Fate of Two Men

TMZ reported that the television sitcom, "Two and a Half Men" has a 50/50 chance of coming back for a ninth season.

Charlie Sheen will not be returning to the show regardless of whether it continues or not. 

The fate of the show will be known before May 18.

Check out the rest of the story at TMZ.com.

CBN2 NEWS: 2011 BUDGET CUTS & ITS AFFECT ON EDUCATION (STORY 3)

Public Policy: Michigan Department of Corrections

Cortni Moore

April 28, 2011

JRN 200

Overspending in the Michigan Department of Corrections calls for effective reform.

Word Count: 797

East Lansing - The Michigan Department of Corrections proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012 continues to be $two billion and to consume about 25 percent of all general spending.

The state can reduce the amount of spending by implementing Truth and Sentencing Laws like other neighboring states have, decrease personnel costs, lowering the amount of money spent on inmate medications, and reducing or sticking to the minimum sentencing for some non-violent offenders.

Phillip D. Schertzing, MSU Criminal Justice Professor and Michigan State Police retiree, said the economy is what’s causing a change. The government policies we have been under were based off a better economy in the past, like the Reagan and Clinton administrations, which established the harsher correctional policies. Now, he said, People are beginning to analyze whether we can afford the strict policies that have a price tag attached to them.

“It’s all politics. No politician wants to seem soft on crime,” said Jennifer Cobbina, Ph.D., 28, Michigan State University Criminal Justice professor. The government spends more money when it may not be necessary, incarcerating non-violent criminals for longer than their minimum sentencing, in order to appease the public, she said.

The National Governors’ Association is cited on CityLinc.org reporting that, every year more than 10,000 out of 50,000 inmates are released and 86 percent of these offenders (about 9,000) are released under parole supervision.  About 44 percent of those in the program (about 3900 offenders) will return to prison within two years. Cobbina said she believes our government spends too much money in the prison system for the recidivism rate to be so high.

 Many people have expressed the interest in implementing the “Good Time Credit”, giving inmates a chance to display “good behavior” by law meaning “exemplary compliance with institutional disciplinary regulations”, so that the inmate may be released earlier than initially sentenced, according to Families Against Mandatory Minimums.  Establishing these laws would lessen the sentences of those non-violent offenders whom longer sentencing might not make a difference in the well being of society or the welfare of themselves.

“I think you have to give Corrections administrators the ability to control the inmate population, by having the Good Time Credit available for them to take and to give. I think it’s foolish to eliminate those, because you’re taking a tool away from correctional administrators. You’re not really punishing the inmates your punishing the tax payer and the correctional administrator by taking away those Good Time Credits,” said Daniel Durkee, Lansing Community College Criminal Justice professor, Correctional program coordinator and Jail Administrator retiree of the Kent County Sheriff’s Department.


Opposing the reinstatement of these laws, Eaton County Prosecutor, Jeff Sauder said, “We've been down this ‘good time’ road before. Our citizens
 were so confused and outraged by deceptive sentences and
 revolving prison doors that in 1978 they passed a citizens initiative to
 ban those credits, approving the measure by a margin of more than
 70%. Voters have clearly rejected early release as being common sense.”

The Citizens Research Council of Michigan projected that about $500 million could be found in the Correctional Department if the prison population can be lowered, personnel costs reduced and the department operations become more efficient, reported the Lansing State Journal in an article on April, 11.

These funds could potentially be used to cover other areas in the budget like education. “If they can save $500 million it should be put into education. That’s a no-brainer. We would get a lot more for our money in education than in corrections,” said Durkee. While Cobbina said she believes the money should be kept in the Correctional Department to better assist offenders once they are released, job programs, drug programs. “I am for cutting costs and using that portion specifically to meet needs,” she said.

Durkee said he believes the prison system and the reasons we imprison people should be “looked at.” He said that if we can decriminalize certain controlled substances we could put a possible a 15 percent to 20 percent dent in the prison population over night.

