Portfolio

QNet News February 16, 2011

http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=6282

Loyalist professor wins CBC book award

http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=6256

GPS system in Belleville buses causing more havoc than help

http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=7221

Radio student gets second chance with Second Career

http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=1045

Loyalist College goes green

http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=8611

 

Getting back into things..

It’s been six months since I was last in the broadcast part of things. I’ve touched on it briefly since then, working on things here and there…But now it’s time to actually pull it all together and throw out a news cast. Easier said than done I guess.

Tomorrow I will be shooting the Loyalist College open house along with a fellow classmate. Trying to remember what to shoot and how to edit will be tricky. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we go to air with our news cast for Q Net News.

My main interests are in the broadcast side of things, so it’s nice to have a break from the print/online part for awhile. I do like print though, as you can have so much more freedom with the length of your pieces. So far I haven’t been told I wrote something that is too long. Broadcast is something else though. You have to try and get everything out in restrained amounts of time…Like a full story in a minute.

How much?

This article describes the hardships that are being endured in order to find out how much money the Olympics held in Vancouver will cost overall. The New Democratic Party launched an appeal to get access to more information on the money being spent and after initially being denied they received a letter from VANOC vice-president John McLaughlin originally wrote to the government in March. The letter was asking for more money for described projects that would have beneficial outcomes. Although the NDP gained access to this, important pieces had been removed from it; the cost and what projects they were proposing.

The Province, political columnist Michael Smyth had this story published November 19^th 2009.  Smyth is an experienced journalist who has been in the field for over 20-years writing for Canadian Press and also a regular on television and radio. Smyth writes this in an opinion aspect as he proclaims some of the points personally by using “I”.  Smyth started writing sports before moving on to politics which gives him knowledge on the Olympics but does not necessarily leave a bias.

The article uses a quote from VANOC vice-president John McLaughlin as well as refers to work the NDP has done in this case. The NDPs involvement in this article was they were trying to request documentation regarding the Olympic budget.

After reading the article many questions popped into my head. My main question was how much money is the government spending to make the Olympics happen and how much are they expecting to make in revenue. After researching this I found some articles stating some of the costs that are being covered by the 20 million dollar Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Fund. $65,000 is being spent on 6,000 Olympic banners to hang around Vancouver while $25,000 was spent on a four page newspaper supplement in the Vancouver Sun. Also an article published January 27^th 2010 in the Globe and Mail stated that $377,000 was spent handing out tickets to members of City Council and their spouses for free. The taxpayers money could have been spent on other things, such as the four full time work positions that were eliminated this winter.

For the past few months the Olympics has been something that I have taken interest in. Not for the glory that most Canadians associate with it but because I feel the money could be spent a bit more wisely and distributed to other places in need of it. Over the past year I have read many articles against the Olympics and their spending and in trying to keep and unbiased reflection I have also read many that are pro Olympics. I do think that they are a great asset for our country, but at what cost. How much money is Canada willing to swindle and take from the public to hold these ‘games’. 

I enjoyed reading the article as it did give insight in to a part of what goes on within the Olympic planning. It left a desire to find more information and get more opinions on the spending.

Money-Hungry

In this article by Dan Gardner, he says that Olympics are being funded by the government on public money to endorse healthy lifestyles. With that, companies as powerful as Coca-Cola and McDonalds are paying mass amounts of money to be official sponsors of the Olympics. These companies are associating their own brand with the Olympics to further endorse themselves. This is contributing to obesity that the government is trying to fight, by spending billions on the Olympics.  This article was published by The Ottawa Citizen on February 20^th 2010. Author, Dan Gardner is a columnist and senior writer with The Ottawa Citizen, Gardner is a respected author who has won awards such as The National Newspaper Award in 2002. This article is an opinion piece. Gardner is completely biased throughout the article and even goes as far to say,

“And then I remember Cindy Klassen is making a good buck pitching crap. To kids. My kids. And that makes me want to stuff an Egg McMuffin down her throat.”

While Gardner explains his negativity towards Cindy Klassen and the Empire of McDoanlds and Coca-Cola, he makes his bias evident as he explains the target of this market is to children. Gardner does catch himself saying this in reference to Klassen.

“Not that I would, you understand. I’m sure she’s a perfectly lovely person.”

This article doesn’t directly quote anyone besides Gardner himself. He does however use exerts from the McDonalds website and commercials. Cindy Klassen, Canada’s famed athlete is used in the McDonalds commercial eating a McMuffin, when a McDonalds employee walks up to her the commercial recognizes that they will both be going to the Olympics. Thus leading viewers to believe that Klassen eats McDoanlds every once in awhile. Gardner is trying to say that, with the rising obesity rate, the Olympics are funded to advertise against obesity, but major sponsors like McDonalds are doing the exact opposite. By using athletes in their commercials it makes it look okay to eat the junk that McDonalds serves. To me this article just proves how desperate the Olympics are for money and getting publicity. I’m sure without junk sponsors they wouldn’t be doing to bad.

For myself, this article proves the controversy that surrounds the Olympics. The fact that they are money hungry, and will go to all extents to ensure they receive the most publicity and money. Seeing a Canadian athlete advertising for McDonalds is alarming, seeing how I highly doubt she eats there regularly.

