Alex's MCom 100W World

Broadcast version for Final Feature

2009-12-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb48Q7J4c1c&feature=youtube_gdata

IMHO #2

2009-11-21T13:36:00.001-08:00

After last year’s devastating loss for the No on Prop 8 campaign the talk of marriage equality for gays and lesbians has been in the news. A shocking defeat in the so called “liberal” state has proven that California is just another state to add to the list of states that are behind the times. Many lived through a campaign where they watched their loved ones have their rights stripped from them. The hatred of America came out, a hatred that many still deny, words where uttered that would make our fearless leaders in our county’s history roll over in their graves. After a year later, the holes in hearts can still not be filled so the country watched as Maine voted on the same Prop on their ballot this November. Just as California saw its equality slip away, Maine felt the same sting that California felt. Maine was supposed to open the doors for the states to catch on. California supporters made phone calls, knocked on doors and went at this campaign as if it was its own, and yet again a bigger hole is just being made. It makes you wonder what goes through people’s heads when they step into the polling booths, because it only persons conscious that is in charge then, a flyer, phone call, or promise cannot change the way a person feels all along. The year 2012 marks another year for the marriage equality prop to appear on the ballot. The California campaign only has a few years to ensure that when people step into the polling booths they will feel the pain and understand what it feels like to consider a second class citizen.

Health Care Forum- Extra Credit

2009-11-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

The Democratic Caucus at SJSU held their major event of the semester, a Health Care Forum on Nov. 10th in the Pacifica Room at the Student Union. The event was decided upon by the club because they felt that is was necessary that SJSU students had a chance to listen to a group of panelist decipher what the Health Care Bills meant and how they would affect young adults and students. Two panelists, Dr. Peter Arellano who is a Gilroy City Council Member and just announced that he would be running for the Santa Clara Supervisor in 2010 sat on the panel along with Ashley Roybal a Congressional Aide to Mike Honda, a Representative that covers most of the San Jose district and surrounding areas Dr. Melinda Jackson and Political Science professor served at the events moderator. The welcome was done by Erica Schaefer the clubs president after the welcome Jackson started in on the questions. Questions included if the panelist favored a public option run government health care bill. Both panelists agreed on a public option and felt that it was the best for the country to include one in the bill. Dr. Arellano pulled from his experience as a practicing family doctor for 25 years and Roybal being younger could relate to students needing health coverage at an affordable price. Pre-existing conditions were discussed and how the panel felt about it. Both panelists agreed on many topics. There was a 15 minute time allotted for questions from the audience many which included what would happen to students if the bill was passed or not passed. There were a total of 11 questions asked to the panel for an hour long event. After the event the club asked attendees to write letters to Congressmen and to local newspapers, flyers were provided with email addresses and what to include in a letter. There was also a story board provided by the club that allowed attended to share why the favored or did not favor a Health Care Reform.

Fish Out of Water

2009-11-14T11:50:00.001-08:00

This past weekend my roommate and I decided we wanted a change from our typical college Friday night so we searched the internet for a unique cultural event and wandered upon an Ethiopian music night at an Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose. Walking into the restaurant I had no idea of what to expect, I have never had Ethiopian food and I sure do not have Ethiopian music on my brand new shiny iPod touch. We when we arrived at the restaurant it was already packed and the sound of laughter filled the air. We sat at a small table directly in front of the band which had tribal drums and unique instruments that was intriguing to find out about. I was starving so we took suggestions from the couple next to us that seemed to have a grasp on the large menu. We settled for what seemed to be a thick stew of spices that made my eyes water with every bite and used the injera, bread used to eat most Ethiopian foods. Shockingly you only eat the food with your hand so it got a bit messy, not the best place to take someone on a first date. I was shocked to find out that we had ordered ketfo, which raw meat is served with an array of spices. My eyes must have grown three sizes when Greg, half of the couple that helped us order announced that it was raw. Having always been taught to not eat raw foods I lifted the injera full of raw meat and forced myself to swallow realizing it was not as bad as I thought it would be. After a delectable meal that left my palette feeling very sophisticated I focused in on the music that was picking up beats. The music resembled folk music and I was informed that in Ethiopian it is made more Westernized by playing on more contemporary instruments such as pianos and guitars. The music was the type to get people engaged and the audience was clapping and moving to the groove. Overall, I thought that I would have a sub-par experience at something new but I learned that overcoming my fears gave me a chance to experience something new that I can share with my friends and family.