Over the past 40 years, the Citizens Allianceon Prisons and Public Spending, stated the general Michigan population growing by about 6.7 percent, while the Prison system in Michigan has grown about 191 percent. Schertzing said, “This should be a wake-up call. What are we accomplishing with such an exploding rate of the prison population?”

With the recent 2011 budget cuts from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, should we continue to spend $two billion a year on a correctional system that isn’t only being somewhat counter-productive with the high recidivism rates, but with the right strategy, the system can effectively be reformed?

Tuesday’s Reporting Summary

Cortni Moore

April 26, 2011

JRN 200

I have spent and will continue to spend today gathering more background information for my story. I also have tried to contact with more sources but no one seems to be budging.

Sergeant Taylor did not agree to the interview unfortunately. However I did get two of the Criminal Justice professors, one is newer to the department and the other is a retiree from the police force, to do an interview.

I am also in the process of organizing my notes and going through my recordings from the two interviews I conducted yesterday. When I am finish with this I have been thinking or trying something slightly new this time with my story. I will attempt to incorporate the method we talked about in class of pre-planning and mapping out each paragraph and portion of my story in hopes that it will improve the organization of my article.

 This could also make it potentially easier to go in and fill in my information once I have created a solid structure or outline. I’m just unsure how defined of an outline I can come up with. I usually just have an idea of how I want the paper to be and start typing and editing as I go.

Extra Credit: Mary Gardner Lecture

Cortni Moore

April 25, 2011

JRN 200

This lecture had a lot of key points that touched based on the topic, “Building The Future of Journalism: International Strategies For Technology Change And Innovation.” The main speaker, Martha L. Stone, CEO of World Newsmedia Network, talked about the future of Journalism being defined by two “seismic” changes.

The changes were the large influx of media and the demand and decision making choices of the audience. The large influx of media she described is basically the reason for enrollment rates at Journalism schools all around the world increasing. The decisions of the audience she talks about deals with this new age of Journalism where the audience can now choose what they want to read and what they want to listen to. It’s not being handed to them and forced upon them but they have the option to pick and choose who to trust and who to support.

She told about when she was a director of shaping the future for a newspaper project in Paris. Stone wanted to send messages of innovation and changes in media. She was apart of team called Newsplex who brainstormed how to innovate Journalism with media where they came up with ideas like using cell phones for sources of information that we use today.  By her telling us about things she, not so long ago, brainstormed about to become more innovative in this field and to see these things being of everyday usage now shows how fast technology and times evolve. It tells me that we as a people are constantly changing and looking to become more innovative and will need newer ideas every few years to keep up with this explosion of media usage.

A big part of what they did was providing research and they did this in two ways. The first was called 10.1 World News Future & Change Study which was a survey of over 100 countries in 10 different languages. The second was a collaborative study in 2010 of 100 reports, incorporating 400 data sets. This report was useful because it told people where the revenue trends were going as well as what we should be teaching, learning and what would be the next best upcoming place to go for a job.

            She had many graphs and charts to show which displayed the distribution of different forms of media usage all over the world.  To me this really made it known that as a journalist you must know your audience, their interests and their means of receiving the information you are trying to distribute.  

She made it clear that in this field you should remain relevant, passionate and also have a deep understanding of your audience.

I can see from this lecture and everyday experiences that media, it’s usage and learning to incorporate it in your work for the audience is a major thing to know and use in today’s society. Based on the trends and what the newer generations want and respond to, technology is something you must become knowledgeable in, if you want to succeed in this career field.

Racial Profiling?

Ex-Destiny's Child singer, Farrah Franklin was arrested last Saturday in L.A. for allegedly disturbing the peace. Franklin claims she's the victim of racial profiling and is now threatening to sue over the whole incident, TMZ reported. 

TMZ Live -- Will and Kate's Royal Favor for Obama

TMZ Live -- Will and Kate's Royal Favor for Obama

Public Policy Progress Summary

Cortni Moore

April 21, 2011

JRN 200

Summary Progress Report for Public Policy Story

My story will be about the Prison System in Michigan and why the government spends so much money on the system when the money could be used in other areas of the State’s budget.

