Final Blog Post, Matt White

To say the least, Proofing Reading and Copy Editing has been an interesting class. The exposure to the mass amounts of social media sites and online journalism tools has definently had a positive effect on my future in this business. Reading blogs about Journalism 2.0, learning how to use flickr images, and finally, writing my own blogs, has provided me with a plethora of new ideas and paths to take on my journey as a journalist.

Before beginning this class, I had never in my life posted a blog. The concept just didn't interest me at the time. But as I was taught more and more about the medium, and exposed to it in the journalism world, I was hooked. Blogging provides journalists with an outlet that is accessible anywhere, anytime, and by anyone who cares to look (and has access to the internet obviously.) This is a fantastic method of networking and an easy way to expose your talent on a world-wide scale.

Technology has been a big part of this class. In fact, almost everything we've done has been on the computer, using the internet. I definently see technology remaining a huge factor in my success as a journalist. It's only logical that technology will continue to evolve, so you have to really embrace it. However, as important as technology is, without the writing, you have nothing.

My next step is simple: finish school. When I am done this program, hopefully I'll be able to get a job as a journalist in a small town. From there I can get hands on work in the field I need in order to be successful

Here are some of the comments I've made on other students blog posts throughout the term.

• Comment 1
  
• Comment 2


• Comment 3


• Comment 4


• Comment 5


• Comment 6

Lastly, because balance is so crutial in journalism, here are Nancy's thoughts and reflections on the course.

Image by Geek&Poke on flickr

"Criminal couple abducts Bambi," Chelsey Smith

Monday, March 29, 2010

America’s Most Wanted kidnaps the precious deer in Jasper, AB. on Monday afternoon.

The notorious criminal couple, Chelsey Smith and Scott Stretch, has abducted a deer from Jasper National Park and are holding it for a ransom fee of $100 000.00
The abducted deer, Bambi, was the town of Jasper’s most beloved wild pet, and considered to be a good omen to anyone who was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her.

The RCMP was first notified of the dynamic duo’s presence in Jasper via Echofon Twitter post by Scott Stretch himself, “Couldn't ask for a better day at marmot.”

The CISC were immediately notified and able to quickly confirm that America’s most wanted pair was indeed in Jasper, and to be armed and dangerous. Police then ordered Mounties to follow security protocol and the residents and occupants of Jasper hurried into a frenzied full lock-down.



Update
Smith and Stretch captured Bambi on HWY 16, and have sent police an explicit message requesting $100 000.00 for safe return of the deer.

Smith insists that if the money is not delivered to an offshore account by 11 p.m. tonight, she will personally see to it that deer sausage is made of Bambi.

RCMP and CISC have not been able to track down Smith and Stretch, but it is believed that they have fled the province.

Plea to the Public
Jasper residents are asked to remain calm and contribute live savings to the account to ensure a safe return of the beloved Bambi.




Location
Jasper National Park is located in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada.

Lakes and mountains connected to / surrounding Jasper area:
-Athabasca River Valley
-Miette River
-Pyramid Mountain
-Pyramid Lake
-Patricia Lake
-Lake Annette
-Lake Edith
-Lac Beauvert

History
-Jasper National Park was established in 1907.
-Home of Canadian Pacific Railway
-Visit the Jasper Museum

Information
Jasper is known to many as a small town nestled in the big mountains. The population is dense, and the serene beauty in the nature and wildlife is vast. Jasper is a large attraction for tourists wishing to visit the Rocky Mountains, and best known for its ski hill, Marmot Basin. Sightseeing and recreational activities in Jasper can be performed in the winter and summer months of the year.
Popular summer activities include white water rafting, hiking, and canoeing.
Winter activities consist of skiing/snowboarding, snowmobiling, snow-shoeing, dog-sledding, ice-walks, skating, and spelunking.
A general caution is provided to all tourists to please not feed the animals, and to be mindful of wildlife. Bear attacks are not uncommon, and precautions should be taken when participating in outdoor activities.

