Tuesday, November 30, 2010
UmAsS HiP HoP DaNcE CrEw AuDiTiOn
More Interesting Multimedia Pieces
Out of these two multimedia pieces, "The Land" and "We Choose the Moon," I'd have to say that I liked "The Land" better. I liked how it has a more artistic feel to it and how it brought us through her journey on a day to day basis. I thought the other piece was very historical and was a good tool for getting an education on he first landing on the moon. Although very effective and professionally done, it was a little less my style.
I really liked how "The Land" started out; a very clean, smooth and organized introduction to the piece. I liked this better than the other one because I thought that "We Choose the Moon" was a little too overbearing for my senses. I overwhelmed me with the amount of immediate avenues I could take to view the piece, and I felt that the simulated clips were a little too drawn out to maintain my interest. However, "The Land" kept my focus and, although it was long, it was informative in a more straightforward and story-like way. This allowed me to get more out of the overall presentation.
I really liked how "The Land" started out; a very clean, smooth and organized introduction to the piece. I liked this better than the other one because I thought that "We Choose the Moon" was a little too overbearing for my senses. I overwhelmed me with the amount of immediate avenues I could take to view the piece, and I felt that the simulated clips were a little too drawn out to maintain my interest. However, "The Land" kept my focus and, although it was long, it was informative in a more straightforward and story-like way. This allowed me to get more out of the overall presentation.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Two Wonderfully Done Multimedia Stories
The New York Times' multimedia project on David Rohde's kidnapping in Afghanistan, as well as student Martin Ricard's winning piece on the prospects of farming in Sierra Leone, Africa after the civil war both left me in awe of the ability of images, video, and sound to express journalism stories to the fullest.
Although I did realize, before browsing through each of these projects, that photographs and video in journalism were for the benefit of the story, I have never seen such in depth and intricate projects such as these. I clicked on the New York Times piece first and was a little bored while first watching it. I felt that, immediately, Rohde could have been more energetic about telling his story and that his explaination of everything should have been unscripted. But after watching the entire thing and reading through some of his article parts of the whole project, I felt differently. I saw how he may have been traumatically and emotionally effected by the events he went through and how, becuase the story was so long and detailed, that a scripted multimedia piece was necessary.
I feel that, in the New York Times piece, the multimedia played an important part, in the long run, in keeping the viewer interested in the story. I only say this because each of his articles (parts 1-5) were very long and required a large amount of dedicated time to get through, absorb and appriciate individually and entirely. The video story allowed someone to get the whole story more quickly and directly, but without lacking the descriptive details that make Rohde's experience unique.
I thought Ricard's project was incrediable but a little confusing at first (for me - don't know about others). The piece reminded me of something I might see in a museum, playing as a multimedia addition to an exhibit on this African country and its natives. I think the reason why it confused me at first was because I am a slow reader and it automatically moved me onto the next slide before I was finished reading and comprehending all of the first one. Then, on the second one, it took me a couple of minutes and clicking around to understand the direction in which the project was taking me. I realize that this piece won for its photographs and multimedia assests, however I do think it could have been organized or directionally explained a little better for newcomers.
Despite these initial feelings, I really liked the project, as (again) the multimedia really captivated and fascinated me. In some of the slides I felt that the background noises were slightly deistracting from the reading I was trying to do, but again my comprehension skills are less than exceptional, specially with auditory distractions. I did think that the piece on the "Auntie" of all the children was my favorite, both story-wise and multimedia-wise. I think he combined the story with the photos, video, writing, and audio the best here so that it was very effective.
I thought both were exceptional pieces of journalism that represented aspects of different cultures that the average American may fail to see. I also thought they were both fabulous examples of how multimedia can strikingly enhance a story that may appear to be "just another story" about a foreign kidnapping or an African village. It's definitely what makes both of these stories stand out.
Although I did realize, before browsing through each of these projects, that photographs and video in journalism were for the benefit of the story, I have never seen such in depth and intricate projects such as these. I clicked on the New York Times piece first and was a little bored while first watching it. I felt that, immediately, Rohde could have been more energetic about telling his story and that his explaination of everything should have been unscripted. But after watching the entire thing and reading through some of his article parts of the whole project, I felt differently. I saw how he may have been traumatically and emotionally effected by the events he went through and how, becuase the story was so long and detailed, that a scripted multimedia piece was necessary.
I feel that, in the New York Times piece, the multimedia played an important part, in the long run, in keeping the viewer interested in the story. I only say this because each of his articles (parts 1-5) were very long and required a large amount of dedicated time to get through, absorb and appriciate individually and entirely. The video story allowed someone to get the whole story more quickly and directly, but without lacking the descriptive details that make Rohde's experience unique.
I thought Ricard's project was incrediable but a little confusing at first (for me - don't know about others). The piece reminded me of something I might see in a museum, playing as a multimedia addition to an exhibit on this African country and its natives. I think the reason why it confused me at first was because I am a slow reader and it automatically moved me onto the next slide before I was finished reading and comprehending all of the first one. Then, on the second one, it took me a couple of minutes and clicking around to understand the direction in which the project was taking me. I realize that this piece won for its photographs and multimedia assests, however I do think it could have been organized or directionally explained a little better for newcomers.
Despite these initial feelings, I really liked the project, as (again) the multimedia really captivated and fascinated me. In some of the slides I felt that the background noises were slightly deistracting from the reading I was trying to do, but again my comprehension skills are less than exceptional, specially with auditory distractions. I did think that the piece on the "Auntie" of all the children was my favorite, both story-wise and multimedia-wise. I think he combined the story with the photos, video, writing, and audio the best here so that it was very effective.
I thought both were exceptional pieces of journalism that represented aspects of different cultures that the average American may fail to see. I also thought they were both fabulous examples of how multimedia can strikingly enhance a story that may appear to be "just another story" about a foreign kidnapping or an African village. It's definitely what makes both of these stories stand out.
A New Beginning to Exorcisms
“What they’re trying to do in restoring exorcisms,” said Dr. Appleby, a longtime observer of the bishops, “is to strengthen and enhance what seems to be lost in the church, which is the sense that the church is not like any other institution. It is supernatural, and the key players in that are the hierarchy and the priests who can be given the faculties of exorcism. “It’s a strategy for saying: ‘We are not the Federal Reserve, and we are not the World Council of Churches. We deal with angels and demons.’ ”
The New York Times released an article on November 12, 2010 explaining the Roman Catholic desire to begin preforming exorcisms again. The priests commenting in the article clearly stated that the Hollywood versions of gorey and bloody exorcisms do not clearly depict what an actual religious exorcism is like, and places the Church under a lot of pressure when considering starting this intense religious practice again.
Their main goal in restoring exorcisms is to give a stronger name to the Church. Years ago, the Roman Catholic Church had much power, often over political views and movements. The Church represented something that people could see as credible, as the Church's efforts religiously created an extreme devotion by its followers. Priests and other members of the Church were seen as divine, as they had the closest connection to God. Often, people's lives depended on prayer and attending church so that they could be enlightened by the Priest's lessons and recieve a closer connection to divinity.
Considering the strength of the Catholic Church in the past, and the many controversies of the Church today, the Roman Catholic members see exorcisms as a way to bring back this devotion and power. Although not many are trained in exorcisms, bishops are holding lessons to teach more priests in this act. Also, not everyone who requests an exorcism recieves one.
Their main goal in restoring exorcisms is to give a stronger name to the Church. Years ago, the Roman Catholic Church had much power, often over political views and movements. The Church represented something that people could see as credible, as the Church's efforts religiously created an extreme devotion by its followers. Priests and other members of the Church were seen as divine, as they had the closest connection to God. Often, people's lives depended on prayer and attending church so that they could be enlightened by the Priest's lessons and recieve a closer connection to divinity.
Considering the strength of the Catholic Church in the past, and the many controversies of the Church today, the Roman Catholic members see exorcisms as a way to bring back this devotion and power. Although not many are trained in exorcisms, bishops are holding lessons to teach more priests in this act. Also, not everyone who requests an exorcism recieves one.
"It's only used in those cases where the Devil is involved in an extraordinary sort of way in terms of actually being in possession of the person. But it's rare, it's extraordinary, so the use of exorcism is also rare and extraordinary," says Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, IL.
Those who can preform exorcisms are not excited to be known for it. They do their best to keep undercover, as exorcisms are a very sacred practice of the Chruch. These acts demonstrate the very traditional and ancient forms of Roman Catholicsm and public reports of them are not necessarily welcomed.
Reverend Richard Vega points out that another call for the rebirth of exorcisms is due to the increase of Hispanic and African Roman Catholic followers, who, culturally, "are more attuned to the experience of the supernatural."
Because the Catholics believe that the Devil is real and can possess a person who, most likely, is not leading a moral and spiritually good life, they feel that exorcisms are an important part of the religion to bring back into the Catholic culture throughout the world. It will be interesting to see if this takes the Church "two steps back" or if it brings them increased religious power and cherishment.
Those who can preform exorcisms are not excited to be known for it. They do their best to keep undercover, as exorcisms are a very sacred practice of the Chruch. These acts demonstrate the very traditional and ancient forms of Roman Catholicsm and public reports of them are not necessarily welcomed.
Reverend Richard Vega points out that another call for the rebirth of exorcisms is due to the increase of Hispanic and African Roman Catholic followers, who, culturally, "are more attuned to the experience of the supernatural."
Because the Catholics believe that the Devil is real and can possess a person who, most likely, is not leading a moral and spiritually good life, they feel that exorcisms are an important part of the religion to bring back into the Catholic culture throughout the world. It will be interesting to see if this takes the Church "two steps back" or if it brings them increased religious power and cherishment.
