News of the Week: Just Reach into the Grab Bag of Goodies!

Well, hmmmm. This is difficult. What is the 'News of the Week'?

Could it be this and then this? Or is it this? Maybe it's really this. This is a pretty big deal for us Californians. Well, just wait a sec...I think this is really the news of the week! No, wait, I'm getting somewhere with this, really I am.

In honor of Google's 10th Birthday, they have made their oldest available archive from 2001 available once again and and guess who doesn't even show up?! Yep, you betchya! Our favorite folksy momma, Mrs. Sarah Palin! Try it, Google her full name, quotes or no quotes and NOTHING comes up! Just as a comparison, I googled myself. I was just out of college in 2001 and was just beginning my first non-profit job as a political phone fundraiser! Google me and you get five pages! Okay, so some of the hits are for other people, this is clear. I am not an optometrist in New Jersey, nor have I ever been one. But STILL, I am NOT RUNNING FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!

Why is this relevant? Why can't I just leave Palin alone? Because, this story has major impact, this women could be our president, that scares me more than anything. As mayor, her town voted to make rape victims pay for their own rap kits! Views like that will sure as hell impact many, many women! This story has timeliness and conflict. Again, we are in the middle of a heated presidential race and the clock is ticking, the election is exactly one month away. This story has prominence. The person in question's fame is growing exceedingly, although she obviously had none, prominence that is, less than ten years ago. This story has currency, not only because of election day being so near but also because of the debate on Thursday and other recent appearances by Sarah Palin that called into question her readiness to become Vice President of the United States. Finally, it's just bizarre that someone 15 years her junior and NOT running for Vice President of the United States would have more Google hits in 2001 than Sarah Palin. Ugh, ugh, ugh! Please let me never have to speakith, or writith, her name after November 4th! And, no I do not hate Palin because I am 'jealous of her beauty or her success', no I can't stand Palin because she is an idiot who would like to blow up the world.

Feature Leads

Birthday Cake Brightens Day For 95- year-old, Firefighters

When the fire alarm sounded at First United Methodist Church, the firefighters responded quickly. Five engines, two ladder companies, and 24 firefighters later they arrived on the scene, a smokey haze hovering through the open doorway to the church. As they readied themselves for a firestorm, the smoke cleared and an unexpected sight appeared before them: An innocent gaggle of church ladies sweetly chirping "Happy Birthday" while pecking at gigantic pieces of raisin speckled carrot cake.

"In my 23 years on the job, I've seen a lot of thing set off a fire alarm, but I don't think I've ever heard of one going off because of a birthday cake," said Fire Chief Lonnie Lamb describing the scene at Mabel McCullough's 95th birthday party. McCullough, who will turn 95 on September 27th, had been presented with a birthday cake and a whopping 95 candles when the trouble started.

"There wasn't an inch to spare. By the time we had them all lit, it looked like a torch" exclaimed Eddi Carlin a guest at the party, describing the massive birthday cake and its myriad of candles. When blown out, that torch created such a nebulous cloud of smoke that the fire alarm was set off. "We had just sat down to eat when we saw them in the doorway" stated Carlin.

Although the firefighters paused briefly in their work to take photos with the nonagenarian, they did not stay for cake.

New Story #4 The Carjacker EDITED VERSION!

A newlywed couple's honeymoon got off to a bad start when a carjacker tried to steal their car in San Mateo yesterday evening.

The couple, still in their wedding finery, were on their way to the Embassy Suites Hotel when they stopped at a Taco Bell on East Fourth Avenue. According to police, the groom had just left the bride in the idling Nissan Altima when Alan Ticas-Soto, 21, sprang into the driver's side and put the car into gear.

Luckily, the bride was able to escape the vehicle before the carjacker slammed it into the restaurant's sign. Ticas-Soto, who later told police he was high on methamphetamines, fled on foot but was soon after arrested. No one was injured.

The suspect is now facing felony carjacking charges and misdemeanor drug charges. If he is found guilty, Ticas-Soto could face up to nine years in state prison for the carjacking. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for May 10.

Top News of the Week Or McCain's C-R-A-Z-Y Week Or Mr. McCain's Wild Ride!

The Maverick himself cuddling up with his best bud....awww.

Whew is that man McCain a crazy maverick or what!? First, he insists that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong"...again and again and again! Then he jumps up--or maybe the more accurate word is "flips"--and cries that we are suddenly in an economic crisis! Now that McCain has said it, we should all start stock piling canned peas and fastening shoes out of deer skins!

