Final Analysis: Severe Weather Sweeps Across America

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Last night (Monday, April 28) the National Weather Service sent out a tornado warning for Knox county and various counties in Tennessee. However, Tennessee was not the only state cautioned to take cover. In fact, almost the entire eastern half of the United States was under a severe weather watch the past three days because of tornadoes, high winds and hail. CNN.com, DJournal.com and nbcnews.com have all covered the weather disaster, but in different ways.

CNN.com article

The article begins with the headline “75 Million Americans under threat of severe weather.” Right away, readers are able to understand the impact of these storms and how many people are at risk. Furthermore, the line in the first paragraph, “Missouri to New York and Michigan to Florida” shows the widespread scope of the storms. The paragraph ends by stating 29 people have already died.

The article’s main focus is on today’s (Tuesday’s) weather. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said nearly 2.5 million people in parts of Alabama and Mississippi were at moderate risk of of tornadoes. The threat would then drift east into Georgia, northern Florida, the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states. Yet, the region extending from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico is still at risk too.

The article is split into sections based on date and location. ‘Act II’ talks about Sunday’s weather and the impact it had on the central United States including Oklahoma, Iowa and Arkansas. While ‘It Hurts to Look’ focuses on the destruction in Mississippi and Alabama. Both these sections give anecdotes of survival stories, and links to videos are given to enhance the story. With a story like this, videos are essential. People want to see pictures and videos of what happened. The story is also filled with great detail. For example, it gives numbers of people that were left without power in Alabama, and tells the exact location of certain buildings that were destroyed. The article was well writen, detail-oriented and gave lots of information.

DJournal.com article

The Daily Journal, a northeastern Mississippi newspaper, takes a local stance on the storms. Former Tupelo, Mississippi resident, John Servati, passed away Monday after a retaining wall collapsed on him during a tornado in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He saved the life of his girlfriend by shielding her from the collapse. John was a swimmer at the University of Alabama. Substantial quotes are given by Servati’s high school swimming coach in addition to his Alabama swimming coach and teammates. These quotes give emotional appeal to the story. The article also gives a look back at Servati’s swimming career. Giving his background furthers the emotional appeal of the article. People feel as though they can relate to Servati, almost as though they knew him themselves. Furthermore, the audience can sympathize with his family and friend’s loss. The pictures add flare to the story, but are not as powerful as the videos in the first article.

nbcnews.com article

This article was my favorite of the three. It focuses on how and why America is the twister capital of the world–a fact I never knew. According to the article, four factors make the U.S. the No. 1 spot for tornadoes.

1. mountain wall to the west (The Rockies) 

2. warm ocean to the southeast (The Gulf of Mexico)

3. cold air “shield” to the north

4. jet stream that surges eastward at hundreds of miles per hour

America averages about 1,000 twisters annually. Canada takes the No. 2 spot, but with only about 100 twisters annually. All continents have tornadoes except for Antarctica.

Essentially, this article answers almost all questions one would have about tornadoes. It explains everything from how tornadoes form to detail-rich geographical explanations of why the U.S. holds the No. 1 spot on the twister list. Furthermore, the quotes and credibility of sources is substantial. Experts in fields of geography and weather are attributed. The article also compares the geographical landscape of the United States to other continents and explains in great detail how the threat of storms differs.

Like the other articles, visual aids are provided. Two videos are given, one describing the story of a family’s survival yet destruction of their home, and another showing how the storm has moved across the nation.

Overall, plenty of articles will describe the destruction of the storms and may put a local twist on it, but not many articles will tell how and why the storms began.

 

 

 

Cover It Live: On the Corner of Church and Gay

Cover it Live: On the Corner of Church and Gay

One of the most polarizing debates plaguing Christians today is whether one can be gay and be a Christian at the same time. Conservative Christians argue that the Bible condemns homosexuality and that our bodies were made for heterosexual sex only. On the other hand, gay Christians argue that a Christ-centered relationship is a good thing, regardless of the gender of the people involved.

Justin Lee, founder of the Gay Christian network and an openly gay man, has dedicated his life to this issue.

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Lee founded the Gay Christian Network in 2001 as a safe-haven organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. He grew up in a conservative Christian home and spent many years fighting his attraction to males, praying God to change him. Because of his struggle, Lee created GCN to help those in similar situations.

