Colleen:

I'm having issues with making the link to my article through the file link.

Thrift:

The storefront is decorated with an elaborate, and unstructured, window display of vintage 1950s dresses on mannequins wearing crooked fedoras and clutching purses with gaps of beads missing from their elaborate designs. Inside, racks of mismatched clothing line walls covered in vintage Coca-Cola posters and shelves of worn out high heels and flip flops. Venturing further, lunch boxes, figurines, cracked porcelain baby dolls, and miscellaneous masks and costumes crowd the reminder of the store, creating an atmosphere of musk and nostalgia. Everything in the store is outdated, post-modern, and atypical to the new millennia, but even in such an out of the ordinary store, one aspect seems quite out of place. The store is populated with teenagers, enthusiastically flipping through racks of old t-shirts, diving into piles of ballet shoes, and trying on necklaces that hang well below their belly buttons. They walk around with their arms piled high with skirts and pants before throwing them down on a counter, and while paying, eye the collection of pins and magnets arranged on a stand next to the cash register.

Ben Worden, a senior at Elkton High School in Elkton Maryland, is one such frequenter of thrift shops. His store of choice is Goodwill, a popular chain of second-hand stores that functions entirely on the donations of clothes, accessories, and household items from people living in the area.

�[Goodwill has] low prices and the people are always very nice,� He said. �I have difficulty finding clothes that fit. Thrift stores tend to carry oddly sized clothes so I can normally find something that fits me.�

Before discovering the magic of thrift stores, Ben had often had to deal with mainstream store prices and the unfortunate fact that they did not always carry his size. At 6�5 and extremely slender, Ben towers over his classmates and mannequins alike inside stores such as Abercrombie and Fitch or American Eagle. He just did not have the right build to wear their clothes, as he found the hard way after too many unfortunate encounters inside trendy store dressing rooms.

Ben stood inside a stall surrounded by black and white pictures of half naked muscle men and toned women pouting as they stare off over the ocean or posing against piles of rocks on a beach. He stared at his reflection in the tall mirror that barely grazed the top of his forehead; what stared back at him was an unhappy boy with pants just touching the lower part of his calf, a shirt ending at his belly button, and shoes that cramped his size 15 feet. Ben frowned at the man in the mirror, and sighing, he removed the confining clothes and threw them in a pile next to another poster of a similar shirtless, stoic man in designer blue jeans.

Driving home, Ben stopped at a strip mall not far from his home and planned to buy himself an ice cream cone. Walking from his car, he eyed the ice cream shop and made his way towards it, but as he passed a large display window, he glanced inside and made an abrupt stop.

¶The window was decorated with mannequins adorned with worn, but usable clothing, and a sign in bight green read, �Goodwill clothes under $10.� Ben was not from a rich family, nor did he have a job, so the prospect of cheap clothes appealed to him, and he ran right inside, completely forgetting about ice cream.

¶The inside of Goodwill looked more like a well-lit warehouse than a small store, with racks of clothing organized together by Men�s, Women�s, and Children�s, their sizes all mixed together. Ben curiously walked over to the Men�s section and surveyed a few racks of pants and t-shirts. He gathered a few he thought might fit, though he did not get his hopes up, and walked to a dressing area towards the back.

The stall was as big as a bedroom, with a small bench built into the wall on one side, and two mirrors reaching well over seven feet attached to the clean white walls. There were no pictures of the supposed idealistic man or woman hanging, just a sign that advised against shoplifting hanging above the door. Ben tried on his clothes, beginning with a t-shirt featuring Snoopy in front of the Eiffel tower and a pair of gray-green pants. He did not turn to look at himself until he was completely dressed. When he finished dressing, he turned, and upon seeing himself in one of the mirrors, he grinned. The pants fell at the perfect length around his ankles, and the shirt covered not only his belly button but his entire torso and over his favorite pink cloth belt. He peeked at the other mirror on the adjacent wall to confirm that what he was seeing was real, then excitedly whipped off his �new� clothes in order to try on the next ones.

�I normally buy shirts,� Ben says, �but I have been known to buy pants. I bought a tie once. I also got the best hat ever ([a white bowler derby]) that was bought in a thrift store.�

For people like Ben, the appeal of thrift stores is not only the price, but it is also the chance to break off from mainstream way of life and wear something no one has seen before.

�I will venture into Hot Topic or Spencers every now then, but normally just to find a belt or maybe a humorous shirt,� Ben admitted, �[Thrift stores, however, are] always cheap, but no one ever has the same thing as you, so it�s usually not trendy. It�s amazing how hideous many of the clothes are, and it�s hard to imagine why anyone would buy them in the first place, which is exactly the appeal.�

Fran Pooley, a nineteen year old from Flemington, New Jersey, agrees.

�At thrift stores, no item is the same.� She said. �Every piece of clothing had belonged to a different person; every item has a story that you can�t get from buying at a generic brand name store.�

She, however, does not go to Goodwill. Her store of choice is �Love Saves the Day,� a vintage boutique in New Hope, Pennsylvania. What sets this kind of store apart from a normal thrift shop is the way in which the items are acquired, the price, and, sometimes but not always, the content.

Stacy LoAlbo has been the owner of vintage stores for over twenty years, presently hosting three different stores all on Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey.

�Neetstuff houses the collectible toys and misc. Incogneeto is the vintage boutique, and Thrilling Wonder Books is where we sell old books, magazines and records.� Stacy said.

Like many teenagers of today, Stacy discovered thrift at an early age and fell in love with the nostalgic style and feel of the clothes, and went on to grow up and live her life inside of these kinds of stores. She is quick to point out a customer�s mistake when referring to her particular stores as �thrift.�

�Thrift indicates a charitable donation place of anything and everything.� She said. �We are strictly vintage and collectibles. We only buy the cool stuff here. Items are purchased in many different places. House sales, estate sales, auctions, thrift shops, rummage sales, flea markets and sometimes even EBay. Many times, we have walk-ins that sell to us. New items are brought in weekly.�

Stacy has also noticed the growing popularity of thrift and vintage shopping by teenagers.

�Ages 14-24 are typical customers. And then again, adult women (30-50+) buy a lot of vintage, too. I have a few professional women, teachers, etc that buy here.�

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Revisions, comments, and plan for Friday

I got a lot of great revision suggestions from everyone who read my story. A lot of it was more or less technical and simple to change, but ways to add to my story in terms of context and more information was also mentioned. Ian gave me a lot of good pointers to rearrange some of my quotes and sentences, along with changing words and taking out sentences completely. Dave said he would like to see more from my characters, which I agree with and plan to elaborate in my final article. I just found some statistics about the yearly growth of thrift stores (furled) and hope to incorporate them into the article somewhere. I plan to continue with my Ben charcter, and will add more quotes/information about Stacy and Elizabeth Wellington. i will also be adding much more to the ending, just you wait!

Here is a quick revised article with technical corrections:

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Article

To be continued tonight! It's not the end of Thursday yet!

[Macro error: Can't include file "[[num]]" because it has been deleted.]

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Interviews and Contact Information:

Fran Pooley

aol screen name- SadMachine71

Cell phone #- (908) 391-0726

�At thrift stores, no item is the same. Every piece of clothing had belonged to a different person;

every item has a story that you can�t get from buying at a generic brand name store.�

Elizabeth Wellington

ewellington@phillynews.com

�Hi Colleen:

Yes, young people are dressing more thrifty. 
They are attracted to the style because it gives them the opportunity to express
themselves and experiment with looks they may have missed. 
More importantly, however, it seems that these kids are dressing "thrifty," but
still paying top dollar for their looks. That's because these clothes have a
"thrifty" worn look, because putting deconstructed edges and extra faded looks
on these clothes usually utilize expensive processes. That is best seen in jeans
as top labels make premium jeans that look thrifty but cost hundreds of dollars.
And, what is thrifty about that?



Good Luck,

Elizabeth

Stacy LoAlbo
the vintage maven at:
Incogneeto
93W.
Somerville, NJ 08876

(908) 722-4600 shop
(908) 313-1709 cell

�Colleen,
I discovered vintage at age 16 and knew that I wanted a store my first year in college. Opened a vintage clothing business called Incogneeto out of Rt #1 flea market (the place where the movie "Mall Rats" is set) when I was 21. I've had many different stores and locations over the past 20 years including a prestigious shop on Nassau St in Princeton from 1991-1995. We now operate Neet-O-Rama at 93 W. Main St Somerville but are moving (incidently, huge clearance sales here!) to Division St. which is right around the corner. We have 3 stores there- Neetstuff , #14 Division, houses the collectible toys and misc. Incogneeto, #6, is the vintage boutique and #19 is Thrilling Wonder Books, where we sell old books, magazines and records.

Thrift indicates a charitble donation place of anything and everything. We are strictly vintage and collectibles. We only buy the cool stuff here. Items are purchased in many different places. House sales, estate sales, auctions, thrift shops, rummage sales, flea markets and sometimes even ebay. Many times, we have walk-ins that sell to us. New items are brought in weekly. Most popular? Hmmm...it changes with the trends. You see, everything old is new again. Look in the fashion mags and you will see all styles are retro something or other. Maybe it is not as evident to the average layman, but I see the influences of different eras. The designers all shop vintage for "inspiration" for their new lines. When we do The Manhattan Vintage clothing show (3x a year), we meet them and get a feel for what is coming next season. This way, we are on top of the trends. Designers are very big spenders! We have had Donna Karan, Betsey Johnson, buyers from Ralph Lauren, to name a few. We also get celebrities at these shows that shop by us.
    Perenially, wild 70's costume style gear for both men and women are a big seller. Big collared polyester shirts, mini dresses, and flower power. Right now, plaid pants and sport coats are flying out of here because they are big at Old Navy. Biker leathers are always a favorite with my customers. Ages 14-24 are typical customers. And then again, adult women (30-50+) buy a lot of vintage, too. I have a few professional women, teachers, etc that buy here.
    One of the reasons that vintage is so popular is because it is unusual and you can stand out in a crowd wearing such. I sell lots of prom wear for this reason, tuxes and dresses. This is also good for celebrities and teens often follow suit of their favs. Vintage is already mainstream in places like LA or NYC. They have very large, specialized shops such as "New York Vintage" that carry the most fabulous vintage I have ever laid eyes on! She gets celebrity after celebrity shopping there. They often rent dresses for red carpet affairs.. There was even a commercial for Visa that showed a vintage shop in Vegas.
    Vintage is so popular because it is the real deal, not retro, and typically less expensive than new. Individuals who want to be different shop here. The clothes are better made than today, the reasons really are endless...but I am happy to say that it exists. The business is not that lucrative, but I am doing what makes me happy and I think that is the most important thing in life.�

Ben Worden

moomanxl@yahoo.com

Cell phone #- (443) 207-0098

- How often do you go to thrift stores?

Whenever I need 'new' clothes.

- What is their appeal?

Its always cheap, no one ever has the same thing as you, its usually not trendy (except that thrift stores are becoming a trend which is unfortunate) and also because I have difficulty finding clothes that fit. Thrift stores tend to carry oddly sized clothes so I can normally find something that fits me.

- What do you normally buy?
I normally buy shrits, but I have been known to buy pants. I bought a tie once. I also got the best hat ever that was bought in a thrift store.

- Do you shop at brand name stores also?

Not really. I will venture into Hot Topic or Spencers every now then, but normally just to find a belt or maybe a humorous shirt.

- Do you have a job?
I believe you know my working situation, so not really.

- Why do you like thrift stores?

Thrift stores have very low prices and the people are always very nice.

- Are there many close to where you live?

There are only two.

- Do your friends shop at these stores, too?

Just one.

- Do many kids at your school dress this way?

Not at the moment, but more are starting to.

- What kind of person do you think would prefer thrift stores?

The eccentric and the poor. But especially the eccentric poor. Also, emo kids shop there.

- What about price?
Amazing.

- What is the most interesting/unusual thing you have found/bought at a
thrift store?
Its amazing how hideous many of the clothes are and its hard to imagine why anyone would buy them in the first place.

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Today

Today:

I e-mailed Elizabeth Wellington, the fashion writer for Philly.com, finally finished reading the Poynter article, and wrote a dialouge for my article.

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New piece from Poynter Online article

�OH MY GOD! I JUST LOVE YOUR SHIRT!�

A girl in a skintight, pink t-shirt squealed over to another girl, wearing the same shirt, but colored baby blue with ABERCROMBIE plastered and stretched out over her chest.

�OH MY GOD, NO! I LOVE YOUR SHIRT!�

Ben rolled his eyes as he spun the combination lock on his locker, allowing the door to pop open and hit the first loud girl square in the back. She lurched forward from the impact.

�Oops,� Ben said, his voice flat.

�Gawd!� said the girl as she turned around with her arms crossed. �What is your deal?!�

When he didn�t answer, she stood and stared at him, taking in his 6�5 frame. Her gaze stopped at his torso.

�Where did you get your shirt?� She asked, leaning in and raising an eyebrow. �I don�t see a label.�

Ben slammed the locker closed and let his arm hang to the side as he clutched his AP Probability and Statistics book in hand.

�Goodwill.�

The girl scrunched up her nose. She pointed a limp finger towards his body.

�Ew, isn�t that the place where, like, poor people go to get dirty clothes?�

Ben stared down at her, his calm expression unfazed. He pointed at her shirt.

�Where did you get your shirt?�

She uncrossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

�Abercrombie and Fitch, duh.�

Ben leaned forward and put his hands on his hips.

�Ew!� he yelled, �Isn�t that the place where, like, snobby brats pay $30 for a cheaply-made excuse for a t-shirt with the store name written all over the front in order to become a walking billboard for the franchise to get free advertising??"

Ben took a breath and leaned in even closer to the, now pouting, girl�s face.

�OH MY GOD!�

(I think this actually happened, or something similar)

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Progresssssssssss!

I e-mailed Incogneeto yesterday with my questions, and this is the reply I got back:

(neetstuff@mindspring.com)

Colleen,
I would be happy to answer any email questions that you have. It is 9 pm already and I am just getting this email. I am tired and will get you a reply by tomorrow. Happy to be of help and thanks for thinking of me!
Stacy

So, I'm expecting a reply by tonight! I am very excited...

Here are the questions I sent:

(I also asked for their names- husband and wife owned business- and locations and names of all the stores they work at/own.)

- Why did you decide to open a vintage store?

- From where/who do you receive your �products�?

- How often do you receive �new� items for your store?

- What are your most popular sellers?

- Is it a lucrative business?

- Who are your usual buyers? Age groups?

- Would you agree that vintage shopping is becoming more popular with teenagers? Why or why not?

- What do you think will happen for vintage shopping in the future? Is this just a trend or will it progress into mainstream culture?

- Who do you think are the type of people to shop at these kinds of stores?

- Why do you think vintage shopping is popular?

- What do you think is the appeal?

I'm still waiting for my reply from the fashion editor, but I think I will e-mail her my question directly today when I have the time.

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Alternative Assignment

Writing Tool #6- Play with Words

�Jubilant mob mauls four dead Americans."

"The circumstances of the story are hideous: Iraqi civilians attack American security officers, burn them to death in their cars, beat and dismember their charred carcasses, drag them through the street, and hang what's left from a bridge -- all while onlookers cheer. Even amidst such carnage, the headline writer plays with the language."

I love how delightfully morbid the title is for a story about an attack on American officers. It sounds nice from the start, with �jubilant� usually reserved for describing the happy and innocent. Then comes �mob,� and the reader stalls a bit. Next, �mauls;� the reader is taken back. Lastly, �four dead Americans� ends the title, and the reader is horrified. It is perfect in evoking emotions of patriotism- �How dare they be happy!�

The article goes on to describe more awkward combinations or words normally not put together. I like the idea of strange combinations that though they do not always go together naturally, they fit together unusually well when used correctly.

