshow to display the biggest stories for Inside the US News & World Report. Usnews.com also offers some of the key Web 2.0 features such as RSS feeds, podcasts, mobile versions, reporter blogs, email and subscriptions. The site offers plenty of video and also the ability to subscribe to a US News video RSS feed. The ability subscribe to feeds such as podcasts and RSS, along with the ability to sign up for email alerts make the site very delivery customizable.
One of most important criteria for evaluating the Website is the available means of consumer participation and customization. Usnews.com seemingly has a void that is left missing the feature of user commenting. Users cannot comment on articles or even blogs. However, the site does attempt to fill that void with the use of user friendly blogs such as “The Paper Trail”, which is a blog dedicated to stories surrounding college campuses. The Paper Trail blog links to stories from campus publications written by student journalists. Overall, Usnews.com does not seem to have many commonalities with its print version. “Breaking News” and “The News Desk” sections make the site appear to be its own species. Consumers are able to subscribe to the print edition and even subscribe to the web-based digital edition for the same price. The implementing of a digital edition shows that usnews.com serves mainly as a relative alternative to the print edition.

2

.Broadcast Website-

CNN is one of my favorite sites to visit because of the amount of content available on the site. The home page is very clean and has minimal amount of advertisements on it. It is sectioned off into three columns, which is very typical. There is a poll on the home page which serves as a good way to get extra hits. CNN does a very good job at making this site as similar to its broadcast network as possible. They do this through the endless amount of video content on the site. There are options that allow you to watch live videos and there is a whole section of the site devoted solely to video. The site is customizable because it allows you to select the regular CNN site or the CNN international edition as your homepage. There is also a section on the site called CNN tv that gives plenty of attention to its broadcast programs. It lists the schedule and lineup for it television programming and serves as a perfect supplement for broadcast and it directs viewers to stay at home with CNN. The site offers delivery through the use of podcasts, RSS and email alerts.

3

Blog-

Deadspin.com is a blog devoted to sports. It has a very unattractive physical appearance because it is very bland. It pretty much has a one column set up that most blogs are known for . Nothing about this site really makes me want to stay on it. There are no cool photogaraphs or anything appealing on the homepage. All it really has to offer is what blogs are known for, its content. This site is highly user interactable. Users are able to comment on all articles and voice there opinions. There is not much more to say about the site because there is not much more on it!!

Critique

MSNBC.Com www.msnbc.com
LOS Angeles Timeswww.latimes.com
Gossip Blog:www.couturecandy.comwww.couturecandy.com


MSNBC is an online news organization.
On the MSNBC website there is one featured story that has a red border and labeled “breaking news in world news.” It is the primary focus on the homepage but it you scroll down a little the Honda Accord advertisement is a much bigger picture then the featured story. The left hand side has categories about world news, politics, health, science, business, entertainment, travel, sports, technology and other tabs. However if you scroll down, the categories are showing horizontally with articles underneath. Each category has its own multimedia section for videos. Ironically CBS has the same format. CBS also has a featured story but it’s advertisement on the right side (in the same place as MSNBC’s advertisement) is also bigger than the featured story picture. The columns are horizontal and marked by categories. Each column has articles to link to and multimedia with RSS feeds. They both had a section for crossword puzzles and comics on the left hand side. The CBS news website had fewer advertisements than the MSNBC site, with less clutter and more stories. The MSNBC had a bigger masthead then CBS and embraced their rainbow colors that brand their name. CBS also did not put up times for when they revised or updated a story. So I never knew what time an article was published, unless I did an estimate from the times when users left comments. The cool thing about both news sites is their wide use of multimedia. Both sites use RSS feeds, podcasts, email and mobile updates.

The Los Angeles Times online newspaper website has its typical paper font (almost identical to the NY Times font) used on the website for the masthead. The categories were on the right hand side organizing the news into science, sports, business, entertainment and so on. I like the fact that the NY Times categories even have sub- categories. For example, Underneath the Arts category is links to books, movies, music, television and theatre. They really break it down and make searching for things very accessible. If you scroll down the page it’s also available in a larger font, incase if your eyes glaze over the categories. The large, centered photograph distinguishes the article as the featured story. There is another advertisement in the same section as the MSNBC and CBS websites. However the LA Times advertisement is not bigger than the featured story photograph. I feel the LA Times website is cluttered and my eyes tend to wander. The LA Times site has a section on the right side for the most viewed and most emailed, but the NY Times sight has almost the same sidebar labeled “most popular.” It contains the articles that were most emailed, blogged and searched for. It’s hard to compare any newspaper to the NY Times, because they’re the most credible and reputable new organization. There is just no comparing! The NY Times advertisements are even considerably small and disassociated with the website off to the lower left hand side. The NY Times has made such a name for themselves that the advertisements don’t own them and over crowd the website. My favorite thing about the NY Times is it’s expansive archive and the tabs on top of the masthead. If I missed the day before, I can click on today’s paper and scroll down to the calendar and click on any day to find out all the headlines. It’s so accessible! The LA Times search engine is nothing in comparison. Oh, another cool thing- The Times reader, which is a digital newspaper that reads like the real thing!

Finally…The Gossip Blog CoutureCandy.com
It’s So similar to its rival PerezHilton.com! When I logged on the page, that was my immediate thought. There is a big difference between them though; the couturecandy website has a sidebar next to every picture of a celebrity, which has an advertisement for clothes that look like what the celebrity is wearing. This is perfect for the fan obsessed with looking like their favorite celebrity, and it’s a great way to advertise. The couturecandy website also copied Perezhilton with the type written over the photographs. However the couturecandy page had nicer things to say about the celebrities then Perezhilton. Both websites are a fan of pink….hmmm, don’t know why? But it has become the color to brand perezhilton into the top gossip blog. Perezhilton is a fan of using advertising for the website back drop and not afraid of throwing them all over the website. I actually liked the style of the Perezhilton page, and I like the big masthead that has the Perezhilton font look similar to the Hollywood sign in California. Wow and some of the ads on Perezhilton are quite provocative. There is an adult sex dvd advertisement and a sex toy ad. Both sites allow comments, but (obviously) Perezhilton has comments for photographs that range in the hundreds. The site has become very popular and therefore more users are on it interacting.

In observing all three news/blog websites and their competitors, I noticed how similar all these sites look. The column set up, the colors, the placement of advertisements and use of similar fonts. It makes me wonder…why do we sometimes always go to one website over another?