I will touch on the numbers and how much money goes into the system and how much of it is really needed for it to be effective for society and financially fair.

So far I have gathered a few potential sources for interviews but I am waiting for response.

I contacted the MSU Police Department on campus to interview with someone and I was directed to Sergeant Florene Taylor. The person who directed me to her said it may take awhile for her to get back to me.

My other sources that I would like to interview are any of the following four Criminal Justice professors at MSU, Jennifer Cobbina, Maureen Conner, Sheila Maxwell and Phillip Schertzing. I looked them up from the MSU Schedule of Courses site and then looked them up in the MSU directory for contact info.

So far I have only emailed my sources and my next step is to call them later today.

I’ve found numerous articles, write ups and interviews about this topic through the Internet and they would also be useful for background information and some sourcing. 

Nic Cage Returns To Work

Nicolas Cage has already returned to work after being arrested while intoxicated for domestic violence early Saturday morning, reported TMZ.

See more on the story at TMZ.com.

Kim K. Armenian Vs. Turkish

After Cosmopolitan put Kim Kardashian's picture on the cover
of the Turkish version of the magazine she struggled with whether
 she should work with them again.

Kim is Armenian and because of historical differences
with the Turkish people she was upset, said TMZ reporters.



See more on how she was unaware of the picture until
 TMZ posted it yesterday at TMZ.com

The Rise of Superstar Nail Lacquer

Cortni Moore

Michigan State student becomes Chief Executive Officer of a rising nail polish company.

March 15, 2011

Word Count: 860

EAST LANSING – Being a college student isn’t easy so how is it possible to manage classes while becoming the CEO of your own nail polish company as well as manage other entrepreneurial businesses you’ve started? Superstar Nail Lacquer is the nail polish company created, owned and managed by Ariana Pierce, 21, and Michigan State University Marketing junior.

These $10 bottles of nail polish have something that many companies do not; a fast drying formula that dries in about five minutes, compared to about 20 minutes drying time for other nail polish companies.  

“Being at college, I needed to get to class fast, so the fast drying formula is for girls on-the-go so you can get in and get out. It was made for college students,” Pierce said. The product is also free of formaldehyde, and toluene-free making it environmental friendly, Pierce said.

            Pierce wanted to be different when she created her brand and wanted to do something that many others were not. “I saw the need for more fashionable colors and I wanted to make a nail polish brand versus clothes or shoes or other items. I wanted to make nail polish more of an accessory,” Pierce said.  

            "Ariana's product is long-lasting . . . and keeps up with the latest couture trends. I use her products weekly and love them," said Shanacee Shreve, 19, Michigan State University Journalism sophomore, model, and customer of Superstar Nail Lacquer.

Pierce said, that in 2010, Superstar Nail Lacquer grossed about $500,000 in sales and the company plans to double that amount by the end of 2011. Superstar Nail Lacquer produces thousands of units per month, Pierce said, and it would take thousands more for the company to reach its goal of doubling.

Since Superstar Nail Lacquer is a fairly new brand with many other businesses and people taking note of the actions of the brand, Pierce said, she cannot disclose certain information regarding exact profits and expenses, but the business is, “definitely profitable.” Although she did manage to say the company is manufactured within Michigan, she could not name her exact manufacturers.

  Based in East Lansing, Mich., Pierce’s product is sold in salons across the United States as well as overseas in countries such as Russia, Ukraine and parts of Europe. Awards shows such as, The Golden Globe Awards, the Oscar’s, the Emmy’s, and celebrities such as Courteney Cox have contacted the company about using the product.

"My business is in preparation for the stage of Globalization," Pierce said. She wants to create a line specifically for the Japanese culture along with many other lines she plans to create for other cultures and cities around the world. Pierce said because Japan is so, “fashion forward,” and they have so many different patterns and colors she found it to be interesting. She has similar collections out already like, “The City Collection,” which she said was inspired from the New York scene.

