Broadcast Project

My broadcast project will be located:

www.angelamedinatoday.com/blog

enjoy.

Magazine Project

It’s plagues every magazine cover across the country. It’s on every commercial of every channel you flip to. It’s on every billboard you see. It’s brought up at least once in every girl conversation. Both men and women are constantly criticized about it, especially celebrities. There are so many people across the country so obsessed with it, they’ll even cause harm to themselves trying to obtain it. Nowadays, there is no escaping it.

The epidemic I am referring is the pressure to be skinny. Women have this perception that if they do not have the ideal, stick-figured body, than they will be somehow less appreciated in society.

The number of women this pressure effects is alarming and, not to mention, deeply concerning. Plus, they way these vulnerable women try to achieve the “perfect” bodies is highly dangerous. According to the research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders Inc., one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting.

The main cause of this sickness is low self-esteem, including the one with the “perfect” bodies.

Somehow our society has created a correlation between how we look and how we are accepted. Some people just want to be accepted. I can understand what it feels like to want to be accepted, or even noticed. Humans are social creatures, and we assume that by losing weight, hopefully, we can find that approval; we imagine that a thinner frame will somehow make us more socially accepted.

I’m not presuming that all fuller women don’t receive attention just because they are thick or that they don’t receive any attention at all, but the media attaches a stigma to gaining weight or being fuller. Women are glorified for losing weight and criticized when they gain it. As soon as a celebrity gains a few, the torment does not cease until the weight is gone.

And really, can you blame us? The thin representation is all that we see, and it’s affecting us. According to a study by the International Journal of Eating Disorders, due to the low exposure of thicker bodies in the media, women’s perceptions of how a woman’s body should look are being altered. Most models and celebrities are thinner. As a result to that low exposure, women find that a normal body is a thin body. The thicker and fuller women have no representation in the media, and therefore see their bodies as being abnormal or wrong.

What we as a society need to do is change the psyche. We need to represent women all types of bodies in more types of media. It alters the perception of a “normal” female body, since all body types are being represented

What has happened to our society that we let how other women look effect our self-esteem so badly? Vulnerable women are so easy to manipulate that one picture is all it takes to influence someone to lose weight, whether or not they need to.

We really should become a society of healthy people. I am not advocating for binge or eating whatever you want whenever you want. Health should be the most important thing. Regardless if you were thick or thin, the important thing is that you are healthy.

All my life, I have been petite; I am not very tall, and I am moderately active. During high school, my body began to full in, but I was and still am still pretty petite. However, a thin frame was never something I admired. Growing up, I always wanted curves. Foolishly, I felt that if I had a fuller body, it would make me more of a woman. Unless I completely alter my diet or get some type of plastic surgery that would make my body thicker, this is going to be me forever: a petite, young woman.

Now that I’m a little older and a little more confident, I realized self esteem is not about having a thick body or a thin body, it’s about respecting and accepting the body you were born with. It’s also about realizing that decent people—people that are worth being friends with—won’t worry about your exterior; they’ll be more concern with your personality.

So, if you go to the beach or the pool this summer, and you’re worried about walking around in a bathing suit, just remember: regardless if you have a thicker body or a thinner one, inside is what’s most important.

Broadcast Style Exercise

1. Northquest Airlines announced today that it is cutting its domestic fares by up to 49 percent for holiday travelers.

2. Northquest Airline’s C-E-O, Frank Dewitt, said—quote—“We like to think of it as a holiday gift to our customers.”

3. Discounts vary depending on travel dates. With the discounted, non-refundable fares, a passenger could travel round-trip between Boston and San Francisco for as little as 349 dollars.

4. Tickets must be purchased by July first for travel between November 20 and January fifth in the continental U-S.

Horse on Hwy. 17 Broadcast [revised]

[ANCHOR ON CAM]

AFTER BEING SEEN RUNNING ALONG HIGHWAY 17, A BELOVED HORSE FINALLY RETURNS HOME TO HIS OWNER.

A TWENTY-TWO YEAR OLD WHITE ARABIAN HORSE, STAR, FINALLY REUNITES WITH HIS OWNER, 10 YEAR OLD ATHENA MUZUMDAR [UH-THEE-NUH MOO-ZOOM-DAR], AFTER ESCAPING HIS SOUTH LOS GATOS CORRAL NEARLY TWO WEEKS AGO.

