14 Year Old Facing Jail Time in Bali

This story has been going on for some time now and I have heard many reports either on the television, newspaper or the radio all commenting on this situation. I personal think it is going to far in jailing a 14 year old boy. I do understand that what he has done is illegal and that the laws in Bali are very strict but either way he is only 14. He should have some form of punishment but to me jail time is excessive here is just one of the stories. 

The father of an Australian boy facing a possible jail term in Bali will tell a court of his son's marijuana habit as the teenager's legal team appeals for leniency on the grounds he has been treated for a drug problem.

While the 14-year-old, from Morisset Park near Newcastle, faces three charges including two that could see him jailed, his lawyer is hopeful the court won't give the boy a custodial sentence.

The teenager, wearing a balaclava and flanked by bodyguards, was again mobbed by media on Friday as he arrived with his parents for the second day of his trial at the Denpasar District Court.

The prosecutor in charge of the case, I Gusti Gede Putu Atmaja, said before the hearing that at least six people would give evidence on Friday, including two of the police officers who arrested the boy outside a supermarket in Kuta on October 4.

The boy's father will also address the court.

"His father's testimony is to know how long he's been using drugs," Mr Atmaja said.

The court will also hear from prominent local psychiatrist Danny Thong, who will appear for the defence, and is expected to appeal for the boy to be treated as a "user" of drugs.

Under Indonesian law, people who are categorised as users are often shown leniency.

It's likely the boy will also address the court.

The teenager, who was with a 13-year-old friend when he was arrested, was allegedly caught with 3.6 grams of marijuana which he told police he bought from a dealer on Kuta Beach.

He was indicted last week on three charges, including one of possession, which carries a maximum term of six years in prison for juveniles.

The two other charges relate to "drug use", including one which carries a maximum term of two years in prison and another which could see him ordered to undergo rehabilitation and avoid a custodial sentence.

It's expected prosecutors will submit their sentence request on Tuesday with the judge to

Did You Know?

I have come to really enjoy visiting this site Did you know which basically just has facts that you wouldn't know. It would come in handy for any trivia nights. Here some facts that I thought were interesting.

Did you know a cats urine glows under a blacklight.

Did you know all of the clocks in the movie 'Pulp Fiction' are fixed to 4:20

Did you know giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels

Did you know your more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider

Did you know the word 'testify' derived from a time when men were required to swear on their testicles

Did you know scorpions glow under ultra violet light

Did you know 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

Did you know tennis was originally played with bare hands

Did you know
Hawaii was originally called the Sandwich Islands

Did you know
New York was the first capital of the United States

Did you know
Americans eat 35,000 tons of pasta a year.

Did you know
Hawaii is the only US state that grows coffee

Did you know
the Earth is struck by lightning over 100 times every second

Did you know
over 2,500 left handed people are killed a year from using right handed products

Did you know there are more chickens than people

Lecture 12: 'Page One - Inside the New York Times'

‘Page One – New York Times” is a documentary of the work place in the New York Times and their struggle and adaption in the constantly evolving digital world. For so long newspapers such as The New York Times were an essential part to news reporting and journalism, however with the introduction of the Internet its role as critical news source is diminishing. This is reflected in this documentary as they talk about how the Internet has changed news reporting and journalism and their efforts to adapt to it through the use of social networking pages. Throughout the film they delve into a few particular issues including WikiLeaks, the Jason Blair scandal and the US military involvement in Iraq.

 In this film there is a focus on how journalism can survive in this new digital world where there is more importance on the speed in which news comes out rather than the content of the news itself. More specifically it focuses on the journalist who work in the paper’s Media desk, which is designed to follow changes and trends in the media industry. This movie was great in showing to journalism students are real insight into the way journalism actually works and functions. Although this description may seem as if the movie would be simple documentary of a news room, it present little quirks throughout which adds to its success in my opinion

 I think this movie link directly to what we have been talking about in this subject in particular Lecture 6, which was all about web news. Additionally the assignment for this subject on our media use very much reflects some of the key aspects of this documentary. In this lecture we talked about how the web is constantly evolve from Web 1.0 (Information Web), to Web 2.0 (New Media – Social Networking) then to Web 3.0 (Semantic Web). This change in media use, also exemplified in the media use diaries, demonstrates how print news is slowly decreasing which present a problem to the New York Times. The example Dr. Redman did with the jellies bean in the lecture in which he showed us that when we have something for free for so long we feel that it is rightfully owed to us. This idea is shown in the film in which online news, which is free, is or will be putting journalist out of jobs.

