Current Event: Surge in flu-like symptoms flood hospital emergency rooms By: Kyla King The Grand Rapids Press October 28, 2009
Story Ideas:
1. Will hospitals have to hire more nurses/doctors if people continue to get H1N1?
- The idea behind this story is that people (including people in the medical field) continue to get H1N1 and this means people taking days off of work. I was wondering if hospitals/medical centers will have to increase their staff if this continues.
- Possible sources for this story would be board members of medical centers/hospitals, other nurses and doctors and staff who have to take time off because they have been diagnosed with swine flu.
2. Do medicals staffs see the swine flu disappearing anytime soon?
- The idea behind this story is that people are very worried about coming down with swine flu and are getting vaccinations. Will swine flu be either completely gone or at least die down any time soon?
- Possible sources for this story would be doctors or scientists who have done research on swine flu.
3. I would also do a history on swine flu (from when it was present in the 1980’s or earlier, I’m not sure on the date).
- The idea behind this story is to show people that there’s really no need to be overreacting as much as what they are. This is not the first time that swine flu has been present in the United States and I think showing people that would be eye opening. I don’t think that very many people know that it’s been around before.
- Possible sources for this story would include the internet, doctors from when it was present before and possibly someone who had it during that time also.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Assignment #5
Profile Article
The person that I plan on trying to interview for my profile article is Duane Below. He is worth interviewing because he plays for a minor league baseball team and someday might even play for the Detroit Tigers. This is interesting because he graduated from a really small school (Britton Macon Area School). He graduated the year before me and I didn’t really know him in high school so I believe that this will be an interesting article. Right now though he has to take a year off because of an injury that happened to him at the beginning of the year. The reason why I’m not sure if it’ll be possible for me to interview him is because he’s always really busy and because…he’s not exactly the nicest person (or at least that’s how he was in high school).
Questions:
1. What’s it like knowing you might play for the Tigers someday?
2. How will your injury interfere with your pitching?
3. What’s it like knowing that you accomplished something this big with coming from such a small school?
4. How do you feel about becoming an idol in Britton?
The person that I plan on trying to interview for my profile article is Duane Below. He is worth interviewing because he plays for a minor league baseball team and someday might even play for the Detroit Tigers. This is interesting because he graduated from a really small school (Britton Macon Area School). He graduated the year before me and I didn’t really know him in high school so I believe that this will be an interesting article. Right now though he has to take a year off because of an injury that happened to him at the beginning of the year. The reason why I’m not sure if it’ll be possible for me to interview him is because he’s always really busy and because…he’s not exactly the nicest person (or at least that’s how he was in high school).
Questions:
1. What’s it like knowing you might play for the Tigers someday?
2. How will your injury interfere with your pitching?
3. What’s it like knowing that you accomplished something this big with coming from such a small school?
4. How do you feel about becoming an idol in Britton?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Enrollment
“This is only my second semester here at Eastern Michigan University. I transferred from Washtenaw Community College because I wanted my bachelor’s degree,” Andrea Dennison said. “I’m really happy to see it though because I think it opens up more opportunities for diversity.”
With the enrollment increasing at Eastern Michigan University it means more opportunities for students to interact with each other. It also will increase the size of classes for professors. “I don’t think that this will affect my one on one time with professors because they seem pretty good about making sure the students are doing well in their classes,” Dennison said.
Eastern Michigan University’s enrollment jumped up 4.26 percent for the 2009-10 school year. The reason behind the increase could be a factor of reasons including more on-line classes being offered and students wanting to transfer from two-year colleges to a four-year to get a bachelor degree. Dennison said, “I don’t think that the enrollment will continue to increase though because of the economy though. If the economy doesn’t get better I think that the enrollment with actually decrease.”
With the enrollment increasing at Eastern Michigan University it means more opportunities for students to interact with each other. It also will increase the size of classes for professors. “I don’t think that this will affect my one on one time with professors because they seem pretty good about making sure the students are doing well in their classes,” Dennison said.
Eastern Michigan University’s enrollment jumped up 4.26 percent for the 2009-10 school year. The reason behind the increase could be a factor of reasons including more on-line classes being offered and students wanting to transfer from two-year colleges to a four-year to get a bachelor degree. Dennison said, “I don’t think that the enrollment will continue to increase though because of the economy though. If the economy doesn’t get better I think that the enrollment with actually decrease.”
Assignment 4
Feature Story Idea: Where to take inexpensive trips with your family.
Main website: http://www.visitlenawee.com/
Website #1: http://hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu/
Website #2: http://www.thetca.org/
Website #3: http://www.visitlenawee.com/page40.html
Website #4: http://www.visitlenawee.com/page5.html
Main website: http://www.visitlenawee.com/
Website #1: http://hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu/
Website #2: http://www.thetca.org/
Website #3: http://www.visitlenawee.com/page40.html
Website #4: http://www.visitlenawee.com/page5.html
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Article 1
Everybody loves having a good time with their family and friends. It doesn’t matter whether it’s spending time with each other during the holidays, birthdays, parties or weddings. How about going out together on the busiest bar night of the year? It’s been rumored that Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest night that bars make their most money.