STAR WAS CAUGHT AT A RESIDENTIAL HOME ON KENT WAY AND WAS TAKEN TO THE SAN MARTIN ANIMAL SHELTER.

THE HUMANE SOCIETY WAS INITIALLY RELUCTANT TO RELEASE STAR TO MUZUMDAR [MOO-ZOOM-DAR] BECAUSE OF STAR’S THIN APPEARANCE. STAR’S CORRAL OWNER, SUZANNE CRISTALLO [KRIS-TAL-LOW], QUICKLY CONFIRMED THAT STAR’S WEIGHT WAS DUE TO REOCCURING HEALTH PROBLEMS AND NOT NEGLIGENCE.

APPARENTLY, STAR WAS AMONGST MANY CHARACTERS IN THE CORRAL.

A PONY BY THE NAME OF OREO [OR-EE-OH] IN THE CORRAL, MANAGED TO OPEN THE METAL GATE THAT LEAD OUTSIDE THE CORRAL’S PERIMETERS, SAYS CRISTALLO [SU-ZANN KRIS-TAL-LOW].

STAR IS SAFE AT HOME AND IN GOOD SPIRITS WITH MUZUMDAR [MOO-ZOOM-DAR].

Richmond Broadcast [revised]

[ANCHOR ON CAM]

POLICE OFFICIALS ARE CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAUSED THE DEATHS OF TWO MEN AFTER AN AMTRACK TRAIN STUCK THEM LAST WEDNESDAY IN RICHMOND.

AMTRACK SPOKESWOMAN VERAE GRAHAM CONFIRMED THE VICTIMS WERE HIT NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF CARLSON BOULEVARD AND OHIO AROUND ONE-FORTY IN THE AFTERNOON. THE AMTRACK DID NOT REOPEN UNTIL FIVE-THIRTY LATER THAT AFTERNOON.

BOTH MEN HAVE YET TO BE IDENTIFIED UNTIL FURTHER INVESTIGATION TAKES PLACE.

Topical Blog Post: Childless

Childless

“You don’t wanna have kids?! Do you wanna grow up alone? What if you’re old and you die, don’t you wanna have someone to take care of you?!” exclaimed my coworker Beatrice.

Oprah has not had a child. I do not think she is lonely or incomplete.

I never correlated not having kids with a life of loneliness and despair, and without marriage. Even when I pass, I still never figured my life would have been lonely or miserable because I did not have kids.

Obviously, I do not want to have kids in the future. It is not solely because I’m not good with kids. I just do not see my life as a parent. I do not think I have it in my heart and soul to be a mother a child. Children are a huge responsibility, and I do not think I am ready for that…ever.

My mother always told me, “You’ll grow out of it. You’re just really young right now to even think of having children.”

Maybe she’s right. Maybe I am just too young to even think about having children, and that is why I feel I will never want any. Maybe I will “come around”. However, I really do not think that is the case.

When I was younger, I never liked playing “the Mom,” who cooked, cleaned, and tended to her children all day. I know mothers today do not even do that now, but I still do not see my life as “the Mom”.

I know, especially right now, I am not mature enough to be a parent. I would not want to have children (or a child) unless I was ready. My own parents instilled a great sense of family in me, and I do not think that it is something I can give to my own offspring.

I commend all parents for being able to care for a child. I see parenting has the toughest job in the world. It is something so many people around the world struggle with. I acknowledge that.

I do want to achieve a lot of things in my life, but having a family is not one of them, and that should be okay. I plan to live a life with my husband, and that is it. I do not think I’ll end up miserable and alone as people say.

Two Feature Leads: Squirrelly Incident [for broadcast; revised]

A SQUIRREL WAS THE CAUSE FOR DISRUPTING A MASSIVE MANHATTAN TRANSIT COMMUTES YESTERDAY MORNING.

THE SQUIRREL TIED UP THE METRO-NORTH COMMUTER RAILROAD POWER LINES, INTERFERING WITH NEARLY 47-THOUSAND COMMUTERS FROM RETUNRING HOME.

IT APPARENTLY SNUCK ITS WAY INTO THE TRAIN’S MAJOR POWER LINES AND YANKED ELECTRICAL WIRES RESULTING IN AN ELECTRICAL POWER SURGE, SAYS METRO-NORTH SPOKESWOMAN DONNA EVANS.

MAINTENANCE CREWS HAD THE TRAINS RUNNING AGAIN BY EARLY THIS MORNING.