And I think this quote is too true, even for me- �All of us possess a reading vocabulary as big as a lake, but draw from a writing vocabulary as small as a pond.�

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Weekly Plan

My interview with the Incogneeto owner fell through on Saturday. I went on Saturday, but forgot to call ahead of time though he said Saturday would be a good time to do the interview, and he told me it was, again, not a good time. I told him I would e-mail the questions during the week, and he said that would be fine.

I do not have a set day by day plan for the week, but I do hope to accomplish:
- email Incogneeto owner
- recieve reply from Philly fashion writer
- interview 2 more teenagers about thrift store shopping- Tiffany DiGiacomo, Adam Martin and/or Tom Kopon
- interview owner/workers in Wee Kids
- write article rough draft

I have interviewed Ben and Kt, but I don't want to use Kt as a source. I did a phone interview with her, and the information she gave me involved a lot of 'yes' and 'no' answers with a lot of 'ums' and 'I don't knows' thrown in. If I have to, I may use one or two quotes from her about what she actually bought, but I doubt I'm going to use anything she said at all.

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Reflection

I learned just how much I do not like being on camera and how I do not like writing for television. Everything that I felt had meaning and summed up our topic had been cut out, and basically, our job was to make up questions for interviews. The beginning and ending we wrote got scraped and had to follow what Mr. A said instead of what we had written. The TV class did not need us. I learned how much editing, cutting, and graphic additions television editors have to put into a program, and I have a newfound respect for people who do this for a living, but not necessarily our TV 2 class here. An editor needs to put up with people�s criticism, like in our class, and ultimately has many hard decisions to make. I was not pleased with The Real HC only because I felt like we did not play a big enough role and we were unneeded in the whole process. I did, however, have fun while making it, though I can�t watch myself on camera. I definitely have new respect for TV journalists, too. It�s tougher than it looks to read and remember lines to say into a camera. I want to thank Mr. A for everything he did for our group because basically he saved our @sses quite a few times when our camera crew refused to show up. He�s not always a bad guy�

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I hate being sick in the summertime

I learned that I think my article is too much like a story...

My article is definetely a narrative.It has a beginning, middle, and an end, and it will be more like a story than anything else.

Side comment with two minutes left of class: Today I am going on two interviews for my article- one at the consignment shop in Whitehouse and the other at Incogneeto in Somerville.

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Storytime!

The dressing room was well lit with black and white posters of half dressed, pouting women and shirtless men adorning the walls. An entire wall of the room was covered by a floor length mirror, and inside the stall, another narrower mirror was hung, slanted ever so slightly to deceive the viewer into believing they were someone they�re not. Ben stood inside one such stall, staring at his reflection in the tall mirror that barely grazed the top of his forehead. At 6�5, Ben had more problems than just being unable to see his entire frame inside a mirror. What stared back at him was an unhappy boy with pants just touching the lower part of his calf, a shirt ending at his belly button, and shoes that cramped his size 14 feet. Ben frowned at the man in the mirror, and sighing, he began removing the too small clothes and threw them in a pile next to a poster of a stoic man staring out over the ocean in designer blue jeans. He shook his head, causing his shaggy dark curly to quiver. He knew he could never be that man, and knew that shopping in stores such as the one he was in would never get him the clothes he so wish he could own.

Driving home, Ben needed a pick me up. He stopped at a strip mall not far from his home and planned to buy himself an ice cream cone. Walking from his car, he eyed the ice cream shop and made his way towards it, but as he passed a large display window, he glanced inside and made an abrupt stop. The window was decorated with mannequins adorned with worn, but usable clothing and a sign in bight green read, �Goodwill clothes under $10.� Ben was not from a rich family, nor did he have a job, so the prospect of cheap clothes appealed to him and he ran right inside, completely forgetting about ice cream. Inside, the store was more like a brightly lit warehouse, with racks of clothing organized together by Men�s, Women�s, and Children�s, their sizes all mixed together. Ben curiously walked over to the Men�s section and surveyed a few racks of pants and t-shirts. He gathered a few he thought might fit, though he did not get his hopes up, and walked to a dressing area towards the back.

The stall was more like a room, with a small white bench built into the wall on one side, and two mirrors reaching well over seven feet were attached to the clean white walls. There were no pictures of the supposed idealistic man or woman hanging, just a sign that advised against shoplifting hanging above the door and half a dozen silver hooks spread out through the good sized stall. Ben began trying on his clothes, beginning with the a t-shirt featuring Snoopy in front of the Eiffel tower and the gray-green pants. He did not turn to look at himself until he was completely dressed. He turned, and upon seeing himself in one of the mirrors, he grinned. The pants fell at the perfect length, and the shirt covered not only his belly button but his entire torso and over his favorite pink cloth belt. He peeked at the other mirror on the adjacent wall to confirm that what he was seeing was real, and excitedly whipped off his �new� clothes in order to throw on the next ones.

An hour later, Ben checked out, buying four t-shirts and three pairs of pants, paying less than thirty dollars for the entire purchase. He thanked the woman at the counter, who warmly thanked him back, and left, clutching his bag of goodies in his hand. He threw the bag in the trunk of his Chevy, looked back one last time at the store, and drove away, unable to stop smiling the entire way home.

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Ben E-mail Interview

- How often do you go to thrift stores?

Whenever I need 'new' clothes.

- What is their appeal?

Its always cheap, no one ever has the same thing as you, its usually not trendy (except that thrift stores are becoming a trend which is unfortunate) and also because I have difficulty finding clothes that fit. Thrift stores tend to carry oddly sized clothes so I can normally find something that fits me.

- What do you normally buy?
I normally buy shirts, but I have been known to buy pants. I bought a tie once. I also got the best hat ever that was bought in a thrift store.

- Do you shop at brand name stores also?

Not really. I will venture into Hot Topic or Spencers every now then, but normally just to find a belt or maybe a humorous shirt.

- Why do you like thrift stores?

Thrift stores have very low prices and the people are always very nice.

- Are there many close to where you live?

There are only two.

- Do your friends shop at these stores, too?

Just one.

- Do many kids at your school dress this way?

Not at the moment, but more are starting to.

- What kind of person do you think would prefer thrift stores?

The eccentric and the poor. But especially the eccentric poor. Also, emo kids shop there.

- What about price?
Amazing.

- What is the most interesting/unusual thing you have found/bought at a thrift store?
Its amazing how hideous many of the clothes are and its hard to imagine why anyone would buy them in the first place.

I plan to write him follow-up questions, and though some of his answers seem vague to you right now, I now what he's talking about and can write my story around what I know.

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Lost in the Music

I read all of the separate parts of the Lost in the Music series, and I must say, I loved the entire story. It starts out a little slow and sounds more like a news article, stating Sam�s age, who he is and the purpose of the story, but then it starts probing into his life, following him every step through his downfall. The story does get slow again a few times while the author explains his family situation and talks about each of his brothers and sisters and where they came from. This information is needed, however. It leaves little room for the reader to be left with unanswered questions when they are finished reading. I really love how it is written, though I did like his other article about the concert better. This was very long, but only because it was a series rather than just one article. I read like chapters in a book, and I feel like I really got to understand who Sam is and his personality. It was all believable and seemed true to life, like he was witnessing it all happening.

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Today!!@@!!@~~!~!!

Today:

Well, yesterday i was in Somerville, so I went to Incogneeto to see if I could score an interview with the owner of the store. I wasn't ready with my questions at the time since I just happened to be in the neighborhood, but he is more than willing to do an interview in person this week. I plan to go Thursday evening, since he said that is the most convienent time for him to take off and be interviewed.

Today I was very disappointed by Friction Magazine, and after endless searching for other alternative magazines, I decided on and e-mailed LOUD, though I am not totally optimistic about my chances:

Submissions

LOUD welcomes freelance queries by email or snail mail. When sending your pitch, please include a couple of writing samples (ideally published clips). Please note that we almost never publish unsolicited stories, and that LOUD cannot be held responsible for unsolicited materials of any kind.

Tips for getting published

Read LOUD carefully and get a sense of where your ideas will fit in. We receive many queries from people who don't have a good sense of our publication.
Please be concise. We don't have time to read lengthy story ideas.
Choose email, as it is our preferred method of communication.

Compensation

Generally, LOUD does not pay first-time contributors. However, we do offer writers the opportunity to work with professional editors, a complimentary copy of the magazine and the possibility to be paid for stories accepted in future issues.

Please send pitches to Anne Schukat, Editor-in-Chief, at submissions@loudmagazine.com.

We'll see. Today I also left a question for the Philly.com fashion writer and e-mailed Ben the revised questions for the article- I expect a reply from him either tonight or tomorrow. The story will most likely revolve around 'the adventures of Ben in Goodwill', or something to that effect. It will be most bodacious.

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This week!!@~!!!@!@12

This week:

Tuesday: Find a new magazine to sell my article to since Friction neglected to let it be known that they shut down (so many frustrations!).

Wednesday: Can't go do my interview with Incogneeto owner (working).

Thursday: MOST LIKELY will go to Somerville after calling to make sure owner is in store to conduct interview.

Friday: If Thursday does not work out, I will go today to do interview.

I would much rather do a face to face interview than over the phone since he is a very...interesting man, and I plan on taking pictures of the store if he lets me. The interview may be done with his wife, too, who is the co-owner.

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News article questions

Which model do you see your story following most closely? How might you incorporate elements of both and how do you plan to do so?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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This article was more of the conventional sounding feature print article. Instead of explaining everything step by step, overall explanations were given and people were interviewed with their quotes added to the story. Both are very different, but each have good qualities to use as an article �outline�. I love the tick tock method as a way to tell the story, and using quotes and more general information is a good way to add person�s personal aspect to the story. I will be describing a lot of situations and the environment, but quotes will also be a big part of my story.

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La lalalalalalalalal LALAlala

Today:

Became frustrated over NewsU, tried to sign up for Friction Magazine e-mail newsletter, but it didn't work, browsed that site for editors or someone specifically to send my letter to (I'm almost positive Melissa Hostetler is the editor of the site), made little changes to my letter, read the baby boomers article but have yet to do the questions, waiting to go over e-mail query letters so I can send mine out...

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Magazine stuff and things

For my article, I have two interviews I definetely know will happen so far. My friend Ben shops mainly at the Goodwill store near his house, so if I can get enough information from him, I may end up using him as one of my main characters. Katie also shops at thrift stores and seems to visit the one in New Hope almost every weekend. Other teenagers I have in mind include Grace, Abbey, Rachel, Tiffany, Rob, and Adam. I have yet to ask them, but if any or all agree, I can do the interviews in person. I would also like to go to Incogneeto in Somerville or Love Saves the Day in New Hope, PA to interview the owners. I have spoken to the Incogneeto owner many times and he would probably be willing to do an interview since he is always in the store, but the problem is that they are in the process of moving the store down a block, so he may not want to be bothered. There used to be a Goodwill in Somerville, but that is gone. There is, however, one in Greenbrook. I'll also need to get permission to take pictures inside the stores.

Teenage interview questions (followups will need to be added depending on answers to these questions):

- How often do you go to thrift stores?
- What is their appeal?
- What do you normally buy?
- Do you shop at brand name stores also?
- Do you have a job?
- Why do you like thrift stores? (very broad- will be shortened)
- Are there many close to where you live?
- Do your friends shop at these stores, too?
- Do many kids at your school dress this way?
- What kind of person do you think would prefer thrift stores?
- What about price?
- What is the most interesting/unusual thing you have found/bought at a thrift store?

Owners:

- Why did you open a thrift store?
- What age groups do you see coming in the most?
- Do people buy things often or just look?
- What do people normally buy?
- How is business?
- Do you see the thrift look coming into mainstream style?
- Where do you get your 'products'?
- Why do you think teenagers are interested in thrift stores?

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Lesson Plan

This week:

Monday: Look at query letter and make necessary changes, email Ben and Katie the magazine article questions (their interviews will have to be done via email or phone because niether of them live around here), start assignments on weblog.

Tuesday: Send out finished query letter, assignments on weblog.

Wednesday: TV studio.

Thursday: Assignments on weblog, necessary editing or additions to TV project.

Friday: NOOOOOO SCHOOOOOOOOOL!

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Sources

I will be going to the local thirft stores in the area to see if I can get an interview with any of the people working and maybe shoppers actually in the store. I also e-mailed Ben and Katie, my two friends who are both fanatic thrift store junkies, so they are willing to be interviewed for the article.

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Yay!

Yesterday, my group stayed afterschool to finish up our part for the TV magazine project. We interviewed Mr. Van Antwerp, filmed a closing, opening, and transition, and have now completed all of our interviews: Andy Chen (student), Mr. Ruggere (sp?), and Mr. Van Antwerp.

WE'RE DONE!!!!!

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Today

Today:

Our group went to the Commons to interview Mr. Ruggere (sp?) who gave us a lot of good footage and information, so I hope everything went well. I also learned how much I do not like being on camera.

I found the contact information for Friction, and though I think I would like to try them, I think they are only a web magazine, and I would rather find a print one if possible. Plus, I added my question to the Oregon writer.

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Magazine to Submit to

Friction Magazine

info@frictionmagazine.com

"Please submit the article as a Word (or similar) attachment. Submissions are not guaranteed to be accepted for publication on FrictionMagazine.com, but all will be considered and responded to (please be patient). At this time, FrictionMagazine.com cannot pay for submissions. When we start making a little money, so will our writers. We will also consider reprinting articles appearing elsewhere as long as the author owns copyright privileges or permission is given from the publication."

I can keep looking, but I think Friction is my best bet.

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Query a Day and Today

What can you learn about what it takes to become a working writer? Can you utilize any of this for this class? Write about it (and link to it) in today's post.

First off, I�d like to say she�s not a great writer- �I actually over the weekend�� She does have drive, though. She bought a book and updates her blog constantly and sends her stories/articles to numerous publications. She doesn�t give up, which is something we should all adopt as journalists. What I took from her blog was that I should keep writing and sending in my articles to magazines, regardless if they buy it or not.

Today:

I read the crazy lady's blog, revised my query letter, and reviewed more about Friction Magazine.

Oh, I'm not sure if there are any 'experts' I could ask about thrift shopping, but I do have in mind a dozen people (teenagers) who frequent thirft stores who I could interview, and I could always go to the owners of the stores I go to (Wee Kids Consignment Shop, Love Saves the Day, Incogneeto, and apparently there's another in Flemington I've never been to).

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Revised Query Letter

Colleen Morrison

41 Abraham Road

Whitehouse NJ 08889

(Friction Magazine focuses on teenagers with �alternative lifestyles� and focuses on culture, music, politics, and alternative lifestyles.)

The storefront is decorated with an elaborate, and often messy, window display of vintage 1950s dresses on mannequins wearing crooked fedoras and clutching purses with gaps of beads missing from their elaborate designs. Inside, racks of mismatched clothing line walls covered in vintage Coke-Cola posters and shelves of worn out high heels and flip flops. Venturing further, lunch boxes, figurines, cracked porcelain baby dolls, and miscellaneous masks and costumes crowd the reminder of the store, creating an atmosphere of musk and nostalgia. Everything in the store is outdated, post-modern, and atypical to the new millennia, but even in such an out of the ordinary store, one aspect seems quite out of place. The store is populated with teenagers, enthusiastically flipping through racks of old t-shirts, diving into piles of ballet shoes, and trying on necklaces that hang well below their belly buttons. They walk around with their arms piled high with skirts and pants before throwing them down on a counter, and while paying, eye the collection of pins and magnets arranged on a stand next to the cash register.

Even in modern society where the Abercrombie clone has become the all-too popular look of the teenage generation, thrift, vintage, and Goodwill shops are making a comeback in a big way. They are fronting the rebellion against social norms with clothing not often seen on today�s popular fashion models and accessories that were typical for your grandmother to wear in public as a young girl. I have in mind an article that would look deeper into the alternative lifestyles of thrift store shoppers and find reasons why these stores have recently become popular with teenagers. The story would be made up of interviews of young people who frequent the shops, owners of thrift businesses, statistics of age groups who enjoy thrift shopping, and anecdotal descriptions of what goes on inside the walls of a store of this nature. The story would run approximately ____ words in length and will work well with the alternative, urban feel portrayed in Friction Magazine, specifically the Culturati section. Pictures of the outsides, but mostly insides, of various thrift and vintage stores will fit in well with the overall article, and photos of people modeling the �look� will add the visual human aspect needed to further explain the thrift style.

