I'll clean it up soon!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
ARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!
I am SOOO frustrated! I have spent hours creating my broadcasts and after several weeks of trying IT WILL NOT LET ME POST MY BROADCASTS! ARRR I want to break this machine!! ARRRRRRRRRR!!!!I have posted soooo many podcasts at podomatic that now I have to delete them in order to upload more...and those STILL don't work! Plus garageband deleted my older broadcasts and I had to do them over!!
Okay, okay...I needed to do that to feel better...I will keep trying....arrrrr....
OBAMA BROADCAST
LAST APPEAL FOR OBAMA IN NEVADA
60 SECONDS
THERE IS DANCING, SINGING, AND PUSHING FOR AUTOGRAPHS IN THIS CROWD OF
SCREAMING FANS IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA…IS IT THE RETURN OF ELVIS…NO IT’S
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA.
THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IS HERE GIVING HIS FINAL APPEAL THIS MORNING
BEFORE A ROARING CROWD OF AN ESTIMATED 15-THOUSAND AT THE CORONADO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FIELD.
OBAMA HAS VISITED NEVADA A TOTAL OF 20 TIMES SINCE HE ANNOUNCED HIS RUN
FOR OFFICE IN 2006…AND IT HAS PAID OFF WITH ROCK STAR-LIKE CROWDS AND
FANS LIKE BRANDI MOORE, WHO SAYS SHE’S VOTING FOR OBAMA BECAUSE--
“IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE. THIS IS MONUMENTAL --NOT JUST FOR OUR CULTURE
BUT FOR THIS WHOLE COUNTRY.”
THE ELECTION IS THIS COMING TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND.
-60-
60 SECONDS
THERE IS DANCING, SINGING, AND PUSHING FOR AUTOGRAPHS IN THIS CROWD OF
SCREAMING FANS IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA…IS IT THE RETURN OF ELVIS…NO IT’S
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA.
THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IS HERE GIVING HIS FINAL APPEAL THIS MORNING
BEFORE A ROARING CROWD OF AN ESTIMATED 15-THOUSAND AT THE CORONADO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FIELD.
OBAMA HAS VISITED NEVADA A TOTAL OF 20 TIMES SINCE HE ANNOUNCED HIS RUN
FOR OFFICE IN 2006…AND IT HAS PAID OFF WITH ROCK STAR-LIKE CROWDS AND
FANS LIKE BRANDI MOORE, WHO SAYS SHE’S VOTING FOR OBAMA BECAUSE--
“IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE. THIS IS MONUMENTAL --NOT JUST FOR OUR CULTURE
BUT FOR THIS WHOLE COUNTRY.”
THE ELECTION IS THIS COMING TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND.
-60-
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Magazine Project: Film Review
Anne Hathaway, left, and Rosemarie DeWitt in "Rachel Getting Married."Rachel Getting Married
2008
"All About Kym" should be the real title of the film and Kym, played by a punked up and modded-out Anne Hathaway, never lets you forget it. Kym, with black rimmed eyes and even blacker hair, is Rachel's (Rosemarie Dewitt) little sister who comes back home to her father's upper middle class, Connecticut compound for Rachel's multi-cultural, artsy-fartsy, eastern religion-appropriating wedding.
Kym walks directly out of rehab and straight into the chaos of Rachel's wedding and is ready, or so Kym tells herself and everyone else who will listen, to make amends with her wounded family. Rachel, on the other hand, has moved on both literally and figuratively: she has just completed her PhD in psychology, she is moving to Hawaii, and she is about to marry a sweet and gentle musician named Sydney. Kym is clearly jealous. Use to receiving all of the family’s attention, good and bad, she can't handle everyone’s eyes and ears focused on her sister, even for just this one day.
This might seem like your average family drama, but it's not. With Dogma-like, hand-held camera action and Robert Altmanesque dialogue, the viewer is sucked into the arguing, the crying, and all the other hysterics that go on behind the scenes, and sometimes in front of the scenes, at this dysfunctional family wedding. Squeamish and embarrassed, the audience cringes with the rest of the wedding party as Kym tries to turn her speech at the rehearsal dinner into an Alcoholics Anonymous apology. With a soundtrack of an eclectic flock of floating wedding musicians, rehearsing behind partially open doors and on rain-drenched patios, the tension builds every time Kym opens her mouth or Rachel and Kym lock eyes, taking the audience with them from room to room.
Jonathan Demme’s film also has something very interesting to say about gender roles. The father, played by Bill Irwin, is gentle and soft, much like Rachel’s fiancé, and is constantly pampering and enabling Kym. He chases after her, proffered sandwich in hand, pleading with his sad, puppy dog eyes for her to behave. During one intense fight between sisters he breaks down and weeps loudly, his high-pitched wails filling the room, as his daughters stomp around, playing their own blame game.
In stark contrast, the mother, played by a radiant Debra Winger, is distant and unattached. She wants little to do with the wedding planning and even less to do with the family tragedy that Kym is trying, in her narcissistic way, to make up for. A complete opposite of the father, she seems to be running away from her daughters. Always either apologetically late or graciously leaving early, she flits in and out of the film, ghost-like, while Kym and Rachel’s small hands clench and grasp at her sleeves, trying with all of their might to hold onto her, to pull her back into their lives.
There are also some flaws with ‘Rachel Getting Married’. The issues of race and ethnicity are never mentioned although Rachel is marrying into a Black, seemingly Christian family, and she and her family seem to be White and agnostic. The film also incorporates many different cultures into the wedding ceremonies: belly dancers, conga drums, Indian saris, Jamaican singing, hip hop and rock music, to name just a few. This could be seen as positive but without explanation, it just seems like a caricature of your average east coast, latte drinking, Volvo driving, culture appropriating liberals. And this just doesn’t do the film's strong acting and beautiful camera work justice.
TOP 5 DYSFUNCTIONAL WEDDING FILMS OF ALL TIME:
1. Margot at the Wedding (2007) Noah Baumbach
Margot and her son Claude decide to visit her sister Pauline after she announces that she is getting married to less-than-impressive Malcolm.
2. After the Wedding (Efter brylluppet) (2006) Susanne Bier
A manager of an orphanage in India is sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he discovers a life-altering family secret at the wedding of a benefactor.
3. The Wedding Banquet (Xi yan) (1993) Ang Lee
To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.
4. A Wedding (1978) Robert Altman
Muffin's wedding to Dino Corelli is to be a big affair, except the aging priest isn't too sure of the ceremony.
5. The Wedding Party (1969) Brian De Palma
This dark comedy finds Charlie (Charles Pfulger) traveling to stay at the house of his fiancee's parents two days before his wedding to Josephine.
RADIO BROADCAST:
FILM REVIEW: RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
60 SECONDS
‘RACHEL GETTING MARRIED’ IS THE TITLE OF THE FILM…ALTHOUGH THE REAL TITLE SHOULD BE ‘ALL ABOUT KYM’.
