Newspaper Evolution

An important blog post worth reading today from my journalism mentor, Jane Briggs-Bunting who heads the Michigan State University J-School. It's about the current state of our newspaper industry, and the heart of what we do. She writes on a day when the Ann Arbor News announces that after 174 years, it's closing in July and will go online. Here's the newspaper report being updated throughout the day. This news follows the one early this year from the Detroit major metro dailies, saying they'll be cutting home delivery to a few days a week and offering much of their content online. They set the precedent - it officially starts Monday. More newspapers will likely follow suit, amid the grim economic news and continued cuts that we'll also likely see throughout the country. With that, the Indy Star reports today about its planned reductions for the 2nd Quarter.... All of that uncertaintly led to the recent news from a longtime colleague - who'd been in the newspaper reporting business for 19 years - that he was leaving to enter the PR industry. Some of us refer to that as "the dark side," whether that's in jest or in all serious is debatable and depends on the person at issue. In this particular friend's case, he has been someone I've looked up to since meeting, learning from, and working beside briefly about five years ago. He's one of the most respected journalists you could meet, and it's not a stretch to say everyone would agree, including those he has covered through the years. His always-precise and aggressive watchdog questioning. But, even the best can be eaten at by all that's happening in our industry and we're seeing many leave. What's even more tragic, though, is when the young journos leave or even don't consider newspapering.

All this makes Jane's post even more relevant and important: this isn't a death of an industry, only the evolution. Journalism won't die, because we have to rely on it. The mission remains the same and it's our duty as a country, a people, and an industry to make sure it stays intact as strong as ever.

Quarter of a century

This marks my 25th year with diabetes. A worthy feat, particularly since I'm turning 30 years old on Feb. 1. With my diabetes anniversary, also comes the one for my mother marking her 50th anniversary. We both have cause to be thankful, as we've been blessed to have no serious ramifications of complications at this point.

When she was diagnosed at 5, docs told her parents she wouldn't live past 21. That was back in the mid-50s. Obviously, that worked out. My prognosis was much more optimistic by the time this 5-year-old got the news in the mid-80s, though the looming fear of complications clouded the manageability. Years later in the teens, I heard from docs that if my poor control and high A1Cs continued I likely wouldn't live to see 30. Well, that clock is counting down on that one. Only a few weeks to go - (here's me knocking on the wooden desk...)

While alive and relatively healthy, both mom and son have encountered bumps in the road, of course. She's got her own, and I'll leave those untouched as this is my blog and my story. I have the initial onset of complications and am in by no means good control, but we must look at the positives and move forward, not dwell on the past. In the fourth year of marriage and wanting to start a family, not to mention just feel better all around, that notion of tight control is on the mind. As it should have been all along.

But I can see my wife, dog, cat, and all things at this point despite the reality that retinopathy has started. I'm able to walk with all my limbs, though neuropathy is there and the pain is sometimes shooting enough to keep me restless and awake all night. Not to mention the potential side effect of chronic foot and ankle issues, possible from poor circulation - all of which has led to the inability to walk or run or sometimes golf or run around with the dog outside. My kidneys and other internals appear to be working, so the doc says.

So, the goal for 2009 - to test 8 to 12 times daily, write down each test as I go to give myself some sense of accomplishment and initiative to continue, to accurately measure all foods and count carbs and dose for what I'm eating, and to change my pump sites more regularly than now. This is all very long overdue, and it's something that's been started and kept up and eventually abandoned, so many times before.

I'm a diabetic, and while it doesn't define who I am, it's a part of me that cannot and willnot be ignored and seemingly swept under the rug. Not at 25 years when complications are already starting..... Too much to live for to let this get me now. There's that 50-year mark I have to make it to, and beyond. It's not just possible, it can be a reality if I start NOW.

So let it begin.... (again). This time, let it last.

Newspapering

My world revolves around newspapers. A newspaper is delivered to my home every day. Not a day passes where I'm not up on the news in my corner of Indiana. Then there's a fact that my job is at a newspaper, writing stories for a legal paper published every other week. My name appears multiple times in the finished product. And in writing stories, I'm always combing through local and national papers, scouring news and reading the works others have put together to see how that might apply to my world.