Phusion Projects Aims to Protect Against Regulators.
On November 10, 2010, Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright and Jaison Freeman, the company's co-founders, put a message on their website addressed to these regulators (and all others concerned) regarding the rights of their company and their disagreement with the government's avid remarks of how dangerous Four Lokos are to one's health. Hunter, Wright and Freeman state their disagreement with government research on the dis-safety of the product, yet make it a point to mark their consideration for the well-being of all adults who drink Four Loko.
To us, uniformity means uniformity in how the laws are written, applied and enforced. We want to work with you, not against you, in this effort...Our company has submitted a "Generally Regarded as Safe" (GRAS) study in which an independent panel of scientific experts found that adding caffeine to alcohol is safe." They go on to say that they will "abide by any industry-wide, uniform standards that the appropriate governing bodies my develop.
The co-founders make it clear that they are not fighting against the government's ban of their product but simply fighting for an equal chance to state their case and give evidence that their drink is, in fact, safe, especially when compared to other beverages like Four Loko which have been either overlooked or deemed acceptable.
If mixing caffeine and alcohol is the most pressing concern, addressing it would be best accomplished by creating laws that apply to the entire caffeinated alcoholic beverage category - not specific individual products... If products-specific bans remain the preferred course of action, we will protect out rights as a business to the fullest extent of the law.
The founders of Four Loko are clearly determined to prove the best they can that their beverage is safe, and are willing to abide by fair government investigations and policies, however it is their current concern that these investigations will single out Phusion Projects and they have already prepared their case to legally take matters into their own hands.
Dricoll Middle School Trick Play
For those of you who are football fans, sports fans, or just a fan of anything pretty much insane, check out this video. The Driscoll Middle School football team showed YouTube viewers one of the most popular videos of this past week when their quarterback seemingly paused play, walked through the defensive line unquestioned, and ran all the way down the field for a touchdown. This, needless to say, left the opposing team aggravated, confused, and dumbfounded, while the home team cheered their quarterback to the end-zone.
I would definitely say that this video has journalism qualities to it. Not only did YouTube aggregate about 10.7 million viewers, but the video also showed a situation that was most likely written about in local newspaper, and talked about through the halls of the Driscoll Middle School for days after the game. Evidently, this video has gone viral because the trick play was one that sports fans don't see often. Also, it is amazing that the move worked, as in higher level football organizations, coaches would most likely train their athletes to follow the officials' calls and not be fooled by the players of the other team.
As far as comments, the video had lots of them. Most of the comments were ones showing laughing and disbelief, while some of them were more negative and sarcastically humored. As I was reading through the comments, it seemed like many people who actually saw the game commented on the video. Apparently the other team won, despite being tricked with this play. Also, there were some racial jokes made about players of the team, I am guessing not by people who personally knew them.
Overall, I love how the video became viral because I think something like this is a fun little thing to see perhaps when you're having a bad day or just taking some down time. It's a short n' sweet way to be reminded that anything is possible.
I would definitely say that this video has journalism qualities to it. Not only did YouTube aggregate about 10.7 million viewers, but the video also showed a situation that was most likely written about in local newspaper, and talked about through the halls of the Driscoll Middle School for days after the game. Evidently, this video has gone viral because the trick play was one that sports fans don't see often. Also, it is amazing that the move worked, as in higher level football organizations, coaches would most likely train their athletes to follow the officials' calls and not be fooled by the players of the other team.
As far as comments, the video had lots of them. Most of the comments were ones showing laughing and disbelief, while some of them were more negative and sarcastically humored. As I was reading through the comments, it seemed like many people who actually saw the game commented on the video. Apparently the other team won, despite being tricked with this play. Also, there were some racial jokes made about players of the team, I am guessing not by people who personally knew them.
Overall, I love how the video became viral because I think something like this is a fun little thing to see perhaps when you're having a bad day or just taking some down time. It's a short n' sweet way to be reminded that anything is possible.
Reaction to "The Big Picture"
The "Big Picture" a famous blog that relies on photojournalism to do the talking, posted 39 incredible pictures depicting the current volcanic eruptions in Indonesia. Each photo served to visually amaze the viewer, as well as tell a story of the communities and landscapes affected by this natural disaster.
I have several favorites; it was very hard to pick which ones I thought worked the best. They were all nearly unreal to look at and made it seem as though I were there witnessing this tragedy unfold before my own eyes. Not only did the colors and the culture of the Indonesian people stand out, but so did the emotions and pain. As I am in photojournalism course now, i am learning many of the methods of not only taking an effective picture, but also ethics and values of the journalism field. I was surprised that the photographer was able to get shots of burned victims who were rescued, as well as those who had not been so fortunate. There were two photos hidden from automatic view (that the reader had to click a link to view). Both of the photos were similar to what we know as war scenes; sprawled dead bodies that were damaged beyond recognition.
Three photos I really enjoyed were photo 8, 31 and 38 because I felt they could have told most of the story themselves, as also I like the photo techniques of the photographer. Photo 8 showed a girl standing over her hospitalized sister who had been injured close to death in the ash of the eruption. This photo shows the emotional impact this tragedy is having on the Indonesian people of the communities effected by the volcano, and shows their devotion to family.
I chose 31 as it shows a group of people laying across clothes in a crowded shelter. This not only explains the amount of natives effected by the eruption, but also the under development of the country's economy and its inability to comfortably shelter the victims who were evecuated.
Lastly, picture 38 shows a farmer walking through his field of ash-covered crops. This represents the economic devastation the country is enduring and the fact that many will lose income and food because of the contaminating ash.
I have several favorites; it was very hard to pick which ones I thought worked the best. They were all nearly unreal to look at and made it seem as though I were there witnessing this tragedy unfold before my own eyes. Not only did the colors and the culture of the Indonesian people stand out, but so did the emotions and pain. As I am in photojournalism course now, i am learning many of the methods of not only taking an effective picture, but also ethics and values of the journalism field. I was surprised that the photographer was able to get shots of burned victims who were rescued, as well as those who had not been so fortunate. There were two photos hidden from automatic view (that the reader had to click a link to view). Both of the photos were similar to what we know as war scenes; sprawled dead bodies that were damaged beyond recognition.
Three photos I really enjoyed were photo 8, 31 and 38 because I felt they could have told most of the story themselves, as also I like the photo techniques of the photographer. Photo 8 showed a girl standing over her hospitalized sister who had been injured close to death in the ash of the eruption. This photo shows the emotional impact this tragedy is having on the Indonesian people of the communities effected by the volcano, and shows their devotion to family.
I chose 31 as it shows a group of people laying across clothes in a crowded shelter. This not only explains the amount of natives effected by the eruption, but also the under development of the country's economy and its inability to comfortably shelter the victims who were evecuated.
Lastly, picture 38 shows a farmer walking through his field of ash-covered crops. This represents the economic devastation the country is enduring and the fact that many will lose income and food because of the contaminating ash.
California Races... And We're Off!
11:45 PM:
Governor - Democrat 52%, Republican 43%
Senate - Democrat 51%, Republican 44%
12:00 AM:
Senate - Democrat 51%, Republican 44%
**Four more Republicans in the House: Dem 190, Rep 245!
12:15 AM:
Governor - emocrat %, Republic %
**Democrat won Senate. One more of those guys, jeesh.
Senate: Dem 48, Rep 44, Ind 2
12:16AM:
Senate Democrats 48, Republicans 45 (go Illinois!), Ind 2
12:20 AM:Governor results are finally coming in for the western states! Oh and California's too close to call at this point. Hmm, late night?
12:30 AM:Republican party is barely winning for governor.
12:45 AM:
Democrat seems to have grabbed governor; goodbye Arnold, the roles are switching.
Also, Democrats pull up to 49 in House, Republics with 43, Independents with 2.
Governor - Democrat 52%, Republican 43%
Senate - Democrat 51%, Republican 44%
12:00 AM:
Senate - Democrat 51%, Republican 44%
**Four more Republicans in the House: Dem 190, Rep 245!
12:15 AM:
Governor - emocrat %, Republic %
**Democrat won Senate. One more of those guys, jeesh.
Senate: Dem 48, Rep 44, Ind 2
12:16AM:
Senate Democrats 48, Republicans 45 (go Illinois!), Ind 2
12:20 AM:Governor results are finally coming in for the western states! Oh and California's too close to call at this point. Hmm, late night?
12:30 AM:Republican party is barely winning for governor.
12:45 AM:
Democrat seems to have grabbed governor; goodbye Arnold, the roles are switching.
Also, Democrats pull up to 49 in House, Republics with 43, Independents with 2.
Live Blog; My Reaction
When considering all three of live blogs, I think that i liked the Huffington Post one the best, and that it was the most effective. I think this because it has good commentary on the Rally before going into each event of the Rally in chronological order.
I think that a weakness of the Guardian post was that it delved right into the factual events of the Rally and did not take the time to explain some of the significant outcomes and reasons for the Rally. The New York Times one I like second best, as it had a good but shorter introduction which lead up to the events of the Rally, going into further depth the details of the comedian's opinions and performances that day.
I think a major strength, also, of the Huffington Post was that it used a good compilation of quotes that got the reader familiar with what happened at the Rally before going into the actual details of each comedian. I liked how the Huffington post went for general to very specific in their overview of the Rally, especially as it reminded me the most of a news worthy article written in the right format for public display. I liked the lead, and I enjoyed how it fit the comedian's smart comments into the author's own news story. I felt that the other live blogs simply used the Rally as the meat of the article instead integrating the facts into the report.
