Broadcast Video

The first sentence of the article from (http://www.theallstate.org/2009/11/04/evolution-from-large-cell-phone-to-tiny-smartphone/)Reads:
"phones have gone through some massive changes."
"phones" should be capitalized.

NPR Radio Interview Analysis

I chose to listen to Rebecca Roberts on the NPR program Talk of the Nation interview Lisa Kudrow. I have always been a fan of hers and I loved the television show Friends so I was really interested in what her new projects were.

Roberts knew a lot about Kudrow’s past and current projects and was able to provide some good insights about the type of characters she tends to play. She seemed very well informed about what Kudrow was currently up to.

Roberts asked first off about Kudrow’s web series, Web Therapy, which has been recently picked up by Showtime. She asked lots of questions about the shows format and it’s medium. She started by asking about the show itself and how they improvise it, and moves to details about what it is like to make a series built for the web. Roberts flows very nicely from one question to the next pulling information from Kudrow’s answers to ask her next question. She guides it back to the subject of the show before the start taking questions.

Roberts and Kudrow seemed very comfortable and conversational with each other. It was really interesting listening to the women talk and laugh while still staying on topic. Both women were friendly and confident.

I learned that as an interview you must stay comfortable and confident. I also
learned that they interview flows nicely if you can formulate questions using the interviewee’s answers.

Copy Edit the World (2 items)

In today's edition of the Spartan Daily the sentence "My boss, who can't show anything but tough love." is incomplete. This could be fixed by combining it with the previous sentence "despair or celebration and my boss,..."


The same article has a second incomplete sentence. I pulled this one off the online version of the article (the first sentence was edited online)but it can be found both online and in the paper.

The sentence "My friends, who have taken time to just lay out on the grass with me or share a meal." is incomplete. If the "who" is dropped it would read as a complete sentence.

REWRITE: Broadcast Exercise

CALTRAIN ACCIDENT
BROOKE CARPENTER
MAY 11, 2010





A MAN WAS HIT AND KILLED BY A CALTRAIN BABY BULLET COMMUTER TRAIN TODAY AT 8:45 A.M. WHEN HE STOPPED ON THE TRACKS AT THE WHIPPLE AVENUE CROSSING.

THE UNIDENTIFIED MAN WAS TRAVELING WEST ON WHIPPLE AVENUE WHEN HE STOPPED ON THE TRACKS AS THE VEHICLES AHEAD OF HIM YIELDED TO FIRE TRUCKS RESPONDING TO A NEARBY FIRE ON EL CAMINO REAL.

THE MAN WAS UNABLE TO MOVE HIS LATE MODEL HONDA OFF THE TRACKS BECAUSE OF THE STOPPED TRAFFIC AND THE TRAIN TRAVELING AT 60 MPH WAS UNABLE TO STOP IN TIME.

THE MAN, WHO DIED AT THE SCENE, WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE VEHICLE.

THE SOUTHBOUND TRACK WAS CLOSED UNTIL 10 A.M. AS TRAINS WERE SINGLE TRACKED THROUGH THE SCENE FOR AN HOUR FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT CAUSING COMMUTER DELAYS AND CALTRAIN OFFICIALS HAVE CAUTIONED DRIVERS TO LEAVE ENOUGH ROOM BEHIND OTHER VEHICLES TO AVOID BEING TRAPPED ON THE TRACKS.
# # #

Caltrain officials have cautioned drivers to leave enough room behind other vehicles to avoid being trapped on the tracks.

Scholorly Journal Article #2

“A Typology of Men’s Conceptualizations of Ideal Masculinity in Advertising” was written by Linda Tuncay Zayer in the Advertising & Society Review Volume 11, Issue 1, 2010. It is about how different types of men perceive the ideal masculinity as portrayed in advertising.

In the field of advertising, large focus has been placed on the female image in advertising. Most research deals with femininity and the way it is portrayed. Traditionally advertisers have tried to appeal to the male consumer by trying to show ideal images of masculinity even though there has been little researcher to support what men view as ideal. The typology still being used today was developed 30 years ago and does not reflect upon today’s males and was developed through the researcher and not the consumer.