To visit the Canadian Rockies, or learn more, check it out online.

Photos taken by the illict lovers *
fictitious story *

"Pyramid Scheme Comes to Canada," by Dale Boyd

image Courtesy of FHTM.net

FHTM (Fortune High Tech Marketing), a company which has been banned by Montana's Auditor General for being an illegal pyramid scheme, has now come to Canada.

FHTM is in the buisness of social marketing, to those of us who don't know what social marketing is, it is marketing through word of mouth and networking with people.

The main selling point of paying the $400 sign-up fee to join FHTM is that you make an increasing amount for every addtional person you sign up, and eventually you will move up through the ranks and retain a larger monthly income for each additional person, and if your good enough at recruiting you get a three month lease on a Lexus.

As this is a textbook pyramid scheme design and would otherwise be illegal, FHTM lets you be your own customer by buying products you would buy anyway such as shampoo and phone services, according to its website.

Apparently all of what FHTM promises isn't exactly true according to Jackie Boyle spokesperson for the Auditor's office of Montana.

"Basically a lot of the claims they've been making are false," Boyle said.

Montana officials ended a five month investigation with a cease and desist order for FHTM according to this Kentucky.com article.

"FTHM is not a multilevel distribution company but rather a pyramid promotional scheme because the compensation each participant in the program receives is derived primarily from obtaining the participation of other persons in the program and not the sale of goods and services," the cease and desist order reads.

FHTM's buisness is marketing, and they have appeared to have found a loophole in the pyramid scheme laws, since technically they are marketing the products they sell and not selling the fact that you make money by recruiting members, which is what's getting them in trouble.

Local meetings have been held at University's such as Grant Macewan's downtown campus and U of A to recruit new members.

These meetings appeal to people who are unhappy with their jobs find the more they work the less time they have to do the things they like to do according to critics such as the author of this article.

A good selling point in the Edmonton area, where the current economic downfall is leaving people out of work.

image courtesy of FHTM.net

Edmonton-

Edmonton is the Capital of the province of Alberta. It is the second largest city in Alberta after Calgary, and is known as "The Festival City," for being host to a multitude of festivals all year round. It is the second most populous Provincial capital after Toronto. Edmonton. The North Saskatchewan River runs through Edmonton right by the downtown area, splitting the city into it's northern and southern parts.

Mostly a hockey city, Edmontons sports scene is fairly active. The NHL team the Edmonton Oilers are known for their historic Stanley Cup wins in the past, although their recent success is waivering. The Edmonton Eskimos, the local football team, has also had success in the past, but has been in and out of playoffs in the past few years.

Edmonton is also a military city as it is home to the Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, and houses a military base fairly close to the city. Edmonton also ranks as one of Canada's most crime ridden cities and has crime statistics that rival Winnapeg and Toronto.

People Won't Leave: Alberta is Better, Katie Elliott

*STORY FICTITIOUS*

Out of the heartland of northern Alberta, a dry and desolate place, comes a sign of hope for the masses that dwell near: more people will likely stay put in Alberta thanks to work by the Government of British Columbia and the fact that the Government of Alberta said so.

Alberta is well known for their oil production, animal hunting, and people who drive large trucks, but now something new is emerging: people with talent. The issue is these people like to leave Alberta.
Since 1987, many skilled individuals with beauty and brains have been emerging from the northern Alberta scene. Jeffery Ingham, Jillian Rankin, and Peter Breeze are just a few examples of talent breaking through the stereotype of historic Albertan monotony, and really making an impact on the cultural scene in Canada.

“Alberta is home, it is where I grew up,” said Ingham a music producer known as Shugar Boy out of Innisfail, Alta. who now resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. “But I would never imagine moving back there on my own free will. Ever.”