I guess, mostly, why I liked the Huffington Post is because it organized their ideas the most effectively for the amount of time they had and I was also able to recognize the writer more in the piece. it was more objective and not simply factual, making it a more interesting read for me.
I think that a weakness of the Guardian post was that it delved right into the factual events of the Rally and did not take the time to explain some of the significant outcomes and reasons for the Rally. The New York Times one I like second best, as it had a good but shorter introduction which lead up to the events of the Rally, going into further depth the details of the comedian's opinions and performances that day.
I think a major strength, also, of the Huffington Post was that it used a good compilation of quotes that got the reader familiar with what happened at the Rally before going into the actual details of each comedian. I liked how the Huffington post went for general to very specific in their overview of the Rally, especially as it reminded me the most of a news worthy article written in the right format for public display. I liked the lead, and I enjoyed how it fit the comedian's smart comments into the author's own news story. I felt that the other live blogs simply used the Rally as the meat of the article instead integrating the facts into the report.
I guess, mostly, why I liked the Huffington Post is because it organized their ideas the most effectively for the amount of time they had and I was also able to recognize the writer more in the piece. it was more objective and not simply factual, making it a more interesting read for me.
Late Night High Notes
On Friday's showing the the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, two guitar signing girls, Garfunkel and Oats were an ending act to the show, singing a comical song explaining a complication of issues and positivities of the legalization of medical marijuana. Currently, California is making a decision on whether or not to legalize this substance for medical uses, and the decision lies in the hands of the voters.
As a preview of the election for this law to pass all I can say is that it seems to be coming down to the wire. The Los Angeles Times tells and gives links to the political progression of the debated topic. Apparently, many calls and campaigns have been down for and against the medical legalization of the drug, this tug-of-war which is highlighted in the duet's song.
The girls sing of very sarcastic but true ailments that medical marijuana would help. Cases of anxiety, headaches, nausea, and even seeing defects are sung of in their song, among other pretty funny but controversial points that the election will close once and for all; or well, we hope.
As a Massachusetts resident who looks at California as, of course, the only state which would ever even consider legalizing marijuana, I can se both positive and negative effects on the state and possibly out nation is the legalization law is passed. Much of my ideas of positive effects involve medical breakthroughs in psychological and mental health. however, negative effects could dangerously out-way these positive effects, as drug trafficking could increase with even worse drugs. Gang violence could increase, and the government could end up taking more money from it's citizens when considering heavy taxes on the drug.
Would the next step be legalizing cocaine? The outcome of this election will be very interesting, and the California's actions after the voting will be very telling.
As a preview of the election for this law to pass all I can say is that it seems to be coming down to the wire. The Los Angeles Times tells and gives links to the political progression of the debated topic. Apparently, many calls and campaigns have been down for and against the medical legalization of the drug, this tug-of-war which is highlighted in the duet's song.
The girls sing of very sarcastic but true ailments that medical marijuana would help. Cases of anxiety, headaches, nausea, and even seeing defects are sung of in their song, among other pretty funny but controversial points that the election will close once and for all; or well, we hope.
As a Massachusetts resident who looks at California as, of course, the only state which would ever even consider legalizing marijuana, I can se both positive and negative effects on the state and possibly out nation is the legalization law is passed. Much of my ideas of positive effects involve medical breakthroughs in psychological and mental health. however, negative effects could dangerously out-way these positive effects, as drug trafficking could increase with even worse drugs. Gang violence could increase, and the government could end up taking more money from it's citizens when considering heavy taxes on the drug.
Would the next step be legalizing cocaine? The outcome of this election will be very interesting, and the California's actions after the voting will be very telling.
Is Journalism Dying?
Personally, I do not believe it is.
It think that there are still many reasons for journalism; at least good journalism. I have been finding throughout my studies of writing, especially on the web, that bad journalism is becoming more of a topic of discussion. This is because anyone in this day and age can write anything they like on the web and make it seem credible.
Despite opinions stating that "no money is to be made in journalism," I think that the good journalists who are trustworthy, honest, and sincerely passionate in writing pieces that will positively effect our culture are the ones who can make the money in the industry. Despite the audiences that fake, unauthentic journalists have from their online blogs, criticism sites and annoying wordy columns in newspapers, these writer's fan fare is not long lasting. People end up understanding the significance of journalism that teaches them something and poses that "tough question." It's the tough questions that make the reader think, therefore allowing the reader to draw their own answers and conclusions based on the direction in which the journalist points them.
This blog post is an example of a reaction to good journalism. I do not yet call myself a journalist, and I most likely never will, however journalism as a major teaches me how to report on real things and bring the important stories to attention. The journalism major is an important major for those who have an interest for writing about current events and sharing the importance of perhaps culturally altering events, for example the truths behind the downfall of our economy, who was really behind the attacks of 911 and what their reasons were, and the patrol over the Mexican border and how a great number of illegal aliens are making a life in America.
I think that the journalism major, whether the student will pursue a career as a journalist or not, can point someone in a positive direction when it comes to comprehending many of the conflicts we have today as a culture and as individuals. I think that, at least when it comes to my interests in journalism directions, the major has a lot to offer when it comes to understanding other types of people and what they may deal with in their lives. Many different countries can be further understood in the journalism major and I think that in today's society, that is a crucial characteristic to hold.
Also journalism allows someone to learn better communication skills with others. Communications is an extremely important part of today's world and those who are not able to get their points across and pursue their interests by finding their own opportunities, especially in the journalism industry, will not be able to make the most out of their lives.
So, overall my thoughts is that journalism is still only getting started. The world-wide web is pushing the field of writing to a new level that only some will be able to really thrive off of as a career. Others, especially those who are int eh journalism major, are still thriving off of traditional journalism ways that date back decades, and that still display the most intriguing and ambitious stories of them all.
It think that there are still many reasons for journalism; at least good journalism. I have been finding throughout my studies of writing, especially on the web, that bad journalism is becoming more of a topic of discussion. This is because anyone in this day and age can write anything they like on the web and make it seem credible.
Despite opinions stating that "no money is to be made in journalism," I think that the good journalists who are trustworthy, honest, and sincerely passionate in writing pieces that will positively effect our culture are the ones who can make the money in the industry. Despite the audiences that fake, unauthentic journalists have from their online blogs, criticism sites and annoying wordy columns in newspapers, these writer's fan fare is not long lasting. People end up understanding the significance of journalism that teaches them something and poses that "tough question." It's the tough questions that make the reader think, therefore allowing the reader to draw their own answers and conclusions based on the direction in which the journalist points them.
This blog post is an example of a reaction to good journalism. I do not yet call myself a journalist, and I most likely never will, however journalism as a major teaches me how to report on real things and bring the important stories to attention. The journalism major is an important major for those who have an interest for writing about current events and sharing the importance of perhaps culturally altering events, for example the truths behind the downfall of our economy, who was really behind the attacks of 911 and what their reasons were, and the patrol over the Mexican border and how a great number of illegal aliens are making a life in America.
I think that the journalism major, whether the student will pursue a career as a journalist or not, can point someone in a positive direction when it comes to comprehending many of the conflicts we have today as a culture and as individuals. I think that, at least when it comes to my interests in journalism directions, the major has a lot to offer when it comes to understanding other types of people and what they may deal with in their lives. Many different countries can be further understood in the journalism major and I think that in today's society, that is a crucial characteristic to hold.
Also journalism allows someone to learn better communication skills with others. Communications is an extremely important part of today's world and those who are not able to get their points across and pursue their interests by finding their own opportunities, especially in the journalism industry, will not be able to make the most out of their lives.
So, overall my thoughts is that journalism is still only getting started. The world-wide web is pushing the field of writing to a new level that only some will be able to really thrive off of as a career. Others, especially those who are int eh journalism major, are still thriving off of traditional journalism ways that date back decades, and that still display the most intriguing and ambitious stories of them all.
Glee: Rocky Horror Style
To say the least, Twitter blew up less than 10 seconds after the show ended. Each time I refreshed the Twitter page there were over 400 new Twitters, many of them on the topic of Glee's latest show based on preforming the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Some liked it, some hated it, and many of the Tweets got a chuckle out of me. My favorite was one of the first Tweets posted, (which I agreed with, i think that's why I liked it so much). The Tweet, posted by MeatStack, goes as followed:
"My wife is watching Glee; it's so bad I'd rather shoot myself with an elephant rifle."
Hahaha, is all I have to say to that. Personally, I really didn't like this episode. I thought it was boring, drawn out, and predictable. Let's see what other's had to say. Kellyboles posts on Twitter, "Unacceptable. ROcky Horror is great. Glee is so-so," while z1045Danielle says, "Glee I love you. That was brilliant. Brilliant I tell you. I love you Rocky Horror Show. Mwah!"
Tvquad.com takes similar opinions yet gives a more analytical overcap of the show. It explained the episode as a "surprisingly entertaining and well-rounded episode, one of the best of the young season. It had humor, plot, character development, and somehow managed to address the issue of how a public high school can even remotely get away with putting on such a production."
Clearly, this author enjoyed the show and showed an effective reason for why he did. I think that, although I did not enjoy the episode, he made a solid point in saying how Glee fit a risque production into high school life. This was clearly the objective of the episode, along with making the episode coincide with the spirit of Halloween.
On the other hand, Current-movie-reviews.com begged to differ and agreed to my opinions of this episode being utterly awful. The blog criticized the show for making a cheesy version of Rocky Horror, explaining how the show's audience is young, just as the high school kids in Glee, and that the Rocky Horror Show may not be the best choice for eyes of that age.