There are 8 different types of masculinity in advertising that emerge. They are “the Adventurer, the Athlete, the Attractive Man, the Daredevil, the Family Man, the Goal-Driven Man, the Individual, and the Strong Man.” On the other hand there are 3 types that are the opposite of masculinity and they are “the Player, the Partier, and the Slob.”

The attractive man ideal actually has a negative connotation much in the same way as beauty ideals in advertising are negative to women. The family man is viewed as much more ideal and is a better image to be portrayed to society as a whole. “In addition, depictions such as the Player and the Partier may turn some consumers off through what is perceived as a negative message about how men should behave. Thus, advertisers must tread cautiously if they decide to reiterate such messages in society.”

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/advertising_and_society_review/v011/11.1.zayer.html

Fly on the Wall

The Spartan Daily’s Advertising Department is located all the way to the left of the Spartan Daily newsroom. The Ad Manager’s and Assistant Ad manager’s desks are located at the front of the room near the door. The Creative Director and Assistant Creative Directors sit at their Mac computers along the left wall.

There are 14 small tables grouped in one long workspace. Most of the chairs hold a body typing away on some kind of laptop. An origami crane hangs from the ceiling in the middle of the room made from a copy of the Spartan Daily. Next to that is a large yellow star.

“Who Wants a Lead!?!” A row of hands shoot up into the air. “Alan and Melissa” are called as they were the quickest to raise their hands. They walk up to the Ad managers desks and receive their little pink slips with potential contacts information.

The room falls silent with the exception of laptop keys clicking. A round of applause erupts from the newsroom as the daily critique of the paper wraps up and an indistinguishable chatter emanates from the room as everyone get to their daily business.

The crinkle of a bag of Ruffles breaks up the sound of clicking keys and crunching begins. “Way to be noisy.” The room giggles. The feel of the room becomes more relaxed and little conversations take place. A phone rings. “Spartan Daily Advertising, this is Nicolette. Oh Hi Sam. Sure I’ll be right over with your contract.” The phone makes a click as it is hung up.

“Only 2 hours to go guys!” Everyone chuckles and resumes chatting and calling clients. It is business as usual.

IMHO#2

One of the biggest hot button topics going on in the country right now is Arizona law SB 1070. Illegal Immigration has always been controversial but the new law has created a whole new storm. The law says that it is a misdemeanor to be without appropriate immigration papers. It also mandates that police officers who have a "reasonable suspicion" that a person may be illegal to determine the immigration status of the person in question.

In my humble opinion, this law is a major gateway to major problems. While police officers are technically not supposed to abuse this law, the reality is any power hungry or racist cop will use this new law as a cover to harass the good citizens of Arizona. I am not saying that all cops are bad and will abuse their power, just that there are those out there who can and will. “Reasonable suspicion” is such an ambiguous term that it leaves the door wide open for abuse of the law. Not everyone with darker skin and an accent is illegal and these are the people who are going to be the most affected.

I understand that Arizona is a big entrance point for illegal immigrants. SB 1070 doesn’t seem to me that in is a preventative measure to stop or enforce illegal immigration. SB 1070 instead seems that it will just open the door to harass legal citizens of this country.

Despite what supporters of the bill say, it is painfully apparent that this is going to cause racial profiling of all the Hispanic men and women who are here legally. It lumps then all in one category, suspected illegal immigrants. Anyone with darker skin and a slight accent can be arrested and given a misdemeanor if they leave their wallet at home.

We would like to all believe that there are no police officers who abuse their power. This is simply not the case. I cannot support something so blatantly racist. Or something that has the ability to become blatantly racist. If illegal immigration is what they want to target, the government needs to find a way to do this that does not impose on the constitutional rights of the citizens of the United States. SB 1070 has the ability to get really out of hand really quickly and seems to be only a few steps removed from another Japanese Internment situation.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/05/arizona.immigration.suits/
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-immigration14-2010apr14,0,4677282.story

Fish Out of Water

My boyfriend is half Lebanese. He invited me to a barbeque with his family and some of their Lebanese family friends. Naturally I said yes. I was quite excited to have the opportunity to experience a little part of the Lebanese culture. We arrived at Vasona Lake Park around noon on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. My boyfriend and his family were greeting with big smiles and open arms. I received a lot of warm greetings and handshakes. Everyone was very kind and welcoming. I watched people slowly arrive and the crowd grew to at least 40 people.