But here I sit at 4 a.m. realizing how I've forgotten what newspapers feel like.

In a digital age, every newspaper is online. Local, state, national. What's happening the former stomping grounds, from lake levels to a text-messaging mayoral scandal in Detroit and beloved sports teams I grew up rooting for. CNN. Blogs. Email. Can find court documents, watch video. All with the click of a mouse. Convienence. Sure. A rushed world where you can quickly filter what you want and don't want.

It's not the same. You lose out on the newspaper-reading experience, though arguably you may be reading and being more informed with online searches and tailored reading. But there's everything else, too...

That feeling of holding thin paper in your hands, seeing the black ink headlines and focusing your eyesight ever so slightly to adjust to the smaller font size. That crinkling sound as you flip the pages. Then there's that smell - some swear the smell of a newspaper makes them feel better, and I'm one of them. A fresh coffee smell is often nearby, so that's a great compliment, but it's more. The fresh paper smell, even just the wood-like aroma, brings back images of working in newsrooms actually producing the copy that would eventually go into the publication. Back in college, I worked writing, editing, designing and early on had the joy of fresh ink and hot wax as we glued down the pages for our creation. It became computer-oriented, but you still had the thrill of creating what would eventually turn into that gray paper everyone would be reading.

It's a whole experience. You can find what you're looking for, because you always know where to look. You can rely on it being in the same place. From the front doorstep or driveway spot at first to where you want to see the editorial, obituaries, or comics. It's all there. Not like the changing Web world, where everything is different within minutes or an hour.

Once, I pulled myself out of bed pre-dawn to saturate my news craving. Getting that first glimpse of the paper. Catching the early newscast at the same time. That cup of coffee. Mmm. It all paved my way for getting into the newspaper business, being a part of the creation of moments like that for others. Helped energize me to create my own paper as a marriage roposal, a way to tell the most important story of my life.

But the experience I once had with newspaper reading has been diminshed. Don't look at the local daily paper in print as much as I once did, glancing at it usually in the evenings since I'd already read it online earlier in the day. The ones that stack up on my desk at work are simply that - work. Sure, I thumb through a Sunday paper most weeks - though I have to go buy one as it's so inadequate we don't want to waste the money. Of course, that's also a time the dog and I go for a Sunday morning "Car Ride" by ourselves to grab a paper, crank the music, and just drive for a bit before coming home.

It's sad, really. For anyone. But especially a newsman. Here's to the hope some of that newspaper nostalgia can be reclaimed.

If the FDA makes a mistake....

It doesn't matter. Medical device users, such as insulin pumpers, can't sue the pump-maker. Why? The Supreme Court of the United States says so. A court ruling Wednesday sided with devicemaker Medtronic, holding that if federal regulators approved a device, a suit couldn't be filed under state laws.

This case stemmed from a New Yorker who was injured after a Medtronic-made catheter burst during an angioplasty procedure 12 years ago. He needed emergency bypass surgery. As a result, he sued the company and alleged design and manufacturing defects in the catheter, as well as inadequate labeling on the device's packaging. The patient later died, but his widow continued the lawsuit on his behalf.

The case probed whether manufacturers of sophisticated medical devices approved for sale by the FDA can be sued under consumer-friendly state laws, or whether they are preempted from such lawsuits.

Writing for the court, Justice Antonin Scalia called the FDA's current "premarket" method for approving sophisticated devices "rigorous." The agency spends an average of 1,200 hours reviewing each company's application, which includes studies testing devices on real-world subjects to prove they are safe and effective.

One of the lawyer's involved said this ruling is "particularly scary after hearing recent reports that say the FDA isn't up to the job of protecting the public from dangerous drugs and medical devices. We know that people will be injured as a result, and some of them will have no remedy."