"I do think that Touch-A, Touch-A Touch Me is a pretty inappropriate song, this is definitely one of them that needed to be edited out. The whole scne was trashy and was never meant to be shown on TV to young people."
Over-all, I think that the reviews were positive, simply because Glee is such a popular and praised show. It's viewers saved this episode's well-being by maintaining their positive fanaticism. However I do believe that if Glee was not so popular, the reviews would have been much more criticizing, less summary-descriptive, and less loyal.
"My wife is watching Glee; it's so bad I'd rather shoot myself with an elephant rifle."
Hahaha, is all I have to say to that. Personally, I really didn't like this episode. I thought it was boring, drawn out, and predictable. Let's see what other's had to say. Kellyboles posts on Twitter, "Unacceptable. ROcky Horror is great. Glee is so-so," while z1045Danielle says, "Glee I love you. That was brilliant. Brilliant I tell you. I love you Rocky Horror Show. Mwah!"
Tvquad.com takes similar opinions yet gives a more analytical overcap of the show. It explained the episode as a "surprisingly entertaining and well-rounded episode, one of the best of the young season. It had humor, plot, character development, and somehow managed to address the issue of how a public high school can even remotely get away with putting on such a production."
Clearly, this author enjoyed the show and showed an effective reason for why he did. I think that, although I did not enjoy the episode, he made a solid point in saying how Glee fit a risque production into high school life. This was clearly the objective of the episode, along with making the episode coincide with the spirit of Halloween.
On the other hand, Current-movie-reviews.com begged to differ and agreed to my opinions of this episode being utterly awful. The blog criticized the show for making a cheesy version of Rocky Horror, explaining how the show's audience is young, just as the high school kids in Glee, and that the Rocky Horror Show may not be the best choice for eyes of that age.
"I do think that Touch-A, Touch-A Touch Me is a pretty inappropriate song, this is definitely one of them that needed to be edited out. The whole scne was trashy and was never meant to be shown on TV to young people."
Over-all, I think that the reviews were positive, simply because Glee is such a popular and praised show. It's viewers saved this episode's well-being by maintaining their positive fanaticism. However I do believe that if Glee was not so popular, the reviews would have been much more criticizing, less summary-descriptive, and less loyal.
Four Different Blog Posts, All Very Similar
There is one eveident similarity between all of these blog entries; each of them is written from the writers point of view and tell about an event that happened in their everyday life. None of these posts were meant to be presented ina formal way or were set up as a professional interview that was scheduled and pre-prepared for.
In "Fear and Loathing Outside Worcester," the author creates an interesting read by simply explaining his thoughts regarding the characteristics of Lieberman, just as he makes another interesting blog post explaining the essence and traits of "Sez" in "Yankee Fan Meeet Pot-Nager Guy." That one was definitely my favorite because the author's expereince with Freddy went into more depth than the others. He explained a lot about Freddy, let the reader understand what he was all about, and then told us about he encounter with teh legend at the baseball game.
Just as the first two, "The Unforgettable Fire Turns 25," and "Indifferent to Authority" showed a lot of opinions and ideas that otehrs may or may not be able to relate and agree to. I think these showed more about the author's life than his own analysis of the life of others. The allowed me to get to know him better as a writer, as he wrote about himself and his views on common interests.
In "Fear and Loathing Outside Worcester," the author creates an interesting read by simply explaining his thoughts regarding the characteristics of Lieberman, just as he makes another interesting blog post explaining the essence and traits of "Sez" in "Yankee Fan Meeet Pot-Nager Guy." That one was definitely my favorite because the author's expereince with Freddy went into more depth than the others. He explained a lot about Freddy, let the reader understand what he was all about, and then told us about he encounter with teh legend at the baseball game.
Just as the first two, "The Unforgettable Fire Turns 25," and "Indifferent to Authority" showed a lot of opinions and ideas that otehrs may or may not be able to relate and agree to. I think these showed more about the author's life than his own analysis of the life of others. The allowed me to get to know him better as a writer, as he wrote about himself and his views on common interests.
Reflection on Project 1
For Project 1, I feel that each of the three interviews gave me good experience in talking to people in different ways. I learned a lot about the types of questions to ask, the effectiveness of rhetorical questions, and what types of answers are most effective to the reader. I feel as though the first interview of emailing all of my questions at once and waiting for her response to each of them went well, but made me anxious. I emailed the questions to a friend of mine who, I must say, isn't the most reliable and it left me sweating just wondering if she would write good answers and get them back to me on time. However, this interview experiment ended up going well, as the number of questions was not large, and in my second interview, I realized that emailing all the questions at once was probably a much easier method.
The second interview made me anxious as well, because I had to wait for the person's answer for one question at a time. I think, however, that this interview was more effective because more of a conversation was developed out of it. It allowed more of Ronnie's personality and perspective to come out of her answers because I hadn't already chosen the questions according to how I thought she would answer them. In the first interview I chose questions that I felt might lead into one another, but even so, each of the question/answers seemed very detached.
In the third interview, I was able to actually interview someone in person and this made it more interesting and allowed all of Danny's personality to come out in his answers. Being able to actually sit and have a conversation with him through questions and answers made it easier to write the final piece in my blog because I could hear his voice as I wrote the interview. I edited this one the least amount because I felt that his accent and essence would jump out at the reader if I didn't correct it. I think that this lack of precise grammatical editing made my interview with Danny more effective than the first and second interviews and also a more interesting read.
Overall, I had a good time doing carrying out each of the interviews, and I think that doing them in this order made for a motivating stepping stone to keeping producing better questions with more effective answers. In a real job, however, I would definitely choose the third interview as my interview format, especially now that I know what it takes to get a good interview out of someone.
The second interview made me anxious as well, because I had to wait for the person's answer for one question at a time. I think, however, that this interview was more effective because more of a conversation was developed out of it. It allowed more of Ronnie's personality and perspective to come out of her answers because I hadn't already chosen the questions according to how I thought she would answer them. In the first interview I chose questions that I felt might lead into one another, but even so, each of the question/answers seemed very detached.
In the third interview, I was able to actually interview someone in person and this made it more interesting and allowed all of Danny's personality to come out in his answers. Being able to actually sit and have a conversation with him through questions and answers made it easier to write the final piece in my blog because I could hear his voice as I wrote the interview. I edited this one the least amount because I felt that his accent and essence would jump out at the reader if I didn't correct it. I think that this lack of precise grammatical editing made my interview with Danny more effective than the first and second interviews and also a more interesting read.
Overall, I had a good time doing carrying out each of the interviews, and I think that doing them in this order made for a motivating stepping stone to keeping producing better questions with more effective answers. In a real job, however, I would definitely choose the third interview as my interview format, especially now that I know what it takes to get a good interview out of someone.
Way Ahead of the Game for a 22-Year
After my Sunday night shift at the Arizona Pizza in Hadley this week, I clocked out, ordered food, and sat at the bar while my boss closed down the restaurant. He had given me my first real serving opportunity that night and I couldn't have been happier; until my mozzarella rounds arrived and I started inhaling those. Throughout my late night meal, I started thinking about a good interview subject for this assignment. I knew I needed someone interesting, someone confident and someone with a genuine personality that I could hold a conversation with. There was no better candidate than DShaw.
Dan Shaw (DShaw), the Assistant Manager and Corporate Trainer of Arizona Pizza, and my (awesome) boss, was calmly pacing and cleaning up when I asked to interview him. Turning the background music up, he replied, "that's funny, you're the second person this week who's wanted to interview me for a class. Yeah I'll do it," with his usual big smile, eyes squinted - happy, and of course, happy to help.
So what's interesting about your job?
"Well, it definitely keeps you on your toes. Dealing with different situations in the restaurant keeps it exciting here. Plus we turn over servers like crazy so just dealing with different employees all the time keeps things interesting." He's telling me this as I stuff more mozzarella rounds in my mouth and sip on a Pepsi. I find it amusing, too, that he's answering my question and keeping a perfect track of the money he's counting.
About how many people would you say work here?
"Back house I'd say there's... about 15; that's like the cooks and the dishwashers, and I consider the delivery drivers back of the house. And front of the house, like servers, bussers, hosts, all of us, there's probably around 25." He's still counting the money.
So what got you interested in managing a restaurant?
I'd have to say my first job did. My first job was at a Quizno's. I was 16 and my manager was a douche bag; he treated everyone like shit and I thought that if I could ever manager my own place that I'd never be like that. I wanted to be different and treat my employees right, and then that way they'd like working for me, too. All this really pissed off my ma tho. When I told her I wanted to cook and work in a restaurant she got real mad, like I was doing something wrong."
You cook too?
" Yeah I love to cook. So to prove it to her I cooked dinner at my house for three weeks and I guess she just gave up giving up on changing my mind. And I'm glad because I knew that this was what I wanted to be doing with my life when I was older. And now I'm 22, here, livin' the life!"
And what made you choose UMass after high school?
"When I was a junior my sister gave me a tour of UMass. She went there and introduced me to Dr. Lettuca, the head of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program. This guy made me love UMass I knew it was where I wanted to go because I wanted to be in his program."
And so once you were in Amherst, how'd you start at Arizona? (I'm finally done with my rounds and he's done counting the money; I've got his full attention.)
"Haha, that's another story in itself..." he said smiling. i don't think I've ever seen someone smile so much as DShaw. It contagious; I smiled too. "First semester of my junior year at UMass I got the job here as a server. I did that for awhile then Rob, the owner, started training me in the kitchen. That summer I interned as a manager and helped him open an Arizona Pizza in Clifton Park, New York..."
(I interrupt him for basically the 10th time.) Is that where you're from? (He's not frustrated by it, though).
