"Warning to thieves: backseat gifts could be bait"

"Warning to thieves: backseat gifts could be bait"

Source: CTV BC

December, the month of Christmas spirit and mega shopping galore, the month where thefts from cars goes up. Over the next few weeks police are placing gifts in the backseats of bait cars to moderate the theft rate over the Christmas holiday. These cars will be parked around the city to catch thieves. "If you want to get into our cars to take them, we're gonna be coming to take them back," said Vancouver police Detective Phil Ens, "we'll have great video of you taking our stuff," he added.

What I learned from this article is that police are trying to catch the thieves that are robbing cars in December. It would be nice if they were monitoring this throughout the year and not only in December. I also learned that the police department has upgraded their bait cars and they have became more effective in the city of Vancouver.

I enjoyed how the journalist told us what the Vancouver police are doing. It's basically warning all thieves out there not to steal. Also listed in the article were the top 10 cars that thieves steal from over the Christmas holiday. It was really interesting to read and when I signed on to the CTV website it was the first article I was drawn to.

Girls found safe at mall after sparking massive search

"Girls found safe at mall after sparking massive search"

Source: The Vancouver Sun

By: Richard J. Dalton Jr.

A massive search for two 10- year old girls ended at 8:30 p.m. Monday where they were found near a grocery store in a south Burnaby strip mall. Deanna Lloyd and Chloe Zhu were reported missing from Captain James Cook elementary school in Vancouver at about 12:30 p.m. Police, police dogs, and residents searched the area ground around the school . Police have said they ran away intentionally and that they were planning a "fake kidnapping."

What I learned from this story is that even children are thinking in a grown up way. At 10-years-old I was never thinking about planning a "fake kidnapping" or ever running away. I wouldn't have even been brave enough to run and hide like these two girls. It's very interesting to see how different elementary students are today than what they used to be like.

I enjoyed how the journalist used the inverted pyramid and put all the important facts in the beginning. The article was very short but it told me who they were, where they were found, what they did, somewhat why they did it and when they were found. I enjoyed this story very much.

"Teens strive to be unhappy, study says"

"Teens strive to be unhappy, study says"

Source: The Vancouver Sun

By: Misty Harris

When you look around teens are always in a funk, moody, or just have a negative attitude in general. Researchers discovered that teens try to maintain a bad mood 25 per cent of the time. People who are 60 years or older try to maintain a positive attitude showing a greater desire and higher frequency to boost their attitude and emotions. "Our study suggest that some of the age-related differences in everyday emotional well-being may be brought about by differences in how individuals wish to influence their feelings," says Michaela Riediger, research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany. The experiment went as follows, 378 participants ages 14 to 86 carried mobile phones for three weeks. Over that time, they were signalled to answer question about their moods in 54 different situations. Participants were to indicate what activity they were engaged in, who they were with, and whether they wished to dampen, enhance, maintain or not influence at all each of the six listed feelings: joyful, content, interested, angry, nervous, or downhearted. Those 14 to 18 expressed a desire to either maintain or enhance negative emotions, or suppress positive ones.

What I learned from this article is that teenagers always carry a negative attitude. I am a teenager so I know what Harris is talking about in the article. We put too much pressure on ourselves and make everything seem worse than it really is. Instead of trying to be happy and create a positive attitude for ourselves we decide that we want to be depressed and unhappy instead for no reason at all.

I really enjoyed this article and the way that Misty Harris wrote it. I haven't seen an article about this before and when I came across it in the paper I went "Hey this seems interesting." I enjoyed how she got the experts to speak about the results from the experiment as well as informing us to what the experiment was. Overall this was an interesting piece and I enjoyed it very much.

"Twilight relationship unhealthy, professor says"

"Twilight relationship unhealthy, professor says"

Source: The Vancouver Sun

Twilight is one of the largest selling book series and movies today. The movies and books revolve around vampires, werewolves and humans showing feelings of love, hate, and lust. A University of Victoria professor is warning parents and young Twilight Fans that the series depicts unhealthy relationships between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. The Stephenie Meyer's books are about the romance between the mortal, Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, and vampire Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson. Scientist Janni Aragon believe the main female character isn't a good role model for young girls. Swan is portrayed as a clumsy and silly girl while Cullen is mature and all-knowing. "He loves her humanity, but the way- especially in the books- he is portrayed is somewhat problematic," said Aragon. "At times he can be condescending. He watches her while she is sleeping. He is uninvited- and in the real world, that's called stalking. That's not the same as being in love with someone so much you're obsessed." Through the new movie "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" Bella feels numb and alone through her senior year of high school. She is somewhat depressed. Being in love with Edward pulls Bella into greater and greater risks which brings the action to the movie.