Focus Story Structure: Football Injury

When teenage boys join the football team, they don't typically think about the severe risks involved, until it's too late. Unfortunately, that was the case for 16-year-old Pete Stenhoff.

Stenhoff, a junior and football player at Child Visa High School in Redmond, California, cracked his vertebrae while slamming into the ball carrier's chest. He is not confined to a wheelchair.

Considering his injuries, Stenhoff is not bitter. "I knew the risks involved when I decided to play football," he says, and adds, "I wish I would have known just how bad it could be."

Each year, there are 20,000 injuries in high school football; Twelve percent of them permanently disable the victims, a thirty-five percent of the injuries are to the neck and head. Most critics blame the helmet.

Commentary Piece: Maybe I'm just old fashioned

Last night, my friend Stephanie and I went to San Francisco to see an old friend for her birthday. Kayla was turning the ancient age of 20.

We spent the day in her apartment, which is amazing to someone who still lives at home, and later spent some time at Serrimonte Mall. It felt nice to spend time with good friends, until Kayla wanted to party to "celebrate her birthday".

As a college student myself, I understand most of my friends and peers party every single weekend. They either drink from Thursday to Sunday, or they talk about their wild nights. However, I don’t live my life that way. Maybe I’m boring, but I just have too many things to do during the weekend that I have no time or energy to go out.

Unfortunately, I’ve observed something in Kayla and her roommates that is far worse than drinking and partying every weekend: As Kayla and her roommates were getting ready for Kayla’s “birthday celebration,” their lack of self worth and their degrading relationship with men was surprising.

“I met him that night, and we only made out,” says Kayla’s roommate Lina. As she paused for the rest of our reaction, she exclaimed, “What?! That’s all we did! He’s a pimp, but he’s a really nice guy. I call him ‘pimp-daddy.’”

Little did I know, Lina’s interest was an actual pimp. I was sick to my stomach that any woman would date anyone so despicable.

Then, there was Sonia—another roommate. Sonia had been “facebooking” her interest. They’re never met in person, and last night was the night they would meet. In order to get ready, Sonia drank 2 shots of Grey Goose, and wore 5-inch heels with “shorts” and low cut top.

Needless to say, I said my goodbyes and left before the party started. I was just so disgusted by the way these girls thought about men and how they present themselves. It wasn’t respectable or attractive to me. In fact, it was the exact opposite. I’m use to meeting guys personally, dressing a little more refined around them, and being sober, especially around someone I was interested in. Maybe I’m just old fashioned.

Ethical Decisions

Scenario 1: Even though the documents on her desk are related to my investigation, my only action would be to ask her about the documents when she returns. The journalist part of me would desperately want to read them and use the information to my advantage, but the way I obtained that information could not be justified honorably.

Scenario 2: Yes, I would take the job as an orderly and report back my experience. My first job is a reporter; I must report back information the public would find useful. I feel they should know in what ways their local nursing home is substandard .

Scenario 3: When using another writer's information and incorporating it into your own piece (even from a web site), I must credit the other written source.

Cosmopolitan Magazine

Cosmopolitan Magazine, or simply "Cosmo", is a woman's magazine. The content of the magazine involves sex, health, male insight, and cosmetics. The target audience ranges from ages 18-25. Especially the sex and health portions of the magazine, the content is at times very provocative and is meant for a mature audience. I've collected Cosmo's since I was 15 years old. Initially, I was drawn in by the cosmetic tips they offered and the features stories they would report. Every issue, Cosmo writes about a particular person's troubling story. Sometimes these stories involved rape, addiction, or even STD's. Also, probably the most alluring aspect of the article, Cosmo has a different featured celebrity. I always enjoyed the fun, yet lengthy articles.

Ethics and Libel

According to the story's draft, there are evidence of libelous and I, as an editor, would not publish the report. The main point of the story is that Hart only claimed the inappropriate events involving Jungle. She has not pursued an investigation with the University (yet), and the story lacks any involvement with authorities. A girl simply claiming that her teacher was inappropriate with her is not enough to published. If she has involved authorities, then it would be enough to publish since there was an investigation. Some credibility could be given to this story as well; this story was more of a he-said/she-said type, because it only contained quotes from the two parties and not a third party.

Copy Edit the World (Part II)

This mistake is taken from my local politics class. I noticed:

Mr.Keeley respectfully declined, and became Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League, and the PCL Foundation for two years.