I am a high school senior and aspiring writer. In the fall, I will be attending Pratt Institute, majoring in Writing for Media and Publication, and hope to continue writing for magazines in the future. I will be graduating Hunterdon Central Regional High School and have had my work published in the school newspaper and featured at Teen Arts in 2005.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my article idea. I have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope for your reply. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Colleen Morrison

Dave gave me some good feedback, such as changing the beginning of my lead and adding more magazine specific information to the second paragraph. I used all of his suggestions and also added one more piece of expertise.

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Weekly Schedule

Monday- Stay after with Andy Chen (crisis averted!)

Tuesday- Go to TV studio and look at footage.

Wednesday- All of us too busy afterschool.

Thursday- Interviews with Bliss and Dan afterschool.

Friday- Maybe go to TV studio and look at footage.

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Letter

Colleen Morrison

41 Abraham Road

Whitehouse Station, New Jersey 08889

(Friction Magazine focuses on teenagers with �alternative lifestyles� and focuses on culture, music, politics, and alternative lifestyles.)

The store begins with an elaborate, and often messy, window display of vintage 1950s dresses on mannequins wearing crooked fedoras and clutching purses with gaps of beads missing from their elaborate designs. Inside, racks of mismatched clothing line walls covered in vintage Coke-Cola posters and shelves of worn out high heels and flip flops. Venturing further, lunch boxes, figurines, cracked porcelain baby dolls, and miscellaneous masks and costumes crowd the reminder of the store, creating an atmosphere of musk and nostalgia. Everything in the store is outdated, post-modern, and atypical to the new millennia, but even in such an out of the ordinary store, one aspect seems quite out of place. The store is populated with teenagers, enthusiastically flipping through racks of old t-shirts, diving into piles of ballet shoes, and trying on necklaces that hang well below their belly buttons. They walk around with their arms piled high with skirts and pants before throwing them down on a counter, and while paying, eye the collection of pins and magnets arranged on a stand next to the cash register.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my article idea. I have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope for your reply. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Colleen Morrison

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Magazine Beginning

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Today

Today:

Finalized plans for afterschool (meeting Mr. Van Antwerp at the alcove in the 600s hallway during 5th block) and arranged plans to meet with Andy Chen afterschool next week (most likely Monday- if not, Tuesday) by the weight room or LAMP room, Bliss will POSSIBLY come today- plans unclear, debated whether or not our crew would show up and how we would punish them if they don't..., tried to find more magazines, furled a few articles, RSSed Google News "thrift stores", read the three articles, and picked out specific questions for Mr. V.

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Today

Today I furled additional articles, talked to my group about our final interviewing plans, and started looking at magazines I could possibly sell my article to.

Magazines (some are just interesting to me, not necessarily for the article selling- I want to save them for future viewing):

http://www.utne.com/

http://www.foundmagazine.com/

http://www.tweak.com/index.html

http://www.frictionmagazine.com/index.asp

http://www.teenink.com/

Best quote ever: "Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Fick is not in a local band."- Liz Wright

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Ridiculously Awesome Introduction

Everyone knows the stereotype of the high school rock band: self-absorbed, caring only about �the band�, and becoming the next big thing. However, musicians at Central are aiming higher than rock star status. There is no shortage of talent at Hunterdon Central, and many musicians are already known for more than their music. The school�s plethora of bands often participates in charity shows to help benefit the community, in and out of school. These committed teenagers spend their free time and energy going out of their way to help the local and global communities by raising money and awareness for charity organizations. JJL L J J J J J J L L LJJ

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Group work

Background-

- Find out how long Last Band Standing and Guitar Showcase have been held at the school

- How long has Mr. Van Antwerp has been the head of the Guitar Showcase

Interviews-

- Mr. Van Antwerp= Wednesday Block 5

- Bliss McColl and Dan Jefferson

- Andy Chen

- Friendly Grounds? Maybe

Find out other benefit shows at Central/Flemington area- Friendly Grounds

- Who hosted

- Why

- What clubs/classes were involved

Questions

What benefit shows have you done?

Others that you know about?

Why did you decide to do a benefit show?

How did you plan it, set it up?

How long did it take?

What local/global problems are you targeting? People you are helping?

How do these shows benefit the causes? Money?

What events do you plan on doing in the future?

What kinds of music do you play?

Does a benefit concert require a certain genre of music or exclude any?

How do you think music can affect the world in a positive/negative way?

Can it help people on a local level?
On a global level?

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Freelance topic

The topic I decided on doing is thrift stores and their popularity among teenagers. I'm not completely positive what the story is going to focus on, but I've just noticed that recently thirft stores have grown in popularity in high schools, and I want to know why. Is it the price? The variety of clothes? The chance to be 'unique'? Pros and cons? Old clothes vs New clothes? Modern vs. Vintage? I want to start off by interviewing kids who frequent these stores and give me a lead into the rest of the story.

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Possible Topics

-Unknown bands (I'm not giving up on local bands! I have ideas!)
-Ska music/bands
-Punk music/bands
-Amnesty International
-Thrift stores/Salvation Army
-Dieting
-Road trips
-New Jersey music scene
-High school stereotypes
-Muffins...

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30 Second Opener

(Just using The Waffle Stompers as an example)

Local Band Intro

Every year, countless new bands spring up around school, introducing new opportunities for students to hone and perform their talents for the devoted fans of local music in Hunterdon Central. Out of these numerous bands, only a few will go on to play shows that consist of more people than just the lead singer�s little sister, and even fewer will eventually be signed to a recording contract. Today, we have a band well on its way to becoming part of the minority of high school bands. The Waffle Stompers, a ska band with members spanning the Hunterdon area and the grade levels from freshmen in high school to freshmen in college, are gaining recognition and local fame from Hunterdon County and beyond. Beginning as only a mere dream of a few guys fooling around on guitars and trumpets in a basement, The Waffle Stompers are now playing venues everywhere from Hunterdon Central itself, to varies halls in New York. Soon, their local band status will only be a memory as these boys move on to bigger and better shows together. For now, they are personally responsible for helping to keep the local music scene New Jersey is so well known for alive and thriving.

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Beat Reflection

The beat topic I chose was the anti-smoking ban that is to be implemented soon, April 15^th, in New Jersey that will outlaw smoking inside public places such as eating establishments and bars. My decision to pick this topic came from already having an interest in tracking the ban from a previous class I had in the beginning of the year. In political science, we had Republican lobbyist Dale Florio come in and speak to us about his job and his duties, one of them being lobbying against the ban. He made a good argument in class, but failed to convince the Assembly that the ban would hurt New Jersey, not help it. Personally, I cannot wait for the ban, as I have already explained in my blog. Also, since the ban would be affecting the whole state and the large amount of smokers that inhabit it, I knew I would be able to find a sufficient amount of information on the topic.

The article I feel is one of the most important is not an actual article, but a summary of one that failed to work for me from the start. �State of New Jersey set to implement indoor smoking ban� highlights the main points of the other article, giving me the information I need right from the start. I used this article as my starting point and used a lot of its information to create my own opinion and gain knowledge about the subject. It gives both sides of the argument, including information from both the opposing ("It just simply isn't fair," said Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, D-Union County) and the agreeing (The measure had broad support from health groups and was strongly endorsed by state Health Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, a physician and longtime anti-smoking activist� �Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in New Jersey," Jacobs said) sides. It also includes the law of raising the age to legally buy cigarettes from 18 to 19, which prompted me to look further into that subject also.

I had already known the basic idea of the ban, but I did not know how involved it really is. Casinos and bars are fighting the ban, claiming it will hurt business, while in Ireland, where the ban has been in place for years, pub owners say it made no difference for them. The smoking age was raised, prices are getting higher, and eleven other states have already adopted the ban with hopefully more states to follow, too. Knowing more about what the ban was about and how it would affect me made me have more interest in the subject, and after reading about sixty articles, I�d like to think I learned something from this project. I can�t wait for April 15^th to come. I would like to follow the beat even after that date has passed, however. I want to know how effective it will be six months from now and see what else develops around the subject of smoking in New Jersey and what other changes we can expect in the coming months and years.

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Final radio article with bolded changes

�Stay tuned to 90.5 WCVH Flemington.�

Dave Cifelli leans back from the switchboard as a bluesy jazz song begins playing in the studio. Abbey Mondshein gives him the thumbs up from her booth on the other side of the room and turns back to her own switchboard. Dave removes his headphones and stretches in one smooth motion, his fingertips grazing the outside casings of a stack of tapes sitting on a shelf on the wall. He hums along to the song, and checks to make sure the next batch of music is ready to go. As the song fades, Dave replaces the oversized headphones back over his ears and leans into the microphone, waiting for the �ok� to begin his next address to the eager listening audience.

Outside the radio studio, the hallway is darkened and empty with the glow from the �On Air� sign above the door creating a faint red shadow on the floor.

Though it is almost 8:30pm on a Monday, the kids of Carnage and Cookies, the 7pm-9pm Monday night radio show at Hunterdon Central, are hard at work bringing their slice of broadcast to the masses of Hunterdon County.

All of the radio shows are run by students taking the Radio I and II courses offered by Hunterdon Central. This particular show, Carnage and Cookies, is created by Dave Cifelli, Abbey Mondshein, and Joe Plourde, all seniors.

Mr. David Kelber, a radio and television teacher at Central since 1975, is involved with the student run radio shows.

�Right now there are 14 live radio shows,� he says. �13 of the shows are student operated. We program student shows in two hour blocks from 3 - 9 pm Monday through Thursday and from 3 - 5pm on Friday. We have a person in the community who volunteers to do a show on Friday from 5:30 - 10pm. He has been doing this show for nearly 30 years now.�

Ms. Joanna Lynch, a radio teacher at Hunterdon Central for thirteen years, believes the radio shows are responsible in part for making Hunterdon Central stand out among other high schools in America.

�There are not many high school radio stations in the country,� she says. �[The shows] make us unique, in a sense.�

For Dave, having a radio show is a way for him to expose the more uncommon type of music he enjoys to an otherwise conformed society of listeners conditioned to hearing the same five songs an hour on most stations on typical FM radio.

�Our motto is: We play sound,� says Dave. �We play mostly jazz, funk, and experimental, my personal favorites being jazz and funk.�

Abbey, the music director of Carnage and Cookies, agrees.

�We play a lot of independent music and at least one EPIC song every show,� says Abbey. �An EPIC piece usually lasts fifteen minutes�"

�No,� interrupts Dave. �It doesn�t have to be that long.�

�Well than at least ten,� counters Abbey.

�Maybe eight�� Dave trails off.

The radio shows are liberal enough at Central to allow students to play any kind of music they want as long as said music coincides with FCC regulations and is considered �school appropriate.�

�Our music might be embarrassing to listen to in public, unless you are as off-kilter as we are,� says Dave. He adds, �Just kidding!�

There is, however, a list of guidelines to be followed and segments necessary for each show.

�Every show,� says Ms. Lynch, �must include news at the top of the hour, public service announcements, and four new songs a show.�

The four new songs can be of any genre the students running the show choose as long as the music director reports them to the College Music Journal, or CMJ, every week.

�CMJ,� says Ms. Lynch, �is an industry magazine that follows radio play for local high school and college radio stations. It is strictly for high schools and colleges, and it helps record companies to see what is popular. It is the music director�s job every week to have these songs ready to report to the magazine.�

Now, there are many reasons why a student would want a radio show. In addition to being able to share the music he enjoys listening to for listeners of the radio show, Dave is also able to share the music he enjoys playing.

�I have been playing drums for eleven years, and I began taking lessons when I started,� says Dave. �I believe the last time I played my own stuff was during my first show (1st quarter of this year). It was a demo of my jazz quartet, and I used it to promote one of the group's gigs that night.�

For Abbey, generations before her have inspired her to become involved with high school radio.

�My dad did radio in college,� says Abbey.

James Squicciarini, a former student at Central, looks back with fond memories of having not one, but four radio shows during his time in high school.

�It was a really cool experience to be live on the radio and have your voice be heard,� says James. �It also gave me a good excuse to buy new records!�

James and Dave share similar views on why radio shows are important to not only the students who run the show, but to the listeners of the station, eager to hear a different breed of radio play: songs that are not always considered mainstream music.

�Having a radio show was a good way to get your taste in music out in the open and share it with other people,� says James. �It adds needed variety to the radio that other stations can�t always bring to their audience.�

Besides sharing music, the radio shows and classes are also a great way to learn about the industry and the behind the scenes aspects of radio. As seniors, college is on the minds of these radio students and also what they plan to do with their radio education. For Dave, his career in radio ends on graduation day.

�I do not plan on studying radio broadcasting in college,� says Dave. �It interests me, but there is a lot of business junk in radio that you have to do, so it is extremely difficult to just start out as a DJ.�

But not all hope is lost for this broadcasting enthusiast.

�I really like radio for the fun of it, and I enjoy the technical end of it,� says Dave. �I will be attending the University of the Arts in Philadelphia next fall as a Jazz Studies major on drum set. However, radio is always an option as a volunteer DJ on a local station.�

Though he will not be continuing in radio, a profession had not been Dave�s intent when starting Carnage and Cookies.

�I hope to just have fun with the show,� he says. �Especially this semester because Joe, Abbey, and I are all seniors, in the last semester, and we all came from Delaware Township School. It is great fun to hang together and we all have similar musical tastes and opinions.�

Though there is a lot of hard work involved with planning and creating a radio show, there is one reason that prevails over any other that makes having a show worth the time and energy put forth into making it.

�We have lots of fun,� says Dave. �That is why we do it.�

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Highlighted strengths

�Stay tuned to 90.5 WCVH Flemington

Outside the radio studio, the hallway is darkened and empty with the glow from the �On Air� sign above the door creating an eerie red shadow on the floor.

Though it is almost 8:30pm on a Monday, the kids of Carnage and Cookies, the Monday night radio show at Hunterdon Central, are hard at work bringing their slice of broadcast to the masses of Hunterdon County.

For Dave, having a radio show is a way for him to expose the more uncommon type of music he enjoys to an otherwise conformed society of listeners used to hearing the same five songs an hour on any given station.

�Our motto is: We play sound,� says Dave. �We play mostly jazz, funk, and experimental, my personal favorites being jazz and funk.�

Abbey, the music director of Carnage and Cookies, agrees.

�We play a lot of independent music and at least one EPIC song every show,� says Abbey. �An EPIC piece usually last fifteen minutes�"

�No,� interrupts Dave. �It doesn�t have to be that long."

�Well than at least ten,� counters Abbey.

�Maybe eight�� Dave trails off.

The radio shows are liberal enough at Central to allow students to play the any kind of music they want as long as said music coincides with FCC regulations and is considered �school appropriate.�

There is, however, a list of guidelines to be followed and segments necessary for each show.

Ms. Joanna Lynch, a radio teacher at Hunterdon Central for thirteen years, explains.

�Every show must include news at the top of the hour, public service announcements, and four new songs a show.�

The four new songs can be of any genre the students running the show choose as long as the music director reports them to the College Music Journal, or CMJ, every week.

�I have been playing drums for eleven years and I began taking lessons when I started,� says Dave. �I believe the last time I played my own stuff was during my first show (1st quarter of this year). It was a demo of my jazz quartet and I used it to promote one of the group's gigs that night.�

For Abbey, generations before her have inspired her to become involved with high school radio.

�My dad did radio in college,� says Abbey.