This seems to be the growing trend amoung talented youth coming out of Alberta, the need to leave the province in order to pursue creative endevours. They seek refuge in places such as Vancouver and Toronto for the opportunity to follow their dreams.

“I want to act,” said Rankin, an up-and-coming actor, and Calgary native who now settles in the midst of ocean and mountains on British Columbia’s coast. “There is just nothing in Alberta which inspires me the way [Vancouver] does.”

The Alberta government has been debating the past few weeks over what it can do to keep young talent in the province, but it says it must find a way to make more money of these people, or they do not care.

“It’s a recession we are in.” said Connie Servatave, member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly. “Sure, the arts sector is cute for kids, but real people don’t really care.”

And Servatave does have a point. The latest polls out of Fort McMurray, Alta. have shown that since the recession began there has been an increase in bar attendance of about 63 per cent since 2000, same goes for local strip clubs which have been up in attendance 69 per cent, while the local Keyano College has been working hard to get people out to their yearly theatre productions, but have seen a decrease in attendance of about 73 per cent which leaves their theatres practically empty.

Here in Alberta, we have a rich culture of fishing, hunting, and drilling giant holes in the ground to scavenge the oil. There have been a few wildlife casualties, but nothing major enough to put any stop to the cash machine we have beneath our feet. People of Alberta have been drilling for oil since its first discovery, and generally cannot imagine a world without it.

While out on the west coast of Canada, people have long been distracted by scenery and the arts, a movement the Government of British Columbia has been trying hard to put a stop to, its latest attempt being a sudden cut to arts funding of about 91%.

Artists have been fighting back, through protests and poetry slams aimed at diffusing their anger towards the government, but the cuts may prove effective in cutting back on the arts in British Columbia and keeping young Albertans here in Alberta.

“We are happy with the cuts in British Columbia,” said Servatave. “The destruction of British Columbia always helps Alberta look better. We have cheaper booze, less taxes, beef and oil sands. I’m sure young people will be more likely to narrow the view of their future, and stay here in Alberta forever.”

Image Sources: theatre, alberta skull, Westlane Farms, oil sands

The Great Housing Debate, Tyler Grant

The City of St. Albert is facing a showdown from residents of the Akinsdale neighbourhood who are opposed to the Habitat for Humanity affordable housing development slated to be built at 70 Arlington Drive.

Currently, the location on Arlington Drive is an empty field owned by the Protestant School Board, but they are looking to sell the land instead of building on it themselves. Habitat for Humanity stepped in to make a bid for the land to build a housing development.
Residents are furious.

In the most recent issue of MacEwan University's newspaper, Intercamp, one Akinsdale resident was quoted as saying the affordable housing "It’ll be like dropping a ghetto into the middle of town."

The writer of the Intercamp article has a different view.

“It’s about time,” I thought to myself. “Plenty of people can’t afford to live here. It’d certainly help a lot of people out,” said Vance Ternowski.

Unlike many of St. Albert's affluent citizen, Ternowski is not one of them. He struggled to afford a meager townhouse, and is now headed to the cheaper Southside of Edmonton.

"It's as though Edmonton is St. Albert's affordable housing," said Kacie Duncan who lives down the street from 70 Arlington Drive. "Residents act like they want to keep housing prices high to keep poorer people out."

This fight is going to continue as the next public hearing isn't due to end until after May15.

Akinsdale

The Akinsdale neighbourhood was established in 1973. There are nearly 1700 occupied dwellings and various amenities like the Akinsdale and Kinex arenas. In addition to the sports facilities, Appleyard Square offers a convenience store, pub, salon, and pizza place. For a larger shopping experience, the Akinsdale neighbourhood borders the Gateway Village shopping centre.

Akinsdale has parks dotted throughout. The largest park being the one located behind Elmer S. Gish elementary School. This park hosts soccer field, a baseball diamond, and outdoor rink, and a playground.

