Extra Credit

SIMONS, Amber who lived in Castro Valley, died last week on a hot air balloon trip, of natural causes, at age 95. Amber was born in Oakland, California, on April 8, 1987. She grew up in Oakland and moved to Castro Valley when she was 13-years-old.
It was her first year at Castro Valley High School when she met the love of her life, Matthew Hepworth. Although they broke up shortly after Amber left for college, the two of them remained friends and rekindled their relationship during her second year of college.
Amber graduated from San Jose State University with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and philosophy. Upon her graduation, she joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Costa Rica where she spent two years doing volunteer work. The experience was one Amber cherished for the rest of her life.
When Amber returned home, Matthew proposed and she accepted. The two got married in the spring the next year. That same year, Amber began her journalism career at Vanity Fair magazine. She worked for Vanity Fair for 10 years, when she decided to start her own publication. Her dream was to create a magazine for music and fashion worshipers, like herself.
Melody magazine became an instant favorite for many young American women. Her magazine featured famous music artists and fashion designers like her own sister, Anastasia. Amber gave a great deal of her earnings to children charities both in the U.S. and abroad. She always believed that people should help out others in need, especially children in need. Harmony was not Amber’s only accomplishment.
Amber and Matthew had three children, Jacob, Lorraine Estelle and Melody, whom they adored. Amber loved being a mother more than anything and was proud that she could be both successful in her career and in parenting. After 30 years Amber retired, handing down Harmony to her daughter Lorraine Estelle.
Amber and Matthew spent their last 30 years together traveling.
Amber is survived by her loving husband, her younger sister, her three children and her grandchildren. She had expressed to her family that she would like to be cremated and that her ashes be scattered in a lake, where she felt most at peace. Anyone attending the dispersion of Amber’s ashes is asked to wear bright colors, because they were her favorites.
The family would like to thank all of those who expressed sympathy in this time of loss.

Word Count: 403

Individual Blog

#3

Texas Polygamist Camp

Since the raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' camp, in Texas, I am still unsure of what to make of the whole ordeal. According to CNN, over 400 children have been removed from the camp by the State, and a judge ruled that DNA samples should be taken to determine the parents of each child.

I remember a couple of years back watching a program about the supposed polygamist sect and wondering why, since polygamy is illegal in the U.S., no one did anything to end the practice at the camp. The program showed former members of the sect telling their individual experiences on the Texas ranch. From what I remember, it sounded pretty scary.

Now that the police have raided the ranch and taken the children into custody, I can't decide whether the children are in a better situation now, without their parents. The mothers are fighting for custody of their children and I can't help but to feel sympathy for them. But at the same time, from what I have heard about the ranch, I worry that the ranch was not a safe environment for the children. Stories of abuse from former members seem to show that the ranch is not a pleasant place to grow up.

I cannot decide what to think about the situation, and I am sure that it is a lot harder for those individuals involved and for the state officials.

Word Count: 246

Coffee Exercise

Sounds of blenders buzzing fill the air. It is late in the afternoon and Starbucks is almost empty. Three employees, one woman and two men, are behind the counter busily cleaning and stocking for the next rush. People slowly stride in and out, leaving immediately after receiving their beverages. The female employee begins to vacuum the pastry counter. Because of the loud noise the employees resort to yelling. Almost as soon as she is finished, a man approaches the counter. “Hello! What can I get you?” He asks for an espresso drink, upon request, he tells her his name is Mike. After ordering his drink, Mike stares at the pastry counter, wondering if the cake is worthwhile. She tells him it is a low-fat cake, but that it is tasty. Mike tells her if he's going to be bad, he might as well eat badly. She suggests he try a snicker doodle cookie, "they are really good," she tells him. Mike says alright, he'll try one and she coaxes him into trying it heated up. He pays, receives his espresso and leaves, warm cookie in hand. With Mike’s departure, only the employees remain. Containers are clanking and cabinets are being opened and closed. A couple enters the café. The man, who is a Starbucks employee at another location, and the employees begin to discuss how their hours have been reduced. Apparently, it isn’t a happy topic. It appears that the female employee and one of the male employees have some sort of romantic relationship. He jokes that he is mad at her and she whines that he has no reason to be. It is a kind of teasing that they both seem to enjoy. Because there are no customers, the employees continue their preparation for later hours.