The radio shows and classes are a great way to learn about the industry and behind the scenes aspects of radio. As seniors, college is on the minds of these radio students and also what they plan to do with their radio education. For Dave, his career in radio ends on graduation day.

But not all hope is lost for this broadcasting enthusiast.

The majority of the highlighted sections are description and quotes. The description in the beginning gives the reader a sense of what the radio studio looks like; a mental image is placed in their mind and they are able to experience life inside the studio as they read. I like how it is written, but I may end up adding more to it. The rest of the highlights are quotes, which I feel add a lot to the story. We see what it is like to man a radio show from Dave and Abbey's perceptives. They can be serious, but also silly, like they're playful argument over the EPIC songs. Dave's quotes provide an insite of his connection to music and reasons for doing the show. I would like to make the story more of a human interest piece on Dave rather than him and Abbey in general.

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4 paragraphs

A paragraph that makes a connection between the news in your time period and another presented(if you did the future, compare two other time periods).

I did the future, but I think it is easier to compare that with the present than any other time period. The present is allowing us to be able to create better technology that will bring about new ways to spread journalism. Right now we have phones that can play mini clips of news articles and connect to the internet, allowing the owner to look up news from wherever they are, whether it be inside a car, a plane, or a hotel room where news is not normally readily available. In a few short years, every cell phone will be equipped with this ability and news sites will adapt to the growing community of internet followers rather than the soon to be dwindling crowd of print readers. What we can accomplish in the present dictates what we will be able to accomplish in the future.

A paragraph that examines the future of news, and your prediction and reaction to where journalism might be going.

The future of journalism is all about the internet and electronics. I believe that we will still have print and broadcast journalism, but at the same time, the news providers giving us these stories will also be putting them online, allowing anyone with internet access to read the stories. With RSS feeds, stories will be able to come directly to our e-mail inboxes instead of depending on a newspaper to be delivered to our driveways every morning. Specific news networks will have websites to search for stories along with free search engines, including Google and Yahoo!, that have a news tab to search for keywords in stories there, too. Stories will become portable via cell phones and PDAs, and with the help of camera phones, blogs, and video cameras, it will become easier for anyone to report on a story before the professional news networks can. I can�t say whether I have a positive or negative opinion about where news is going. I read the newspaper daily, or at least I try to, but it�s so much more convenient to go on something like bloglines and have the stories you want there automatically without having to search pages for them. The only problem I have with blogs is that anyone can have one and report whatever they want, which could be dangers because most are not based on fact, just opinion. People could read them and believe them as fact, which is dangerous.

A paragraph that discusses two of the video clips and their relation to the presentations.

From Good Night and Good Luck, Morrow introduces a new way to report journalism. He believes in editorializing the news instead of giving facts from both sides. According to him, not every story has two sides to it, so he does not need to report something he doesn�t believe is true. Presently, we see this happening in today�s news, mostly on 24 hour news networks. We see that some reporters are blatantly biased for one side, but this is usually balanced out by another network featuring the same story with their point of view. In Network, the anchor tells his opinion on air also, but more graphically and not television appropriate. I think that we see some of this kind of reporting now, but it will progress to a less censored version of what we television now. Free speech will reach a new high in the future.

Last paragraph that discusses what you've learned through this project and connects to the handout from The Elements of Journalism.

I like that my group did the future of journalism because it left room for us to interpret how we thought the future would be with the internet, cell phones, and blogs. I learned about journalism from the start with the invention of telegraphs, which lead to more inventions, such as the telephone that continued to help progress journalism throughout the years. Television brought a whole new light to journalism, allowing people to match faces with the voices they were so accustomed to hearing. I learned about what the future could possibly bring and what the present is offering for us now, which is just the precursor to the new technology in cell phones and the internet that will come in the future.<o:p></o:p>

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Mr. Kelber interview via E-mail

1. I have been at Hunterdon Central for 31 years. I started in May of 1975.

2. I now only teach Radio I because I also teach a Television I course as well.

3. Right now there are 14 live radio shows. 13 of the shows are student operated.. We program student shows in two hour blocks from 3 - 9 pm Monday through Thursday and from 3 - 5pm on Friday. We have a person in the community who volunteers to do a show on Friday from 5:30 - 10pm. He has been doing this show for nearly 30 years now. So that makes 14 shows.

4. The purpose of giving students radio shows is to provide them with actual experience practicing the skills they learn in class. The radio shows enable them to see in a real broadcast environment whether they would like a career in radio communications. The second purpose is to maintain our radio station license. We are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to serve "the public interest" The student radio shows

serve our listening population.

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750 Words- Radio

�Stay tuned to 90.5 WCVH Flemington.�

Outside the radio studio, the hallway is darkened and empty with the glow from the �On Air� sign above the door creating an eerie red shadow on the floor.

�Our motto is: We play sound,� says Dave. �We play mostly jazz, funk, and experimental, my personal favorites being jazz and funk.�

Abbey, the music director of Carnage and Cookies, agrees.

�We play a lot of independent music and at least one EPIC song every show,� says Abbey. �An EPIC piece usually last fifteen minutes�"

�No,� interrupts Dave. �It doesn�t have to be that long.�

�Well than at least ten,� counters Abbey.

�Maybe eight�� Dave trails off.

There is, however, a list of guidelines to be followed and segments necessary for each show.

Ms. Joanna Lynch, a radio teacher at Hunterdon Central for thirteen years, explains.

�Every show must include news at the top of the hour, public service announcements, and four new songs a show.�

The four new songs can be of any genre the students running the show choose as long as the music director reports them to the College Music Journal, or CMJ, every week.

For Abbey, generations before her have inspired her to become involved with high school radio.

�My dad did radio in college,� says Abbey.

But not all hope is lost for this broadcasting enthusiast.

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Response to Comments

Do you need other sources?

I do need more sources. I am waiting to hear back from Mr. Kelber, via e-mail, and for Abbey to reply to my follow up questions, also on e-mail. Also, I would like to ask students their opinions on radio shows and possibly ask Joe Plourde about his part in the Carnage and Cookies show. If Abbey does not reply back soon, however, I might just make the story about Dave since he was the only one who answered my questions more in depth.

A different lead?

I want to keep my lead the way it is but maybe add more about the look of the studio.

More well-defined characters?

I have my characters, but I just need to go into them more.

How much more reporting do you need to do?

I have to get student responses and my replies from Mr. Kelber and Abbey, then I should be done.

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400 Words Radio- typed from original

�Stay tuned to 90.5 WCVH Flemington.�

Outside the radio studio, the hallway is darkened and empty with the glow from the �On Air� sign above the door creating an eerie red shadow on the floor.

�Our motto is: We play sound,� says Dave. �We play mostly jazz, funk, and experimental, my personal favorites being jazz and funk.�

Abbey, the music director of Carnage and Cookies, agrees.

�We play a lot of independent music and at least one EPIC song every show,� says Abbey. �An EPIC piece usually last fifteen minutes��

�No,� interrupts Dave. �It doesn�t have to be that long.�

�Well than at least ten,� counters Abbey.

�Maybe eight�� Dave trails off.

There is, however, a list of guidelines to be followed and segments necessary for each show.

Ms. Joanna Lynch, a radio teacher at Hunterdon Central for thirteen years, explains.

�Every show must include news at the top of the hour, public service announcements, and four new songs a show.�

The four new songs can be of any genre the students running the show choose as long as the music director reports them to the College Music Journal, or CMJ, every week.

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The Future- News vs. The Internet

On the internet, search engines are no longer only a source of looking up information for a school project, band fan-sites, or the criminal record of your next door neighbor. No, search engines are quickly becoming a popular means of news information, most equipped with a �News� tab to look up articles about any topic from around the country, and in some cases, from around the world. Also, news networks and magazines are embracing the internet more along with television and print, but in the future, the internet will take the place of one, or both of those types of media.

mamma: altavista:

Search engines used to be used as only a resource to find websites related to specific topics and entertainment. Now, most feature a separate section devoted to news articles, from print and electronic, to read through on any topic you search for. At Search Engine Watch, almost fifty separate search engine links are listed that feature search engines and blogs with this news link element in addition to their normal search boxes. Google and Yahoo are at the top of list, as they are commonly the most well known, but sites such as Mamma, Altavista, and Daypop work just as well when trying to find news articles. Most of the search engines on the web now have �news� as an option to look up. In the future, however, there will be specific search engines for ONLY the news and nothing else. An interactive newspaper, if you will. These will grow in popularity, equipped with the �RSS Feed� that tracks the page for new articles that can be sent right to your computer everyday, much like how a newspaper shows up on your driveway every morning.

foxnews:

On the web, news channels and magazines are creating their own sites and posting their material online. This way, anyone who does not watch television or read their magazines will be able to get the same information through their computer screens. MSN, CNN, and FOX news channels have all set up their websites, updated with new information every few hours. Newsweek and TIME have also begun posting their articles online, but to read most of the articles, the viewer must first subscribe to them online, paying in order to view the article in full. In the future, electronic news resources such as these will become the norm, leaving print almost obsolete and television still strong, but second best to the online news network.

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Today

Today:

Typed up my interview notes, read the article on eye color, searched for more news sites and RSSed one more news site for my beat topic (msn.com), furled a few more anti-smoking articles, e-mailed Dave and Abbey with additional questionsfor the interview.

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Ms. Lynch/Radio students interviews

Ms. Joanna Lynch

Has worked at Central for 13 years

Worked in radio for 12 years

Jobs- DJ, promotions director, news, programming assistant

Radio I- overview of radio, understanding why stations do what they do

Radio II- in depth experience in broadcasting

Music directors- talk/deal with record companies

2 hour show a week

Guidelines-

�The students need news at the top of the hour, public service announcements, and four new songs for every a show.�

Report to CMJ- �College Music Journal�

�CMJ is an industry magazine that follows radio play. It�s strictly for high schools and college radio shows. This helps the record companies track radio play and learn what songs are popular.�

Radio program started 1974- 90.5

Dave Cifelli

�Our motto is: We play sound.�

Jazz, funk, experimental

Independent music

�I�m just really into music.�

�I like exposing people to my music.�

�I�m a senior, and it�s not the hardest class in the world.�

Abbey Mondshein- also music director

�My dad did radio in college.�

Learn about the industry

Advertising/promos

Abbey Mondshein, Dave Cifelli, Joe Plourde: Carnage and Cookies- Mondays 7-9

Abbey: �We play at least one epic song every show; epic meaning it�s like 15 minutes long.�

Dave: �Well no�it�s not always that long.�

Abbey: �At least 10 minutes, then.�

Dave: �Maybe 8.�

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Mr. McHale's article

I like the lead and describing the scene of the prom 'store.' I've heard about an event like this that's been happening recently, but I think it was for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The quotes, length, and sources are good, and I like your overall content (especially your closing line- "With the Fairy Godmothers granting wishes, this dream has become a reality for many others.")

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Questions

What is the "Awareness Instinct"?

This is an instinct that all human beings feel. They need to spread and receive information with other people in order to know what is going on in their surroundings, which creates a sense of safety and security.

Describe what the 25 journalists at the Harvard Faculty Club felt was wrong with their profession.

They felt that their profession was damaging the publics� opinion on news and on the journalists themselves. They felt they were ruining the profession rather than helping it. They felt that journalism was becoming something other than a means of reporting the news. Propaganda.

In what ways might changes in the news media subvert our democratic culture? <o:p></o:p>

If newspapers/news was to become government controlled rather than free and independent, much more propaganda and biased political opinions would be open for the public. It could be used as a tool against citizens rather than for them.

What did this group decide to do about their concerns?

A committee, Committee of Concerned Journalists, was formed in order to establish guidelines and organize actions to be taken to keep the sanctity of news reporting. �We held 21 public forums attended by 3,000 people and involving testimony from more than 300 journalists. We partnered with a team of university researchers who conducted more than a hundred three-and-a-half-hour interviews with journalists about their values. We produced two surveys of journalists about their principles. We held a summit of First Amendment and journalism scholars. With the Project for Excellence in Journalism we produced nearly a dozen content studies of news reporting. We studied the history of those journalists who came before us.�

What did they learn in the process?

They learned that between the public and journalists, there will always be misconceptions and clashing. Not everyone can be pleased all the time, and the public expects the journalists to conform to what they want to hear rather than the style that journalists wish to report the news they way they want.

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Article Questions

What is the "Awareness Instinct"?

Describe what the 25 journalists at the Harvard Faculty Club felt was wrong with their profession.

In what ways might changes in the news media subvert our democratic culture? <o:p></o:p>

What did this group decide to do about their concerns?

What did they learn in the process?

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Group project

Working with Ryan and Andrew. 1950s!

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(exactly) 800 words

**Pomptonian has not gotten back to me yet, so I used a quote from the website for now. It answered one of the questions I was hoping to ask them, so when I do get a response, I plan to replace the webiste quote with a quote I recieve directly from the company.**

The bell for third block to begin rings, and students with A lunch crowd into the sunlit hall known as the Commons at Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Some students rush to find a table while others loiter around in groups, talking to or waiting for friends to meet up with before lunch. Eventually, everyone is settled and have one thing in mind: time to eat.

The buffet area of the cafeteria becomes chaotic almost immediately with hungry teens scrambling to grab and buy their food to make the most of their thirty minutes of freedom from classes.

This year, however, the food the teens are grabbing may be different from what they are used to.

In accordance to a more health conscious plan set up by the school, Hunterdon Central�s lunches will include more vegetable choices and less high calorie foods. One example is the replacement of a classic favorite, Otis Spunkmier Muffins, with new smaller, yet more nutritious muffins made by the school. Gradual removal of such high fat foods is part of the plan to help give students more selection in the lunch room and help them to pursue more healthy eating habits.

The introduction of the new food plan brings mixed responses from the students.

Tiffany Digiacomo, a senior at Hunterdon Central, would prefer a more health oriented school lunch menu to better support her vegetarian lifestyle.

�Currently all I can eat are wraps and bagels,� she says. �I think it�s a really good thing that there are more vegetarian choices. I would rather eat healthier than junk food.�

Others are not as enthusiastic about the changes.

Joe Pietruszka, a junior, is frustrated.

�I think health food�s a joke,� he claims. �The menu is fine the way it is now.�

Still others do not care.

Junior Matt Grimkowski is not affected by the new changes.

�I buy maybe five times a month,� he says. �I just bring my food from home.�

The lunch room changes are not only limited to the cafeteria. Vending machines are cutting down on soda, replacing the drinks with diet soda and juice instead of the super sugary drinks.

Pomptonain Food Services, the lunch food provider for Hunterdon Central, supports the decision to make school lunches more nutritious for students.

�Believing strongly that a balanced diet is essential to a child's ability to learn, our goal is to make your cafeteria not only a feeding location but a resource and educational center for healthful eating habits,� states a mission statement from the company�s official website.

The school store has been and will continue making changes to support the new, healthier attitude of the school. Since the last school year, sugary drinks have been replaced with vitamin water and juice packs, and energy bars have been added to the selection.

Junior Jamie McCaulluey, a member of the school store, knows the inside scoop on the changes that will be implemented next year in accordance to the changes.

�Starting next year, there will be no more candy and soda,� she says. �We sell snack foods mostly, but next year we won�t be able to anymore.�

The decision to take away most snack foods, however, was not up for the school to decide. Citing dramatic up rises in childhood obesity, Congress has put a law into effect making it a requirement for schools across the United States to have more diverse, healthier choices in the lunch room for students to buy. According to a 1999-2002 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15% of children ages six to eleven are obese, which is a dramatic increase from only 6% in the late 1970s. Obesity in ages 12 through 19 have risen to 16% from 5% only years ago, and another 15% are at risk of becoming overweight.

This policy will strive to stop the rising of obesity by hoping to improve student health, but still leaving schools to interpret the law as they see fit. Schools are not limited to what they can specifically sell, but are encouraged to follow these healthier plans for the sake of improving the country�s overall health.