I feel that the sentence commas complicate the sentence. Does it mean that Keeley was Executive Director of both organizations or just Director or one organization and involved with the other. Perhaps the sentence could be changed to:

Mr. Keeley respectfully declined to became Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League, and he also become a part of the PCL Foundation for two years.

This picture is of a syllabus from my multimedia class. The mistake is:

Students will learn how to gather audio, still and video assets and produce them into meaningful audio reports, audio/stills slideshows and short Web videos and integrate them into their own HTML sites as well as on their own Wordpress-based content management system.

Perhaps the sentence should best be written as:

This class will stress two major objectives: how to gather audio, still images, and video assets to produces meaningful storytelling; and to integrate audio, slideshows, and Web videos onto theor HTML sites and Wordpress blogs.

"That's all I'm asking for before working my way through internships and part-time work to something hopefully more career-orientated. Either that or I regroup, take the Graduate Record Examination and apply for a graduate program as the opportunity to do so for this fall has passed."

This error was found in Thursday's edition of the Spartan Daily. The second sentence was confusing. "as the opportunity to do so for this fall has passed," is confusing. Perhaps the writing was truing to express he should apply for the graduate program before the fall passed.

http://media.www.thespartandaily.com/media/storage/paper852/news/2010/03/25/Opinion/Veering.Off.Our.Predetermined.Paths-3894507.shtml

Math for Journalists

1. College Budget

67%- from the State (the most funding)

5%- from student tuition (the least funding)

28%- from fees, grants, and gifts

A local college released figures showing its total budget is $120 million. Over two-thirds of the funding came from the state, less than one-third of the funding came from fees, grants and gifts, and the least amount of funding came from student tuition.

2. Prison terms

The average (mean) prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault is 22 months.

The median prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault is 12 months.

In this case, the median was the most accurate description of prison terms. Since Michael Reese's prison term was significantly longer then the rest, his score distorted the average (mean) result.

3. State Legislature

The state sales tax for California is 8.25%

People would save $21.45 if they pay $5 per meal once a week.

People would save $85.80 is they pay $20 per meal once a week.

AP Style Exercise (S-Z)

1) When he heard the building design for the new high school had been rejected, Bill pulled out his stationery to write a letter of protest. (2)
2) Ben really knows his Scriptures, but he knows little about the Talmud or the Shariah. (3)
3) Her home in upstate New York is surprisingly ultramodern and [-unique] for its middle-class neighborhood. (4)
4) To celebrate Veterans Day, the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, troops of former soldiers will march down Main Street carrying United States flags. (3)
5) Word-of-mouth has it that Ellen will wind up with the only “A” in the class. (2)
6) When Sara spotted the Louis L'Amour paperback, she asked whose book it was. She couldn't believe it was John's; after all, nobody reads Westerns anymore. She had no idea he was so wierd. (4)

BONUS: The man was arrested for brandishing a 12-gauge shotgun outside his home. (1)

AP Style Exercise (M-R)

1) He hopes to make $1 million by the time he's 40. Already he figures his net worth is between $2 and $3 million, depending on current stock prices. (3)

2) Ever since she joined the U.S. Navy [-on] June 15, 2005 she has been a vocal proponent of naval practices and policies. (3)

3) It was a one-sided game, and he was a poor loser. After losing the play-off when his ball went out of bounds, he made an off-color remark that could be heard in the stands. (4)

4) Hundreds of people attended Sundays race to watch 75 top bicyclists pedal across the finish-line. (4)

5) Every summer the Joneses and the Kinneys pore over travel brochures, planning their winter trip together. This year they're hoping to vacation in Panama City. (4)

6) The five-year-old girl was born in Canton, Ohio, but now she lives in Fremont, CA. (3)

News Story #6 [Revised]

Applesauce

A trucker carrying 24 full containers of apples looses control of his tractor today at 8:30 a.m. just south of Petaluma near Kastania Road.

The accident, according to 55-year-old California native driver Robert Urbins, claimed he heard a cable snap. Urbins says the rear flatbread of the truck started “whipping’ and scattered apples.

The apple mess caused the road crews to block one northbound lane of highway 101 in south Sanoma County. The apples scattered along 200 to 300 feet of the highway, and some were nearly 1,000 feet away along the shoulders and median strip.