Word Count: 297

Individual Blog

#2

Convicted Felons Serving Our Country?

According to the Associated Press, "Under pressure to meet combat needs, the Army and Marine Corps brought in significantly more recruits with felony convictions last year than in 2006, including some with manslaughter and sex crime convictions. Data released by a congressional committee shows the number of soldiers admitted to the Army with felony records jumped from 249 in 2006 to 511 in 2007. And the number of Marines with felonies rose from 208 to 350."

I understand from reading the story, posted online on Monday, that the Military is in need of more soldiers, but how smart and safe is it to recruit people who aren't allowed to own guns in the U.S.?

According to the story, the government is even giving waivers to people who have made bomb and terrorist threats. How interesting is it that these same people are fighting in the war against terror.

This sort of recruitment seems to prove the point that the U.S. is often hypocritical. We don't allow things until we need things allowed for our own benefit.

Word Count: 181

Fish Out of Water

The Grand Parade of the 41st Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival took place on Sunday, April 20, 2008. The parade began beating its thundering drums at 1 p.m., in front of the San Francisco Civic Center, on Polk Street. It then proceeded up Polk Street to Post Street, where it turned left, headed toward Japantown.
The procession was a myriad of people.
My mother and I sat in front of a business on Polk Street and watched in amusement. Among the procession were: Japanese performers, of all ages, dancing their way past us wearing bright-multicolored cultural costumes. Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops from a Buddhist temple marching by, fully dressed in uniforms, carrying banners. A large boat filled with young children floated by us playing what I would call, Japanese lullaby tunes. There were crowned queens and princesses, on floats and driven in fancy cars. And when the group of Anime fans walked past us I could not help to look at my mom and start laughing. They were in full costume, resembling their favorite Anime characters, and in full enthusiasm. My favorite had to be the man dressed like some sort of hairy spider thing. It was definitely an unexpected crowed.
We found the drums most entertaining. On two different floats there was drumming. On one float the drummers were girls and on the other they were older women. The intensity was amazing. It sounded something like: Boom…Boom, Boom, Boom…Boom, Boom, Aiiigh! There was one leader on each of the floats that, after each drum was beaten, would yell indicating it was time to beat the drums again.
After watching the parade for a while we walked about 20 minutes, alongside the procession, to Japantown. There were hundreds of people lining the streets of Japantown watching the parade. We made our way into one of the Japantown shopping malls, and into a small restaurant. We were sat within a matter of seconds, and as soon as we sat down we were poured hot tea. Both of us looked at the menu of pictures and tried to tell the waiter what we wanted, without chopping up the Japanese too much. The food was delicious and filling, exactly what we needed after a long walk.
When we were finished eating, we went back outside, where we found the last show of the parade. A man, wearing nothing but a loincloth, was on a temple-like float being held in the sky by a large group of people. The man was holding onto a rope that was his only security from falling, as the crowd underneath began to bounce up and down. Everyone was yelling and cheering. Though I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on at that point, I read on the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Web Site, that it is called a Taru Mikoshi and is hoisted by over one hundred strong individuals.
The Web Site also states, “it is a spectacle not to be missed,” and I agree. The parade was something new and unfamiliar to me, but it was entertaining and the food was scrumptious. I want to go back again next year.

Word Count: 526

Individual Blog

#1

Economic Crisis in the U.S.

According to CNN, in New York, on Wednesday, Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich warned Americans not to be overly optimistic that the U.S. economy might rebound by the end of summer. "'More realistically, we are going to go into 2009 with a serious recession,' Reich, now a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and author of the recent book 'Supercapitalism,' said on the CNN program 'Issue #1.'"