Along with cafeteria food, vending machines in school have come under scrutiny. Over the past few years, quite a few laws have been enacted concerning what can and cannot be sold in school vending machines.

The most recent bills are from 2005 which state that in New Jersey, school vending machines are prohibited from stocking, �foods such as candy bars, hard candy, chewing gum, an item that contains more than 35 percent sugar or other sweetener, or an item that contains more than eight grams of fat per serving. Vending machines in high schools would have to contain at least one food and one beverage item which meets these dietary criteria.�

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News vs. Blogs

News: Teacher back in class after Bush-Hitler comparison

Blog: Hitler Compares with No One

Discuss the differences.

What are some of the advantages and disadvatages of each genre?

Clearly, blogs give a much more biased outlook on the issue with this particular site taking a conservative viewpoint on the story. The advantages of a blog are that it appeals to people who also believe that, but the disadvantage is someone may see that as the truth or as fact, which it is not. The news story gives all the facts, but a disadvantage can be that sometimes they come off as dry while blogs give a personal sense to the writing.<o:p></o:p>

Would you ever consider becoming a regular reader of a blog? Why or why not?

In the past I�ve read blogs daily (or weekly) that are updated frequently about a certain topic, but eventually, they become repetitive and the person�s opinion becomes boring. I like to see a difference of opinion and the only place to see that is the comments, and those often end with pointless arguments. Plus, some people have no idea what they are talking about but act like they do and that bothers me the most.

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Today

Today:

Wrote a response to the Googlezon movie, wrote a response to comments on my beat article, and got stood up by Mr. Karycki.

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Response to Movie

Do you think this scenario is possible?

It seems possible that it could happen with the way technology is advancing and how often more people are spending time in front of the computer rather than going out for their news.

What would be the problem with this?

The problem would be that so much information would be left out for each individual person if they are only reading what they are interested in. Though some people may not be entirely interested in politics, having the information available to them is still important. I�m not interested in sports, but I will still occasionally look at the sports section while reading the paper. Also, this may cause more people to be dependent on electronics and technology rather than go out and experience life for themselves.

Would you like to receive your news this way?

I would not mind it, but I do not spend enough time online to have this be useful to me. Normally, I will buy a paper at work and read that before going home at night and doing whatever I need to do. The computer is one of the last things on my mind. If I didn�t have a printed paper, I might be lost. Plus, I do not want it to become a huge part of my life and spend too much time sitting in front of a monitor in my spare time. I like the old way the best rather than the electronic way.

In what ways is this like what is happening in the media already?

More and more newspapers are putting articles online and blogs are becoming increasingly popular, especially the news blogs. Printable news is becoming less of a commodity than signing online and having MSN or AOL pop up with �The News of the Day.�

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Response to Beat Article

Do you need other sources? A different lead? More well-defined characters? How much more reporting do you need to do?

I do need more sources, including the lunch ladies, the head of the school store, possibly Pomptonian, and the principal (at this point probably through e-mail since he did not come for the interview). The lead is fine for now, but I might elaborate it later. I want to try to focus on one person if I can find a way to effectively mold it into the story without making it all about them. Maybe talk about Tiffany more or Joe since they have opposite opinions.

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400 words

Sorry, I honestly forgot all about posting my article until I checked the blog tonight. I understand not recieving credit on the assignment, and before class, I'll have someone read it over and rubric it for the assignment due Wednesday.

The bell for third block to begin rings and students with A lunch crowd into the sunlit hall known as the Commons at Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Some students rush to find a table while others loiter around in groups, talking to or waiting for friends to meet up with before lunch. Eventually, everyone is settled and have one thing in mind: time to eat.

The buffet area of the cafeteria becomes chaotic almost immediately with hungry teens scrambling to grab and buy their food to make the most of their thirty minutes of freedom from classes.

This year, however, the food the teens are grabbing for may be different from what they are used to.

In accordance to a more health conscious plan set up by the school, Hunterdon Central�s lunches will include more vegetable choices and less high calorie foods. One example is the replacement of a classic favorite, Otis Spunkmier Muffins, with new smaller, yet healthier muffins made by the school. Gradual removal of such high fat foods is part of the plan to help give students more selection in the lunch room and help them to pursue more healthy eating habits.

The introduction of the new healthier food plan brings mixed responses from the students.

Tiffany Digiacomo, a senior at Hunterdon Central, would prefer a more health oriented school lunch menu to better support her vegetarian lifestyle.

�Currently all I can eat are wraps and bagels,� she says. �I think it�s a really good thing that there are more vegetarian choices. I would rather eat healthier than junk food.�

Others are not as enthusiastic about the changes.

Joe Pietruszka, a junior, is frustrated.

�I think health food�s a joke,� he claims. �The menu is fine the way it is now.�

Still others do not care.

Junior Matt Grimkowski is not affected by the new changes.

�I buy maybe five times a month,� he says. �I just bring my food from home.�

The lunch room changes are not only limited to the cafeteria. Vending machines are cutting down on soda, replacing the drinks with diet soda and juice instead of the super sugary drinks.

Junior Jamie McCaulluey, a member of the school store, knows the inside scoop on the changes that will be implemented next year in accordance to the health changes.

�Starting next year, there will be no more candy and soda,� she says. �We sell snack foods mostly, but next year we won�t be able to anymore.�

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Today

Sent an e-mail to the principal, rubrics.

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Progress

Today:

No interviews set up for today, but I think I've read every single NewYork Times article off of bloglines...

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JD GOld 800 words

*2:15 am (sidenote)

He is the man everyone looks over their shoulders for when they take out their cell phones. He is the man everyone pulls down their skirts and pulls up their shirts for as they pass him in the hallway. He is the man everyone blames for making them have a bad day.

He is also the man who has attended five colleges, builds computers in his spare time, and loves playing World of Warcraft. There is more to Jonathon Douglas Gold, better known as JD around school, than just the duty release aid students see patrolling the hallways everyday. To them, he is a strict authority figure, seemingly set out on ruining every student�s day, but outside of school, he is a different man.

�I�m a rather happy-go-lucky individual when I�m not here,� Gold says. �I think [the students] think of me as a pain in the ass. And they�re right. Nobody likes authority.�

JD was born into a military household with six other siblings. This lifestyle forced him to live all over the country and the world, including Italy, Germany, and Guam, as he grew up, never being able to root himself to one place for long before moving again.

Naturally, when JD grew up, he chose to join the military as a security specialist in the US Air Force. This job, however, only lasted a short time after a tragic accident left him in a body cast for almost two years. While scaling a cliff during his military training, JD slipped and �bounced� down the face of the cliff, breaking 19 bones in his body. He is now on permanent disability.

This cruel twist of fate would not stop JD for long. After recovering, JD went on to teach environmental science courses at Rutgers in New Jersey, before leaving that teaching job to pursue working as an aid at Hunterdon Central.

�Students provide a fresh outlook,� he says. �I was tired of dealing with college students. You challenge me.�

And the students at Central are up to that challenge. Too often does the sound of JD�s voice echo through the Commons, usually following the shouted profanities of students ready to fight or screams from a table becoming too rowdy. Or in the hallways, where JD has to constantly run down girls with their midriffs exposed, students trying to hide phones next to their ears behind their hair or hoods, and kids fumbling to cover their IPods up with their sleeves while walking between classes.

(Here I want to insert a student quote or two about how the students feel about JD and being caught by him in school.)

Yes, if JD was looking for a challenge, he certainly found one here.

Though he was worked at Hunterdon Central for over five years, Mr. Gold cannot escape his inbred urge to travel. At the end of the school year, JD Gold will be leaving to move to Japan, where he was first stationed in the military, to teach science courses at a Japanese college, the University Nagoya.

�I�d like to go ahead and finish out my career in Japan,� JD says. �I have many friends there and happen to like the country.�

This move will mean a dramatic change for JD�s career. At Hunterdon Central, as a duty release aid, Mr. Gold�s job is defined as being �a permanent substitute teacher who also works with security,� says Mr. Gold.

�I do an awful lot of nothing,� he says about his job around school. �I�ll be glad when I am allowed to get back to teaching. And I won�t have to yell so much. The last time I yelled so much I was in the military.�

Leaving the United States will give JD a chance to get back to his passion of teaching, this time in a very different environment and culture that New Jersey cannot offer.

The biggest challenge JD will be facing in his new career will be the language. He admits that even though he can speak the language, he is in no way able to teach an entire class in Japanese. He has visited the country at least seven times, and will be spending at least two years in the country, according to his teaching contract.

Though JD is looking forward to his new adventure in travel and teaching in Japan, he knows he will be leaving a little piece of him behind with the school.

�Strange as it may seem, I�m going to miss the students. My favorite people here are the students.�

And, even if some of the students are reluctant to admit it, we�re going to miss him, too.

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Today's Review

Today- (quickly)

I went to the commons, interviewed 6 students, including one who works at the school store which was very fortunate. The students I interviewed all had different views- one being a vegetarian and another thinkin health food is "a joke." I talked to the study hall teacher and he tried to help me get in touch with the cafeteria women but there was no one around. I have study hall first block, so i can always ask them then. Also, Kathy Zullo was not responded to my e-mail yet.

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3 questions and Today's summary

1. Where did you go to college?
2. What did you study in college?
3. What jobs did you have before working at the Democrat?

What are the expectations of the readers of each type of paper? How does the Democrat meet the needs of their readers?

Readers in more rural areas will want to hear more about their community, weather, local news in general. In a city, there is not one set community, so local, family-type news is not as necessary as city wide news coverage. County papers probably will not cover world or international news as much as city papers due to commuting and diversity in cities. The Democrat is somewhere in between the two, therefore they must balance local and international news, but more often local than anything else.

Today:

I read the articles on the Democrat website, made my questions for Terry Wright, read my bloglines (for my beat topic and on the New York Times site), e-mailed Kathy Zullo- still waiting for a reply, and came up with some questions for the lunch ladies in the cafeteria for (most likey) Friday.

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Progress

I plan on interviewing various lunch ladies- I don't know if the cafeteria is open during this block, but I could ask during lunch or my study hall if necessary-, talk to the kids who work at the school store, the supervisors of the school store- Kathy Zullo included-, research Pomptonian- also try to find a contact number-, students who buy lunch about whether or not they like the change, and maybe Principal Karycki.I found the Pomptonian website, but I haven't researched enough to have found a way to contact them yet. Tomorrow in class, I plan on going to the cafeteria if is open to talk to lunch ladies, but if it is not open, I will go interview students about how they feel about the cafeteria food. I am going now to find Kathy Zullo's e-mail address to set up an interview.

I have also been doing more research on my beat topic, but it seems like the same 5-6 articles come up everyday under google news. I have yahoo search RSSed, even though there are rarely any new articles there. I have 35 or 36 saved up to this point.

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Theme & Notes

Theme: The role of technology in Will Richardson's personal and professional life.

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Mr. Richardson Questions

1. Where did you go to college?

2. What did you study?

3. Have you traveled?

4. What kinds of classes did you teach?

5. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

6. What are your plans for the future?

7. How did you get started in webloging?

8. How much of your time is taken up by webloging/internet?

9. What do you hope students get out of webloging?

10. Have you always been interested in computers?

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Questions to the author

1. Were you there at the time of the recording?

2. How was the atmosphere at the recording studio?

3. How did you find out about the woman and the family?

4. What gave the family the idea to record?

5. How was the family in person?

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Feature stories

Create a post on your weblog titled "feature story exploration." In this post please create a link to each school paper and then list the feature stories below it. Once you have five lists, briefly discuss the topics that you most want to read about and why? What "qualities of news" do they contain? What conclusions can you draw about what makes a good feature story idea? Might you be able to localize any of these story ideas (apply them to the Hunterdon Central community).

NYU

Foreign students� journey in adjusting to America

Frigid feather fight

Black & White Online

From mummies to murders: scientists wrap up past mysteries

High School Party throws events, uses students to model sponsors' products

Silver Chips

On the job, charms become credentials

When divorce is a must, students adjust

Obtaining alcohol underage

A new kind of art

Escaping from problems into disorder

Lion�s Roar

Junior starts relief fund for Darfur victims

MY LIFE: Running for freshman class office

RELATIONSHIPS: Bucking the stereotypical male view, student advocates the benefits of a loving relationship

Sex education creates dilemma for some highly religious students

THE NEXT BIG THING: Open Mic

The Paly Voice

Got Vegan?

Swing Dance Club starts off with a spin

Tough discussion on race lightened by storyteller

Search for sandbags leads to desperate Palo Altans

Paly students deem extended restricted driving period unnecessary

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JD 500 words

�I�m a rather happy-go-lucky individual when I�m not here,� Gold says. �I think [the students] think of me as a pain in the ass. And they�re right. Nobody likes authority.�

JD was born into a military household with six other siblings. This lifestyle forced him to live all over the country and the world as he grew up, never being able to root himself to one place for long before moving again.

�Students provide a fresh outlook,� he says. �You challenge me.�

Though he was worked at Hunterdon Central for over five years, he cannot escape his inbred urge to travel. At the end of the school year, JD Gold will be leaving to move to Japan to teach science courses at a Japanese college, the University of Nagoya.

�I�d like to go ahead and finish out my career in Japan,� JD says. �I have many friends there and happen to like the country.�

Though JD is looking forward to his new adventure in travel and teaching in Japan, he knows he will be leaving a little piece of him behind with the school.

�Strange as it may seem, I�m going to miss the students. My favorite people here are the students.�

And, even if some of the students are reluctant to admit it, we�re going to miss him, too.

Very well written. You transition from one topic to another seemlessly. As I've noted before, your lead, nutgraph, and lead quote are very effective. You also provide the reader a sense of the stuggles he has gone through and factors that have made him who he is. Try to support this even further by adding quotes, details, and information. And don't forget about observations. Perhaps you can weave in more of the JD that students see everyday (and his viewpoints on student perceptions) into your story.

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JD 200 Words

�I�m a rather happy-go-lucky individual when I�m not here,� Gold says. �I think [the students] think of me as a pain in the ass. And they�re right. Nobody likes authority.�

JD was born into a military household with 6 other siblings. This lifestyle forced him to live all over the country and the world as he grew up, never being able to root himself to one place for long before moving again.

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2 articles

Pregnant junior faces long odds

What type of lead does the author employ (use the handout for categories)?

The author uses the �Descriptive/In Action� lead to set the scene of the hospital room and give focus to the main issue of the article: Jaime�s pregnancy.

Is it effective? Why or why not?

I liked the way the story is started. To me, it is more effective as an opener than just getting right into the story or listing facts or something less personal.

Identify the nutgraph of the story. What paragraph does this appear in?

Paragraphs 4-6. At this point in the story, we are past the story and move on to understand who Jaime is and her struggles in high school.
What is the theme of the story?

I believe the theme of the story is even in the face of adversity, if you truly want to make something happen, you need to work at it to achieve your goal.

What quotes, details or anecdotes support this theme?

�Jaime climbs behind a knee-high brick wall and announces to campus supervisor Brigitte Walker, "I'm dropping out of school."�

She begins with doing so poor in school that she wants to drop out. When she receives her report card, she sees that she is failing more than one class and her GPA averages out to a D-.

Then, she decides to have her baby, and school changes for her.

�As the final quarter of school starts, Jaime finds new energy. Her boyfriend rarely calls. She starts making it to class every day, although not always on time. She asks for homework assignments if she plans to miss class for a doctor's appointment. On her mid-quarter progress report her grades shoot up to four A's and two B's. If Nueva Vista still had student of the month, her teachers say, Jaime would win it easily.
"Because of the baby," she explains. "I need to do what I need to do to graduate."�

Suddenly, she decides that if she wants her baby to grow up healthy and happy, she needs to change her life to better fit those needs.

How many sources are used?

?
How is the story organized? Is it effective (does the author anticipate the reader's needs)? Are all of your questions (that relate to the theme) answered as they occur to you? What questions do you still have?