Parks vs. Housing

This is the problem for residents of Akinsdale- especially the residents on Arlington Drive. In order for the affordable housing to be built, a large section of green space needs to be destroyed.

During summer, kids, adults, and family pets can be seen tearing around the field. Some use it for fun, other use it for organized games. All but the playground on the north end of the park will disappear.

On the snootier side of the matter, residents whose houses back onto the park claim the housing prices will decrease, while traffic and crime will increase. This is always a possibility, but not a guarantee.

The reality of the matter is that there's a giant plot of land in the middle of a neighbourhood that the Protestant School Board is paying annual taxes on, and they want to get rid of it. An organization is willing to buy the land and put it to good use.

But many of the people living in Akinsdale fear change, and they fear coming into their neighbourghood potentially asking for it.

Someone is going to lose this battle. And from the looks of it, the City of St. Albert and Habitat for Humanity are going to get their wish, while the residents may feel they'll be getting their worst nightmare.

Picture one courtesy of staycanada.ca
Picture two courtesy of premieresuites.com

Sun flare destroys local park, Susan Eder

Sun flare destroys local park
by Susan Eder
March 29, 2010

Edmonton was hit with a blast of destructive pure energy Monday, March 19, 2010 when a piece of the sun broke off and landed in William Hawrelak Park in Edmonton destroying all flora and fauna in the area.

"We have been warning about this event for some time now," said Astrologer Adam Graham in response to this unusual event that happened just after midnight.

"It's not that a piece of the sun broke off, that happens all the time, it's called a solar flare, what is remarkable is that a piece of the sun actually made it to the earth," said Graham.

It is estimated that in 5 billion years there won't be any oxygen in the sun to keep it burning.

Hawrelak Park, located in Central Edmonton is a vast 130 ha. Gone are the trees, the plants, the flowers, the grass, the ponds, the birds and all other biota. Even the wooden picnic benches, tables and outbuildings are gone.

Local conservation officers are looking into bringing in replacement plants and buildings from nearby parks. "It's just a matter of transplanting and relocating. With the right chemicals and a lot of luck we should have the park green again before the end of summer," said Officer Gordon Brown.

Graham assures the public that this is "indeed a very rare occurrence," the likely hood that this will happen again is very, very small.

However, local resident Chelsey Smith, whose backyard boarders the park isn't convinced. "If it happened once, it will happen again, there really is no safe place for us anymore."

The world just may not be the same as it was, but not in our lifetime, said Graham.

THE SURROUNDING AREA - EDMONTON

The City of Edmonton is the capital of Alberta. It is located 294 km (183 miles) north of Calgary, in the centre of the province. The city is located on the North Saskatchewan River. The area has some of the most fertile farmland in the province. Edmonton is the second largest city in Alberta and the sixth largest metropolitan city in Canada with a population of almost 800,000 people.

Late in the 1700s the Hudson Bay Company set up a trading post to trade furs with the local people. But trade really took off with the discovery of crude oil in the Leduc area. Edmonton became incorporated in 1904.

Edmonton is known for its beautiful scenic river valley. The capital has a vast art and entertainment culture as well as numerous parks. Visitors can shop, play, eat, sleep, and relax in the capital.

SOME OF THE ATTRACTIONS IN EDMONTON INCLUDE:

• West Edmonton Mall
• The Edmonton Indy
• Muttart Conservatory
• Alberta Legislature Building
• Whitemud Equine Centre
• High Level Bridge and Streetcar
• Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

SOME OF THE PARKS IN THE EDMONTON AREA INCLUDE:

• Williams Hawrelak Park
• Fort Edmonton Park
• Rundle Park
• Kinsmen Park
• Gallagher Park
• Larkspur Park
• Borden Park
  
Top image courtesy of The Inconvenient Truth of Sun Flares
Bottom image courtesy of francolca.ca/pics

The article is factitious and not to be taken seriously.

Note: The three words in red had their spelling corrected on April 16 2010.

