Multi-Media Packaging

Sorry for the delay in posting something new for quite a while now, but had exams to write and assignments to hand in before I could take a breath and shout with relief.

My hands off to all those adults who work and are pursuing a certified course all at once, because it takes commitment to have a good grade at school and still produce quality work at your job.

Yes I do go to school! With the constantly changing climate in computer technology, I enrolled with the Antigua and Barbuda International Institute of Technology (abiit.edu.ag) to have a better understanding of computers and their history so took on a course in Webmaster.

Anyway enough about me, as you may have noticed from the heading we are exploring the world of multi-media story telling in Journalism. This is part of one month online course am pursuing with the Knight Centre for Journalism based at the University of Texas.

From a list of 5 websites we are supposed to choose 3 great multi-media packages and explain why we picked them.

I picked

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/?hpid=mmindex

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/forcedout/index.html

'Forced Out': The headline and picture grab your attention first off compelling the reader to explore the story further.
This package is very informative and I was drawn to it because of its interactive nature with links, graphs, video, audio, text and photographs.

Its home page includes narrated photos, graphics showing how landlords use the vacancy exemption clause to their profitable advantage and an interactive map.

The links at the top entitled 'Day 1' - 'About Series' give readers a close look at tenants who are victims and what information was unearthed by the reporter's investigation.

2. http://www.nytimes.com/pages/multimedia/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/25/nyregion/20071125_DNAI_FEATURE.html

'Exonerated, Freed and what happened Then': Have you ever wondered what happens to all those who served time in prison and have now been found innocent of the alleged crimes? Well this package gives you photos, audio, video and text so that you can interact closely with these people.

The package allows the reader to navigate from one person to the other to hear their voices narrate their ordeal. And mind you this also includes life after prison.

Related links show how many are coping with the outside world, as several were incarcerated as teenagers.

It also gives a level of insight into how far government is willing to go to help these individuals and if they received compensation.

3. http://www.interactivenarratives.org/

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=msnbc&tab=m5&rf=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/&fg=&from=00&vid=2109100b-ca09-4ea6-a093-0580592f1721&playlist=videoByTag:mk:us:vs:1:tag:hotvideo_m_edpicks:ns:MSNVideo_Top_Cat:ps:10:sd:-1:ind:1:ff:8A

'Daily Life of Iraq Kurdistan': How many of us have seen stories about post war Iraq or Kurdish life after Saddam Hussein?

This particular package for me was an eye opener as it shows different aspects of the region. Unlike conventional multimedia packages, this is presented mostly in video with special effects, audio (eastern music) with some still photos and little text , the story really grabs you. It leaves you knowing that life has definitely improved for these people despite the tight security measures enforced.

The viewer is taken through various images all representative of life after Saddam Hussein's persecution. You see a boy forced to be the man of the house and provide for his family by looking for scraps.

On a lighter note you see children and teenagers playing in an amusement park. Soldiers in training and how motorists don't mind being searched at check points.

The most compelling video footage the hospital with victims of land mines being attended to by nursing staff.

Microwave Popcorn

How many of us have rushed home at the end of the day and after getting every thing out of the way, sat in front of the TV with a big bowl of microwave popcorn?

The good news is it tastes good, but now I hear there's some bad news associated with the treat.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer http://health.howstuffworks.com/popcorn-lung.htm eating microwave popcorn has serious consequences. A chemical called diacetyl to give it that buttery flavor causes a severe lung condition. To get more information about what is going on click on the link.

No work, no flat belly !!!

It’s intriguing to realise that we are now more than ever being suckered into paying for the so called gimmicky diet pills, and belly fat burning offerings in the form of abs gadgets and trendy diets. Without learning our lesson that very few actually work!

I got onto the subject of abs after I saw this article that was warning readers about fad diets and pills. While promising me the secret of how to get flat abs, the said article had me read pages of print before telling me that the information I was seeking has a price tag attached.

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/flat-sexy-stomach.html


Am sure you have also been taken for a ride by such adverts in the past, thinly disguised as timely help.
How many of us through genetics, poor diet and just plain laziness succumb to letting our figures deteriorate that we are ashamed to wear close fitting clothes. We resort to very baggy clothes and call it fashion. The fashion and film industries also give a false sense of what the ideal body should look like contributing to making us feel even less attractive!!


Flat abs is all about working hard and eating right. I for one have a weakness for pastries and this unfortunately has been my downfall.


I do try to pace myself, but Lord its hard!
Fruits and vegetables, and mind u not that pre-packaged or canned stuff, but if u live near a fresh produce market or fruit farm, make time and get some. The effort will be worth your investment. This alone will not get u flat abs, but it is a start.


Before u go off to buy that recently advertised, enticing gadget that will give you the abs u desire, examine your diet as well. If it’s composed of sugary, salty and fatty foods you are doing yourself a disservice. Take heed and don't rush through your shopping to get what you are used to. Look closely at the type of food you are about to drop in your shopping cart or basket. Does it have too much sugar, salt or fat? If yes, look at different products you may have overlooked that are healthier and contain less of these offerings.