The organization operates as an online community for social networking and support. In addition, it hosts an annual Christian conference each January, organizes local Bible study groups and produces resources including a weekly Internet radio show. The ministry also maintains a database of welcoming congregations and churches.

Members of GCN have a diverse set of theological beliefs—from very liberal to very conservative; essentially all viewpoints are welcome as long as one can value others’ opinions in a respectful manner. The organization does not take a stance on most theological issues; instead it offers support to individuals in a wide variety of sects and denominations.

As for the Christianity vs. Gay debate, GCN publishes both ends of the spectrum. The two most prominent viewpoints have been nicknamed Side A, i.e., those members who believe that homosexual activity is not sinful, and Side B, i.e., those who believe that God loves gay people but does not accept homosexual activity. Although both sides have strong contingents on the site, many members have not fully decided which side they belong to. And that’s okay! For these members, the site provides a safe place in which to think through these issues and the resources to help them make informed decisions.

“We’re transforming the conversation in the church and working to share ‘Christ’s light and love for all,’” Lee said.

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Lee has also brought attention to this particular issue by publishing a book Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate and directed a documentary Through My Eyes, which explores the struggles of young gay Christians.

While Lee and his organization have made a large impact on Christians and churches alike, the gay debate still lingers on beyond the walls of the church. Gay and LGBT rights, particularly marriage, have been at the forefront of political debate for a while now.

Seventeen states currently have legal same-sex marriages, and 33 states have same-sex marriage bans. Tennessee is one of those ban states. Tennessee does not permit the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The state forbids, both by statute and in its constitution, the recognition of same-sex marriages and other forms of same-sex partnership. The constitutional amendment defining marriage was approved by 81% of voters in a referendum in November 2006. Furthermore, in March 2013 the Tennessee Senate voted 32-0 in favor of the resolution SJR 134, which makes August 31 “Traditional Marriage Day.”

However, three cities, including Knoxville, have enacted domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples, which went into effect this year. The other two cities are Chattanooga and Collegedale.

“It’s unfortunate that LGBT individuals cannot seek refuge in the church or in their regular lives,” Ryan Dowen, member of the University of Tennessee’s LGBT rights organization Lambda, said.

Because Tennessee lies within the Bible belt, the political debate of gay marriage usually goes back to the gay vs. Christian debate; the two are essentially intertwined.

Only time will tell whether the church will accept LGBT individuals, and whether the whole United States will legally recognize same-sex marriages. In the meantime, Justin Lee is doing everything in his power to get people talking and to be respectful of LGBT individuals and their viewpoints.

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 Cover It Live Tweets:

http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=1da547ee3e/height=650/width=470/entryLoc=bottom/commentLoc=bottom/titlePage=off/replayContentOrder=chronological”

LAY’S Chips Re-releases “Do us a Flavor” Crowdsourcing Campaign

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Frito-Lay is asking the public to come up with a new chip flavor again. The LAY’S Do Us A Flavor Choose Your Chip Contest kicked off Jan. 13, 2014 and is open to American citizens 18 years and older. All submissions must be in by 10:59 p.m. CT on April 5, 2014. Participants must must submit the following: flavor name, up to three ingredients, the inspiration for the flavor, and chip style (Original, Wavy, or Kettle Cooked).

Then the contest voting begins. Customers across the U.S. can buy and try the four Finalists’ Flavors and vote for their favorite online at dousaflavor.com from July 28 to October 18 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Three finalist prizes and one grand prize will be given. Finalist prizes will be given after the grand prize winner has been announced to ensure the grand winner does not receive a finalist prize as well.

The campaign increases engagement between the public and the company; as consumers, we have a voice as to what is sold in stores.

The first contest winner was Cheesy Garlic Bread potato chips in 2013. This was the first time the contest was held in the U.S. Previous contests held in countries from the U.K. to India to South Africa have resulted in consumer-created flavors like Mastana Mango, Walkie Talkie Chicken, Caesar Salad, Chilli & Chocolate, Late Night Kebob and Cajun Squirrel.

Specific Guidelines about the contest can be found here.

