Shutter Speed

This is EVIL

2008-04-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Is anything too much these days? The Yale Daily News is reporting that one of their senior art students, Aliza Shvart made abortion into an art project she will display next week:

Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself "as often as possible" while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.

Apparently Shvart found men willing to donate their sperm for the project, but don't worry world, they weren't paid. And then she forced miscarriages over a 9 month period, without consulting a doctor.

Really, is this a joke! Who would approve this project? Shvart does say that she is hoping to spark a conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body. Oh boy if this is true, I can only imagine what would happen.

As a journalist, I think that I would have trouble covering and reporting this objectively. How could any one with a soul do that? I would hope this were joke, but I really do not know what I would do if I was assigned this piece. I think it would haunt me.

I hope that she shared this information to spark controversy without actually doing the project. According to the article, not many people or groups around the campus knew what she was doing. So their is a possibility that this is false. If this is true this is disgusting and disappointing.

Travel Channel Boot Camp

2008-04-17T05:16:00.001-07:00

Just for you seniors out there. The Travel Channel offers this cool 4 day course in film making boasting, "Introducing Travel Channel Academy - the only professional-grade, travel-focused digital film making boot camp on the planet."

It's a bit pricey at $2000, but it seems like a good way to network.

Airing Some Dirty Laundry

2008-04-17T04:39:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Tricia Welsh-Smith, wife of Philip Smith, president of the Shubert Organization, the largest theater owner on Broadway and self proclaimed writer, actress and good egg has made a YouTube video about the ugly details of her failing marriage.

But even more importantly her sex life! Or lack there of. Welsh-Smith claims in the video that she and her estranged husband who is 30 years her senior never had sex. So she makes a phone call asking his daughter, who is the same age as Welsh-Smith, what she do with the Viagra, porn and other dirty things she bought.

This is ugly, ugly, ugly. This video was not a spur of the moment, product of anger. Instead, Welsh-Smith had a camera crew come to her apartment in New York and record this video in high definition, and throughout the video it is clear that she is going to post this on YouTube.

This is citizen journalism at its juicy worst. Now socialites can post the dirt from their marriage (or divorce) before the tabloids, and gossip columns get hold of this and start speculating. Yet has she saved her self embarrassment? I don't think so.

First off she is very emotional in the video and obviously very mad. This video then is a means to one embarrass her husband and two garner a sympathetic fan club for Welsh-Smith, who repeatedly claims that this divorce is unwarranted.

Sure this is ugly, but who doesn't love a good scandal in the morning.

Keeping up the Space Theme

2008-04-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's first pitch at Yankee Stadium during the Red Sox, Yankees game actually happened thousands of mile above homeplate. Out of this world!

What's the Matter?

2008-04-17T04:11:00.000-07:00

The New Scientist blog is reporting that scientists in Italy say they are on the verge of explaining what "dark matter" actually is. Apparently for years science has argue that this phenomena has even existed.

The controversy dates back to 1998 when the DAMA collaboration claimed it had found evidence for particles of dark matter passing

through its detector located in an underground laboratory deep within the Gran Sasso mountain, Italy. Dark matter is the invisible,

mysterious stuff thought to make up nearly 90% of matter in the universe.

I find it fascinating that there is still some much about space that no one on Earth knows about. I wasn't alive in the 1960s, but there seemed to be an overwhelming belief in pop culture that we would be traveling from planet to planet, solar system to solar system already.

And yet, we are no where close. It seemed that 50, 40 even 30 years ago technology was growing and advancing at unworldly rates. Sure that happens with electronics, I am well aware that the laptop I bought last summer is old and out dated.

But what about space exploration? Americans landed on the moon in 1969. That's almost 40 years ago. Since then, almost nothing has happened. There is a space station, and a robot went to Mars... and that's it. Is it possible that conspiracy theorists are correct? Is there a huge bunker somewhere in the desert that hosted the entire moon landing? It's an interesting thought...

Boys Gets Stabbed in Head with Dull Butter Knife

2008-04-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Tyler Hemmert an 11 year old Vancouver Boy was sitting in the park with a friend of his. Suddenly another boy comes by and stabs him in the head. The Today Show ran the story on this morning's broadcast.

The 11-year-old Vancouver boy needed doctors to remove a butter knife from his head on Sunday. He says he and friend Nate Leach were sitting on a park bench when another boy became angry with them and hurled the knife.
Nate ducked. Tyler didn’t.