Man killed at Denny's, Erik Nelson

A man was killed in a shooting at a downtown Denny's Monday morning.

Patrons were horrified when a man wearing a bandana over his face walked up to a booth and shot a man multiple times before escaping in a white van.

"He came here with a vengeance and a rage. He came there to kill," a witness said.

Public shootings are unusual, especially at times when there are many civilians around to see it happening, said police.

Following a shooting at the Gingur Sky Nightclub at approximately 1:45 a.m. Monday which left four people injured, police are becoming increasingly concerned about the gun violence in the city, said police.

"This violence has to stop, and I hope and pray it will stop," said Nadia Beckles, whose son was shot dead.

The shooter is described as Caucasian, at 5'10" tall, wearing a black hoodie and white bandana. He is said to also have tattoos on his forearms, said a witness.

The white van had a Saskatchewan license plate and was extremely dirty, a witness said.

Police believe this man is extremely dangerous and the shooting to be gang related.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Image from Google Maps


References:
http://edmonton.cityandpress.com/city-hall/2010/03/29/four-people-injured-following-shooting
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/779375--two-men-killed-in-edmonton-shooting
http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20051120/beckles_mother_051120?hub=EdmontonHome
http://www.edmontoncrimestoppers.ca/





Edmonton is a wonderful city with a vibrant downtown core. Known for its amazing festivals, Churchill Square, located in front of city hall, is often used for organized events such as the recent torch relay which ended at the Square that had local talent perform on stage before the night ended. Another recent attraction was the Earth Hour on Saturday, March 27, 2010 in which all the non-essential lights were turned off for an hour between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. to raise awareness about environmental choices and how to reduce your carbon footprint. The event featured a Japanese drum performance, torch juggling, and marshmallow roasting among many things.

As with all cities however, Edmonton faces a crime problem, which ranked by Macleans.ca is listed at 5th place in Canada. The 118th Ave. strip is notorious for its crime problems, however the Edmonton Police Service put in a lot of work to keep the city safe. As well as the EPS, Edmonton has a chapter of the Guardian Angels, a citizen patrol group, with their headquarters located at 124 St. and 112 Ave. where they often patrol up to and around 118 Ave.

As the capitol city of Alberta, Edmonton continues to work to be the best it can be while providing lots of entertainment for locals and tourists to experience.


Photo by Brendan Tansey

References:

http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/03/04/the-most-dangerous-cities-in-canada-overall-crime-score%E2%80%94by-rank/

Spilt drink leads to assault at restaurant, Nancy Gordy

Two men were sent to hospital after a fight broke out over a drink that was spilled at a south side restaurant Saturday night, police said.

Kale Trenton and Mike Holloway were rushed to hospital with severe injuries after being assaulted by an unidentified man who reacted when a drink was accidentally spilt on him in the lounge area of the Milestones restaurant in South Edmonton Common on Saturday around 9:45 p.m.

"The guy just got extremely angry that a drink had been spilt on him," Sarah Haynes, a witness to the fight, said. "He flipped the nearest table in anger before he went after the two guys he seemed to think were to blame."

Smashes bottle over head

After the man flipped a nearby table, he went up to Trenton and Holloway and began punching them, police said. He then picked up a bottle off the counter and smashed it over the head of Holloway. He began flailing the broken bottle around and it made contact with Trenton's face. He continued to assault the two until customers began to intervene, police said.

"The man seemed crazed," Steve Omnoluk, the bartender at the time, said. "Anyone that can fight two full grown men on their own is pretty scary to me."

Omnoluk made the call to police while the incident was progressing. Once the police arrived on scene, the man began to deny having anything to do with the assault even though he had physical evidence on himself, police said.

Alcohol a factor

"Trenton and Holloway did tell us that one of them accidentally elbowed a drink causing it to spill into the man's lap," police said. "However, that doesn't give anyone a reason to assault somebody."