So to fix it all he wants to fire SEC chairman Christopher Cox, but wait...oh wait, McCain isn't the president, silly man, and even if he was, the president CAN'T fire the SEC chairman! Oh you crazy mavericky man you! But oh wait wait wait!!! Things are SO horribly wrong now that there's only ONE MAN WHO CAN SAVE US!! Quick Robin, to the Bat Cave! But that means that he most certainly can't stand up to that big bully with the funny sounding name in Mississippi on Friday, not if there's an economy that needs a fixin'! But why just cancel one debate when you can be an even bigger maverick and cancel two!? But wait wait wait again, the big bad evil man with the wacko name might get the stage all to himself?! No, we can't let that happen. Now that he's solved all of our problems, he has some time to face off with that other guy, what's his name again?

That John McCain is such a maverick with all of his maverickiness and all those mavericktious, maverickin, maverickishly, maverick moves!! I can't wait to have a president like that! Sure beats what we have now...BORING!

Okay lets lay it all out here: News Values
This story has impact and prominence and currency, this wing-nut could be our president in a month--shivers are running down my spine. This story also has timeliness, you never know when crazy McCain is going to do something... uh, crazy. Don't stop pressing the refresh button on the New York Times homepage or you'll miss something...oh, you don't do that too? Conflict, you couldn't ask for more conflict in a story! Finally, this man, I mean story is just bizarre. Who acts like this? What is he on?

Copy Edit the World #3

Funny! Should be "Entrance" and it could be argued that it should be "drive-through", but that's a whole different argument.

Copy Edit the World #2

Should be "too" not "to"

Copy Edit the World

Palin, McCain contradict each other on spending

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Saturday, September 13, 2008

---

---

(09-12) 17:58 PDT SAN FRANCISCO --

In a televised interview Friday, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she sought $200 million in federal from Congress - while earlier in the day her GOP running mate insisted Palin had never sought money from Congress.

In a second ABC interview with Charlie Gibson, the GOP vice presidential candidate acknowledged that she has supported millions of dollars in congressional money - including the famed Bridge to Nowhere - to allow Alaska "to plug into ... along with every other state, a share of the federal budget in infrastructure."

But she said she and McCain would change seek to reform that system.

It should be "seek change" not "change seek".

New Story #3 Gas Line Break EDITED VERSION!

A gas pipe rupture wracked havoc on the SoMa neighborhood yesterday afternoon, disturbing businesses and inducing massive traffic gridlock.

According to PG&E, a private construction crew was repairing sewer lines around noon, near Folsom and 11th Street, when they hit a two-inch underground gas pipe, severing the pipe in the process. In response, police cordoned off a four-block radius, forcing residents, businesses and their customers to evacuate and causing tempers to flair.

"Ask my customers," said Crocker's Lockers manager Carlann Lauria. "They were pretty irate."

Even with angry customers, the self-storage company still found a way to keep business going by collecting payment checks from their customers outside of the police perimeter.

However, other businesses were not as fortunate. Samantha Feldman, manager of Wa-Ha-Ka restaurant said that the restaurant had lost about $500 worth of business in the shutdown.

PG&E has stated that all gas service was resumed as of 5 p.m. yesterday.

AP Style Exercise (I-L)

Please identify and correct the AP and other style errors in the following sentences.

1) There’s been no letup all day. After class, I plan to soak in my Jacuzzi and then lie down for a short nap. (3)
2) They called Sen. Fred Fried a left-winger because he voted against the Patriot Act. (3)
3) As they unfurled its white sails, the sailboat caught the breeze and began to slice steadily through the waves. Their dream cruise of the Pacific islands had begun. (2)
4) After two days of hard rain and rising waters, the river flooded its banks, leaving the road partly impassable. (2)

Top News of the Week Or While We're At It, Lets Bring Back Prohibiton Too!!

Oh wait! I thought that said 2008! Silly me.


Fanny, Freddy, Lehman Brothers, and now the notorious A.I.G., have all collapsed or are on the verge of collapsing. No, it's not a hip-hop group that's been on the road too long, it's just America and it's financial institutions crumbling to the ground, that's all.

The Dow Jones fell 504 points at the close of Monday's market, after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and talk of a government bailout for insurance giant American International Group (AIG). This was the largest single day plummet since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

In the months prior to the plunge, there had been much talk about the U.S. falling into a recession, but now the conversation has turned to the 'Next Great Depression', especially after pictures of Lehman Brothers employees leaving their offices with filled boxes circulated the media and Internet. While not yet as frighting as the Crash of '29, where hundreds of banks folded in one day, there are still many parallels to be drawn between 1929 and 2008.

At this point I could rant about the irresponsibility of the Bush Administration and the squandering of our resources or maybe about John McCain's comment, repeated over and over again, even as the stock market came crashing down, about the strength of the 'fundamentals' of our economy. I could...but I won't. The fall of the market is not only due to them but to the atmosphere they helped create, one of greed and selfishness. All I can say is, thanks, thanks a lot.