KYM--PLAYED BY ANNE HATHAWAY-- IS JUST OUT OF REHAB AND IS HEADED HOME TO CONNECTICUT FOR SISTER RACHEL’S WEDDING. RACHEL--PLAYED BY ROSEMARIE DEWITT--IS THE PERFECT SISTER MARRYING THE PERFECT MAN. KYM IS TORN BETWEEN BEING HAPPY FOR HER SISTER AND INSANELY JEALOUS OF HER.
THIS MIGHT SEEM LIKE YOUR AVERAGE FAMILY DRAMA…BUT IT’S NOT. A HAND-HELD CAMERA SUCKS THE VIEWER INTO THE HYSTERICS THAT TAKE CENTER STAGE AT THE WEDDING.
THE FILM ALSO INCORPORATES MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES INTO THE WEDDING CEREMONIES. THIS COULD BE SEEN AS POSITIVE AND REFRESHING…BUT WITHOUT EXPLANATION IT JUST SEEMS LIKE CARICATURE AND DOESN’T DO THE FILM’S STRONG ACTING AND BEAUTIFUL CAMERA WORK JUSTICE.
-60-
Friday, December 5, 2008
Slice of Life: The Entertainer
“Wanna see a card trick, eh? Pudin' asks, “Come over here, come on and come over here. I’m going to show you something you ain’t never seen before, I promise you this, I sure do.”
Jeramiah "Pudin'" Scott knows a thing or two about a thing or two, especially when it comes to entertainment. This afternoon, it’s card tricks with your lunch in the old, rickety Clarksdale Café, but tonight, tonight there will be some fine finger picking and maybe a full band with your beer, who knows?
“Come on, pick a card, there ya go, that one, that one will do,” Pudin' says. “Okay now you shuffle ‘em. See, see, I ain’t got nothing on me, not a single extra card. Nothing.”
The card is a three of diamonds. I put it back in the stack, shuffle, and hand him the pile.
“Ya see the trick here is the eyes, watch closely now,” he says. “Come on, watch closely, no one does it like me, I promise you this, I do”
He whirls the cards fantastically about, all the while keeping his eyes locked with mine.
“Alright, alright, alright, here we are, here we are, HERE WE ARE,” he exclaims. Pudin' pulls out a card and smacks it face down on the table. “Go on, pick it up. I promise you, it’s your card, it is.”
I pick up the card. I notice that the edges are worn and smudged with countless fingertips and although the three is faded, the diamond shines through like a beacon.
Online Writing Exercises
Okay so I choose my favorite spot for mainstream news: nytimes.com, the website of the New York Times:
Go to a news web site and see if it measures up to these criteria for online writing:
a) Do the news items reflect immediacy?
Yes most certainly. Here are some of the headlines for Friday, December 5, 2008 at 4:40 pm, notice the time stamps (highlighted in red):
At Least 22 Dead in Pakistan Blast
Stocks Rally Sharply Despite Heavy Losses of Jobs
Police: NY Hotels Vulnerable to Mumbai-Type Attack
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Law & Ethics Exercises cont.
Play editor! Read the following draft of a college newspaper story and determine if it contains any passages that are libelous. If you believe you have found a libelous passage, describe the passage and why you believe it is libelous. Then briefly explain what you would need to do to fix it (or whether you would need to omit it) before running the story.
Here's the draft to review for libel:
A sophomore at Springfield University claims a chemistry professor has sexually harassed her.
Karen Hart, 123 Hill Hall, says the professor, George O.T. Jungle, has touched her during tutoring sessions in his office and has invited her to his apartment several times. She said she declined his invitations.
"I am having trouble in the class and I have to go see him to get help with my papers and projects," Hart said. "But I am scared to go in his office now."
Jungle denied having an improper contact with the student and threatened this newspaper with a libel suit if it published the story.
Hart said she is thinking of filing a formal complaint with the university.
"I don't know how to do that," she said. "I don't know what to do."
WHAT I WOULD DO:
First of all, I would not publish any names. George O.T. Jungle has not had any formal charges brought up against him and therefore it would be libel to print his name or her name for that matter. So I would re-write the paragraph above in red and remove the part about threatening libel, since I have omitted his name. I also would remove the last two quotes. They just don't make sense with the rest of the story. Before I ran this story, I might also have the reporter do a little more investigating, asking other students in the class questions and getting a little more information before I printed such a damaging story.
Here's the draft to review for libel:
A sophomore at Springfield University claims a chemistry professor has sexually harassed her.
Karen Hart, 123 Hill Hall, says the professor, George O.T. Jungle, has touched her during tutoring sessions in his office and has invited her to his apartment several times. She said she declined his invitations.
"I am having trouble in the class and I have to go see him to get help with my papers and projects," Hart said. "But I am scared to go in his office now."
Jungle denied having an improper contact with the student and threatened this newspaper with a libel suit if it published the story.
Hart said she is thinking of filing a formal complaint with the university.
"I don't know how to do that," she said. "I don't know what to do."
WHAT I WOULD DO:
First of all, I would not publish any names. George O.T. Jungle has not had any formal charges brought up against him and therefore it would be libel to print his name or her name for that matter. So I would re-write the paragraph above in red and remove the part about threatening libel, since I have omitted his name. I also would remove the last two quotes. They just don't make sense with the rest of the story. Before I ran this story, I might also have the reporter do a little more investigating, asking other students in the class questions and getting a little more information before I printed such a damaging story.
Law & Ethics exercises
Scenario 1
You are interviewing a high government official about her involvement in a bribery scheme, when she is called out of her office. While alone, you notice some documents on her desk that appear to be related to your investigation. Would you read them? Take them? Ask her about them when she returns?
I would certainly not take the documents, that would be theft, completely unethical and illegal! But since there would most likely be legitimate public interest in this story I might read them quickly and then ask her about them point blank when she came back in and let her defend herself. Then I would print both sides of the story.
Scenario 2
Conditions at a local nursing home are known to be substandard. It’s privately owned, and efforts to gain admittance or information have failed. Your editor asks you to get a job as an
orderly and write a story based on your first-hand experiences.
Would you do it? Why or why not?
I had this exact situation happen to me, except I was on the other side! I worked in the media room for the Labour Party in London during the 2005 elections and a month after the elections were over I found out that someone I had been working very closely with was really a journalist making an expose for channel 4 on the Labour Party and their media machine. She used my image and my voice and my words and I felt completely betrayed. I had done nothing wrong legally or ethically but she had used a hidden camera and a mic to record some uneasiness I had about the job, something that I had confided in her under strictest of confidence and she put that in her documentary. I thought it was a pretty nasty and unethical way to obtain information.
So, I would not feel comfortable lying about my identity. Would I do all that I could to get a story, yes? But I have never felt comfortable while watching this kind of journalism and in only the most extreme cases of someone doing major harm, like Big Tobacco, does it not reek of moral ineptitude.
Scenario 3
You are writing a feature story and find some excellent quotes about your subject from another written source.
– May you use those quotes as if you obtained them yourself, or must you credit the other written source?
– What if you obtained the quotes from a
web site?