Britton, MI consists of a library, fire department, gas station, school and a bar. When driving from Dundee to Tecumseh you could miss it if you blink. In Britton the small bar in town is called The Whistle Stop (this is due to its location next to the railroad tracks that go through town). When you walk into the bar that is located in between an antique store and a building that’s for sale, you can feel the small town energy take over. There are booths on each side of the building with tables down the middle of the room. It’s very dimly lit and quiet in the afternoon with only a few students and retiree’s eating lunch. The four televisions that are lining the walls have sports, the weather or Keno on.
“Thanksgiving Eve is one of our busiest nights of the year. With everybody coming in with family and friends that night we can increase our business by 50 percent compared to a weekend night,” Diane Straits answers about what night is the busiest for them. Straits knows the bar business considering she’s been a waitress for 27 years with the last three spent at The Whistle Stop. “I think it’s mostly because people know that they don’t have to work the next morning and want to get out. I do think that it’s also because people want to get together with their family that night.”
Britton is a very small town (it’s actually considered a village) that has only about 600 people within the city limits. You would never know it was there unless you were from the area or you knew someone from town. “Most of the people that come out that night are usually locals, we don’t get very many people from out of town,” Straits continues.
The bar hours for The Whistle Stop are consist of staying open until only 11 pm Monday thru Thursdays, 2 am on Friday and Saturday and then only until 8 pm on Sunday nights. Straits said that Thanksgiving Eve they usually keep the bar open until 2 am though, even though it’s a weekday night. When asked if she thought they would get more business if they were located in a bigger town Straits answers, “I think the only way we would get more people is if we were located in Ann Arbor. But my guess is that we would have about the same amount of people whether we were located here or in Tecumseh. We do have to prepare for that night though. We order extra of everything and we have specials that go all night.”
When doing a search for the best bar to be at on Thanksgiving Eve I run across nightclubvip.com. This website holds six bars advertising for all of their specials that they are going to be having on the night before Thanksgiving. Three floors of music, open bars for an hour, dinner buffets and DJ’s are just some of the perks that they’re going to hold that night. These are facts that it’s not a rumor that Thanksgiving Eve is the busiest bar night of the year.
Waiting at the bar for more people to talk to about bar nights Thanksgiving Eve, Clinton, MI resident Emilie Cadmus walks in with a couple of her friends. “I do usually go out the night before Thanksgiving with my mom and some of my other family. We like to drink so when we’re all together that night it seems like going to a bar is the thing to do.”
When looking for something to do the night before Thanksgiving, grab some friends or family members and go to your local bar. They’re most likely having a lot of specials and you might even run into some people that you haven’t seen in awhile. Cadmus goes on saying, “It’s always good to catch up with people that you haven’t seen in awhile. My friends are usually coming back into town that night for the holidays and they just also happen to be at the bar also.”
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Assignment #3
1. Explanatory- Where do old needles go after nurses/doctors are done using them?
Idea: Figure out where the old needles go after they are used. I don't think very many people know this and I actually think that it would be an interesting story. People i could interview would be whoever is in charge of the waste receptacle at the office, a nurse or maybe someone who works for a company that takes the needles after they've been used.
2. Profile- I'm from a VERY small town and a guy that graduated the year before me plays minor league baseball and could even move up to play for the Tigers.
Idea: I could interview his high school baseball coach, someone from the community to get their reaction and then the guy himself.
3. Business- In the town I'm from there's also going to be a new diner opening (the owners also have one in another town). This is risky because every business that has ever opened in my town has usually gone out of business.
Idea: I would interview the person who's opening the business and then someone from the business.
4. How to- How to take all day trips to cheap places during the summer in a certain area
Idea: This might be a little difficult, but i think it could be pulled off. Look up certain places in an area near me and see if they have any attractions or fun things to do. In my area i know there's Hidden Lake Gardens or walking the trails in Tecumseh. I would interview someone you works at HLG or talk to someone from Tecumseh who maybe knows of somewhere else that's cheap that not many people know about.
5. Business- The place i used to work, which is an ice cream place, is not busy this year. Why?
Idea: I would interview the owner to see how it's affecting her profits. I would also interview people from the interview to see what they think about the situation. I believe that it's because the owner keeps having to raise her prices and because people are trying to save their money.
6. First Person- The Clinton Fall Festival is coming up!
Idea: There's a festival in Clinton that's been going on for as long as i can remember and there are so many things to do there. This includes walking around the vendors, eating lots of food, a parade, games and shows. I think this would be a good story because it could bring in more people to the festival in the years to come.