The younger kids kicked around a soccer ball. The women all talked about their kids and I would hear stories about Lebanon. The men sat at tables smoking cigars or hookah while playing card games. Celebrations in the Lebanese culture revolve around food. This instance was no different. There were many different types of dishes, none of which I can pronounce or spell.

The food was delicious. There was so much that it was impossible to try everything. I had a wide sampling of items. Some of them I had tried at my boyfriend’s parent’s house before but there were quite a few dishes I had never seen before. I loved everything I tried.

It was an interesting experience. I spent a lot of time watching the different groups of people and talking to my boyfriend’s sister. Everyone was very nice but I was still very much an outsider. In some ways it was like a regular barbeque, but in other ways the cultural factors were very apparent. The men and women were sitting separately, socializing within the separate groups. I caught snippets of conversations, a lot of which was in Arabic.

I enjoyed being able to experience a social gathering of a different culture. I enjoyed watching the different dynamic and I really enjoyed the food. I think it is important to experience other cultural events such as this because it allows a person to better understand the world around them. I look forward to getting to go to another event like this with my boyfriend and his family.

Broadcast Exercise

Redwood City, CALIF.--A man was hit and killed by a Caltrain commuter train today around 8:45 a.m. when he stopped on the tracks at the Whipple Avenue crossing.

The man, whose identity has not been released, was traveling west on Whipple Avenue when he stopped his late model Honda on the tracks as the vehicles ahead of him yielded to a fire truck. The fire trucks were responding to a fire on nearby El Camino Real.

The driver was unable to move his car off the tracks because of the stopped traffic and the Baby Bullet train, traveling at 60 mph, was unable to stop. The man died at the scene and was the sole occupant of the vechicle.

The southbound track was closed until 10 a.m. Trains were single-tracked through the scene for an hour after the accident. Because of damage to the crossing gates, trains had to move through the crossing at 10 mph, causing delays of up to an hour for passengers.

Caltrain officials have cautioned drivers to leave enough room behind other vehicles to avoid being trapped on the tracks.

Targeting Audiences

This ad comes from Cosmopolitan Magazine. It is targeted towards women between the ages of 21-30 who are working professionals with a degree and not married. They would fall into the categories or middle or upper middle class. The target audience likes to go out and be social; they are concerned with their appearance and putting their best foot forward. They do what it takes to look their best at all times. They enjoy beauty products and fashion.

The image in this ad catches your attention. The girl using the iron to straighten her hair is a clever way to catch the attention of the readers. It is directed towards amusing the target as women of this age do go to extreme measures all the time to get their hair the way they want it. These methods, often involving heat, damage the hair and they are offering a solution. It speaks to the behavior of the target audience.

The girl in the ad is visually representative of the target from how she looks to what she is doing. With all the things we do to damage our hair this say that even if you take a clothes iron to your hair, Dove Damage Therapy can fix it. She sells the product in a convincing way that the target can relate to.

This ad for Dove is highly effective. They know their audience and it definitely shows that they did their research. The ad was perfectly placed in Cosmopolitan magazine as it fits the target perfectly.

Word of the Week #10

Nefariously
"We humans are just as nefariously conditioned to eat when we’re not hungry."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36281026/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition//

Nefariously- ADJ. very wicked; villainous; iniquitous

The regime leader nefariously plotted his next take over move.

Focus Story 2- In Class Assignment

Lillian Garland was denied returning to her job at California Federal Savings & Loan following the pregnancy leave she was granted. Five years after the birth of her child Garland has experienced a victory for herself and the 55 million working women in the country.

Garland sued California Federal under a California law requiring employers to grant up to four months' paid disability leave to pregnant workers and to guarantee a job for them when they return. The U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-2 Tuesday to uphold the state law.