I come across this quite often while writing papers and if you do not credit the other written source you are plagiarising. From a website is trickier, although I will usually credit the website, just to be on the safe side.
You are interviewing a high government official about her involvement in a bribery scheme, when she is called out of her office. While alone, you notice some documents on her desk that appear to be related to your investigation. Would you read them? Take them? Ask her about them when she returns?
I would certainly not take the documents, that would be theft, completely unethical and illegal! But since there would most likely be legitimate public interest in this story I might read them quickly and then ask her about them point blank when she came back in and let her defend herself. Then I would print both sides of the story.
Scenario 2
Conditions at a local nursing home are known to be substandard. It’s privately owned, and efforts to gain admittance or information have failed. Your editor asks you to get a job as an
orderly and write a story based on your first-hand experiences.
Would you do it? Why or why not?
I had this exact situation happen to me, except I was on the other side! I worked in the media room for the Labour Party in London during the 2005 elections and a month after the elections were over I found out that someone I had been working very closely with was really a journalist making an expose for channel 4 on the Labour Party and their media machine. She used my image and my voice and my words and I felt completely betrayed. I had done nothing wrong legally or ethically but she had used a hidden camera and a mic to record some uneasiness I had about the job, something that I had confided in her under strictest of confidence and she put that in her documentary. I thought it was a pretty nasty and unethical way to obtain information.
So, I would not feel comfortable lying about my identity. Would I do all that I could to get a story, yes? But I have never felt comfortable while watching this kind of journalism and in only the most extreme cases of someone doing major harm, like Big Tobacco, does it not reek of moral ineptitude.
Scenario 3
You are writing a feature story and find some excellent quotes about your subject from another written source.
– May you use those quotes as if you obtained them yourself, or must you credit the other written source?
– What if you obtained the quotes from a
web site?
I come across this quite often while writing papers and if you do not credit the other written source you are plagiarising. From a website is trickier, although I will usually credit the website, just to be on the safe side.
Slice of Life: More Bacon Here!
"I’ll have the oatmeal,” she stated not unkindly, but not politely either, her tone betraying her contempt for the grainy porridge, her words dripping thickly onto the smooth granite counter.
No one enjoys a late airplane and most enjoy airport cuisine even less. But here we were all stuck at the same counter while other passengers whizzed by, their airplanes accommodating them by actually meeting them at their perspective gates at the appropriate times. We were all fuming.
“I’m sorry, but we’re out of oatmeal,” the server stated matter-off-fact.
I looked the orderer up and down. She was a thin woman in her mid-fifties and judging from her expensive jogging attire, she was at the very least upper-middle class and perhaps quite fond of the elliptical machine. With nothing else to do but sit and nibble at my own breakfast, I found myself wondering what she might order next, the disdainful oatmeal being what it was. I glanced at the menu board and took a few guesses:
“Veggie omelet!”
“Dry toast with a poached egg!”
“Granola and yogurt!”
“I’ll have the three egg breakfast, extra bacon,” she stated after a brief pause.
I looked her up and down again. There was a large man in a grey pin-stripe suit on the stool next to her and I realized with relief that she must be sharing with him for no other reason than I had pegged this woman as an uptight, skinny white lady and god damn it, she was going to stay that way.
Minutes later her steaming plate of eggs, bacon and toast appeared, an extra plate was set on the counter with another stack of thick and crispy bacon piled high. I watched, I stared, I gaped, as the man in the grey pin-stripe suit turned to his companion, who was not the former oatmeal lady. At that moment the bacon lady barked, “More bacon here!”
And I watched as she ate it. She ate it all. And after, she ordered more and more, until she was fortified by a bacon blockade, barricading her from the rest of the airport, fortifying her from the rest of the world.
I exchanged a long meaningful look with the waitress. Then I paid my bill and left. I had seen enough and besides, my flight would be leaving someday soon.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Personal Meditation: Unnecessary Pain
The dress was a dark, muted navy blue. It fit well and it was a nice price and so it was rung up, bought and wrapped up in the hopes of only having to be worn once. No, it wasn't a wedding dress and no, it's way too late for the prom. Way too late.
Growing up as an overweight female, to be blunt, is painful. PAINFUL. Losing that weight as an adult is thrilling, exhilarating, motivating, and...well, painful. One is always watching, watching, watching, from what others are eating and how much, to that extra ounce of fat that suddenly appears on ones once svelte stomach, to the ever punishing bathroom scale. Where will that arrow land? See, watching, always watching.
The worst thing that can happen to a once overweight girl is to lose that weight and then gain some of it back. When you lose a lot of weight everyone comments on it, from your best friends mother to your second cousins boyfriend, to the grocery store clerk at the local Whole Foods. I'm not kidding. It's one of those things that people feel like it's still okay to point out. As if they're doing you a favor by acknowledging your weight loss.
"Oh, look at you! You look great! WONDERFUL! WOW! Don't go losing too much weight now, or we'll hardly see ya! Ha, I'm kidding...keep it up!"
Okay, yeah, thanks.
So, what happens if one, say goes to graduate school? It's stressful. Sitting in cafes on ones laptop becomes a full time occupation. Weight is gradually gained and then more weight.
Hypothetically, what happens when you run into your best friends mom? Or not so hypothetically, perhaps you are asked to open the Ark and present the Torah at your cousin's daughter's Bat Mitzvah, in front of 200 people including all of your distant relatives of whom haven't seen you since your grandmother's funeral where instead of apologizing for your loss they congratulated you on that other loss, the weight loss, raving about how great you looked in that size 4, black dress!
How might that feel? Hmmm?
Maybe one runs down to the nearest clothing store, grabs the first thing she sees, tries it on, buys it, and hopes to never, ever wear it again. See, painful.
And the moral is? Don't comment on people's weight, lost or gained? Who cares about the size of ones waist when one is increasing the size of ones mind? Don't ever be fat in American society or one will surely regret it for the rest of ones life? Tempting, but...no.
The moral of this story, if there really is one, is to never, ever, agree to be participant in a Bat Mitzvah after the age of 13.
Find That Feature Lead
Anecdotal/Narrative Lead:
"A short time ago, in honor of the impending holiday season and the looming depression, I settled in for a viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I watched it on the same laptop on which I’m writing these words, with headphones plugged in to filter out distraction, though from time to time I did shrink the image so I could check my e-mail or my favorite blogs."
A.O. Scott
The Screening of America
New York Times Magazine
Direct Address Lead:
"By this point you've probably already listened to, and made up your mind about, "Chinese Democracy," the maledicted multi-million-dollar Axl Rose entitlement program on sale Sunday at a Best Buy near you, and currently available for streaming on Guns N' Roses' MySpace page."
Allison Stewart
Guns N' Roses' Inflated 'Chinese Democracy'The Axl Rose Ego Trip Album Might Have Benefited From Adult Supervision
The Washington Post
"A short time ago, in honor of the impending holiday season and the looming depression, I settled in for a viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I watched it on the same laptop on which I’m writing these words, with headphones plugged in to filter out distraction, though from time to time I did shrink the image so I could check my e-mail or my favorite blogs."