7. Profile- Doing an interview with my brother who's joined the Navy
Idea: I know that doing interview's with family members is probably not a good idea, but my brothers story is pretty interesting. He went from being someone who was terrible at school, amazing at sports, to dropping out of college, to admitting to be addicted to prescription drugs, to going into the Navy and hold a 98% in a trig class!
8. Participatory- Native American Pow Wow
Idea: I've actually been to one before, but it was a small one. It was probably one of the coolest things that i have ever done. You could join in dances, shop around or just talk to the people. I think that interviewing a Native American would be a really interesting interview if you ask them the right questions.
9. Business- Salt truck businesses during the winter
Idea: I don't really know much about what salt truck drivers do or the companies that they work for, so i think this would be a fun article. I would interview an actual driver (what time does he have to get up? do they only get paid for the days they actually work? by the hour or day?) I would also interview the owner of the company.
10. Profile- Elvis in Tecumseh
Idea: There's a guy that lives in Tecumseh that rides around on a bike. He's...strange, to put it nicely. His entire house is decorated in pretty much everything you could possibly imagine. His car has super glued toys that you would find at McDonalds on it. When ever i used to take his order at where i used to work he always paid with $2 bills. I think he would be a fun person to sit down and talk to.
Idea: Figure out where the old needles go after they are used. I don't think very many people know this and I actually think that it would be an interesting story. People i could interview would be whoever is in charge of the waste receptacle at the office, a nurse or maybe someone who works for a company that takes the needles after they've been used.
2. Profile- I'm from a VERY small town and a guy that graduated the year before me plays minor league baseball and could even move up to play for the Tigers.
Idea: I could interview his high school baseball coach, someone from the community to get their reaction and then the guy himself.
3. Business- In the town I'm from there's also going to be a new diner opening (the owners also have one in another town). This is risky because every business that has ever opened in my town has usually gone out of business.
Idea: I would interview the person who's opening the business and then someone from the business.
4. How to- How to take all day trips to cheap places during the summer in a certain area
Idea: This might be a little difficult, but i think it could be pulled off. Look up certain places in an area near me and see if they have any attractions or fun things to do. In my area i know there's Hidden Lake Gardens or walking the trails in Tecumseh. I would interview someone you works at HLG or talk to someone from Tecumseh who maybe knows of somewhere else that's cheap that not many people know about.
5. Business- The place i used to work, which is an ice cream place, is not busy this year. Why?
Idea: I would interview the owner to see how it's affecting her profits. I would also interview people from the interview to see what they think about the situation. I believe that it's because the owner keeps having to raise her prices and because people are trying to save their money.
6. First Person- The Clinton Fall Festival is coming up!
Idea: There's a festival in Clinton that's been going on for as long as i can remember and there are so many things to do there. This includes walking around the vendors, eating lots of food, a parade, games and shows. I think this would be a good story because it could bring in more people to the festival in the years to come.
7. Profile- Doing an interview with my brother who's joined the Navy
Idea: I know that doing interview's with family members is probably not a good idea, but my brothers story is pretty interesting. He went from being someone who was terrible at school, amazing at sports, to dropping out of college, to admitting to be addicted to prescription drugs, to going into the Navy and hold a 98% in a trig class!
8. Participatory- Native American Pow Wow
Idea: I've actually been to one before, but it was a small one. It was probably one of the coolest things that i have ever done. You could join in dances, shop around or just talk to the people. I think that interviewing a Native American would be a really interesting interview if you ask them the right questions.
9. Business- Salt truck businesses during the winter
Idea: I don't really know much about what salt truck drivers do or the companies that they work for, so i think this would be a fun article. I would interview an actual driver (what time does he have to get up? do they only get paid for the days they actually work? by the hour or day?) I would also interview the owner of the company.
10. Profile- Elvis in Tecumseh
Idea: There's a guy that lives in Tecumseh that rides around on a bike. He's...strange, to put it nicely. His entire house is decorated in pretty much everything you could possibly imagine. His car has super glued toys that you would find at McDonalds on it. When ever i used to take his order at where i used to work he always paid with $2 bills. I think he would be a fun person to sit down and talk to.
Assignment #2
The article that i have chosen is titles "How to earn more frequent flier miles". The writer of the article tells people how they can earn more frequent flier miles by going shopping, paying bills and even selling your house. Then he tells you exactly how many miles you can earn with each company. Out of the 15 types of feature articles that we went over in class, this one falls under "How to".
In the text i found the definition of descriptive. I do not believe that this article is that descriptive. The only details that the writer gives about how many miles each airplane company will give you. There's really no person or scene to describe in this article.
One way that i believe that the article could be improved is maybe there could be a section about helpful tips for college students or people who don't have a lot of money and how they can earn more frequent flier miles (if there is such a way). A lot of people in America are struggling right now and i think that if the writer wants to help a lot more people who could have a section that is directed towards the two groups that i listed above.
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