These Note Pads Need Spell Check

A group of up and coming journalists from Rhodes University created a blog to report on what interests them and allow fellow journalism students to read about what they have to say. 

On first glance, “Note Pads and Deadlines” has a rather formal, simple look to it, and the witty title caught my attention. However, after reading the posts, my mind was changed. I came across the post “The Life of a Rhodent is a Life for Me”. After struggling to get my eyes to adjust to read the text through the mesh effect of the background, I found that I had strained my eyes for nothing. I noticed many spelling and grammar errors, which is unforgivable considering how advanced Microsoft Office Word is today. I noticed spelling and grammar errors throughout the blog. 

I found the subject of the post rather ordinary and therefore not attention grabbing. The blogger seemed to get extremely excited about which university can ‘party the hardest’, which I found childish. If the post were a personal journal entry documenting the individuals’ daily life, it would be perfect. However, to expect fellow up-and-coming journalists to read about who the biggest drinkers are is a bit naïve. 

Although I was not too impressed with the blog posts, I did like the title of the Blog and the way the title was incorporated into the blog template. I understand that these are journalism students who have not yet been properly trained; hence, I hope to see their work improving over the next few years.

A DaY iN THE Life OF ME and My heels :)

Okay so I pulled an upper-east side, gossip girl stunt and spent my whole day in a pair of 12cm high heels! Something I have never done before. And boy I must tell you that the looks I got and comments that were made were both funny and embarrassing to say the least. Now I am generally a very confident person, but I truly felt out of my comfort zone, towering over everyone in the lunch line and strutting my stuff around campus. It was a great experience apart from the sore feet I was left with and Its defiantly something I would do again. It’s almost like an adrenalin rush trying to walk normally and balance as I tried to act as normal as possible. Trying to prove that I was not a rookie in the area of wearing high heels. I know that I probably looked very unstable and awkward in a way as much as I tried not to. Wearing high heels defiantly drew a lot of attention to me, walking next to my friends and being a head taller then each of them. I was a little self conscious and uneasy before I started my run way show that I called “a day in the life of my high heels.” I expected their to be a lot of stares and sniggers which was inevitable as I walked like and awkward clown on stilts but the experience I
gained and the ability to laugh at myself was all very worthwhile in the end.

A horrifyingly brilliant blog!!

When scanning the list of blogs, in search of one to review my eyes stumbled across an amazing surprise. From the makers of “I know what you wrote last semester” I bring you a review on just how splendid and absolutely fascinating their blog is.

Set out in a very orderly and accessible manner, I found that apart from one or two pieces of writing it was highly enjoyable and worthy of exceeding all excellence in blogging. The writing is humorous and plays very much on the ideas of satire. It is extremely impressive to read such a well thought out and cleverly planned blog. A lot of time and effort has gone into creating such an entertaining yet thought provoking blog.

When reading the blog, I found that many of the articles were not the predictable ideas one would usually chose to write about, but ideas that were extremely personal and individual. This in itself gives the blog its own character and a vast amount of flavour.

The blog varies from somewhat “random” experiences such as “Ah, the Beach, a Blog that has nothing to do with journalism” to more controversial issues such as “Racism, Retribution and Forgiveness”. Yet all pieces of writing are written in an easy to read enjoyable manner. This may be due to the fact that most pieces incorporate a lot of satire, or play on the “tongue and cheek “approach. The articles are all very good pieces of writing which are both thought provoking and entertaining in some way or another.

I particularly enjoyed the piece on “Ah, the Beach, a Blog that has nothing to do with journalism” as I found it extremely personal, yet something that we as students can all relate to, due to the fact that it was a fun experience shared with a couple of friends, whether they are girls or boys. The writing of the blog also varies in style of each individual blogger, which in itself makes the blog more readable. There is something for everyone to read and enjoy. I really commend the writers of this blog; it is truly worthy of great praise.

