Monday, March 31, 2008

DEADLINE: April 11 Stories

DEADLINE: APRIL 11

Post all correspendence about your April 11 deadline stories here.

8 comments:

Metta Ray said...

Metta Ray
Story #2

Apology issued to the ‘Stolen Generation’

In Australia, from 1930 thru 1970, it is said that the ‘half-caste’ children, meaning one parent white and the other Aborigine, were taken from their families and placed in reform camps by the Australian government under British rule in an attempt to ‘breed out the color’. These children are referred to as the ‘stolen-generation’.
According to a report issued by the Australian government in 1997, In August 1995, Michael Lavark, attorney general of Australia, requested the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to investigate these allegations and report back no later than December 1996. In 1997 the HREOC published a report called Bringing Them Home. This 500 plus page report contains first hand accounts of kidnapping and racial bias and includes pictures and personal submissions contributed by the Aboriginal people themselves.
A film, Rabbit-Proof Fence, 2003, directed by Phillip Noyce, an Australian citizen, is based on the 1997 report of the HROEC and the accounts of one woman whose mother had been part of this race reform project. Doris Pilkington is the author of the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, a fictionalized memoir of true-life events that affected her mother, Molly.
This controversial and heated subject has had many in an uproar. A.O. Neville, was one of the men named by the Australian government as ‘chief protector of Aborigines’ and was in large accused of attempting biological absorption for the purpose of white privilege and separating half-caste children from their families. In a speech to the initial conference of Commonwealth and State Aboriginal Authorities in April 1937 at Parliament House, Neville stated “they have to be protected against themselves whether they like it or not. They cannot remain as they are. The sore spot requires the application of the surgeon's knife for the good of the patient, and probably against the patients will." Neville’s family has spoken out against these allegations, and has denied any ill-willing actions. According to a Document written by Anthropological Researcher Geoffrey Gray, entitled The Natives are Happy and featured in issue 51 of the 1996, Journal of Australian Studies, Neville was a dedicated and hard working man, devoted to the care and well being of all Aboriginal natives. However, this has been disputed by many.
Australian-born Dean Gibson, 36, who was raised not ten miles from an Aborigine camp said that “They are some of the nicest people you could meet”. He is aware of the abuse of the Aboriginal people by the government “[it] was common knowledge, we all knew about it” Gibson said, “but it was a bit before my time”. “We were taught about it in school as if it were fact, yet our prime minister, John Howard, refused to apologize to the Aborigine people.” Gibson said “but as soon as Kevin Rudd was made prime minister, he apologized on behalf of the Australian government”
In February of 2008 an official apology to Australia’s indigenous peoples was issued by the house of representatives of parliament in Canberra, Australia.

Metta Ray said...

I'm having trouble focusing this piece. Can anyone offer any advice?

1. do you understand the point?
2. what is missing?
3. what else do you want to know?

Thanks!
Metta

Raelle said...

Please make suggestions

Three Logan women were honored Tuesday by USU Women’s Center for Lifelong Learning for being outstanding women of their time.
The three women honored have all overcome and encouraged the women’s movement in Cache Valley.
Janet Osborne, Jeri Malouf, and Vida Gines were recognized for their outstanding service, academics, and leadership in the community.
“These three women exemplify leadership,” said Patricia Stevens director of the Women’s Center, “There is no better time to be a woman in America than now.”
The Women’s center for Lifelong Learning was actually founded by one of the recipients, Janet Osborne.
The night’s events included introductions of the three women followed by the accepting of the awards and short speeches given by the recipients.
Jeri Malouf is a USU graduate with a major in English. She founded Morning Side School, the first private preschool in Logan.
She also started the Young Writers and Artist Festival as a “Celebration of writing and Art.”
Vida Gines was noted for many years of service in the public school system in Cache Valley.
She received a bachelors and masters degree from USU for education.
After retiring as principal of Lincoln Elementary in Hyrum she was asked what she would do next and she said, “Now I am running for Grandma of the year. It only takes six folks.”
Janet Osborne originally of Scottsdale Arizona was also recognized for her many outstanding achievements.
“Janet’s service to the community, to her profession, and to the university are too numerous to list,” said Stevens, “Throughout her career, she endeavored to bring women’s issues to the forefront.”
“Small groups of women can really make a difference,” Osborne said as she closed her speech.
These three women have received numerous other awards from the community and for having such a great impact with the women’s movement and women’s education.

This is my story for this week but i could use some help editing or suggestions on how to make it better.

Raelle said...

Hey Metta
I dont really know what the story is about in the first graf but it sounds good. Fist graf is kinda long.Is there any way you can relate this story back to logan or usu?

Anonymous said...

Comment for Metta Ray
j.n.p@aggiemail.usu.edu
Jessica Prado


Metta, this is a good story and it is interesting for an international piece. In the words of my favorite tv journalist..."Ron Burgundy"...I say, "rich and compelling."
I have a suggestion though. To make the piece more in the NOW I would put that last sentence first, "In February of 2008 an official apology to Australia’s indigenous peoples was issued by the house of representatives of parliament in Canberra, Australia."
I think as a reader I will identify with it more quickly if I realize right away that this whole expalnation is actually referring to a recent current event. I don't think it has to be related to Logan, UT at all because it is obviously an internationl piece. However, if you start with the most recent news and trickle down from there I believe it would be a lot stronger.

Anonymous said...