"No, I'm from Binghamton, New York."
Big boat load-a-nothin'?
"Haha, yeah there's nothing up there, way up-state New York."
I figured. But anyway, you were saying...
"What was I saying? Oh, right the internship. So yeah, over the summer after my junior year I helped open that restaurant with Rob and I figured I wanted to look for an actual career my senior year. So I got I job at a buffet at the MGM at Foxwoods and that was cool. Not as much fun as I expected and I ended up moving on from that pretty soon. But it did give me ideas of how to make Arizona fun. So I came up with trivia night and beer promos. All that stuff was me, and I started thinking like, 'wow I'm taking all these ideas to corporate and telling them what to do.' It got me thinking I could run this place one day." He starts turning some lights off and takes out his manager's log to write in it. "I'm like the only person who ever writes in this thing, haha."
So Rob just gave you the manager job after your internship?
"Eh, wasn't exactly that easy. I didn't think he'd think of giving me a job as a manger so I told him I got a promotion offer at MGM, which wasn't even true..."
But you wish it was?
"Nah, working there even if they had promoted me didn't really matter to me. I'm not big on the casino thing, they're evil and pretty scummy." First negative words I've heard come out of his mouth; forgetting how he felt about his Quizno's boss, of course. "But Rob called me to come into Arizona one day, so I went in all dressed up and he started laughing and said 'Dan, you already have the job!" The Foo Fighters are playing in the background as the work playlist keeps spitting out songs; yeah, this place is pretty casual and I love it.
So obviously you took the job...
"Yeah, i wanted that job so much. I started part time at the Arizona in Lee the December of my senior year. It was like a 45 minute drive out there every time I worked so that fuckin' blew dick. Plus it was a dirty-ass restaurant. I worked some at this Arizona but Matt mostly worked the manager shifts. He trained me a lot though and showed me around; taught me how to be a good boss basically. He was like a mentor to me. Then when Matt left, Rob made Bruce full time manager and I almost quit because he'd promised me the job."
So what'd you do?
"I kept working part time, a whole buncha shit went down, then I came here and started managing; Bruce got demoted to a server and I got his job."
Haha, sweet.
"So I was pretty miserable for awhile."
But now your happy right?!
"Yeah, I'm happy now. I came down here full time. Every time I'm down here I'm happy. I love it here. Assembling your own crew of people is the best. They work to please you without you ever asking."
Well I'm glad to be a part of your work crew! Where do you want to go from here?
"Short term, I wanna jump around restaurant jobs and see how different places run things. Long term, I'd like to go down south and start up my own place," he says, eyes gleaming. "I just wanna love what I do and be happy. That's what I'm looking for."
Dan Shaw (DShaw), the Assistant Manager and Corporate Trainer of Arizona Pizza, and my (awesome) boss, was calmly pacing and cleaning up when I asked to interview him. Turning the background music up, he replied, "that's funny, you're the second person this week who's wanted to interview me for a class. Yeah I'll do it," with his usual big smile, eyes squinted - happy, and of course, happy to help.
So what's interesting about your job?
"Well, it definitely keeps you on your toes. Dealing with different situations in the restaurant keeps it exciting here. Plus we turn over servers like crazy so just dealing with different employees all the time keeps things interesting." He's telling me this as I stuff more mozzarella rounds in my mouth and sip on a Pepsi. I find it amusing, too, that he's answering my question and keeping a perfect track of the money he's counting.
About how many people would you say work here?
"Back house I'd say there's... about 15; that's like the cooks and the dishwashers, and I consider the delivery drivers back of the house. And front of the house, like servers, bussers, hosts, all of us, there's probably around 25." He's still counting the money.
So what got you interested in managing a restaurant?
I'd have to say my first job did. My first job was at a Quizno's. I was 16 and my manager was a douche bag; he treated everyone like shit and I thought that if I could ever manager my own place that I'd never be like that. I wanted to be different and treat my employees right, and then that way they'd like working for me, too. All this really pissed off my ma tho. When I told her I wanted to cook and work in a restaurant she got real mad, like I was doing something wrong."
You cook too?
" Yeah I love to cook. So to prove it to her I cooked dinner at my house for three weeks and I guess she just gave up giving up on changing my mind. And I'm glad because I knew that this was what I wanted to be doing with my life when I was older. And now I'm 22, here, livin' the life!"
And what made you choose UMass after high school?
"When I was a junior my sister gave me a tour of UMass. She went there and introduced me to Dr. Lettuca, the head of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program. This guy made me love UMass I knew it was where I wanted to go because I wanted to be in his program."
And so once you were in Amherst, how'd you start at Arizona? (I'm finally done with my rounds and he's done counting the money; I've got his full attention.)
"Haha, that's another story in itself..." he said smiling. i don't think I've ever seen someone smile so much as DShaw. It contagious; I smiled too. "First semester of my junior year at UMass I got the job here as a server. I did that for awhile then Rob, the owner, started training me in the kitchen. That summer I interned as a manager and helped him open an Arizona Pizza in Clifton Park, New York..."
(I interrupt him for basically the 10th time.) Is that where you're from? (He's not frustrated by it, though).
"No, I'm from Binghamton, New York."
Big boat load-a-nothin'?
"Haha, yeah there's nothing up there, way up-state New York."
I figured. But anyway, you were saying...
"What was I saying? Oh, right the internship. So yeah, over the summer after my junior year I helped open that restaurant with Rob and I figured I wanted to look for an actual career my senior year. So I got I job at a buffet at the MGM at Foxwoods and that was cool. Not as much fun as I expected and I ended up moving on from that pretty soon. But it did give me ideas of how to make Arizona fun. So I came up with trivia night and beer promos. All that stuff was me, and I started thinking like, 'wow I'm taking all these ideas to corporate and telling them what to do.' It got me thinking I could run this place one day." He starts turning some lights off and takes out his manager's log to write in it. "I'm like the only person who ever writes in this thing, haha."
So Rob just gave you the manager job after your internship?
"Eh, wasn't exactly that easy. I didn't think he'd think of giving me a job as a manger so I told him I got a promotion offer at MGM, which wasn't even true..."
But you wish it was?
"Nah, working there even if they had promoted me didn't really matter to me. I'm not big on the casino thing, they're evil and pretty scummy." First negative words I've heard come out of his mouth; forgetting how he felt about his Quizno's boss, of course. "But Rob called me to come into Arizona one day, so I went in all dressed up and he started laughing and said 'Dan, you already have the job!" The Foo Fighters are playing in the background as the work playlist keeps spitting out songs; yeah, this place is pretty casual and I love it.
So obviously you took the job...
"Yeah, i wanted that job so much. I started part time at the Arizona in Lee the December of my senior year. It was like a 45 minute drive out there every time I worked so that fuckin' blew dick. Plus it was a dirty-ass restaurant. I worked some at this Arizona but Matt mostly worked the manager shifts. He trained me a lot though and showed me around; taught me how to be a good boss basically. He was like a mentor to me. Then when Matt left, Rob made Bruce full time manager and I almost quit because he'd promised me the job."
So what'd you do?
"I kept working part time, a whole buncha shit went down, then I came here and started managing; Bruce got demoted to a server and I got his job."
Haha, sweet.
"So I was pretty miserable for awhile."
But now your happy right?!
"Yeah, I'm happy now. I came down here full time. Every time I'm down here I'm happy. I love it here. Assembling your own crew of people is the best. They work to please you without you ever asking."
Well I'm glad to be a part of your work crew! Where do you want to go from here?
"Short term, I wanna jump around restaurant jobs and see how different places run things. Long term, I'd like to go down south and start up my own place," he says, eyes gleaming. "I just wanna love what I do and be happy. That's what I'm looking for."
Flamingos in the Stairwell
Who ever thought that, while walking through a stairwell of the UMass W.E.B. Du Bois Library, one would see a mural of flamingos in a pond. The mural we came across depicted four bright pink flamingos wandering in what appeared to be the pond in the center of the UMass campus. Surrounding them were tropical plants of green and yellow, and in the background a structure which resembled the Fine Arts Center of the campus stood tall and evident. The entire scene was the foreground of a vibrantly lit green sky under a gleaming yellow sun.
We did find some interesting history on some of the artists whose work you can find scattered through the library stairwells. Various floors of the library are showings for UMass art students' works of the 1970's to the late 1980's. This flamingo mural exhibits just one of the many of the stairwell gallery.
Jared Gaudette, a student at the university, was interviewed in the hallway as he stood looking at the mural. He had some interesting remarks to say about the theme, artistic ideas, and possible meaning of the piece despite having limited knowledge of the flamingo mural.
The flamingo mural did not just get thoughtful comments from students but also from the public eye. A recent blog post on the mural demonstrated how the piece is an influential image in the library that gathers various viewers in the stairwells. His reaction to the artistic piece brings viewers to the understanding that this piece is special apart from the others.
Overall, the mural project from decades ago has been considered to be a noticeably positive addition to the library stairwells, blessing students with beautiful murals like the flamingo mural, as they climb from floor to floor.
We did find some interesting history on some of the artists whose work you can find scattered through the library stairwells. Various floors of the library are showings for UMass art students' works of the 1970's to the late 1980's. This flamingo mural exhibits just one of the many of the stairwell gallery.
Jared Gaudette, a student at the university, was interviewed in the hallway as he stood looking at the mural. He had some interesting remarks to say about the theme, artistic ideas, and possible meaning of the piece despite having limited knowledge of the flamingo mural.
The flamingo mural did not just get thoughtful comments from students but also from the public eye. A recent blog post on the mural demonstrated how the piece is an influential image in the library that gathers various viewers in the stairwells. His reaction to the artistic piece brings viewers to the understanding that this piece is special apart from the others.