I�m not sure if I like the way the story is organized. From reading the lead, I thought the whole article would be about her being pregnant and getting ready to have a child. Instead, it went through her �life story� in school, eventually leading up to her pregnancy at the end. I did like her story, however. It showed her life before the pregnancy compared to how it changed afterwards. It was more about connecting with the subject rather than just learning facts about her, and I enjoyed reading it. I believe any questions I would have had about Jaime were answered, but now I want to know more about when she actually has the baby.

Principal "a leader not a manager"

What type of lead does the author employ (use the handout for categories)?

The article begins with an �action� scene around the table of an important school planning meeting where we see how many choices the principal is faced with everyday.

Is it effective? Why or why not?

It is. I have sympathy for the man after learning about what he has to go through on a day to day basis and understand that he has a tough job.

Identify the nutgraph of the story. What paragraph does this appear in?

Paragraphs 6-7. �Today, like most days, Neary will be called upon to make hundreds of decisions, large and small. And he needs to decide fast, because in just a few moments, someone new will come knocking at his door.
Luckily, Neary excels at multitasking.�

We learn here about the problems he must deal with and how he takes it all in stride.
What is the theme of the story?

Even if the job is hard, if you enjoy it, your hard work will be worthwhile in the end.

How many sources are used?

I like the way it is set up. We see �bad� parts of his job first then progress into the better aspects. First we see the problems: �The parents in the booster club are livid over a proposal to cut the marching band's field show competitions. A student who transferred out of the state near the end of the school year was given a failing grade, punishment for missing one of her final exams. And some teens have been drinking beer on the tennis courts at night, leaving behind broken glass that threatens the young athletes who practice there.� Then the perks: Mr. Neary, most students agree, is "pretty cool." To their delight and to the dismay of some of the teachers on campus the principal's stories are often peppered with four-letter words or off-color references. More importantly, Mr. Neary seems to respect them.�

Maybe I�d want to know more about his life outside of school or more about his hobbies and personal life.

Finally, compare and contrast the two profiles. Which did you find more effective and why? Did one provide a better sense of the person or make him or her easier to relate to? How might you use similar techniques in writing your profile story?

I liked the pregnancy story better because it gave more background on Jaime which helped to understand why she wanted the baby and why she was struggling in school. It made me feel much more connected to her than the principal. I�d like to give some background for my profile story- maybe not as much as this author did for Jaime, but still a good amount.

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JD Lead

�I�m a rather happy-go-lucky individual when I�m not here,� Gold says. �I think [the students] think of me as a pain in the ass. And they�re right. Nobody likes authority.�

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JD Gold Interview Notes

�Life is short; get out there and enjoy it

Jonathon Douglas Gold

Duty release aid- licensed full time substitute teacher
Also work for security
Worked here 5 years full time on January 23
Substituted for 2 months before being hired full time
Taught environmental science at Rutgers
Went to Princeton, Ocean, Edison, Van Doren, Rutgers
Got kicked out of Central because he had a girlfriend who went here and Mr. Carr caught him visiting- �Strangely enough he was the once who hired me.�
Had a military family
6 brothers and sisters
2^nd oldest
Moved around the world
- All over United States
- Italy
Germany
- England
- Guam
- �Since that is all I ever knew it seemed normal which is why I think it�s so easy for me to take the position in Japan
Was in a body cast for 2 years
- �bounced� down a cliff while training in the military
- Broke 19 bones
- Permanently disabled

· Security specialist of the US Air Force

· 2 years in military before accident

· Working at Central has made him more demanding and judgmental

· �I�m a rather happy-go-lucky individual when I�m not here.�

· �I think [the students] think of me as a pain in the ass. And they�re right. Nobody likes authority.�

· �Outside of work I�m a different person.�

· In June- leaving to go work in Japan

University of Nagoya
Will be teaching in English though he does speak Japanese
Moving there for at least 2 years

�I�d like to go ahead and finish out my career in Japan. I have many friends there and happen to like the country.�
�Strange as it may seem, I�m going to miss the students. My favorite people here are the students.�
�Students provide a fresh outlook.�
�You challenge me.�
Challenge will be to learn the language
�I semi-professionally build computers.�
�I am a gamer.�
- World of Warcraft, Mist series, �as long as it�s a puzzle or a challenge.�
Would like to make some significant contribution to science.
�I am currently in the process of a divorce.�
�I was tired of dealing with college students. From here I�d like to teach middle school and younger kids.�
�I�ll be glad when I am allowed to get back to teaching. And I won�t have to yell so much. The last time I yelled so much I was in the military.�
Attracted to Japan�s people, culture, and sub-culture
- Drag motorcycle races
- �I used to like going really fast on two wheels.�
�Change is good.�
Visited Japan 7-9 times
Originally stationed there in military
�Having to enforce the rules of the school board. I don�t always agree with them, but that�s what I�m paid for.�
Describes his job as boring
�I do an awful lot of nothing.�

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Profile Response

What are some of the elements that attempt to show her work ethic and determination? How effective did you think this profile story was in giving you a sense of this woman? What are at least five questions the reporter might have asked to get some of this information? What are some elements of a profile that are different from a hard news story? Post your answers to these questions on your weblog for 10 points by the end of class today (title it: "Profile Response").

She outlines her personality by saying she is a hard worker and is hard on her team, but that is what made them better. Her personality and defining qualities are the elements that describe most why she is so motivated. The article also mentions her family as being a factor and also the hardships of her every move being scrutinized under a microscope.

I thought the profile story was very effective when showing what this woman had to go through to get where she is today. Clearly she is very motivated and doesn�t mind having to work hard for what she enjoys doing and achieving her main goal of coaching at the Olympics.

What is your biggest coaching goal in life?

What drives her to work so hard?

How do her players feel about her coaching technique (for the players)?

What were the scores or rankings for Long Beach women�s basketball?

How many games were played that season?

In a hard news story, there are many more hard stated facts that are not in this profile story. The profile story has a more lax timeline of the events it is covering. The reader does not need to know the exact date Dallas began coaching or how many players are on her team. This focuses a lot more on her struggle rather than the mechanical details of her life.

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Hard News Reflection

Next, create a post on your weblog (title it hard news reflection) in which you discuss the feedback you received and how you decided to use it. What advice did you decide to follow? What did you ignore? Why? Then write a second paragraph that discusses what you learned through the process of writing this story. What did you find most difficult? What did you learn about reporting, interviewing, note taking, and journalistic writing that you can use for future stories? If you had to do this all over again, would you do anything differently? This will count as ten of the fifty points for the hard news story.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I changed everything you asked me to change, but I ignored the advice given to me by the person who reviewed my article. She said I did not include background or impact information, which I believe I did throughout the article explaining the impact on the students and what exactly was happening at the time. She did not give me any other advice besides that, and I changed around a few words on my own to give the story better flow and make more sense while reading.

I thought the hardest part would be taking notes from the interviewees, but I ended up getting a lot of good direct quotes. The hardest thing was trying to include all of the information in a way that sounded more like facts than a story. Meaning, state everything rather than create a detailed story that described the entire scene of the event. I learned you must take notes fast and include every fact in the who, what, where, why, and how while at the same time trying to compact the story into a concise news article. I think I might try to get better quotes next time, if not ones that have more to do with the article and fit better.

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Evacuation Article Edited (orange and bolded)

An evacuation of students and staff from Hunterdon Central Regional High School occurred last week due to a small electrical fire in a classroom.

On Tuesday, January 31, an estimated 1,300 students and staff were evacuated from the lower school building when a speaker in a classroom sparked and caught fire. At the time, a substitute teacher, Ms. Rebecca Semon, was showing a movie during a sophomore drivers� education class when a student noticed the speaker.

�He said, �Miss Semon, is the speaker on fire?� My initial reaction was, �Oh crap�.�

A student pulled the fire alarm inside the classroom, and the students were dismissed into the hallway. Two maintenance men were in the same hallway changing light bulbs, and when alerted about the fire, they radioed for help.

Ms. Spieker, the coordinator of the district safety team, knew something was wrong when she heard the alarm.

�I knew they weren�t having a drill since it was raining.� she said.

In accordance to school regulations, the entire building was evacuated until the fire marshal could come and access the situation. During that time, the estimated 1,300 students and staff were left standing in the cold, icy rain.

Toni Seppelt is a junior involved in the evacuation.

�We were outside for a half hour�and it was raining and really cold.� she said.

After the �drill� lasted longer than normal, the students began wondering if there was a problem.

Alexis Keller, a sophomore, was taken out of her biology class in the trailers during the evacuation.

�I thought there must have been something going on if it was lasting that long.� she said.

Seppelt was also confused about why the students were not dismissed back into the building sooner.

�I just thought it was a regular drill. We didn�t actually find out it was a real fire until later in the day.� she said.

�I asked my teacher what happened,� Seppelt explained, �why we had such a long fire drill, and she said she didn�t know.�

The same thing happened to Keller.

�My friend told me. Out teacher didn�t tell us.� she said.

After the fire marshal failed to arrive right away, students and staff were directed across campus to the field house.

Construction on the school was a negative factor in the evacuation.

�It was a longer walk,� said Ms. Speiker, �They were in the rain for a long period of time.�

At the field house, students were directed to sit with their classes and teachers took roll call for their students. Here, another problem arose. Instead of utilizing the three entrances into the field house, all of the students were crowded through the two narrow outside doors, causing the evacuation to take longer than expected, said Ms. Spieker.

�I think it could have been faster. My opinion is that it was too slow for everyone�s safety.� said Ms. Spieker.

The students were allowed back to class after the fire was put out and the ok was given by the fire marshal to re-enter the building and return to class. They dismissed and re-entered within the span of first block.

�We came back at 8:30ish.� said Miss Semon.

The classroom was and able to use for the remainder of first block and the rest of the day.

The cause of the problem was an internal electrical problem inside the speaker, said Miss Speaker.

�There was a receiver set up in the speaker, the wattage was not equal. Someone had changed what was originally there. Flames came out of the speaker on the wall. We took that and the other one down and it melted and disintegrated.� she said.

Mr. Karycki, the principal of Hunterdon Central, was very pleased with the evacuation.

�I was very impressive to see the evacuation and the cooperation of the students�I really wanted to thank the teachers and students for their cooperation.� he said.

�You never know when the real thing is going to happen.� he added.

�To everyone else,� said Miss Semon, �it was such a big issue, but to us involved, it was almost a non-issue. The students went back to their seats and I handed out work for them to do while I talked to the emergency officer.�

Miss Semon left with one piece of advice for future evacuation.

�If you know it�s cold, grab your coat. There were a lot of kids really cold that day.�

# Posted to the memoir writing Department - -

Evacuation Article

An evacuation of students and staff from Hunterdon Central Regional High School occurred last week due to a small electrical fire in a classroom.

On Tuesday, January 31, students and staff how many?were evacuated from the lower school building when a speaker in a classroom sparked and caught fire. At the time, a substitute teacher, Ms. Rebecca Semon, was showing a movie during a sophomore drivers� education class when a student noticed the speaker.

�He said, �Miss Semon, is the speaker on fire?� My initial reaction was, �Oh crap.�� said the substitute.

Ms. Spieker, the coordinator of the district safety team, knew something was wrong when she heard the alarm.

�I knew they weren�t having a drill since it was raining.� she said.

Toni Seppelt is a junior involved in the evacuation.

�We were outside for a half hour�and it was raining and really cold.� she said.

After the �drill� lasted longer than normal, the students began wondering if there was a problem.

Alexis Keller, a sophomore, was taken out of her biology class in the trailers during the evacuation.

�I thought there must have been something going on if it was lasting that long.� she said.

Seppelt was also confused about why the students were not dismissed back into the building sooner.

�I just thought it was a regular drill. We didn�t actually find out it was a real fire until later in the day.� she said.

�I asked my teacher what happened,� Seppelt explained, �why we had such a long fire drill, and she said she didn�t know.�

The same thing happened to Keller.

�My friend told me. Out teacher didn�t tell us.� she said.

After the fire marshal failed to arrive right away, students and staff were directed across campus to the field house.

Construction on the school was a negative factor in the evacuation.

�It was a longer walk,� said Ms. Speiker, �They were in the rain for a long period of time.�

�I think it could have been faster.� said Ms. Spieker, �My opinion is that it was too slow for everyone�s safety.�

The students were allowed back to class after the fire was put out and the ok was given by whom? to re-enter the building. They were dismissed and re-entered within the span of first block.

�We came back at 8:30ish.� said Miss Semon.

The classroom was and able to use for the remainder of first block and the rest of the day.

Ms. Spieker explained the problem after the situation was figured out.

�There was a receiver set up in the speaker, the wattage was not equal. Someone had changed what was originally there," she said. "Flames came out of the speaker on the wall. We took that and the other one down and it melted and disintegrated.� she said.

Mr. Karyski, the principal of Hunterdon Central, was very pleased with the evacuation.

�I was very impressive to see the evacuation and the cooperation of the students�I really wanted to thank the teachers and students for their cooperation.� he said.

�You never know when the real thing is going to happen.� he added.

Miss Semon left with one piece of advice for future evacuation.

�If you know it�s cold, grab your coat. There were a lot of kids really cold that day.� Nice ending

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First 150 words

An evacuation of students from Hunterdon Central Regional High School occurred last week due to an electrical fire in a classroom.

On Tuesday, January 31, students and staff were evacuated from the lower school building when a speaker in a classroom sparked and caught fire. At the time, a substitute teacher, Ms. Rebecca Semon, was showing a movie during a sophomore drivers� education class when a student noticed the speaker and approached the teacher.

�He said, �Miss Semon, is the speaker on fire?� My initial reaction was, �Oh crap.�� Said the substitute.

A student pulled the fire alarm inside the classroom, and the students were exited into the hallway. Two maintenance men were in the same hallway changing light bulbs and when alerted about the fire, they radioed for help.

Ms. Spieker, the coordinator of the district safety team, knew something was wrong when she heard the alarm. "I knew they weren't having a drill since it was raining." she said.

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Who, what, where...

What: Fire and evacuation
Who: staff and students
Where: Hunterdon Central Regional High School
When: Tuesday, January 31
Why: Faulty electronic equiptment
How: Housed in the fieldhouse until cleared to return
Along with this, include the five most important questions you listed for the interview assignment.

What actions did the teacher take after seeing the fire?
Who was in charge of directing the evacuation?
How many students were involved?
What was the cause of the fire?
Was anyone hurt?

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Lead

An evacuation of students from Hunterdon Central Regional High School occurred last week due to an electrical fire in a classroom.

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More Interview

Substitute teacher Rebecca Semon

Initial reaction- �Oh crap!�

- �First it took a second to understand what the student had asked me- �Miss Semon, is the speaker on fire?�

- Only in the classroom for 15 minutes

- A student said �I�m not pulling it, I�ll get in trouble�

- Student pulled the alarm

- �I told everybody to grab their coats and leave. I shut off all the electrical devices in the room. They stopped to watch it and I told them to get out.�

- Told two maintenance men in the hallway changing light bulbs that there was a fire and asked if they could radio someone.

- Had no problem with the students

- They got up and left

- Fire contained to speaker

- Glowing woofer circle, looked like LED lights

- Fabric on the outside fire

- Went back into classroom afterwards

- Had rest of 1^st and all of 2^nd block in the room

- Sophomore drivers ed

- Substituting since 1999

- Was a student here

- Been in most places except team room

- Remembers �fire drills but I don�t recall ever having to evacuate�

- I think it was necessary to evacuate the whole building becuae the speakers were close to the ceiling.

- You never know how fast that will spread.