Egging catastrophy

A plastic button of wisdom (as opposed to a pearl) has been passed down through the generations: don’t cry over spilt milk. Similarly, one is instructed to make lemonade when life gives one lemons. I do not get upset when I break glasses or mess things, mainly because it happens quite regularly. Sometimes there are days of darkness and I move through space like a zombie, almost purposely knocking over things and sweeping them up in apathy. Recently I was intending to make a nice sandwich for supper, with cheese, tomato and egg. Balancing a number of ingredients and cooking implements in my hands (making sandwiches is of course an art that requires multiple intricate gadgets) I recklessly balanced my last egg between my pinky and the mass of other things crowding my fingers. Alas, it was one of those days of muted destruction and you must know already what was to come. This is something which has in fact not happened to me before. I was surprised and almost amused. I am quite sure that time does not always travel at the same speed, because when that egg was hurtling towards the floor I remembers a lengthy, distinct and clear chain of thoughts: I see the egg falling … this is probably a bad thing to be happening … I think this egg will not withstand the impact … in fact I’m sure that it’s going to smash … on my carpet. As I was thinking this the egg was falling down through space like Alice down the tunnel. After a while the impact of the two hard bodies caused the weaker one to collapse and ooze in astonishment and self-pity. I stood motionless while the consequences of this event played out in my head: my supper is ruined, and this egg is going to sink into the carpet, rot and stink. I had to act quickly. Luckily I plucked the wisdom stored in the collective unconscious, like a ripe fruit, that small accidents should not be allowed to create too much discomfort. For further wisdom of how to clean an egg off a carpet I consulted the internet. Easy it seems: simply warm water and soap solves such accidents. I deduced that there have been many people through time that have watched their eggs hurtle in slow motions towards clean carpets, since there were a number of entries on this topic. So my action was only natural. What a relief. There is a second step to overcoming acts of inconsequent mismanagement. This step is to turn the minor misfortune into something useful (otherwise known as making lemonade). No, I did not scoop up the egg and eat it anyways, with extra seasoning. Having come from a culture where domestic products have multiple unexpected purposes and are never wasted, I found a use for my broken egg. In fact, mixed with honey and castor oil the said egg made a nourishing hair mask. Forty minutes after application, a shower and a blowdry my hair looked fabulous and the egg stain on my carpet was drying under a blanket of serviettes. All in all my tiny mismanagement was turned into a domestic adventure.

Falling asleep behind the wheel; injection of life urgently required

When I evaluate a blog I look at what it has taught me, and what ideas of mine it has challenged. The creators Blunt Red Pencil twice liken their contribution to journalism as a revolution. I love revolutions. Change keeps me alive. So I wait to be impressed, but this revolution does not have me taking out my picket sign. A lot of the writing is indeed compelling and clear, for example the entries about paying attention to detail, how we experience time, Eskom and the identity crisis. It is palatable, easy to swallow. The majority of the content is, however, sadly banal. One of the entries about a blog that the writer found original and exemplary is written as a string of clichés. “Breath of fresh air” and “pulling the wool away from your eyes” tempts me to follow the inviting red cross at the top of the page and conveniently throw this blog back into the world wide web. Though the entry does not lack humour: “atheistically pleasing” is a novel concept. I’m sure the secularists would be pleased with this charming confusion between aesthetics and atheism. Apart from grammar mistakes, which I find difficult to forgive, the blog can be praised for the evident good intentions and sincere effort of the writers. However, I am neither provoked nor stirred. Reader, this is not a race through undiscovered terrain. Seat belts are not required.

I did it, now it's your turn

By Chelsea Nelson


The other day I went sand boarding for the first time. I was quite nervous because I was unsure about what to expect. At first I was photographing my friends do it but naturally, I was pulled into the action. Immediately my heart started to race and I could feel it beating hard right up in my chest as if it wanted to run away from what lay up ahead. As soon as I stood on that damn board, it moved! It felt like I was on ice. Without delay I jumped off. I took a careful step back on, found my footing, and moved myself along slowly, gaining speed as the hill got steeper. This whole sand boarding thing takes a little while to get used to, but it really gets your adrenalin pumping- especially when you start going down the steep, high dunes. Once falling down a couple times, you have no excuse not to take a dive into the sea as typically, you end up with sand in almost every orifice. Refreshing as it may be, if you stay in the Port Alfred sea for too long you may just turn into an ice block. Even though sand boarding was not exactly on my to-do-list, I would recommend putting it on yours.

