Favorite Magazine

So unfortunately for the Magazine industry im not a magazine reader. I have looked through Seventeen, and Vogue, and even Allure but mostly I dont go for magazines for the articles. I typically only look at hair magazines, so my favorite magazine is Sophisticate's Black Hair it is a hair magazine for African American women.

Got What It Takes To Be A Reporter?

I scored a 24 on the quiz and I think that I agree with the book I definitely have some things to work but it can work for me. Timeliness is a very big issue with me and ironical it is a vital thing in the reporting business. I am still working on time management but I have to say that I am a lot better this year than in the past.

Fog Index

I submitted this last month for our profile assignment. According to the book I calculated a fog index if 13. Which would mean a person would at least need to pass freshman English to easily understand my writing. This is five years above the recommend fog index so I guess I need to keep that in mind and get my sentences shorter. I actually have a sentence that has 39 words. Wow! That is pretty long winded.

DAT MENACE

Underground hip-hop in the Bay Area is a surging scene. I decided to this profile on an up and coming San Francisco star.

Dat Menace was born and raised in San Francisco. He started writing and rapping at 16. His inspiration for becoming a rapper was his older brother J-Rolla. His style is influenced by Tupac, Hot Boyz, Master P and Lil Wayne. He has met some famous rappers such as San Quinn, Rappin 4 Tay and Sef the Gaffler. When asked what it takes to make an album he said, “Money and experience.”

Dat Menace currently has three albums out; he is working on one that will be available in the upcoming summer, Playa Mac. He loves to rap and one of his goals he hopes to achieve through his rapping is to reach young people who may have gone through similar experiences he expresses through his lyrics.

He has had great experiences— like working with Cold Blood, Sef the Gaffler, and San Quinn (all well known bay area rappers), on their albums. He has also had some bad experiences, his worst was when at a Juneteenth Audition he suddenly got so shy that he froze— causing a gaffed performance, which ended in him and his group not being picked to perform. Since that time, he has been working on his image to show a more mature person, some one a young man can learn from. Dat Menace admits that life as a rapper is hard, but if you have real passion for it can be not only fun, but also rewarding.

Election Week

Since this was the first big election since I’ve become of age it is the first vote I have casted in any official government election since I was in high school. I actually ended up voting downtown at city hall in San Francisco on Election Day. Unfortunately, I work on Tuesdays so I had to rely on customers to give me the latest election updates. Since I work at a Ben and Jerry’s Scoop Shop we were giving out free ice cream to voters between 5-8pm, which was great because we got to make little chit chat about the election and also it made the time go by a little faster. I think the news coverage was good. Since the election results represented a turning point in this nation that will definitely be historical, I am not surprised to see Obama’s face everywhere in the following days. The first paper I read was the Examiner and they had a brief article about the win but personally, I felt it could have been more inspiring. Later I watched Obama’s first press conference, and the whole time I was so excited because I am seeing with my two eyes that finally African Americans can dare to dream again.

Nike Women's Marathon Winner Doesn't Win

NORMALLY, IN A FOOT RACE, THE FIRST PERSON TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE IN THE FASTEST TIME IS THE WINNER. SURPRISINGLY, LAST SUNDAY, AT THE NIKE WOMEN’S MARATHON IN SAN FRANCISCO, THIS WASN’T THE CASE.

ARIEN O’CONNELL, A 24-YEAR-OLD FIFTH GRADE TEACHER FROM NEW YORK CITY, FINISHED THE MARATHON IN 2 HOURS AND 55 MINUTES, ELEVEN MINUTES FASTER THAN THE FIRST PLACE TROPHY WINNER.

SO, HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN, ONE WORD -- 'ELITE'. ALL THE 'ELITE' RUNNERS STARTED THE RACE 20 MINUTES AHEAD OF EVERYONE ELSE. BECAUSE OF HER MODESTY, O'CONNELL DID NOT DECLARE HERSELF AN ELITE RUNNER, WHICH COST HER THE TITLE.

ON MONDAY, TANYA LOPEZ, A NIKE SPOKESPERSON SAID, "AT THIS POINT, WE'VE DECLARED OUR WINNER.

IT LOOKS LIKE, O'CONNELL WILL BE GOING BACK TO NEW YORK EMPTY HANDED, BUT AT LEAST SHE WILL HAVE THE SATISFACTION OF KNOWING SHE WAS THE FASTEST WOMAN THAT SUNDAY MORNING.

Broadcast Style Exercise

NORTHWEST AIRLINES ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT IT IS CUTTING ITS DOMESTIC FARES BY UP TO 40 PERCENT FOR HOLIDAY TRAVELERS.

"WE LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS A HOLIDAY GIFT TO OUR CUSTOMERS”, SAID FRANK DEWITT, CEO OF NORTHWEST AIRLINES.

TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY FRIDAY FOR TRAVEL BETWEEN NOVEMBER 12th AND JANUARY 14th IN THE LOWER 48 STATES, ALASKA AND CANADA.

DISCOUNTS VARY DEPENDING ON TRAVEL DATES AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE ON CERTAINPOPULAR DAYS, INCLUDING NOVEMBER 23rd AND 26th, DECEMBER 23rd AND 26th.

WITH THE DISCOUNTED, NON-REFUNDABLE FARES, A PASSENGER COULD TRAVEL ROUND-TRIP BETWEEN BOSTON AND SAN FRANCISCO FOR $500 ON CERTAIN DAYS.

Math for Journalist

1) A local college releases figures showing that its total budget is $120 million. Of that total, $80 million comes from the state, $6 million from student tuition, and the remaining $34 million from fees, grants and gifts.

It gets 67% of this figure from the state, which is its most significant source. The least significant source is the 5% that comes from the student tuition. The rest of the funding comes from fees, grants, and gifts, which amounts to 28% of the total budget.

2) Your editor assigns you to do a story about prison sentences handed down in cases of aggravated assault. He gives you the following figures from an anti-crime group that is lobbying for tougher sentencing guidelines. The cases represent the people convicted for aggravated assault in San Jose in one month in 2006.

* 22 months is the average prison term for the seven people listed below.

* 12 months is the median for the seven people listed below. In this case the median is a more accurate description of prison terms because of Michael Reese had a term of 7 years which was more than the other 6 terms combined. His term would be considered an outlier that would skew data if set in a graph. He makes the average term 22 months or a 1 year and 10 months, which if looking at the data set one could see that no one but Reese, served more than a 1 year and 2 months.

Name Sentence
Donald Lee 1 year prison, 2 years probation
Richard Smith 1 year prison, 1 year probation
Wesley Mitchell 14 months prison, 1 year probation
Mary Jones 1 year prison, 1 year probation
Juan Rodriguez 1 year prison, 2 years probation
Harold Rothstein 8 months prison, 1 year probation
Michael Reese 7 years prison, 5 years probation

3) The state legislature is considering exempting restaurant food sales from the sales tax in the same way grocery sales are exempt.

State tax sales- 7.25%

Fast food-52 weeks in a year – $260 spent without sales tax. They would save $18.85 a year.

More expensive meal- 52 weeks in a year- $1040 spent without sales tax. They would save $75.40 a year.

AP Style Exercise S-Z

1) When he heard the building plan 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 rather unusual 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 U.S 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 such a weirdo. (3)

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 one billion dollars by the time he’s 40. Already he figures his net worth is between $2 million and $3 million, depending on current stock prices. (3)
2) Lt. Col. John Carpenter was a mid-shipman at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the 7th Fleet. (4)
3) Twenty-one winners were named two days after the Third Annual Procrastination Awards ceremony. (3)
4) 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)
5) Hundreds of people attended Sunday's race to watch 75 top bicyclists pedal across the finish line. (3)
6) Every winter, the Joneses and the Kinneys pore over travel brochures, planning their summer trip together. This year they’re hoping to go to PANAMA CITY, PANAMA. (3)

Top News

California may seek Treasury financing

It is amazing to see that a country as great and as powerful as the United States has finally been pulled back into reality. The reality of an average Joe or Jane, where tomorrow is uncertain, and good food is a luxury. The illusion of “America the Beautiful” has now turned into a nightmare— everyday we are hit with bad news and our already faltering economy is only getting worst. People, banks, cities and states—everyone is going broke and now after the government just ok’d 700 billion dollars to eat up bad debts. Now, California, the most populous state, my state, needs 7 billion dollars. What happened to America with the strong economy, where everyone came to better their lives. Who is going to bail out America after we run out of money? It is disheartening to think that people— hardworking people, are losing their jobs, their homes and small businesses. So will this cycle of failure ever end? I guess we will all have to wait and see.

News Values

Impact- This news story would matter to many state employees because Gov. Schwarzenegger said their may be delay in payments to these employees if California is unable to get the 7 billion dollars needed.

Immediacy- This is important because it is happening right now, Gov. Schwarzenegger just issued the plea to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Oct. 2.

Proximity- Since this is about California, it would affect me and every other Californian.

Carjacker

Newlyweds got an unwelcome surprise when Alan Ticas-Soto, 21, attempted to steal their idling car in a Taco Bell parking lot on East Fourth Ave.. The bride, 22 was in the car, a 2003 Nissan Altima, at the time the carjacker hopped in the driver seat.