Blog #9- Japanese Internment Mermorial Essay

The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperials occurred on December 7, 1941, thus beginning America’s involvement in World War II. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 into effect on February 19, 1942. This declared that military authorities could designate military areas and exclusion zones, allowing the exclusion of all Japanese and Japanese descendents from the Pacific Coast with the exception of those in internment camps.

San Jose State University’s gymnasium served as a check in point before the Japanese Americans were shipped off to the camps. Nearly 68 years later, the University is attempting to find former students who were interned during World War II. They plan on awarding the former students the degrees they would have earned if the internment had not occurred.

Ruth Asawa is a Japanese American woman who is the artist who created the Japanese Internment Memorial in downtown San Jose. She was interned as a young woman during World War II and was able to spend time developing here skills in drawing and painting with the guidance of professional artists who were also interned.



This vignette on the Japanese Internment Memorial show the Japanese born Americans, or Nisei soldiers who served the United States military during World War II as a show of loyalty. There were 33,000 Nisei soldiers who served in the war. The all Nisei 100th Infantry Battalion/442 Regimental Combat Team is the most decorated unit in United States military history.

There was a real emotion behind this spot. The Nisei were trying to show their loyalty and the reality of the situation is that no matter how many Japanese Americans fought and died for the United States they were probably still very much discriminated against because of the mass hysteria happening at that time. It showed great honor and commitment to the United States. It is also saddening to think it was one of the only ways to escape the conditions of the internment camp.



This vignette represents the formal apology for the internment 40 years later. It was issued in 1988 and reparations were given to those interned or the decedents of those interned. It is very sad that it took 40 years for the whole ordeal to be recognized as something that never should have happened. It is striking to thing about all the Japanese Americans who suffered due to the internment and saddening to think about how hard it must have been to rebuild afterwards.

The Japanese Internment is not something that gets thought about very often but it’s important to remember so it never happens again. This memorial is located in downtown San Jose and it is worth going to look at. It is moving and very informative. I was quite surprised I had never seen it before. I’m glad I got to go experience it.

Word of the Week #9

Punditry

"At a conference last November, Twitter’s chief operating officer, Dick Costolo, hinted that a business model was in the works, and that it would wow the tech punditry."
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/techtonicshifts/archive/2010/04/14/is-twitter-trying-to-be-unimaginative-at-making-money.aspx

Punditry- Noun. The expressing of expert opinions

Upcoming elections always bring out the punditry on different political matters.

Copy Edit the World

From the Tuesday April 13 edition of the Spartan Daily the Article "Professor helps foil attempted bank robbery" the sentence should read "...an SJSU assistant professor said he had to restrain [the] suspect."

Blog #8- IMHO

Tiger Woods has returned to the world of golf. He finished 4th at the Masters over the weekend and CBS covered his every move from start to finish. Woods was definitely feeling the pressure of all the extra scrutiny he was facing due to his infidelities. “An indication of how Woods’ day was going on Saturday came on the sixth hole when he reacted to one of his shots. “Tiger, you suck,” he said to himself, followed by a curse, his remarks clearly audible.”

CBS handled the Tiger Woods coverage quiet honorably. The public tuned in to see Tiger play and the media outlets left his infidelity scandal out of it for the most part. The reporter mentioned that “Woods’ energy to prepare for the Master was sapped up by ‘so much going on in his life.’” Another just alluded to the story saying “Woods had not played golf competitively since last fall, ‘as you know.’” Beyond that they left it to his golf game.

So now what? Tiger has stepped back into the game but that doesn’t change the fact that he let down his family and his fans with his huge infidelities. Before the Masters began, an ad for Nike was released featuring Tiger face and his late father’s words being spoken. With this they have acknowledged the scandal and have given a sense of moving forward and beyond it. Only time will tell if Tiger’s sponsors’ will slowly begin coming back in this manner.