Reich was also quoted in the article as saying, "You've got food and energy prices, fuel prices going way way up...You've got wages stuck. You've got people who are losing their jobs. You've got housing prices going down. I mean, it's pretty bad."

In my local politics class, my professor spent almost an entire lecture on the United States' economic crisis to demonstrate how it ties in to local politics and California's economic crisis. He pretty much pinned the crisis on credit and the houssing market.

This is a serious issue.

In a country where a person cannot buy a house without "good" credit, where have the days of saving money for things gone? Who needs to save anything when pretty much anyone can be approved a credit card? Since I turned 18, in 2005, I have been sent a countless amount of pre-approved credit cards in the mail, none of which I have used, and I wonder why our country has made it neccessary to rely on credit.

I am terrified of the day impending day when I have to buy a house. What will the market look like then? Also, I will probably have to invest in a good bicycle to get to work in, if I am lucky enough to have a job, because by then gas will be well over $5.

Word Count: 294

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

I decided to read the first chapter, "Brownies", because I was once a Girl Scout and thought I might be able to relate. I think ZZ Packer is a great writer. I could visualize the troop and the camping trip because of her writing technique. The story was overflowing with detail and description.

On the second page, Packer describes Mrs. Margolin: "Arnetta said this from the very rear of the line, far away from Mrs. Margolin, who always strung our troop behind her like a brood of obedient ducklings. Mrs. Margolin even looked like a mother duck-she had hair cropped close to a small ball of a head, almost no neck, and huge, miraculous breasts." Her description made me laugh. I could picture this oddly shaped large woman leading along little girls in an effortless single-file line.

Sentences like this one, on page 7, give the story it's magic: " 'We can't let them get away with that,' Arnetta said, dropping her voice to a laryngitic whisper."

I particularly liked this description from page 8: "Her tone had an upholstered confidence that as somehow both regal and vulgar at once. It demanded a few moments of silence in its wake, like the ringing of a church bell or the playing of taps." With the visuals of the ringing church bell and the playing of taps I could see how people were silenced.

Instead of telling us that the bathroom was a mess, on page 13, Packer writes, "Inside, the mirrors above the sinks returned only the vaguest of reflections, as though someone had taken a scouring pad to their surfaces to obscure the shine. Pine needles, leaves, and dirty, flattened wads of chewing gum covered the floor like a mosaic. Webs of hair matted the drain in the middle of the floor. Above the sinks and below the mirrors, stacks of folded white paper towels lay on a long metal counter. Shaggy white balls of paper towels sat on the sinktops in a line like corsages on display. A thread of floss snaked from a wad of tissues dotted with the faint red-pink of blood."

With this great detail, I automatically get a complete visual of almost every bathroom at a campsite that I have ever seen and I can almost smell the scent of camping.

(Word Count: 388)

Copy Edit the World

CNN- Record-setting pilot dies at 26

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Vicki Van Meter, who made headlines in the 1990s for piloting a plane across the United States at age 11 and from the U.S. to Europe at age 12, died in an apparent suicide. She was 26.

Vicki Van Meter's mother said "she had more guts than any of us could ever imagine."

Van Meter died Saturday of an *apparently* self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Crawford County coroner said. Her body was found in her Meadville, Pennsylvania, home on Sunday.

Her brother said she battled depression, but her family thought she had been dealing with her problems.

"She was unhappy, but it was hard for her to open up about *that, and* we all thought that she was coping," Daniel Van Meter said. He said she had opposed taking medication.

* = possible mistake
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yahoo News- Real Death Star Could Strike Earth

Both the massive stars in WR 104 will one day explode as supernovae. However, one of the pair is a highly unstable star known as a Wolf-Rayet, the last known stable phase in the life of these massive stars right before a supernova.

