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SSA Blog #47 By Michelle
Drew February 5 2006
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Editorial by Michelle
Being a Journalist Today
< style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">In
today’s world, journalists are no longer just reporting
the news, they are making it as well. Since the advent of television,
news
reporters have become more courageous about reporting the news than
ever
before. Having gone from the Viet Nam war, when
television coverage was
scarce, to now, when we have on going reporting from many war zones and
dangerous areas.
< style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">
What did happen was that the reporters, coming through to us
by television, became personalities and celebrities on their own. The
world appreciates
the people who risk lives to report the truth of world and regional
news, and
welcome them in to their homes each day.
< style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">
A generation that has left us became the voices of truth for
many of us. Huntley and Brinkley, Walter Cronkite and Roger Mudd are
just some
of the noted journalistic broadcasters of their time. They were there
when the
reporting was difficult, like after President Kennedy was shot to the
explosion
of the Challenger. We came to respect them.
< style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">
This generation, Daniel Pearl, an American reporter
kidnapped and killed in the mideast last year, Jill Carroll, another
reporter
currently being held in the mideast and newly recognized CNN reporter
Anderson
Cooper have made the news themselves.
< style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">
Some might ask, why would they risk their lives to report
the news? No one is making them go. They are going in search of
stories, and
they are becoming or nearly becoming war casualties themselves. Is it
really
necessary to go to such extremes to get the news?
< style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">
For those who choose it, the answer is yes. They are drawn
to it. They understand the importance of clear communication and
accurate
information. Putting their lives on the line is a personal and
philosophical
commitment for them. They endure the risks so that all of us can
understand and
see things that we could not do otherwise.
< style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">
Journalists have stepped to the forefront of our world. They
influence what we know about on many different levels. For some, they
have
become heroes themselves. They are courageous and committed enough to
bring the
world news each day. They stand for freedom of the press and freedom of
speech.
They shape opinions of masses of people. Those are people who deserve
respect
and regard as the outstanding patriots that they are..
< style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">
Michelle Davis
All Good Thoughts
Whatever
is good to know is difficult to learn.
Greek proverb
Learning is
like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.
Chinese
proverb
Life
is not holding a good hand; Life is playing a poor hand well.
Danish
proverb
God
could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.
Jewish
proverb
For in the baby lies the future of the
world. Mother must hold the
baby close so that the baby knows it is
his world. Father must take
him to the highest hill so that he can
see what his world is like.
Mayan Proverb
Inspiratiomal
Reading
YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM
Have you noticed how help is
often available just when
you need it? A
few years ago, a California
artist carved a unique Christmas
gift for
his parents in Connecticut. It
was a four-foot-tall statue of
a
hitchhiker, with thumb
extended. (The perfect gift for the
discriminating homeowner...)
His gift was unusual, but his
method of
shipping the statue to his
folks was even stranger. He
simply set it
beside the road and let it
"hitch" its way across the
continent.
Around the statue's neck he
hung a sign bearing his parents'
New
England address, and
across its chest was printed the
word
"Connecticut" in large
letters. Several weeks and some 2,500
miles
later, unknown hands delivered
the gift to the
woodcarver's parents
in time for Christmas.
I find it heartening to
remember that there are always those
willing
to help. And it's true
regardless of the circumstance. There
is
someone willing to extend a
hand, lend an ear or share a
heart.
Whether you need temporary
assistance or your life has
experienced a
meltdown, there is someone who
wants to help.
In every important way, you
are never really alone. You have
a life
"support system" consisting of
people you may have never met!
And it's
Photos by Rodney Bianco
This was taken at 5 P.M. on a
weekday. It's the start of rush hour and the
southbound 405 is a parking lot as
usual.
This picture was taken in the Mohave
Desert. As luck would have it, Stephanie and I were in the middle
of the desert at least a mile from any road, looking for just the right
picture. This train came down the tracks and we ran over to take
it's picture. I snapped a couple of shots and then the train
stopped. The engineer climbed out and started unhooking cars and
doing other things to the train.
He stopped and talked to us and kept
talking while he worked. He even gave us a couple of ice cold
bottles of water. I'm sure we must have been an odd sight.
There was nobody around, no road, no trails, nothing. But here we
are taking pictures in the middle of the desert miles from
anywhere. We hung out shooting the breeze and he worked a bit as
he backed the train up, unhooked some cars, pulled it forward,
connected other cars, then when he finished, he returned to chat some
more. It was a memorable experience under the hot desert sun.
The clouds in the sky add that
dramatic effect. A black train, dark sky, and an ominous
feel. One can conjure up images of an evil train, picking up
passengers for their train ride to the depths of hell. The sky is
the key. It is also the reason we were in the middle of the
desert miles from anywhere. I saw the sky and was looking for the
shot to fit the sky.
This picture
was taken at Vasquez rocks on the western edge of the Mojave
Desert. This spot is
often used for movies, t.v. shows, and commercials. It was taken
as the sun was setting and again I
was looking for a shot to match the sky.