The mess of nearly 10 tons of apples severely impacted the morning commute. “We’ve got apples sauce all over the highway,” says California Highway Patrol officer Wayne Ziese. “Right now, we’ve got apples piled two feet high on the roadside, and crews out here with brooms and shovels.”

There was also a mist in the air that made the roads slippery, which added to the hazard already caused from the spilled apples.

There were no injuries reported in the apple accident. However, a motor home located right behind the flatbed truck sustained minor damage.

Urbins claimed to be driving 55 mph but was given a traffic citation anyways for the spilled load.

Two Feature Leads

Fact Set #1: A Squirrelly Situation

Who would have thought a squirrel could tie-up the mass transit commute in Manhattan?

That's exactly what happened Monday afternoon when a squirrel disrupted the Metro-North Commuter Railroad power lines causing 47,000 commuters from returning home.

According to Metro-North spokeswoman Donna Evans, a squirrel snuck its way into the train's major power lines which resulted in an electrical power surge. The surge weakened an overhead bracket which caused the bracket the dangle down and was yanked underneath a passing train. The stretched bracket eventually teared down the rest of the lines.

Service was restored by crews by Tuesday morning.

News Story #4

A Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco yesterday severed a two-inch gas pipe with a backhoe, closing down a four-black area near Folsom and 11^th Street.

The incident forced residents and business owners to evacuate from 12:30 p.m. to 5:09 p.m. Since Folsom and 11^th Street are heavily thoroughfares, traffic was at a standstill.

Approximately 100 evacuees stood around the edges of the police perimeter, and most people felt irate.

“Ask my customers. They were pretty irate,” explained Carlann Lauria, the manager of the self-storage company Crocker’s Locker. Lauria and her customers stood outside the perimeter as she collected payment checks.

The Manager of the Wa-H-a-Ka restaurant, Samantha Feldman, also adds that her business suffered from the evacuation. According to Feldman, lost about $500 worth of business from the shutdown.

News Story #3

Firefighters rescued a retired man from his burning home yesterday in San Jose.

Captain Rob Piper stated that the victim, Robert Kent, suffered second and third-degree burns on 50 percent of his body from his smoky house.

Piper adds that the incident occurred in Kent’s single story home on Annapolis Way. The fire evidently started in the kitchen, where Firefighters rescued an unconscious Kent on his kitchen floor. Eventually, the fire engulfed the whole house.

A nursing supervisor at Valley Medical Center in San Jose stated that Kent is currently listed in grave condition.

AP Style Exercise (I-L)

1) The last time she played soccer, she suffered a serious injury to her knee. Sometimes it's hard to understand why she wants to keep playing. (2)

2) He was indicted an assault charge, but his attorney said the case against him is circumstantial and she is sure the enquiry will exonerate him. (2)

3) He knows it isn’t kosher, but green Jell-O is his favorite dessert. This admission has prompted his friends to question both his taste and his judgement. (3)

4) Now that he has DSL, he finds it much easier to go online to check his e-mail and download files. (3)

5) He stood behind the lecturn, addressing his long time colleagues at the K. of C. (3)

Copy Edit the World (Part I)

"There's this malaise in the country, there's a sense of hopelessness and a sense that people are so beat down," he said. "(Scott-Heron) says it in 'Winter in America' that no one's really fighting, that everyone is just shrugging their shoulders and just taking it."

- The Spartan Daily; http://media.www.thespartandaily.com/media/storage/paper852/news/2010/02/25/Features/Disc-Jockey.Cooks.Up.Soundtrack.For.Social.Change-3879412-page2.shtml

Since the writer is inserting their own words into someone else's quote, his or hers clarification or addition should be placed in brackets, instead of parentheses.

"One time, I woke up at 3 a.m. craving beef noodle soup, walked down some stairs and made a turn at the corner, and lo and behold, there was a beef noodle soup cart."

-The Spartan Daily; http://media.www.thespartandaily.com/media/storage/paper852/news/2010/02/25/

Opinion/When-In.Taiwan.Do.As.The.Taiwanese.Do-3879298.shtml

I believe the "lo" being referred to is a type-o is suppose to be "look".

As we are a community where people live, we think its important that just like out in the world where there are laws that prohibit harassment and assault, that it's the same in our resident halls," Stephanie
Hubbard said.