Overall I found the moving very interesting being able to have insight to the world of journalism that you would never normally see. Here is the trailer for the movie for a little preview. 

Top 10 Architecture of 2010

These are photographs of just some of the mazing architecture in our world that I think are amazing. 

Toddler Run Over by Car and No one Helped!

Kim Kardashian in Australia!!!

Famous for being Famous Kim Kardashian is now in Australia. After recently announcing her file for divorce against husband of 72 days Kris Humphries Kim was mobbed on her arrival at sydney airport. This article was on the home page for channel 9 news

Kim Kardashian has been mobbed by the press as she touched down in Sydney this morning.

The reality TV star struggled to make her way through the airport as crowds scrambled to catch a glimpse of the newly-single star.

NSW police attempted to keep the media scrum at bay, pushing through the frenzy to lead Kardashian to a waiting black car.

Dressed in a black jacket, sunglasses and ski-high heels, she was without her $2 million diamond engagement and wedding rings.

The reality star left LA last night, hours after she filed for divorce from NBA player husband Kris Humphries after just 72 days of marriage.

Her sudden divorce announcement has seen an influx of international paparazzi following her to Australia.

She is in the country with her sister Khloe to launch their Kardashian Kollection handbag range.

The pair will attend a VIP party tonight, at Hugo's in Kings Cross, and tomorrow will meet fans at the David Jones store in the city and Strand Bags in Miranda.

On Friday, they will make their way down to Melbourne for Stakes Day on Saturday.

Victoria Racing Club officials have confirmed there was a "sudden influx" of requests for media passes since news of the split, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Despite many fans expressing doubt over the sincerity of the marriage, the Kardashian clan has stood by Kim.

The Kardashian matriarch, Kris Jenner, told radio hosts Johnjay and Rich yesterday she was "of course" surprised by her daughter's decision to file for a divorce.

"Kim had to make a very difficult decision," Jenner said.

"Kim's not the first person in the world to get a divorce or have something like this happen to and she won't be the last. She just happens to be a very public person with a couple of television shows on the air so it makes it bigger than life."

Annotated Bibliography

Hoijer, B. (2004). The discourse of Global Compassion: The Audience and Media Reporting of Human Suffering. Media, Culture & Society, 26(4), 513-529.

Birgitta Hoijer is a professor at the University of Orebro in Sweden and has written many articles that focus on the relationship between the media and the public. In particular she focuses on the public reactions to the way in which violence is portrayed by the media. This article was retrieved from the peer-reviewed journal Media, Culture and Society that provides research based upon the media and its communication within political, economical and cultural context. Combined with the author’s credentials this makes for a highly reliable source.  In this article Hoijer explores how people respond to the way media represents the ‘innocent victims’ that are involved in political conflicts and war. She particularly examines media efforts to create global compassion, specifically the effects motion pictures have. This directly coincides with the media reporting on the Norwegian Massacre as the attack was in response to the labour party and all of the articles attempt to arouse global compassion. Furthermore the article includes research survey to the way people react to media images, showing that the majority of people respond with compassion, but attribute more to the ‘ideal victims’ such as women, children and elderly people.