            The company’s main venue of transactions is an online store, SuperstarNailLacquer.com because Pierce said it would be easier to maintain than an actual store. “The site creates more revenue than stores because it is relevant to the market of customers who utilize the project,” Pierce said.

Colors for the nail polish are based on colors that Pierce duplicates from clothing she sees on that season’s fashion runway. She releases Autumn and Spring collections and occasionally Summer. Her product appeals to ages 16 to 30, but she has begun incorporating more mature colors to appeal to older crowds as well. The polish lasts about five days on a regular nail and about two weeks on acrylic nails.

Her parents helped fund the production of about 1,000 bottles when she was 18. She and her mom, Dr. Stacia Pierce, took the product to a Women’s Success Conference, in East Lansing, the summer before she started classes at MSU and the nail polish sold out completely, so she knew it would be big, Pierce said.

            “Being in business you can’t just have one product so I started a phone case company called Phone Candi and a jewelry line called Style Shopp. I’ve created four books about creating businesses since the age of 12 when my mother got me started, and they’re about how to be successful as a young adult. I write to a specific crowd that is relevant to my age at the time. Recently I created an audio book, “30 Days to Making It,” which along with all my other products can be purchased at arianapierce.com,” Pierce said.

            She finds her competition in most other nail polish companies like OPI who have been around for many years, unlike her business which has just begun within the last three years, Pierce said. It’s such a small market that she believes everyone is pretty much in competition.

            Pierce said that right now she plans on keeping her business but in the future if someone wants to buy them out she would consider it if the price was right or possibly partial selling.

           

           

Ariana Pierce - Superstar Nail Lacquer on Dipity.

Fraternity hosts annual hair show highlighting black women

Fraternity hosts annual hair show highlighting black women

I was in this fashion show! Check out the write up from State News.

Proposed Budget Threatens College Students-REVISED with MEDIA

Cortni Moore

April 26, 2011

Due to proposed budget cuts, Michigan citizens search for solutions.

Word Count: 985

East Lansing – Michigan Governor, Rick Snyder, has proposed a new 2011 budget that will reduce funding by millions of dollars for many K-12 schools, universities, public safety services, businesses, tax breaks and local governments. Many college students who rely on the government for financial assistance are left with rising tuition rates and few remaining options for funds and education.

“Everyone will have to sacrifice to fix massive fiscal problems that have built up over decades under Republican and Democratic administrations,” said Gov. Snyder in an interview Feb. 17 with Michigan Radio. The proposed budget stated about $202 million dollars will be cut for the funding of Pell grants, ultimately affecting about 337,000 students.

View full map

                  “With the federal government being in a budget crisis and cutting so much money it puts more pressure on the state to fund higher education,” said Marvin Yates Jr., 23, legislative assistant to State Representative Maureen L. Stapleton and graduate of Michigan State University. “Not being able to receive financial aid and things like that are making higher education unaffordable for so many people,” he said.

         Many students at MSU seem to know of Gov. Snyder’s proposed budget, but are not really sure of the details and what it means for them. MSU Psychology sophomore, Shauntelle Boyer, 20, said she heard about the 2011 proposal, but didn’t really know what it meant. “I’m worried about it because without my Pell grants I’ll have to take out more loans,” she said.

 “Everyone keeps saying it’s a 15 percent cut to education but it’s more like 22 or 23 percent,” Yates Jr. said. “The fact that education is being cut 22 percent and K-12 education being cut $470 per person average is outlandish and crazy.”

Financing education has become a top concern for many college students like freshmen and those students who are finishing out their last year or two. For many students Pell grants contribute a larger amount of money than other grants on their financial aid. “I would have left a long time ago if they would have cut my Pell grants, that’s like the most important part of financial aid,” said MSU graduate, Janiero Hunter, 24.

Students are agreeing that the decrease in financial assistance will affect future enrollment rates at MSU as well as other Michigan universities. Many lower class students and minorities that contribute to campus diversity receive grants from the state to attend school. Losing these benefits could create a decrease in campus diversity. “I think that majority of the people that actually need financial aid are the lower class and minorities, so in the future there won’t be as many attending,” Hunter said.