-The Spartan Daily; http://media.www.thespartandaily.com/media/storage/paper852/news/2010/02/25/News/Sjsu-Housing.Services.Modifies.Harassment.Policy-3879401.shtml

This mistake is the improper use of "its" and "it's". In this case, the writer used "its" when he should have used "it's" since he wasn't trying to show possession. By adding the apostrophe (since "it's" is a contraction of "it is"), the sentence can clearly translate into "As we are a community where people live, we think it is important...".

Louann Padilla-Pino, a sophomore business administration major and Spartan cheerleader. "We've lost two coaches, we've lost teammates for different reasons and we just really pulled together as a team."

-The Spartan Daily; http://media.www.thespartandaily.com/media/storage/paper852/news/2010/02/25/-Sports/Cheer.Team.HighSpirited.In.Face.Of.Competition-3879373-page2.shtml

The first sentence of this paragraph is a fragment. Perhaps the writer could have inserted "Louann Padilla-Pino... stated, 'We've lost two coaches....'"

Top News #3

Alexa Gonzalez, a 12-year-old student at Junior High School in Forest Hills, New York was arrested for doodling on her desk. Gonzalez wrote "I love my friendsAbby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)" on her desk and was then cuffed in front of her peers later that day. The no tolerance policy was the charge against the young girl. She was later released. However, Alexa's nonviolent crime was not the first. Alexa's case isn't the first in the New York area. One of the first cases to gain national notoriety was that of Chelsea Fraser. In 2007, the 13-year-old wrote "Okay" on her desk, and police handcuffed and arrested her. She was one of several students arrested in the class that day; the others were accused of plastering the walls with stickers.

Clearly, the initial feelings after reading this story was confusion and anger. This "no tolerance" policy was clearly taken too far. To handcuff a 12-year-old girl is ridiculous and abusive. What makes this story newsworthy is the emotions it provokes and the impact it has on the local community. It directly effects the students who have committed such "crimes" and the parents who send their children to these schools.

If you'd like to read more about this story, just click :

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/18/new.york.doodle.arrest/index.html

AP Style Exercise E-H

1) To ensure the accuracy of the news story, Susan Jones checked with her source. For Jones, this is an everyday practice, not the exception. (4)

2) As the two boys argued over who should get the last piece of pizza, both seemed equally as hungry. Clearly, they had forgotten their earlier decision to forgo having seconds. (2)

3) He suspected his neighbor was selling drugs, so he called the FBI. His neighbor, however, cried foul at the accusation. (2)

4) She grew up on the Great Plains, near Alliance, Nebraska, where the winters are long and harsh and the living is hand to mouth. (3)

5) Her car was sideswiped by a hit-and-run driver on Route 1-A this morning. She wasn't really injured, but the impact sent the contents of her purse helter-skelter. (4)

News Story #2

Fact Sheet #1 Parking Lot Crash:

A construction truck crashed into another car this afternoon in a parking lot in San Mateo killing one person and injuring three others.

The truck driver, according to San Mateo Police Captain Kevin Nguyen, lost control of the truck due to a “mechanical failure.” The truck came down 43^rd Avenue, a residential street that dead-ends in Mollie Stone’s grocery store parking lot.

The five victims, including the truck driver, have not yet been identified. The driver of the hit vehicle was declared dead at the scene, while the other 3 victims were taken to the Stanford Hospital.

Fact Sheet #2 Devil's Slide Crash:

A motorist drove off a 150-foot cliff at Highwat 1 at Devil’s slide at 4:10 a.m. today.

The 24-year old San Francisco motorists, whose name has not been released, drove his Mazda sedan in dense fog when he missed a turn and drover over the side of the cliff.

The motorist was retrieved after closing the road for two hours and then taken to a San Francisco General Hospital for observation.

The motorist suffered only one bump on his head—a minor injury. Fortunately, the motorist was wearing his seatbelt. According to CHP Sgt. Trent Ross, the accident would have been fatal if the motorists had not been wearing his seat belt

News Story #1

A 74-year-old woman crashed into a convenient store yesterday evening in Norwalk in Los Angeles County.

According to Los Angeles Sheriff Lt. Jenny Han, Lynn Rice of Norwalk drove her 1988 Cadillac into Joe’s Food Mart and Video in Norwalk. No one was injured.

The store’s owner Joe Awada explains that after the car plowed halfway through the store, Rice got out of the car and walked over to the cooler to purchase a six-pack of Budwiser beer.

“I don’t know how she managed to walk,” explaind Awada. He added that the cashier refused to sell her the beer and called the police instead.