The unidentified man has been charged with assault and Trenton and Holloway are expected to make a full recovery.

Police say alcohol was a factor.


South Edmonton Common, Edmonton, Alberta:























South Edmonton Common is a large shopping centre located on 23rd Avenue and Gateway Boulevard in Edmonton, Alberta. It contains over 100 stores as the largest open-air retail development in North America.

Within the centre there are several restaurants. There has never been any previous disturbances in any of them.

The city of Edmonton has many bars and nightclubs situated throughout. There have been several bar fight incidents in the past at various hot spots around the city including:

• Gingur Sky Lounge (118 Avenue and 155 Street)
• Iron Horse (81 Street and Gateway Boulevard)
• The Union (62 Avenue and 99 Street)
• The Bank Ultra Lounge (107 Street and Jasper Avenue)
• Fluid Lounge (108 Street and Jasper Avenue)

Whyte Avenue and Jasper Avenue contain some of Edmonton's best nightlife and entertainment. With an array of cafes and shops along both Avenues, they have become popular places for citizens and tourists. When day turns to night however, Jasper Avenue and Whyte Avenue turn into a place that party goers flock too.

There are police that patrol both Avenues, and security checks are done at some of the bars and nightclubs.

When security checks are done, any weapons found will be confiscated. Bartenders are also able to refuse service to those that appear to be too intoxicated.

Related Links:
Edmonton Police Service
Feb.22/09 Edmonton bar stabbing
Aug.16/09 Edmonton bar stabbing
Arizona says yes to guns in bars


Note: Top image from ♠ esproductions.ca ♠ on flickr.
Note: Bottom image from CarEnvy.ca

"Man wanted for Downtown Club Shooting Pleads Guilty", Trevor Robb

Steven Seagal has received a life sentance (25 years), without probabtion, for his involvement in the shooting and killing of three people at a Downtown pub in early April, 2009.


Steven Seagal, 58, of Lansing, Michigan plead guilty this morning to three counts of first degree murder, concluding a long trial that has spanned more than three months. It took the jury 15 minutes to delibertae before announcing the guilty verdict.

"I accept the courts ruling but obviously I am upset with my actions," said Seagal. " I will now go through the process of leaving my family and spending my life behind bars where I belong."

The shooting errupted at Prohibition Pub, located on 11026 Jasper Avenue Northwest, at around two o'clock in the morning on Tuesday April 1, 2009.

Seagal and his friends were drinking at the club when an arguement erupted between him and two other men over one of the men's girlfriend, court heard. The arguement was settled by the club bouncers and Seagal was tossed from the club at around one a.m.

Seagal then waited out in a back alley where the group of men parked their car, court heard. Seagal came out from behind a dumpster and fired seven shots in total, two for each person and one extra for the girlfriend.

Matt White, a local student, was at Prohibition that night and was in the parking lot when the shooting went down. He told the court what he saw.

"I saw Seagal come out from behind the dumpster with a wild look in his eyes," White told the court. "I think he was high on PCP or something, maybe he thought he was in one of his movies.'

While police could not confirm the link between Seagal and any hallucinogens, he was however extremely intoxicated. His blood aclcohol level was 0.16%.

Seagal will be transfered from the Edmonton Remand Centre to the Edmonton Max Institution later this week.

Picture from : Wikimedia

Quote from: Matt White (student)

***events are fabricated***

Prohibtion Pub joins the list of many pubs/ nightclubs located on Jasper Ave that has had problems with violence. The police introduced live cameras to deter the public from committing violent crimes. Jasper Ave is known for its dangerous late nights and has given Edmonton the reputation as Canada's most dangerous city", per capita. In 2004, Stats Canada listed Edmonton as having the highest homicide rating at 4.3 per 100,000 people. Stats like these have given Edmonton the nickname, "Stabmonton." or " Deadmonton". Having worked downtown myself I have seen just how bad it has gotten. The police are on the streets almost every night, not just weekends. Located on 110 street, it's not far from Edmontons historic St. Jospeh's Basilica Church (located on 113th). It is also surronded by other bars/ clubs, hotels and a number of other various restaurants and buisnesses. For a Google street view of the area click this link.