Phillip Williams (2011, July 25).  Norway Devastated by Deadly Attacks, [Podcast television program]. ABC 7.30 Report. Retrieved October 21, 2011 from http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2011/s3277625.htm

Phillip Williams, based in London, has been ABC’s Europe correspondent for three years, however he had previously worked for London ABC on such coverage as the 911 attacks, the Madrid bombings and the Iraq war. His previous works in these areas gives him reliable credentials to report further human sufferings and deaths in the Norwegian Massacre. This news broadcast begins with the essential factors surround the events of the massacre, showing footage of the chaos from the bombing in Oslo to the aftermaths of the massacre on the island. It goes into great depth interviewing witnesses, Norwegian media personals, and experts in media use on violence. This research and depth that has gone into this news report asserts its credibility in reporting the events. However, as referred to in Source 1, because it is a television broadcast there is a sense of forming global compassion within the viewer. Furthermore William puts more emphasise on the victims that are children as opposed to the adults that may have died, as they are the ‘ideal victim’ as Hoijer refers. Despite this favoring, this report is highly credible due to the reporter and sources, providing extensive information on the Norwegian Massacre.

Boyes, Roger and Campbell, Matthew. (2011, July 24). Survivors of Norway’s massacre tell of their escape from gunman. The Australian. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/survivors-of-norways-massacre-tell-of-their-escape-from-the-gunman/story-e6frg6so-1226100752716

The Australian online news article by Roger Boyes and Matthew Campbell follows the stories of the victims of the Norwegian Massacre. In the article it focuses primarily on the victims, basically recounting their experience. Although this article does include factual information regarding the shooting it is heavily reliant on the victim’s stories as the main crux of the article. This makes the article less reliable as journalistic report as it is more similar to a story. Regarding the authors, Boyes, a British journalist and author, has been a European journalist correspondent, with a focus on political events, for over two decades, making him a reliable author in response to European affairs such as the Norwegian massacre that was against the current political Labour party. Campbell does not have the same high standard of credentials but when in conjunction with Boyes he still retains credibility. In comparison to the other sources this report plays on the victimization of those involved to create a deep sense of compassion within the reader. This follows the idea Hoijer refers to in her article where the journalists emphasise certain elements to force the expected compassionate response from the reader.

Godfrey, A. (2011, July 26). Norway Grieving after bombing and island Massacre. The Courier Mail. Retrieved from http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world/twin-attacks-gunman-opens-fire-on-youth-camp-car-bomb-explodes-at-pms-office/story-e6freopo-1226100157179

The article featured by the Courier mail written by Alison Godfrey details the aftermath of the Norwegian massacre, which, unlike the other sources, also has a focus on the accused man, Anders Behring Breivik. It is a detailed report that features photographs of both the massacre and bombing while also showing the police investigation into Breivik. In comparison with video report in source 2 the images do not create the same level of compassion that the moving image does, as noted in Hoijer’s article. Nonetheless it does offer quotes from the victims and their detailed experience. This report follows a logical order of events, with specific times and details progressing from the massacre to Breivik’s trial that the other sources do not contain. The detail of the content combined with the credentials of the Godfrey, who is senior news journalists, demonstrates its credibility. Since this news report is placed in an Australian newspaper there is this sense of the distant victim that Hoijer refers to which is manifested by the images. This article, similarly to the other news reports, creates global compassion in its vivid report of the innocent victims.

Halloween Cupcakes

Really enjoy cupcakes and Halloween so here are some mixed in one! Plus just some nice cake that i found from blogs.

Father lets 9 year old daughter drive!

This young girls father made her drive because he was so drunk. Not only did he let his 9 year old daughter drive his van but also bragged about it to the man working at the petrol station! I don't know how she would have possibly even reached the pedals. Here's the article and video clip can be found from 9 Year old Driving

A nine-year-old girl asked police why they pulled her over when she was "driving good" after her drunken father got her to drive his van in the middle of the night, US media reported on Tuesday.

The girl was sitting on a booster seat in the big red van, but somehow managed to reach the pedals and was even careful to use her turn signal.

"I parked!" she can be heard telling the clerk on a gas station's surveillance video.

Her father, Shawn Weimer, 39, of Brownstown Township, Michigan, bragged openly about his "designated driver" before dancing his way back to the van his daughter parked at a pump just before 3:00 am on October 8.

"Nine years old. Nine! Gas, brake, listen, we're leaving, and she's driving. I'm drunk," the man told the clerk, slurring his words and stumbling around in front of the counter.

A good Samaritan, who was disturbed by how the man was treating what he called his "little angel" called police and followed the van in his car to make sure police could pull them over as soon as possible, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The girl, who could be seen munching on a candy apple in the shop, had apparently driven before, police said.