According to the San Mateo police, the events unfolded like this:

The groom left the car running with the bride inside as he went to get a late night snack from Taco Bell. Before he reached the door, Ticas-Soto had gotten in the car and attempted to reverse out of the lot. The bride, who was no silent victim, screamed and fought to unbuckle her seatbelt so that she could escape.

The groom realizing what was going on ran to the car to help her out. She landed on the pavement of the parking lot but sustained no injuries.

Ticas-Soto had a hard time getting the car out of the parking lot and ended up smashing the car into a Taco Bell Sign. After the carjacking failure, he fled from the scene. Witnesses called the police and he was apprehended and taken into custody by Officer Brandon Boyle.

It was at this time that Ticas-Soto admitted to being on methamphetamines for the past three days.

Ticas-Soto is being held in Can Mateo County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. Ticas-Soto, who has no criminal record, pleaded not guilty in San Mateo Superior Court on Monday.

According to Sheryl Wolcott, a San Mateo County deputy district attorney, he could face up to nine years in state prison if he's found guilty.

The newly married couple, whose names were not released, were planning to spend their wedding night at a nearby Embassy Suites. They were not injured in the incident. However, according to Wolcott, "This took them a little off-track."

Copy Edit the World

Freight brakeman in deadly LA train collision sues

By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, Associated Press Writer Sat Sep 27, 7:38 AM ET

LOS ANGELES - The brakeman on the freight train involved in a deadly collision with a commuter train filed a lawsuit Friday against the commuter railroad and the companies that provide its engineers.

The lawsuit, filed by Dominick Fravola and his wife, blames the defendants for not properly screening, supervising and training the Metrolink engineer who ran his commuter train past a red signal on Sept. 12 and collided with a Union Pacific freight train. Twenty-five people died in the crash, the nation's deadliest train accident since 1993.

"Basically the guy was asleep at the switch and not paying attention to what was going on around him," Fravola's attorney, Barry Novack, said of the Metrolink engineer, who was killed in the crash.

The lawsuit also names Veolia Transportation and its subsidiary, Connex Railroad, which employs the Metrolink engineers. It seeks an unspecified amount in damages, medical and psychological expenses and loss of income. Fravola's wife also seeks damages for loss of consortium.

The lawsuit alleges the defendants knew the tracks presented risks but "allowed a dangerous, defective and unsafe condition to exist." Novack said the red and yellow signals near the station were not positioned to allow engineers to see them, which led to the crash.

The trains collided at a curve in the track near where a tunnel separates the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles from Simi Valley and Moorpark in Ventura County. Federal investigators have said the engineers had only seconds to brake before the other train came into view.

Novack said his client, who was in the second engine, braced himself after the emergency brakes applied but suffered a puncture wound, concussion and psychological trauma. were

Investigators have said the Metrolink train did not apply its brakes and have confirmed its engineer was test messaging on duty that day — though it remains unclear whether that was a factor in the crash.

Novack said he also filed a claim against the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, who own the tracks, but that agency has not responded. He said Metrolink and Veolia denied the claim he filed against them, allowing him to file the lawsuit.

Metrolink spokesman Francisco Oaxaca and Veolia spokeswoman Ruth Otte declined to comment.

• There should be a comma between applied and but.
• Test should be text.
  

A Squirrelly Situation

Imagine being one of 47,000 commuters whose day is put off track due to a daring little squirrel. Well, for commuters of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Monday afternoon, this was a sad reality.

Some waited for hours, and some were stuck on unmoving trains because an unfortunate but adventurous squirrel decided to climb onto the Metro-North Commuter Railroad power lines.

The cause of the power outage was an electrical power surge that weakened an overhead bracket, which in turn caused a wire to dangle down. Somehow, a train passing underneath got caught up in the line and tore down all the other power lines.

The cause of the surge, according to Metro-North spokeswoman, Donna Evans, was the squirrel getting electrocuted during his escapade on the power lines.

Service was restored by crews by Tuesday morning.

At least somebody got the shock of their life.

JOUR 61 – AP Style Exercise (I-L)

1) There has been no let up all day. After class, I plan to soak in my Jacuzzi and then lie down for a short nap. (3)

2) They called the late Senator Fred, "Fried a left winger" because he voted against the Patriot Act. (3)

3) As they unfurled her white sails, the sailboat caught the breeze and began to slice steadily through the waves. Their dream cruise of the Pacific Islands had begun. (2)

4) After two days of hard rain and rising waters, the river flooded its banks, leaving the road partly impassable. (2)

News Story #2

A tourist couple was robbed at gunpoint while taking pictures from the parking lot at St. Mary’s Cathedral, yesterday.

According to the police, the victim’s names were Wei Ming Chen, 28, and his wife Li Liu, 30. The victims described the man as about 18 years old, wearing a black jacket and a cap. After taking $100, their Visa card, passports and tickets the thief took off running on foot.

