Let’s face it, most of our parents have pictures of us and our siblings as little kids in the bathtub with bubbles piled high and hair spiked high with shampoo. But when did these innocent little pictures become child pornography?
A family of five just found themselves asking this question when their three daughters, 18 months, 4 and 8 were taken away for a month. The couple took a few pictures of their daughters in the bath tub and then in towels after they got out. The film was then dropped off at a local Walmart where the employee who developed the photos reported them to the police.
The police showed up at there door on a normal Saturday afternoon and after ransacking the house took the kids away for a month. Both parents’ names were put on the national sex offender’s registry and the mother was even suspended from her job as a teacher.
An interview was done with the grandparents of the three girls where they showed a few of the pictures that were “suspicious.” In these pictures the girls had towel wrapped around them but still called inappropriate. They also went on to say that only gave these pictures fearing that if they showed the pictures of the girls naked in the tub they would be arrested as well. One picture is with one of the girls wrapped in a towel smiling away with her father hugging her and the police ruled that “child erotica.”
The girls are now back with their parents after they sued Walmart, the state and court system. A supreme court ruled that the pictures were completely innocent and got the kids back where they belonged with their parents.
When I see things like this I really do get worried. When did a father holding his child wrapped in a towel, both of them smiling away, become porn? There are pictures in my home of me and my brother as kids splashing away in the bath tub and shaping each others hair into mohawks with bubbles; does that make my parents pedophiles for taking those pictures? Absolutely not. It’s actually quite ridiculous because the police were so busy tearing that family apart that they miss things where kids are actually being abused.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/09/22/pn.bathtime.photos.cnn
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Paul Steinmetz
Paul Steinmetz is Director of University Relations (PR) here at WCSU. A typical day for Steinmetz is spent talking up the university and just getting the word out that we are not just another lame state university. Parents are his main focus along with seventeen and eighteen year olds who will soon be looking into college. Getting WCSU out on the map with businesses also gets donations for the university which are always welcome! Steinmetz also does a lot of damage and image control for the university. Just last week we had our first H1N1 (swine flu) case here on campus and his job was to "make parents feel safe sending you guys here." Emails were sent out immediatly, followed by letters to students homes.
Steinmetz started out at a community college in California, where he grew up and a newswriting class was what he first fell in love with. Steinmetz knew this is what he wanted to do and after graduation found himself working the midnight shift at a local paper. A few months passed and when the oportunity to move to daytime shifts he took it! After three years it was time to send out his resume and one of them just so happend to find its way to The News Times here in Danbury, CT. So Paul filled the car his parents gave him with all his belongings and made the LONG drive to Connecticut.
Paul started as a reporter for The News Times and throughout his 24 year career made his way up to Editor. Paul went on to talk about journalism being a very on demand job but he didnt realize this until after he was fired and "the adrenaline was gone." A month later he found himself here at WCSU first as a part time gig which later turned into a full time position as the Director.
What I really liked about our talk with Paul Steinmetz is all the advise he gave us. Our class has all different grade levels but we are all going to graduate one day (lets hope!) and he had some very usefull things to say. "Emerge yourself into the online," said Steinmetz, "because thats where all the jobs will be."
I did get a lot out of our little meet and greet and actually had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Steinmetz speak twice, the other time being in my Editorial Environment class. I think it is very important to talk to people who were and are in the business. They know whats going on and how to really make a name for yourself.
Steinmetz started out at a community college in California, where he grew up and a newswriting class was what he first fell in love with. Steinmetz knew this is what he wanted to do and after graduation found himself working the midnight shift at a local paper. A few months passed and when the oportunity to move to daytime shifts he took it! After three years it was time to send out his resume and one of them just so happend to find its way to The News Times here in Danbury, CT. So Paul filled the car his parents gave him with all his belongings and made the LONG drive to Connecticut.
Paul started as a reporter for The News Times and throughout his 24 year career made his way up to Editor. Paul went on to talk about journalism being a very on demand job but he didnt realize this until after he was fired and "the adrenaline was gone." A month later he found himself here at WCSU first as a part time gig which later turned into a full time position as the Director.
What I really liked about our talk with Paul Steinmetz is all the advise he gave us. Our class has all different grade levels but we are all going to graduate one day (lets hope!) and he had some very usefull things to say. "Emerge yourself into the online," said Steinmetz, "because thats where all the jobs will be."
I did get a lot out of our little meet and greet and actually had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Steinmetz speak twice, the other time being in my Editorial Environment class. I think it is very important to talk to people who were and are in the business. They know whats going on and how to really make a name for yourself.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Yale harboring a murderer??
It’s pretty safe to say we’ve all been following the news stories about Annie Le, the grad student at Yale University. Le went missing after entering a key card only entry lab only to be found five days later in the basement, ironically enough on the day that was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.