Is it enough? Is it too soon? Tiger is an amazing golfer, but he has broken a lot of trust. Beyond his families trust, he broke the trust of the public. Before the scandal came out he had always presented himself as a stand up guy. He was a great role model with a squeaky public image and then we come to find out he has engaged in numerous affairs. He did not just have one slip up. This was not a single affair Tiger cheated on his wife into the double digits.

The public does need to move forward from the scandal, and his life must go on. However, we should be quite skeptical before we re-embrace him with open arms. Part of the price of being a celebrity of any kind is public scrutiny. Jesse James and Tiki Barber may be taking the heat of Tiger, but that does not mean that Tiger gets to forget about everything.

He may return to golf and carry on where he left off and they should leave his scandal out of the coverage but he doesn’t get his squeaky clean nice guy image back. It’s not that easy.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/36371889/ns/sports-golf/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36231746/ns/business-sports_biz/

Word of the Week #8

Interim

"Mining officials said they will not send rescue workers back into the mine until 6 p.m. at the earliest and they advised miners’ families to get some rest, take showers and get food between now and then because nothing more will happen in the interim as efforts continue to air out the mine of remaining dangerous gases."
Found at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/us/09westvirginia.html

Interim- Noun. n.
An interval of time between one event, process, or period and another.

During the interim at the hockey game, I got up to get a pretzel.

Copy Edit the World

In today's (04/08/10)issue of the Spartan Daily, on the front page the world Scholarships is misspelled. It reads "Scholarhips" in this headline.

Copy Edit the World

This Jersey is misspelled. It should read San Francisco, not San Francicso.

Blog #7 – Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

I chose to read the story “Brownies” from the Z.Z. Packer’s book “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere.” The story starts out as a group of young girls on a camping trip but really ends up being a story about racism, and a statement about the nature of racism.

One thing that stands out to me is her use of vibrant language and similes. They way she writes and incorporates these elements make the story very vivid and give the reader the ability to easily picture the girls running around the campsite and the trails they are traveling along.

The narrator, Laurel, tells us about the group leader who “holds the microphone like a banana” and Mrs. Hedy who “waves her finger like windshield wipers.” I also loved the quote describing Mrs. Margolin who is the “mother duck” of the girls, leading them along the trails that Packer describes. “Mrs Margolin even looked like a mother duck- she had hair cropped close to a small ball of a head, almost no neck and huge, miraculous breasts." Packer’s use of language gives us the ability to “see” Mrs. Margolin as the girls do.

The story ends with Laurel having a realization that there is just something in the world that is cruel and cannot be changed. They way Packer has led the reader through the story allows your too practically feel the disappointment and sadness in her realization.

REVISED:News story- Applesauce

French Camp, Calif.--A northbound lane was temporarily closed today when a trucker lost control of his tractor this morning and spilled 10 tons of apples onto Highway 101 just south of Sonoma.

Robert Urbins, 55, a trucker from French Camp, CA, was hauling apples from Marysville to Sebastopol when he lost control of his tractor at 8:30 AM. The tractor was connected to two flatbed trailers that held 24 full apple containers.

Urbins said he was negotiating a section of uneven pavement along the partially repaved highway just south of Petaluma near Kastania Road when he heard a cable snap. The rear flatbed began “whipping”and scattering apples.

The roadways were also slick from a mist in the air that added to the hazard of the spilled apples. The mess has severely impacted the morning commuted and has cause and extremely sticky mess. California Highway Patrol officer Wayne Ziese said, "We've got applesauce all over the highway."

Crews arrived at 9:45 a.m. to begin cleaning the mess. Apples are covering the highway for about 200 to 300 feet. Additionally, some of the fruit landed nearly 1,000 feet away along the shoulders and median strip.

Ziese said, "Right now, we've got apples piled two feet high on the roadside, and crews out here with brooms and shovels."

According to Ziese there are no injuries but a motor home that was traveling behind Urbins sustained damage.

Urbins, who says he was travelling at 55 mph, was given a citation for the mess that will likely cost several hundred dollars. Urbins hauls for Broadway Transportation in Stockton.