Targeting Media- AD's

2009-11-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

The ad I picked is a Dolce and Gabbana ad that I found in Cosmo magazine. The ad is target to older people and not teenagers or children, possibly women in their early to mid-twenties. Since the brand is an expensive brand I would expect it to be targeted towards upper class women. I would think that it is targeted towards women that are sexual or are not afraid to discuss sex.
I think the ad’s key message is that if women buy the Dolce and Gabbana products then they will be sexy and sought after. It shows a man overpowering the women, demonstrating that a man can be the dominate one in a relationship. The men around her all greased up and are very attractive. The color scheme in the ad is simple but it allows the focus to be on the woman that is wearing black while the men around her are in blue.

The second ad that I picked is a Seventeen Magazine. The ad is a Got Milk ad that features singer Rhinanna. The ad is probably trying to target teenagers and young women in their twenties. Rhinanna is wearing a black dress which showcases maturity. She is wearing a low cut shirt is possibly catch the eyes of younger men. The background is darker with use of browns and reds. She is giving a seductive look which symbolically sexy.
I think that this ad’s key message is about getting younger women to drink milk because it is necessary to build strong bones. I think that by having a celebrity in the ad it will catch the eyes of people reading the magazine. Since Rhinanna has been in the news she is well known among all age groups. I think that it recommends to women that they have to be sexy to be noticed.

Word #10

2009-11-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

1. Pursuant
2. I read this in a Equality California Volunteer Application that I filled out.
3. Intern agrees that, at the end of the internship, he or she will return all notes and data or reproductions of any aforementioned items developed by Intern pursuant to this contract or otherwise belonging to EQCA.
4. Proceeding from and conformable to; in accordance with. (adj.)
5. The man had no other choice but to be a pursuant to the idea.

Blog #9 – Japanese internment memorial essay

2009-11-03T22:11:00.000-08:00

I never realized that I walk by the Japanese Internment Memorial in Downtown San Jose on a daily basis. What the memorial lacks in size makes up in details and artistic vision. Artist, Ruth Asawa, who was one of the many Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II, used a structure which can be compared to a bronze wall with detailed sculpting on both sides. She was interned in a camp when she was 16 and it is there that it people believe that she developed a strong passion for art.
Her piece in downtown is comparable to a story board. Starting from one side of sculpture and looping around to the other side one can get a sense of what the sequence of events that happened during the internment. The brutality that the Japanese were shown with the sculptures of the burning buildings and unsanitary conditions of many families forced to share tents that were divided by a single bedding sheet. Facial expressions were caught by Asawa and the frightened faces of the Japanese reached out of the sculpture and grabbed your heart. Such grueling details were put into the sculpture including barbed wire that stretched across the whole statute. The wire symbolizing the Americans ability to keep the Japanese-American under their control, and representing a trapped citizen in a country that was built on freedom. The symbol of a single paper airplane is the only image that was sculpted above the barbed wire representing the freedom that families did not have in the camps. Another image that caught my eye was the image of the Congress building where they voted to stop internment camps. This was ironic to me because a country that was founded on freedom had to vote on a law that it wrote itself. Families also sent Asawa mon or family crests that were put on all four corners of the sculpture along with a description of the Japanese Interment in America.
Many wonder why a memorial would be put in the middle of downtown outside of a federal building. During World War II San Jose State had a major impact of the camps.The Civil Control Station at the Men's Gymnasium of San Jose State College was where families were to report too. I had no idea that SJSU had such an impact on the internment camps until visiting the memorial. The memorial may just be a reminder of what happened in American and it may or may not do justice for some people who have viewed it. The memorial for me educated me on a topic that was often just brushed by in my previous classes. It was a new adventure for me to be able to see a sculpture that told a story without having to look through documents. The raw emotions of expressions that were present in the sculpting gave me a sense of what pain people had to go through just because of the ethnicity and the color of their skin. It has proven how far our country has come, or not come.