Picture of Jasper Ave taken from Flickr: Username:Nelson-77

"Man charged with first-degree murder of police chief,"Matt White

Warning: The following is a completely fictitious article.

A man has been charged for allegedly shooting and killing an Edmonton police chief during an altercation at a local mall Friday.

Ralph Wiggum, 45, has been charged with first-degree murder after a man fatally shot Police Chief Dan West during a foot-pursuit through the Phase one hallways of West Edmonton Mall.

"He just started shooting," said witness Timothy Lovejoy. "He didn't care who or what he hit. You could tell he was out for blood."

According to police, the incident began as a simple case of mistaken identity.

Wiggum was walking through the ladies underwear section of Zellers when he was mistakenly taken for a local transvestite known as "juggles."

"I went up and asked him for an autograph," said a man who requested to be identified only as Smithers. "After I explained who I thought he was, he erupted and started to smash things, and threaten people. It was really scary, but kind of sexy too."

When police arrived on the scene, Wiggum allegedly pulled out a pistol and began to fire widely into the air said Const. Miller.

"He fired three shots into the ceiling and one shot into the floor," said Miller. "At that point we had no choice but to draw weapons of our own."

The moment police drew their weapons, Wiggum ran out of the store and raced frantically for the nearest exit.

As police gave chase, Wiggum allegedly blindly fired the remainder of his clip, killing West and destroying a fish tank in the process.

"At that point we had no other option but to bring him down," said Miller.

Wiggum was shot 17 times by multiple officers before he finally fell to the ground. He was quickly transferred to the Royal Alexandra Hospital just in time to be stabilized.

Wiggum is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, April 30, 2010.

Images by Vlastula and CanadaGood on flickr

West Edmonton Mall is North America's largest shopping centre, and before 2004, it was the world's largest. It is located at 8882 170 Street Northwest in Edmonton, AB. West Edmonton Mall was founded by the Ghermezian brothers and currently receives an average of 28 million visitors a year. The mall has over 800 stores that sell everything from swim wear to sex-toys. The mall has multiple food courts, mini-golf, an amusement park, a water park, a shooting range, a pirate ship, a dragon, animals of all sorts, and countless other attractions that make it such a special place.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital is located in the heart of Edmonton at 10240 Kingsway Avenue. This particular hospital is one of Capital Health's largest. The hospital has roughly 678 beds, treats about 450,000 patients annually, and employs over 4800 people. The hospital is on the cutting edge of surgery with more than 28,000 surgical produces performed annually and is leading the way for minimal invasive procedures. The hospital also provides the opportunity for learning with strong connections to the University of Alberta Departments of Ophthalmology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Family Medicine. Lastly, the Cardiac Services program run by the hospital is nationally recognized for its innovative work in the non-urgent treatment of heart disease.

"Chuck And Steven Destroy West Edmonton Mall" Store, Isaac Kaplyuk

Image courtesy of teamsugar.com

Edmonton Police are seeking famed actors and martial artists Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris after two men destroyed a clothing store in West Edmonton Mall on Sunday as a fight broke out between the men over a pink t-shirt.

The mayhem descended upon an Aeropostale store in West Edmonton Mall after Norris and Seagal were seen noticing each other try on the same pink t-shirt, said a terrified employee. The employee wished to not be named.

"I just saw Chuck and Steven walk out of the dressing room and noticed each other wearing the same pink shirt, and they both just weren't going to have any of that," said the employee."Roundhouse kicks and backhand slaps ensued, and I was absolutely terrified. I had never up until now witnessed such awesome power."

The store was completely destroyed by the pair, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage. Although the two men fought, both made an immediate escape after the blows were exchanged.