This shows how big corporations have taken over the world. McDonalds is the highest grossing fast food chain, and has had a ton of celebrities endorse their product. I guess in the world of business and money it is normal to exploit people and do whatever it takes to make tons of money. I highly doubt Cindy Klassen was relying on her McDonalds cheque to send her to the Olympics.

For McDonalds all publicity is good. Even after the documentary Supersize Me, McDonalds is raking in the cash. So for them to advertise with the Olympics is just another way of showing the world how great they think they are.  

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/lovin+Olympic+junk+food+peddlers/2588131/story.html

Canada still has a long way to come

The Indian Act states that if a native woman marries a non-native, than their children cant carry status, but not their grand children. If a native man marries a non-native, status can be carried for two generations. The government is now extending status to two generations for women. This decision came after Ottawa lost a court case against how women are treated differently than men.

This article was published for CBC News with information from Canadian Press. No author is directly referred to in this article. It was published March 11^th 2010.

The article does not have any bias as it is not an opinion piece. It is based on factual information.

The article quotes Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Chuck Strahl. Strahl expresses that this is a ‘gender equity issue.’ Strahl is directly involved in this article as it is his job to represent this issue for the government.

 Strahl expresses his point throughout the article. His thoughts are important because he is a person who can change the outcome of what parliament decides.  

I wonder how the government knows what to base these decisions on of who can earn Indian status.

I never realized how Indian status worked, and that in 2010 native women were still not getting the same treatment as native men. This makes me question how long it will take for the passage of the bill. I also wonder if in a few years the subject will come up again, and status will be handed out to third generations. This article gave me a really uneasy feeling. I thought a civilized country like Canada would at least have better equality laws by now. I didn’t think they would be pro-longing a case like this. Despite the fact that it’s unfair, it looks terrible on our nation.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/03/11/status-indian.html

UGGs are more than just ugly…

                 This article was found in the star.com website by Nicole Baute the living reporter for healthzone. http://www.healthzone.ca/health/yourhealth/women’shealth/article/781947–girls-love-uggs-but-comfy-can-be-trouble-say-doctors?bn=1

            Baute reports that the UGG boots, worn by women around the world, are actually bad for your feet! Podiatrists are saying that the boot can leave a knock-kneed effect and cause leg and back problems. The boot has little support and should only be worn as a slipper. Despite this, UGGs seem to be leading the fashion world for several years.

            The Australian boots can cost up to $425 Canadian. For that amount of money you would hope your getting a good supportive shoe. But the price isn’t stopping consumers from buying them. Even in the spring and well into summer everywhere you look mini-skirts and UGG boots are being worn. Whatever happened to the flip-flop? Sure, flimsy sandals aren’t the best for foot support either, but when you can spend around 10-dollars for a pair how is there even competition.

            UGG, not only makes their classic Australian sheep-skin boot but you can find a variety of shoes, accessories and yes…even flip flops…which by the way start around 45-dollars Canadian. So, what has ultimately baffled me is the price of all this.

            I’m just as guilty as everyone else, spending ridiculous amounts of money on clothing and shoes. But at least when I do, I know I’m getting some kind of quality out of it. My clothing needs to last years and give me comfort. And above all not ruin a part of body. I will never understand the UGG epidemic that has taken over.

            UGG is short for one thing- UGLY.

Peanut free!

Two out of every hundred Canadian children have peanut allergies, this meaning over 100 thousand. In a Global segment reporters investigate British doctor’s new plans to eliminate this allergy in the next three years. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/global-video/index.html?category=National+Post/Global+News&video=9WvHoYdl_K_IwlOXCuieUU6D0Vz3_jq0

More than 100 children will be tested in this study, that the British Health Department is conducting, costing over 1 million Euros. Children will be given small doses of peanut butter that eventually will build to be the equivalent of five peanuts per day.

This study has evolved from an initial trial that eliminated allergies to 20 out of 23 children.

Studies like this in the past have been successful in eliminating allergies, like bee stings and pollen. But this will be the first and largest study to do with food.

Finding food for children that doesn’t contain nuts can be difficult for most parents. The majority of items sold have warning labels stating ‘may contain traces of nut or peanuts.’ Although this does not always mean the food has peanuts in it, it’s not a risk people are willing to take.

Many schools across Canada have become peanut free to assist this deadly allergy. Products are being manufactured stating in bold writing on packaging ‘PEANUT FREE’. For companies to produce peanut free products is a big step. Quaker, makes varieties of food some containing nuts, but has separate operations for food claiming to be nut free.

The allergy is an unnecessary part of many Canadian lives. Parents have to deal with children wanting food that they can’t eat, and ensuring everything going into their mouth is safe. When children grow up and are suited to make these decisions on their own more problems arise. Things like who you are friends with or even relationships can take toll on peanut allergies. Many people are not able to have the experience of exchanging a kiss with someone for the fear that they could have eaten a peanut product. Not all fatalities from peanuts are created by personal consumption.

If a cure was made available to the public for this allergy many people would be positively affected by it, but it is still in the works and questions are still being raised about its reliability and affects it has on the people using it.