Rice was taken to a hospital for an examination, because she had a previous medical condition. Rice was also arrested for investigation of misdemeanor driving under the influence and was later released on a $15,000 bail, said authorities.

Got What It Takes To Be A Reporter?

After taking the quiz, I scored a 24. According to my score, "Journalism is a good fit for [me], mostly-- but it may require [me] to change [my] attitude or improve some skills." This sounds about right. Initially, I was a little put off by it; I at least thought I was a "solid contender." However, after being honest with myself, I realize that this score is pretty exact. Although I do have some skills to work on (like my bad grammar, my inability to ask questions in class because I'd rather figure it out on my own, and my lack of trivia knowledge), I'm confident that i have what it takes to be a reporter.

My FOG Index [Revised]

Based on this example of my writing:

This story is just one of many relating to the dangerous drug cartel in Mexico. What makes this story particularly frightening is the innocent victims in this case. Most of the people killed were around my age. To a certain degree, any one of these innocent victims could have been friends of mine or even myself. These innocent people were either harmed or killed while going to a party. It is almost normal for many college students to go to house parties. It's very concerning to think of the possibilities. It is also scary to imagine the lack of shame and humanity these gang members have. I also have deep concern for Americans who wish to travel to boardertowns for spring break, and the dangers they could potentially face. I wish for more immediate action on Mexican Government, as well as the United States and the United Nations. I view this issue a very serious one and one that cannot be ignored any longer.

My resulting FOG Index is 10.8.

According to the text, the appropriate score should be 7 or 8. Having a score of almost 11 lets me know that me writing should be simpler, as far as the words T use and the length of my sentences. However, I find it difficult to write such simple sentences; its as if I am not making my writing sophisticated enough.

Top News #2 [Revised]

This story hasn't occured all week long. Its very new but pretty important.

In the University of Alabama, three faculty member were killed and other wounded by a school shooting. Initially, officials were not releasing the names of possible suspects, but now their prime suspect is a Harvard graduate, biology professor Amy Bishop. Although a motive is not being released, Bishop is the only suspect officials have at this point.

This story is newsworthy for a variety of reasons. Obviously, school safety is something that is very important for students and faculty members alike. With Tragedies such as Virginia Tech and now the University of Alabama, it's natural to feel concern with our own school. This story is newsworthy is because of the emotions it provokes. This story makes people feel sad because of the loss of innocent lives. Although this human-interest story is tragic, I think readers respond to this because the shooters are not the typical students. It adds a new aspect readers didn't expect, since it introduces professors having the potential of such evil.

If you're curious to read more about this story, here are some links:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/12/alabama.university.shooting/index.html?iref=allsearch

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/13/alabama.university.shooting/index.html

Lead 2 [Last week's>Revised]

Lead #2: A U.S. flight crashed yesterday killing 131 people on board just outside Pittsburgh, making it the worst air disaster in the U.S. in three years.

Leads 3-5

Lead 3: The San Mateo Coroner announced today that the woman found at Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica last month died of accidental drowning. The woman's body was discovered in the golf course by a local hiker.

There is no indication that 34-year-old Laura Jessica Smythe's death was not accidental, according to Robert Frost, the San Mateo County Coroner. "[Her death] was consistent with freshwater drowning, associated with probable hypothermia," stated Frost. Foster also added that Smythe's body had methamphetamines when she died.

Lead 4a: An entire flight leaving Minneapolis was evacuated today, after a landing tower employee spotted smoke near the wheels of the jet.

The 40 passengers of Flight 428 were evacuated at the Municipal Airport in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.

Lead 4b: A 7-year-old boy was found after three years on Thursday night in Brick Township, New Jersey. A neighbor immediately called the police after recognizing the child's picture shown at the end of the movie Adam: The Song Continues.

Police Arrested the boy's mother, 27-year-old Ellen Lynn Conner. Conner now faces charges of kidnapping and interference with a custody warrant.

Lead 5:

Fact Set #1: delayed identification lead

An employee of Gross Engineers suffered third-degree burns after touching a 15,000 volt power line and was listed into the intensive care unit in a Springfield hospital Wednesday afternoon.

The accident took place at he Springfield Municipal Power Plant at 222 Power Dr. where the pipe fitter, 55-year-old Duane La Chance, was apparently installing new pipes on the roof of the power plant, when he touched a power line containing 15,000 volts with a piece of angle iron, says Project Manager for Gross Engineers Henry Ronsen.

