And now for some local news.
Liquing Liu, a Chinese national, started a sex ring here in Minnesota. He would move around to avoid detection with his 100 Asian women.
These women were illegal immigrants and are being treated as crime victims not criminals, according to Sgt. Grant Snyder of the Minneapolis Police Department. The women were probably lured under the prospect of having a better life in America.
However, once here they were confined to the place of business and had to give most of their earnings to Liu.
This reminds me of the Korean comfort women issue during World War II. These women were often forced to become sex workers because of Japan's occupation in Korea. They, like these recent prostitutes, were usually paid nothing while having to endure squalid work conditions.
I just can't believe that this man, who probably knew poverty first hand, would deliberately deceive others in a similar situation.
I wish the article would have gotten a quote from him as to why he did it just so people could see how twisted his ethics are.
The article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/us/17brothel.html
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
What do your Facebook activities say about YOU?
Enough to attract dozens of research groups across the country, apparently.
One research group on the East Coast is studying how personal tastes, habits and values affect the formation of social relationships.
Another team at Penn State studied how individuals reacted to another person's friends count on Facebook. They found that people with many friends were perceived as popular, attractive and self confident. However, people with TOO many friends (800+) are seen as insecure.
But how accurate is the sampling on Facebook? Researchers are delving into that topic too. According to Eszter Hargittai, Facebook is popular among white, Asian, and Asian-American people, while MySpace is more popular for Hispanic students.
One Harvard team studies Facebook profiles of many students without their permission, which has sparked a debate about the ethical issues surrounding Facebook research. The laws in place currently allow the study of human subjects in a public setting, but whether Facebook is public domain or not is debateable.
I don't like the fact that potential job recruiters or anyone else can see my profile. I feel like because of this, many people are putting their Facebooks on "friends only," which doesn't open them to new people as much.
My Facebook is set to the Chicago network, but unless the person has a different connection to me, they can't see my profile unless they friend me. This is one of the safeguards in the system, but judging by this article, many people don't seem to use the security options available.
Is studying people's profiles without their permission ethical? Is Facebook really a viable research tool in studying social relationships?
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/style/17facebook.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
One research group on the East Coast is studying how personal tastes, habits and values affect the formation of social relationships.
Another team at Penn State studied how individuals reacted to another person's friends count on Facebook. They found that people with many friends were perceived as popular, attractive and self confident. However, people with TOO many friends (800+) are seen as insecure.
But how accurate is the sampling on Facebook? Researchers are delving into that topic too. According to Eszter Hargittai, Facebook is popular among white, Asian, and Asian-American people, while MySpace is more popular for Hispanic students.
One Harvard team studies Facebook profiles of many students without their permission, which has sparked a debate about the ethical issues surrounding Facebook research. The laws in place currently allow the study of human subjects in a public setting, but whether Facebook is public domain or not is debateable.
I don't like the fact that potential job recruiters or anyone else can see my profile. I feel like because of this, many people are putting their Facebooks on "friends only," which doesn't open them to new people as much.
My Facebook is set to the Chicago network, but unless the person has a different connection to me, they can't see my profile unless they friend me. This is one of the safeguards in the system, but judging by this article, many people don't seem to use the security options available.
Is studying people's profiles without their permission ethical? Is Facebook really a viable research tool in studying social relationships?
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/style/17facebook.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Monday, November 26, 2007
New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India
We've discussed how photos function in a story and how more and more articles are being accompained by video.
Sometimes, photos inspire stories, like NYT's front page story "New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India". The article is about the terrible working conditions of manhole cover makers in India. The article uses pictures to show the process.
Shirtless boys are shown carrying carrying molten metal that reached temperatures of 2552 degrees Fahrenheit. Another picture shows a shirtless boy in the foreground dripping with sweat while more shirtless boys surrounded a melting pot with sparks flying. Another picture shows a boy near a water pipe and another man sitting by two rows of manholes.
I really felt the heat and saw the conditions through these pictures. They really did make the story and were what drew me to the article.
Check out the rest of the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/nyregion/26manhole.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Sometimes, photos inspire stories, like NYT's front page story "New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India". The article is about the terrible working conditions of manhole cover makers in India. The article uses pictures to show the process.
