Breaking Tweets Entertainment

Just a slight plug: I am now writing for Breaking Tweets Entertainment, so please go check it out!

"Breaking Tweets Entertainment was founded April 20, 2009 as an affiliate site of Breaking Tweets. In contrast to Breaking Tweets, which focuses on world news, BT Entertainment compiles the latest entertainment news and Twitter feedback on that news.

BT Entertainment will cover four main areas of the industry: television, music, movies, and celebrities. Content will include reviews, reactions, controversies, concerts, award shows, castings, and appearances/sightings.

Tweets are manually selected by editors and arranged to tell a story in a journalistic style, including transition paragraphs. Tweets are essentially treated as quotes. Those with pictures, videos, and/or eyewitness accounts from the scene are priority, while tweets with instant reaction to the news will also be selected.

Sites on the Breaking Tweets Network seek to prove the value of Twitter as both a breaking news source and journalistic platform."

Thoughts and opinions on this new form of media? I would love to hear it because I have my ideas too.

Random Note...on journalism

I have been doubting my career choice as of late. I'm not worried about the money or whether or not I can even get a job, I am more worried about the reputation and the implications associated with becoming a journalist.

I recently had an incredibly compelling discussion at the Hinman lunch table where my friend and one of our ISRC fellows talked about their personal ideas on the media and what the Internet has done to our society. Not a new conversation, media credibility is always a topic I struggle with. I spend most of my days giving people the benefit of the doubt, always giving even the most dreadful people room to prove me and my judgments wrong. Another way to look at it, you can also say that I oftentimes trust people and think they are good or "innocent" until proven guilty. Sure, I have learned during my time in college, in the workplace, on the streets and definitely in my time back in high school, but I think my optimistic side continues to flicker and refuses to be blown out. Call me naive, I would like to think that everyone in this world has some good. But, in this conversation over lunch, I realized that my arguments are frail and hardly hold themselves up. I increasingly became discouraged -- became critical of what my role is in society and as a journalist, more immediately, on campus. He criticized the Daily and other publications (professional and school-related) and how reading the printed or broadcasted news always leaves him less inclined to read more because of all the bias and mistakes. I tried to justify each piece of his argument, but I myself hardly believed the words coming out of my mouth.

Today, I was faced with an issue at NBN that reflected exactly what he said and that bothered me. In fact, I faced another unethical situation weeks ago. Every time, I become bothered, losing faith in the media myself. Without a doubt, I do my best to uphold journalistic integrity because it directly affects my own personal integrity and moral standards. I'm not trying to preach as if I'm sitting on a high horse. I will admit that I have made mistakes, occasionally knowingly, but I'm not proud of it and do my best to rectify my mistakes. That said, the fact that I make mistakes does not justify others having poor ethics in any way. I am glad that I spoke my mind today because, to me, people should vocalize their thoughts if they have a problem with something. Fortunately for me and, in my opinion, NBN, my friends and my actions and opinions helped us from posting a story with extremely unethical reporting. That said, I don't think this is the end. This story, while small in comparison with other amazing stories and features we pubish, is only a sign of the kind of restructuring that needs to be done -- not only within the publication's staff but in a more personal manner.

I challenge everyone to reevaluate why they do the things they do. Do you ever let things slide? If so, why? What does that say about your character? Do you ever do something or say something, knowing that it is unethical? What makes it acceptable in your mind?

I guess that raises the question: why am I still pursuing journalism even though there are such negative perceptions of the media? I think, with all the lunch discussions and Medill learnings, I realized that there are still people out there (if not slim pickings) who uphold moral integrity and that is a sign of hope, even if it's a sliver. I think that if I choose to drop out of journalism, which has never crossed my mind as a serious possibility, I will simply be running away from a problem -- inaction. For now, I guess I would say that I am choosing to continue studying journalism on the basis that, if I choose to be critical of my own actions and choices and keep to my principles, I can prove that real, genuine reporting still exists.

That's a big goal and a lot of big talk, and I surely don't know if I can do it. If I can, I surely can't do it alone.

I guess it's a challenge for journalists out there to prove people wrong and not just accept things as they are because, I'm hoping, there is a chance to shed some positive light on the media.

03/17: Jam Session

Quote I found on a friend's blog:

"If logic is telling you one thing, and yet you're torn, it's because your gut is telling you the opposite."

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Antigua

On our very last day in Antigua, we stood in the heat under the glaring sun to experience the procession that people rave about. It was absolutely gorgeous. Religiously unaffiliated, I personally noticed the greater sense of community that pervaded the entire ceremony.





These beautiful designs were made out of colored sawdust and the procession eventually just trampled over the entire design, which made me really sad.



