Mike Tompkins on Today Show

Mike Tompkins, YouTube star, went on the Today Show to participate in the five-part series called "Today Goes Viral," according to TVGuide.com

Tompkins is compared to Glee, and some even have made bold statements insinuating that Tompkins may be better than Glee.

Tompkins joined the news anchors in performing a cover of "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz.

He teaches how to make a viral video, and hopefully with his assistance they will either gain some new talents or be reminded not to quit their day jobs.

Newsweek and The Daily Beast Conflict with The Future of Journalism

NewsBeast? BeastWeek? Neither of those names sound rather appealing and Newsweek and The Daily Beast sound better separately, but apparently that is no longer an option.

The Future of Journalism: The Future of Newsweek (May 2010)

Newsweek has been my favorite magazine since 2003 (age 13), and conversing with Steve Tuttle from Newsweek on Twitter (and being followed by him, and being told I should apply for Newsweek internship) has been a huge deal.  When Jon Meacham wrote his final Editor's Note it was assumed that there were going to be new changes, but I didn't realize that those changes would include the web site newsweek.com automatically directing to thedailybeast.com.

On November 14, 2010 a Tumblr account was created named SaveNewsweekdotCom. The tumblr account posts a single post defending Newsweek and why the magazine should not have its web site shut down.

The New York Times' article Newsweek's Printing Press Was a Top Draw For Diller goes into great detail about what the plans of this merger are, but what the article is lacking are interviews from anyone that is at Newsweek.


The article is written by Jeremy W. Peters, and Mr. Peters fails to show that he is worthy of writing for the Times considering he didn't even try to interview the sources from the other side in order to make the article more objective - or at least show an attempt to care about what Newsweek staff thinks of all this.

Barry Diller is the owner of The Daily Beast, which is an online news source. Apparently Diller "insisted that with or without Newsweek, The Daily Beast was going to exist someday in print form."

Well, that's a bold statement. If by print form he means clicking the print button on the top of the web site and waiting for the paper to come out of the printer then I can understand that, but to actually turn The Daily Beast into a credible news source that even deserves to be considered on the same wavelength as Newsweek is just jaw-dropping.

Newsweek is a big deal. That magazine is award-winning. Although its journalism lately has been more "essay" it still has contributors like Fareed Zakaria who are able to bring the true journalism back to the paper. Newsweek at least has fact checking, copy-editing, etc. The future of journalism is not all about the web media - it really isn't. The biggest reason the web media isn't as good as print is due to the lack of editing and fact-checking. Sure, it's instantaneous, but it is also erroneous. With the print there is a print cycle, research deadlines, fact-checking, copy editing, etc. Now, it's all about getting it posted first - getting it onto the web and getting the most hits.

That's why I put a big difference with blogging and journalism. See, if this was an editorial there would be no personal pronouns at all - this would be persuasive using lots of secondary research to back up my point. With articles, there need to be first hand interviews and secondary research done in order to put out something worth reading. It's about putting out something original, and taking the time to get it done while meeting the deadlines.

What would Hunter S. Thompson think of this? What about Carl Bernstein and Ben Bradlee? Why is it all of a sudden that just because of the web being so instant all of a sudden the quality of work is overlooked?

Now, thinking of The Daily Beast merging with Newsweek as a magazine in a print edition is scary. The Times' article states that Diller has been communicating with Newsweek's new owner Sidney Harman who saw "obvious and overwhelming benefits to sharing costs and reporting staffs with another publication." The part that really shows where Harman's mind is is when he continues to say that the "attention he could garner by having Tina Brown, The Daily Beast's editor and a celebrated creative mind in the magazine world, edit his magazine."

Edit his magazine? HIS magazine? Yes, he bought the magazine and it belongs to him, but really?  All the attention he can garner because of Tina Brown? The article really lacks without showing quotes, or even a reaction from anyone who actually is on the Newsweek staff.

Harman has owned Newsweek for about a month and he's already making these huge decisions that are going to throw everything out into a big loop of confusion.

And the part of the article that proves that this is some sort of "sell out" is:

Plus, by rolling Newsweek.com into The Daily Beast, they could hope to absorb some of the nearly five million unique visitors Newsweek clocks each month. The Daily Beast’s traffic growth has slowed lately, though it is up tenfold to more than two million a month since the site made its debut in October 2008, according to comScore.