Story #2
Jessica Prado
j.n.p@aggiemail.usu.edu

Jessica Prado

Friday, April 11, 2008

Hills In Heels

LOGAN – You may not know a man named Doug Hills but you may be seeing Hills in heels at some of your local coffee shops, such as Citrus and Sage, Starbucks and Borders, during the month of April, a nationally designated month for sexual assault awareness.
Hills, 32, originally from Upstate New York and a Logan resident since 2002, has set out to spread awareness and raise money to help prevent sexual assault and domestic violence after accepting a challenge from his wife Stacey Hills, a professor in the Business Administration Department at Utah State University.
Stacey, after receiving a faculty email announcement for the return of “Walk-a-Mile-In-Her-Shoes,” an annual event that is held in order to raise money for both the Sexual Assault & Anti-Violence Information office along with the One-in-Four Chapter, a USU all-male peer-education group devoted to educating men about rape and sexual assault, saw an opportunity for her husband to see how it feels to have to wear high-heels all day and hoped to gain “a little sympathy” from him.
“She says, ‘Well, I don’t think you’re tough enough to do it anyway,’ Hills said, “There’s always that part in a guy’s head whenever someone says, ‘Oh, you can’t do it, you’re not tough enough,’ it’s like…yes I can and I can do it better than you.”
Later, Stacey came home to find that Hills had “upped the anti” just to make a point that walking in heels is easy.
Hills said he not only would participate in the “Walk-a-Mile” event on campus, but he would also wear the high-heels an extra day for every $20 in donations he raised.
Hills agreed to let Stacey “set the rules,” which consisted of a pair of black stiletto boots along with an alternate pair of heels that he must wear during regular business hours Monday through Friday.
The Hills’ childcare providers were the first group of people to hear about his plan and word spread quickly from there to the coffee shops that Hills hangs out at regularly.
Hills’ pals at Borders put up a sign that said, “Do you want to see Doug Hills suffer in stilettos?” which resulted in $180 in funds.
“One of the girls who saw that came up to me and wanted to know what this was all about,” Hills said.
That same girl set up another donation site at a local chiropractor’s office where an additional amount of $140 was raised for SAAVI and the One-in-Four Chapter.
“I honestly did not expect this kind of a turn out,” Hills said.
“Do something silly for fundraising and you’ll always get support,” Stacey said.
Hills supposed he would get a few chuckles or maybe some $5-10 donations, “But I was getting twenties, mostly from girls with a vendetta,” Hills said.
Hills has not had any previous involvement with charity work, although his wife has, but after researching SAAVI and the other organizations surrounding it Hills decided that sexual assault awareness was a cause worth the mental challenge.
“Even if no one is looking at me, there’s that thought in the back of my head like everyone is looking at me,” Hills said.
After completing a test run a couple weeks ago in his high-heeled boots, Hills soon realized that he needed some mental support, which is one of the reasons he plans to stick to his favorite hang-outs, and so that the people who know him can help explain what his purpose is and hand out pamphlets.
“It’s going to be easier to walk around when [Stacey] is with me because by myself…I felt extremely vulnerable and naked.”
Hills related those feelings to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, “I’m walking a mile to understand the pain of walking in high-heels, but mentally I am understanding what it feels like to be a victim. It’s maybe a small way, but it’s that insecurity, that vulnerability,” Hills said.
Wednesday USU was covered with orange cones and men in high-heeled shoes, Hills included, to rally support for the campus organizations and for the sake of awareness.
Stacey participated in “Walk-a-Mile” as a blister sister and escorted Hills on his walk around campus.
Also there to support Hills on his walk was a family friend, Gretchen Strange, 27, a student teacher at Mt. Logan Middle School, who feels strongly about the SAAVI cause, “because I have some experience with it,” Strange said.
“You don’t think about [sexual assault] until you’re right there in the situation and it’s happening,” Strange said.
Strange sees sexual assault awareness as a community issue because she works with seventh-graders on a daily basis and has heard “through the grapevine of students who will go hang out at college parties.”
“So, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to make it just a college thing,” Strange said, “I don’t think people realize the statistics. I mean, one in four [college women have survived rape or attempted rape], that’s a lot…there’s two of us sitting right here.”
Strange said that the statistic is too high and that she wonders how much of it is due to merely a lack of awareness on the issue of sexual assault.
Some USU students and faculty agree that the SAAVI cause deserves more community-wide attention.
“This is one of those organizations where they just don’t get enough money through the regular system,” said Stacey, who is a member of the USU faculty.
“It is a good cause,” said Mike Hutchinson, a student and Pi Kappa Alpha who got involved with “Walk-a-Mile” one year ago.
Hutchinson said that he hopes to see more support for sexual assault awareness and has contributed as much as he can on his own by watching out for aggressive guys, “whether it be at a party or another function.”
“I just kind of watch the flow of things,” Hutchinson said, “If someone needs to go I’m usually standing there ready to kick him out of a party.”
“When men publicly stand up and show their commitment, their actions encourage other men to start thinking about how they personally can do their part to end violence,” said Rachel Brighton, SAAVI coordinator.
“Something like what Doug is doing is going to make [SAAVI] a lot more visible…It’ll do a lot to open doors for sure…he’s also out in the community, and so he is bringing in outside awareness,” Strange said.
Hills said that donations have “slowed to a trickle” since he announced that he does not plan to continue wearing his shoes after May 1, but he will still be accepting donations at Borders and Citrus and Sage on behalf of the USU SAAVI office and Four-in-One Chapter.
As for the “Walk-a-Mile” event itself, many students participate every year and the number of participants rises each year.
Hills hopes to get more non-student members of the Logan community involved by setting the example and spreading the information around the community.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Pictures that go with story...

j.n.p@aggiemail.usu.edu
Jessica Prado

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/jessebaby81/Hills_0801.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/jessebaby81/Hills_0683_edit.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/jessebaby81/Hills_0629_edit.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/jessebaby81/Hills_0630_edit.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/jessebaby81/Hills_0637_edit.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/jessebaby81/Hills_0649_edit.jpg