The role of the media

With the rampant 24-hour news cycle these days, sometimes even I feel over saturated by the same news. Its as if the media are all reporting the same thing, the same angle, the same way, all at the same time. You'd have to be under a rock to miss the disastrous earthquake that hit China earlier this week, but the angle of this CNN story struck me — maybe because I'm a parent, but I like the way the writer was able to use China's one-child policy as a catalyst to help readers understand the anguish and grief the Chinese are experiencing. It makes the event more real for those who are far away and that for me is one of the hallmarks of a well written story.

Parents' losses compounded by China's one-child policy

Story Highlights

• NEW: Death toll could reach 50,000, according to state-run media
  
• China's one-child policy, implemented in 1979, has blocked 400 million births
  
• Many parents in limbo as they wait to learn whether their sole child is dead or alive
  
• Schools collapsed on thousands of children Monday when the quake hit

(Click here to read the story, it's short and to the point)

And now for the quote of the day, no make that week, from another CNN.com article:

"There are literally hundreds of situations in which a woman's gut intuition is spot-on, but she talks herself out of it so as not to make waves," Northrup said. "We women are suckers for wanting to be loved."

Taken from 5 mistakes women make at the doctor's office

No stopping in the name of love

Last year I did a blog post about a town in Illinois that had added humorous signs to its stop signs in an effort to get drivers to actually stop. (Read: Stop in the name of love) As it turns out, the signs are illegal. The mayor is not pleased about having to remove the $1,700 worth of signs, but it's either that or risk losing federal funding. Well, it was a good idea at the time LOL (Read: No more 'love' in stop signs)