A.O. Scott
The Screening of America
New York Times Magazine
Direct Address Lead:
"By this point you've probably already listened to, and made up your mind about, "Chinese Democracy," the maledicted multi-million-dollar Axl Rose entitlement program on sale Sunday at a Best Buy near you, and currently available for streaming on Guns N' Roses' MySpace page."
Allison Stewart
Guns N' Roses' Inflated 'Chinese Democracy'The Axl Rose Ego Trip Album Might Have Benefited From Adult Supervision
The Washington Post
Focus Structure
High school football is a dangerous game. There are 20,000 injuries in high school football each year and 12% of them permanently disable the victims.
Just ask Pete Stenhoff, 17, who played football for Chula Vista High School in Redmond, Calif. He suffered a cracked vertebrae when his head rammed into a ball carrier's chest. Stenhoff will never walk again.
Last year, thirteen youths died and 35% of the injuries were to the neck or head. Heavy criticism is being levied at the helmet.
At the time of the accident, Stenhoff weighed 210 pounds; now he weighs 172 pounds. He didn't graduate with his class and he's currently trying to get his diploma by taking correspondence courses. But Stenhoff is not bitter.
"I knew the risks involved when I decided to play football," Stenhoff says, but he adds wistfully, "I wish I would have known just how bad it could be."
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Topical Commentary: The Wrong Side of History
When listening to the angry and passionate banter from people who are opposed to gay marriage, the words "on the wrong side of history" keep playing over and over in my mind.
Here have a listen:
"It is evident that Adam and Eve were created straight. God's chosen nation Israel was straight. Jesus was straight."
"Intermarriage between two men is repulsive and averse to every sentiment of pure American spirit...It is subversive of social peace. It is destructive of moral supremacy..."
Oh wait, I'm sorry, those were the statements from people against interracial marriage from the last century. I just took the word "white" and replaced it with "straight" and the word "races" with the word "men".
Here are the current statements against equal marriage rights:
“I support Proposition 8 because I'm convinced that the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman is God’s design...It’s for our children’s future. It’s for the truth. We're not just fighting a state legislative battle here. We're fighting to preserve God's design for the family as the best building block of society. It's as basic as that.”
"The Church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan for His children. Children are entitled to be born within this bond of marriage."
"I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts."
Gay marriage is "the greatest danger to America."
Read it, okay, now read it again and imagine yourself in the year 2057. Go ahead, close your eyes. Oooh look at all of those Jetson's-like vehicles whizzing by. Are you wearing a space suit and helmet or did President Obama finally make permanent those clean air laws that her husband enacted in his third term? Anyhow, go to the library, that's right just flip the "on" switch on your earpodtm and think "library". Okay now think "misceresex laws". What do you hear? Oh man were people in 2008 ignorant. What idiotic bigots! Don't they know that without equal rights for gays and lesbians we wouldn't have our beloved current president Satya Patwardhan, whose parents were one of the first to get married in San Francisco in '04?
Okay, come back now. Come on, I know worm holes into other dimensions are exhilarating, but we have a lot of work to do back in good old 2008.
My Favorite Magazine
I have been an avid reader of Bitch magazine since I was a freshman, excuse me, a freshwomen at Mills College in 1996 when they put out their inaugural issue. Before Bitch, I had been crying my eyes out over the demise of Sassy, a teen magazine that I had been reading religiously since the summer after 6th grade. Sassy spoke bluntly about teen sex, drugs, and issues of race and gender and contained offers like "win a free 7" single by Sonic Youth". In other words, it was sooo much cooler than the still stuck in 1955, ironically titled YM (Young and Modern) or the anorexia inducing Seventeen.
Bitch was started by two former Sassy interns who specifically wanted to make a magazine that "Sassy girls" could read as adults. As the tag line states, the focus of the magazine was to create "A feminist response to pop-culture" and to provide a forum for feminist opinion across the spectrum. Because the types of authors vary from issue to issue, the writing style is not static. Although, many might call the magazine academic in its approach to pop culture writing.
http://bitchmagazine.org/
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Fog Index
SAMPLE: 117 words
"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."
Average number of words per sentence: 26
Number of "hard words": 6
26+6=32(0.4)=12.8
Okay maybe I'll take back that last post...I guess I'm a bit too wordy, eh? I love big, beautiful words. I also love to learn new words and I use my writing as way to increase my own vocabulary. But I suppose I could certainly write shorter sentences!
Got What It Takes To Be A Reporter?
Wow! My mom always wanted me to become a reporter. She would LOVE to see this! My total score was 29, I can't always keep my cool under pressure without losing my temper, okay it's true.
But I love reading and absorbing information, I love trivia and inane and not so inane facts. I am certainly NOT shy, I have an insatiable curiosity and I am extremely tenacious, just ask my partner it drives him crazy.
But I love reading and absorbing information, I love trivia and inane and not so inane facts. I am certainly NOT shy, I have an insatiable curiosity and I am extremely tenacious, just ask my partner it drives him crazy.
ELECTION
Okay, so the question is...how many times will I cry while writing this and looking at this picture?I voted early on the Wednesday before the election. I made my way down to the Alameda County Court House in downtown Oakland and stood in the long, snaking line with the other exuberant folks and cast my ballot for Barack Obama. This was my fourth time voting in a presidential election. I also drew a big, black arrow to "NO" on prop 8, but I guess that arrow didn't reach far enough and we were defeated.
I was awoken by my friends piercing alarm at 4:15 a.m. the morning of the election. Groaning and cursing but bubbling with excitement, we struggled out of our beds and to the campaign office in a quiet outlying neighborhood of Las Vegas, Nevada. For the fifth day in a row, we walked our turf, going from apartment complex to housing project, from door to door, reminding people to vote and giving out their polling places.
There are so many stories to tell. There are a lot of night shifts in Las Vegas. Folks work all night in the service industry and come home tired and cranky in the wee hours of the morning. I awoke many of these day sleepers, rapping on their flimsy apartment doors. They would come to the door blurry-eyed, hair tousled, a frown on their lips. But the moment I said "Obama" a tiny smile would creep up in the corners of their mouths until it was apparent by the crinkle next to their eyes and the sudden flash of teeth that they just couldn't help themselves, the thought of voting for Barack Obama was just too exciting.
These were mostly people of color, Latinos and Blacks living with extended families in large apartment complexes. But they were also white, working class men that came to the door tattooed and shirtless, gold crosses hanging from their necks. One such man ran back into his house for pen and paper the moment I mentioned voting for Obama and returned gleefully, almost giddy at the prospect of voting for such a person.
This amazed me. Living in the Bay Area we some times forget that we don't have the patent on the word "liberal". We forget that there are many types of progressives living outside of our great bubble, people who might not look like us or act like us but share our values. This was a great wake-up call for me, to see these men and women of all ages, sizes, colors, and class have the same pride and sense of achievement at the prospect of voting for this candidate.
