10 Reasons Santa is Like Your Professor

This has nothing to do with journalism but rather with perspectives of professors. Thanks to my bud in Hong Kong Nury Vittachi for this.

10 Reasons Santa is Like Your Professor

1) He has shaggy hair.

2) He has a beard.

3) He wears unfashionable clothes which make him look ridiculous.

4) He is fat.

5) You are expected to write to him, but he never writes back.

6) You can give him a list of things you want, but you have almost no chance of getting anything on it.

7) He lives in his own world, which seems entirely unconnected to real life.

8) He does around one day of actual work every year.

9) He is surrounded by practical people who do stuff that needs to be done on his behalf.

10) He seems to be several centuries out of date.

Looking for that local angle: Macy's and Rwanda

CBS News did a great story about how baskets woven by women in Rwanda are being sold in Macy's. The sales are allowing these women to rebuild their lives and their country after the brutal genocide of 10 years ago.

Discussion of local story ideas from the CBS story is at Journalism, Journalists and the World. (Sorry, just had to plug my blog.)

Story Idea: Want a globalization link? Look at the plug

Living overseas for the past 25 years has made me look carefully to be sure an item I buy in the States will work in another country. And vice-versa.

The cosmetic issue is the plug size and shape. They come in a wide variety but adapters are available for all.

The real issue is the voltage.

The U.S. system is 110-120 volts. Europe and many other countries use 220-240 volts. Plugging a U.S. item into a European power line can fry the device.

That is why converters were invented. And I have a large collection of converters from my 30 years of travel.

But in the last few years just about every electrical device I have purchased has been 100-240 volts. That means all I have to do is worry about is making sure the plug fits. And adapters are cheaper than converters.
How does all this relate to globalization?

Manufacturers are no longer building electrical products for JUST the U.S. or European or Asian markets. They are making their products easily available to the rest of the world.

A laptop purchases at Best Buy in Fairfax, Va., with a plug adapter can draw power from the grid in China, France or Brazil with ease.

Trust me, even 5 years ago that was not such an easy thing to assume.

And many manufacturers are now including adapter plugs with the unit. So no need to go out and buy one.

So if journalists are looking for a link between their individual lives and the rest of the world, look no further than the power ratings on the back of your computer and look at the plug.

Story ideas could include:

• What is safer, 110 or 220 volts?
• Why does the US use 110 volts?
• How this 100-240 volt availability makes travel and business easier.

And your idea?

More data on a trend we already know about

One point sticks out in this reprot form the Census Bureau: "Those who were least likely to own a computer in 2005 were the elderly, those in poverty and those without a high school diploma."

This is an important point to understand as more government entities move to providing services online. So please tell me, how do these groups participate in the government?

Homes With Cell Phones Nearly Double in First Half of Decade

The number of households with cell phones increased from 36 percent to 71 percent between 1998 and 2005, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. This corresponded with a decrease in households with telephone landlines, particularly households headed by young adults.

These figures are part of an in-depth look at the living standards of U.S. households using extended measures of well-being. The data were collected in 2005 as part of the ongoing Survey of Income and Program Participation. The survey is unique because it allows the user to track select quality of life measures over time using a variety of demographic characteristics.

"While income is generally regarded as the best single measure of one's living standard, it doesn't give us the whole picture," said Tiffany Julian, an analyst in the Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. "This survey is unique in that it includes additional measures of well-being that give us a broader look at household living conditions."

Householders who were 29 or younger went from 35 percent with cell phones in 1998 to 81 percent in 2005. Over the same period, this same group saw a decrease in ownership of landline phones from 93 percent to 71 percent.

Landline phone ownership fell from 96 percent to 91 percent overall from 1998 to 2005. In 2005, 98 percent of householders who were 65 and over had a landline telephone.

The number of households with a personal computer increased from 42 percent to 67 percent between 1998 and 2005. Those who were least likely to own a computer in 2005 were the elderly, those in poverty and those without a high school diploma.

Among the indicators in this survey that measure quality of life are possession of appliances and electronic goods, housing conditions, neighborhood conditions, public services and the ability to meet basic needs, such as paying bills, avoiding foreclosure and having sufficient food.

Some of the household characteristics in this survey include race, Hispanic origin, age, income, poverty status and type (e.g., family, nonfamily, married, nonmarried, etc.).

To determine who is in poverty, the Census Bureau uses a set of income thresholds that vary by family size and composition.

Other statistics:

• In 2005, 92 percent of householders felt their neighborhoods were safe; 96 percent were satisfied with public services such as fire and police protection.
• Eighty-six percent of households reported being able to keep up-to-date on overall essential expenses.
• Households that paid either rent or a mortgage were generally up to date on their payments -- 94 percent.
• Ninety percent of households responded that they were able to pay their utility bills.
• Households in poverty were more likely to have trouble paying bills; 35 percent had unmet bills.
• Among all households, 96 percent reported having a microwave oven.
• Ninety-five percent of households said they had no roof or ceiling leaks; 97 percent reported no broken windows.

Threatened in Iran, coverage continues from Toronto

Students might be interested to know what they are getting into if they go into overseas reporting.

Thanks to Jim Romenesko at the Poynter Institute for a great story about the professional and personal anguish reporters trying to cover Iran have had to go through.

Canada is becoming a safe haven for the world's exiled journalists

Find a story in international data

Transparency International just came out with the 2009 Corruption Index.

Now where, might you ask is there a story for student journalists in that?

Let's start with just the international community at a college campus. What are the reactions of the students from Country X about the ranking their home country got? What is their own perception of corruption in their country AND in the USA? What do they think should be done about the problem of corruption? What do they think are the main effects of corruption on their countries?

From there, start talking to professors from other lands. Professors who are studying the most corrupt countries on the list. Get them to talk about the hows and whys of the problem.

Boom! A local campus story with an international angle.

Now step outside the campus and talk to the local immigrant communities. Ask them the same questions you asked the foreign students.

Boom! Another local story with an international angle.

Go to New corruption index out for more discussion on this issue and a batch of links.

Racism and progress

One big issue in the world is racism and how to fight it.

I was amazed at the racism in the Dominican Republic. And I have known for some time the feelings of racial superiority by the Chinese. I saw how Shanghainese treated African exchange students. (Very humiliating.)

For Americans who have not had the overseas experience, this story (China's black pop idol exposes her nation's racism) and others like it could provide a good measure about racism and discrimination in our own country. We could look at how and why changes have occurred in the States. (After all it never hurts to challenge opinions and conventional wisdom.)