Play you part in restoring what we have destroyed

By Chelsea Nelson

I want my children and my children’s children to be able to experience the world as it is today. I want them to be able to walk into the wild and see giraffes and rhinos in their natural habitat. I want them to see polar bears and polar bear cubs. I do not know if this is going to be possible, as it has been estimated that by the end of the century, polar bears will be extinct.

We often hear about the increasing number of endangered animals but this information rarely has an effect on us. It goes in the one ear and out the other when we should be taking the issue very seriously. The media and government must take action and encourage the world to follow in their stride. Explicit photos published regularly will provide a better idea of what is happening in the parts of the world that are already being severely affected by the situation we face. We are all responsible for the deterioration of our environment and therefore need to play our part in restoring what we have destroyed.

On your next holiday, make sure you go to a country with endangered species because if you do not, you may find that the next time you want to, those species will no longer exist. If we carry on living the way we do, polluting our world and destroying the natural environment, the hill we are currently spiralling down is only going to get steeper.

An exercise in creation

“But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.” To understand the meaning of these words one has to know that they are spoken by a man reacting to a society in which people are created in labs and conditioned to enjoy unthinkingly whatever they are designed to do.

            What to do with life is probably a question seldom raised between the routine occupations of study, career and family keeping. It is also a question that some do not have the luxury to ask because their minds cannot wonder from the task of filling their stomachs and keeping warm. This is not to undermine the value of their lives, as the adaptability of humans probably allows that they have a similar range of experiences, despite having different circumstances.

            Here, however, I address those who are more disposed to tackle fundamental presumptions about life. With people like Eckhart Tolle and Aldous Huxley behind me I push for a revolution in the way we use our bodies and minds. I propose dissolving self-created limitations and taking a step towards evolution of humans. The best asset people have is their imagination. With a change of focus we can become more attuned to the subtle ways in which the substance of life swirls and pulsates. And with a lot of effort from our lazy minds we can give birth to new realities.

Indian Ocean nations practice their tsunami response techniques

Times Live, compared to the brief overview Business Day presents, gives a detailed description of “Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 09”. I felt that the extra detail, such as the sort-comings experienced during the drill, was necessary to gain the full essence of the event. Times Live presents information about how the different countries organised the drill, as residents in some countries were not required to get involved. These extra bits of information enable the reader to recreate the scene. Times Live helped the recreation process along by including an image of a tsunami drill in Banda Aceh.

Times Live and Business Day give a list of 18 countries includes in the tsunami drill and Bua News says that South Africa was involved. The Bua News report is the only one that included South Africa. I found the Bua News report rather unprofessional as a spelling error was present and US spelling was used interchangeably with UK spelling–even though it is a South African government news agency and South Africa uses UK spelling.

Bua News has a very straightforward approach in reporting the event. Business Day and Times Live use a more sympathetic approach using quotes from residents who feel they need no reminding of the 2004 tsunami tragedy.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the Times Live news report as it presented an unbiased story with all the detail necessary to get the full picture of ‘Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 09’ and not just an outline.

Don't panic!

Recently a lot of universal dust has been raised in honour of the events surrounding the 30^th anniversary of the first publication of Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Like other science fiction and fantasy novels these books have attracted a cult of followers. At the Hithcon convention in London people were invited to delight in a bit of escapism and attend in their bathrobes and with towels.

The novels are infused with their own bizarre metaphysics and jargon which never fail to be revived in any text alluding to them . They inspires so much sympathy worldwide that even a Nasa LCROSS Lunar mission, sent to find water on the moon, felt compelled to make a parallel between itself and a sperm whale dislocated in space. A twitter feed was sent from the hurtling satellite to the adoring masses speaking in the words of the whale – "And what's this thing coming toward me very fast? So big and flat and round ... it needs a big wide sounding name like 'Ow', 'Ownge', 'Round', 'Ground'! ... That's it! Ground! Ha! I wonder if it'll be friends with me?"