- At least 20 kids in the class, if not more

- �I hadn�t even finished my coffee yet.�

- �There was not much to think about. There was a fire, everyone was safe. It�s just not how you want to start the day.�

- Out until 8:30ish

- Had everyone go out exit furthest away from speaker

- �To everyone else it was such a big issue, but it us involved, it was almost a non-issue. The students went to their seats and I handed them work while I want and spoke to the emergency official.�

- �I know to check if there is a fire pull on the room from now on.�

- �If you know it�s cold, grab your coal. There were a lot of kids really cold that day.�

Toni Seppelt- Junior

- �I just thought it was a regular fire drill. We didn�t actually find out it was a real fire until later in the day.�

- Outside for a half hour

- ��and it was raining and really cold.�

- In math class

- �I asked my teacher what happened, why were had such a long fire drill and she said she didn�t know.�

- She just told us to stay with our teachers.

- Field house really crowded.

Alexis Keller- Sophomore

- In biology class

- �I just thought it was a fire drill and why it was raining, too.�

- �We were in the trailers so we just left and went to the fieldhouse.�

- �My friend told me. Our teacher didn�t tell us.�

- �I didn�t even hear the fire engines or anything�

- �I thought there must have been something going on if it was lasting that long.�

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Interview Notes

Mr. Karyinskey (need spelling again)- principal
Ms. Spieker-coordinator of the district safety team- awarded 2 years in a row for outstanding safety.

K- alarm goes off, phones, people evacuate, �district security officers notify where alarm came from,� validate if there is a fire

S- �I knew they weren�t having a drill since it was raining.�

S- Mr. Sneebly, vice principal, responded in the same manner

S- �I think it could have been faster.�

S- �My opinion was it went too slow for everyone�s safety.�

S- very orderly, out and in

K- very impressive to see the evacuation and the cooperation of the students.

S- 3 or 4 backup locations in case field house is unavailable.

S- People went down to the area and saw the flames and saw the smoke.

S- Heard everything over the radio.

S- �They were in the rain for a long period of time.�

S- (Due to construction) �It was a longer walk.�

K- Really wanted to thank teachers and students for their cooperation

K- released information on Listserv.

K- �You never know when the real thing�s going to happen.�

K- need approval from Fire Marshall before reentering building

K- the main thing is getting out of the building

S- We have two Fire Marshalls.

S- We were not just waiting for one person, we had two.

S-there was a receiver set up in a speaker, the wattage was not equal, someone had changed what was already there. Flames came out of speaker on the wall. Taken down. Took down other speaker, which melted and discriminated.

S- classroom/team room still usable- cleaned up

S- people didn�t realize that there were entrances into the field house, so the kids were being crowded into only 2 doors.

S- went back before the end of 1^st block

S- close to 1,300 students evacuated

S- Sophomore driver�s ed. class.

S- Teacher pulled the alarm

S- Minimized danger- electricians right around the corner

I would want our students to be a little more vigilant�to keep this place safe.

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Fire Questions

This morning, at Hunterdon Central, there was a minor fire, involving an audio speaker in the Team Room on the 9/10 campus. At approximately 7:40 AM, a fire alarm was pulled, which resulted in an immediate evacuation of the 9/10 campus. When it was determined that there was a problem with the speaker and that the Fire Marshall would have to approve students returning to the 9/10 building, the students on the 9/10 campus were moved to the 11/12 campus and housed in the Field House. This was done in accordance with Hunterdon Central's standard safety procedures. After the Fire Marshall gave approval, the students were allowed to return to the 9/10 campus at approximately 9:30 AM. There were no injuries and this incident was not related to the construction and renovation currently taking place on campus. Total damage was limited to the speaker, itself; speakers and receivers in the Team Room are being checked to ascertain the cause of the problem. The staff and students did an exemplary job in managing and dealing with this incident.

Was anyone injured?
Who was in charge of the evacuation?
How did the students behave?
What did police/firemen do once they arrived?
What was the cause of the fire?
Did this effect class time/schedule?
What actions will be taken to insure this will not happen again?
What class was in there at the time of the incident?
What actions did the teacher take?
Who is the Fire Marshall?

These questions will be mainly for the principal and/or the Fire Marshall/firemen who came to the school to take care of the fire. Both will be able to give me background and further details of the incident and all of them are brief questions.

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Beat Topic

Maybe the Saddam Hussein trials or the New Jersey death penalty moratorium or the new anti-smoking laws.

As you�re well aware, I am very interested in politics and would enjoy following and reading more about any of those subjects.

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Memoir Reflect Homework

POSTED AT 2:10 AM

WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!

Relate some of your writing to what you have been reading in your memoir. How have you been attempting to do similar things and how successful do you feel you have been? What do you feel are your strongest memoir pieces and why?

I think my favorite kind of writing would be creative non-fiction, but maybe not necessarily memoirs. From what I have noticed from reading a few memoirs over the years is that they all have an element of reflection and understanding. What I like to do it tell the story of the event that unfolded instead of turning it into this immense life changing experience that I need to go back and explain after it is written. In Prozac Nation, I see this happening where the author will explain her childhood and why certain things happened to her, then randomly add a story in the middle of a chapter without explaining afterwards. Sometimes, I�ve also noticed, these stories or only loosely connected to what she was talking about in the chapter, as if she had added them in as an afterthought. What I want to do is just tell the story, let the reader decided how to feel about it. My name piece is still by far my favorite. It explains who I am and a few events that show how I have been shaped into the person I am today. My strongest memoirs, however, were not written for this class. For Pratt Institute, I had to put together a portfolio of 10 separate writing pieces. I could have easily taken a bunch of poems and old stories I had written in the past and through them in a folder, but I chose to instead write 10 whole new ones, one being an extended, more detailed version of the diner scene from my Name Piece. All 10 pieces are true events and stories from my life, yet I chose not to have a section of reflection for each one. They were stories, and I think they were effective as such. I believe that an effective memoir does not need an explanation for every single part of the events that happened in that person�s life, though I know some things do need explaining. An effective memoir can tell a story so well that the reader can connect with it without being told how to feel.

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Letter Edit

"I had always been a shy and reserved girl, and I believe you were the first to help me come out of my shell."

Krista was one of my one and only friends as a child. Growing up, I was extremely shy and reserved around people, so I had a hard time making friends. Katie and Krista were my best friends throughout elementary and middle school, and though I had a few other not so close girls I would talk to, the three of us never parted. Katie was the outgoing, bubbly one, I was the shy, cautious one, and Krista was the mature one and more or less our �leader.� Katie and Krista did not always necessarily get along, but I always seemed to get along with both of them even when they were fighting.

We were only in 4^th or 5^th grade at the time, but Krista had the mind of a teenager. She grew up in an unusual household, where the pets made messes everywhere and her hippie parents did nothing to stop them. She was a bright girl, but at a young age she already had many internal problems. She always thought she was fat, though she looked as if she were wasting away. She ate paper and pretzels to keep herself from eating too much at meals. Her weight would fluctuate often; she would go from being emaciated to chubby to overweight, then right back to being frighteningly skinny. She took pills for being bi-polar, but sometimes hide the pills away instead of taking them. When this happened, she would have horrible moods swings. She hated her sister during these times. She was 18 when were in middle school and she tried to be a good sister like driving us to parks, buying us ice cream, sitting with us late at night gossiping and telling us about high school. Though she was a great, kind girl who meant no harm, Krista hated her, claiming she was trying to steal her friends away from her. This was only when she skipped her medication, however. When she was drugged, she was fine and happy around her sister. Without her pills, she randomly started crying and talking about how much she hated life and the world. I could do nothing but hug her. I did not understand what she was going through; I was a happy kid with a very boring, normal family and a very boring, normal life. I tried to give her advice, but everything I said was generic and unhelpful, so eventually I learned just to sit back and listen. This is what I learned from Krista: to listen.

What I mean by listen is to genuinely sit and hear out someone�s problems and actually care. Over the years I have become the person all of my friends go to just to complain and tell me their problems. I just sit back and let them talk. When people are upset, they do not need advice, they need an ear to talk, cry, yell into without a biased opinion to stop them. For example: in recent months, I feel like I have become the �relationship guru,� meaning everyone I know comes to me about their relationship issues. I�ve had friends come to my house, sit on my couch, and cry and talk about whatever is happening with so-and-so for hours, and I will just sit there with an arm around their shoulders. Or online, people will pop up and just talk at me about how their girlfriend needs this or their boyfriend is saying that, because they need someone who will listen and not give them the same old generic advice that anyone could give. With Krista, she always said after a session of tears and confessions that I always made her feel better though I barely said a word. She said by being able to tell me everything with the confidence that she was not being judged helped her the most. I care about my friends and how they are feeling and will always lend an ear when they need one. Krista taught me to truly care and listen, which I have and always will value.

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Map Story II 2

I went down to Maryland on a Sunday morning to stay the night since we did not have school Monday due to a holiday. Ben had lived down the street from my house for 6 years before moving with his parents to Maryland during 8^th grade. We try to get together every once in awhile to catch up and hang out for a few days. There, Ben and I made plans to go to his neighbor�s house for a bonfire later that night. It was around 6 o clock, and having a few hours to kill, we sat in his yet to be turned on car deciding where we should go and what we should do.

�Ever been to a Wal*Mart Super Center?� Ben asked raising his eyebrows.

�No,� I said grinning, �You have one here?�

Ben dramatically nodded.

�Dude,� he said, starting his car. �Prepare to be amazed. It�ll blow your mind.�

We drove for about five minutes before turning onto off the highway into what looked like a small housing development. Instead of homes, however, WAL*MART SUPER CENTER blared from a 20 foot high sign in bright red letters, directing the way into the mile long parking lot. Finding a space was near impossible, but eventually we parked towards the back, and got out to make the hike to the front of the store. The building took up the whole length of the street, with sections breaking off to become smaller stores on their own. Ben explained that inside those buildings was a vision center, hearing center, auto center, McDonalds, Kohl�s, floral department, supermarket, house ware, insurance agency, a bank, and then the actual Wal*Mart, all in a stretch of bland tan colored architecture. I had to admit, it was pretty amazing.

We were just stepping on the sidewalk directly lining the building as a car sped around the corner and turned down the row of parking spots behind us. I watched the car pass as it turned, and through the windows, two young black boys in patterned du-rags were pressed against the window, flipping us off. My step faltered, but we kept walking, Ben either oblivious or ignoring the boys.

The Wal*Mart was not a store; it was separate world. Obese women in orange shirts waddled after obese children carrying four bags of Cheese Doodles; shaking, elderly men pushed carts three times their size filled with cleaning products with one hand while holding a cane in the other; decrepit looking people wearing blue vests and yellow happy face stickers milled around, their empty, lifeless eyes unblinking and black. It was a horrible place. Ben, however, seemed like he was home. Automatically, he made a bee line for the freezer, reaching in and pulling out a box of microwavable pizza squares. I continued looking around and trying to force myself to stop cringing.

It was then that I realized I needed a bathroom.

�Crap,� I thought, spying the bathroom to the right of where I stood. �I have to use a toilet in this place?�

I motioned towards the restroom to Ben, who gave me a quick wave of his hand before diving back into the freezer. I rushed in, did my business as fast as possible, and went to the sink to wash my hands. There, a rather large black woman with a multi-colored hair weave and a pink mu-mu stood beside me wiping her hands with a towel. Accidentally, our eyes met in the mirror and I smiled out of habit. She did nothing back, just threw her towel in the garbage, and walked out, her large backside barely squeezing through the door frame as she walked away.

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Map Story II

�Ever been to a Wal*Mart Super Center?" Ben asked raising his eyebrows.

�No,� I said grinning, �You have one here?�

Ben dramatically nodded.

�Dude,� he said, starting his car. �Prepare to be amazed. It�ll blow your mind.�

...(to be continued)

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Character Qualities

Ben

Cross country star

6�5

Skinny as a twig

Shaggy curly dark brown hair

Slow, deep voice

Speaks EXACTLY like Mitch Hedburg

Has one strange smile that I don�t like

Looks like John Lennon in his glasses

Actually enjoys hearing me rant on about politics

Partially colorblind

Great bassist

Bakes rolls all day

Makes omelets at his work Sunday mornings

Willingly drives almost two hours to see me

Randomly yells, �Yay! It�s Colleen!� and hugs me when we�re out walking around

Funny as hell

Says, �Dude� WAY too often

Wears clothes from Good-Will

Always wears a bright pink belt

Makes up phrases when he�s bored- �Aw, muffin�= Damn, that sucks.

Has a lot of phrases e always says- �I�m not gonna lie.� �Don�t judge me/I don�t judge� �If by ____ you mean ____...� �I�d get naked for him�

Great at math, horrible vocabulary- Describes me as awesome and cool�.all the time.

Drives to other states to find something to do

Is in at least 4 bands

Plays any brass instrument imaginable- also guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele�

How to be Ben:

Be well over 6 feet tall.

Break every school record for best cross country times.

Say, �Dude� when addressing anyone, male or female.

Wear clothes from Good-Will.

Bake rolls and muffins at work everyday and cook omelets Sunday mornings.

Talk about poker in your sleep.

Eat every meal at Burger King everyday and never gain a pound.

Demand hugs.

Always wear a bright pink belt.

Drive two hours to visit a girl two states away, and then drive all the way back home a few hours later.

Be a member of at least four bands at any given time.

Look like John Lennon in your glasses.

Talk EXACTLY like Mitch Hedburg.

Be the funniest 17 year old guy in Maryland.

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Maryland Wal*Mart outing

Bored

Few hours until bonfire

�Ever been to a WalMart Super Center?�

�No�

�Prepare to be amazed. It�ll blow your mind.�

Get out of the car.

Begin walking to the entrance.

Crosswalk.

Almost on sidewalk.

Car turns in front of us.

4 young black boys

Two in back seat

Flip us off.

Confused, but ignore it.

Walk inside.

Huge warehouse.

�I need to go to the bathroom.�

�Alright. I�ll wait for you over here.�

Go to the bathroom.

Washing my hands, black woman standing next to me.

Smile out of politeness when our eyes meet in the mirror.

She doesn�t, looks away.

I don�t think about it, wipe hands, leave.

Meet up with Ben outside bathroom and walk through store.

Pass same woman again, this time she is with an older black woman, pushing a cart.

Our eyes meet again for a brief second, I automatically smile again, it�s a habit.

She glares at us and looks away.

As we pass, she half whispers, half spits,

�God damn white people.�

We pass, I am stunned.

Get up to the counter to buy a soda, white cashier.

A group of �thug� black boys pass behind us.

Cashier shakes his head.

�Look at all those ners.�

Racism in Maryland is rampant.

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Memoirs: #1

Everyone must begin with the following prompt worth 12 points:

After reading the first 12-20 pages of the memoir you�ve chosen (including the introduction if there is one), do some research on the author. Find a website that concisely discusses the author�s life and work and create a hyperlink. Briefly summarize the content of the site and then discuss why you chose this memoir. After researching and reading the beginning of the book, is this still a person you�re interested in learning more about? In a separate paragraph, discuss the way the author chose to begin his or her story (provide a quote or specific example). Did you find it effective? Why or why not? Post this to your weblog.

http://www.thei.aust.com/isite/btl/btlrvprozac.html

The site shows a few quotes from the author, and mainly compares her to Sylvia Plath while describing her work as an outlet for people with depression. I chose this memoir for two reasons. One, I know too many people who suffer from depression and have tried to kill themselves on more than one occasion, and I hope this book can give me some insight into what these people are going through. And two, my friend gave me this book a few months ago because I think she was afraid that I was going to hurt myself due to some severe, dramatic things going on in my life. Needless to say, I never even considered that option, but still, apparently the book helped her and she though it would help me. It�s been sitting on my bookshelf for almost 5 months, so I think it�s due time I read it.

This woman, Elizabeth Wurtzel, fascinates me. The prologue is named, �Prologue: I Hate Myself and I want to Die.� That right there is a good enough reason to keep reading. She also talks about drugs within the first lines, and calls herself as coming, �off the assembly line flat-put f*cked�� I can already tell that this will be the kind of writing everyone can relate to at one point of their lives. No one can be happy all the time, and this woman is going to set out to prove that right. I find it very effective, and want to read on.