What I learned from this article is that professors have way too much time on their hands. Instead of conducting an important research, Aragon is studying and analyzing the Twilight series. When I was going through The Vancouver Sun, I spotted this article and thought it was hilarious. I never thought of any of the things that Aragon said. I just watched the movie and never thought any more of it. So after reading this article I actually understood what she wrote and analyzed in the movies and books. If these characters were real they would be very "messed up" and their relationship wouldn't work out, but since they aren't real it's okay to imagine and believe what we want to and Aragon ruined it a little for me.

I enjoyed how the Journalist explained the Twilight movie to us just in case the reader hadn't seen it or read the books. She explained what Aragon saw as the problem as well as proof to her statements with sources from the book and the movies. Sandra McCulloch, the journalist, also included quotes from Aragon, as well as Twilight fans. She also included a female character from another movie that she thought was a better role model than Bella Swan.

"B.C. police investigate attempt to auction flu vaccine"

"B.C. police investigate attempt to auction flu vaccine"

Source: The Vancouver Sun Online

B.C. police are investigating a possible attempt to auction off a H1N1 vile on an advertisement.

It has said to be a registered nurse who put up the the ad auctioning off the vaccinations.

"Hello, I am a nurse with an extra vial of the H1N1 vaccine. One vial will do 10 shots. I am willing to administer these shots to the highest bidder," stated the ad.

A nationwide shortage of the vaccination has caused long line ups giving pregnant women and children the priority to get them first. A serious investigation has been launched as this is considered theft. However, B.C. police do not know what kind of charges will be pressed when the culprit is found.

What I learned from this article is that people are so afraid of this flu that they will bid on the vaccine instead of waiting for their turns to get it. It shows how afraid society is today. I think that bidding on the vaccination is wrong in many ways. Why should people have to pay to get the vaccination when the health clinics will be giving them out for free. This is not America. Another reason I find this wrong is that nobody knows if this was a scam or if the vaccination was even legit.

I enjoyed how the journalist used an inverted pyramid and then got right into the story. They stated what the advertisement said on it and then gave the rest of the story. I found this story very interesting. The journalist pulled me in with the lead which made me want to continue reading it.

"Protester refuses to apologize for torch disruption"

"Protester refuses to apologize for torch disruption"

Source: CTVBC

Anti-Olympic protesters caused a disturbance Tuesday after disrupting the route of the Olympic torch relay in Victoria. Seventeen year old Nicholas Dronsfield, who has cerebral palsy was determined to run the torch on his own on Tuesday and was upset when he couldn't due to the protesters blocking the way. Dronsfields travelled to Nanimo the next day to fulfill his lifelong dream. Anti-Olympic protesters felt that it was not necessary to apologize to the teenager after destroying his Olympic moment. Dronsfield said that an apology wouldn't mean much to him anyways, "I don't think that an apology from the protesters would have much meaning to me right now," he said. "The way they expressed their opinion just was so negative and destructive that an apology would be so meaningless to me."

What I learned from this article is that people are very rude and inconsiderate. This young boy with a disease gets his moment to shine, and careless protesters ruined his special moment. It is quite sickening. Maybe this time it wasn't about protesters causing mayhem, but about this young man having the chance to run with the torch. People are so selfish these days thinking only of themselves. I don't see the point in people protesting about an event that is still going to happen no matter what they do. I think these protesters owe Dronsfiled a heart-filled apology for disturbing the peace of the Olympic torch relay.

I really enjoyed reading this article. Not only did I enjoy what it was about but that the journalist portrayed this story very well. The journalist showed both sides of the story, from the boys perspective and the protesters.

"Feel sick? Heath officials say to avoid travel"

"Feel sick? Heath officials say to avoid travel"

Source: CTV British Columbia

Federal health officials said Wednesday that people who are feeling sick should avoid flying, and public transit. Bus drivers and cabin crews are on the lookout for people who are showing symptoms of illness while on board to help contain people who may have symptoms of the H1N1 virus. To get people who are ill to stay at home, companies are cutting them some slack. "We are asking travel companies, airlines, bus lines and others who operate public conveyances to allow Canadians to easily re-book their travel plans if they get ill," Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Wednesday. Health officials are sending guidelines to travel companies to give pointers about the H1N1 virus. These guidelines suggest regular cleaning of public surfaces in stations, and to put out hand sanitizing stations for the public.

