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journalism

The kisses of Delores

I made it home in time to watch baseball. It was a tough night for baseball. There was defense and home runs and unfortunate umpiring:

But, hey, a beautiful spring day was before us. The sunset behind home plate and we spent the evening with friends and then we went out to eat with some of them and we laughed until the restaurant made us go home. So it was a great evening and a fine start to the weekend.

Things to read … because the reading never stops.

Toomer’s Corner officially poison-free

Workforce Participation at 36-Year Low as Jobs Climb

If police say it’s cocaine, no lab test required for drug conviction, court rules

Newspapers are lagging behind in the mobile traffic boom:

The Internet is becoming an increasingly mobile medium, but it appears that newspaper publishers are not only struggling to make the transition, they’re falling behind.

This year, for the first time ever, the amount of time Americans spend consuming media on mobile — smartphones and tablets — will exceed that of the desktop Internet, according to an eMarketer report released in April. Nearly a quarter (23.3 percent) of Americans’ daily media consumption will be on mobile in 2014, compared to 18 percent on desktop.

What is news?:

We get it. You think that story we shared via social media and posted on our website is ridiculous, stupid and far from newsworthy. And we hear you, and we appreciate your opinion. But that’s not going to stop us from sharing it.

[…]

For us, news is anything popular or trending or being talked about. It’s often serious, but not always. It’s often bad but sometimes good.

And sometimes, it’s just plain silly. Or not helpful.

And, now, for a whole bunch of “Awwws” from the best story of the day: Teenager takes his great-grandmother to prom.

Delores Dennison never went to her high school prom. Times were tough. Money was scarce — just enough for the necessities.

But if she had gone to the prom, Delores might have imagined wearing a lovely dress and promenading through a sea of balloons and dancing with a handsome young man on a crisp April evening. She might have imagined the band playing the Frank Sinatra song, “How I love the kisses of Delores.”

[…]

A few months back, Delores received a telephone call from her great-grandson. Austin is 19-years-old, a senior at Parkway High School in Rockford, Ohio. And he had a very important question for his “Granny DD.”

“I asked her if she would be my prom date,” Austin told me. “How cool would it be to take my great-grandmother to prom?”

But wait, there’s more:

What a cool guy.

food / journalism / links / memories / movies / photo / things to read / video / Wednesday — Comments Off
30
Apr 14

Being impressionable

I am not a food blogger. I am not a food blogger. I am not a food blogger.

But I went to The Paw Paw Patch, which does a cafeteria style meat-and-three. And the vegetables were a childhood memory. I often eat things in a certain order, for whatever reason, and I eat each option without swapping out to a new part of the dish. But these, as a child I mixed up.

So when I saw them on the food line I smiled. I knew what I was getting. But I did not stir up the entire plate. Funny how something like that can make an impression on you. Maybe we don’t often realize it until after the fact, if even then. And how we make our impressions upon others? That’s always a mystery. Something to think about.

When I was eating the owner came out and offered some of those ice pops you had in elementary school. Apparently he was just trying to make some space. He began talking with an elderly man and woman a few tables away. Somehow the conversation turned to the owner’s wife and how she once worked at a fur store about 15 or 20 years ago. This elderly lady had purchased a fur coat there during those same years. She said she paid $7,000 in cash and does your wife remember that?

So he had to call his wife to find out the level of impression and the older pair ate their little popsicles.

The older gentleman had apparently just gotten out of the hospital for some reason or another and he said that this, at Paw Paw Patch, was the first good meal he’d enjoyed in several days. And I thought back to when I visited a friend in the hospital and her husband had gone out to get her a plate from Paw Paw Patch because it was one of her favorite restaurants. I can’t ever go there without thinking about, because that was, I think, the first time I’d heard of the place. That’s an impression to make.

I also will forever think of the time I walked in there and the staff and I did lines from Coming to America. They seemed entertained that I knew most of the script.

Things to read … because the Giants can’t play the Packers every night.

Limestone, Lincoln EF-3 tornadoes remained on ground for about 30 minutes each, tracking almost 16 miles each

Lee County tornado placed in F3 category

Volunteers, donations needed for county’s storm victims

Day care worker dies saving child in tornado

Those are some stories worth remembering. Here are a few more worth keeping in mind.

Average visit at newspaper site: 1.1 minutes

We’re headed for a really big ‘collision’ between content and connection networks

Hard Evidence: How Does False Information Spread Online?

The Onion sets its sights on BuzzFeed, Upworthy

I also have an impression of one of the first pieces from The Onion that I read — though I thought it was older. How many stories from 15 years ago can we recall?

errands / football / Friday / journalism / links / Samford / things to read — 1 Comment
25
Apr 14

Playing surfaces need spring cleaning too

Here’s something you don’t see every day. They are rolling up the field at Seibert Stadium on the Samford campus.

