Comm 422 final project pictures

The Stratford Ecological Center
(All picture taken by me. Click on picture to see larger image.)


The Stratford Ecological Center is located in Delaware, Ohio. The gazebo (left) is a place for visitors to sit and relax and enjoy the scenery.






Pictured to the right is the children's garden. Here kids have the opportunity to walk through the garden and learn where some of there food comes from.




The greenhouse (left) runs all year round and hosts a variety of plants and vegetables. Whatever vegetables are not picked or sold are donated to the local food banks.





Stratford manages 236 acres of land and is a mostly grass based farm. This picture (right) shows the vast pastures as well as a small pond in the distance.





Stratford is home to a variety of livestock such as dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, and hogs.





Two kids (baby goats, right) snuggle up and take a nap.







Stratford raises cattle for milk and meat. These two calves (left) are a Jersey breed.






Michael Mercil, an artist and professor at The Ohio State University, houses his sheep for his Virtual Pasture project at Stratford. Pictured right is one of his Shetland sheep.





Tunis is the main breed of sheep at Stratford. This Tunis lamb (left) is stretching out and enjoying a nice long nap.





Not only do the chickens (right) provide eggs, but they are also a source of parasite management. Since Stratford is all organic they do not spray chemicals or pesticides, so the chickens eat harmful bugs and parasites.

Ethics

I think the first article on fact checking is very interesting. A key part of being a good journalist is always checking your facts before reporting it to the people. This idea of making the people check the facts for themselves is just plain laziness on David Gregory’s part. When people are watching a TV show such as Meet the Press they expect to get the facts the first time. I know I wouldn’t want to take the time and look up all the information that was presented to me just to make sure that it’s all factual. This would instill a sense of distrust for me and the show. With Meet the Press being such a popular news show, I would be hoping that most of the information coming from these authoritative voices was not misleading.

I think ProPublica’s idea of getting the news out to people accurately before worrying about costs is a moral approach. But at the same time, how does one secure a career working for such a company? How are journalists who choose to write for the company earning a living for themselves?

In the article about the writer for the New Jersey Devils, I understand some of the ethical issues being presented here. Many people would most likely feel that anything written by Eric Marin would be biased toward the Devils’ team. At the same time, it’s not always easy to get reporters to cover every game or sporting event out there. If Marin wants to provide a story for the Gannett when they need to fill a gap I think it should be allowed. An editor at the paper can read through the article themselves to make sure that it is objective before submitting it. I think the executive editor makes a good point as well. They make it clear that the article was written by a Devils’ employee and the readers don’t seem to mind. So why make a big deal out of something that’s doesn’t seem to be a big deal?

Multimedia

The first story I found was done by CNN on the death of Brittany Murphy's husband. The story included a short video which I feel was unnecessary. It featured a person talking about what police had found so far but did not say specifically who he was. The video was very hard to see because it was dark and the lights were casting a glare on the speaker. The video also showed his home and coroner trucks leaving the scene. I feel that the video didn't do much to enhance the short story that was there.

The second story I found was done in the New York Times on the former wife of Prince Andrew. The story includes a picture of Sarah Ferguson (Andrews former wife) and a link to a video. The video showed Sarah accepting a large sum of from a reporter in disguise in order for the reporter to get the chance to meet Prince Andrew. The video is a nice supplement to the story because it shows the moment that the exchange happened. The picture is a nice addition because it puts a face to the name.

The third source I found is also from CNN and is just a video updating people of the current BP oil spill situation. I feel that videos are a lot easier for some people. They don't want to take the time to sit down and read the story when they can watch and hear the whole thing.

For my final project I would definatly include pictures of the business I am profiling. I also hope to include a short video that shows highlights of the place and gives the reader a good idea of what the place looks like.

In Class Exercise- Worst State to do business

Slug:Worst State For Business

Short Hed: Ohio among worst states to do business in

Long Hed: Ohio ranked 44th among best states to do business in

Ohio is among the nation’s worst states to do business based on its taxes, workforce and living conditions, according to a recent survey of more than 650 CEOs.

Ohio ranked 44 in Chief Executive magazine’s annual ranking of the states, which is up one spot from last year. The state received a grade of “C-“ in taxation and regulation, a “B” in workforce quality, and a “B-“ in living environment.

State tax officials blamed the weak assessment on Ohio’s reputation as a “high tax state,” which it is taking steps to shed. (Awkward sentence)

“Perception has yet to catch up to reality in Ohio,” said John Kohlstrand, spokesman for Ohio Department of Taxation.

Since 2005, the Buckeye State has been working to lower taxes while creating a more attractive tax system for business. Local property taxes on equipment and a state tax on corporation profits have been eliminated and replaced with a new commercial activity tax based on the location of a business’ customers. That means when businesses establish new facilities or hire more workers, “they don’t pay additional CAT,” Kohlstrand said.

Marshall Cooper, CEO of Greenwich, Conn.-based Chief Executive Group, shared four comments from surveyed CEOs with operations in Ohio. Three mentioned a need for an improvement in the tax situation one said “get rid of the CAT.”