What I learned from this article is that people are really afraid of the H1N1 virus. I think it's almost getting obsessive compulsive. Every second word I hear each day is "SWINE FLU" or "H1N1." It's driving me insane. I don't think the H1N1 virus is as bad as "S.A.R.S" people were dying left, right, and centre with that illness. With this pandemic, health officials are doing whatever they can to keep people who are ill at home just in case they have the virus.

I really enjoyed the way the journalist wrote this article. They told us what was going on, and what they are doing about this situation. I learned something new from this article which was definitely what the journalist was looking for. I liked the way that it wasn't just facts, it had quotes, it had description, and overall was a good quality story.

"Tell your children the truth and use creative distractions to ease needle fears"

"Tell your children the truth and use creative distractions to ease needle fears"

Source: The Vancouver Sun

Needles are terrifying, especially for young children. When a nurse in latex gloves is coming towards you with a shiny sharp needle, it can make anyone jump out of their skin. This year, along with the regular seasonal flu shot, people will be getting an additional one for the H1N1 virus. Children are the worst when it comes to getting shots, but have no fear there are some ways to calm children down, taking the "hurt" away. The key is distraction, get creative and use items such as bubbles, or balloons. Another option is that doctors can apply numbing cream to the area. If your doctor approves, give the child a pain reliever one hour ahead.

What I learned from this article is that people get themselves worked up before having a shot. We over think the whole situation and think that a tiny prick will hurt us. If we forget about everything and focus on something, or a distraction, there is no pain at all and it's over quickly. Children are the worst when it comes to injections because they hear that it is painful from people around them, they see other children crying, and when they see the needle it looks scary.

The way the journalist wrote this story was very quick and to the point. I wish the journalist would have listed more options to distract children, or talked to a nurse or doctor to find other options for this situation. This article was strictly written for parent's with young children, but it caught my eye because I've seen so many children terrified of the word or sight of a needle. This year is definitely going to be interesting with the number of shots we have to get.

"3D TV coming soon to a living room near you"

"3D TV coming soon to a living room near you"

Source: CTV News

3D movies are now the "new" way to watch movies in theaters across the country. Why not expand and have that right in the privacy of your own living room. Major Television companies are creating 3D televisions with the hopes of viewers feeling like they are inside what they are watching. In 2010, Mitsubishi, who already has a "3-D ready TV", Sony, and Panasonic are planning to release this new invention, which would cost at least $5,000. It would take many years for regular television to transition into 3D, as many people right now haven't gotten into digital yet. A great invention is coming and it will be interesting to see how it works out.

What I learned from this story is that technology is affecting our lives drastically. Companies keep inventing new things right after each other. First we have black and white televisions, then colour, then regular cable turns to digital, and now the creation of a 3D television set. I find this quite interesting as a lot of people get sick and nauseous while watching 3D movies. This could be quite an interesting invention but I predict it not being a success.

The way the journalist wrote this story was quick. I found it didn't have much information on what they were doing with the 3D televisions, and what kind of programs would work on them. I got the impression that only 3D movies would work on them such as "Monsters vs. Aliens", and "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, " and there would be no point in buying a $5,000 dollar television set just to watch movies. The journalist also used a lot of quotes rather than information which was great but I wanted more information about the product.

"Jon Gosselin Cashes Out Joint Bank Account with Kate"

"Jon Gosselin Cashes Out Joint Bank Account with Kate"

Source: Yahoo Entertainment News

Family reality television show star Jon Gosselin has reportedly removed $200,000 from a joint bank account. Legal action was made against Jon when a lawyer sent a letter to him demanding the funds back into the account. A judge had previously warned the couple that neither of them could remove significant amounts of money from the account. This event happened after Jon's appearance on "Larry King Live" where he talked about how he wanted to repair his relationship with wife Kate. Papers were filed in a Pennsylvania court on Monday after this incident.

What I learned from this story is that your financial situation and when you take money out of your own bank account shouldn't be anyone else's business but your own. No matter if your a celebrity, a reality star, or a regular person. The "Jon and Kate plus 8" issues have been ongoing for so long and everyone is really tired of them and their whining. It should be about their eight beautiful children.

The way the journalist wrote the story was quick and to the point. It had all the important facts thrown at the reader right away. With the sentence structure, everything seemed to be alright. It had very smooth sentences that made it easy for the reader to read. As well I noticed that there were no misplaced modifiers which was fantastic.