TOP 3: Oklahoma Politicians Behaving Badly
Since I last posted about TOP 3: Politicians behaving badly, I figured why not checkout the home front to see what comes to light…After listening to Oklahoma’s House of Representative half of this legislative session I had somewhat of an idea who would make this list so any of the names below don’t come as a surprise.
And the #1 politician’s behaving badly spot goes to:
Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern has often been a controversial politician who has received national attention due to comments made on hot topic issues.
1.) State Rep. Sally Kern- On more than one occasion, Kern’s slip of the tongue has offended many people across the nation. First, with her homophobic remarks. Then with her remarks about women and minorities. Kern has been reprimanded for her remarks. I believe the single most important thing that can be taken away from Kern and the hurtful comments she has made is, just because you have the right to say something, it does not mean that something should be said.
2.) State Rep. Randy Terrill – While Terrill may seem like a passionate politician, his actions and behavior have been called in question. Terrill is currently being investigated for questionable election activity. He has also been reprimanded for “threatening” the speaker of the House Kris Steele. Terrill has also made accusations of other politicians engaging in illicit activity such as having sex and drinking activity while on the job.
3.) As for number 3…it seems as if most other politicians who have behaving badly has managed to keep their deeds under raps. So, I’ll leave the number three nomination up for grabs. There may be someone you feel is most deserving of a TOP 3 nomination under this category.
Music and Work
Here at the OPUBCO offices, you might see people with ear buds hanging from their ears throughout the day. I often turn on some tunes to drown out the office noise and focus on my tasks but, for my first story for Newsok.com, ear buds or any sort of headphones were not necessary. I was able to convert my planned trip to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival into a travel piece for the Know It section on the Newsok site.
Main Entrance on First Day
This was my first time to attend the Bonnaroo Festival; My first time to report for NewsOk; and my first time to write a first person piece. The festival also helped me find the perfect story to launch my personal blog, Green Life Girl, an Eco concious blog. Most of the interviews I did for my story and blog were done while waiting for the next band to hit the stage. This made the wait time go by much quicker and helped me get to know the group around me.
The days were hot and dusty but the bands were full of energy and excitement. My favorite acts were The Strokes by far but closely followed by Florence and the Machine and Arcade Fire. Other than music there were some really exciting, funny and weird experiences had at the festival. I love being a journalist because it may be the only career in which you can listen to your favorite musicians and say you’re working.
Ryan Dunn dies in car wreck.
Reports are appearing all over the internet that MTV “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn has died in a car wreck.
The photo above was posted on Dunn’s tumblr account just a few hours before the wreck.
NBC Philadelphia posted a story that says Dunn and another passenger died during a 3 a.m. crash on a Pennsylvania highway.
This is reportedly the photo from the crash scene.
The report was then confirmed by April Margera, the mother of fellow “Jackass” star Bam Margera when she called into a local radio show.
Dunn was 34.
TOP 3: Politicians Behaving Badly
Just by reading the title, you probably already know what this is about. It’s always hilarious to see how politicians who “get caught” misconducting themselves react. Fortunately for my top 3 they have not been scrutinized in the media.
My number one pick today is…drum roll please…Rep. Roy Blunt. Anthony Weiner could have easily been a number my number 1 pick but (a) There are politicians who have done worse than sexting (b) His name has been in the news too much so I’ll give him a break. Back to my Number 1 pick.
1.) Rep. Pete Visclosky – As if earmarks are hard enough on taxpayers since they are being misused, Visclosky must have thought it would be a good idea to bribe clients with them. As a matter of fact, I’ll just upgrade Visclosky to number 1 on my list for this.
Illustration of Rep. Pete Visclosky by CREW
2.) Rep. Roy Blunt - To be blunt about it, Blunt is accused corruption and abuse of power to financially benefit his family.
Illustration of Rep. Roy Blunt by CREW
3.) Sen. Lisa Murkowski - According to CREW, Murkowski purchased land in Alaska for a price below market value. Also, citizens are questioning her financial situation due to inaccurate disclosure as required by law.
Illustration of Sen. Murkowski by CREW
Hey this topic is so special, I thought I should include and Honorable mention…and the prize goes to.
Honorable mention – Sen. David Vitter – if Weiner had to go why not Vitter?
It pays to be informed. Check out Citizens for responsibility and ethics in Washington most corrupt for more politicians behaving badly.
Top 3: TV Series
Hey all,
This time I thought I’d list the TOP 3: TV series I thought I wouldn’t like, but found out were pretty interesting after I’d actually taken time to sit down and watch them.
1. Hot in Cleveland - All the actresses are pretty hilarious in this hot new comedy
2. Criminal Minds -If only it were this easy to solve crimes in real life. The bonus for many fans is it stars Shemar Moore. Check out his character Morgan in real life.
