Writing on Writing

As a journalist, I feel like it's my duty to know about the things I write about, at least as much as I can. So before I sit down to do an interview or write an article, I like to do a little background research. This usually involves Googling the topic at hand, or company, etc.

For example, one of my upcoming assignments is to write about the Clinton County Sweetheart Pageant. Not knowing much about pageants as I have never been in one, I decided to Google, "How to prepare for a pageant." I got a lot of different sources, including what appeared to be random blog posts.

Now as most people know, blogging is the new, cool, "in" thing to do. Anyone and everyone can have their own blog and write about whatever, and I think that's great. Writing is a good way to express yourself and exercise your mind.

But, what really surprised me is how often and how terribly Americans butcher common, simple English. I tried to read a lady's blog post and almost had to decode what she was trying to say. The sentence structure was mixed up, the grammar was atrocious, and there were missing letters on lots of words.

I don't want to sound harsh, but if your native tongue is English, you should know how to use it. How can you effectively communicate with other people if you can't properly use English? The key is to write simple, clear sentences that make sense and aren't confusing to the reader. And above all, everyone should proof-read. After you're done writing, go back and read over (try doing it out loud) what you wrote, looking for spelling and blaring grammar errors.

Trust me, editing saves even the best writers from embarrassing errors. And, your readers will love you for it.

True Christmas Spirit

When I think of Christmas I always get this mental image in my mind of what I think it should be. I picture the perfect Christmas centering around time spent with extended family. There's the tree, surrounded by lots of presents; the meal, consisting of the biggest spread you could ever ask for; and the fellowship, hanging out after a day of opening presents and eating... and possibly a nap on the couch.

Christmas is comfortable, warm, happy. I think of the song lyrics, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light. From now on our troubles will be out of sight..."

And while the reality is, those words are so unrealistic, it's what I've come to expect from this time of year.

But this year, all those expectations are starting to fade as Christmas isn't feeling as warm, merry, or trouble-free. I'm starting to realize why, for some people, Christmas is a season of sadness.

My grandpa is dying, my parents will be leaving to be with him, and all of a sudden Christmas isn't light. It's hard and sad and uncertain and I have mixed feelings about how I should be feeling.

I can feel sorry for myself, sit around and pout, and admittedly, I have done some of that. I can feel sad and hopeless, as though this were the end of the world, and admittedly, I've done some of that too. But what I really want to be focusing on is the fact that the true meaning and purpose behind Christmas isn't entirely light, warm, and merry.

Certainly the birth of the Christ child was a merry occasion. The Salvation of the world had come. But salvation isn't free, and the birth meant that there was certain death to come. But even in the dark sadness of this death, there was hope and life for all who believed.

For my grandpa, and for the rest of the family, there is hope and life and light. Grandpa is trusting in Jesus and soon he will be with him. He will spend eternity with the Light of the World. He will have life everlasting. And while this Christmas season we will feel his absence, ultimately, this is a wonderful joyous time for us all. One day we will be with Grandpa in heaven, and until then, I know that he will be praising God and walking with Jesus. And with that in mind, I can "let my heart be light."

Jesus really is the reason for the season.

First Amendment Failure

I highly recommend watching Ben Stein's documentary, Expelled, which is now available on dvd. It exposes the truth that Americans are not as free as one might believe.

Our freedoms are always something that have set us apart from other countries. One of our often-recited and highly treasured freedoms is our first amendment, freedom of speech. We love being able to write and say what we please on any given topic. Or can we?

Expelled reveals the truth that Americans are not able to speak or write on whatever they want. It takes an in depth look into the measures taken to keep freedom of speech at bay--on the topic of intelligent design.

Highly recognized and prominent individuals have been removed from their jobs simply for mentioning the topic of intelligent design. Expelled reveals the truly disturbing fact that Americans aren't allowed to openly speak or write on whatever they want.

So that brings one to ask, are we truly as free as we think we are?

Oprama?

Last night I watched a little bit of the TV show Nightline, just enough to hear a theory about Obama's win on Tuesday. That theory was, due to Oprah's endorsement of Obama, he beat out Hilary Clinton to be the Democratic nominee. Not only that, but Oprah may have helped him win the entire election.

The show stated that anything endorsed by Oprah sees dramatic popularity increases. If it's a product, sales spike. Take for example, Oprah's Book Club. Books that would otherwise remain obscure or unknown to the majority of Americans are now flying off the shelves and into homes. Why? All because they have the "O" label slapped on the cover. Americans think, "Oprah loves it, it must be good!"

So Nightline tied this "phenomenon" to Obama, since he--like so many books--was endorsed by Oprah. This, the show also indicated, was the reason why he beat Clinton in the primaries. If Oprah hadn't been behind Obama, he probably wouldn't have won, for it gave the equation, Obama - Oprah = Hilary.

This idea seemed a little odd at first glance, but when you think about it, it's completely believable. How many thousands upon thousands of Americans not only watch Oprah, but think she's a goddess of salvation? Yes, it is entirely believable that a vast majority of her loyal followers bought into her backing of Obama.

And now, what's Obama going to do with this huge help he's received from Oprah? Vice President Oprah? Or is he going to change his name to Oprama? Or maybe he'll follow in her footsteps and at Christmas give all of us "Obama's Favorite Things." Hey, spread the wealth!