Word of the Week #7

pragmatism

"At a Capitol Hill news conference, Kucinich said his decision was a combination of pragmatism and concern about the impact that defeat of the health care bill would have on Obama's presidency. "
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35909723/ns/politics-health_care_reform/

Pragmatism- Noun

1.character or conduct that emphasizes practicality.

2.a philosophical movement or system having various forms, but generally stressing practical consequences as constituting the essential criterion in determining meaning, truth, or value

My dad was a dreamer in his younger years but now he approaches most things in his life with a certain amount of pragmatism.

Mystery Charcter

This character often wears a white long sleeved button up shirt with the sleeves rolled and a tie to work. He is tall and lean. One of his favorite things to do is to play a good prank. One particular coworker is usually the victim of the prank, because it’s just too easy to get him. His often is in cahoots with the receptionist when he is pulling his pranks. The receptionist is the object of his affection. When the boss is out he is put in charge. He is really good at his job but he doesn’t really want it to be his career, which it eventually does. He eventually does get to be the receptionist, who has been promoted for that position. They were married and they just had a baby.

Word of the Week #6

Feted

"He was feted by 300 people gathered at the Malibu home of reality TV/film producer Mike Fleiss, who co-hosted with WME Global chief Graham Taylor and his producer wife Lynnette Howell ("Half Nelson")."
http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2010/03/gold-derby-nuggets-banned-hurt-locker-producers-oscars-speech.html

Feted- (Verb) to entertain at or honor with a fete: to fete a visiting celebrity.
Fete- noun

1.a day of celebration; holiday: The Fourth of July is a great American fete.

2. a festive celebration or entertainment: The ball was the greatest fete of the season.

3.a religious feast or festival: a fete lasting several days in honor of a saint

The Oscar winners are feted at many parties following the show. The Vanity Fair fete is one of the biggest.

News Release Exercise

Dentists Help Underprivileged Children

SANTA CLARA, CA- Dentists will be providing free dental exams and treatments for underprivileged children during "Dentists with a Heart Day" next Friday, March 12 in dental offices throughout Santa Clara County.

About 70 dentists offices will be participating in this one day event sponsored by the Health Trust and the Santa Clara Dental Association. Their goal is to help up to 500 underprivileged children who would not otherwise have access to dental care

Word of the Week #5

Valuations

"Although the price might have fallen later, Otis said the risk would have been that valuations were so low the boards of directors wouldn’t have approved the deal."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35486250/ns/business-success_in_hard_times/

Valuation- Noun.

1. the act of valuing, esp a formal assessment of the worth of property, jewellery, etc.

2. the price arrived at by the process of valuing

I took the ring to a jeweler to find out it's actual valuation.

News Story- Applesauce

A northbound lane was temporarily closed today when a trucker lost control of his tractor this morning and spilled 10 tons of apples onto highway 101 just south of Sonoma.

At 8:30 a.m. Robert Urbins, 55, a trucker from French Camp, CA, was hauling apples from Marysville to Sebastopol when he lost control of his tractor. The tractor was connected to two flatbed trailers that held 24 full apple containers.

Urbins said he was negotiating a section of uneven pavement along the partially repaved highway just south of Petaluma near Kastania Road when he heard a cable snap. The rear flatbed began “whipping”and scattering apples.

The accident caused a mist in the air that made the roads rather slick and that added to the hazard after the apples spilled. The mess has severely impacted the morning commuted and has cause and extremely sticky mess. CHP officer Wayne Ziese said, "We've got applesauce all over the highway."

Crews arrived at 9:45 a.m. to begin cleaning the mess. Apples are covering the highway for about 200 to 300 feet. Additionally, some of the fruit landed nearly 1,000 feet away along the shoulders and median strip.

Ziese said, "Right now, we've got apples piled two feet high on the roadside, and crews out here with brooms and shovels."

According to Ziese there are no injuries but a motor home that was travelling behind Urbins sustained damage.

Urbins, who says he was travelling at 55 mph, was given a citation for the mess that will likely cost several hundred dollars. His lawyer called the jury’s award “excessive” and plans on appealing the verdict.

Urbins hauls for Broadway Transportation in Stockton.

