Today marks a very sad day. I am writing my last blog post as part of my beat assignment for Herbert Lowe's Digital Journalism II class. As you know from my following my blog this semester, my beat is National Public Radio. Staying true to the majority of my posts, I'm concluding with another one about music. .... NPR's article about a very famous song. 'Hallelujah.'

There is a majority of the United States that have heard the song 'Hallelujah'. The original artist and creator of this song was in fact, Leonard Cohen. There have also been at least a dozen covers of this song. Some of the artist who covered this song include: Rufus Wainright, Willie Nelson, Susan Boyle, K.D. Lang, and Michael Bolton. This song provokes the emotion of sadness, You know exactly how you are supposed to feel when listening to this song.

NPR did a good job about including Youtube videos of the different versions they mentioned in the article. I wish that NPR would have stated why they were doing an article about this particular song. I could not grasp why they chose to do an article on it. 

NPR did a good job covering the history of the song and how it rose from the ashes like a Phoenix. It was interesting to read about the history of the song and how it gradually became popular. It was also sad to read that the original artist was not credited for making the song popular. NPR should have focused more on the original artist and not necessarily about the song.

Last week Meg Kissinger came and assigned the teams which aspect of mental health care we would be covering. I eagerly asked for the patient. The patient is the person in which the mental health care system is built on. It is important to understand that without the patient doctors and nurses would have no one to treat. The patient is the one receiving the care and is the one who understands most about what can be improved and what can be needed.

The Aurora Health Care provides services for patients. They believe that mental health and substance abuse can be treated through a "comprehensive approach to one's psychological and social needs". They offer a program that has both inpatient and outpatient services.

The inpatient services have a 24 hour bed for the patient to stay in. Nurses, doctors, and many others will be working with the patient at this time. There is an intensive evaluation to figure out what the patient needs. Then their treatment designed for their needs is started. 

" A multidisciplinary plan is formulated and patients are involved in services aimed at rapidly stabilizing their condition and preparing them for the next level of care." 

The average length of stay for a patient is five days. This does not seem like a lot of time to fully recover. Mental health care is a serious issue. Recovering from mental health problems takes time, there is no magic drug to make a patient better. I am greatly looking forward to speaking to a patient. This was a major problem in my family before and I am looking forward to find out how Milwaukee can create a better health care system and hopefully save lives. 

NPR recently wrote an article about the infamous band The Rolling Stones the piece was in honor of their 50th Anniversary for their album All Things Considered. NPR recieved insight to the album from each member of the band. Then Mick Jagger gave his opinion of "Gimme Shelter". 

Meg Kissinger is a remarkable woman. She is an established hardworking credible journalist, but more importantly she has been working on improving the mental illness care in Milwaukee. Kissinger is someone who understands first hand how mental illness can effect someone's life and how hard it can be. She lost two siblings to depression when they took their own lives. Instead of letting this destroy her she is advocating a better system to care for individuals suffering from mental illness. This topic and her story was something I can relate too, even though sometimes I wish I didn't. 

My uncle Craig took his life when he was a sophomore in college. I was never given the chance to meet him or get to know him. It still pains my father to talk about him. The only thing I ever heard about him was what a promising future he had and what a wonderful young man he was. It is still very difficult for me to see how his death still hurts my father's side of the family.Which is why watching and experiencing how Meg Kissinger is taking her background and utilizing it in a positive way.

In journalism 1550 the class will be working on projects and interviews for each aspect of the process of entering and exiting mental health care. To hopefully change the Milwaukee mental health care system improve for the better. The ultimate goal for me and her work would be to help eliminate some of the stigmas that follow a mental illness. 

I recently went to Northern Illinois University for their homecoming and this song was not only sung but was danced to at every event I attended. NPR discusses how Korean Pop has become popular. It was interesting to find out that in South Korea they do not hear new music from the radio but they watch it on the television. 

Since I was born in South Korea, I like reading about their culture. I was not raised in South Korea so I feel very cut off from my culture. NPR did a decent job at describing certain aspects of their culture but NPR fails to mention any form of musical talent that was produced when they made this song.

NPR demonstrated a bit of ignorance when they described how this song was produced. In America we produce songs the same way the South Korea produced theirs. This aticle is a prime demonstration to the pot calling the kettle black. Almost every song in America that is popular is constructed the same way. 

NPR did a big article on the band Mumford & Sons. Mumford & Sons is a english folk rock band who has become exceedingly popular over the course of the past three years. They recently released their new album Babel and it received a lot of positive feedback from their fans on Facebook and Twitter. 

What I like about the article that NPR did is they link almost all the artists they referenced. Which is what Herbert Lowe is trying to get our class to do with our blog posts. They also not only talk about the bands success but how others are criticizing the band for numerous faults. 

NPR did a great job at really showing and telling their views about every aspect about this band. They did not just talk about Mumford & Sons success but also showed their major weakness as well. They provided reader's with enough information about the band for them to really get a feel for who Mumford & Sons is, not only as a musician but also as people. 

Some feel that this band has too much of a religious feel and is trying to hard to be good. The article mentions that Iggy Pop would be bored with this album, but it really resonated with its listeners. It is refreshing to see that an artist or band can be popular singing about being good and committing good deeds instead of drinking, drugs, and sex. 

I am a little disappointed that NPR repeatedly mentioned all the wrong things about M&S. They are a band with a positive message which should be looked at with some sort of respect. I wish NPR did more in this article to recognize that. 

Every town has a story. Regardless of where you live, there is news happening everyday. It doesn't matter if you are from a small suburb or a large city. There is plenty of news and events happening every minute. I have only lived in Milwaukee for a little over a year now and I can promise you, there is always something going on.