Shirtless boys are shown carrying carrying molten metal that reached temperatures of 2552 degrees Fahrenheit. Another picture shows a shirtless boy in the foreground dripping with sweat while more shirtless boys surrounded a melting pot with sparks flying. Another picture shows a boy near a water pipe and another man sitting by two rows of manholes.
I really felt the heat and saw the conditions through these pictures. They really did make the story and were what drew me to the article.
Check out the rest of the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/nyregion/26manhole.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Saturday, November 24, 2007
‘Seaweed’ Clothing Has None, Tests Show
Another novelty article that I found amusing.
Lululemon Athletica is famous for using unique materials in its workout clothing. These materials include bamboo, silver, charcoal, coconut and soybeans.
One of its lines, VitaSea, claims that its products are made of seaweed. However, through a series of tests, it has been discovered that there is not actually any seaweed in the clothing.
The article briefly mentioned the duplicity in advertising. I would have liked to see this issue explored in greater depth, as opposed to the 2 lines the articles devoted to it.
The article then went into the financial history of the company. Within this section, it did include a quote from Deanne Schweitzer, Lululemon’s director for products and design, about investigating the seaweed shirt issue.
However, as with all business articles, I am left disappointed. =\
The article only cited one person's opinion of the faulty claim of the company. I would have liked to see more opinions, but given that the article was in the business section, I knew that wouldn't be its focus.
The full article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/business/14seaweed.html?pagewanted=2
Lululemon Athletica is famous for using unique materials in its workout clothing. These materials include bamboo, silver, charcoal, coconut and soybeans.
One of its lines, VitaSea, claims that its products are made of seaweed. However, through a series of tests, it has been discovered that there is not actually any seaweed in the clothing.
The article briefly mentioned the duplicity in advertising. I would have liked to see this issue explored in greater depth, as opposed to the 2 lines the articles devoted to it.
The article then went into the financial history of the company. Within this section, it did include a quote from Deanne Schweitzer, Lululemon’s director for products and design, about investigating the seaweed shirt issue.
However, as with all business articles, I am left disappointed. =\
The article only cited one person's opinion of the faulty claim of the company. I would have liked to see more opinions, but given that the article was in the business section, I knew that wouldn't be its focus.
The full article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/business/14seaweed.html?pagewanted=2
In Korea, a Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession
In Korea, a camp to cure internet gaming addictions has been set up.
The camp is designed to encourage kids to participate in real life activities such as horseback riding. They are denied computer access and are allowed a limited amount of time on cellphones.
South Korea, the most wired nation in the world, also has one of the worst internet addiction problems. Up to 30 percent of South Koreans under 18 are at risk of internet addiction, the article says.
I'm glad that internet gaming is being recognized as a viable addiction and that steps are being taken to help kids in need.
This article reminds me of the instance of death at the hands of Everquest, an internet game. 3 year old Brianna Cordell died of heat stroke while her mother, Mary Christina Cordell, was engaged in a multi-hour session of EQ. (http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2003/8/28-87)
This is another example on how technology affects our world. Not only does it cause a decline in newspaper sales, but a new addiction emerges.
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/technology/18rehab.html?ex=1196312400&en=1cc232c5d328f23b&ei=5070&emc=eta1
The camp is designed to encourage kids to participate in real life activities such as horseback riding. They are denied computer access and are allowed a limited amount of time on cellphones.
South Korea, the most wired nation in the world, also has one of the worst internet addiction problems. Up to 30 percent of South Koreans under 18 are at risk of internet addiction, the article says.
I'm glad that internet gaming is being recognized as a viable addiction and that steps are being taken to help kids in need.
This article reminds me of the instance of death at the hands of Everquest, an internet game. 3 year old Brianna Cordell died of heat stroke while her mother, Mary Christina Cordell, was engaged in a multi-hour session of EQ. (http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2003/8/28-87)
This is another example on how technology affects our world. Not only does it cause a decline in newspaper sales, but a new addiction emerges.
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/technology/18rehab.html?ex=1196312400&en=1cc232c5d328f23b&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Newspapers Applaud Decline in Print Sales?!