Word #9

2009-11-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

1. eccentricity
2. "The Things they carried" by Tim O'Brien.
3. It was his one eccentricity.
4. Deviation from the normal, expected, or established (Noun).
5. He was acting out of the nornal and eccentricity was the only word that his date could describe him.

Blog #8- IMHO

2009-10-25T12:55:00.001-07:00

Lately in the media the issue of race has come up. Racism played a major part in last year’s presidential election and now major networks cover race on a daily basis. One story that really shocked and appalled me was the story of the Louisiana couple that was denied the right to marry on account of race. Keith Bardwell, a justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward denied a couple one of which was black and the other which was white the right to marry because of the accusations that he was afraid of what would happen to their children.
Is it just me or does it sounds like we are back in the Civil Rights Movement? I cannot believe that Bardwell would try to get around admitting that he is a racist by not directly saying it but by using an excuse of unborn children. We have come a long way in this country and to even think that there is a man out there that marries people on a daily basis. Marriage is based on love and the love of becoming one. Clearly Bardwell does not believe in the beauty of marriage nor does he commit to the law that any couple can marry, no matter what their skin color.
I am proud of major networks for covering more issues on race because it opens people’s eyes to what is really going on in society. Yes racism still exists. Yes we can change it if we try. I want to be able to love whoever I please and marry whoever I please. There should never have been a law about blacks and whites. America should be ashamed of what the country was like a few years ago, we should all be moving forward and leave racism where is belongs, in the past.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/19/interracial.marriage/index.html

Word of the week #8

2009-10-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

1. destigmatized
2. I found this is in book "Manifesta" by Jennifer Baumgardener and Amy Richards.
3. Given that singlehood and living together have been largely destigmatized, why do so many feminists still bother to get married?.
4. to remove associations of shame or disgrace from (transitive verb)
5. The man felt that if he gave the women an engagment ring then he would destigmatize her from her friends comments.

Blog #7 Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

2009-10-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed the authors way of writing this book. From the very first line I was hooked, possibly because of the use of language and how she used everyday girls in the stories. The details that she used for some of the oddest things were so electrifying that I was glued to the page. The development of the characters was interesting in the fact that she didn't take a long time to describe who they were or what they looked like or even their thoughts on life. We as readers learn this throght their actions and details that the author uses. I especially found it interesting how she can portray attitudes and emotions through the story. Overall, I only read a few chapters but now want to finish the book.
I found that her idea of taking an every day scenario that a girl has been in and developing so that any one as in an adult or a male could realte to it. Race is always a touchy subject in many media and even in books. However, the author tackles the issue first hand by leading off the book with a story about girls not getting along due to the idea of racial slurs and the encouragment of violence encouraged with race. This book makes you laugh and it warms your heart but it also teaches lessons as well.

Word of the Week #7

2009-10-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

1. ubiquitous
2. I read this word in the book titiled "The Working Poor" by David Shippler.
3. High interest may be the most ubiquitous trap for low-wage workers.
4. existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered (adjective).
5. The people felt that it was an ubiquitous manner that the girl could not be broken of.

NPR review

2009-10-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

What did the interviewer know about the subject before the interview?
The interviewer was well aware of Robert A. Clarkes book that he had written. Since the book was about Sept. 11 the interviewer was also very aware of his history and events that happened during the Bush Administration.

What kinds of questions did they ask?
He asked a lot about President Bush’s reaction to Sept. 11 and why Clarke thought that it was handled so poorly. He also asked detailed questions about the book clearly showing that he had
read it.

How did they build up to questions? How did they follow up to questions?
First he gave background information on the question almost an explanation of why he was asking it. He always had a follow up question and never let the interview stray.

Did the interviewer appear to have a strategy?
He seemed to have an idea of what questions he wanted to ask but did allow for some other questions to be asked.

How were inadequate or evasive answers (if any) handled?
Clarke did well when he answered questions. Since he had written a book on the topic he was aware of the questions that were being asked of him.

What was the apparent relationship between the interviewer and interviewee?
It seemed as if they had talked before however the relationship was professional.

What did you learn about interviewing from this interview?
I leaned that no matter what media outlet you are a part of, it is always important to be prepared and to stay up on your current events.

