Industry Woes

Needless to say, this week has been quite a blow for the magazine industry. Monday a clear sign showed up in the New York Times when Time Inc. announced a reorganization and the layoff of 600 employees. Great. This isn’t the best news to see when I’ll be graduating in May. It seems that if the ever-changing magazine publishers aren’t cutting back, advertisers are, which causes even more uneasiness. Later in the week it seemed like the signs wouldn’t go away when I decided to go to Kent State’s job fair. Out of all the different tables that filled the ballroom, only one, I repeat ONE, was hiring graphic designers. Perfect. Talk about discouraging. Then again in the Times today Condé Nast announced they are cutting back 5 percent across the company. This all has me questioning my major and it’s not what I expected to be doing my senior year. Any advice?

On a better note, The Burr is going to print next week! While consumer magazines are cutting back, we’re getting published in COLOR. Look for it first thing in December. Get excited, I know I am.

Cleveland: It’s a dog eat dawg kinda town

John Hitch

The Burr

Cleveland sports hasn’t provided us with any titles since 1964, but the city’s downtrodden fans do get at least some prime-time quality drama its teams.
Ever worry that the lead in your favorite show will bolt for a movie career, ala George Clooney or Tom Hanks. We have that with locally grown Lebron James and his possible exit stage east–as in to New York—when his contract expires.
Who likes medical procedures? Just go up to Berea or Cleveland Stadium and play “House,” trying to find the origin of a mysterious bacteria before it infects the entire Browns receiving corps. (Why couldn’t this staph outbreak have happened when we had Quincy Morgan or Dennis “Drops the most important catch of his life” Northcutt?)

One little fun-size nugget that almost flew past my radar happened at the Oct. 14 Cavs-Celtics exhibition game held in the Petersen Center in Pittsburgh. This was in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s recap of the game :

The loudest ovation perhaps occurred with 5:48 remaining, when the Cavaliers’ mascot, Moondog, appeared at half court during a timeout wearing a Cleveland Browns jersey.
A serenade of boos was heard before Moondog peeled off the hated jersey and revealed a black-and-gold Steelers shirt. It drew a round of cheers before the mascot raced the length of the floor, caught a small football in stride and headed out an exit.

The Cav’s mascot, whose name is derived from the town’s Rock n’ Roll roots, our last bastion of pride, surrendered his loyalties to Cleveland’s sworn sports enemy. Man’s best friend, indeed. Now I know how John McCain felt when Colin Powell appeared on “Meet the Press,” swearing his allegiance to Barack Obama.
According to Tad Carper, the Cavs’ vp of communications, this was a “lone gunman” scenario; Moondog acted alone.  Carper said the mascot was reprimanded, but not fired for the “improvised skit.” 

Even if Dan Gilbert himself had told the mascot to don the reviled black and gold, he has every right. The team is trying to establish a broader fan-base, thus generating enough money to pay King James his ransom. The Cavs went to the NBA Finals in 2007 and came closer than expected in 2008. Yet the Browns still hold the city’s affections hostage. The Browns have given fans that extremely satisfying Monday night win over the Giants, and that’s about it since they came back to the league.
The Browns recent spat of suckage may have something to do with how the team is run. Kellen Winslow Jr. recently received a one-game suspension for calling out the team, releasing to the media he had staph. This was his second infection, and Joe Jurevicius may be lost for the season because of his. The way Phil Savage handled the situation was to some childish, and very suspicious at the very least.

That’s not is how a championship-caliber team acts. This is.
The Plain Dealer’s Bill Livingston wrote:

“The Cavaliers’ Delonte West returned to the team last week after taking a leave of absence for what he said was a battle against clinical depression. Both coach Mike Brown and GM Danny Ferry made sure West knew he had the organization’s full support.
“This is the epitome of a family organization,” West said. “I want to go for war for these people. I would die for them, I really mean that.”

Read the full article at: http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2008/10/staph_isnt_the_only_plague_in.html

I still remember the old Browns. I ran in to Bernie Kosar at my job a couple months ago, and it was one of the biggest thrills of my life. I’ve also met “Big Z” and “Sideshow Verajao,” and it was cool, but just not the same.

Don’t get me wrong. I hate the Steelers just about as much as anybody. The Cavs may be the better team both on the court and in the office, but a Cleveland-based anything placating Steelers fans is worse than feeding a mogwie after midnight. You just don’t do it if you want the city’s support. Remember that Moondog, unless you want to get sent to the real “Dawg” Pound, where some drunk guy may try to neuter you next time you try to learn a new trick.

The Birthplace of Innovation

After sitting in three different meetings this morning, I realized something extraordinary: as students, we are the innovators that companies are searching for, we are the people they look to for change because we work with and deal with change each day as if it’s nothing new.  To us, change is one of those day-to-day road blocks, but to CEO’s and business professionals, change is like a brick wall that stops them dead in their tracks.  

