Vernal pools are stagnant bodies of water located in the forests. These bodies of water dry up in the summertime after amphibians breed there in the spring time. In Maine there are zoning regulations regarding development of land with a vernal pool.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Why I want to be a journalist
Right now I have frequently heard the question “What do you want to do when you graduate?” Honestly it can be a tough question to answer but I am slowly working on some plans narrowing down what I like best about this field. The question that we as college students never really is hear why do we want to do what we are going to school for, in my case journalism.
The easy answer and obvious one is clearly, because I like doing it and I find journalism to be enjoyable. There is definitely a lot more to it than just that though. I think that the media is extremely important in today’s digital age. We are surrounded by news outlets everywhere and I really want to be a part of the creation of these news stories. Without the news the people of our country would be in the dark about what is going on around them, so the media does a valuable service for them.
Like many people my age my interest in journalism began with having an interest in sports journalism, especially ESPN. Over time I have learned the value of creating other types of news stories. I took up a minor in political science to pair with journalism. It made a lot of sense to me because politics and journalism are very important to each other. I think that just as much as I would enjoy being a Boston Red Sox beat writer or writing movie reviews or pop culture pieces for The Rolling Stone, I would also really enjoy covering politics here in the United States and possibly the rest of the world.
Also two of my favorite journalists to read on a regular basis is ESPN's The Sports Guy and Chuck Klosterman who frequently writes for Spin and Esquire magazines. What I have always enjoyed most about both of them is how well they mix pop culture into their stories. That is a skill that I would really like to develop in my own writing.
This is certainly a very difficult time to try and get into the field of journalism, especially with the way that the economy is currently affecting the media. I feel though that we have a lot of options with all the different areas that broadcast journalism covers. Certainly the obvious choices are work in radio and television and there are so many different stations out there.
I also see journalism as a career with an opportunity to make a difference in the world. There are not many professions that serve such an important function around the whole world. I understand that it is difficult to gain the lofty positions of importance in the media like a Dan Rather, but even the smallest news stories are important to people when they read the paper. This semester covering Orono has shown me that even the smallest towns have something of value to their community. I like the idea of making people aware of what they were previously not aware of in their town. Certainly one of my favorite parts of journalism is the actual interview; I find it fascinating to talk with people and learn what they have to share with the world. I think that it is amazing how sometimes you can dig out an interesting angle for a story from where the interview goes. The interview I did with Orono Assistant Town Manager Maria Weinberger is a good example of that. I found an interesting program that she is a part of in the town of Orono called Storm Water.
I see journalism as an oppurtunity to do more in the world than simply working for ESPN. It would be great to sit at the Sportscenter desk with Scott Van Pelt or Stu Scott, but it would also be great to be doing many other things as a journalist. I think that the world is a changing place and journalism is a very important part of these changes that are happening. When we graduate we will have an oppurtunity to be a part of these cahnges. After all this though, I still find it a little difficult to articulate exactly why it is that I want to work in journalism. I do know that I am very excited to find my niche of where I belong in the media.
I would like to end with a historical sports call, the kind that becomes part of our cultural landscape to show the value of sports journalism.
"Do you believe in Miracles?"
The easy answer and obvious one is clearly, because I like doing it and I find journalism to be enjoyable. There is definitely a lot more to it than just that though. I think that the media is extremely important in today’s digital age. We are surrounded by news outlets everywhere and I really want to be a part of the creation of these news stories. Without the news the people of our country would be in the dark about what is going on around them, so the media does a valuable service for them.
Like many people my age my interest in journalism began with having an interest in sports journalism, especially ESPN. Over time I have learned the value of creating other types of news stories. I took up a minor in political science to pair with journalism. It made a lot of sense to me because politics and journalism are very important to each other. I think that just as much as I would enjoy being a Boston Red Sox beat writer or writing movie reviews or pop culture pieces for The Rolling Stone, I would also really enjoy covering politics here in the United States and possibly the rest of the world.
Also two of my favorite journalists to read on a regular basis is ESPN's The Sports Guy and Chuck Klosterman who frequently writes for Spin and Esquire magazines. What I have always enjoyed most about both of them is how well they mix pop culture into their stories. That is a skill that I would really like to develop in my own writing.
This is certainly a very difficult time to try and get into the field of journalism, especially with the way that the economy is currently affecting the media. I feel though that we have a lot of options with all the different areas that broadcast journalism covers. Certainly the obvious choices are work in radio and television and there are so many different stations out there.
I also see journalism as a career with an opportunity to make a difference in the world. There are not many professions that serve such an important function around the whole world. I understand that it is difficult to gain the lofty positions of importance in the media like a Dan Rather, but even the smallest news stories are important to people when they read the paper. This semester covering Orono has shown me that even the smallest towns have something of value to their community. I like the idea of making people aware of what they were previously not aware of in their town. Certainly one of my favorite parts of journalism is the actual interview; I find it fascinating to talk with people and learn what they have to share with the world. I think that it is amazing how sometimes you can dig out an interesting angle for a story from where the interview goes. The interview I did with Orono Assistant Town Manager Maria Weinberger is a good example of that. I found an interesting program that she is a part of in the town of Orono called Storm Water.
I see journalism as an oppurtunity to do more in the world than simply working for ESPN. It would be great to sit at the Sportscenter desk with Scott Van Pelt or Stu Scott, but it would also be great to be doing many other things as a journalist. I think that the world is a changing place and journalism is a very important part of these changes that are happening. When we graduate we will have an oppurtunity to be a part of these cahnges. After all this though, I still find it a little difficult to articulate exactly why it is that I want to work in journalism. I do know that I am very excited to find my niche of where I belong in the media.
I would like to end with a historical sports call, the kind that becomes part of our cultural landscape to show the value of sports journalism.
"Do you believe in Miracles?"
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