3. House – Hey in his defense House may sound like a self -righteous, moronic doctor but that’s part of what makes this show interesting.
Since its entire website is interesting, I’ll link to to its page below.
Is there a doctor in the House?
P.S. sorry about the links instead of the actual video in the post. I haven’t figured out how to insert them yet.
-Tiffany
deadCENTER: TrollHunter
TROLL!!!!!
Usually a term for people on the internet with no life, but this time around it’s just a really fun movie.
TrollHunter is a Norwegian made movie that begins with a group of college students trying to capture a story about bear killings. They end up following Hans, whom they believe to be a bear poacher, as he makes his way deep into a Norwegian forest and it’s there that they discover a 30-foot troll with an insatiable desire to eat Christians… seriously.
The movie goes on to reveal that Trolls have been kept quiet by the Norwegian government for years and when an accident happens because of a troll, the government usually places the blame on bears. (Makes sense)
The entire film is shot like a found footage documentary, where there are odd breaks and violent shakes and the camera is more often missing the action instead of lining up perfect shot. But unlike movies like Cloverfield, Quarantined and even the Blair Witch Project, TrollHunter makes the experience enjoyable and not as frantic as the others.
TrollHunter was a true highlight for me at deadCENTER as it was the final film I saw and it gave the entire festival, which was perhaps at its best in its 11-year history, a very satisfying ending.
TOP 3
Do I really have to?, may have been the first line that popped into my head as we—as in we the 2011 summer interns of the Oklahoma Publishing Company—sat through orientation and were informed about blogs. On second thought, that may not have been the exact line. Who knows…I surely don’t. In my mind, I quote, “IN MY MIND” it seems like a great first line to break the ice. Although in this scorching Oklahoma heat there is not much ice to break.
My plan this summer is to blog about all the TOP 3 “things” on my invisible list. All that I will write about (please don’t make me sign a contract, please don’t make me sign a contract) has everything to do with much ado about nothing. No pun intended.
On a serious note, blogging will more than likely provide an outlet for me to de-stress and have fun since I will be working in NewsOk’s Watchdog department, which is part of their investigative team.
To kick of the 1st of what I hope are many blog post I would like to share with you, my TOP 3: Things I hope to accomplish at OPUBCO.
1.) I hope to walk away with 10 new articles for my portfolio.
2.) I want to learn a new skill to enhance my marketability as a multimedia journalist.
3.) I want to learn the basics of SEO. (In my defense, everything presented in orientation that one time was too complicated at that moment. Since I’ve mentally prepared myself, it should be easier next time around if I ever get to it.)
-Tiffany Brown
deadCENTER: Page One: Inside The New York Times
Maybe it’s the journalism geek inside of me, but the documentary Page One: Inside The New York Times was without a doubt the film I was looking forward to the most at deadCENTER this year.
Director Andrew Rossi spent nearly 14 months inside one of the biggest media outlets in the country and the insight he brings back on how the Times are changing to adapt to a news “right now” society is pretty fascinating.
The main “characters” of the film are social media expert and all around boy wonder Brian Stelter and the gruff but the amazingly quick-witted and hilariously blunt David Carr.
Page One addresses the main concern of falling ad revenues to the rising cost of printing a newspaper to the innumerable amounts of competition that those newspapers face from online sites.
Rossi’s ability to take a very niche and complex kind of subject like the decline of print newspapers and explain it so neatly is an understated quality.
-Adam Kemp
WoodyFest Coverage: Slideshow
I have no idea how Woody Guthrie or anyone who played WoodyFest can survive the July son in Okemah, but I gave it a shot.
Everyone playing WoodyFest is a character, but one person stood out. His name is Randy Thompson. He takes care of the Crystal Theatre, which is more than 100 years old.
There’s a chance it might close down, so there’s an effort to keep the place going.
Check it out here if you’re interested.
-Poppe
WoodyFest Coverage: Woody Guthrie fans flock to Okemah
Woody Guthrie told us this land is our land.
Okemah is Woody’s territory, from the building-side murals sporting his larger-than-life face to his name etched in sidewalk cement near the 100-year-old Crystal Theatre, where the 13th annual Woody Guthrie Festival kicked off Wednesday.
At the Crystal Theatre, everybody’s a Woody fan. On the 98th anniversary of his birthday, his son, Arlo Guthrie, was the festival headliner, playing folk tunes with his son, Abe Guthrie, and his grandsons Krishna Guthrie and Mo Guthrie.
Ramsay Midwood opened for Arlo and said WoodyFest reminds musicians that their profession isn’t about the fame or the money.
“It kind of brings everyone back to the reason they started making music,” Midwood said.
Read the rest of the story here.
-Poppe