The intimate equilibrium in the imagination of the fans has also been troubled recently by an intruder, Eoin Colfer, who had undertaken the task of carrying on the series after the death of the original author. The fear of the original characters mutating into strangers is so pressing that angry followers have made protests against this undertaking.

Don't panic!

Recently a lot of universal dust has been raised in honour of the events surrounding the 30^th anniversary of the first publication of Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Like other science fiction and fantasy novels these books have attracted a cult of followers. At the Hithcon convention in London people were invited to delight in a bit of escapism and attend in their bathrobes and with towels.

The novels are infused with their own bizarre metaphysics and jargon which never fail to be revived in any text alluding to them . They inspires so much sympathy worldwide that even a Nasa LCROSS Lunar mission, sent to find water on the moon, felt compelled to make a parallel between itself and a sperm whale dislocated in space. A twitter feed was sent from the hurtling satellite to the adoring masses speaking in the words of the whale – "And what's this thing coming toward me very fast? So big and flat and round ... it needs a big wide sounding name like 'Ow', 'Ownge', 'Round', 'Ground'! ... That's it! Ground! Ha! I wonder if it'll be friends with me?"

The intimate equilibrium in the imagination of the fans has also been troubled recently by an intruder, Eoin Colfer, who had undertaken the task of carrying on the series after the death of the original author. The fear of the original characters mutating into strangers is so pressing that angry followers have made protests against this undertaking.

On-Scene Reporting

Tortoise hiding in shell in Craddock.

MUSICIANS OF BREMEN

Rear View

Getting the back end of the deal at Addo Elephant park. Picture: Chelsea Nelson

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-Chelsea Nelson


Budget travel destinations researched for your convenience. Allow me to make your travels hassle and fuss free

Writing, photography and travel you will find

-Chelsea Nelson (609n6391)


Writing, photography and travel are three of my passions that will appear in my personal blog posts. I hope to provide you with adequate information on travel destinations on a regular basis so that you can make a more informed journey to the countries or destinations of your choice. In our overall blog, we aim to provide our viewers with some general news and information and a few arbitrary interesting facts. When it comes to my own travels, I was bitten by the bug over a decade ago and have been travelling every year since. Like most travellers, I wish I could travel more than I do but I am currently studying journalism as I am hoping to make a career out of my three passions mentioned above. Since I am stranded here in Grahamstown (South Africa) for the next few years of my life, I am hoping to influence others to make the trips I wish I could and inspire people to do the same trips that I have already managed to do. Time and money is rarely on a student’s side, which is why the possible destinations to travel to can be limited. However, I am an addict, and so I always make a plan and these plans and possible options I will be sharing. Even when travelling on a tight budget, much fun can be had, it just takes a bit of research and effort to find these adventures and places to see. To save you the time and effort, I will be doing this research so that you can have the fun without having to put in all the effort to have it. Please do feel free to comment and give suggestions or requests, as I am interested to find out about new places that I would not otherwise find out about. I hope to encourage both travellers and non-travellers to make a plan to get to their dream destinations or to provide them with one. It would give me much pleasure to assist you in fulfilling your every travel fantasy.