Cnn.com ran a few really good articles that sparked my interest and really made me think. Annie was missing four days and the New Haven police didn’t make her a missing person case even though video security from the building showed her entering the building and not leaving. Police even found her cell phone, keys and purse in her office and still thought that she might have been a “run away bride” case.
Why exactly was the FBI called in if Le wasn’t considered a missing person and no one really seemed to think she was dead until the body was found? Does no one else think it is just a little fishy that the FBI came to look for a missing person in a small building? Comments on the articles show I’m not the only one with questions but even now after her body was found questions are not being answered.
So here’s an even bigger question for you guys…the New Haven police department claims to have interviewed over 200 people in the case so far but somehow no details have been released. The department openly said that the building was key card only entry and that only specific people have access to the basement. Just from my own knowledge I know that here at WCSU every time we swipe our key cards a computer somewhere knows who is trying to open that specific door. So with that being said why don’t we know who the killer is or is something being covered?
Personally I find this whole story very sad. Annie Le was a beautiful girl with her whole life ahead of her. She was supposed to be married this past weekend and would have graduated in three years. New reports say that DNA is being looked for and tested in New Haven from a staff member at the University. I’m not usually the kind of person who believes in the whole “an eye for an eye” but whoever did this deserves what is coming to them, I just hope it’s not too late and the killer is found. No one deserves to have their life cut short especially in the hands of another human being.
Cnn.com ran a few really good articles that sparked my interest and really made me think. Annie was missing four days and the New Haven police didn’t make her a missing person case even though video security from the building showed her entering the building and not leaving. Police even found her cell phone, keys and purse in her office and still thought that she might have been a “run away bride” case.
Why exactly was the FBI called in if Le wasn’t considered a missing person and no one really seemed to think she was dead until the body was found? Does no one else think it is just a little fishy that the FBI came to look for a missing person in a small building? Comments on the articles show I’m not the only one with questions but even now after her body was found questions are not being answered.
So here’s an even bigger question for you guys…the New Haven police department claims to have interviewed over 200 people in the case so far but somehow no details have been released. The department openly said that the building was key card only entry and that only specific people have access to the basement. Just from my own knowledge I know that here at WCSU every time we swipe our key cards a computer somewhere knows who is trying to open that specific door. So with that being said why don’t we know who the killer is or is something being covered?
Personally I find this whole story very sad. Annie Le was a beautiful girl with her whole life ahead of her. She was supposed to be married this past weekend and would have graduated in three years. New reports say that DNA is being looked for and tested in New Haven from a staff member at the University. I’m not usually the kind of person who believes in the whole “an eye for an eye” but whoever did this deserves what is coming to them, I just hope it’s not too late and the killer is found. No one deserves to have their life cut short especially in the hands of another human being.
Also knowing that this wasn’t just a random killing, as all the stories are reporting, as a student at Yale or a student in general how can you feel safe? Living in a building where card keys are needed to enter the building, the elevator and even my room has always made me feel safe but hearing this kind of news makes you think twice about how safe you are.
For anyone interested in this case here are a few of the links:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/15/connecticut.missing.yale.student/index.html
http://www.wfsb.com/news/20904003/detail.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/11/connecticut.missing.yale.student/index.html
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/news_wtnh_newhaven_yale_student_gone_missing_200909081621_rev1
Eugene Discoll
Self described "cynical" and "disgruntal newspaper writer" Eugene Discoll is the editor of Valleyindy.com. The online publication has been open three months but in its first month had over 60,000 hits, a big deal for a small online publication, he bosted with a smile. The whole idea of the website is to cover the community and more or less give the people in that area what they want to hear.
Valleyindy.com is a two person job. Eugene and one reporter run the site with five other freelance writers. A question from the class was about how Eugene is constantly updating the site and he went on to comment that this is "the greatest job..." and how the freedom is what makes it so great. He has the freedom to write what he wants and cover what stories he want to.
Another good question from the class was about web writing vs. print in a paper. Eugene explaned that with writing for a paper he would write articles that he thought were so great but then people would read them and not have the same reaction. Writing on the internet people can blog or post comments which gives you, the author both positive and negative feedback.
I took some time after class to check out the site and even though I am not from the valley area Eugene and his six person staff have some good stuff up there. Im attaching the link at the bottom...check it out!
http://valley.newhavenindependent.org/
Valleyindy.com is a two person job. Eugene and one reporter run the site with five other freelance writers. A question from the class was about how Eugene is constantly updating the site and he went on to comment that this is "the greatest job..." and how the freedom is what makes it so great. He has the freedom to write what he wants and cover what stories he want to.
Another good question from the class was about web writing vs. print in a paper. Eugene explaned that with writing for a paper he would write articles that he thought were so great but then people would read them and not have the same reaction. Writing on the internet people can blog or post comments which gives you, the author both positive and negative feedback.
I took some time after class to check out the site and even though I am not from the valley area Eugene and his six person staff have some good stuff up there. Im attaching the link at the bottom...check it out!
http://valley.newhavenindependent.org/
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