Overall, the mural project from decades ago has been considered to be a noticeably positive addition to the library stairwells, blessing students with beautiful murals like the flamingo mural, as they climb from floor to floor.
Articles on Bullying; What's There, What Isn't
I only had time to read a couple of the articles, but overall I think there answering a lot of the questions that have come up in my mind; what's going on (specifically) with the Phoebe Prince case, what other examples of bullying are out there recently that are making an impact, and how are the students in these schools reacting or behaving after bullying has made such an impression?
I think that the Rutger's article on the bullied victim, Tyler Clementi, is a good example of another incident of bullying or harassing when compared to the Phoebe Prince case. I would like to learn more about what Rutgers University is doing in response to this case and what is going on, if anything, in a hearing against the people who secretly video taped him with the other male. I would like to know the other male's reaction; was it a set up, did he run and hide, did he go to the school, was he friends with Clementi? The story was short and a little vague and I would like to see it develop more, especially since the harassment and hatred against homosexuals is a current and on-going issue.
The article on the student at Phoebe's high school was well written. They called themselves the "South Hadley Superheroes" and rightly so as the article shows them changing their school atmosphere and what other think about it. This was my favorite article because it went into so much depth on the students that actually went ti school with Prince, making these students some of the primary targets from which to gather reactions.
I think that the Rutger's article on the bullied victim, Tyler Clementi, is a good example of another incident of bullying or harassing when compared to the Phoebe Prince case. I would like to learn more about what Rutgers University is doing in response to this case and what is going on, if anything, in a hearing against the people who secretly video taped him with the other male. I would like to know the other male's reaction; was it a set up, did he run and hide, did he go to the school, was he friends with Clementi? The story was short and a little vague and I would like to see it develop more, especially since the harassment and hatred against homosexuals is a current and on-going issue.
The article on the student at Phoebe's high school was well written. They called themselves the "South Hadley Superheroes" and rightly so as the article shows them changing their school atmosphere and what other think about it. This was my favorite article because it went into so much depth on the students that actually went ti school with Prince, making these students some of the primary targets from which to gather reactions.
After All, Sleep Is Important!
As I was un-excitedly browsing through Twitter posts, but finding myself unable to stop, I came across something that did strike my interest. The LA Times Health posted the link to a story in their newspaper explaining how sleep deprivation actually decreases one's ability to lose body fat.
Although, previously, many may have thought that sleeping less may not effect the body, and perhaps even increase weight lose due to more energy usage, they are wrong. Studies show that a lack of sleep actually causes the body to burn necessary proteins as well as muscle and tissue developers in the body.
"For dieters who had a full night's worth, more than half of the weight they lost was fat. But when the researchers cut three hours off their bedtime, only a quarter of the weight the study participants lost was fat... The researchers theorize that it's because of the way sleep affects the level of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger and promotes fat retention."
Clearly, sleep decreases the levels of this hormone. It is produced in more excess when the brain in not in its resting state, therefore sleep loss increases ghrelin, promoting more fat retention and hunger in the body.
So, due to these new studies of yet another benefit of sleep, shall we finally put it to bed that our mother's are right is saying that we need our sleep?
Although, previously, many may have thought that sleeping less may not effect the body, and perhaps even increase weight lose due to more energy usage, they are wrong. Studies show that a lack of sleep actually causes the body to burn necessary proteins as well as muscle and tissue developers in the body.
"For dieters who had a full night's worth, more than half of the weight they lost was fat. But when the researchers cut three hours off their bedtime, only a quarter of the weight the study participants lost was fat... The researchers theorize that it's because of the way sleep affects the level of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger and promotes fat retention."
Clearly, sleep decreases the levels of this hormone. It is produced in more excess when the brain in not in its resting state, therefore sleep loss increases ghrelin, promoting more fat retention and hunger in the body.
So, due to these new studies of yet another benefit of sleep, shall we finally put it to bed that our mother's are right is saying that we need our sleep?
Two Distiguishable Interviews
"Interviewing Murray while the Ryder Cup's on is like farting in shul. He's wolfing a Cinnabon one-handed, no mean feat, working the clicker with his other hand, and running down the set caterer's breakfast options for my benefit."
This was just funny. I mean I laughed out loud, which is,in my opinion, an important aspect of what makes for a good interview. It shows that not only the celebrity but also the interviewer has that on-target personality for the job that they are doing. Raab clearly relates well with Murray, eventhough their personalities were very different. Raab, slightly more conservative than Murray was able to soak up Murray's harshly realistic and culturally accurate inclinations with nothing more than a shrug of his shoulders to go right along with it.
This was just funny. I mean I laughed out loud, which is,in my opinion, an important aspect of what makes for a good interview. It shows that not only the celebrity but also the interviewer has that on-target personality for the job that they are doing. Raab clearly relates well with Murray, eventhough their personalities were very different. Raab, slightly more conservative than Murray was able to soak up Murray's harshly realistic and culturally accurate inclinations with nothing more than a shrug of his shoulders to go right along with it.
An 8-Year-Old Takes Charge at the Annual Dipsea Race
Reilly Johnson, and 8-year old girl who's talent lies in trail running, beat the defending champion of the Dipsea Race by seven seconds last Saturday at the 100th running of the famous annual race. Blip TV's video was made as an interview of the little girl, following after Dipsea.org's on her win. The video adds an artistic technique in portraying the young girl throughout the race, as well as providing details of her motivation during the 7.4 miles she championed.
As a runner, I find it amazing that a girl of that age can run a time of just over an hour on a trail of that mileage. She was given a 25 minute head-start, yet didn't allow any of the other runners to gain more than that on her for the whole race. The second place finisher, Melody-Ann Schultz, 68, grandmother of four, and three-time champion of the Dipsea race for the last three consecutive years applauded and hugged Johnson at the end of the race.
"She shot out like a little bullet," said Schultz in the interview. "And it's quite a treacherous course. You have to be aware of your footing all the time."
Schultz and Johnson were close competitors throughout the entire race. Reilly tripped and feel at one point, allowing for the 68-year-old verteran in the race to pick her up and keep the young girl motivated toward the finish line. After the fall the two ran neck and neck until Johnson pulled ahead.
"She was like a gazelle... if I did catch her in the last minute, I would have grabbed her hand and we would have gone over the line together," said Schultz.
Reilly's father, who finished the race 63 place behind his daughter, said that when she began training for Dipsea that her goal was to get a black shirt. Black shirts are awarded to the top 35 racers in the pack, which seemed like a reasonable goal for Reilly when she started timing herself. However, no one imagined that her outcome would be this successful due to her age. No one ever thought an 8-year-old could run that fast.
"Once I hit the street people looked at me like I was crazy because I was in the lead," said Johnson. "My brain was going like crazy... I can win, I can win!"
And that's just what she did. Johnson made history not only for the year, but also for the youngest to ever win the race.
As a runner, I find it amazing that a girl of that age can run a time of just over an hour on a trail of that mileage. She was given a 25 minute head-start, yet didn't allow any of the other runners to gain more than that on her for the whole race. The second place finisher, Melody-Ann Schultz, 68, grandmother of four, and three-time champion of the Dipsea race for the last three consecutive years applauded and hugged Johnson at the end of the race.
"She shot out like a little bullet," said Schultz in the interview. "And it's quite a treacherous course. You have to be aware of your footing all the time."
Schultz and Johnson were close competitors throughout the entire race. Reilly tripped and feel at one point, allowing for the 68-year-old verteran in the race to pick her up and keep the young girl motivated toward the finish line. After the fall the two ran neck and neck until Johnson pulled ahead.
"She was like a gazelle... if I did catch her in the last minute, I would have grabbed her hand and we would have gone over the line together," said Schultz.
Reilly's father, who finished the race 63 place behind his daughter, said that when she began training for Dipsea that her goal was to get a black shirt. Black shirts are awarded to the top 35 racers in the pack, which seemed like a reasonable goal for Reilly when she started timing herself. However, no one imagined that her outcome would be this successful due to her age. No one ever thought an 8-year-old could run that fast.
"Once I hit the street people looked at me like I was crazy because I was in the lead," said Johnson. "My brain was going like crazy... I can win, I can win!"
And that's just what she did. Johnson made history not only for the year, but also for the youngest to ever win the race.
The Story Behind a Musical Pioneer
My hometown friend, Danny, has taken an exciting yet daring path to success. He has been out of high school for four years now, has a license in plumbing, and is on a mission to become a world famous DJ. Living in a house with his two friends in Lynn, MA, one who is becoming an increasingly more successful DJ as well, Danny works for a well-known Boston DJ company, Pure Energy, and is booked weekly to DJ various types of shows and events. Now, it seems as though it's not a question of talent in the push to go forward in the music business, but the networking and keeping up with the times.
As I sit him down for this interview, he has a smile on his face. He's very excited that I would choose him to interview about his career.
Q. Well I'm interested in how yo got all this started. I mean it's a very admirable path you've chosen. It's brave. What got you started?
A. I'd have to say to say the fact that I didn't wanna be a plumber straight out of voc. school. It started with some messin' around on my laptop with mixer programs and I got to thinkin' that I could really do this and be good at it. My roommate, Angle, his uncle had already started up his DJ/MC company so we started just hangin' out with those kids.
Q. Was it easy stuff to learn then?
A. Yeah, it was pretty easy. I mean it takes a feel for it. Not everyone can just spin and be good. You gotta know when and where to mix the tracks, what tracks to mix. You gotta love it first then it comes cuz your hearts already there; you already got the feelin'.