Free the Files, Next Stop Design and Frito-Lay volunteers all agreed to participate on their own. Participants volunteer because they care about the token cause and want to improve something they are already fond of; they’re motivated to make a successful change. Social media proved to be a helpful tool to get the word out across America. All three crowdsourcing campaigns were proven successful and helpful. Crowdsourcing is a great way for companies to know what their clients want without spending too much money or time on trial and error marketing campaigns.

Couples who watch movies together stay together

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Newlyweds who discuss and examine relationships in movies will have a lesser chance of getting divorced according to a new study.

Led by Ronald Rogge, associate professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, couples who follow a simple movie-and-talk approach could be just as effective as other more intensive therapy. In fact, after three years of this “therapy,” the divorce/separation rate reduced from 11% to 24%. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups: conflict management, compassion and acceptance training, and relationship awareness through film.

The conflict management group learned how to slow down the pace and exchange of heated issues instead of rushing to conclusions.

The compassion and acceptance training group worked together as a team to find commons ground around their similarities.

Both of these programs involved weekly lectures, supervised practice session, and homework assignments over a month’s time.

The movie-and-talk group was sent home with a list of 47 movies to watch and examine. All the movies featured intimate relationships.

“An inexpensive, fun, and relatively simple movie-and-talk approach can be just as effective as other more intensive therapist-led methods.”

For those of you that may still need some convincing on the study, check out this video produced by the University of Rochester featuring Ronald Rogge.

The 47 movies used in the study.

Couples interested in trying the study would want a list of the movies used to refer to in order to get them started.

The study has been proven effective for long-term relationships too.

You don’t have to be a newlywed to reap the benefits of the study.

Tweets

Can’t get your significant other to attend #therapy? Simply watch movies instead. Check out the study here. (add link to study)

Fix your marriage in the comfort of your own home with this new approach. #movienight (add link to study)

The Howler website critique

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The Howler is the school website for R.B. Glenn High School in Kernersville, North Carolina. For my critique, I chose to focus on four components: content, layout, navigation and multimedia.

First, the content seems to be specific to student life at the high school as well as the community; this is exactly the sort of content a high school website should focus on. There is a plethora of articles ranging from topics such as sports and school fundraisers. The website has an available section for commentary and archives, which makes it more credible. Glen High School recognizes content as the most important factor of any website, for it states in their mission statement, “The Howler exists to entertain, to influence, and to inform the student body of Glen High School through unbiased and innovative content.”  Most articles and features are written by student staff writers, yet some are written by guest reporters.  Who are these guest reporters? What credibility do they have in writing a story? I would suggest all articles be written by students in order to avoid bias. In addition, some of the tabs at the top do not contain any content on the page. This is true for the “Class of 2014” page and the “Reviews” page. Content must be put on these pages, or else the pages need to be taken off the website.

Second, the layout is neat and clean. The website’s colors are white, navy and orange- the colors of the school. Making the website the school’s colors was a good decision because it shows school pride. There is a lot of information on most pages, yet not so much to make the pages cluttered. The stories are also well organized within each section. I dislike how there are only four stories featured on the home page. There is enough room to add more content, without making it cluttered. The home page is the first impression of the website, so it must look the best.

Third, navigation around the site is very easy. There are tabs at the top of the page underneath the header to guide you in which type of content you wish to view. The newest content is always at the top of the page, and one doesn’t have to scroll much to get the content they’re looking for. There is a search bar in the top right hand corner of the header, so you are able to search for content. In addition, the archives make it possible to find content of years past. There are also tags at the end of each story. These tag words are clickable, and take you to other content on the website with that particular name or place. There are many different ways to navigate through the site, which is a great, useful feature.

Finally, There is little multimedia on the website. There are pictures for most articles, but no video. Videos would provide a much better understanding of the content. I understand videos could not be taken for each article, but it could greatly enhance a story when videotaping is possible. I find the pictures to be boring; maybe the colors could be enhanced? The quality is amateur. In the top left hand side, above the header, there are icons for Facebook, Twitter and email. However, when clicking on these icons, it only takes you to the social media’s homepage. It is not possible to share a story online from the website without copying and pasting the URL of the article. Fixing these issues would greatly enhance the website’s capabilities and look. I believe the website’s multimedia needs the most work on the website.