"Wolf-Rayet stars are regarded by astronomers as ticking bombs," Tuthill explained. The 'fuse' for this star "is now very short — to an astronomer — and it may explode any time within the next few hundred thousand years."

When the Wolf-Rayet goes supernova, "it could emit an intense beam of gamma rays coming our way," Tuthill said. "If such a 'gamma ray burst' happens, we really do not want Earth to be in the way."

Since the initial blast would travel at the speed of light, there would be no warning of its arrival.

Firing line

Gamma ray bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe. They can *loose* as much energy as our sun during its entire 10 billion year lifetime in anywhere from milliseconds to a minute or more.

* = possible mistake

Journal Writing #3- NPR Radio Interview Analysis

Terry Gross for Fresh Air: Writer Aram Roston, Parsing Ahmad Chalabi's Past

Investigative journalist's book is "The Man Who Pushed America to War"

What did the interviewer know about the subject before the interview? It seems that she had read the book before the interview or had extensive notes on it to refer to. She also seemed to have done research of Ahmad Chalabi.

What kinds of questions did they ask? She asked how the C.I.A funded Chalabi and if it was laundered money. Why the C.I.A trusted Chalabi when he was known to take money? Why did they cut him off?

How did they build up to questions? How did they follow up to questions? She repeated Aram Roston's previous answers and then asked another question related to it. She did the same with following up.

Did the interviewer appear to have a strategy? She wanted to get down to how the project was funded and to show what false information the American people were given because of Chalabi.

How were inadequate or evasive answers (if any) handled? She asked the question she had previously asked in a different way.

What was the apparent relationship between the interviewer and interviewee? They are both journalists, one who is learned in a topic that the other is interested in telling the listeners.

What did you learn about interviewing from this interview? That interviews can run smoothly if you listen and ask questions based off of answers you are given.

Word of the Week

Word #7

Word: atavistic

Source: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

How it was used: She did not comprehend why he thought it an abomination that he had had a woman in secret, since that was an atavistic custom of a certain kind of man, himself included, yes even he in a moment of ingratitude, and besides, it seemed to her a heartbreaking proof of love that she had helped him carry out his decision to die.

Definition: at·a·vis·tic (adj). 1. relating to or diplaying the recurrence of a genetic feature that has been absent for several generations. 2. relating to or displaying the kind of behavior that seems to be a product of impulses long since suppressed by society's rules.

My Sentence: Polygamy is an atavistic practice.

Mystery Character

This curvaceous blonde knows she was born for the limelight. When she enters a room you can’t help but notice her parading around dramatically as if she’s starved for attention. Her aggression is unmistakable. Always dressed in the finest her money can buy, she puts to shame any modern fashionista. She often uses the French word Moi even though she isn't french. Martial arts are not the only arts she practices, she also acts, sings and models. Don’t let her big snout fool you she has a taste for expensive cuisine, especially when it’s with her famous love interest. Young girls are big fans. Can you guess who she is?

(Word Count: 110)

Word of the Week

Word #6

Word: veneration

Source: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

How it was used: They greeted him with a solemnity that on this occasion had more of condolence than veneration, for no one was unaware of the degree of his friendship with Heremiah de Saint-Amour.

Definition: ven·er·a·tion (n). 1. a feeling of great respect or reverence for somebody or something. 2. the expression of respect or reverence for somebody or something in words or actions. 3. the condition of being respected or revered.

My Sentence: The jury held the judge in the uppermost veneration.

Word of the Week

Word # 5

Word: propensity

Source: Christenen, Terry, Tom Hogan. Local Politics: a practical guide to governing at the grassroots. 2nd ed. New York, M.E. Sharp, Inc. 2006.

How it was used: The heavy reliance of cities on property taxes (forced on them by states) contributes to their propensity to be growth machines, because growth means new development, higher land values, and increased local revenues.

Definition: pruh-pen-si-tee (n). 1. a natural inclination or tendency. 2. Obsolete. favorable disposition or partiality.