Hmm. Does this ruling do more harm than good? Some people sue these medical devicemakers for no adequate reason, making unreasonable claims that shouldn't be in court to begin with. Sure, they're frivolous. But that's why we have the court system - to weed out those frivolous cases and let those warrant court action to get that far. When the Supreme Court lays out a blanket rule disallowing any of these claims, they're also doing away with the ones that may be legimate and taking away state courts' power to judge the validity. This is a business-friendly ruling that flies in the face of a logical law. Bummer.

A price of freedom

News of the shooting at a Missouri city council meeting sent chills down the spine of journalists this week, and sparked memories of council meetings and court hearings I've attended that could have erupted into similar chaos - but fortunately didn't.

As I read the accounts of the rampage, which ended with six people dead and several others suffering gunshot wounds, including a reporter, I couldn’t help but think how lucky I am to have never found myself living that nightmare.

I’ve sat through hundreds of public meetings myself in the decade I've been newspapering. Most are mundane, boring, to the point where my eyes suddenly slam shut enough to jerk me awake - even temporarily. They all run together in my memories, few standing out. But some do. Like the ones were people get escorted and dragged out by police, those people pointing fingers an screaming at the decision-making government officials. Or the court hearings where a loved one's attacker or murderer doesn't get a tough enough penalty. Many topics can spark these raw emotional scenes - crimes, property taxes, rivers or parkland being paved over for a new drugstore on the corner... The list goes on.

As a reporter, I've been on the receiving end a number of times. Officials pointing their fingers at me, silently threatening my livelihood because of something I'd written or somehow "allowed" to get into the paper. Regardless of the factual accuracy, I called them out on it. Or the family members who've shoved and lunged at me inside and outside a courtroom, after my news accounts covering their beloved daughter - a mother herself who stabbed her newborn in the head with a steakknife and then left her for dead in a bathroom closet. In those times, I've gone into court hearings and public meetings wondering if I was going to have to defend myself, verbally or physically.

Fortunately, I've never witnessed anything such as the Kirkwood City Hall shooting on Thursday night. When that double-edge sword of routine public meetings and open comment comes back with a bullet-packing punch. In a local city hall - a place as close to home as anyone can get, where they tackle issues for the people, and are charged with making decisions for the people. Handling issues such as whether people should have to get a gun permit at city hall or the polcie station, and then if people should have to go through the hassle of metal detectors or not to simply talk to their leaders. Talk to their leaders at a public meeting, where those very decisions are made. It all connects somehow.

We have this opportunity for greatness, simply by attending these meetings and being informed, responsible citizens. But so easily it can go bad. My heart goes out to those people who lost their lives, those who attended the meeting that night and witnessed this, those who'll never be the same. They were doing something everyone should - whether performing public service or being a citizen or j0urnalistic watchdog to keep officials accountable. And they paid dearly for it. They paid the price of freedom, in a land where everyone can do everything and anything they want. Until someone challenges that right, and public meetings and courtroom hearings are held. Routine and not-so-routine.

When does that price get too high? Is there a balance? Who decides? The elected official, or the gun-toting citizen who wants them to listen? (Does this ring a bell - Wasn't it just a couple months ago that someone tried a similiar stunt at a presidential candidates campaign office????!?) If not either of those, then do people just hit the streets and ghettos with their weapons, putting bullets into those that've crossed them?

What a world - what a web we've weaved.

That 32-hour day

A little overwhelmed. So much going on, too little time. The 2 a.m. hour rolls around and, again - as so often it happens - I find myself awake. Body and mind are tired, but the wheels are still turning. Want to write, need to write. That story from the soul that gives you a shiver as good as the moment you see a sunrise or sunset. Want to read, everything I can - the Bible, a former journalism mentor's family memoir, history of Freemasons. Intrigued by my family history, and want to explore every depth and chronicle that genealogical story before it's lost. Gears are going on the emailed political debates with an old roommate and close friend. Another good bud brings up interesting notions in our joint-efforts to study religion. My mind goes, too, to my Michigan trip this weekend and all I need to accomplish at work before then. Work and legal issues playing out in my head, as I recap the high-profile trial I sat through today. Still have to work on the neighborhood newsletter that's due and going out soon. Neighborhood Watch issues to reflect on. Old frienships to nurture. Out-of-control health that needs immediate attention. Want to spend time at home with my wife, housekeeping and movie-watching and chatting about life in general. Figuring out how to devote and split time to both our attention-needing dog and cat. Want to have all the money to put in a fence, build a patio, plant a new tree, landscape the backyard, and paint the interior of our house. All at once. Too much debt, too many bills. Really want to catch some ZZZs, but the brain won't take a break. Meanwhile, my new contacts aren't in yet and I have to continue wearing these specs that make my eyes feel heavy, create a sensation that I'm being less productive than I could be if only wearing those contacts. It's all in the mind.