The police are looking for him.

News Story #1

Firefighters rescued a San Jose resident from his burning home on Annapolis Way, yesterday.

According to San Jose Fire Captain Rob Piper, Robert Kent, 50, was found in the kitchen, unconscious and surrounded by flames when firefighters reached his home. There were no smoke detectors found in the home.

Kent suffered 2^nd and 3^rd degree burns on 50 percent of his body. He was listed in grave condition at Valley Fair Medical Center as relayed by a nursing supervisor.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Pakistan

Pakistan opposition angered by US attacks

News of the war often goes by unnoticed. Because of its daily prevalence, it has become like wallpaper-- only in the background. Pakistan is a sovereign nation that is our ally in the war on terrorism, yet what happened here looks less than friendly. Why would George Bush authorize use of force on the border without first telling their ally? I, like the Pakistanis, am outraged. I wouldn’t urge the Pakistan government to bow out of the war on terrorism, but I would instead urge them to urge the U.S to be more transparent with Pakistan. This story is important for two reasons. Firstly because it tells us not only what is going on with the war but it also lets us know that there are innocent bystanders that are caught in the crossfire. Secondly because Pakistan just put into power a new president and the U.S will have to see what the new government's reaction will be.

News Values:

Immediacy: The air strike happened a couple of days ago which makes it fresh and new for readers.

Conflict: It is possible that this may affect U.S-Pakistan relations and may cause a reaction within Pakistan.

Leads Excercise #5

Fact Set #1: Pipe fitter

Yesterday, a Springfield pipe fitter, employed by Gross Engineers, suffered third-degree burns when he accidentally touched a 15,000 volt power line with a piece of angle iron as he was installing new pipes.

Duane La Chance, 55, a pipe fitter, suffered third-degree burns yesterday when he accidentally touched a 15,000 volt power line with a piece of angle iron as he was installing new pipes.

Fact Set#2: Car Accident

A driver crossed the center line and struck a Springfield man as he was driving south on U.S 63. according to an officer in the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Dept.

James W. Cunning, 20, was driving south on U.S 63 when Wayne Clay, 19, crossed the
center line and struck his vehicle.

Leads Excercise #4

Smoking Wheels

After smoke was reportedly seen coming from near the wheels of the jet, 40 passengers were

evacuated from Flight 428, a Northwest Airlines jet.

The passengers were just landing at the LaCrosse, Wis., Municipal Airport from Minneapolis.

Missing Boy

A 7- year-old missing boy is found alive. His mother, Ellen Lynn Conner, 27, faces charges of kidnapping and interference with a custody warrant.

He was found by a neighbor who recognized the child’s picture when it was shown after the movie Adam: The Song Continues.

A.P Stylebook Excercise A-D

1) The new head of the journalism department, Dr. Deborah Dunwoody Ph.D., recently bought a house at 6 Riverside Drive in San Mateo, a lovely city in the San Francisco Bay Area. (4)

2) “What kind of person would break in to my apartment and steal my brand new thongs?” she asked her friend. (3)

3) The instructor asked her students to read chapter six in the text and to pay close attention to the section on the Great Depression, which began in the late 1920s and continued through the 30s. (5)

4) Sarah Smith has not let partial blindness or wheelchair confinement stop her from living life to the fullest. In spite of her handicaps, she volunteers at a local senior center and enjoys going for strolls, she calls them “rolls,” with her friends. (3)

Lead Excercise #2 Revised

Air Crash

The worst air disaster in three years happened just outside Pittsburgh -- a US Air airplane, flying out of Chicago, with 131 people onboard crashed right into the ground, just as it was landing-- there were no survivors.

The cause of the crash is unknown .

Lead Excercise #1

Lead #1: Yesterday, a local couple was awarded $150,000 in damages for injuries they suffered in a traffic accident last March.

Lead #2: The Sierras have been hit by a series of snowstorms and forecasters predict another to hit today.

Lead #3: As a fire roared through a six-story building today on Union Ave, firefighters rushed to evacuate 41 families, police reported three firefighters injured.

An intro for Journalism 61

Hello everyone,
My name is Candice. I am in my second semester at San Jose State University. When I'm not in school I'm working at the Ben and Jerry's Scoop shop at Fisherman's Wharf. I transfered from Sonoma State University, and am really loving the changes. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and i commute to San Jose for school. I plan to major in Journalism with an emphasis in reporting and editing.
I am excited to start this course because this will be the first course that i will be taking that is writing focused. I hope that this course will help sharpen my writing skills and give me more experience in blogging as this is my first time. Also after looking at the assignments I am excited to learn how to write leads and do some real (practice) reporting!