My sentence: After running a mile, Trisha had a propensity to drink too much water.

Journal Writing #2- Media Audiences

Story: Bill would require paid sick leave in Calif.

The story is about a bill that Assembly woman Fiona Ma introduced last week that if made law would require all businesses in California to give their workers paid sick leave. According to both the Mercury News and the Sacramento Buisiness Journal, the paid leave could be used for the worker, to recover from domestic violence or sexual assault or to take care of a sick family member.

Newspaper: Mercury News

The article, written by Barbara Feder Ostrov, is around 500 words and is located in section 2 page B. This media had the most coverage of the story. There are no charts, graphs or photos accompanying this story. The newspaper cites Assembly woman Fiona Ma, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Restaurant Association.

Television: KTVU Channel 2 News at 10 p.m.

The story was only about one minute long. Not very much information was given about it at all and there weren’t any quoted sources, probably due to time constraints. I'm guessing the station found this story of little importance on the newsworthy scale.

Web: Sacramento Business Journal, www.sacramento.bizjournals.com

The story by Kathy Robertson is around 300 words. There are no charts, graphs or photos accompanying this story. It lists the California Labor Federation as a source, as well as a lobbyist for the California chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, Michael Shaw. It seems the California labor Federation is for the bill and Shaw is against it.

I think the Mercury News did the best job reporting on this story, it had the most sources, it was informational and it gave more facts than the Sacramento Business Journal who included more personal opinion of sources than facts.

(Word Count: 297)

Word of the Week

Word # 4

Word: autonomy

Source: Christenen, Terry, Tom Hogan. Local Politics: a practical guide to governing at the grassroots. 2nd ed. New York, M.E. Sharp, Inc. 2006.

How it was used: Yet, as with sovereignty disputes between the federal government and the states, local government autonomy operates within the confines of a state's constitutional framework, thus providing one of the enduring tensions of American local government.

Definition: aw-ton-uh-mee (n). 1. Independence or freedoom, as of the will or one's actions. 2. the condition of being autonomous; self-government, or the right of self-government; independence. 3. a self-governing community.

My sentence: The group of teenagers demanded autonomy from their parents.

Library Scavenger Hunt #23

Mirrors

I did not know that the Martin Luther King Jr. Library had mirrors installed behind the books in the self-help section on the third floor. I find it hilarious that they decided to do that. I picture some football player creeping up to the self-help section trying to be sly about picking up a book on "how to ballroom dance" for his class. It's not enough that he's sneaking around praying no one sees him, but now he picks up a book and has to stare himself right in the face. I wonder what people think when the see their reflection. Perhaps it has been enough to make them put the book down and run away. How humiliating!

(Word Count: 120)

Telling Details

The door closes on the train. Two sounds of the bell and the train starts moving. People are talking, someone coughs, the next stop is announced and she sits there focused.
She wears her hair in waves of short gray. Thick glasses consume her face. She is knitting. Vibrant turquoise and yellow yarn intertwine in a beautiful pattern; each strand to its proper place. She must be experienced in her hobby. Nothing distracts her, not even the opening of the doors and the cluttered steps of the people piling in. The doors close, two sounds of the bell and the train is off. The announcement of the next stop is right on schedule.
Still she sits there focused. Suddenly, she reaches for her small, red duffle bag, folds her treasure inside and zips it away from the view of curious eyes like mine. The train stops. She puts the bag on her red basket cart and exits the train into the dark night.

(Word Count: 163)

Word of the Week

Word # 3

Word: dichotomy

Source: Christenen, Terry, Tom Hogan. Local Politics: a practical guide to governing at the grassroots. 2nd ed. New York, M.E. Sharp, Inc. 2006.

How it was used: The disparities between Sunbelt and Frostbelt cities are almost as great as those between Frostbelt central cities and their suburbs, underscoring the fact that the needs/resources dichotomy operates on a national scale.