I’ve always been hesitant to voice my feelings to such important people thinking my ideas would be stomped on immediately, but the truth is, they’re looking for change and they’re looking to our generation for guidance. I’ve always kept school and work separate, however, this year I recognized the chance to unify the two and it has been nothing short of a success–not only for my resume, but more importantly, as a way of understanding and learning on the job how to work with plan b when plan a fails. I think there is something to be said about our generation.  We always have ideas, we always have contacts and resources and outlets to find more ideas when our own start run dry.  Being innovative is second nature to most college students…take living accommodations for example: when an important NFL or NHL game is on television and 15 of my friends pile into a room vying for the best spot on the couch, they don’t leave one another out to dry when all the good seats are taken, instead, they make more room  by recycling those kegs for “couch risers.” Place four kegs underneath the couch and instantly you now have stadium seating. These are the individuals who go on to successfully run big corporations because they don’t see problems as the end-alls, rather, they see them as issues that can be fixed. Now, the example might be slightly juvenile, but the point of the matter is that we have grown up with change and are now being looked to as the generation that juggles change into our daily lives as if it were nothing more than normal.

So, I’m practicing my mother’s advice and I think you should, too–shake as many CEO’s hands as possible and send thank-you notes whenever great advice is offered your way or even nothing more than the extension of someone’s business card because they may have their eye on you as their next great innovator.

 

*Sarah N.

In My Place

In a time when politics is constantly bombarding everyone, it’s important to have a place to call your own. This place could be your room, your local coffee shop, a park or a friend’s house. To me, this place is magazines. I love reading magazines to educate myself on other things happening in the world. Two of my favorites? Mental Floss and Psychology Today. Psychology is something in which I’ve always had an interest, but knew I could never persue as a career. Psychology Today lets me dip my fingers into something I’m not fully committed to. It gives me a glimpse into the world of the brain and how it works, as well as informs me about myself. There are articles I read and think, “Are there really people like this out there?” Or, I’ll read an article and think, “Wow. This sounds a lot like me.” It’s a magazine that lets me learn about myself without using all the professional jargon that it could easily succumb to.

Mental Floss, however, is my go-to magazine when I’m craving new information. It’s a catch-all magazine for everything you’ve never thought to question, like, how the downy fabric softener ball works or why there are two tubes in a salt packet. It’s a magazine that makes you feel smart without making you feel dumb first. The only bad thing is, these magazines come out bi-monthly. Perhaps my craving for information only comes bi-monthly, but boy am I excited when they do come.

Our goal with The Burr, as well as the Cyburr is to your go-place, your go-to magazine to take you away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. If you have any suggestions of content you would like to see more of, let us know! It’s your magazine, so own it!

— Megan

Relaunching The Burr is Fresh and Stylish

As you know, this is the “burr blog”–and, how sweet it is!! The goal of this blog is to give you insight into our daily lives in and around Kent State University, The Burr magazine and anywhere else we may happen to catch ourselves running off to. That being said, I’d like to let you in on a little secret: the burr is relaunching this December to be KSU’s sophisticated student interest magazine. You’re probably wondering what that means–I’m so glad you asked, let me explain…

A ”general interest” magazine will talk about a list of the same topics every issue.  You may find stories about 30 minute meals, fashion trends of the season and how to travel on a budget. What makes The Burr different is that we are a sophisticated student interest publication.  Pick it up and you’ll find stories about fashion, food, travel, health, global issues and much more.  The catch is these stories are for you, the student or community member interested in more stylish issues.  For example, instead of a basic “quick-college-recipe,” The Burr is going to guide you through something different such as throwing an intimate dinner party with four friends and serving a menu of ethnic food (each course a dish from a different country.)

The magazine is meant to serve your general interests in a more unique and stylish way that is engaging, informative and entertaining.  My current project for this issue is to head around town and find eccentric, trendy students who embody what it means to have style. There are always fashion critics telling us what is in, what is out, what a staple item consists of and what it doesn’t–but the truth is, you are your own best fashion critic and you decide what’s in and what’s not according to your personality.  This is what The Burr is all about: being trendy according to your definition and interpretation of style.

This coming issue looks at people–the everyday lives of different people.  What’s so trendy and sophisticated about that you may ask? People are our best source for learning things we never knew.  You may look at someone’s style and want to incorporate pieces of it into your own because you never thought to express yourself through broaches on your jacket or neon bright high heels.  You may learn about an organization that works hard to help our community or a person who has traveled the world throughout their education. You may learn how to pinch pennies and still surprise your significant other with a “nearby weekend getaway.”  All of these things have elements of style and sophistication and all of these things are a part of The Burr. From interesting community happenings to larger than life global matters The Burr is your guide.  I hope you continue to check out our website and I hope you’re sitting on the edge of your seat by December anxiously awaiting the relaunch of The Burr.

*Check back tomorrow for my style updates about interior decorating and fashion! You won’t want to waste anytime redesigning your home and updating your closet once you see the websites I’ve run across!

Sarah Nusinow | Editor-in-chief of The Burr

Welcome to the CyBurr Blog!

This semester, editors of The Burr magazine at Kent State University will updating this space once every week or two to keep you in the loop as we produce our Fall 2008 print and Web issues of the magazine. We’re just getting back into the swing of things, so check back soon for the first update. Until then, explore last semester’s stories and features at www.theburr.com. Stay tuned!

— Adam