As the sun settled over the pink and purple dessert, we made our way back to my brother's apartment, put up our feet and switched on MSNBC. Yeah, I know, total liberal bias...and it was great. We listened as the results started pouring in from the east cost. We switched to CNN and then even FOX News, just to make sure that our information was "fair and balanced". I was disappointed but not surprised that the media started calling the election before all of the polls had closed. This is always a problem in national elections and it usually costs Democrats, but not this time.
We moved on to the Nevada State Democratic party at the Rio hotel in central Las Vegas. If you go back and look at the footage of election night on MSNBC you'll see us. One of many large, roaring crowds, drunk with the prospect of victory and, well the alcohol that circled the room. A large screen with MSNBC was front and center over the stage and many big screen televisions dotted the room. Just as some unknown representative of the party was telling us that the room had reached capacity and that if we needed the bathroom to please use one of the side doors, MSNBC announced that Barack Obama had gained more than enough electoral votes necessary to declare him the next president of the United States. We screamed and roared and whooped. It was a deafening sound that was repeated on all the screens around us all over the country and the world. One newscast showed the village in Kenya where Obama's father was from and we whooped and screamed and danced with the figures on the screen.
Moments later I found myself in front of the only TV in the room broadcasting FOX News. They announced Obama's victory and then went straight to a ten minute commercial for Nicole Kidman's new film, "Australia". Maybe that's where they wished they could be at the moment. Later, when they returned and after John McCain had given his concession speech, they spent the rest of the broadcast arguing over whether Sarah Palin had lost McCain the election or not. At that point we turned our attention away from them and to Barack Obama's acceptance speech.
Two women were with my brother and I as we watched that speech. Both were black and one was in her forties while the other in her late sixties. After, with tear streaked cheeks, the older of the two turned to us and said, to no one in particular, "they have to treat me differently tomorrow, they will treat me differently tomorrow, because tomorrow, when I march into work, I will have a black president and they will have to see me differently".
I have now gone back to Youtube and watched many different broadcasts of that night. I know, overkill. My favorite is John Stewart and Stephen Colbert teaming up for the Daily Show. Twelve times I have played the part in the show where John Stewart announces that Barack Obama has been elected as the next president of the United States. If one watches very carefully, you will see the moment that Stephen Colbert breaks character and his eyes mist a bit right before he goes back into his Republican, Bill O'Reilly persona...and I was crying with ya Stephen, all twelve times, I was crying with you.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Copy Edit the World #10
NY Times:
While it has been previously reported in the NY Times that John McCain really, really, really, really wanted Joe Lieberman to be his running mate and had to be talked out of it because conservatives were grumbling, it's now clear that Steve Schmidt not only did the talking down but also pushed the selection of Sarah Palin, according to the LA Times. Who would've thought that a woman with less than 2 years as a governor, 8 as a mayor and less than a year in a political patronage position could have so much baggage? From a pregnant underage daughter to firing scandals reminiscent of the ones the GOP tried to tar the Clintons with not too long ago (Travelgate, anyone) to rape kits, few people would disagree that the campaign couldn't used just a little bit more time and expended a lot more effort on the vetting process.
"Couldn't" should be "could have".
P.S. I know I probably have way more "Copy edit the world" than I need but I found this document that I had been keeping while reading articles with all of these juicy ones in it. I had totally forgotten that I had been saving these! Plus I live so far away from the extra credit...hehe just kidding!
While it has been previously reported in the NY Times that John McCain really, really, really, really wanted Joe Lieberman to be his running mate and had to be talked out of it because conservatives were grumbling, it's now clear that Steve Schmidt not only did the talking down but also pushed the selection of Sarah Palin, according to the LA Times. Who would've thought that a woman with less than 2 years as a governor, 8 as a mayor and less than a year in a political patronage position could have so much baggage? From a pregnant underage daughter to firing scandals reminiscent of the ones the GOP tried to tar the Clintons with not too long ago (Travelgate, anyone) to rape kits, few people would disagree that the campaign couldn't used just a little bit more time and expended a lot more effort on the vetting process.
"Couldn't" should be "could have".
P.S. I know I probably have way more "Copy edit the world" than I need but I found this document that I had been keeping while reading articles with all of these juicy ones in it. I had totally forgotten that I had been saving these! Plus I live so far away from the extra credit...hehe just kidding!
Copy Edit the World #9
In a seminal study that probably surprises few people, a study of both male-to-female and female-to-male transgender people shows that men who become women make less money afterwards and women who become men make more. This is especially unsurprisingly to Stamford scientist Ben Barres, who made waves when pointed out that he does better and is more respected as a male scientist than he was as a woman. [Time, Science Daily]
It should be "unsurprising" not "unsurprisingly" and it should be "Stanford" not "Stamford".
It should be "unsurprising" not "unsurprisingly" and it should be "Stanford" not "Stamford".
Copy Edit the World #8
Analysis: Palin's Words May Backfire on McCain
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 5, 2008
Filed at 11:46 a.m. ET
Bringing up Wright would contradict McCain's promise that Obama's former pastor is was off-limits. McCain, the victim himself of racially-tinged smear campaign in 2000, has promised a new kind of politics.
It should be "is" not "is was".
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 5, 2008
Filed at 11:46 a.m. ET
Bringing up Wright would contradict McCain's promise that Obama's former pastor is was off-limits. McCain, the victim himself of racially-tinged smear campaign in 2000, has promised a new kind of politics.
It should be "is" not "is was".
Copy Edit the World #7
This is sooo silly! I didn't actually take this photograph but I did see it for myself, as I have a friend who actually lives on this corner. It should be "California" not "Califorina"!! This is in Berkeley too, which thinks of itself as sooo intellectual.
Soft Broadcast Lead
SOMETHING SQUIRRELY THIS WAY COMES
(30 Seconds)
47-THOUSAND RAIL COMMUTERS FOUND THEMSELVES UP A TREE AND STUCK... IN MANHATTAN... WHEN A SQUIRREL CLIMBED ONTO THE METRO-NORTH COMMUTER RAILROAD POWER LINES EARLIER TODAY.
THE SMALL MAMMAL CAUSED A BIG ELECTRICAL POWER SURGE...WHICH RESULTED IN A WIRE GETTING DRAGGED UNDER A PASSING TRAIN...WHICH CONSEQUENTLY TORE DOWN ALL OF THE LINES...AND CAUSED HOURS OF DELAYS.
AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT SCAMPERING SQUIRREL? THE NOT SO RESILIENT RODENT WAS LITERALLY ELECTRIFIED BY THE POWER SURGE.
-30-
(30 Seconds)
47-THOUSAND RAIL COMMUTERS FOUND THEMSELVES UP A TREE AND STUCK... IN MANHATTAN... WHEN A SQUIRREL CLIMBED ONTO THE METRO-NORTH COMMUTER RAILROAD POWER LINES EARLIER TODAY.
THE SMALL MAMMAL CAUSED A BIG ELECTRICAL POWER SURGE...WHICH RESULTED IN A WIRE GETTING DRAGGED UNDER A PASSING TRAIN...WHICH CONSEQUENTLY TORE DOWN ALL OF THE LINES...AND CAUSED HOURS OF DELAYS.
AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT SCAMPERING SQUIRREL? THE NOT SO RESILIENT RODENT WAS LITERALLY ELECTRIFIED BY THE POWER SURGE.
-30-
Overwhelmed much?
A WARNING:
So...who reads this blog anyway? My journalism professor, maybe some other student(s), my partner (okay only the one time when I demanded that he see for himself how damn funny I am in blog form!), and apparently some guy with ties to the aviation industry. So, with that said, read this at your own discretion, it is a very self-involved post. Writing all of this down just makes me feel so much damn better!
The idiom "when it rains, it pours" is my mantra, no really. I know a lot of people exaggerate when it comes to this expression, but I believe that it truly applies to my life. Case in point:
Events in my life the past two weeks in no particular order:
1. Studied for and took the GRE
2. Same week had two exams and one quiz
3. Found out I might have cancer
4. Had a biopsy for said maybe cancer (worst experience of my life so far)
6. Waited over two weeks for the results!!
7. Had phone interviews with potential professors for PhD programs
8. Campaigning for 'No on 8'
9. Flying to Nevada to campaign for Obama through election day
10. Power went out three times in two days!!
11. In a completely unrelated event, Internet was turned off for an entire day right after the power came back on!
If anyone is still reading at this point, you know what? It sure ain't that bad when I write it all out...no really, I'm not being facetious! And it ain't all bad of course! Many exiting things happening!
Also I must say that it sure beats last year at this time when my 60-year-old mother was shipped off to Iraq, my 60-something father got in a car accident and then became ill later that same month, and I was in over my head with school work. I'm sure there was more but then I just start to look pathetic.
Oh yeah, and I don't have cancer! Probably an important follow-up statement.
So...who reads this blog anyway? My journalism professor, maybe some other student(s), my partner (okay only the one time when I demanded that he see for himself how damn funny I am in blog form!), and apparently some guy with ties to the aviation industry. So, with that said, read this at your own discretion, it is a very self-involved post. Writing all of this down just makes me feel so much damn better!
The idiom "when it rains, it pours" is my mantra, no really. I know a lot of people exaggerate when it comes to this expression, but I believe that it truly applies to my life. Case in point:
Events in my life the past two weeks in no particular order:
1. Studied for and took the GRE
2. Same week had two exams and one quiz
3. Found out I might have cancer
4. Had a biopsy for said maybe cancer (worst experience of my life so far)
6. Waited over two weeks for the results!!
7. Had phone interviews with potential professors for PhD programs
8. Campaigning for 'No on 8'
9. Flying to Nevada to campaign for Obama through election day
10. Power went out three times in two days!!
11. In a completely unrelated event, Internet was turned off for an entire day right after the power came back on!
If anyone is still reading at this point, you know what? It sure ain't that bad when I write it all out...no really, I'm not being facetious! And it ain't all bad of course! Many exiting things happening!
Also I must say that it sure beats last year at this time when my 60-year-old mother was shipped off to Iraq, my 60-something father got in a car accident and then became ill later that same month, and I was in over my head with school work. I'm sure there was more but then I just start to look pathetic.
Oh yeah, and I don't have cancer! Probably an important follow-up statement.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Broadcast News Story:EDITED EDITION!
FOR NIKE...FASTEST JUST DOESN'T CUT IT
60 SECONDS
24-YEAR-OLD ARIEN O'CONNELL, OF NEW YORK CITY IS FAST...SO FAST THAT HER TIME IN THE NIKE WOMEN'S MARATHON ON SUNDAY BEAT ALL 20-THOUSAND COMPETITORS... AND YET....SHE DIDN'T WIN.
O'CONNELL DECLARES THAT SHE HAD THE GREATEST RUN OF HER LIFE... WITH A RUNNING TIME OF TWO-HOURS 55-MINUTES AND 11 -SECONDS...WHICH STILL ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR NIKE.
NIKE IS TELLING O'CONNELL THAT SHE CAN'T BE DECLARED THE WINNER BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T RUN WITH THE ELITE GROUP--WHO WERE GIVEN A 20-MINUTE HEAD START-- AND HAD THE FASTEST TIME A FULL ELEVEN-MINUTES BEHIND O'CONNELL!
RACE PRODUCER, DAN HIRSCH, SAYS THAT O'CONNELL SHOULD HAVE REGISTERED AS AN ELITE RUNNER AND THAT THEY ARE ONLY FOLLOWING THE RULES--THAT ONLY ELITE RUNNERS CAN BE IN COMPETITION FOR A TROPHY.
STILL...O'CONNELL IS NOT BITTER. SHE RAN HER BEST TIME EVER, HAD A GREAT WEEKEND IN SAN FRANSISCO...AND COMES HOME WITH A STORY.
-60-
60 SECONDS
24-YEAR-OLD ARIEN O'CONNELL, OF NEW YORK CITY IS FAST...SO FAST THAT HER TIME IN THE NIKE WOMEN'S MARATHON ON SUNDAY BEAT ALL 20-THOUSAND COMPETITORS... AND YET....SHE DIDN'T WIN.
O'CONNELL DECLARES THAT SHE HAD THE GREATEST RUN OF HER LIFE... WITH A RUNNING TIME OF TWO-HOURS 55-MINUTES AND 11 -SECONDS...WHICH STILL ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR NIKE.
NIKE IS TELLING O'CONNELL THAT SHE CAN'T BE DECLARED THE WINNER BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T RUN WITH THE ELITE GROUP--WHO WERE GIVEN A 20-MINUTE HEAD START-- AND HAD THE FASTEST TIME A FULL ELEVEN-MINUTES BEHIND O'CONNELL!
RACE PRODUCER, DAN HIRSCH, SAYS THAT O'CONNELL SHOULD HAVE REGISTERED AS AN ELITE RUNNER AND THAT THEY ARE ONLY FOLLOWING THE RULES--THAT ONLY ELITE RUNNERS CAN BE IN COMPETITION FOR A TROPHY.
STILL...O'CONNELL IS NOT BITTER. SHE RAN HER BEST TIME EVER, HAD A GREAT WEEKEND IN SAN FRANSISCO...AND COMES HOME WITH A STORY.
-60-
Broadcast Style Exercise: Edited Edition!
NORTHWEST AIRLINES SLASHES PRICES
30 SECONDS
NORTHWEST AIRLINES ANNOUNCED EARLIER TODAY THAT IT IS CUTTING DOMESTIC FARES BY UP TO 40-PERCENT FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
CEO OF NORTHWEST AIRLINES, FRANK DEWITT SAYS... HE LIKES TO THINK OF IT AS A HOLIDAY GIFT TO THEIR CUSTOMERS.
WITH THE DISCOUNTED, NON-REFUNDABLE FARES, A PASSENGER COULD TRAVEL ROUND-TRIP BETWEEN BOSTON AND SAN FRANCISCO FOR 500-DOLLARS ON CERTAIN DAYS.
TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY FRIDAY FOR TRAVEL BETWEEN (WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12 ) AND (WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14) IN THE LOWER 48-STATES, ALASKA AND CANADA.
DISCOUNTS VARY DEPENDING ON TRAVEL DATES AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE ON CERTAIN POPULAR DAYS.
-30-
30 SECONDS
NORTHWEST AIRLINES ANNOUNCED EARLIER TODAY THAT IT IS CUTTING DOMESTIC FARES BY UP TO 40-PERCENT FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
CEO OF NORTHWEST AIRLINES, FRANK DEWITT SAYS... HE LIKES TO THINK OF IT AS A HOLIDAY GIFT TO THEIR CUSTOMERS.
WITH THE DISCOUNTED, NON-REFUNDABLE FARES, A PASSENGER COULD TRAVEL ROUND-TRIP BETWEEN BOSTON AND SAN FRANCISCO FOR 500-DOLLARS ON CERTAIN DAYS.
TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY FRIDAY FOR TRAVEL BETWEEN (WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12 ) AND (WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14) IN THE LOWER 48-STATES, ALASKA AND CANADA.
DISCOUNTS VARY DEPENDING ON TRAVEL DATES AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE ON CERTAIN POPULAR DAYS.
-30-
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Copy Edit the World #6
Wow it looks like a lot of people make this "hugh" mistake! I was looking online today for an inkjet cartridge and I found this:
Again, it should be "huge" not "hugh"!
cartridges-plus.com
| Lowest Price Guarantee | 5766 Balcones Drive - Suite 103 - Austin, Texas - 78731 | 512.736.3002 |
Again, it should be "huge" not "hugh"!
Copy Edit the World #5
This was on Piedmont Ave in Oakland. It should say "huge" not "hugh" Although I do have a friend named Hugh who would have been pleased to see this sign. Man, a lot of lazy copy editors living in the Bay Area!
Copy Edit the World #4
This was off of highway 280 in San Francisco. It should be "beautification". How embarrassing!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Top News of the Week Or A Cold and Icy Slide Down, Down, Down
Insert synonyms for the word 'freeze' hereThis was a difficult week, both personally and globally. So I apologize in advance if this post isn't very entertaining.
I decided on Wednesday to make the debate my 'news of the week'. But now that the week is officially over, it is obvious that the presidential debate was not the most important news this week. Yep folks, it's still the economy.
You know that the world is in deep trouble when a very wealthy country suddenly goes belly up! Iceland's financial system completely collapsed this week, not just affecting banks and companies all over the world but entire countries that relied on Icelandic banks. Some are even calling this the start of the next World War.
Why is this important? As I stated above, the impact of this economic crash is being felt around the world from the the U.S. to England to Russia. This story has timeliness and currency; Iceland's economy just crashed this week and this is just another disaster in a long trail of economic disasters that has had people in capitalistic societies across the globe in a panic for almost two months. This story has conflict. People are losing homes, jobs, retirement, everything because of this crash. Finally, this story is bizarre. I think most people find it strange and frightening that a rich, Nordic country could just completely collapse.
EXERCISE #2: Reporting with Numbers
1) A local college releases figures showing that its total budget is $120 million. Of that total, $80 million comes from the state, $6 million from student tuition, and the remaining $34 million from fees, grants and gifts.
a) 67% comes from the state, 5% comes from student tuition, and 28% comes from fees, grants and gifts.
b) - Largest amount of funding: The state
- Least amount of funding: Student tuition
c) The largest part of the college's budget comes from the state, while the smallest amount comes from student tuition. Finally, money from fees, grants and gifts makes up a little less than half of the budget.
2) Your editor assigns you to do a story about prison sentences handed down in cases of aggravated assault. He gives you the following figures from an anti-crime group that is lobbying for tougher sentencing guidelines. The cases represent the people convicted for aggravated assault in San Jose in one month in 2006.
a) The average prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault: 22 months
b) The media prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault: 1 year
c) The average figure is the most accurate description of prison terms because it gives one a better picture of the outside values, in this example, 8 months and 7 years, while the median does not.
3) The state legislature is considering exempting restaurant food sales from the sales tax in the same way grocery sales are exempt.
a) California sales tax: 7.25%
b) If the state legislature decides to exempt restaurant food sales from the sales tax then a person who spends $5 a week on one restaurant meal would save about $18.85 a year. This is because there are about 52 weeks in a year, so times that by $5 and you spend $260 per year.
c) They would save around $75.40 per year.
a) 67% comes from the state, 5% comes from student tuition, and 28% comes from fees, grants and gifts.
b) - Largest amount of funding: The state
- Least amount of funding: Student tuition
c) The largest part of the college's budget comes from the state, while the smallest amount comes from student tuition. Finally, money from fees, grants and gifts makes up a little less than half of the budget.
2) Your editor assigns you to do a story about prison sentences handed down in cases of aggravated assault. He gives you the following figures from an anti-crime group that is lobbying for tougher sentencing guidelines. The cases represent the people convicted for aggravated assault in San Jose in one month in 2006.
a) The average prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault: 22 months
b) The media prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault: 1 year
c) The average figure is the most accurate description of prison terms because it gives one a better picture of the outside values, in this example, 8 months and 7 years, while the median does not.
3) The state legislature is considering exempting restaurant food sales from the sales tax in the same way grocery sales are exempt.
a) California sales tax: 7.25%
b) If the state legislature decides to exempt restaurant food sales from the sales tax then a person who spends $5 a week on one restaurant meal would save about $18.85 a year. This is because there are about 52 weeks in a year, so times that by $5 and you spend $260 per year.
c) They would save around $75.40 per year.
AP Style Exercise (S-Z), v. 2
15 errors / 15 points / 1 bonus point
Please identify and correct the AP style and other errors in the following sentences.
1) When he heard the building plan for the new high school had been rejected, Bill pulled out his stationery to write a letter of protest. (2)
2) Ben really knows his Scriptures, but he knows little about the Talmud or the Shariah. (3)
3) Her home in upstate New York is surprisingly ultramodern and quite different from the other homes in her middle-class neighborhood. (4)
4) To celebrate Veterans Day, the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, troops of former soldiers will march down Main Street carrying U.S. flags. (3)
5) Word-of-mouth has it that Ellen will wind up with the only “A” in the class. (2)
6) When Sara spotted the Louis L’Amour paperback, she asked whose book it was. She couldn’t believe it was John's; after all, nobody reads Westerns anymore. She had no idea he was such a weirdo. (3)
BONUS:
• The man was arrested for brandishing a 12-gauge shotgun outside his home. (1)
Please identify and correct the AP style and other errors in the following sentences.