People had numbers pinned over their left breast that indicated their position in the procession. Oftentimes, people would have multiple numbers and multiple shifts, but these men carried this heavy wooden pieces with the statues of Jesus and women would carry a Virgin Mary piece. The women would stumble in heels, half bent over due to the weight on their shoulders. The men took steps no larger than 6 inches as they turned the corner where we stood. We could see the men trying to coordinate their switches and the extreme precision required to keep the procession moving.















Beautiful colors draped over a native's head.










A bunch of us noted the striking contrast between the holiness of the procession and the commercialized, carnival-like scene where men and families sold little gadgets and toys, inflated balloons and even food on the same streets that Jesus and Virgin Mary just passed on.

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It has been a busy few weeks. I don't know if I should be saying that it's only the fourth week of the quarter or that it's already the fourth week of the quarter because I felt like I just dived right into school and extra curriculars upon arriving back to Evanston.

The next few days should be fun though. My fellow Rotaract friends and I are attending an exclusive Coca-Cola release party (love our Rotary friends that we meet). Delta Delta Delta is holding their philanthropy event -- Pancake Party, and Charity Denim will be in Norris on Wednesday.

Hopefully I'll snap a few shots! But we'll see how things go.

<3

Life has been a huge whirlwind these days. After months of discouragement, the internship search is finally looking up! But I don't want to say anything prematurely.

Big news though. You are reading the posts of NU Rotaract's new web manager! I plan on doing some crazy and drastic changes to our currently outdated website so that everyone can stay up-to-date with our events and we can reinforce our presence on campus.

Aside from that? Just a bunch of work. Who knew that midterms would roll around so quickly, I have papers and homework piling up faster than I can finish.

This photo was taken at the center where we made water filters. I found the decorations very endearing. What a cute environment.

Punx and Twitter Con't

I remember sitting in our little white short bus in Guatemala, staring at the graffiti sprayed on the battered walls. For some reason, this is the shot that caught my eye. Maybe it's the heart. Maybe it's the Punx, or the juxtaposition of it all. I wonder: did one person write all of this? Are these simple short phrases and symbols somehow related? There's always a story behind everything. That's what journalism taught me.

An article on Twitter found in the New York Times. Perhaps this is why Twitter scares me a bit.

Twitter

You can now find me on Twitter.

I'll admit that I am a little embarrassed to have one because I have my doubts and concerns about the entire trend, but I'm keeping my eyes open and dipping my toes into new media. More importantly, I am looking into contributing to Breaking Tweets and figure I would try my hand at Twitter.

Happy Birthday

And happy birthday to my dad. I'm sorry I can't be home for your birthday, but may your part of the world be perfect today.

Hours in the day

There are not enough of them. I wish I had more hours in the day to do what I want to do and what I need to do. Sorry I have not updated in a few days. I have a couple more posts about Guatemala, but I have been busy catching up on reading, looking for a summer internship and applying for school-related things. My happy balance of work and play is a little precarious as of late and I really don't want to half-ass the post about the procession in Antigua.

I'm skipping a day in Guatemala and flashing forward to the ride home. As the cold Chicago weather hit my toes (open-toed sandals on the plane were not the best idea) and reminded us that we were no longer in Guatemala, a large white hummer limo pulled up to the curb -- for us. Our trip leaders thought it would be a perfect ending to an amazing trip and so it was. This was the first time I have ever been in a limo and while half of us still felt sick and the other half wanted to just crawl into bed and sleep, we roughed it out, laughed, reminisced and danced our way back to Evanston.

I can't believe it has already been two weeks since we have been back.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

A break in Guatemala news, I recently went to a concert with a friend from NBN. She is the concert review intern at Venus Magazine and needed a photographer because the original one canceled. I happily jumped on the opportunity because: 1. Concerts are always fun. 2. I love photography, simple as that.

You can find her review and a couple photos here, and here are a couple other shots.

Note to self: Visit Belmont more and explore the area. There are so many thrift shops and cute restaurants around. I need to try and get off campus more often.

Thursday, Friday 3/26 - 3/27 On our feet

Firstly, here is the link to the Mayan Water Project for more information.

The rest of the week seemed like utter chaos in the best way possible. A few of us fell sick in Panajachel and 12 out of 14 of us slowly dropped like rocks, staying in at nights and popping pills to speed up the recovery process. Unfortunately, more than half of us came back to the states still feeling the effects, but we kept our heads up and tried to make the most of the trip.

We spent most of Thursday seeing the sights and shopping. Known as the most colorful market in America, Chichicastenango's Thursday market carried a variety of things from fruits to garments to little toys and bags. It reminded me a lot of the Taiwan night markets, but with vendors welcoming me in a foreign language and with vibrant colors beckoning me from left and right.