"Why Some Big Newspapers Applaud Some Declines in Circulation" is a headline I thought I would NEVER see. After all, newspapers have, until now, only been in print. However, the Internet is indeed a catalyst for change.
This article showed the deep connection between advertising and newspaper sustainability. Insert advertisers look to target groups of people in a certain zip code, not people from many different areas. Consequently, newspapers such as The Dallas Morning News, have begun to limit their distribution radius.
Newspapers have stopped using traditional forms of winning customers- cold calling, advertising and offering promotional discounts. Most of these readers terminate their subscription after the discount ends, making them hard to maintain. Advertisers are not willing to invest in these people either.
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E7DC1430F932A35753C1A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2
This article showed the deep connection between advertising and newspaper sustainability. Insert advertisers look to target groups of people in a certain zip code, not people from many different areas. Consequently, newspapers such as The Dallas Morning News, have begun to limit their distribution radius.
Newspapers have stopped using traditional forms of winning customers- cold calling, advertising and offering promotional discounts. Most of these readers terminate their subscription after the discount ends, making them hard to maintain. Advertisers are not willing to invest in these people either.
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E7DC1430F932A35753C1A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2
Silly String Can Save Lives!
Novelty stories are one type of story journalists look for. I found a particularly bizarre story in the New York Times yesterday.
Silly String, a popular party favor, is being sent to one American soldier in Iraq. Silly String can detect invisible bomb tripwires and potentially save lives. Marcelle Shriver, the boy's mother, set up a project to collect the product and has sent more than 80,000 cans to Iraq. Just for Kicks, the company who produces Silly String, has even donated some to Shriver. However, the company refused to say exactly how many cans were donated or how Shriver's campaign has helped revenues.
The rest of the article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/business/22silly.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Silly String, a popular party favor, is being sent to one American soldier in Iraq. Silly String can detect invisible bomb tripwires and potentially save lives. Marcelle Shriver, the boy's mother, set up a project to collect the product and has sent more than 80,000 cans to Iraq. Just for Kicks, the company who produces Silly String, has even donated some to Shriver. However, the company refused to say exactly how many cans were donated or how Shriver's campaign has helped revenues.
The rest of the article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/business/22silly.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Saturday, September 29, 2007
A Revealing Mistake
When I checked my Macalester e-mail account this morning, I stumbled upon an interesting "Bulletin Flash". Apparently, the Mac Weekly miscalculated data. "Rather than 45%, as reported in the article, 66.2% (321) of the 485 first-year students who matriculated in fall 2007 qualified for need-based assistance," Brian Linderman says.
This related perfectly to our talks of accuracy being the first priority in a newspaper. A blunder in a story like this lessens the credibility of a paper. It's also pretty embarassing to have the Director of Financial Aid correct your numbers in an e-mail to the entire school. I can only imagine how damaging an error like this would have been in The New York Times or any other major metropolitan newspaper. If it was a big issue, it would most definitely be televised and the paper would experience some financial hardships afterward (readers would most likely turn to a different paper for reliable news).
The article has a great concept, but I was a bit skeptical when I read such a huge drop in financial aid packages.
Here is the link:
http://media.www.themacweekly.com/media/storage/paper1230/news/2007/09/28/News/Financial.Aid.Numbers.Dip.For.A.Second.Year-2996295.shtml#more
This related perfectly to our talks of accuracy being the first priority in a newspaper. A blunder in a story like this lessens the credibility of a paper. It's also pretty embarassing to have the Director of Financial Aid correct your numbers in an e-mail to the entire school. I can only imagine how damaging an error like this would have been in The New York Times or any other major metropolitan newspaper. If it was a big issue, it would most definitely be televised and the paper would experience some financial hardships afterward (readers would most likely turn to a different paper for reliable news).
The article has a great concept, but I was a bit skeptical when I read such a huge drop in financial aid packages.
Here is the link:
http://media.www.themacweekly.com/media/storage/paper1230/news/2007/09/28/News/Financial.Aid.Numbers.Dip.For.A.Second.Year-2996295.shtml#more
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