FINAL!
To Drink or Not to Drink: A Not So Stupid Question
By JILLIAN STUDDARD
College can be seen as a very stressful time in a student’s life. Hofstra University senior, Danielle Levesque, 23, said after being in college for four years, she still doesn’t know how she fits in a part-time job, five classes and teaching aerobic classes at her university’s gym. A nice drink, she said, is sometimes required after a long day.
“It can get very stressful,” Levesque said. “I guess you just adjust yourself to being busy but sometimes it’s nice to go home and have a glass of wine. I don’t disagree with drinking alcohol but some people go too overboard with it. It’s not fun to go out sometimes because those people are just so annoying.”
She said during her freshman and sophomore years, she was out much more – almost every night. And by going out, she means drinking. Levesque and her roommates “drank because we thought it was cool, not because we needed to. There’s a difference in how I drink now and how I drank then.”
Nowadays, Levesque said she doesn’t need to go out and drink alcohol in order to maintain a social life. Her 23rd birthday was last weekend and she said she stayed in for the night.
“When I turned 18 up until I turned 21, the drinking celebration went on all week,” she said. “I just find that ridiculous now. It’s unneeded. I’ve done pretty stupid things while drinking and it just isn’t worth it.”
Missing class, texting a boy she shouldn’t have or waking up with a “disgusting” hangover, are some of the things Levesque admitted to doing while drinking.
Kelly Donegan, 22, has never been to college but holds a degree in cosmetology. She said that she never had the desire to experience the college lifestyle, yet she said that she went through the same types of experiences as others studying for a degree.
“I like to go out and have fun just like any other college student,” she said. “Just because I don’t hold a degree from a college doesn’t change things.”
Donegan said she goes out about three to four times a week. After a busy work week and the stress of trying to make ends meet, she said she enjoys going out for a couple drinks with her friends.
“Drinking can be a release,” Donegan said, “I know it’s not a solution, but I think I’m young enough that I don’t have to apologize for it. I like to go out because it breaks up the monotony. I’m a hairdresser; I sit down and listen to other people’s problems all day long.”
Like Levesque, she also said she went out much more when she was younger.
“In high school,” Donegan said, “my friends and I would drink every Tuesday night during our senior year. Just because. We would walk into first period with hangovers at 17 and I’m sure that didn’t stop with my class –which is actually kind of sad.”
She said she thinks her drinking will decrease over time. A career, a family and “acting normal in public” are more important than “making memories you won’t even remember.”
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nik.gov:80/pmc/articles/PMC2711502
http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/rpo995
Add a comment December 14, 2009
To Blog or Not To Blog…
Blogging is a very new thing. It’s taken off and there has been a very enthusiastic response. Anyone with fingers and a keyboard are able to access a blog and seeing as how they are extremely accessible, they are easy to use!
Journalism and the news is one thing, but I prefer blogging and the news, too. Of course, getting accurate information is the key point of a news story but blogging adds in an element of opinion which is interesting.
Someone’s point of view on a certain topic could very well be similar to mine or just as well be completely opposite. The comment feature on many blogs could make for an intellectually stimulating conversation. One that is a whole lot better than, “Did you see Jennifer Lopez fall at the AMA’s?” or “Did you hear Lady GaGa is a man?” But really, those types of conversations are happening in blogs every day. It’s just the point of relevancy and interest.
When Tim Parry came and spoke to our class, it was 1.) nice of him to take time out of his schedule to explain his profession/interests and 2.) it was inspiring. This man started a Fairfield County Football blog and now receives recognition from the community because of his love of football. He turned his interests into blogging and reporting and now a community reaps the benefits.
To have an entire community care about what you have to say, or make it a point to go to your site everyday (when there are millions upon millions to choose from) says something about your site and what you have to say.
I find blogging a new form of reporting and while some are on the fence about it, I say push forward. We could surprise ourselves with this new form of technology.
1 comment December 8, 2009
The Future of Journalism
The Internet has become such a constant in our lives that we don’t acknowledge its presence, we just know it’s there. We turn on our computers and we no longer have to wait for our dial up modem and the silly connections noises to come on anymore. We click our Internet Explorer desktop icon or our Safari button and we are good to go.
I don’t think newspapers thought readers were actually going to read the “newspaper” on their online sites. It was merely thought of as an afterthought for when the public was finished with the print article or after processing the evening news information.
The content is entirely free, so it’s not exactly surprising that people go directly online for their news information. Despite the “sickening financial slide” going on in journalism, no newspaper is going to be able to charge $20 a month in reader fees. $20 a year may be a bit more practical.
Actual print newspapers are overwhelmed by enormous newsprint, production and delivery costs. Which is financially devastating to companies we all know and acknowledge because slowly but surely the print version will become so minute. Most of us have Internet inside of our homes and some of us have it inside of our phones. Whose not to say that in five years, our newspapers won’t be delivered to our Blackberry every morning? For some people this is already reality.
Print newspapers require a fee in order to be delivered. Why can’t the Internet be the same? I love that the news on the Internet is free, but if newspaper companies are going to flounder, we won’t have news anymore! So it’s become this give and take, push and pull situation. Journalism online is a double-edged sword: we don’t want to pay for news, but the news relies on fees in order to run.
We expect the Internet news to be free because it was introduced to us as totally free. Which I feel was the first mistake.
1 comment November 24, 2009
Compare and Contrast
I chose the New York Times and the New Haven Register, mainly because these are two newspapers and magazines that are heavily circulated in this area. Locals get their information through NHR, and they can also get the news from our neighbor, New York along with the rest of the world.