But Ohio’s overall grades among the CEOs with business operations in the state were slightly higher than the national rankings. Local CEOs gave Ohio a “C+” in taxes, a “B+” in workforce quality, and a “B+” in living environment, Cooper said.

The state’s most recent rankings in the Chief Executive survey represent a dramatic downgrade among the CEOs, who placed Ohio at No. 20 in 2005. The 24-spot decline was second only to Illinois falling 29 spots in the same period.

Despite its weak ranking in the Chief Executive survey, Ohio is home to 23 Fortune 500 companies, including four based in Columbus: Nationwide, American Electric Power, Limited Brands and Big Lots. At least one company on that list, and one that is not, recently announced plans that should result in more than 1,000 local new hires.

Huntington Bancshares last week said it will add 500 jobs in the next five years and keep its headquarters Downtown for 20 more years. Nationwide earlier this month said it plans to fill 600 job openings in Ohio.

Still, Ohio’s unemployment rate remains above the national rate. The jobless rate in Ohio was 11 percent in March. April figures are due out next week. The national unemployment rate was 9.9 percent in April and 9.7 percent in March, according to federal data.

Texas again finished first in the Chief Executive rankings, followed by North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The worst state was California, with New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois and Connecticut all finnishing below Ohio, according to the survey of 651 CEOs conducted in late January.

Final Project Outline

My original plan for my final project has to be changed because my profile subject recently informed me that she will be leaving for Maine soon on a summer vacation. So I am thinking about either doing a story on Micheal Mercil and his "virtual pasture" project or on the Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware, Ohio where he keeps his sheep for the pasture.

The Stratford Ecological Center is an educational farm for children and adults to learn about relationships between living things. I was hoping to speak with the owner of the farm and ask how they are working to spread knowledge about animals as well as some outreach projects that they may do. Such as working with Mercil at Ohio State on the virtual pasture.

I also hope to talk with visitors at the farm or other employees and get their thoughts about center and what they like and dislike about it.

*Social Media:
-There is a facebook page for the virtual pasture
-Twitter has a feed on Delaware County and features and upcoming event at the Stratford Ecological Center. This could be a very beneficial event to attend for my final project.

Obama Press Conference Exercise

NYC, Oil Spill

Obama informs public of clean up efforts

Obama addresses public about attempted bombing and BP oil spill

President Obama addressed the public Wednesday, to discuss the recent bomb threat in New York City as well as the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. Obama made it clear that BP will be paying for the spill and that he will not rest or be satisfied until the leak has been stopped

Obama commended the New York police department and fire department for their work in stopping the bomb from going off. He also commended the people for their quickly alerting authorities of the crime.

The president also ensured the American public that national security is taking all the steps necessary to make sure that New York remains safe.

After a quick comment on the weather, Obama continued his speech on the oil spill that has taken over much of the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil spill is currently 9 miles of the coast of Louisiana said Obama. Workers have been working around the clock to stop this massive leak from reaching the shore.

“From day one we have prepared and planned for the worst even as we hoped for the best,” said Obama. “And while we have prepared and reacted aggressively, I’m not going to rest, …. or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source.”

BP is being held responsible for the spill and will be paying for it as well as damages that this massive leak has caused.

Obama concluded his speech by saying he and the government will be doing everything in their power to protect the ecosystem, repair what has been damaged and compensate those who have been harmed by this leak.

422 2-minute Broadcast

Good Afternoon, I’m Catie Noyes with the latest news update

In top news today New York faced a bomb scare Saturday evening when a street vender noticed a smoking Nissan Pathfinder parked on a curb in the center of Times Square. The vender alerted authorities and a bomb squad was brought in to inspect the vehicle. Police found a car bomb made of propane, gasoline and fireworks inside the S.U.V.. Police are investigating a surveillance video which shows a white man who appeared to be in his 40s leaving the scene.

Shifting gears and taking a look at our weather. Monday will be partly cloudy with a high of 78 and scattered showers in the evening. Expect to dry out by Tuesday and reach a high of 73. Wednesday will bring in plenty of sunshine with temperatures reaching a high of 80 degrees. Rain and storms make their way back in on Thursday and Friday with temperatures cooling back into the 70s.

Weather conditions didn’t slow down weekend movie goers from getting their horror movie fix. Freddie Krueger made his return to the big screen in the 1980s remake of “Night Mare on Elm Street.” The movie brought in 32 million dollars landing it in first place at the box office this weekend. Second place went to “How to Train Your Dragon” which brought in an estimated 10.8 million dollars.

In sports news Cavalier’s star LeBron James takes home his second consecutive M.V.P. award. He received 116 of 123 possible first place points to give him a landslide victory over Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. James is the 10^th N.B.A. player to win the award two years in a row.

In local news the destination of the Columbus casino will be decided in Tuesday’s vote placing it either in the arena district or in the site of the former General Motors-Delphi auto parts plant on the west-side of Columbus. Issue 3 may have passed in Ohio but 58 percent of Franklin County residents were opposed to the casino being built. Residents of the city should have a say in where this casino is being built since it will affect them the most and why not build it where space is available.

Thanks for tuning in today, this has been Catie Noyes with your latest news update.