Definition: dī-kŏt'ə-mē (n). 1. Division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs. 2. Division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions. 3. Astronomy: The phase of the moon, Mercury, or Venus when half of the disk is illuminated. 4. Botany: Branching characterized by successive forking into two approximately equal divisions.

My Sentence: There was a dichotomy between the students on the subject of abortion.

Word of the Week

Word #2

Word: burgeoning

Source: Christenen, Terry, Tom Hogan. Local Politics: a practical guide to governing at the grassroots. 2nd ed. New York, M.E. Sharp, Inc. 2006.

How it was used: These were burgeoning industries, free to build new facilities where the economic advantages were greatest-in the Sunbelt.

Definition: bûr'jən (v). 1. a. To put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; sprout. b. To begin to grow or blossom. 2. To grow or develop rapidly.

My Sentence: After all of the farmer's hard work, the tree was finally burgeoning.

Late-Breaking Assignment Primary Election

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 was a big day, the Primary Elections. It was my first time voting in the Primary Elections. Tuesdays happen to be my busiest day on campus, I have a morning class, judo in the afternoon, work after that and then a local politics class at night. I decided to squeeze voting into my schedule between work and my night class. Luckily, my polling place was located one block from my apartment. I rushed home after work and went online to look up anything I wasn't completely clear on. Still undecided on Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, I ran out the door to make the polls and my night class. I waited in line for a few minutes and was given my ballot. Staring at the ballot, I made my final decisions and marked the line in between the arrows of my choices. I almost walked out the door when a nice elderly man working the polls told me to wait and handed me the blue American flag "I voted" sticker. I smiled at him, said thank you and walked out the door feeling proud. Proud because I had just taken advantage of the great privilege we are given as Americans, the vote.

(Word Count: 206)

Journal Writing #1- My Favorite Writing

This journal is about a poem called "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou. I love this poem. It makes me proud of myself for the woman I am growing into. This poem showcases Angelou's talent. It's her way with words that I fall in love with. In the poem Angelou praises womanhood and defines what makes her a strong and beautiful woman, a phenomenal woman. At the conclusion of the poem she writes, "Now you understand just why my head's not bowed. I don't shout or jump about or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing it ought to make you proud. I say, it's in the click of my heels, the bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, the need of my care, 'cause I'm a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that's me." Personally, I have been through some times in the past when I held my head down and was never proud of myself. Now that I'm older I have began to stand up straight and look people in the eye. I have finally gained confidence. This poem is inspirational because Angelou points out that you don't have to be just like everyone else, you can be your own person and whoever you choose to be is extraordinary.

(Word Count: 213)

Word of the Week

Amber Simons
Mass Com 100W T/Th 10:30 a. m.

Word #1

exhortations

Source: Ancient Philosophy by Forrest E. Baird and Walter Kaufmann

How it was used: There would have been a reason for it, if I had gained any advantage by this, or if I had been paid for my exhortations; but you see yourselves that my accusers, though they accuse me of everything else without shame, have not had the shamelessness to say that I ever either exacted or demanded payment.

Definition: ex-hor-ta-tion (n). 1. Something said or written in order to urge somebody strongly to do something. 2. The giving of earnest advice or encouragement.

My Sentence: Peggy applied for the competitive internship position after great exhortation by her professor.

All About Me

Hello,

My name is Amber Simons. I am in love with ketchup, chocolate and cute underwear. I am currently a junior at San Jose State University double majoring in journalism and philosophy. Still unsure with what exactly it is I want to do for a living, I have been in limbo between broadcasting and magazine journalism since arriving at SJSU. I enjoy writing and have since I can remember, writing poetry has always been my release from stress. Even though I am a hard worker and I put forth a lot of passion in the things I do, I often feel like I'm not given a chance to prove that I can be great at something. I hope that I will fall in love with the career path I am led to and that every day will be an exciting and new adventure.
(Word Count: 142)