If you have the fortitude to work out aggressively, go ahead, but this will involve several months of hard work and not the three months that is often touted in advertisements.


A good looking body is usually about hard work and a commitment to keep looking good no matter the cost or sacrifice.


Get a good instructor, who has been in the business for a good while and actually know what they are talking about, if your pocket is able to afford one.


All in all my point is don't waste your money on quick fix solutions to solve your weight or flabby belly problems.

The 5Best and Worst Web news or blog headllines

Today is the last day to hand in our online assignment for the week and it called for participants to research and list the 5 best and worst web news or blog headlines.
This was very time consuming as it involved really digging into various news outlets online and individual blogs. Otherwise it was interesting as it also showed the variety of styles when it comes to writing headlines.
THE 5 BEST HEADLINES
1. Virtual Sex Toy Thefts Result In Real-Life Court Settlementhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,340469,00.html - The headline is very good and says exactly what the story is all about and lures the reader to read further.
2.Immigration agent charged with demanding sex for woman's green cardhttp://www.kdbc4.com/Global/story.asp?S=8052494&nav=menu608_2_1 - Readers will want to know how the immigration agent was caught just from reading the headline.
3.Another Day, Another Bill Clinton Quote http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/ - With the American election debate heating up, especially the race between Clinton and Obama, readers will always be drawn to anything that hints of gossip.
4. NBA players Need College? Prove It. http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop - Straight off the bat the reader was engaged in what the story promised in the headline.
5. Man hit by police Taser: "That's all you got?" http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Man_hit_by_police_Taser_That_s_all_you_got - makes you want to read more after reading the headline.

THE 5 WORST HEADLINES
1. my weekend http://employeecomedy.typepad.com/news/ - very cryptic doesn't say much and left wondering if author writing to themselves.
2. Score http://theupstatelife.blogspot.com/ - was under the impression that it dealt with actual scores of a game.
3. BVI to consider environmental legislation http://caribbeannetnews.com/news-6764--29-29--.html - The headline is not very effective in grabbing a readers attention as seems so dull.
4. SENTENCED TO JAIL ... Bedminister brothers receive combined 12-year prison term http://www.antiguasun.com/paper/?as=view&sun=375223018503232008&an=334824038803202008&ac=Local - more effective headline would be 'Antigua's lawn tennis hopefuls sentenced to 12 years for attempted murder'.
5. No magic wand - Shaw http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080323/lead/lead5.html -
The story is compelling as it tries to explain that it will be no easy task to replace revenue that is being scrapped, but the headline is very vague.

Popeshead Street

Living in Antigua and Barbuda I have grown to see things that make you wonder why people are so irresponsible when it comes to road safety issues.

If you have visited the Island and looking for action of the sexual kind, everyone knows that Popeshead street is the place to go and get your sexual fantasies satisfied.
As you know the streets in St. Johns are really narrow and parking on both sides of the street is a no-no especially on the side streets.

But listen to this, these patrons park on both sides of the road and even go further by double parking. The driving on this tropical island is atrocious and navigating this street is like driving thru a field of land mines.

Makes you wonder what the police are doing at night, or does the traffic department closed for business at this time? Can you imagine how much the government coffers would be able to accumulate just from one night??? Maybe someone should whisper into the new Police Commissioner's ear?

Blogs I like

1. The blog tastememory appeals to me as I love food and have always had an interest in preparing dishes that are visually pleasing and leave u craving for one more bite. I picked this particular blog because there is no conflict involved and its all about pleasuring the senses. Apart from that it grabs your attention with the well placed pictures. http://www.tastememory.com/

2. In the second blog http://blog.orbitz.com/ I was fascinated that I was able to travel to other places and get a feel of what they are like through other peoples eyes. I was able to learn about life after Katrina and how you can enjoy your vacation without being stuck to the confines of an all inclusive resort.

3. The 3rd blog caught my attention because the bloggers involved don't hold their punches when addressing issues e.g The Story behind the Story: The Clinton myth. I like the layout which gives u an idea of what the story is all about and where it falls in the scheme of things.

http://www.technorati.com/

This blogging thing is really interesting once u are able to manage your time properly and get the information you want promptly.

Comments on blog

This post is in response to an online Journalism assignment where we had to set up blogs and comment on other student's efforts.

I tried to look at several of my fellow participants blogs to get a feel of what each of us has done. I could not make up my mind about what should be put on the blog and started out with several issues that are close to my heart.

I tried to access Brenton's and Claudine's blogs with no success. Did anyone else have this problem?

Earlier in the week I looked at Vernon's and and Nazimar's. Which I found to be very informative as they are angled towards news (world and Caribbean). I preferred Nazimar's website which has more graphics and is more appealing to the eye in terms of layout. Vernon's website set up for the class assignment is too spartan in terms of looks . I much prefer his other personal blog
which also shows pictures from his life and travels.