"She was doing fine," Brownstown Township Police Detective Lt. Robert Grant told the Free Press.

"And, in fact, as heinous as this is, the little girl looks at the police officer and says, 'What did you stop me for? I was driving good.' Incredible. Obviously, the officer told her she was too young to drive."

The girl's parents are separated and she was spending the weekend with her father. He told police he was just taking her for a driving lesson and refused a breathalyzer test. She told police he'd been drinking whiskey all night.

The father faces charges of felony child abuse and being a habitual offender

 

Shia Labeouf Bashed.

Shia Labeouf has been in fights before but this one was caught on camera. There are a lot of instances when fights are caught on camera like this one but I don't understand why? When I see a fight my first thoughts is not to whip out my phone or camera and film it. Would you not a least try and stop it or get someone else to help? Nonetheless here is the article on Shia Lebaouf and the video that accompanied it from Labeouf's Fight:

The 25-year-old Transformers star was fighting with a shirtless man outside Cinema Public House in Vancouver on Saturday morning (AEDT).

An onlooker filmed the altercation and it was released by TMZ today.

The footage shows LeBeouf being knocked to the ground and beaten, before standing up and trying to hit back as his friends restrain him.

"You gotta lay low right now," one friend can be heard saying.

The two men, both described by witnesses as "intoxicated", reportedly began arguing inside the bar before they were thrown out by security.

The other man then reportedly ripped his shirt off and began attacking LaBeouf.

It is not the first bar fight for the actor — he was seen yelling at his girlfriend at a Hollywood bar in August and had to be restrained by police in February after a fight in an LA tavern.

LaBeouf is in Canada filming Robert Redford's film The Company You Keep.

Same Sex Relationships

I found this article on the Australian online newspaper. It is about same sex marriage and discriminating against same sex relationships. I thought the arguments the ex-navy officer was making was very important and I do believe she should receive the same benefits as those couples in a relationship with a person of the opposite sex. This is where i found the article The Australian
A DISABLED US Navy veteran is suing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recognise her marriage to her long-time female partner - in what is believed to be the first time a former member of the armed services has sought recognition of same-sex marriage from the department.

Eighteen-year naval veteran Carmen Cardona is filing an appeal with the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims after the VA denied her and her wife spousal disability benefits last year.

"I'm proud that I served my country while in the Navy," Ms Cardona said, in comments reported today by FOX News.

"It is important to my wife and me that the Government respect my service by acknowledging our marriage, and that we be treated equally."

The 45-year-old - who maintained aircraft during her years of service - applied for and began receiving military-connected disability compensation from the VA for carpal tunnel syndrome, which she developed as a result of her duties, following her honourable discharge in 2000.

Ms Cardona married her partner in Norwich, Connecticut in 2010. She later applied to the VA for spousal benefits -- to which legally married disabled veterans are entitled - but officials denied the application pursuant to a VA statute that prevents the federal government from recognising same-sex marriages.

"We could use the help to pay our mortgage, but this is not only about the money," Ms Cardona said, "President Obama is right that [the Defense of Marriage Act] discriminates against gay and lesbian people. There are many other veterans out there just like me. I am standing up and asking to be treated equally in part to let others know they are not alone."

Officials at the VA declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

The VA benefits law indicates that for purposes of veterans' benefits a spouse is defined as a "person of the opposite sex who is a wife or husband". The Board of Veterans Appeals relied upon this law rather than the Defense of Marriage Act in ruling that Cardona's same-sex partner could not be considered a spouse for benefits purposes.

Lecture 11: Investigative Journalism

Investigative Journalism

What is it?