When did life become so overwhelming, so complicated, so convoluted that we push off sleep to handle every possible project that could actually wait until a later time? Even knowing that truth, the feeling remains: So much to do. Too little time.

About to brew a second cup of instant java. Swirl and dunk, dunk, then sip. Mmmm, so warm on a cold night. At least the trash and recyling's done, put out by the curb ready for Wednesday's pickup. There's one item off the list. Now, moving on to others before the sleep sets in.....

Is seeing believing?

A new year, new time to start stacking on the doctor visits. Better control and diabetes management is always a worthy goal, but for some reason new years tend to bring out that goal even more. Across the blogosphere, d-bloggers are chronicling their experiences at the endo, eye examiners, dental experts, nutrionists, and general physicians. I'm in need of pump supplies, and aside from the issue of whether I'm adequately pushing for better control, will nee to consult my endo just to get a script for life-enduring supplies.

But the first exam goes to the eye experts. I've been in need of new contacts and specs for months now, but have pushed off the inevitable purchase until now. My latest visit means I'll be back to contact wearing, ending the temporary adventure of wearing my glasses that need to be bumped up a couple notches.

The visit wasn't a welcome one, not after the news last year from a specialist that beginning stages of diabetic retinopathy had started. Duh duh duh . News we all dread, and a tidbit that I expected but somehow thought might never arrive. Well, it had. So, here we are - a year later. The next visit to the regular eye doc.

After the dialation pressure tests on Friday, waiting in the chair as the vision blurs and the already-blurred rows of letters on the wall fade out even more. He came to the open door, though I couldn't see him behind the corner. Only the rustling of papers- his flipping through my charts. Then, he entered. Light intro talk, basic questions, then lights out. Time for the bright, waving light and moving of my eyes in each direction.

As he got ready to give me the latest update, I clutched a tissue that had been given to me earlier to dab at the dialiating drops. Here it comes, I thought..... How worse can it be? What can another year of less-than-adequate control have done?

"No signs of diabetic retinopathy."

Huh? Say that again? He did. I was somewhat confused, especially after the last news bit about beginning stages. Questioning the diagnosis, I pushed for more. His answer: just because you have beginning stages of d-retinopathy, doesn't mean it's going to stay. Might go away. Of course, I'm thinking how absurd that idea is since my control's been below par. Why would it just go away? Could it be that the "specialist" can see more than he can, do more detailed and explorative tests to reveal issues that might otherwise be hidden? This took him back a little, and he noted how he's usually pretty adept at spotting signs. It's possible, though.

So there I am. Now what? May want to get a second opinion, going back to that specialist to see what he says. It just strikes me as odd that retinopathy would just "go away" like that, especially with my control behavior. As of now, I'm glasses-wearing and awaiting the contacts. We'll see what happens from here.

Not so 'grrrrrrt' marketing

I have to credit Kerri at Six Until Me for this one. Directly. But it's worth re-posting. Here's her blog.

Tony the Tiger has died. A result of diabetic complications.

Apparently, some may think this is clever marketing. Wrong. These marketing folk need to be fired.

First, there's this story about Santa Clause being diagnosed with Type 2. A quote that ran has the red-suit clad Clause saying: "I want to beat my diabetes and get my weight under control without popping pills," Santa said. "And it's just too risky to take insulin injections when my reindeer tote my sleigh across the sky."
"Besides, if I become dependent on drugs and insulin injections, what message does that send to all the children?"

