HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN RUIN LIVES

Don't get me wrong... facebook, myspace, twitter.. they have a purpose and they work for those purposes. But they also give people an outlet to do a few other things that can be hurtful. I know people who use it to make others jealous or spy on an ex. Even if they're not "friends" with you, they can look on your friends pages and still see what's going on in your life. A girlfriend sees a picture a guy was tagged in with some pretty girls and all of a sudden, that's a fight. Maybe it's warranted, maybe it's not. But it has changed things dramatically. Then there are the times there is nothing vicious or mean about something you see... except that someone close to you seems like a different person and they seem to be posting things behind your back. They haven't done anything wrong but somehow it feels like a secret because you learn things about them you didn't know had you not looked at their "page." And what's worse, is they have a whole community involved in that part of their life... all which is foreign to you. It's awkward and uncomfortable and infuriating. I wish people would use these sites for what their meant for... keep in touch with old friends, use it as an outlet to post pictures and tag and all that good stuff. But remember that no communication is better than the one where you sit next to a friend or loved one and talk to them... or pick up a phone and give them the details of your day instead of posting them in tweets. Most importantly, do not allow anyone to feel like they are left out of your life because of what you post on the internet.

BLAGO'S IN THE JUNGLE BABY!

Just when I thought the ousted Illinois Governor couldn't possibly get any more camera time... NBC wants him for a reality show called "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here!" That's right... impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich wants to sweat it out in the Costa Rican jungle. One problem though.. he is currently not allowed to leave the United States. His defense attorney is asking a judge to lift that rule and allow him to be part of the show. I guess I can't blame Blago for wanting to do the show. His political career isn't looking good... and he does enjoy being in the spotlight. I'm not sure where else he would go from here. NBC says the show dumps 10 celebrities in the jungle to test their skills at adapting to wilderness. Thoughts??

The Issue of "Sexting"

If you are new to the word "sexting" it is the act of sending explicit texts or pictures through a cell phone. It's very popular among teens and unfortunately even younger minors. As it stands, teens across the country have wound up on sex offender registries because of scenarios like this: 17-year-old dates a 16-year-old... the girl sends her boyfriend an explicit picture of herself. They get in a fight and out of immaturity, he sends it to her entire family. Police get involved... and he is charged with distributing child pornography. He winds up registering as a sex offender and his neighbors get email alerts that they are living next to a child predator. There are a million issues here. First let's start with the end result...
Should a 17-year-old be on a sex offender registry for a picture his girlfriend sent him? Probably not. I remember what it was like to be 16 and I am pretty sure that most girls sending out picture of themselves know exactly what they are doing and like the attention. Is it immature? Absolutely. Should he have sent it on to her family? Absolutely not. But let's take a step back for a minute. There is a bigger issue when minors are sending pornographic pictures and texts to each other. As if there isn't enough pressure on teenagers, girls now have to compete with each other via cell phone??? This is an issue parents need to address and monitor. I know she's not paying her own cell phone bill. That means PARENTS: You have some control. PLEASE USE IT! And please talk to your kids about sexting and the repercussions later in life. Not only could their boyfriend get mad or jealous and send it to anyone in the world... but those pictures could pop up one day when your teen tries to get a job, run for office, or any other time they come across someone in life who wants to humiliate them.
This is a tough issue for me because although I think there should be consequences for forwarding a naked picture of someone... I also don't think boys like the example above should have that shadow cast over them when the girl never should have sent the picture in the first place. There has to be another way.
Lawmakers in Vermont are currently trying to legalize teen "sexting" so that teens in this situation won't have the stigma of being a sex offender. However, when we make it legal... it makes it okay for minors to send either other sexual images. We also can't say that's okay. I don't know what the solution is, but I will say... it starts at home. Parents take heed.
If anyone else has any brilliant suggestions, feel free to post!

SUPER SECRET FAKE COP CARS

On my way to work almost daily I hit the breaks because I think I see a car that might be an officer. They are often in the corner of a used car lot, or an empty parking lot. However, they are facing the opposite direction, parked in the grass, and do not seem to be a car that is for sale or in the parking lot for any purpose. Upon closer inspection, these cars are definitely deserted and often beat up and might not even run. It makes me seriously wonder if troopers and police scour used car lots or other places of opportunity, notice a car that may look like a cruiser in the dark... and ask them to park it that way so it looks like someone is staked out. I guess if that is the goal, it works... because I slow down every time. But now that I've discovered this, I notice them more and more! Look around on your next drive, tell me if I'm crazy!

Where Are The Jobs?

Working in news, we obviously report every job fair imaginable right now. So many people are without work, my husband included. So we have these news releases, 1400 jobs... 1500 jobs... 600 jobs, etc. But there are still so many people without work! An HR recruiter actually told a local paper there are businesses here that needs jobs filled that can't do it because there isn't anyone qualified. She claims too many people do not have any computer skills. I'm sure there is some truth to that... and to those people, I say: get the skills! If you don't have a computer, ask a friend or neighbor to show you how to use it. Go to your local library. Having said that, I think her statement is completely untrue. I can name 20 people off the top of my head that are looking for jobs and have superb computer skills. I wonder if some of these companies are posting a lot of jobs for the media attention, and only hiring for a smaller portion. Obviously I can't prove that & of course I could be wrong. However, my husband has more skills than the average applicant and hasn't even had an interview... inside our outside his field. He's been told by several people, "Your resume looks great, but we're actually on a hiring freeze." This is from companies with several jobs posted. They claim they are posting the jobs so that they have some decent resumes, a "short list" if you will... once they can hire. I say, BOO! Don't post jobs if you can't hire for them. My husband's best option right now is a paper route. That's more than fine with him, but he would have taken a paper route a month ago had he known none of these other jobs were actually available. Just venting my frustrations... let me know your thoughts!

SPEEDY CHURCH READERS

Do you ever go to church or even some other large gathering where everyone recites something at once? What is with the people that insist on going their own speed... which is obviously a very different speed than anyone else? It's very strange. They always happen to be sitting right behind you and they also like to talk louder than everyone else. That way they can try to recruit speed readers to go at their pace and thus create two groups of readers, like a row row row your boat kind of thing. It's kind of funny, also kind of annoying. I find myself watching someone else's mouth up front by the priest so I can try to stay with the group and rebel against the loud and aggressive speedy readers. It's very tough! Then all of a sudden, you're tryig to read, lip-read, and block out the intense sound of the speedies. Lord help us!!!!

WHEN RECESSION HITS HOME

Layoffs that have been spiraling out of control in recent months have hit home for my husband and I. 11 positions were cut from our news station, and he was one of them. The struggle now is handling wedding bills and home improvement costs (see broken pipe story below) while trying to find a job that remotely comes close to his former pay scale. It's a boat millions of Americans are in right now and our only hope is that this is a blessing in disguise... An opportunity that will allow him to pursue something he can once again be passionate about.
I've had a lot of people say to me, "I'm surprised it's hitting news." But they shouldn't be. Advertising dollars pay for news and when the car dealerships aren't selling cars, they can't afford to advertise, therefore news stations lose money. Everything in our economy is a domino effect... A constant reminder of how much we all rely on each other. When one of us falls, we all fall. I think it's an eye opener for everyone complaining about bailouts. I don't know how I personally feel about bailout money because sure... Banks and auto makers and other large corporations made a lot of mistakes that got themselves in the boat they're in now. However, look at the aftermath. Once again, when one of us falls, we all fall. The fallout of the auto industry and banks that have collapsed is evident across the world. I do not have any answers as to what it will take to fix this, but I don't think it will happen any time soon.