-       Isn’t all journalism meant involve questioning investigation of facts and opinions presented to us

-       Hugo de Burgh – it is to discover the truste

-       Lord Northcliffe – “what somebody somewhere wants to suppress, all the rest is just advertising”

Investigative

-       Intelligent

o   not just boring turn up and do story

o   Well thought out, must know the context in which you are investigating

o   Money, sex and power makes the world corrupt

-       Informed

o   Informes because you are going to inform other people so you need to know in the first place

-       Intuitive

o   Can either be born or develop it

o   Having a knowing that something is just not right,

-       Inside

o   What’s the real story?

o   Must get into the story that you are investigatins

-       Intimate? Maybe?

o   Sometimes have to get inside the person you are interviewing

-       Invest

o   You do have to invest a part of yourself

o   Can call upon you emotional, spiritual self, You must know when to draw the line

Deeper definitions and Purpose

1.     Critical and through journalism

2.     Custodian of conscience

3.     To proved a voice for those without one to hold

Critical and Thorough Journalism

-       Critical = the journalist is an active participant

-       “Active Intervention” – the key idea

-       Thorough

o   = Journalist makes a substantial effort

Custodian of Conscience

-       Investigation takes society morals and norms and holds breaches up to public scrutiny; in other words they call ‘civic vice ‘ is exposed for society to repons

-       “Exposure”- key idea

To provide a voice to those without on and to hold the powerful account

-       Social justice – power to the powerless, voice to the voiceless

-       “Public Interest” – key idea

o   not about corporations

Fourth Estate/ Fourth branch of Governments/ “watchdog’

-       Fourth Estate

o   Journalist represent the interest of those without power to balance the power of government

-       Fourth Branch of Govt.

o   Journalist ensure free flows of information necessary for the functioning of democracy by interrogating the judiciary, executive and legislature

o   One of the reasons we have had problem in Qld we had corruption in judiciary

-       ‘Watchdog’

o   Journalist make accountable public personalities and institution whose function impact social and political life

Summary

-       Active Intervention

-       Exposure

-       Public Interest

-       Fourth Estate/Watchdog

-       Skeptical not Cynical

Cutting through the Agenda

-       Hidden agenda of message and myths that surround its

-       The abs cannot simply report must work in best traditions of investigative journalism

-       Fitzgerald Report

Historical Investigations – Trailblazers

Number 2

-       Started the Salvos (William Booth)

-       Help the poor who had been affected by the industrial revolution

-       Had huge agenda in social justice

-       W.T. Stead heard about young girls 12 or younger being used for prostitution

-       In his newspaper

Number 3

-       Bob Woodward, Carl Bernsteing 1972-74

-       ‘Watergate” about Nixon which led him to the get the flick

Number 4

-       ‘The Moonlight State’

-       Chris Masters, Phil Dickie, Shaun Hoyt

-       Story about cops behaving badly and treating children violently

-       For some reasons everyone just ignored because cops, politicians were involved but the Moonlight state changed everyhintg

Number 5

-       Julian Assange from Cairns

-       Sarah Palin says he should be hunted down like Osama

-       May be shipped back to USA

-       Is wikileaks Journalism?

o   Its not because it just information you actually need journalist to go through the information

What do they have in Common?

-       they all changed they world in their own different way

-       Such as changing age of consent

Local Investigative Journalism

-       Its all about telling their own stories

-       Brooke Hardgraves – old journalism student

What do we investigate?

-       If your mother says she  loves you, check it out’

-       Believe no one, assume nothing

-       Expect whistleblowers to be crazy

-       Types of Investigation Interaction

o   Interviews

o   Observations

o   Documents

o   Briefings

o   Leaks

o   Trespass

o   Theft

-       Investigating methods

o   Interviewing

o   Observing – investigation technical issues, scrutiny of government and business practices and their effect. Research into social and legal issue

o   Analysing documents – law suits

Wikipedia/Google is not the on place to look

-       Wikipedia is not reliable, anyone can change it

Threats to investigating Journalism

-       Online news

o   Less money = Less Journalism

Journalism Vs PR

-       Propaganda by truth

o   the selective use of ‘facts’ to present a persuasive case to the publis

-       Journalism is verifying the facts to public interests

Growth in PR = shrinkage in Journalism

-       PR

o   Resistance to Exposure

o   Dodging Questions

o   Massaging ‘talent’

o   Cleaning up stories

-       Journalism

o   No Intervention

o   No shoe leather

o   Lack of Depth

Future of Investigative Journalism

-       YouTube is thinking of doing an investigating channel