My first Slideshow

Economic recession leads students to an unwanted lifestyle

* Some of the real names were not disclosed in this article due to the request of confidentiality.

America has now officially seen one of the longest periods of economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. As it entered into the 17th month of economic loss on April 1, 2009, it is no wonder people are beginning to really start to worry about their well-being.
Considering it would take pages and pages to write about the economy and its effects on the whole country. I chose to pick a community in which I currently reside and go to school in - Towson, Maryland.
I looked at changes in substance abuse and illegal drug sales among students/teens due to the economic recession. Most often than not, people who abuse illegal drugs are using them as a way to escape. The most common factor in causing substance abuse is stress. The drugs offer the abuser a medium of relaxation.
“Out of all my friends, just here at school, I think it’s safe to say that about 95% use some sort of illegal drug. It is actually pretty sad, but you know, like experts say, it is a way of escaping the truth, says Zack Morrison, junior at Towson University. “We all have massive amounts of school work, we have jobs that we can’t find because no one is hiring, and we have bills that we have to pay. It’s hard.”
For students at Towson University, marijuana is the number two “abused” drug, right behind alcohol. According to Bill Toohey, spokesman for the Baltimore County Police Department and adjunct professor at Towson University, amazingly enough there has been no severe change in the percentage of students abusing drugs or students participating in the illegal sale of drugs so far this year.
“That’s funny. I could sit here and name several people who have turned to distributing drugs, me being one of them,” says an anonymous source, a student of Towson University. “I have bills and loans to pay off, books, food, insurance - you name it, I am paying for it. A lot of students are, and the stress of not finding a legitimate job and having a bundle of other things to worry about like school, it’s the quickest way of making money. I don’t like that I do it, and I can’t wait until I graduate. Hopefully then finding a job will be easier and this whole recession thing will start to diminish. But I can’t just sit here in the mean time and watch my bills pile up the ceiling, you know.”
According to the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore Committee, Maryland is in the top 5 best positioned to emerge out of the recession, claiming Baltimore County as one of the best places to “ride out the storm.”
“That’s a load of crap,” said Kate Wysocki, student of Towson University. “I don’t know about for older people who have been in the work field for awhile, but for me, a student, I spent months trying to find not just a job, but an internship, and an un-paid one at that! No one is hiring. As a college student, I thought it would have been a little bit easier finding a job, considering I will practically work for nothing, but there is nothing. Employers would tell me ‘I’m sorry we just aren’t looking for extra help right now;’ or ‘we can’t afford to have you intern here, our work is moving slow enough as it is for our paid employees.’ It is insane.”
Baltimore County Police Department is currently the second largest in the state of Maryland, falling right under Baltimore City. Although there has been no increase in officers on duty, there has also been no furloughs or layoffs either.
One would think that due to the economic defect we as a nation are facing, crime rates would increase sufficiently. However, surprisingly enough on paper, this is not the case. “Since last year, our overall crime rate in Towson (Precinct 6) has decreased by about 2.1%. Honestly, the only increase we have seen in crimes committed are interestingly enough, not burglaries, which actually decreased 8.1%, but property crimes overall, which went up 4.1%,” Toohey said. “Other than that, we usually just get a ton of phone calls from residents of the community who are not students, complaining about noise, destruction, etc.”
Considering the information I obtained from students almost completely contrasted the information I obtained from the Baltimore Police Department, it made me wonder – is it a) students are becoming smarter at illegally selling drugs and abusing them to deal with the stress of the economic recession? And are they becoming smarter at “beating the system” and not being caught by law enforcement?; or is it b) the police department has just finally gotten into students heads that they will be caught and they will pay the price for participating in these acts of crime? Either way the economic recession is affecting us all here in the Towson Community. Let’s just hope what they say is true and the state of Maryland can rise above this major defect.

Photo Trip

Summary Leads

4. The U.S. Department of Justice names identity theft the top crime of the 21st century. Estimated dollar loss was in the billions, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

5. The state Commission on Crime and Delinquency identifies Towson school district as a leader in the effort to help at-risk youths.

Chapter 5 questions

 

The Inverted Pyramid

            The primary format followed by writers of “hard news” is the inverted pyramid. The idea behind this format is to introduce the most important information first and work down to the least important information towards the end of the article.