Q. So when did you play your first show?
A. I played a lot of shows early, just because I always go with other DJ's in the company and watch 'em and mix some easier tracks. I definitely learned quick; played my first real show with my boy Mike when I had just turned 19. Even now that I'm good and know what I'm doin' I still don't play alone that often.
Q. Why not? Could you if you wanted to?
A. Oh, sure I could. For one, the company doesn't ever wanna throw just one DJ for a big party. I mean, spinnin' tracks and keepin' it good for a five hour show ain't easy. It takes a real pro to take the audience for the whole night all by himself, and I'm not quite there yet haha.
Q. So what kinds of shows do you DJ?
A. Well they're more events than shows. Like, I haven't made it to bein' hired to spin at clubs yet. That's my goal in this. So now I'm mostly sent to do weddings and bat/bar mitzfas. I've done some younger kids birthday parties, some prom and after prom parties, some house parties, some business events and even small bar events. That's mainly what Pure Energy pays me for.
Q. And I know you DJ for fun.
A. Ha, you know I do! I spin at my house if we have a party, or sometimes me and Angel will just spin and mess around. That's another thing about it; if you don't love it you won't practice, and if you don't practice you'll never get better. I practice all the time, everyday actually. For hours too.
Q. Yeah, you seem really into it. What do you have for equipment?
A. Me and Angel have over $3,000 of DJ equipment. We have two mixing boards, our laptops, laptop stands, three turntables two massive stand-up speakers. So much stuff.
Q. And do you bring all of it when you do a show?
A. No, we take our laptops and maybe a speaker, but our company has all the stuff we need plus way more. We load it, set it up, and break it all down down for every event we do. Sometimes it takes us days to set up and break down we got so much stuff. But it's worth it cuz it sells our shows more.
Q. Do you have props or anything like that?
A. Yeah of course. We set up floors and lights. Lots of stuff like that. We have costumes too that a lot of our dancers wear if they're doing an event with us. The crowd always has fun with that stuff. We always give out things at weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs like hats and wands. The kids especially like it.
Q. Cool. And finally, how do you network yourself, or plan to network yourself? It is hard?
A. It's mad hard, and yes I've been doin' a lot of that and plan on doin' a lot more. Facebook helps a lot. I'll post my live-stream DJ site as my facebook status when I mix live. That usually gets some fanfare but I never know who's watchin' unless they tell me. I have business cards too that I give out at my shows when guests come up to say I did a great job. But mostly, I rely on Pure Energy to network me. It easier that way just because they're a legitimate DJ company that people will trust more.
Q. Sounds like a lot of work, I'm sure you'll make it work. So on a last note, I take it that your good at what you do.
A. I'd say I'm pretty good, yeah. I mean there's always room for improvement and that's what I'm lookin' to do. Improvement is always what people look for, especially today in the music industry, no matter what part your involved in.
As I sit him down for this interview, he has a smile on his face. He's very excited that I would choose him to interview about his career.
Q. Well I'm interested in how yo got all this started. I mean it's a very admirable path you've chosen. It's brave. What got you started?
A. I'd have to say to say the fact that I didn't wanna be a plumber straight out of voc. school. It started with some messin' around on my laptop with mixer programs and I got to thinkin' that I could really do this and be good at it. My roommate, Angle, his uncle had already started up his DJ/MC company so we started just hangin' out with those kids.
Q. Was it easy stuff to learn then?
A. Yeah, it was pretty easy. I mean it takes a feel for it. Not everyone can just spin and be good. You gotta know when and where to mix the tracks, what tracks to mix. You gotta love it first then it comes cuz your hearts already there; you already got the feelin'.
Q. So when did you play your first show?
A. I played a lot of shows early, just because I always go with other DJ's in the company and watch 'em and mix some easier tracks. I definitely learned quick; played my first real show with my boy Mike when I had just turned 19. Even now that I'm good and know what I'm doin' I still don't play alone that often.
Q. Why not? Could you if you wanted to?
A. Oh, sure I could. For one, the company doesn't ever wanna throw just one DJ for a big party. I mean, spinnin' tracks and keepin' it good for a five hour show ain't easy. It takes a real pro to take the audience for the whole night all by himself, and I'm not quite there yet haha.
Q. So what kinds of shows do you DJ?
A. Well they're more events than shows. Like, I haven't made it to bein' hired to spin at clubs yet. That's my goal in this. So now I'm mostly sent to do weddings and bat/bar mitzfas. I've done some younger kids birthday parties, some prom and after prom parties, some house parties, some business events and even small bar events. That's mainly what Pure Energy pays me for.
Q. And I know you DJ for fun.
A. Ha, you know I do! I spin at my house if we have a party, or sometimes me and Angel will just spin and mess around. That's another thing about it; if you don't love it you won't practice, and if you don't practice you'll never get better. I practice all the time, everyday actually. For hours too.
Q. Yeah, you seem really into it. What do you have for equipment?
A. Me and Angel have over $3,000 of DJ equipment. We have two mixing boards, our laptops, laptop stands, three turntables two massive stand-up speakers. So much stuff.
Q. And do you bring all of it when you do a show?
A. No, we take our laptops and maybe a speaker, but our company has all the stuff we need plus way more. We load it, set it up, and break it all down down for every event we do. Sometimes it takes us days to set up and break down we got so much stuff. But it's worth it cuz it sells our shows more.
Q. Do you have props or anything like that?
A. Yeah of course. We set up floors and lights. Lots of stuff like that. We have costumes too that a lot of our dancers wear if they're doing an event with us. The crowd always has fun with that stuff. We always give out things at weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs like hats and wands. The kids especially like it.
Q. Cool. And finally, how do you network yourself, or plan to network yourself? It is hard?
A. It's mad hard, and yes I've been doin' a lot of that and plan on doin' a lot more. Facebook helps a lot. I'll post my live-stream DJ site as my facebook status when I mix live. That usually gets some fanfare but I never know who's watchin' unless they tell me. I have business cards too that I give out at my shows when guests come up to say I did a great job. But mostly, I rely on Pure Energy to network me. It easier that way just because they're a legitimate DJ company that people will trust more.
Q. Sounds like a lot of work, I'm sure you'll make it work. So on a last note, I take it that your good at what you do.
A. I'd say I'm pretty good, yeah. I mean there's always room for improvement and that's what I'm lookin' to do. Improvement is always what people look for, especially today in the music industry, no matter what part your involved in.
Everybody Loves Everybody Loves Raymond
But why? Possibly because this sitcom portrays a positive, humorous version of the average working class American family. It's a very relatable show and communicates many of the joys as well as the concerns that many American families have faced in the past. The show gives a clear view of how family is a strong part of the American family.
The episode I have chosen to write about is one when Ray comes down with a cold. He is in bed with a sore throat, yet the viewer believes he is half exaggerating his ailments to get added attention from his wife, Debra. This shows not only the power of the female in the family, but also her intelligence. She refuses this unneeded extra care, as she knows Ray's faking his illness.
Ironically, Ray's mother, Marie, who lives next-door, walks into the scene and hears her sons complaints. Of course, like any sympathetic mother, she offers Ray some ice cream. As she prepares to get the ice cream, Ray's brother, Rob, and their father both complain of the same sore throat. She agrees to get the treat for Rob, but not her husband (again, showing the smart wife position, yet the caring, easy-going mother role.) That's what mother's are for.
The episode I have chosen to write about is one when Ray comes down with a cold. He is in bed with a sore throat, yet the viewer believes he is half exaggerating his ailments to get added attention from his wife, Debra. This shows not only the power of the female in the family, but also her intelligence. She refuses this unneeded extra care, as she knows Ray's faking his illness.
Ironically, Ray's mother, Marie, who lives next-door, walks into the scene and hears her sons complaints. Of course, like any sympathetic mother, she offers Ray some ice cream. As she prepares to get the ice cream, Ray's brother, Rob, and their father both complain of the same sore throat. She agrees to get the treat for Rob, but not her husband (again, showing the smart wife position, yet the caring, easy-going mother role.) That's what mother's are for.
A News-Worthy Item
I found this image of a poker dealer at an asian casino and it sparked thoughts regarding gambling around the world. Thearticle below the image gives some insight to the current struggles Las Vegas is enduring when it comes to maintaining casino revenue. In America, the economy has clearly been at a loss for several years now, which effects even the most wealthy parts of the country.
Asian, however, seems to be developing more and more each day. As we saw in the movie, "21," a young college student's blackjack cheating abilities are tested in an underground asian gambling hole on a grimy street in Cambridge, MA. This is a clue to what is occurring over seas in the asian casino communities.
Most likely far less strict when it comes to gambling rules, the Asians are prospering and are becoming the largest gambling market in the world. This image demonstrates that financial control, also signifying that our economic crisis may have a link to asia's recent casino successes. At the same time, this allows one to consider our dependency on products of asian laborers as one of the multiple roots for America's diminishing wealth and economy.
The asian's passion for gambling has also been noticed online. There are many more gaming options online than in the casinos, as well as financial benefits with lower costs. Despite this, the most popular asian casino spot, Macau, has increased revenue by $15 billion in the last year, boosting the profit by 10%. Unfortunately, Vegas' continues to fall, hand in hand with Europe.
Asian, however, seems to be developing more and more each day. As we saw in the movie, "21," a young college student's blackjack cheating abilities are tested in an underground asian gambling hole on a grimy street in Cambridge, MA. This is a clue to what is occurring over seas in the asian casino communities.