Fact Set #2: immediate identification lead

Actor and comedian Chevy Chase was appointed to Bard College's board of trustees yesterday in New York.

The Alumni's appointment was announced at an alumni dinner during the school's Homecoming week.

AP Style Exercise A-D

1. Mayor RIchardson Wrigley expressed confidently that the gubernatorial debate, which begins at 7:30 p.m. this evening, will have a positive effect on his candidacy. Wrigley added, "Governor Red Davidson is a master of dirty politics, but I won't take any of his bologna."

2. For her birthday, the 9-year-old invited five good friends over for ice cream and cake. The chocolate cake was so tasty that anyone of the children could have eaten it all, but they carefully divided it between themselves.

3. Dr. Deborah Dunwoody, the new head of the Journalism Department, recently bought a house bought a house at 6 Riverside Dr. in San Mateo. [Take out "Ph.D." and "a city in the San Francisco bay area"]

4. Rome, Italy- Many Roman Catholics listened as the Pope delivered his homily today.

Top News #1 [Revised]

Fifteen gunmen stormed into a house party killing as many as 16 teenagers and injuring 12 others in the early morning of January 31 in Juarez, Mexico. The gunmen are apparently part of the Juarez Cartel gang, and investigators have yet to find a motive for the killings. The victims' ages ranged from 14-19, and they all had no known crime association. According to CNN, Juarez is one of the most deadliest as rival drug gangs fight "for routes" in the U.S. market; they also report that as many as 230 people have been killed since the start of the year. Since the shootings on the Sunday, the community and the victims' relatives have petitioned for United Nations Peacekeepers to be sent to Juarez.

This story is just one of many relating to the dangerous drug cartel in Mexico. What makes this story particularly frightening is the innocent victims in this case. Most of the people killed were around my age. To a certain degree, any one of these innocent victims could have been friends of mine or even myself. These innocent people were either harmed or killed while going to a party. It is almost normal for many college students to go to house parties. It's very concerning to think of the possibilities. It is also scary to imagine the lack of shame and humanity these gang members have. I also have deep concern for Americans who wish to travel to boardertowns for spring break, and the dangers they could potentially face. I wish for more immediate action on Mexican Government, as well as the United States and the United Nations. I view this issue a very serious one and one that cannot be ignored any longer.

Top News #1

Fifteen gunmen stormed into a house party killing as many as 16 teenagers and injuring 12 others in the early morning of January 31 in Juarez, Mexico. The gunmen are apparently part of the Juarez Cartel gang, and investigators have yet to find a motive for the killings. The victims' ages ranged from 14-19, and they all had no known crime association. According to CNN, Juarez is one of the most deadliest as rival drug gangs fight "for routes" in the U.S. market; they also report that as many as 230 people have been killed since the start of the year. Since the shootings on the Sunday, the community and the victims' relatives have petitioned for United Nations Peacekeepers to be sent to Juarez.

This story is just one of many relating to the dangerous drug cartel in Mexico. What makes this story particularly frightening is the innocent victims in this case. Most of the people killed were around my age. Its scary to imagine the lack of shame and humanity these gang members have. I also have deep concern for Americans who wish to travel to boardertowns for spring break, and the dangers they could potentially face. I wish for more immediate action on Mexican Government, as well as the United States and the United Nations. I view this issue a very serious one and one that cannot be ignored any longer.

If you want to view more information on the Juarez gangs and this story:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/06/mexico.juarez.drugs/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/01/mexico.juarez.shooting/index.html#cnnSTCText

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/31/mexico.juarez.shooting/index.html?iref=allsearch

Leads 1 & 2

Lead 1 (Earthquake): An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.2 took place near Alum Rock Falls Road in Santa Clara County 8:33 am this morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no reported injuries or damages.

Lead 2 (Highway closed): Highway 9 was closed just west of Saratoga at Pierce Road in Santa Clara County for nine hours yesterday, due to fallen trees from the overnight wind and rain, according to a California Highway Patrol Spokeswoman.

My First Blog

Hello!

My name is Angela Medina, and I'm very excited to take this class. This is my 2nd year at SJSU, and I'm double majoring in Journalism and Global Studies. Although the magazine unit in the class is what I look forward to the most, I'm very open minded to the rest of the course.

Best,

A.Medina514