 

Delayed Leads

            Also known as feature or soft leads, information that’s found to be interesting or unusual is placed first in the lead. Using either the contrast technique or the mystery technique, the idea is to place more important information later in the story while also creatively drawing in reader’s attention. Delayed leads are usually between two and four paragraphs, depending on the length of the story.

 

Nut Graf

            Nut graf’s follow immediately after the lead of a story, mostly delayed leads. Usually one paragraph in length, the nut graf tells the reader what the story is about, and gives clear focus on the main information of the story.  It provides important information about the story that could not fit in the lead.

           

The “When” Element

            The “when” element always comes in the lead of the story, unless using a delayed lead. The correct way for a hard news story is who did what when, said whom.

 

Summary/Chronology Story

            Event that are best told chronologically, that is in the order they occur, usually follow a summary lead and sometimes a nut graf.

 

Naming Suspects in Crime Stories

            The first rule is to never mention ay names of anyone involoved in a crime story until the person is formally charged. Another issue with crime stories is the use of the word allegedly. Allegedly means that someone has made an accusation without proof. However, only an action can be alleged.

 

Multiple Element Story

            A multiple element story is one in which two or three elements are equally important to go in the lead. The writer will feature each element in the lead, which is usually two paragraphs. As the story progresses, the writer elaborates on each of the elements; the trick is to finish all thoughts about one element before moving onto the next element.

 

 

 

Second Day Story

            Although following a summary lead format, that lead of each following story since the first will change. In other words, the lead of each sub-story must continue from where the last story left off.

 

Correlation vs. Causation

            Correlation means many events happening at the same time, whereas causation is one event that causes others. With causation, a writer much be careful and fact-check before publishing.

 

Double Checking

            All double check the following, at the least:

                                    ~ Names

                                    ~ Dates

                                    ~ Places

                                    ~ Corporate Names

                                    ~ Titles

                                    ~ Numbers

                                    ~Graphics

 

Working with Quotes

            In order to make sure whether a quote is workth using or not, follow these guidelines:

                        ~ Make sure the quote adds to the story

                        ~ Make sure the quoted material are the persons exact words

                        ~ Paraphrase only when necessary

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEDE REVISIONS

1. Roger Datolli, husband of mayor Datolli, was injusred Thursday afternoon, as a result of a vehicle accident.

2. Two members of the city council raise the issue of creating a local board to oversee any building changes within the historic district downtown.

3. The Senate's approval of the new nuclear waste storage plan, will provide a safe haven for more than 77,000 tons of radioactive waste, says the head of the Department of Energy.

Commas (extra credit)

RULE 1: Use commas in compound sentences when clauses are separated by a conjunction such as “but,” “for,” “nor,” or “yet.”

         EX) Mary wanted neither the cookie, nor the brownie.

 EX) She wanted to see the romantic movie, but he wanted to watch the scary movie.

 

RULE 2: Use commas to separate elements in a series.

            EX) The suspect was described as having brown hair, being short and thin.

            EX) Some of my favorite foods are stove top popcorn, ice cream, kiwi and chocolate.

 

RULE 3: Use commas when attributing from quoted material or with a greeting.

            EX) She said, “Hello.”

            EX) “This steak is delicious,” said Jon.

 

RULE 4: Commas follow introductory matter, such as after an introductory adverbial clause. Commas also follow two or more introductory prepositional phrases. Use a comma with a phrase that contains a verb used as a modifier.

            EX) In my opinion, milk chocolate taste better than dark chocolate.

            EX) When the teacher graded the papers, she was sure to use a red pin.

 

RULE 5: Commas follow a salutation.

            EX) Dear Ms. Smith,

            EX) Respectfully, Nicole Novy

 

RULE 6: Commas follow all items in a date or full address.

            EX) December 14, 1987, is Mark’s birthday.

            EX) Zach has lived in San Diego, Ca.; Vancouver, B.C.; and currently Annapolis, Md.

 

RULE 7: Commas surround nonessential words or phrases. Commas also set off appositives.

            EX) Unfortunately, Mark failed the class.

            EX) Mike Curley, my uncle, recently retired as a NARC officer.

 

RULE 8: Commas surround words of direct address.

            EX) Dave, throw out the trash.

            EX) Sarah, can you please pay attention.

 

RULE 9: Commas indicate omitted verbs.

            EX) Kim’s daughter won the soccer game; Kim’s son, did not.

            EX) The steak was cooked perfectly; the chicken however, was not.