The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is covering a vast number of the Milwaukee areas. When someone hears Milwaukee, the first initial thought is usually crime. There is a lot of crime that happens in our city, but what people don't really hear about is the good things that the Milwaukee community is doing to better themselves and the place they call home. 

The MNNS is a great resource or place to find out what great things are happening in the midst of crime. This paper and website really help enlighten it's readers about the people who actually reside in Milwaukee. It provides readers with a sense of heart and compassion. It really opens up the reader's eyes to who lives in Milwaukee. There are so many inspiring people who are constantly making an effort to make Milwaukee a safe and pleasant city to live in. 

The website has many unique and well taken photos to grab the reader's attention. Not only is this a very professional paper and website but it is a way to see adversity and courage from people who are sometimes negatively judged. 

It inspires people to either help or feel something for the people residing in these communities. This is a website that makes the reader not only feel something in their heart but want to do something. It provokes emotion and care. Many papers can inspire a reader to feel a certain emotion, but very few can actually make an impact in the reader's life. MNNS is the best at inciting a reader not only to feel something but to get involved and do something to make these people. 

When it comes to online news they are many different forms of multimedia that can be used. What I really like about NPR is that they utilize different colors to represent different topics on their website. I find it more appealing to look at over a simple black and white news website. Though on occasion black and white photos and media really give the reader a sense of the importance of the piece they are reading. Besides the cost factor of color ink, it could be another reason why most newspapers were printed in black and white only. 

The New York Times has a piece called One in a Million. It is interesting because it is an in-depth look at some very fascinating people. My professor Herbert Lowe has created an assignment we need to complete based off of this piece. What I took from learning about the NYT's piece, was the different types of angles and photography elements used in them. Which NPR does as well.

Using different angles and colors in photos is one of the easiest ways to capture a reader's attention. I really enjoy when NPR uses different angles for the photographs they take of musicians. Some appear to be taken from a lower angle, while other appear to be taken from above. The vivid color they use also draws me in and makes me want to read more. Besides using wonder photos to entice a reader, audio is another great way to intrigue a reader and demand attention.

What I truly enjoy about my beat assignemnt for the semster is that NPR has a very unique and eye opening music section. When you click on the music tab and then proceed to click on the radio tab, it enables you to discover a extensive list of different radio stations across the nation. From there it provides you with links of where to listen to that station live.

I was not to thrilled about having to write about the NFL opening weekend, simply because I do not follow football. The only thing I know about football is, I am a Bears fan. I am not even a Bears fan by choice. If I was not a Bears fan I would not be allowed to live in my house. However, even though I am not an enthusiastic football fan I found the NFL piece NPR did to be exceptional and interesting. 

NPR did an article about Jason Hanson who is the kicker of the Detroit Lions. He is 42 years old and is currently the oldest active NFL player. Not only is he the oldest active player right now, he has also been with the same team longer than anyone else in the league. 

I found it interesting how he openly talks about his age and is not ashamed of it. He jokes about always having a shaved face so no one will see the gray hair in his beard. Hanson admits the pressure is a lot to take sometimes. One bad kick could cost him his career. His coaches however still have the upmost confidence in their player,"But back in the real world of the NFL, the Detroit Lions coaches appear confident that when the game is on the line, the oldest player in the league can still deliver the winning kick."

It is simply incredible that Hanson doesn't let his age effect him. He is playing against and with guys that are half his age. The stress would usually get to a lot of people. The simple fact that his body is not in the same condition as other players who are 20 are in might be a problem. Even though his age might effect how he plays or that he is considered the old guy of the NFL does not effect him. Hanson still continues to try his best everyday and play like he is still 20.

Even though I do not like football or football players, I find Hanson to be someone to admire. He does not let his age defeat him or define him. He always give's 100% and understands the gravity if he makes a single mistake. I believe that his age makes him a better player because he appreciates and understands that if he does not play his best his career could be over. Whereas if someone younger than he is makes a mistake, that individual most likely will still have a career. I have a newfound respect and admiration for Jason Hanson. NPR did a great job of opening my eyes to how great a football player can be. 

In Herbert Lowe's journalism class I was assigned NPR as my beat assignment for the semester. 

I was overjoyed when I found out I was assigned NPR as my beat assignment. Everything about NPR was right up my alley of expertise. I Googled their website and went straight to the music section. The genre I choose to look at first was Rock, because rock music has always been my one true love. The first article that came up was about the band up and coming band called, Fun.

Almost everyone has heard of Fun.'s first billboard hit "We Are Young". This indie pop and alternative pop band camptured audiences everywhere with their single. Fun followed their first single's success with the "Some Nights". The article discusses the band's long summer of six months touring and their growth as a band. The band now has 12 members and even more "roadies".

It was refreshing to read about Fun.'s take on their new found stardom. There are many artists who would let fame and their success get to their head, but Fun. is not one of those bands. The lead vocalist Nate Ruess openly admits they are still learning the ropes of everything and that they still make mistakes. He acknowledges that even though they had the number one song in multiple countries, they are not perfect yet. They still have much to learn. Reading this article made me respect Fun. so much more than I did originally. 

Fun. is still humble even in the midst of their huge success. Everything has happened so fast for them from a top Billboard hit to playing the biggest festivals in the United States such as, Lollapalooza and Coachella. They are in their prime and can only get better from here. 

I was able to tell that from just reading the article on Fun. I was going to enjoy following NPR for the whole semester. I do not believe I could have been assigned a better beat assignment. I am a musician and will forever be a music fan, therefore NPR was the best beat assignment I could have possibly be given. I look forward to seeing what else NPR has in store for me and their readers this year. 

NPR's photo of the band who reached instant stardom, Fun.