explaining myself

Do I want to be a journalist? I’m not sure. I don’t want to be my profession. To be honest I started out with journalism because I felt uncertain where my majors in English and Philosophy (the two subjects that really get me to smile) would take me. I have realized, however, that I started journalism with some prejudices. I have been until now prejudiced against the real and in support of the abstract. People have different psychologies and the way I have grown up I have preferred the intangible because you do not have to be connected with it. Or rather nobody can tell that you are not connected with it, with anything, because they cannot witness the intangible – and your relationship with it is enclosed in your experience of it, so it allows you to remain disconnected without anyone noticing. It is safe, no one can judge you. Just recently, however, I have discovered the importance of the real, the tangible. Real people and real events. I could never before understand how people can get excited about politics. But politics is about people, real pain and happiness, hunger, fear, passion and victory. Now I should not make the mistake of saying that literature and philosophy is not about real people. A lot of literature is about real people, and philosophy also concerns itself with the human condition in a fundamental if intellectualized way. What is different about journalism, or at least journalism and literature, is that you have to imaginatively sympathize with other beings in order to appreciate it. I have sneered at reality because I have not sympathized with it. And that is what a journalist is – someone who sympathizes and is excited by the realness of things. Sartre speaks about a search for “something solid, something not just mental”. If we are locked in our consciousnesses the best we can do is to use our imagination to sympathize with other beings. I can only know what it is like to be you because I can imagine the pain that you feel and through imagination feel it with you. Journalism is then not self-expression but an attempt at connecting with others, to put down things that may be recognized by other people. I can only hope that when I mention the brightness of these oranges to you that the same image and feeling will be experienced by you as by me. And Gonzo is the way to go – objectivity does not exist and fictitious ways of describing events are more powerful than sticking to dry facts.

The JuiCe is oh-so sTWEET !

Why Journalism and JouRn JuiCe are OH-SO compatible!


Wassup Wassup!! So my Life is way more interesting with Journalism, I get to write how I feel in my opinionated yet creative way. JouRn JuiCe has opened so many doors and created so many opportunities for me to share information, knowledge and a bit of interaction with our readers. Our blog is a fun way to lounge and learn. We have an extremely laid back atmosphere, where readers can “sip” on our info and “suck it up!” I hope that our relationship with our readers will be personal and we are the blog they turn to when sourcing out any kind of current info! We hope to bring zest and flavour into peoples’ lives through creative and interesting news, written uniquely by each individual on our team!

JuiCey Info About me and our blog... The 411 On EVerYthing u need 2 KNO!

The JuiCey information about me and our blog!


WASSUP WASSUP  I am an aspiring, creative, opinionated journalist who looks at the world with an open mind. I want to write stories everyone is interested in reading. I am really keen on showing everyone what I have to share with you. A bit of my knowledge, a bit of my soul and a lot of who I am! I am a journalist new to blogging, but I am a person who enjoys a good challenge and am excited to learn everything I can about the blogging world. I always find that a new way of getting stories and news across to people is really fulfilling and exhilarating. Being a part of JouRn JuiCe is an exciting new adventure for me as a journalist and a writer. I feel inspired and honoured to be part of such a bright blog, whose stimulating ideas will hopefully attract and maintain the attention of all our readers. At JouRn JuiCe we really hope to have a long and personal relationship with all our readers. Informal and laid back, almost like sharing news and gossip with a bunch of pals at a bar! We hope to be the place they go to first to seek information. We hope to be the voice their ears are most familiar with. We talk about having a personal, intimate relationship with our readers in the way in which they will be free to comment constantly on any posts that are put up. We will also have a space on our blog where other aspiring journalists may post some of their writing or articles. The stories I would like to write in our blog are stories which I hope will be exciting and thought provoking. Journalism to me is a gift to the world, something which allows for peoples stories to be heard. I am extremely interested in hard news stories and entertainment, anything that is challenging screams my name. Hard work is my middle name , and digging deep to reveal the underlying stories is my game. Living and working under pressure is what i do best ; it’s what gives me the adrenaline rush I love. I am extremely energetic and want to be the person who helps communicate the daily issues that are occurring, not only in our country but around the world. To me, this blog is a great opportunity to help me gain experience, while sharing with the readers of our blog, news and current events. I want our blog to be different, I want it to stand out amongst the rest and have a voice of its own. I want it to speak to our readers in the language that they understand. To me our blog is a breath of fresh air, a blog that is bursting with new flavours of information, entertainment and in many ways flavours of education. It is in a person’s nature to be inquisitive; wanting to know what is going on at all times, our blog will aim at continually updating and informing our readers of everything current. We as a blog want to be the first to bring the juice!

What Kind of Blogger Am I?