Newsweek.com will cease to exist after the merger. Readers who type that URL into their browser will be redirected to TheDailyBeast.com, where Newsweek content will be housed, Mr. Colvin said. The merger is likely to come with other forms of consolidation. One of the main reasons the merger appealed to Mr. Diller and Mr. Harman was that combining the newsrooms and business sides would allow them to reduce staffing. When asked about possible job cuts on Friday, Ms. Brown said, “We’re going to have to look at the whole business model, the whole editorial model, and we’ll have to make our assessments.


Wow. Selling out is something that is pretty common nowadays. Yes, Newsweek was sold and money is a big problems - but this just seems like it is going too far. The future of journalism does not seem to be moving in a positive direction in relation to this new announcement.

"Reduce staffing" sounds more like firing some of the Newsweek staff, and I really don't know how much faith I have in the journalism ethics, standards and moral of The Daily Beast staff. Does this mean that MSNBC won't be apart of Newsweek anymore? If that's the case then it is going to lose some credibility and those 5 million hits online are not going to be going up.

The tumblr account sums up the post by writing:

In the face of indifference, condescension and even outright hostility from its print counterpart; with little to no resources; with more high-level hires and fires over the past couple of years than anybody could possibly count—and a revolving door of editors—the small but tireless staff at Newsweek.com consistently created editorial work that made waves: via a Website, on video platforms, through multimedia, photo and social media. Whatever happens to Newsweek, we are all proud to have played a part in that.

There is so much more that can be said, and there will be follow up on this issue, guaranteed. Newsweek is not that far deep in trouble that it needs to look to an online news source that lacks the credibility and reliability for help, or at least it didn't seem that it was. If the case is that there is no other way for Newsweek to exist than for this merger to occur than so be it.

Reactions from Jon Meacham as well as "current" Newsweek staff is definitely something that will be interesting - and hopefully there's honesty.

X POSTED AT THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM

Jessica Simpson Engagement Because Nick Lachey Married Vanessa Minnillo?

Ok. Singer Jessica Simpson, who was linked to Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo, is now announcing her engagement to former San Francisco 49ers Tight-End Eric Johnson, good old number 82 (man, she likes the white NFL offensive players), just six months into their courtship (photo by NY Daily News).

But here's the kicker: according to US Magazine, the blonde beauty also linked to singer John Mayer, has reportedly timed her engagement announcement to counter the news that her ex-husband Nick Lachey's marrying Vanessa Minnillo.

And add to that, Eric Johnson just got a divorce from his wife one month ago. He started dating Jessica in May of this year, while he was still legally marrried, but "estranged" from his wife, a hair stylist named Keri Johnson.

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey divorced in 2005, and after three years of marriage. Since then, Simpson has been linked to a number of athletes and entertainers, and had an open, public issue with managing her weight.

Here's hoping Jessica finds some stability. But she's going after a type of person rather than a real partner. One day, she will learn that it's more important to have someone who really loves her, rather than a man that fits a box that reads "White Male Athlete Or Singer."

Stay tuned.

Taylor Momsen | Shake 'N Bake Taylor Momsen Commercial

Considering her boob-flashing bad girl ways of present day (causing this blogger to observe she needed a boob job), its hard to realize that Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen (where she plays Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series) was this adorable young child actress, who's Shake 'N Bake commercial took America by storm when it was aired.

According to EOnline, Taylor Momsen was three years old when she filmed that commercial.  A commercial so good it makes you want to shake and bake chicken to produce what she's eating.

 Since then, Taylor's grown to become a model and an actress, starring in 10 different major film and television roles.

Oh, and at 17 years old (as of this writing) is currently going through a major rebellious streak. (Photo by realbollywood.com)

College students with Bipolar & other mental health problems- management tips By Dr. Christina Villarreal

For most American college students, the influx of new social opportunities, academic demands & pulling all nighters, and the ubiquitous college party scene can lead to high levels of stress. But students with bipolar disorder or other mental health problems, and students with a family history of mental health disorders, are especially vulnerable in a college environment.

The pressure of academic performance, social demands, and irregular sleep patterns are all triggers of depression as well as mania, the euphoric, revved-up state characteristic of bipolar disorder. In fact, college is one of the most frequent environments people experience their first bout of depression or mania. According to Russell Federman, Ph.D, the director of Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Virginia student health center, the desire to fit in and conform to the college lifestyle can cause students with mental health problems to abandon healthy behaviors, even their medications. Without the right treatment and support, bipolar college students face higher dropout rates, drug and alcohol abuse, and even suicide.

A 2006 study in the Journal of Affective Disorders compared a group of bipolar adults with a group of healthy adults who had similar IQs and social backgrounds. More than 60 percent of both groups entered college, but their achievements differed greatly: Nearly half of the control group received a college degree, compared to just 16 percent of the bipolar group.