Feelings on covering AB 656 event

2009-10-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed covering the AB 656 event this past Monday on campus. At first, I was a little nervous but I got over my fears very quickly. It was a little more difficult for me because I am part of a club on campus that supports it so I was asked to take part in the rally. It is very difficult to write a non bias story, especially when you are close friends with the people who help organize it. I found out that people are friendly and willing to talk if you are just nice to them. An event is a lot of information to cover and it can get hectic for a single reporter to cover, especially when you do not know exactly what is going to happen.

Word #6

2009-10-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

1. predation
2. I read it in a case study done on Biodiversity about species.
3. Researchers hypothesize that several may affect the extent of predation by rats on birds.
4. the act of preying by a predator who kills and eats the prey (noun).
5. The cat was soon to become a predation to the mouse population.

Mystery Character

2009-10-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

Always supportive of a party. Has a tendency to break ceilings. Isn’t always the popular kid. Hangs with the boys. Married to a celebrity. Gets jet lagged. Has walked one of the longest trails in America. Doesn’t hesitate to wear the pants. Lost “hope” when it came down to the finale. Speaks to the power players. Not a fan of interns. Speaks and people listen. Short blonde hair and a power walk.

Can you guess my Mystery Character?

Answer: Hillary Clinton

Word of the week #5

2009-10-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

1. Pompous
2. I read this in the book titled A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn.
3. Cass- pompous, pretentious, honored (Harvard gave him an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1836, at the height of Indian removal)- claimed to be an expert on the Indians.
4. Characterized by excessive self-esteem or exaggerated dignity; pretentious: (adj.)
5. The man was very pompous and thought a lot of himself when it came to his talent.

Fly on the Wall

2009-09-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

It is the calm before the storm in the student union. Classes are still in session as a few students filter in and out of the swinging doors. Workers wait at their stations waiting for the flood of students to rush in once the clock strikes 10:15 a.m. The smell of oranges feel the air from the Jamba Juice booth, any noise is overpowered by the sounds of blenders that crush and mangle the oranges. People sit and study and stare out into space possibly reaching for that last answer before a test. A boy and a girl come in and it is obvious that the boy has a crush on her. He opens the door for her and pulls the chair which makes a scratching sound on the floor. He is tapping his foot under the table at a rapid place almost as fast as an adrenalin filled heartbeat. She sits across from him and smiles and makes small talk; she doesn’t know where to focus her brown eyes. Sometime it is on his but she fusses with her hands and it is apparent that she is thinking about her posture as she fidgets in her chair. The Subway starts to cook the bread and the sourdough feels the room with the tangy smell, just like at the bread factory in the city. The checkers at the stands announce totals to people in a monotone voice which make you believe they wish their job was more than announcing totals all day. It is obvious when classes are let out because people filter in and it becomes as busy as the 8 o’clock subway in New York City.

Word #4

2009-09-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

1. Hypostatization
2. I read this is the book titled "The Alchemy of Race and Rights by Patricia Williams.
3. The hypostatization of exclusive catergories and definitional polarities, the drawing of bright lines clear an clear taxonomics that purport to make life simpler in the face of life's complications.
4. regarding something abstract as a material thing, (Noun) (verb)
5. It was believed by the girl that the ideas were hypostatized, meaning she thought something was real that was really just abstract.

Comparing Media

2009-09-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

I decided to review the story on the Yale student who was murdered.
1.) Newspaper- The newspaper article was taken from a USA Today issue. The story was a hard news story and was long. It was well sourced and had plenty of interviews, I counted five different quoted sources. The paper had good facts but comparing it to TV and online it just can not keep up with the fast pace like the other two media outlets can.
2) TV- The television's coverage was well done but sometimes facts were reported to fast that you wonder if it was a credible source. The network CNN has up to date news stories every hour so it can report the story issue when ever they feel new news has arisen. The stories vary from being shot to being long. It is different than print because it can to updates when they feel is necessary.
3) My favorite media for this story was from online. The stories seem to be shorter than regular print but have a little more detail than broadcast. There are pleny of sources, for shorter articles there is not many but the sources match up evenly with newspapers. I think it can be compared to print more so than broadcast.

Word #3

2009-09-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

1) Venery
2) I read his is "The Autobiography of Ben Franklin" by Ben Frankiln
3) Rarely use venery but for health or offspring-never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
4) Indulgence in or pursuit of sexual activity (n)
5) The school nurse told the junior high students to never use venery unless they are safe about it.