-SHELILE GINO SHELILE
609s0739



So here's the thing, I am very restless by nature - I cannot stand being in the same place, doing the same thing for too long. Hence, I need change. Journalism? Journalism is the portal to change - it is the pathway that allows an individual to go everywhere, do everything and meet everyone!
joUrn.juiCe! is a blog that explodes with a kaleidoscope of flavour and a blend of freshly-ground news. Satirical in essence, it fuses hard news with kicks of humour and jolts of opinion that will have you falling off your chair while choking on the digital messages that it has to offer. With unbelievable flow and a dash of brutal honesty, it is guaranteed to quench even the thirstiest of minds! It splashes onto the scene with news like you have never experienced before and if you find some of the content hard to digest, SUCK IT UP! The overall feel of this blog is that of a cocktail lounge - a place where one can sit back lazily while sipping on the digital messages that are on offer.
This blog is an extension of my mind. It reveals my views on matters that are important and expresses my thoughts on what the world of journalism today has to offer. The mind, like a maze, cannot easily be followed (let alone understood), which is why I do not confine myself to particular subject matter. If music is on my mind, music I will write. If there is a crisis that needs to be reported, like a hero I will step in. I will give a voice to the under-dogs and jokes to the elite. The world is my playground and I swing wherever I want. These are my undiluted views - the zest and flavour to the different articles.
The contents within the blog are easy to digest, energizing and creativily executed through a unique style of writing. joUrn.juiCe! is a convenient way of saying what needs to be said to as many people as possible without getting locked up for it. I am not a governmental-mouthpiece. Do not expect me to conform to the rules of society and translate the events occurring in our world in the way that officials want us to interpret them. Like the slogan of etv news boldly states: "NO FEARS. NO FAVOURS."
The blog is accessible to anyone wanting to get the latest scoop on the latest news as seen through the eyes of a 19-year-old and it promises to be the most innovative, exciting and challenging news outlet that students have experienced to date.
joUrn.juiCe! is how I interpret the world.

WHY J0URNAL!SM?

-SHELILE GINO SHELILE

So here's the thing, i'm very restless by nature - I cannot stand being in the same place, doing the same thing for too long. Hence, i need change. Journal!sm? Journalism is the portal to change - it is the pathway that allows an individual to go everywhere, do everything and meet everyone! Pretty appealing, huh? I thought as much. You don't really need any influences to inspire this decision - just watch TV, listen to the radio and work at a newspaper agency for a week. I guarantee you will love it. You get to travel the world for free dammit! What is there not to like about that?

       On a more serious note, yes journal!ism is about serving the people; giving a voice to the under-dogs, busting corrupt officials and exposing the high levels of stupidity that science has proven to be evident in celebrites. However, we cannot deny that there is more to journal!sm than being a governmental mouth-piece. Reasons that are more personal...more selfish.

       Ask any first-year or matriculant wishing to pursue a career in journalism why they want to get into this proffession and most of them will give a blank stare before uttering, "well...I can't really put it to words. It's just that... I want to be able to, to, to kinda. You know journalism has always been my passion..."

       Now ask them where they want to be in a few years time and they will excitedly scream about touring the world; having their own shows; being editors of glossy magazines; dodging bullets in war-ridden countries; adopting African babies; having their names all over the show and becoming like the very celebrities that they are meant to be writing about!

       Journal!sm, to most students, is not a career. It is a stepping stone to reaching bigger dreams and the tool that enables them to make the contacts required to reach the top...quickly.

       There is nothing wrong with this notion, don't get me wrong. I, personally, am a firm believer in it.

Which is why I often fail to understand what answer people expect us to give them when we are asked why we do journal!sm. It is not like becoming a chartered accountant, medical practitioner, lawyer or pharmacist that is guaranteed employment and a steady salary by the time they graduate. In journal!sm you have got to flippen know your stuff and be on top of your game just to end up writing lousy columns such as 'Agony Aunt' in an attempt to hold down a stable job.

       However, for those of us mavericks who live off risks and whose hearts have become accustomed to functioning on panic mode, journal!sm is a ticket to the best ride of your life!