In the New York Times, the unity of the site is somewhat symmetrical. It’s like one big puzzle, but I don’t feel confused. I admit there is more text than probably need be, but the abundance of information is necessary for their reputation. The contrast is incredibly refined. Everything is pretty easy to find, compared to some sites (cough cough The Daily Independent). I also liked their font, it’s consistent and looks impeccably neat and clean. Exactly the way The New York Times should look — in my eyes.
The New Haven Register is locally respected in terms of information and consistency. I find their site to be neat and clean and I appreciate their organization. The unity is…good. The font is mainly the same on the entire page. Although I would have preferred their logo to be a bit larger. It’s not nearly as big as it should be. Their ads are pleasantly placed out as well. I don’t feel bombarded to read an article and buy something at the same time, like some sites. The hierarchy in this Web site is also consistent, which I like. They showcase a main photograph, much like in the New York Times, only the NYT has more pictures and more information on their home page.
Both sites are extremely clean and “fresh-looking.” I would have to say that I would be more apt to visiting the NYT than the NHR simply because I like their site better, however, the NHR articles interest me just a little bit more. \
1 comment November 19, 2009
My Storyboard
1.) Adding a text component first will explain the point of the article and if the lead is good enough, reel them in to read more. I would like to explain the dangers of drinking and how it could possibly affect student’s lives. I think this would be extremely important to my story. Otherwise, people would take one look at it and think, “it’s just another story on teen drinking,” and I want it to be more than that.
2.) For the visual aspect of this project, I wanted to head out to the clubs and bars and find a group of people “have a good time.” This usually leads to alcohol. Grabbing a great picture of an entire group tossing back a shot or someone accidentally falling down with a drink in hand would further prove the point of my article.
3.) I would like to add a survey or poll to my article. This adds a user-friendly aspect and allows people to feel “a part” of the issue. Asking students/users if they drink for fun or if they drink too much could also raise issues on how much drinking is really going on.
4.) A map could also be added to pinpoint how many bars surround the campus’s near Southern, Quinnipiac, Yale and UNH (the most local schools). In doing this, we can see how available and convenient alcohol is to many college-level students.
1 comment November 19, 2009
Final Project: College vs. Alcohol
For my final project piece I was thinking of doing something along the lines of college drinking habits. Because of the popularity of alcohol amongst college students, I think I will get a very honest report on how college-aged students are drinking — and how it’s affecting their life.
I also wanted to interview high school students and see if they are experimenting with alcohol and how they feel about it being so young. This is just interesting to me because 1.) I do drink alcohol 2.) I enjoy going out with my friends but 3.) i also enjoy making fun of all the people who don’t know their limits. I want to find these people who don’t know their limits and see what their thoughts are on this very prevalent topic.
I will interview college-aged students, bartenders and underaged students and find out their views on alcoholism and the college lifestyle. Who misses class because of a late night, who makes the wrong decisions morally, sexually etc and who doesn’t drink at all. I’m very excited about the outcome of this project!
1 comment November 13, 2009
Addicted to the Web
Over the past few years, the Internet has been instrumental in networking, dating, banking, obtaining information and has been priceless in terms of college papers…
Web 2.0 is a smorgasbord of sites that allow us to network and communicate on the World Wide Web. Sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Linked In and Twitter have become a staple in our everyday lives. We check them as often as our email and rely on it the way we do our cell phones. In fact, some of us even send the Web sites to our cell phones so information is constantly at our fingertips.
I use these sites every day, multiple times a day and it is a key factor in how I communicate with people throughout my day.
For example, this Christmas my cousins and I planned a present for our grandparents completely through Facebook messaging. We all attend college and since we are on Facebook all day anyway we decided it would be the best place to communicate – rather than make fifty calls back and forth on our cell phones.
The appeal of these sites is that everyone is on them. They could be called trendy but these kinds of sites won’t be dying out anytime soon. They are a helpful tool in all forms of communication. On these sites we are able to use pictures, videos, messaging and links to other sites. Not only are they a fun way to correspond with friends, they are a fun way to correspond with new people. The Web reaches everyone from around the world. Just the other day I played a game on Facebook with a man from Egypt. It’s hard not to find these sites fascinating when occurrences like this happen.
1 comment November 11, 2009
Cash, Drugs and a gun in Manchester
Manchester Police seized $237,044 in cash, drugs and a gun after a routine traffic stop on Monday night.
Officer Christopher Morrissey stopped a car driven by Hector Rivera, 35, of 34 Spruce St, for license and window tinting violations.
According to Lt. Chris Davis, head of Manchesters detective bureau, Morrissey smelled marijuana as he approached the car.
Cops found $76,400 in cash in a bag on the back seat, and another $1,000 of cash on Rivera.
“They didn’t discuss how they came across this money,” Lt. Davis said, “or whose money it could have been. There’s no legitimacy we can determine for this money.”
Manchester police called in the East Central Narcotics Task Force after the traffic stop and they obtained a search warrant for Rivera’s home, which he also shares with his wife, Melissa, 32, at 34 Spruce St.
The search procured $157,592 in cash, 19.46 grams of marijuana, and a .32 caliber handgun.
Police documents indicated Melissa Rivera made $24,000 last year and the family relies on food stamps from the state.
Nine officers spent two hours counting the money, which totaled $237,044.
“When you’re seizing $236,000 from them,” Lt. Davis said, “I’m sure there’s more somewhere else.”
Add a comment October 22, 2009
Online Journalism 