If students are denied essential funding what options will they have left? “They’ll probably go to community college because folks don’t want to be in debt coming to college and leaving college. I think he’s (Snyder) trying to weed out the middleman. At the end rich people are going to be the only ones left in college because now the middle class is struggling just as much as the poor,” Boyer said.

Approximately 4,500 citizens, many of them Union members, rallied and protested the proposed budget on April 13.  Citizens are left to predict the future of the economy and what these cuts will do to education. “So the object and I think the goal is for the state to be innovative and find ways to really be creative and increase revenue and increase the money that we bring in as a state,” Yates Jr. said. He also said a possible dollar tax on cigarettes would generate an estimated $500 million and then proposed, “instead of making a 22 percent cut to education can you combat that with maybe a 10 percent cut to education and a 12 percent cut to correctional, because right there might balance it out.”

Many people are questioning whether or not attending universities is worth taking out loans and risking debt they may not be able to pay off in the long run. “Your not going to be able to get a job it’s going to be so much harder to be successful without a degree. I think it is worth it to take out loans or do whatever you have to in order to be able to make it or graduate. I don’t think any systematic push or any systematic barrier should stop a person from doing what they want to do,” Yates Jr. said.

 “The main reason many people go to four-year institutions is for the experience. Two-year schools are cheaper and there are some really good community colleges,” Hunter said. The only reason people attend MSU is because the degree looks better and better education, said Boyer. “But, if you’re trying to go the cheap route you should go to community college for two years then transfer,” which she said would lessen the debt opposed to staying all four years at a university.

The 2011 budget that Governor Snyder has proposed is not yet official. Some people are still in hopes that the budget will not pass through in its entirety. Yates predicts the chances of the proposed budget coming into affect, “I’m 99.9 percent sure that the budget that Gov. Snyder has proposed will not pass all the way through. There’s going to be a number of changes so I’m not saying that the budget their going to pass is going to be the greatest budget ever. It’s going to be terrible but I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere near as bad as his proposed budget.”

Marvin Yates Interview about Budgets from Cortni Moore on Vimeo.

To find the statistics chart that the GIS map is based on please visit :
http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/budget-watch/budget-cuts.html

Code Of Ethics

Cortni Moore
April 7, 2011

Code of Ethics

1.     You cannot interview a close friend, relative or person you have engaged in any sort or relations with, whether it be business partner or intimacy.
2.     Reporters are expected to be as honest and truthful as possible.
3.     Reporters should be as accurate as possible given the amount of time and resources for a given assignment.
4.     Reporters should attribute all controversial and necessary statements appropriately.
5.     Reporters should let it be known when interviewing that they have the right to ask whatever they would like as well as publish whatever is said during an interview.
6.      Reporters should respect the privacy of citizens as well as sensitive matters and exhibit compassion in these situations. Compassion should only be concealed for very specific situations.
7.     Reporters must practice clarity and brevity.
8.     Reporters should keep in mind the interest of their readers.
9. The idea of Fair Use should be kept in mind when using digital media in areas that are not expected to be private.
10. Digital alterations should be limited to only necessary situations when the content is not misconstrued or misinterpreted from its original meaning or purpose.

Mother James Slaps Valet

Gloria James, mother of NBA athlete Lebron James, had a run in with the police after allegedly slapping a valet attendant at a Miami Beach hotel and being "apparently intoxicated," reported TMZ.com.

Check the site for the two stories that followed this one for more information on what happened after the altercation. 

Pelley To Replace Couric

CBS network sources tells TMZ reporters that Scott Pelley, veteran journalist and "60 Minutes"correspondant, will replace Katie Couric for the "CBS Evening News."

Jeff Fager, CBS News Chairman, chose Pelley as the replacement.

Find the rest of this story at TMZ.com.

Dancing Wendy

Wendy Williams uploads a picture of her battered, bruised and bloated feet on "Dancing With The Stars."