Word of the Week #4

Despot

"The elected president of a uranium-rich nation morphs into a despot and refuses to relinquish power, prompting the army to stage a popular coup with guns blazing in the name of democracy."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35546051/ns/world_news-africa/

Despot-Noun. A ruler with absolute power. A person who wields power oppressively; a tyrant.

Many people considered Saddam Hussein to be a Despot.

What Makes it News

Today I read the story "Toyota: Recalls May Not Solve All Problems" on msnbc.com. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35536620/ns/business-us_business//) I believe that this story is newsworthy because Toyota is a major auto company. They had to recall many car models and it has affected many people. There were problems with sticking accelerators and braking (in the case of the Prius). There are approximately 35 related deaths and many more scares. It is news because it is relevant to some many people lives. Toyota can be found in so many households and this is one of the biggest recalls ever. This story has unexpectedness, negativity and continuity.

I could localize this story easily. As Toyotas are so widely used it would be easy to interview people directly affected by the recall or the original problem. The best angle would be finding a local person who had their accelerator stick while they were driving and how they handled the situation.

I think for a local reporter, it would be the same. It will be best to talk to someone directly affected by Toyotas issue. To talk to someone in the local community is a good way to localize.

Word of the Week #3

Compatriot

"Woods has won 14 major titles and needs five more to surpass the record of 18 held by compatriot Jack Nicklaus."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/8521060.stm

Compatriot- A person from one's own country. A colleague.

Though in Canada, he ran into his compatriot during the Olympic games.

Word of the Day #2

Dissident

"He is one of more than 2,100 dissidents jailed in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, for their opposition to the military government, one of the most brutal and uncompromising governments in Asia."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/world/asia/11myanmar.html?hp

Disagreeing, as in opinion or belief.

The people were penalized for being dissident with the church.

Word of the Day #1

Arcane

"Exchange rates are an arcane subject, harder to explain than a meeting with the Dalai Lama."
The New York Times "China Rejects U.S. Complaints on it's Currency."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/asia/05diplo.html

Arcane- adjective known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric.

She was drawn to things that were arcane, such and the pyramids of Egypt, and hoped to be able to explore them one day.

My Favorite Writing

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was fundamentally a children’s book written first in French and later translated into English. For children the book is full of imagery and imagination and has lessons to teach young readers. I read The Little Prince about a year ago. Though on the surface it is a children’s book, there is a much deeper, existential undertone to the story. It has so much about life, relationships, and the human condition. It is an absolutely beautiful story that all adults should read. The Little Prince’s devotion to his rose is beautiful, so few people love anything as much as the boy loves his rose. The story teaches lessons about being narrow-minded and the dangers of it. While it shows children about imagination and open-mindedness, it gives adults a glimpse into the errors of human ways. It tugs at the heart strings. It’s about exploration and loneliness. It’s about love and devotion. It’s about forgiveness.

The Little Prince really affected me. I had to read it for a class and I was blown away but the powerful undertones. It’s an amazing story and talking about it makes me want to read it all over again. It’s truly a great piece of literature.

All About Me

My name is Brooke Carpenter and I am a senior getting ready to graduate in May. My major is Advertising and I’m on the management track. I’m excited to get my foot in the door and see where my career path takes me. There are so many possibilities after graduation and I want to try many things. Due to the state of the economy though, I know it’s going to be tough starting out. I’m optimistic though.

As far as my strengths and weakness as a writer goes, I feel that I am a pretty strong creative writer, more specifically having to do with short stories or poetry. I am not as strong when it comes to news writing. I am a good proof reader but I need someone else to proofread my own work. I have a harder time catching my own mistakes.

My favorite color depends on my mood really. I enjoy blues and darker reds usually. I grew up in Morgan Hill but I am currently living in Santa Clara with my boyfriend. We have a cat named Phoebe and a pair of fish, long-finned, zebra striped danios, named Pablo and Esteban. In my free time I enjoy watching movies, spending time with friends, cooking, and reading. On occasion I also enjoy doing a Sudoku or crossword puzzle.