Most likely far less strict when it comes to gambling rules, the Asians are prospering and are becoming the largest gambling market in the world. This image demonstrates that financial control, also signifying that our economic crisis may have a link to asia's recent casino successes. At the same time, this allows one to consider our dependency on products of asian laborers as one of the multiple roots for America's diminishing wealth and economy.
The asian's passion for gambling has also been noticed online. There are many more gaming options online than in the casinos, as well as financial benefits with lower costs. Despite this, the most popular asian casino spot, Macau, has increased revenue by $15 billion in the last year, boosting the profit by 10%. Unfortunately, Vegas' continues to fall, hand in hand with Europe.
Question and Answer 2: Project 1
My 22 year old friend, Ronnie, is a manager at Arizona Pizza and loves to just hang out with her friends. I found that they have a unique way to have fun that many normal adults would assume is for children.
I love being sociable and hanging out with my friends.
So what do you guys do when you go out? What's your favorite activity?
We like to shop and party, of course; see movies, stuff like that. But our favorite thing is to go bowling in Northampton at Spare Time. It's kind of a weird craze we have but, again, we've been doing this on a regular basis since our freshman year. The bowling place has a bar to, so it allows us to combine some fun with fun.
So what got you and your friends into bowling so much? Are you in a club?
Well, we went one day to kill some time and we turned it into a competition. So now we have major competitions amongst ourselves. We've gotten other groups to compete against us for fun, but we've never thought of making a club or anything like that. The fact that it's an open, undedicated sport for us right now is what makes it so enjoyable.
So you said it's a competition. What do the winners get?
I guess you could say the winners win free food. The two girls out of our group with the lowest scores buy the group a round of pizza and beer at the bar. Sometimes we'll give them a break and go into my restaurant so there's a discount.
You work at Arizona Pizza? Tell me more about that. Do any of your friends work with you?
Well, I'm a manager there and yes, my friend Monica and I got the job about 2 years ago at the same time. The discounts are great and so is the food. I love working there too. It's a very sporty atmosphere. It has giant TVs for football games, a bar, and an open kitchen with a brick oven. The works!
Wow, that's awesome that you found a job you love so much. What do you plan on dong with that management position?
Well, right now since I live in Hadley, I plan on keeping it for awhile. It's a nice comfort zone for me, plus it's an easy job because I've been there for so long and I know it so well. I would love to move to a city someday though and find a management position at a bigger restaurant; more money, more time to work, more people to work with. But you never know, I may stay here for the long run.
Question and Answer 1:Project 1
I decided to interview my friend Brittani for my first interview. She's a Kinesiology major at UMass and, since I've always been kind of interested in the major, I decided she'd be a good person to ask about it.
What interested you in Kinesiology as a major?
I always liked sports in high school. I was a cheerleader and I had a lot of injuries from that so I learned a lot about the body when I was treated. The trainers room was always interesting to me. I always learned something new.
What do you plan on doing with the major when you graduate? Graduate school? Med school possibly?
I really want to work with athletes or younger people. Older people are harder to deal with and it takes a certain type of knowledge to work well with them too. And medical school is a definite no. Blood grosses me out, but I know I'll have to get used to it at some point to work with athletes. Being a personal trainer interests me, so I might go to grad school for that.
What kind of people do you want to work with?
I want to work with athletes mostly. I think that interests me the most because I was one and I still love to work out. Also, I think it interests me because UMass it a Division 1 school for sports and I hear and study cases on UMass athletes a lot in my classes now. The trainers room at UMass even has a class you can take where you work with the athletes for a semester.
How are the Kinesiology classes at UMass? Hard? Easy? Interesting?
They're definitely hard and interesting. The required classes, like math, physics and anatomy, were the hardest. But I learned a lot that I can apply to my future classes. It really helps to learn the material when you keep using it. I know that in some of my other classes, when I learn things I know I'll never use again, it makes it really easy to forgot the information. The Kin classes require you to know so much, all I do is memorize words and definitions.
Do you have any specific classes or course plan lined up for the next 2 years?
Yes. I want to focus mainly on a physical therapy concentration in my major. I'm mostly planning on taking classes that have to do with the body, mechanics, movement, and conditioning. I'm also interested in food breakdown and how muscles use food to work better. It's hard to know what to eat when you work out.
Do you enjoy the major and would you recommend it to other students who may be interested in it?
I love the major. I think a lot of the students in the major love it because we're very motivated. I would recommend that anyone who is interested in it to go for it. If you really know that it's what you want to do then the hard parts of the major will work themselves out.
I always liked sports in high school. I was a cheerleader and I had a lot of injuries from that so I learned a lot about the body when I was treated. The trainers room was always interesting to me. I always learned something new.
What do you plan on doing with the major when you graduate? Graduate school? Med school possibly?
I really want to work with athletes or younger people. Older people are harder to deal with and it takes a certain type of knowledge to work well with them too. And medical school is a definite no. Blood grosses me out, but I know I'll have to get used to it at some point to work with athletes. Being a personal trainer interests me, so I might go to grad school for that.
What kind of people do you want to work with?
I want to work with athletes mostly. I think that interests me the most because I was one and I still love to work out. Also, I think it interests me because UMass it a Division 1 school for sports and I hear and study cases on UMass athletes a lot in my classes now. The trainers room at UMass even has a class you can take where you work with the athletes for a semester.
How are the Kinesiology classes at UMass? Hard? Easy? Interesting?
They're definitely hard and interesting. The required classes, like math, physics and anatomy, were the hardest. But I learned a lot that I can apply to my future classes. It really helps to learn the material when you keep using it. I know that in some of my other classes, when I learn things I know I'll never use again, it makes it really easy to forgot the information. The Kin classes require you to know so much, all I do is memorize words and definitions.
Do you have any specific classes or course plan lined up for the next 2 years?
Yes. I want to focus mainly on a physical therapy concentration in my major. I'm mostly planning on taking classes that have to do with the body, mechanics, movement, and conditioning. I'm also interested in food breakdown and how muscles use food to work better. It's hard to know what to eat when you work out.
Do you enjoy the major and would you recommend it to other students who may be interested in it?
I love the major. I think a lot of the students in the major love it because we're very motivated. I would recommend that anyone who is interested in it to go for it. If you really know that it's what you want to do then the hard parts of the major will work themselves out.
Ohh, Twitter
So now that I'm officially on Twitter (although I hate to admit it), I was assigned to follow 10 people of interest to me. Well, most of them are famous:
Usan Bolt - world famous athlete, shattered the 100 meter dash world record at the last summer Olympics. Could be one of my idols, but we'll see if he ever gets nabbed for steroids.
LL Cool J - yea, I'm that old school. He's just awesome :)
Tasi Saiiz - A very good friend of mine who I made fun of all last year for having and using a Twitter account. Well, now she'll be laughing at me.
Bill Cosby - "You must remove harmful things!" Enough said.
RDJPhotography - Not really sure who this photographer is but he looks interesting. I'm into taking pictures so this might be fun.
Scott Brodeur - My professor, of course. A+ ??! Lol
CnnBrk - The Axe Factor told me about following Cnn Breaking News. Seems like a good Twitter avenue.
Amy Winehouse - who could resist following this mess. Not hatin, just sayin.
LA Time Health News - Since Los Angeles is a big popular place where people like being in shape, and since I like being in shape, I decided that this was of interest.
The NHL Bruins - My winter-spring moods depend on the successes and failures of my favorite Beantown team
Usan Bolt - world famous athlete, shattered the 100 meter dash world record at the last summer Olympics. Could be one of my idols, but we'll see if
LL Cool J - yea, I'm that old school. He's just awesome :)
Tasi Saiiz - A very good friend of mine who I made fun of all last year for having and using a Twitter account. Well, now she'll be laughing at me.
Bill Cosby - "You must remove harmful things!" Enough said.
RDJPhotography - Not really sure who this photographer is but he looks interesting. I'm into taking pictures so this might be fun.
Scott Brodeur - My professor, of course. A+ ??! Lol
CnnBrk - The Axe Factor told me about following Cnn Breaking News. Seems like a good Twitter avenue.
Amy Winehouse - who could resist following this mess. Not hatin, just sayin.
LA Time Health News - Since Los Angeles is a big popular place where people like being in shape, and since I like being in shape, I decided that this was of interest.
The NHL Bruins - My winter-spring moods depend on the successes and failures of my favorite Beantown team
First Post
This is only my second blog so I'm still not that great at blogging. Just figured I might as well write my first post while I'm sitting here in my house watching "The Hangover." Great movie! So I look forward to meeting and re-meeting everyone and I hope to get to know all of you and stay friends even after the semester's end.
Just a little background information on myself (I guess that will do for a blog ice breaker): I'm from Swampscott/Salem/Lynn, MA. A Boston girl through and through, I plan to live in the city when I'm out of school. Aside from my northeast coast-ern culture, I love to run. Weather's never a factor either. Running in the rain makes me feel like I'm in a movie, and getting in a tough workout in 90-degree weather gives me such an adrenaline rush I get goosebumps.
I'm definitely not your average Josie even though I may look pretty normal. I'm the crazy one in my group of friends, and the most distant one in my family.
So, that's it for now. See ya in class!
P.S. Check out these blogs too!
arjuncollins.wordpress.com
theaxefactor.blogspot.com
snaregeneral.blogspot.com
blogs.umass.edu/jbucklin/
umasswebjourn.wordpress.com/
http://blogs.umass.edu/journal392w-scottb/
P.S. Check out these blogs too!
arjuncollins.wordpress.com
theaxefactor.blogspot.com
snaregeneral.blogspot.com
blogs.umass.edu/jbucklin/
umasswebjourn.wordpress.com/
http://blogs.umass.edu/journal392w-scottb/
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