Wow. That's just a wonderful, wonderful message to send out to kids facing this disease. No, I'm not even talking about the children facing Type 1, where insulin is a must-have to even live.

Secondly, we have this story about Tony the Tiger dying from diabetic complications. Another wonder-marketing idea for the kids.

Any sense of reality and common sense apparently faded when parents threatened to sue Tony and Kellog over the tiger's Frosted Flakes consumption, since it somehow attributed to their child's obesity and subsequent laziness and bad health later in life. No wonder - these are probably the same parents griping that their kids scraped knees at recess, or got hit with the ball during dodgeball because they were too lazy to - you know - DODGE the rubber ball flying at them. These parents come from the same ilk that have gotten tag banned at schoolyards, and didn't want their children held accountable for a no-no by being made to stand against the wall while others played.

No, they have to gripe and whine. These are also the same people who, years back, used to say to Type I children: "You wouldn't be diabetic if you're parents had fed you better and your diet was healthier."

Get a clue. Please. Or just don't open your mouths. As if it's anyone's fault, a child's or a parent's, that a pancreas chooses to shut down and insulin-making cells just stop making insulin. The guilt and shame just add a whole new wonderful dimension to childhood.

Night night, beta cells....

Recently, I'd posted a blog noting that if sleep deprivation was a cure for diabetes, I'd be well on my way - a notion that drew praise and thumb ups from fellow D-bloggers. Well, then comes this news bit: A new study shows sleep deprivation is pushing the diabetes epidemic, leading to more cases. Published in the Dec. 1 issue of a journal called SLEEP. How appropriate is that.

As outlined in the article, they even have some tips:
• Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
• Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
• Get a full night’s sleep every night.
• Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
• Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either.
• Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
• Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
• Get up at the same time every morning.

Well, there you go. We've solved the universal D-riddle on "why...." that leads to finger-poking, insulin-craving lifestyles: Our pancreas is tired. Beta cells are catching some Zs, therefore sleeping on the job and letting the big, bad, burglar "D" get the jump on our immune system. Just like bad security guards letting thieves into the shop.

So, if I improve my sleeping practices, what happens - am I closer to a cure? Experts in the scientific community point out that beta cells seem to sometimes regenerate, even in Type Is, but they aren't sure - the JDRF's been looking at that one for awhile now. Maybe sleep's the key. Sleep it off. What if that was the answer - just staying in bed and sleeping as much as possible? Wonder if there's any research project studying that - if so, I'm ready to sign up for whatever the pay is.

A MySpace world

We're living in a MySpace world. But sadly, the legal world hasn't kept pace with the online social networking issues. We see in two current news tidbits.

Think about it. Someone creates a fake profile, sends mean messages to your son or daughter, and causes the child to get very upset, depressed, possibly even suicidal. We see that in a news item from Missouri, where 13-year old Megan Meier hanged herself last year minutes after she received mean messages through MySpace. It seems this all came from a fellow teen's dissolved friendship, and apparently adults played a part in this whole ordeal. CNN reported in mid-November that Megan's parents hope the people who made the fraudulent profile on the social networking web site will be prosecuted, and they are seeking legal changes to safeguard children on the Internet.

Today, the prosecutor there says no criminal charges would be filed because no applicable statute exists to file charges in this case. Laws relating to stalking, harassment, and child endangerment don't apply, and there was no threats to the child's life and no organized conspiracy.

Secondly example: We have the Indiana Supreme Court considering a case this month delving into whether MySpace comments are considered protected free speech under the First Amendment. This one involves a student's obscenity-filled posting that blasted a school principal. The juvenile commented about school policy on body piercings on a page created by another student. Here's a story.

Both of these show how ill-prepared our laws are to deal with Internet sites such as this. With this online hangouts having upwards of 100 million users and Facebook having millions on its own, we aren't ready for the legal issues of these online powerhouses. It could be scary stuff. Will be interesting to watch the court cases on these Internet law issues, and how the law plays catchup. Wonder where we'll be when it finally happens.