Where does one begin when it comes to the impact of this story? Everyone. This story affects almost everyone who lives in a country that has a free market system and probably also affects those that don't. Timeliness: This story has been happening all week and it will only continue with the opening bell on Monday morning. Prominence: A lot of big names went down this week and a lot of big names responded. Although this happened on Wall Street, I would argue that proximity applies here because it is affecting everyone, from the college student trying to get a loan in Berkeley to the metal worker who just lost his job in Detroit. This story has currency because it has been a major topic in the news for the past year and will definitely be in the history books as a topic of major public concern for 2008 and probably beyond. Finally, this story has conflict. Jobs have been lost, lives have been ruined, and many, many people are upset by this news.

News Story #2 Cathedral Robbery

San Fransisco--Two tourists were robbed at gunpoint yesterday in the parking lot of Saint Mary's Cathedral, police said today.

The victims, WeiMing Chen, 28 and his wife Li Lu, 30 both of Taiwan, had just separated from their tour group around 10 a.m. and were taking pictures in the cathedral's lower parking lot when a man approached them waving a gun and demanding their money, said Sgt. Lawrence Price of the San Fransisco police department.

According to Chen, he then emptied out his wallet, giving the thief around $100 in cash, at which time the assailant demanded more. After the couple handed over their credit card, passports, camera and airline tickets, the mugger ran off.

Police are still looking for the suspect, described as a young man around 18 years old and wearing a black jacket and cap.

News Story #1 - Firefighters

Firefighters pulled a San Jose man from his fiery kitchen yesterday after finding him unconscious on the floor and his entire house engulfed in flames.

According to San Jose Fire Capt. Rob Piper, emergency crews arrived at the single-story home on Annapolis Way around 3 p.m. and found Robert Kent, a retired man in his 50s, passed out on the kitchen floor. By that time, the fire, that had started in the kitchen and had spread to the attic, had consumed most of the house.

Kent was rushed to Valley Medical Center after sustaining second and third-degree burns on 50 percent of his body. He is listed in grave condition.

A smoke detector was not found on the property and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

AP Style Exercise #2 (E-H)

Please identify and correct the AP style errors in the following sentences. Post the corrected sentences on your blog.

1. To ensure the accuracy of the news story, Sarah Jones checked with her source. For Jones, this is an everyday practice, not the exception. (4)
2. As the two boys argued over who should get the last piece of pizza, both seemed equally hungry. Clearly, they had forgotten their earlier decision to forgo having seconds. (2)
3. He suspected that his neighbor was selling drugs, so he called the FBI. His neighbor, however, cried foul at the accusation. (2)
4. She grew up on the Great Plains, near Alliance, NE, where the winters are long and harsh, and the living is hand-to-mouth. (3)
5. Her car was sideswiped by a hit-and-run driver on Route 1A this morning. She wasn't really injured, but the impact sent the contents of her purse helter-skelter. (4)

AP Style Exercise #1 (A-D)

Please find and correct the AP style errors in the following sentences. The number in parentheses at the end of each sentence tells you how many errors are in that sentence. Be sure to consult your AP Stylebook for this exercise.

1) The new head of the journalism department, Dr. Deborah Dunwoody, recently bought a house at 6 Riverside Drive in San Mateo, a lovely city in the San Francisco Bay Area. (4)

2) "What kind of person would break into my apartment and steal my brand-new thongs?" she asked her friend. (3)

3) The instructor asked her students to read Chapter 6 in the text, and to pay close attention to the section on the Great Depression, which began in the late 1920s and continued through the '30s. (5)

4) Sarah Smith has not let partial blindness nor being wheelchair-bound stop her from living life to the fullest. She volunteers at a local senior center and enjoys going for strolls --she calls them "rolls"--with her friends. (3)

Leads Exercise #5

Fact Set #1: Pipe fitter

Immediate Identification Lead:

Duane La Chance, 55, a pipe fitter from Springfield is in serious condition with third degree burns after he accidentally touched a power line carrying 15,000 volts with a piece of angle iron on Wednesday.

Delayed Identification Lead:

A pipe fitter in Springfield is in serious condition tonight after he accidentally touched a power line carrying 15,000 volts with a piece of angle iron on Wednesday.

Fact Set #2: Car accident

Immediate Identification Lead:

James W. Cunning, 20 was injured yesterday on U.S. Highway 63 after his car was struck by Wayne Clay, 19, who according to police, swerved into the other lane.

Delayed Identification Lead:

A man was injured yesterday and is in satisfactory condition at Springfield Hospital after his car was struck by another driver who, according to police, crossed the center line.

Leads Exercise #4

Smoking Wheels

Forty passengers were evacuated from a Northwest jet yesterday after an airport official saw smoke coming from near the wheels of the plane.