Dan Ashley Extra Credit

2009-09-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

I attended the Dan Ashley lecture at SJSU on Wednesday Septemner 16. Before the lecture I thought that I was going to get nothing out of it because I felt that he would be speaking more on braodcast and not so much on different mass medias. I felt that he was a wonderful guest speaker that was down to earth and really cared about his profession. The way he spoke to a crowed was amazing because he incorporated a lot of different stories and lessons for students like myself to learn.
My favorite part of his lecture was when he told students to never give up and to always keep up with the changing media. The media today is so fast paced that it tends to leave people wondering. It is the job of the reporter no matter what media aspect to help inform and keep up with the times.

Word #2

2009-09-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

1.) Tumuli
2.) I read this in Walt Whitman's book "Leaves of Grass" the poem is titled Salut Au Monde!
3.) I see the tumuli of Mongolia, I see the tents of Kalmucks and Baskirs, I see the nomadic tribes with herds of oxen and cows, I see the table-lands notch'd with ravines, I see jungles and deserts, I see the camel, the wild steed, the bustard, the far-tail'd sheep, the antelope, and the burrowing wolf.
4.) Definiton: An ancient grave mound; a barrow. (noun)
5.) The tourist wanted to see the tumuli in the foregin country because it was very historical .

My favorite writing

2009-09-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

"She was terrific to hold hands with. Most girls, if you hold hands with them, their goddam hand dies on you, or else they think they have to keep moving their hands all the time, as if they were afraid they'd bore you or something. Jane was different. We'd get into a goddam movie or something, and right away we'd start holding hands, and we won't quite till the movie was over. And without changing the position or making a deal out of it. You never even worried, with Jane, whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were happy. You really were."
-Taken from Ch. 11"Catcher in the Rye" J.D. Salinger

I have always liked this quote because it describes how something so small as holding hands can be a big deal. It descibes the detail that Holden Caulfield, the main character in the book is looking for. It is about being there for people and how sometimes words do not need to be spoken in order for someone to know one another. I like how Salinger uses the idea of society always being afraid of disappointing eachother that something as little as holding hands can be stressful and that we feel the need to change ourselves to make others happy. There is also the idea that there is always that one person you can count on the person you can always run too in time of need. Holding hands implies that you are chained together with eachother and become one for the split moment in time.

Word #1

2009-08-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Pragmatism

Source:
I read this word in the book "The American Dream" by Jim Cullen. The book has been assigned for me to read in my American Dream course this fall.

Sentence:
"That such pragmatism- some might say cynicism- could exist with rigious theology suggested that these flesh-and-blood people who lived lives that were very different than, and yet comparable to, our own."

Definition:
1) Philosophy: A movement consisting of varying but associated theories, originally developed by Charles S. Peirce and William James and distinguished by the doctrine that the meaning of an idea or a proposition lies in its observable practical consequences.

2) A practical, matter-of-fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems.

Pragmatist (noun) Pragmatistic (adjective)

Sentence:
Pragmatism calls for ideas and theories to be tested, by deciding whether acting upon the idea or theory produces desirable or undesirable results.

2009-08-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

A short hike along the Mist trail in Yosemite, the trail was closed but that did not stop us.

All About Me

2009-08-26T12:38:00.001-07:00

When I was 9 I told my mom that I was going to runaway from home and join a newspaper staff, needless to say journalism has always been a passion for me. I grew up in the Central Valley of California where I can cook an egg on the sidewalk about 300 days out of the year. My whole life I have been the person to laugh out loud when it's quiet in the room, dance when everyone is watching and cross over paths that are forbidden.This past summer I interned at ESPN Radio where I worked in the Promotions Department, there I learned what it was like to be thrown into the "real world." This is my third year at SJSU, so I feel old when someone gets excited about going to an event or party, because chances are I have already gone and done that. I find myself in bed by 11:00 p.m. and getting up early to watch the news. If you talk politics with me then I will never shut my mouth, I never follow the rules about not talking about politics at dinner.I hope you enjoy my rants and my thoughts, oh did I mention my name was Alexandria? Nice to meet you!