Summer in December

So I have decided that I miss laying out everyday on beautiful islands and beaches with Jen. I wish I could be back in Dubrovnik Croatia. We would take the ferry across the sea to the beautiful island of Croatia...oh the few weeks ago that I was tan....

Ramblings of a Monday.

I am pretty sure I am the worst blogger in the entire world. The only step ahead of someone who might be worse than I am, is someone who does not have a blog. I am quite horrible at updating my blogs on a regular basis. But since I am avoiding homework at this exact moment, I thought I would share what has been going on.

There is only 39 days until I graduate. December 18 at 2 p.m. at Harvest Christian Fellowship, I will graduate with my B.A. in English...presuming I pass my classes. I would also like to point out that it took me less than 4 years to complete my degree, but by no means am I complete with school. Just the undergraduate portion of my life.

In 10 short days, I will complete the single most important paper of my life. This is my capstone portfolio. Once I complete this, my English degree requirements will be complete. This is a huge step. I have been working on this paper for over a year and it is finally coming time to submit it to a panel. This is very scary. My worse fear is the panel will say "Oh sorry, you suck. Better luck next time." Which, if this is the case, is something I will just learn to deal with.

I have been struggling with quite a few things in my life lately. I am learning a lot, some things I do not really want to know, but I suppose that is just a fact of life.

I will start a credentialing program for special education next semester and hopefully complete this withing the next year and a half. I never thought I would want to teach a special education class, but for some reason or another, this summer I was just drawn to it. Which is weird, considering nothing this summer was in relation to this sudden change of interests.

I am still longing to move overseas and cannot wait to see it that is the way things will work out.

I have decided that forgiving quickly is the only way to be happy. People are dumb and they suck at times, but there is no need for that to bog me down. No need to stress over things. As long as I am living the way intended for my life, all should be well... easier said than done.

As you can see, a lot is going on. A lot is changing. A lot is going to change. A lot has happened. I continue to move forward in hopes of reaching my goals and actually learning a few things along the way. I am trying to invest in the relationships around me that are meaningful and fruitful and letting go of those that are surfaced and shallow. I have decided to be more honest with people regardless. I realize that I may come across mean because of this, but I have also realized that being honest about everything is more important than lying to spare someone's feelings.

Local Newspapers

Take a look at the following blog:
http://www.minnpost.com/insideminnpost/2009/10/19/12627/a_modest_proposal_for_federal_funding_of_journalism
It is kind of interesting the things this blog is saying. What is next for journalist? At the end of the blog, a few questions are asked… What do you think? Should the federal government support public-affairs journalism? Should journalism enterprises be willing to take the money? If so, how should the dollars be distributed?
I think that Journalism is changing. I think journalists need to find some new way to find support for their publications. I do not thing the federal government should support public-affairs journalism. Just like any other job, journalist and production companies should be able to find their own revenues to produce a publication. If I started my own business, I would be expected to find people willing to invest in my company. I would be required to find people to work in the company, find a way to pay the employers, and find a way to not bankrupt my company. I think the same is true for journalists. Many newspapers are funded by subscription fees and ads. Times are rough with the economy, and every business is suffering, so why should the field of journalism be any different. I was watching the news earlier this week and different news companies are looking for things on blogs. People are interested in what other people have to say and what other people think. ABC 7 has a “what’s bugging you” segment in which writers write in about the things that are bugging them. Then a reporter will go out and investigate this topic. Pretty much the public is giving the news company ideas to write on and report about. So if a big news company can find different outlets for news, then newspapers should be able to do the same.

By all means, newspaper companies should be able to ask investors to take part in their production. But by no means should government funding need to go to newspapers. Everything is online now. Everything can be found by the click of a mouse. Blogs are becoming a more known outlet for things that are going on. You do not need government funding for a blog.

This blog refers to a report found at the following link:
http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/cs/ContentServer/jrn/1212611716674/page/1212611716651/JRNSimplePage2.htm

The report “proposes new steps for maintaining a vibrant, independent press, with special emphasis on local "accountability journalism" that is essential to civic life.”

In my opinion, the local newspaper is important. I think that newspapers are very reliable sources of news and a great way for people to know what is going on in the world. But advertising revenues are falling. Due to this, paper size and staffs are shrinking, and some newspapers have even stopped production. Though this is a horrible situation, I still do not think government funding is a way to fix that. But then again, we are already in tons of debt, what is another few million dollars, right?
I think it is time for newspapers to get creative on getting their news out there in a more cost efficient way.