Miami Politics

In Miami, the controversy with Mayor Carlos Alvarez is ongoing. And it seems endless as new evidence shows Alvarez favored the checking accounts of personal friends by allowing generous salaries.

According to a Hispanic TV station, these salaries were about $200,000 a year. Come on Miami, wake up! Just a single salary paid to one of these "executives" can pay for the job of at least four non-executives, who most likely are the ones running the county.

These salary increased that Alvarez called of "not a significant amount", referring to a total of $80,000 at $20,000 per employee, can afford the county other expenses such as hiring clerks and bureaucrats to keep local processes efficient and smooth. And even contractors for public projects such as, low-income housing. A project so much needed for a city like Miami, which ranks third poorest in the country, behind Cleveland and Detroit.

Then, he goes on to saying the typical political demagogue that it was the people who put him in office. Well, my dear big bird friend, it is called democracy and impeachment at the federal level. Ever heard that word Alvarez? perhaps you've had since you're super familiar with the DC model of paying government officials. Miami -Dade County officials were, or still are, getting paying at the level of high-rank federal employees, whose responsibilities and accountability goes beyond those of county officials. Even American Diplomats and soldiers, risking their lives in war zones aren't getting pay what these Miami executives are making. It opens unavoidable questions: What exactly these executives do that's worth these yearly salaries? Can someone else with the same qualifications, but not closely-related to the mayor, do the same job for less? Managing a county, like a business, also entails this kind of budgeting. And from the beginning, not after you get caught.

And the signatures needed to get you out were collected already. Isn't obvious that the same people who voted you in, now want you out? Well, your political facade is falling, and if politics resembles sales in any way, then Miami voters are having a buyer's remorse episode, meaning, they don't want you anymore. A smart politician would rethink his strategy at this juncture. It would look more decorous and classy to resign rather than to be pushed out of office for corruption.

It's time to blog!

For bloggers, not that I intend to call myself one yet, the first step is determining. And perhaps is what would define you in this distinctive, yet evolving industry, if I may call it so. I'm talking about finding what to blog about. Finding that niche that brings out who you are. Then, conveying ideas in a unique way. Perhaps shifting the focus a bit, but keeping your audience. Now, that's hard to accomplish. Is like writing a fragment sentence with purpose. Oops! i just did it!

Now, back to the process of blogging,

Looking for a concept entails finding a blogging voice or style, which should be different from any other you've used before. Perhaps, less objective, or more dramatic, but simple. The key is to sound clever without being vague, falling into cliches, or vulgarity. It is like re-birth into writing. Once, you've figured that out, you've won half the battle. Then, comes the audience part. Who are you talking to? who would care to read you? Or better-said in Twitter lingo, who would be your followers? Do you choose a theme or concept before you find your audience? Or is it the other way around? And after you've written, who edits you? Sigh!

With a doubt, is an ongoing discovery process, and a rewarding one, perhaps not financially. That's up for another discussion. Outmost, blogging is a phenomenon reshaping online journalism. For better or worst? That would be for future generations to judge. In fact, blogging is opening new channels of disseminating information, and somehow influencing public opinion. However, true social effects are yet to be seen.

People will still resort to traditional news outlet for credibility and depth, even though they hear breaking news through social media, said Jorge Ramos, a Hispanic news anchor and award-winner journalist who I interviewed for a class assignment. When asked, if new media trends take away from hardcore journalism, he said that far from taking anything, it gives a lot of tools to journalists, allowing to fulfill their social call: watchdog reporting.

For last class I picked three stories that caught my attention from the Miami Herald portal. I chose these stories based on their content, newsworthiness, and significance in today's world. One of these stories talked about the 9/11 tragedy and a memorial made in Miramar to honor the victims. The story conveys the importance behind collective memory, and how societies should forgive their perpetrators without forgetting their actions. The story was complemented by a slide show, showing graphic pictures of the planes crashing into the towers, people flying off the windows, and firefighters running to the rescue.
Another story that caught my attention was one about Brazil's emergence as a rising power. The story touches on aspects of Brazilian life, and how economic reforms have positively affect Brazilian society, placing more citizens in the middle class stratum. In particular, my interest in Brazil goes decades back to my childhood when Cuban TV showcased Brazilian soap-operas, culture and music.
The third story I found interesting was on religion, specifically, about the pastor in Gainesville who pledged to burn the Islam sacred book, the Koran. The story brings to surface the issue of freedom of religion, and it voices opinions on this disrespectful act of burning Muslims' worshipped book, which more than explaining a religion, it also describes a way of life of many people.

Today we discuss newspaper layout. For this exercise I picked my fave, The New York Times. In specific, I chose the Arts section. When comparing the section's print version to its online counterpart, I found that like the print version, the website also has a lead story accompanied by the lead art. What most captivated my attention, as it usually does when I read this paper, is the quality of the writing. In particular, provocative yet smooth-flowing when describing and reviewing films, Television shows, music, etc.
The colors, design and layout are well-suited for the story they accompanied, so they fulfill their purpose. There is use of video and slide shows on the website, as well as advertising of other sections. Unlike the printed version, the Arts section advertises only the movies, and/or events being featured. I also noticed that the stories get published first online, and later on the web. There is also a link to the International Herald Tribune, and an archive to the top videos.

For last class we were asked to compared a Magazine's printed edition to its online version. I chose Cosmopolitan, perhaps because Vanity Fair was absent from the shells. I prefer the printed version to its online "substitute", if we can call it such. For once, the hard cover has more vibrant colors defining what the edition is about. And of course, it only has one main image, which in this case it almost always happens to be a celebrity, of whom there is a profile featured inside. The content of the stories is very light, usually relationship advice, culinary recipes, beauty tips, and lots of style and fashion propaganda.

However, Cosmo Online offers more of its entertainment package to readers. I suppose this might be due to the nature of the medium, and also to the fact that the printed version requires more space for advertising, which steals from content. But online advertising can result a bit disturbing to the readers, or viewer, whose attention is suddenly diverted by a pop ad. Thanks

I found a few interesting facts about Cosmopolitan. The magazine, founded in 1970, has readers in more than 100 countries, featuring 58 international editions, according to a marketing study done in the United Kingdom. The same study rated the magazine as the top-selling magazine in the United States. It was revealing, although not shocking, to learn that the magazine is mostly read by women who spend over $1 billion a year in fashion. Cosmopolitan targets young, ambitious and informed women. It is alarming to note, as the study reported, that brands are the new substitute for traditions in today's value-decaying society.

Today I drove to FIU, Biscayne Bay Campus for my web design class. And as I cruised through a hectic Miami traffic, my mind flew back to J School when I was taking classes in the same room I was about to learn a new dimension of Journalism. The course tittle itself sounded interesting enough "Web Design for Journalist", Wow! --It kept pounding in my head-- this is a must-do in a multimedia era when the face of journalism is changing so rapidly. For someone like me, who took only one broadcasting class and chose to follow a print journalism track, this course will be challenging. But I guess life is about new experiences and freeing yourself to the unexpected and changes. No, I wasn't expecting taking this class this semester, and it happened by chance because a class I had registered for turned out not well-suited for my program. And yes, I believe there is a reason why I'm here. Although I'm not sure how to call the "stuff" I want to learn here, I will make the most of this experience, giving my best.