Lacking the appropriate Spanish conversational skills necessary to haggle, I spent the day with Rocio and we got ourselves some great deals. We also watched as thick incense filled the air during the Semana Santa celebrations at Santo Tomás Church, a building built on top of the steps of an old Mayan temple.

On Friday, we went to a church in Antigua to meet with a local mental disabilities facility. We talked with the adults and ended up wheeling them back to their facilities -- a good two mile walk on cobblestone. I feel as if it was not exactly the safest thing to do, but if they enjoyed their day outside, then it was probably worth it.

I spent the rest of the afternoon feeding children. After trying to feed a boy who began throwing a temper tantrum, I asked for assistance and was told that he has a habit of throwing tantrums when he doesn't like the food. Even though that was not a satisfactory answer, I moved on and thankfully one of the staff members took over. I fed a boy named Roberto, who was all smiles and extremely in tune with his sense of touch. He would grab my hand and move the bowl closer to him when he wanted more food. When I looked at him and talked to him in my broken Spanish and English, he smiled a crooked smile and uttered a quiet laugh. At some point in time, the wind blew my bangs across my face and he found great amusement in this. He then learned that I had pigtails and proceeded to reach out and yank them with his tiny hands. He was the most adorable kid ever. It hurt to see these kids with severe retardation or disabilities lined up in rows of wheelchairs, but it was definitely a learning experience.



Unfortunately, I don't have any photographs but I do have a couple from our trip to the coffee plantation later that afternoon. I cannot get enough of the smell and taste of coffee, so the tour was interesting. I learned about picking, processing, drying and roasting the coffee beans and that Guatemala has some of the best coffee around (in my opinion). I hardly drink coffee black because I cannot stand the bitterness. Guatemalan coffee? I could drink cups of it black because it tastes amazing. I brought some back for my roommate and me, and man, what a wonderful smell and taste to wake up to.

Our hotel in Antigua

Albeit tight quarters, the hotel we stayed at was quaint and comfortable. I felt like I saw something beautiful or intriguing every time I turned a corner.



Burnt edges, crooked placement -- I wonder if it's intentional.





I snapped this photograph thinking about an older post.

In Aldous Huxley's words...

"Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing," writer Aldous Huxley once said.

I, for one, have not seen Lake Como, but do agree with Huxley when it comes to Lake Atitlán. We took a boat ride from Panajachel across the lake to Panabaj, where we met with some service volunteers and learned about the local community.







The people helping in the community stress sustainability and teach the locals to make a living and earn their goods. This building? The walls are made out of recycled soda bottles.

What was devastating was seeing the state these people lived in. Panabaj was affect by Hurricane Stan in 2005. The strong storms dropped torrential rains in Guatemala, causing mudslides and flooding. There were several abandoned buildings and rock pile-ups where rocks are not supposed to be.



Another stove that helps improve lifestyles in Guatemala.

Tuesday, 3/24: Mayan Water Project

We packed up our bags early in the morning and took a long, windy and bumpy ride to Panajachel, where Rotary president Juan Carlos gave us the opportunity to build water filters for the local community. It was probably one of my personal favorites. These water filters were made out of industrial plastic. Essentially, we stacked two buckets, screwed in 2 corn-cob sized white filters and put a plastic spicket at the bottom.

What amazed me the most? The fact that 80% of diseases come from contaminated water, according to Juan Carlos. He said that with the water filters, the family saves money from buying gallons of purified water. Furthermore, children can attend school more often and adults can work more -- a better environment overall. A simple design consisting of two buckets will save lives and improve overall lifestyles. It amazes me.

Families filed in, watching us build these filters. We watched as the organization called out names and women picked up filters to take home. We saw the immediate effects of the project. I think the photographs say enough.











Just a random picture of Elisa. I loved the color of this wall and had to snap a shot.



We also saw the new ovens that were installed in a few houses. These ovens also help improve lifestyles because the smoke does not fill up the kitchen and lungs because there is a pipe that channels the smoke outside of the house. We met a girl named Alicia, a member of Rotaract of Stanford University, who will be taking a group of Stanford students to Guatemala during the summer to work on oven installations.

Monday, 3/23: Rotaract of Guatemala Sur

After visiting Benito Juarez and seeing the few sights of Guatemala, we went to a special Rotaract meeting where my host, among other new friends of ours, was initiated into the organization. Rocio and Lauren also gave a presentation about our Northwestern division and I realized how much more we could be doing by attending the meeting.







I learned that these are worry dolls. When you have worries, you talk to the doll, tell her all your worries and slip her under your pillow so that you can sleep at night. I brought back two of them with me, but I have yet to use them. That's my way of convincing myself that I have no worries!