To read the article watch the video accompanying this click here.

Why does this seem like its such a big joke! Meredith Vieira interviewed Hemmert and his father and everyone seemed to laugh it off as if to say: "That's right, I'm that guy."

Hemmert ended up being perfectly fine. But this is not a light hearted, my puppy saved little Timmy from the well kind of story. A young boy threw a knife at another young boy. It was lodged in his head! This is a problem.

I know that the morning shows prefer to keep the news light, but their audience is mothers. Isn't it? Would any mother who's kid's head was at the receiving end of a dull knife in flight be a little bit more up in arms about this. Was this a neighborhood bully picking on some kids? If so this is a problem.

The story is not that a boy was stabbed in the head, rather what are children doing in their neighborhoods after school and on weekends. And are the bully initiatives really working in school systems?

The End For Couric??

2008-04-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

The New York Times is reporting that Katie Couric is set to leave her job at CBS earlier than expected...Way earlier. Originally Couric was contracted to anchor The Evening News into 2011. Now there are reports that she will depart CBS in February after the presidental elections. There have even been reports that she could go as early as two weeks.

The evening news shows have been losing popularity at hurricane wind like pace. CBS with the addition of Couric has had record low audiences. But is it because of Couric or is it because there is simply no audience for the that type of news venue.

It's hard to tell if Couric made a mistake by leaving the Today Show. It's hard to tell if anyone really cared. The Today show has not suffered much in terms of ratings and the other reporters on the show don't really seem to miss her. I liked her, but I like Meredith Vieira just as much. Vieira seems more comfortable and natural in the position anyway. If I were Couric I would go to my upper East Side Mansion and have my millions of dollar bills consol me.

I HEART Money

2008-03-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

This new five dollar bill entered circulation yesterday...

Like I need a reason to spend more money. I absolutely love the purple. My vote is to get the 100 bill in haute pink! Maybe a tiara on good ol' Mr. Benjamin. That would be FIERCE.

Gnooze

2008-03-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

I just found this funny site called Gnooze. Everyday there is a three minute funny rant about the three top headlines of the day.

Check it out:

HMMM...

2008-03-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

I think the real tragedy here is that this women was missing for two
years and no one bothered to check.

NESS CITY, Kan. - Deputies said a woman in western Kansas sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years, and they're investigating whether she was mistreated.Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said a man called his office last month to report that something was wrong with his girlfriend.Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman’s skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital. (AP.com)

And where did her Prince "Charming" go to do his business?

Working Girl?!

2008-03-14T10:55:00.001-07:00

From prostitute to pop star? By now the everyone has heard of the young call girl that took NY Governor Eliot Spitzer literally to the cleaners. So her real name, I think, is Ashley Youmans, her stage name is Ashley Alexander Dupre and her call girl name is Kristen. Who ever she is today, she may have stumbled into something big!Turns out, she has many, um talents. Shes a singer too! Yesterday top radio station z100 played one of her tracks, and people actually loved it! Two of her songs are listed on Amie Street (a website that hosts independent artists songs and lists them from free to 98 cents according to their popularity). Before the shout out her songs were worth a measly 16 cents. Today 98 cents. Gotta love this country.

Work Girl!

Um...Can They Do This???

2008-03-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

One of Harvard's on campus gyms has created women only hours for their Muslim compatriots who wish to get their workout on with out men trying to get their hit-on..going on. OK BAD JOKE.

The premise is that a handful of Muslim women with the university's women center asked campus if women only hours were possible so they did not have to feel the discomfort of showing some skin. I find no problem with this. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable and safe, especially at a place that presumbly they go more one time a week.

BUT...

Where are the men's hours. Maybe guys would like to work out in an cutest pie estrogen free zone. Did any one ask them?

Hollywood's BEST Friends

2008-03-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Today Show has postesd a slide show of the CUTEST companions in Hollyood. Too cute!

"Bruiser" Legally Blonde

Here is my little guy. Get ready now... AWWW!!

Let's All Get Some Guns!

2008-02-28T12:24:00.001-08:00

How do I say this diplomatically...???

This is the worst F@!$ing idea I have ever heard of!

Ok, I get it. Two birds with one boulder. I understand people are a little uneasy these days on college campuses. I understand that the Army is always trying to recruit new soldiers. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM!