Students with bipolar disorder or other mental health problems can succeed in college, but doing so requires dedication to a plan. The following points are ALL crucial and can make the difference between achieving your college success goals and dropping out or worse, losing control of your mental health.

* Taking the proper medications, and ensuring they are easily accessible for refills
* arranging for the appropriate counseling and medical care on campus in addition to outside support
* avoiding drugs and alcohol and even caffeine, as they can render medications ineffective
* maintaining a steady sleep and study schedule
* finding sources of peer support

In his 2010 book, "Facing Bipolar: The Young Adult's Guide to Dealing With Bipolar Disorder", Federman outlines what he calls the "four S's of bipolar stability": structure, stress management, sleep management, and self-monitoring. This framework includes sticking to a regular schedule of studying and sleep, and learning to recognize the signs that you are beginning to drift into mania or hypomania.

An organization called Active Minds is trying to open the dialogue about mental illness on college campuses. Founded by Alison Malmon in 2001, following the suicide of her older brother, the organization now has more than 200 chapters nationwide. Active Minds organizes events such as National Day Without Stigma and has partnered with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance to create peer support groups on college campuses.

This author, Dr. Christina Villarreal is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Oakland, CA. For professional questions or referrals, email her at christina.villarreal@gmail.com or visit her website at www.drchristinavillarreal.com

Messy Mya Dead: YouTube Partners Must Be Careful

The murder of YouTube comedian Messy Mya recalls the murder of 20 year old Asia McGowan (in photo from Flickr), and since there was no motive given for what happened to Messy Mya, requires YouTube Partners and performers to be reminded of the dark forces in society that appear with New Media fame.  (Hat tip to Rolling Media for blogging about this.)

First, Asia McGowan

Asia McGowan was a 20 year old YouTube contributor who was murdered by a man named Anthony Powell on April 10th, 2009. Powell's motives were the product of a nutcase who had weird beliefs about black women that this blogger will not repeat here. Also on YouTube, Powell railed against anyone who believed in the theory of evolution.

Powell reportedly wanted to date McGowan but at the same time was what is called a "hater." Asia made a video about that before her passing:



What's A Hater?

"Hater" is a word used so much over the last five years, it now has an official designation in The Urban Dictionary. Here it is:

A person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person. Hating, the result of being a hater, is not exactly jealousy. The hater doesnt really want to be the person he or she hates, rather the hater wants to knock somelse down a notch.
Susan: You know, Kevin from accounting is doing very well. He just bought a house in a very nice part of town.

Jane (hater): If he is doing so well why does he drive that '89 Taurus?

"Hater" described a culture that's all too active in Oakland, California, but that's for another blog post.  The bottom line is that, from observation, that term started to be widely used just over the last five or six years.  It roughly matches the rise of a digital generation and rapid stardom fueled by reality TV and performance shows like American Idol.

It seems that this new way of creating stars also formed a current of jealously on the part of those who may want the same level of attention, but for whatever reason don't get it.  Rather than constructively dealing with the feeling associated with such a position, some lash out against those who they perceive as successful.

This happens on YouTube all too often.

Toward YouTube Support Groups

One thing lacking is something I call a "YouTube support group," or a place for YouTube Partners and performers to go where they can be around supportive people.  In the way I see such a group, a criteria for membership is they have to be a YouTube Partner, which is a person permitted by Google / YouTube to make money from ads posted on their videos.

Stay tuned.

Trader Joe's: Are There Too Many Of Them?

Trader Joe's.  On Sunday, The LA Times asked if there were too many of them at the same time the Omaha World-Herald hailed a new Trader Joe's opening in that city.  (Photo by greeenzer.com)

This blogger must confess to have never been a fan of Trader Joe's because it seemed like a lot of marketing hype.

Yes, hype.

Hype around the idea that their food doesn't contain artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. OK, but the price of the food this blogger purchases, meat, is still something like one dollar to two dollars higher per-item than at Safeway or Alberton's. You're not likely to find a Trader Joe's in a low-income neighborhood like West Oakland or South Chicago.

Just saying.

If there are too many Trader Joe's, it's because a significant number of Americans have bought into the marketing hype that the food retailer actually sells, again, food that doesn't contain "artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives." Now, my mother, who I'm visting as of this writing, agrees, saying Trader Joe's has "quality food, but it's not cheap."

That's the point.

The real food retail void to be filled is by providing "quality food" at cheap prices. Maybe the urban food farming movement is the answer, but that's still in its infancy.