Northwest Flight 428 had just landed at the LaCrosse, Municipal Airport in Wisconsin, following a flight from Minneapolis yesterday when the plume of smoke was spotted. All 40 passengers were evacuated safely. The cause of the smoke is still unknown.

Missing Boy

A 7-year-old boy who was missing for three years was found Monday night in Brick Township, N.J. after a neighbor altered the police. The boy's mother has been arrested and faces charges in conjunction with the kidnapping.

The neighbor recognized the boy's picture after it was shown preceding the film Adam: The Song Continues, a movie about another missing boy who was found murdered. The film is used to raise national awareness of the problem of missing children. Thanks to the film, the neighbor phoned the police and the boy was found with his mother, Ellen Lynn Conner, 27, who now faces charges of kidnapping and interference with a custody warrant.

Top News of the Week: Here We Go Again

Following closely on the tail of Hurricane Gustav, which wrecked havoc on the island nation of Cuba less than two weeks ago, Hurricane Ike slammed into the coasts of Texas and Louisiana early this morning. With millions without power and massive flooding throughout the Houston area, the storm system, which is more than 200 miles wide, is continuing across the Gulf Coast and is supposed to move into Arkansas by nightfall. Early reports from authorities are saying that Hurricane Ike will be the most devastating storm in 25 years since Hurricane Alicia hit the Gulf Coast in 1983. So far the estimated damages and loss of life is unknown, but both are expected to be high.

The impact of this storm is huge and the effect will be felt throughout the United States, not just because a large portion of the population lives on the Gulf Coast but also because gas prices have already started rising in response to the shutting of refineries on the Coast. This story has timeliness, it is still happening as I write. Prominence has been added to this story because both John McCain and Barak Obama have made statements concerning the storm and have changed campaign plans because of it. This story also has currency; this hurricane season has been at the top of the news for the past month and past storms have caused great damage. Also, people are being reminded of Hurricane Katrina, with some news agencies claiming that the effect of Hurricane Ike could be worse. The conflict in this story is apparent; many lives have been destroyed by this storm.

Top News of the Week Or Things that make me go BLECH

The "viking look" for the oval room perhaps?

In a maneuver that has pundits peeing in their pants, John McCain announced his GOP running mate last Friday. As anyone who has the technology of two paper cups tied together with a piece of string already knows, Sarah Palin is the barely one term governor of Alaska, former mayor of a town smaller than a Non-Evangelical Mega-Church in the bible belt of Colorado, gun totin', anti-abortion, evangelical, hockey mom. Whew, what credentials! Oh and for her foreign policy experience, well, you know her son is going to Iraq and Alaska is oh so close to Russia; she practically has tea with Putin everyday!

Many claim that this is McCain's last ditch attempt to wrangle in the votes of both former Hillary Clinton supporters and the Christian Right, a group that has in the past given him the cold shoulder. I personally agree with this analysis and I believe that the choice of Sarah Palin is a thinly veiled cry for help from a man who was crushed by his opponent in the last presidential race and desperately wants to become president of the United States before he dies, which doesn't give him a lot of time being that he's 72. Scary.

Why is the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate so important? Look above at how it made me feel and then reflect those emotions onto millions of Americans both on the left and the right! The economy is going down the toilet, we are deep into a war with an unknown enemy that is costing us billions in dollars and even more in casualties and issues like abortion and gay rights have tempers flaring on all sides. These are issues that most Americans can relate to and are affected by and whoever is the next president will be saddled with this baggage. Will they turn things around and start building our nation again or will they just repeat more of the same?

This is a perfect illustration of why this story is newsworthy, because it has impact. I would also argue that this story is newsworthy because it has all seven newsvalues; timeliness (The announcement came immediately after the DNC and immediately before the RNC), prominence (She could be our president!), conflict (There is definitely strife between these two parties!), currency (This is a presidential campaign with 9 weeks to go), bizarreness ( I mean come on, before last Friday would you have ever imagined that the headlines would read "John McCain picks gun totin' beauty queen from the frozen North for VP pick"?). Maybe proximity is a stretch, but not for all of those Alaskans that dress up like vikings and hunt bear with her!

Leads Exercise #2 -- Air Crash

A US Air flight from Chicago collided with the ground yesterday outside of Pittsburgh as it was preparing to make a landing, killing all 131 people aboard in the most devastating catastrophe in the US in three years. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Leads Exercise #1

Lead#1
A local couple was awarded $150,000 in damages by the Butte County Court yesterday following a lawsuit that was filed after they sustained injuries in a major traffic accident last March.

Lead#2
Don't put away those winter coats yet! Another snowstorm is barreling our way today as part of a series of snowstorms that have rocked the Sierras in recent days.

Lead#3
Three firefighters were injured and 41 families were evacuated today, a policeman on the scene at 204 Union stated, after a blaze incinerated a six-story building.