1) When he heard the building plan for the new high school had been rejected, Bill pulled out his stationery to write a letter of protest. (2)
2) Ben really knows his Scriptures, but he knows little about the Talmud or the Shariah. (3)
3) Her home in upstate New York is surprisingly ultramodern and quite different from the other homes in her middle-class neighborhood. (4)
4) To celebrate Veterans Day, the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, troops of former soldiers will march down Main Street carrying U.S. flags. (3)
5) Word-of-mouth has it that Ellen will wind up with the only “A” in the class. (2)
6) When Sara spotted the Louis L’Amour paperback, she asked whose book it was. She couldn’t believe it was John's; after all, nobody reads Westerns anymore. She had no idea he was such a weirdo. (3)
BONUS:
• The man was arrested for brandishing a 12-gauge shotgun outside his home. (1)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
THAT ONE!
I just wanted to point out, post debate, that I had McCain saying "that other guy, what's his name again?" in a post I wrote a little over a week ago. Wow I was only joking John. Who would've thunk it, that you actually don't know the guy's name?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
AP STYLE EXERCISE (M-R)
Please identify and correct the AP style errors in the following sentences. Post the corrected sentences on your blog.
1) He hopes to make $1 billion dollars by the time he’s 40. Already he figures his net worth is between $2 million and $3 million, depending on current stock prices. (3)
2) Lt. Col. John Carpenter was a Cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the 7th Fleet. (4)
3) Twenty-one winners were named two days after the 3rd Annual Procrastination Awards Ceremony. (3)
4) It was a one-sided game, and he was a poor loser. After losing the playoff when his ball went out of bounds, he made an off-color remark that could be heard in the stands. (4)
5) Hundreds of people attended Sunday's race to watch 75 top bicyclists pedal across the finish line. (3)
6) Every winter, the Joneses and the Kinneys pore over travel brochures, planning their summer trip together. This year, they’re hoping to go to Panama City. (3)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Redefining the News
I chose the link http://bloggingheads.tv/ that was posted in the comments section of Ryan Sholin's blog. Because I am an avid reader of the New York Times, I was already aware of this site and have enjoyed watching different bloggers dispute many current topics.
This is what I find most interesting about this site, watching different people with different views discuss critical issues. This to me seems more real than many of the paid pundits on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC who have a very specific and sometimes phony viewpoint. These TV pundit's 'over the top' behavior mostly seems to help them get 'over the top' ratings, which in turn provides them with 'over the top' salaries. The bloggers on Bloggheads.tv seem to be more interested in really discussing the issues and come from a wide range of backgrounds, not just white, male and upper middle class.
I do think that sites like Bloggingheads.tv hold promise for online journalism because of this willingness to display so many points of view. The Bloggingheads folks call themselves the 'classic expression of the Internet', but espouse on their About page that,
'...We hope to be in one sense an unusual expression of the Internet. Almost all blogs have a dominant ideology and a fairly homogeneous comments section to match. We pride ourselves on having a diversity of views in our diavlogs and an accordingly diverse comments section, where thoughtful disagreement is expressed in civil terms (OK, usually thoughtful, and usually civil).'
This is journalism that, as Ryan Sholin puts it on his Inventing Journalism page, serves the community, brings disparate facts together to form a larger, clearer picture and tells necessary stories that otherwise vanish into obscurity.
This is the direction that not just online journalism but journalism as a whole should be going and hopefully with sites like bloggingheads.tv, will continue to go.
This is what I find most interesting about this site, watching different people with different views discuss critical issues. This to me seems more real than many of the paid pundits on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC who have a very specific and sometimes phony viewpoint. These TV pundit's 'over the top' behavior mostly seems to help them get 'over the top' ratings, which in turn provides them with 'over the top' salaries. The bloggers on Bloggheads.tv seem to be more interested in really discussing the issues and come from a wide range of backgrounds, not just white, male and upper middle class.
I do think that sites like Bloggingheads.tv hold promise for online journalism because of this willingness to display so many points of view. The Bloggingheads folks call themselves the 'classic expression of the Internet', but espouse on their About page that,
'...We hope to be in one sense an unusual expression of the Internet. Almost all blogs have a dominant ideology and a fairly homogeneous comments section to match. We pride ourselves on having a diversity of views in our diavlogs and an accordingly diverse comments section, where thoughtful disagreement is expressed in civil terms (OK, usually thoughtful, and usually civil).'
This is journalism that, as Ryan Sholin puts it on his Inventing Journalism page, serves the community, brings disparate facts together to form a larger, clearer picture and tells necessary stories that otherwise vanish into obscurity.
This is the direction that not just online journalism but journalism as a whole should be going and hopefully with sites like bloggingheads.tv, will continue to go.
Friday, October 3, 2008
New Story #5 Runaway Truck
A runaway truck slammed into an El Cerrito home yesterday, burning it down in the process. The accident also damaged several vehicles and knocked out power in El Cerrito and some neighboring cities.
The accident transpired when an asphalt truck ran out of control, leaving a path of crushed vehicles and a snapped power pole in its wake. According to witness Ruben Sharma, who lives on Moeser Lane across the street from the single-story home that was burnt to rubble, the crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. “First, I thought it was a major earthquake. This is unbelievable", Sharma said as he stood in his front yard that was cluttered with bricks, car parts, glass and other debris from the accident.
El Cerrito police Detective Sgt. Shawn Maples, who was one of the first rescue workers on the scene, immediately heard cries coming from both the house and the truck. After digging through the burning wreckage, he spotted the driver stuck between the wheels of the truck and unable to move, his legs crippled by the over turned truck. Maples seized the drivers hand and with the help of Police Chief Scott Kirkland and Detective Ken Zinc, was able to pull him to safety. Maples said, “We dragged him out in a heartbeat while the truck went up in flames. I just wanted to get him out of there.”
The truck also hit a Honda sedan, the force folding it like an accordion and trapping the driver inside. Rescue workers moved quickly, severing the roof and peeling it back like a can of tuna, freeing the driver in the process. Two other vehicles were also hit by the truck, but no other injuries were reported.
The accident transpired when an asphalt truck ran out of control, leaving a path of crushed vehicles and a snapped power pole in its wake. According to witness Ruben Sharma, who lives on Moeser Lane across the street from the single-story home that was burnt to rubble, the crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. “First, I thought it was a major earthquake. This is unbelievable", Sharma said as he stood in his front yard that was cluttered with bricks, car parts, glass and other debris from the accident.
El Cerrito police Detective Sgt. Shawn Maples, who was one of the first rescue workers on the scene, immediately heard cries coming from both the house and the truck. After digging through the burning wreckage, he spotted the driver stuck between the wheels of the truck and unable to move, his legs crippled by the over turned truck. Maples seized the drivers hand and with the help of Police Chief Scott Kirkland and Detective Ken Zinc, was able to pull him to safety. Maples said, “We dragged him out in a heartbeat while the truck went up in flames. I just wanted to get him out of there.”
The truck also hit a Honda sedan, the force folding it like an accordion and trapping the driver inside. Rescue workers moved quickly, severing the roof and peeling it back like a can of tuna, freeing the driver in the process. Two other vehicles were also hit by the truck, but no other injuries were reported.
The driver of the runaway truck broke both of his legs and is listed in serious but stable condition at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
Monday, September 29, 2008
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.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
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.
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
Palin, McCain contradict each other on spending
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".
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