As a student, let me emphasize student, participating in the ROTC program cadets are not in the military. A contract is signed for military service, and training is done throughout their college career for the future, but CADETS are not the protectors of campuses.

This is the same as saying lets' allow the baseball team to bring bats to class just in case. You on the hockey team? Great! Bring your stick. Why do we let the archery team bring their bow and arrows? Criminal justice majors, suit up you'll be solving all the crimes on campus now. Pre-med students you'll be running the city's operating rooms.

This is a ludicrous, ridiculous, and any other -ous word that you can throw at this.

UM...Can They Do This???

2008-02-24T18:27:00.000-08:00

Lawmakers in Mississippi are trying to solve the American obesity problem by starving fat people out of their state. Apparently, the state has the highest obesity rate in the country. So lawmakers have proposed a bill that would make it illegal for restaurants to serve anyone who has a high body mass index. How long before they ban women with high shoe indexes from department stores?

Cub Reporter

2008-02-24T18:13:00.000-08:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I am starting to get butterflies about my upcoming graduation in May. I mean I actually have to leave the cushy world of college and horror of horrors ...get a job.

While in the midst of being overwhelmed, I found this great site for young journalists called cubreporters.org

It is a one stop shop for advice from professionals, newspapers that offer jobs to new journalists and links to various journalism websites that you will use throughout your careers along with many other resources.

Enjoy!

Snowball Fight!

2008-01-24T12:32:00.000-08:00

Has the "You Tube" age that we live in claimed another victim?

As unusually high amounts of snow fell in Fairfax County, Va school officials made the unpopular decision to keep classes in session, forcing many kids out of their snow forts and onto the bus. Outraged by this, Senior Devraj "Dave" Kori placed a call to Dean Tistadt, the Chief Operating Officer for Facilities and Transportation of Fairfax County, and left a unpublished message in Tistadt's voicemail.

To his surprise, (and I'm sure overwhelming glee) Kori's call was returned by Tistadt. But oh no...not by Mr. Tistad, but by an infuriated Mrs. Tistadt.

Here is the message:

In this Internet power age where a photo of you drunk at a party can be seen in homes of everyone you know before you have the chance to sober up, a death of a celebrity can be broadcasted before the ambulance has left the front of the building, or a enraged message can be sent to an entire school district before the 3 o'clock bell rings, where does the line get drawn?

I have lived through some extremely embarrassing moments, participated in excruciating adolescent performances and even though I swear I have tried to destroy the evidence, some video footage may still exist out there. Thank God, these moments are fleeting. I can't even image having to re-live some of the asinine stunts I've pulled, along with people in Oklahoma, Alaska, the Today Show audience and China.

Is there any such notion anymore of the private citizen? The privacy protection laws seem null and void when any joe with a camera and a computer can make anyone, including them self, an over night Internet sensation. And when that happens, TV shows get wind of this and suddenly a new demographic is introduced to these everyday "You Tube" superstars. Is it only a matter of time before the peeping Tom creates a website dedicated to his daily findings from around the neighborhood? Who cares if they can sue, if their private life has been seen by people in places that they have never dreamed of travelling to? At what point is too much information, too much information?

Sugar We're Going Down

2008-01-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks world! Things are not looking good... The housing market is in CRISIS.

To me this is sort of a valubale lesson in kharma. Selling sub prime mortgages to people that can not nearly afford it and making them think they can is wrong. People were taken advantage of in a BAD way. This is wrong. Becoming more rich by taking advantage of the middle class and lower middle class is WRONG.

It is sad because even though the very rich are feeling it now its those families just scrapping by that are going to feel and are feeling the brunt of it. It is not right to dangle the "American dream" in front of people's face and say this can all be yours. Give them the means to think they can have it then rip it away. EVIL.

President Bush Breakfast with Life Suporters Marchers

2008-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

photo by: Elaine Thompson - AP

President Bush voiced his support yesterday for the March for Life Rally, an annual anti-abortion rally that comes together to reject the Roe V Wade decision that was some 35 years ago and is still extremely controversial.

I don't understand why President Bush is standing up for the unborn fetus, but tolerates close to 4000 deaths in Iraq? I am not against the war, but I think it is a bit funny that people can reason why some killing is OK and other is immoral. Just a thought.