They have FieldTurf and, the story goes, it was installed in 2005. This is the first time it has been replaced since then. The company says they should last for 10 years, so that’s pretty close. The football team practices there. For two years we’ve had two football teams practicing there as Tulane stayed on campus hiding from hurricanes. Also there is a great deal of intramural activity on that field. So it has certainly gotten its share of wear and tear.

It took them about two days to roll it all up.

So my day was spent at the tire center at Sam’s Club. I needed to finally replace the last, oldest of my car’s four tires. And I picked the day that there was a new guy working. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Someone unfamiliar with tires charged me for the wrong tire. (I thought that was expensive.) So we had to go to customer service. Got a cash refund. I had to buy another tire, with the cash refund. We swiped pretty much every card in my wallet. This all went on far longer than it should have and I may now be an unwitting money launderer for Sam’s Club.

But on the way back to campus I received this email: “Congratulations on being honored by one of Samford’s graduating seniors! This year’s senior giving campaign was focused on the faculty and staff who have invested into the lives of students.”

So what was a “Meh” afternoon became a gratifying experience all the way around.

Things to read … because reading is always gratifying.

US and Saudi Arabia: Friends Drift Apart

Scary-Smart is increasingly the wrong term. Inside the Science That Delivers Your Scary-Smart Facebook and Twitter Feeds

As digital ad sales grow, news outlets get a smaller share

The Ghosts of Rana Plaza

Why stocks may be sniffing out inflation

Let’s see if we can predict the future. Government: “Insurance is more expensive because of insurance companies!” Insurance companies: “Insurance is more expensive because of government!” Government, and insurance companies to one another: “We got ’em now!” Aetna: Late Obamacare changes account for half of 2015 premium increases

Oh man. University of Hawaii (Hilo): Our students are easily intimidated, need to be protected from people handing out literature

Drones being used again for University of Missouri classes

Google Glass Explorers Share Experiences at Colleges Across America

‘I Think Google’s Pretty Dangerous and Thuggish. I’ve Always Said That.’

Milo’s Tea expands into 20 more states

We’ll get more bad weather next week, so: Helmets, car seats, other lessons from April 27 on surviving a tornado

Auburn / I do not know what is happening. / journalism / links / photo / Samford / swimming / things to read / Twitter / video / Wednesday — Comments Off
23
Apr 14

Spring finally sprung, and it’ll last for at least several days

Walking from here to there on the Samford campus. Specifically from my office to the pool, which is inside this building. It looks a bit like autumn in this shot, doesn’t it? It still has had that slight coolness in the air, too.

It has felt cook like that for some time, at least until this week, which is a late arrival here. It finally feels as if spring has arrived. And that’ll just be a brief pause before summer weather, I’m sure.

Anyway, swam 2,000 yards this evening, which is 1.14 miles. I’m a bit pleased with how the swimming has come along. I’m still not going to go anywhere fast, but I’m becoming perhaps a slightly more technical proficient swimmer and my cardio is improving.

I do not know what is happening.

Things to read … because some things you do need to know about in life.

The American Middle Class Is No Longer the World’s Richest

Mobile Continues to Steal Share of US Adults’ Daily Time Spent with Media

NIH expert to address Alabama’s rising infant mortality rate in lecture at Alabama State University

Veterans languish and die on a VA hospital’s secret list

NATO jets scrambled after Russian planes fly into airspace: Reports

AP: Spell out names of states in stories

The Associated Press will spell out state names in stories, beginning May 1. http://t.co/VauqpYytvc

— Romenesko (@romenesko) April 23, 2014

AP, I don't even know who you are anymore. MT @romenesko The Associated Press will spell out state names in stories http://t.co/8V5UIWA5KI

— Howie Magner (@howiemag) April 23, 2014

We're doomed. WE'RE ALL DOOMED. MT @romenesko: The AP will spell out state names in stories, beginning May 1. http://t.co/KXA1KiBfKd

— Sean Morrison (@sean_morrison) April 23, 2014

Breath, journos. Breath. RT @romenesko: The Associated Press will spell out state names in stories, beginning May 1. http://t.co/LsysXw5agp

— Jeff Papworth (@JeffPapworth) April 23, 2014

Gus Malzahn talking smack at a bingo event. I’m starting to like this.

His post-bingo interview is very coach-like, of course. Sounds like he was coming off the practice field.

Auburn / baseball / football / journalism / links / photo / things to read / Tuesday — Comments Off
22
Apr 14

I saw bling

Caught a rare mid-week baseball game. Auburn hosted and defeated South Alabama 6-1.

That reminded me I haven’t shared these pictures yet. Last weekend they gave championship rings to the 2013 team. A guy we now in the stands at baseball works as an equipment manager (I think) for the football team, so he got a ring too. He showed it off: