HM Magazine Intern Diary: 6.4.09

After a needed day off yesterday, it was back to work on Heaven’s Metal. The work was slow after figuring out that I wouldn’t be able to work on it with my laptop or work computer, but would have to use Doug’s laptop since the InDesign versions aren’t compatible. I still have most of the album reviews and all the ads to lay out, as well as some tweaking on all the features.

Since I’ve been feeling kinda down lately, Ecclesiastes again had a lot to say for me last night. Ecclesiastes 7:3 reads: “Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.” The writer goes on in 7:10, “Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions,” and in 7:14, “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.” It’s easy to see looking back on hard times that you often learn more in hard times than in easy ones, but it’s easy to forget when you’re in those moments. I’ll have to revisit those verses this week.

Also, looking out my office window on the field full of sunflowers helps.

And I guess I did finally get that banner ad done for RevGen Festival. Check it out at the bottom of the page and let me know what you think. It’s the blinky one for HM.

What do you think of all the verses I listed? They’ll be the quotes today.

Why so glum?
Corey Erb

New camera

To make things easier for assignments instead of having to check out a camera and lens, I’m looking to buy one for my birthday.

I’m considering a few, between the Canon Rebel and the Nikon D40. Either way, I’ll probably look to get a 55-200mm or higher lens so I can use it for more detailed shots. What do you think?

Photos from the ACC Tournament

Check out some of the photos I took of Thursday’s University of Miami-Virginia Tech game in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

I used a Nikon D40 camera and an 80-200mm lens. I had some issues with the manual focus on the lens (it was rented and pretty old and loose) but I got a few shots I like.

Check them out. What do you think?

Taking a couple days off to cover the ACC Tournament for The Miami Hurricane

I’m heading off to Atlanta for the ACC Tournament in a few hours to play in the basketball band and cover the Miami Hurricanes for The Miami Hurricane.

Follow my updates here.

I’ll be back after the Tournament.

Thoughts on a chapter from American Carnival: Journalism Under Siege in an Age of New Media

After reading the chapter, “Defending the News” from Neil Henry’s book American Carnival: Journalism Under Siege in an Age of New Media, I wanted to make a few comments.

I agree that in today’s 24-hour news cycle, truth and accuracy are often ignored in favor of the sensational and the immediate. But while these may be valid criticisms of TV news, I have a little trouble extending this term to all “new media,” whatever that hazy descriptor entails.

If Sports Illustrated really is suffering since it started trying to be multi-platform in its content, which caused the drop in standards – the drive to provide multimedia coverage, or a change in generations to one that has less time and interest in the story types of old?

I agree with the author’s overall point that journalists should still be instilled with good standards, especially with all the pressures that exist as the press has to provide for more and more platforms.

But his intended audience isn’t going to look up from their iPhones to notice his 336-page lecture. The book seems more like that gray-haired neighbor rocking away on his chair on his porch with his shotgun yelling at the kids to “turn that dern music down, ya hear?”. It doesn’t matter if he has a wealth of experience and insight into the industry if he can’t instruct those to whom he’s offering his advice.

Maybe offer it in downloadable, three-minute form and we’ll talk.

Story ideas

Several ideas for stories on the Venezuelan community have been floating around the empty spaces in my head so I thought I’d write them here so I don’t forget.

One of the ideas I’ve been looking into is the fact that Venezuelans seem to be very proud of their fellow Venezuelans in professional sports, particularly Major League Baseball and pro soccer. Maybe this is because these players have “made it” in the community’s eyes, have accomplished the American dream. Or maybe it’s that they are representing their country on a grand scale. I’d be interested to get some Venezuelans’ perspectives on these athletes.

Also, as compared to other immigrant communities, Venezuelans in Miami seem to be much more scattered. Unlike for Haitians or Cubans, there is no “Little Caracas.” Now, of course there are more Cubans and Haitians in Miami. But I wonder why Venezuelans seem to be in every area of Miami but outside of a decent-sized grouping in Doral there isn’t really an area with a heavy Venezuelan population.

Anyway, these are just rough ideas and I would have to develop either into a more complete thought and find people to interview.

Interviewing a Venezuelan soccer player in Pembroke Pines

We recently interviewed Melissa Guerra, a Venezuelan native who lives in Pembroke Pines and coaches girls’ soccer.

She came to Miami from Caracas when she was seven. She always liked watching her brother play soccer but was never allowed to play herself as in Venezuelan culture sports are considered exclusively for males.

Once her parents gave in and let her play sports, she never looked back. She quickly became too good for her soccer league and moved up to better leagues.

Eventually Guerra walked on her college soccer team and earned a scholarship with her hard work and play.

Now she passes along her knowledge and passion for the game to young women in the hopes that they won’t have to struggle to be able to play as she did.

My partner and I recorded her interview on an Edirol digital audio recorder and took some photos of the interview and of some of her old pictures from Venezuela and throughout her soccer career.

The audio slideshow will be done soon and up so you all can see it.

We may turn the interview materials into a longer feature because her story highlights the struggles women can have in Venezuela to gain equality with their male counterparts.

Caballo Viejo restaurant

I’m going to be reporting on the Venezuelan community in Miami for my CNJ445 class at UM so today we went to Caballo Viejo restaurant on Bird Road.

Caballo Viejo (“Old horse”?) is a small Venezuelan restaurant in a strip mall that integrates the colors of the Venezuelan flag into its sign. Inside it’s decorated with many cultural items like small painted guitars, signs, pictures of famous patrons and signed jerseys of professional Venezuelan baseball players. There’s also a random stone horse head bust that seems out of place until you consider the restaurant’s name.

The TV is tuned to Venezuelan news and there are Venezuelan newspapers and advertisements to read while inside.

I tried the arapitas, small fried pork-flavored dough balls.

The atmosphere is definitely Venezuelan and there’s even a sign that says “If you’re not Venezuelan you’d pay to be,” or something close to that.

Decent place to start and you can tell a lot about the culture just by eating a quick meal there.