Aeropostale store manager Sketch Ergotron said everything happened too fast to really understand what happened.

"Some vicious roundhouse kicks and slaps were exchanged, and then the two got out of here as if they weren't here at all," said Ergotron. "It was all over so fast."

Nobody else was harmed during the the fight, and the store will likely remain closed for some time due to the damage caused, Police said.

Police have been unable to apprehend or locate the suspects, and urge the public to stay away from the either Norris or Seagal if at all possible.




Edmonton is a city that was incorporated as such in 1904, but first established in 1795. It currently has a population close to that of 800 thousand people, as of a 2009 civic census.
West Edmonton Mall was built in 1981 and remained the world's largest mall until 2004. In it are over 800 stores and services, and it employs over 23, 000 people. It garners about 28.2 million visitors a year, and despite no longer being the largest mall in the world, is still the largest mall in North America.

Aeropostale is a mainstream retail clothing line/store geared towards the teenage and up demographic that began in 1987 in America, and expanded into Canada in 2007, with its first store opening in White Oaks Mall, in London, Ontario. The Aeropostale location in the West Edmonton Mall was opened nearly two years ago, and has since become one of the most popular Aeropostale locations in Canada.

With West Edmonton Mall being a hotspot for shopping, entertainment and tourism, it is not strange to see celebrities among the millions of people who visit yearly visiting the mall and its many stores.

*Picture of Aeropostale from West Edmonton Mall courtesy of hallbergengineering.com

Birds Will Tweet, Erik Nelson

Twitter is a platform that is gaining a lot of ground in the journalism field as a means to spread information regarding new articles being posted on the homepage, as well as updates in conferences among many things. Being featured on most news websites, such as those produced by Canwest, Twitter opens up options for journalists to create news posts and updates while on the field where it would be otherwise impossible to get the information out to the public because of its simple web integration and applications for the iPhone, BlackBerry, and other smartphones.

Beyond spreading the word about news and the latest articles, Marshall Kirkpatrick from Read Write Web notes how Twitter can be used to obtain tips on news stories.
"We discover tech news tips on Twitter first on a regular basis. When Google bought Twitter competitor Jaiku, for example, we learned about it on Twitter. That early news tip lead to our covering the news before any one else and getting our story on the front page of Digg - good in this case for tens of thousands of pageviews."
Twitter is increasingly becoming a source for story ideas and can help to further investigations which ultimately lead to better stories and increased readership.

Not everything is great when it comes to Twitter because of the hash tag system, keywords that identify a topic such as #journalism, can become tedious because users can create their own hash tags. As Matt White said in a blog post regarding Twitter and hash tags, "the use of hash tags and the poor search capabilities are far too confusing and time consuming to be considered productive at this point."

Although hash tags can be confusing and cumbersome to use, the overall appeal of Twitter for journalism remains dominant as it allows writers to create better stories and allow more readers to find out about stories that are important to the world.

Image from Stephen's Lighthouse

Editing Symbols, Erik Nelson

Behind every piece of writing is a meticulous task that must be done to ensure that everything is correct in that writing. Editing is perhaps one of the most important parts of a written piece because it allows the reader to have confidence in the writer and the story or article. Editors have used copy editing symbols to help writers and editors streamline the editing process which would otherwise be a daunting task.


E.B. Harris provides some tips in an article Learning Copywriting Symbols, such as learning to work with your copy editor because editing is a part of a successful career in writing. Harris also notes that "Different 'schools' also use slightly different symbols" and that they can vary considerably. Susan Eder tells in a blog post that just because different symbols are used that it doesn't mean one way is right, while the other way is wrong. With different editors using different symbols, it is easy to see that some people could be confused about having to learn a lot of different symbols, however, editing is one of the keys to success in writing and any hassle to make sure a piece of writing meets the expectations of readers is well worth the hassle.

Image by Eve Corbel at GEIST