Who would you identify as the antagonist of the memoir you�re reading? Remember: the antagonist is not necessarily the enemy of the main character, but rather the character whose desires oppose him or her. Using specific examples or quotes from the reading, explain your choice of antagonist. How does this create a dramatic conflict in the story? Who might be the antagonist in your own memoir? Explain.

At this point, the only character we have met is Elizabeth. However, she makes mention of her father a few times within these first 19 pages. �My father has never been the one I run to. We last spoke a couple of years ago. I don�t even know where he is. (2)� From this I see her father plays a very small physical part of her life, but her hate for him could be effecting how she acts, though she never sees him. She suffers from a deep depression, and without the support of her father, this just makes her life worse. He was never around when she was young either: �There was my dad, who I really wanted to call then, if only to remind him that he still owed me my allowance from the four years in high school when I couldn�t find him. (6)� My antagonist will most likely end up being either one of my own parents or a neighborhood friend, depending on what I decide to write about. Or possibly a co-worker, which would be a lot easier now that I think about it. I try not to let people get to me, but at work, since you�re forced to be around certain people and work with them constantly, friends and enemies are made very quickly.

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Diary Entry

1. Describe the event in detail as though you were retelling the story to someone.

It was late afternoon during the wintertime, yet the sun was still out shining and the wind had not yet picked up. Dominic, Dan, and I rounded the corner through the muddy forest to the edge of the frozen lake. Dan looked and hesitated, but as soon as he saw me take a step out, he followed. The three of us spent the day sliding across the surface and walking from one end to the other, with me constantly on the lookout of soft patches and yelling at the boys when they wandered too far into the middle. I am only a year older than them, but I can definitely say I am more mature when it comes to situations that could possibly end in injury. We walked all day then got to the frozen dam, where we argued for a few minutes about who should slide down first. Getting fed up, I jumped down, slide to the bottom, dusted myself off, and waved them too follow. We went home, wet and happy.

2. Explain the effect that event had on shaping your identity.

Going with Dominic and Dan did nothing for my identity to me, but I was seen by them as a different person than what other people see. By walking out on the frozen surface of the lake, I was daring. By constantly reminding them to be careful, I was maternal. By being the first to slide down the frozen slanted wall of the dam, I was fun. After that event, we actually became better friends and to them, I became someone they could come to when they need help or advice because they know they can trust me.

3. Looking back on the event, has your view or its significance changed at all?

It had always been just a day out doing something fun (but dangerous) to me, but thinking back on it, it really meant so much more. We had all lived by each other and been friends for 8 or 9 years before then, so we knew each other, but we were not too close. After spending the day together, we hung out a lot more often and trusted in each other enough to become very close friends.

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Letter

Dear Krista,

It�s been 7 years since the last time I saw you, but when I think about the times we�ve had together, it feels more like 7 days. I�ve changed A LOT over the years, and I�m sure you have too. For one, my hair is much longer now than it ever was before. I�m sure you remember that tragic short, frizzy hair I had growing up. Thankfully I�m beyond that now...I had always been a shy and reserved girl, and I believe you were the first to help me come out of my shell. Visiting your house was an experience in itself. From your hippie parents to your 7 dogs, every night I spent over there is a memory. Our secret clubs, coloring with only magenta colored crayons, looking through your box of earrings and falling in love with the ones that looked like grapes even though I did not have my ears pierced, eating pretzels and playing video games, singing karaoke with your sister, and so many other things I never want to forget. The clearest memory I have of you is when you moved into your second or third house and we were bouncing on your bed, hanging up posters all over your walls with the Offspring song, �Pretty Fly for a White Guy,� song blasting on your stereo. I don�t know why it stuck, being just one small part of a day compared to everything else we experienced together.

Though you moved a few times during the few short years I knew you, you finally moved too far away for us to keep in contact, and eventually, we stopped talking. Now, I am a pretty outgoing person, who still has a secret love for magenta. My new friends are the ones who�ve influenced me the most, but in the end, I still believe you were one of the first to help become who I am today. I miss you, Krista, and hopefully someday I�ll see you again.

Love always,

Colleen

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Neighborhood Poem Start

I am from monotony;

One house the same as the next.

I am from the one tree,

The one bush gracing every front yard.

I am from the one green mailbox

Standing out among a line of white wooden boxes

And a dozen brown posts positioned next to a dozen more identical

15 foot paved driveways.

I am from the only house

With a three foot high rock wall

Lining the entire bottom their yard

To keep the street from flooding when it rains.

Abraham

Van Horn

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Memoir Topics

1. Lake

I live in the Cushetunk development in Whitehouse Station, and the lake it was named after is right down the road from my house. If you follow the bike trail from the top of my street and just continue going straight, it eventually ends in a loop in front of the lake. Here I spent a lot of my childhood biking around that loop, secretly fishing with Kyle next to the dam, walking across the median across the middle, walking on it when it was frozen during the winter with Dominic and Dan, shimmying over a fallen tree with Dom to cross the stream leading off from the lake�

2. LBI

Long Beach Island is essentially my second home. My family and I have gone there for at least a week every summer since I was about 10 years old. We always pick out a different house, but it is never anything flashy or have more than one floor. My dad and I go out of our way to find a �real� beach house every year. It has to look the part, meaning run down and �cozy�- basically a shanty house. The last few years have been the best experiences of my life- hanging out with Jen, seeing my dad�s friends and their families every year, meeting Ben, walking around Bay Village, going with Kt, trying to find the same orange VW van every year (only succeeding three times), getting sun burned beyond recognition�

3. Kings

4. Kt�s house

5. John�s house/street

I have lived in my neighborhood for ten years now, and it was only a few years back during the summer that I met one of my best friends, John and his sister Vicki. They lived barely half a mile from my house, yet I barely knew them. I was riding my bike by their street, which is just one line of low-income housing condos, and they, along with a handful of other kids, were playing a daylight-manhunt type game. I didn�t stop at first because I did not know them so I rode down to the lake and stopped, debating whether or not I should talk to them. I was painfully shy as a child, so I decided against it and thought I should ride home. As I was riding past their street again, Vicki with two or three other kids were rounding the corner at the same time, so I slowed dwn to avoid hitting them. Vicki stopped walking and said, �Hey! We need one more person on our team. Do you want to play?� I stopped by bike and got off, leaving it propped against a tree. We played until it got too dark for any of us to be out anymore, considering we had to be 12 years old. From there, we all hung out every day during the summer, and as soon as the summer rolled around the next year and the year after that, we would hang out in front of his steps, doing whatever.

6. Whitehouse School

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Research Process Reflection

I think Furl and Bloglines were both very useful to me. It was easy to find new information with Bloglines then save it to the list with Furl. It helped me a lot during the writing of my essay.

Blog posting was excellent. I practically had my whole paper written by the 5th post. It was a lot more effective for me to do this kind of note taking rather than write on notecards, which I have always hated to do. Plus, blogging made it easier to express my opinion and write out exactly what I wanted to say than write a summary of the article I was reading.

I hate outlines, honestly. They never help me because I never bother to look back at them. I know they're a big help to some people, but for me, they're a waste of time.

I like being able to post then get the feedback online. It's easier to read for one, and its usually instant so we know how to improve it/what to change right away.

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800 Words

(I know it is disjointed- I don�t write straight from beginning to end)

Two men dressed in olive drab sit in a shallow foxhole, their backs pressed against the man-made wall of sandbags and wet sand. Their guns lay at rest across their bent knees and their helmets sit lopsided on their heads. One, reaching in his pocket, takes out a handkerchief and begins wiping down the barrel of the gun, exposing a dull silver coloring underneath a crust of black. The other reaches in his pocket too, but brings out a square piece of paper and smiles. The first man looks up from his cleaning and clasps his hand over the other�s shoulder.

�Don�t worry Jeff,� he said, his voice rough from the dust gathered in his throat. �You�ll see her soon.�

Jeff nodded without taking his eyes off the picture.

�I hope so, Phil.� His smile widened. �I just got word yesterday that she had the baby. A little girl. We were planning to name her Elizabeth after my mother.�

Phil gave a hearty laugh and shook Jeff�s shoulder.

�Well congratulations, daddy!� He let go of Jeff and picked his gun off his lap. �I�m going to have to buy you a cigar when we get out of here.� Phil scrubbed the barrel until only a thin layer of smut remained. He held it to his eyes and frowned. �That is, if they don�t decide to send me back again.�

Jeff turned his head from the photograph and narrowed his eyes at Phil.

�Don�t talk like that, soldier.� He replaced the paper back into his jacket. �It is a privilege to be here fighting for America�s freedom, and you should feel honored to��

An abandoned car sitting 20 feet away from the men blew up at that moment, killing both Phil and Jeff and injuring two other American soldiers who happened to be patrolling the area at the time. The car had been equipped with a car bomb, the number one killer of American soldiers in Iraq. They never saw it coming.

Death is becoming an all too common occurrence for the soldiers and citizens in Iraq. As of Friday December 9, 2005, the toll of American soldier deaths reached 2,132 (�Better�). The estimated number of Iraqi civilians killed is, as the president puts it, �30,000 more or less� (�President�). The war has gone on long enough.

(Body)

�Unemployment estimates range from 27 percent to 40 percent. The inflation rate is about 20 percent, down from 32 percent last year and roughly the same as the prewar level. On the bright side is a brisk consumer economy. Before the war, fewer than 900,000 Iraqis had telephones. Cell phones were unavailable. Now there are more than 4.5 million phones, including an estimated 3 million cell phones� (�Reasons�).

Thank goodness they have cell phones. Who cares that almost half of the people living in Iraq don�t have jobs? Who needs a job when you have a cell phone, right? It was well worth the more than 2,000 American soldiers� lives given to this war to give these people portable communication. This is what America has brought to Iraq: consumerism. We have brought the American dream overseas. Why use the small amount of money you have saved up to feed your family when you can buy a cool phone instead? But seriously, with the amount of people unemployed and struggling to make ends meet, what importance do cell phones have to their culture? And how can they afford them? People are barely able to survive from the money they have now, so adding a cell phone bill to the mix only adds to the poverty of the people trying to pay for it. The argument may be that it helps the economy, but who exactly is this helping? The cell phone companies. This creates big businesses in Iraq, which may in fact add jobs, but eventually, as we�ve seen in our own country, this backfires. The richer only get richer and the poorer only get poorer. There will become a select group of rich men, as there are in the United States, who control the Iraq economy unfairly and milk it for all it is worth. This will leave the poor Iraqi civilians worse off than they were before. We are not in Iraq to help them find peace; we are there to start a new America, before the corruption and intense commercialism. We want to start on a clean slate- to morph this country into a copy of our own. Then, when we have successfully built a Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner and everyone is running around with a cell phone attached to their ears, we will leave them to fend for themselves. What we are doing is not an improvement. We are pressing our Western ideals on a place we don�t fully understand. Our way of life isn�t something to be proud of and certainly should not be forced onto another culture.

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First 300 Words (Opening)

�Don�t worry Jeff,� he said, his voice rough from the dust gathered in his throat. �You�ll see her soon.�

Jeff nodded without taking his eyes off the picture.

�I hope so, Phil.� His smile widened. �I just got word yesterday that she had the baby. A little girl. We were planning to name her Elizabeth after my mother.�

Phil gave a hearty laugh and shook Jeff�s shoulder.

Jeff turned his head from the photograph and narrowed his eyes at Phil.

�Don�t talk like that, soldier.� He replaced the paper back into his jacket. �It is a privilege to be here fighting for America�s freedom, and you should feel honored to��

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New Editor's Letter

To the Editor,

The present number of dead American soldiers overseas is at 2,132. The civilian death toll in Iraq is over 30,000. The president�s approval rating is now less than half. Despite all of this death and disappointment, our government still feels it necessary to continue fighting a war accomplishing more harm than good.

We started this �war against terror� with the assumption that Middle Eastern countries had WMDs, or �Weapons of Mass Destruction.� These claims were proved false, yet we felt the need to keep invading overseas under new, irrelevant pretenses. We managed to take down Saddam, yes, but what ever happened to Bin Laden? Al Qaeda? Afghanistan? Instead of finishing one job, our troops moved on to the next without completing what they had already started. Now, we have soldiers all over the world, giving their lives for an unreachable, pointless cause.

A withdrawal is supposedly set in January when the Iraqi people have their first Democratic elections. A fraction of the troops will be removed from fighting, but to replace them, more soldiers will be sent to take their places, some for their second or third terms of service. Our government believes that human lives are expendable and that the United States has an unlimited supply of Army reserves. Obviously this is incorrect when we have to send National Guardsmen overseas and hear rumors of a possible draft in the next year or so.

The Bush administration does not know what they are doing or where to go from here. Their egos and arrogance are what are keeping our boys fighting overseas, instead of having them safe at home with their families. They don�t care about the person behind the gun; they only care about their own pride and winning an empty victory over a group of innocent people. Please, get over yourselves and bring our men home.

Sincerely,

Colleen

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Unit Test- FINISHED

Nothing worth having is easy to obtain. It takes determination and skill to get what one truly wants out of life, and without effort, it is rare for any goal to be fully reached. Determination comes from obstacles and skill comes from trial and error: two things key in developing our lives and personality. Mistakes are what teach us to move on and handle a similar situation differently in the future. Some people can not learn from their past mistakes, and until they can, they are doomed to repeat that decision and never grow from them experience. With pain and suffering comes wisdom: the wisdom to recognize a potentially harmful situation and know the right way to solve the problem without hurting yourself again. For this enlightenment, happiness is often sacrificed. In time, however, this wisdom will bring new, more fulfilling happiness in the form of common sense and understanding.

Life would be so much easier if we could just pop a pill and make everything better; if there was something we could do to ensure our happiness without the added pressure of trying. Luckily, medical technology is well on its way to making our lives virtually chance-free and manufactured. In the article �Abortion Decisions,� the results of a poll given to French patients showed that 40% would �abort a fetus destined to grow into a "grossly overweight" child.� If we had the technology to figure this out from the start, would that mean four out of ten babies would be killed because they may grow up without the perfect body? Not only that, some doctors allow parents to pick the baby�s sex before birth instead of leaving it up to a 50-50 chance like nature intended. We see this practiced in the movie Gattaca when Vincent�s parents decide to have another child. They are able to pick out the gender, hair color, eyes color, height, weight, possible diseases it will have in the future, and exclude factors such as alcoholism or something as simple as nearsightedness. The doctor claimed it was natural; that it was �still you, just the best of you.� Though this may be true, nothing is left to chance. Again, everything will come too easy. You may have the most perfect child on the planet, but without the thrill of being able to teach this child right and wrong and influence it to make the right decisions out of life, there�s little point in raising it. You know it will not have social problems in the future, so you don�t bother teaching it about peer pressure. You know it will be the perfect athlete, so you don�t bother supporting it at sport events, knowing it�s going to win every time. It�s unfortunate, but the best part of raising a child is knowing that they will be taking a piece of you along with it. When he messes up, you can teach him how to solve his mistakes. When he�s confused, you can share your personal experiences with him to help him through. Happiness is easily obtain knowing that your child will grow up safe and healthy, but I see no thrill in this; no way to learn from your mistakes. It might not be the same if you try again, and then, you�ll be stuck because you have no knowledge of how to raise an �imperfect� child. We need to make mistakes to learn for the next time they happen again.

Some will argue that having flaws leads to unhappiness, which unfortunately, is true sometimes. The article, Going to Great Lengths, describes a growth hormone drug being put on the market because �being short does, on average, hurt a person's prospects. Short men, in particular, are paid less than tall men. The tall guy gets the girl. The taller presidential candidate almost always wins. And many parents desperately want Humatrope for their short children -- not to treat a ''disease'' but to make their kids' futures more pleasant.� I know from personal experience that being short does have its disadvantages. I�m reminded of the fact that I am of �below average height� daily, not only by my friends, but by people I barely know. For political science last marking period, our class and the block after us went on a trip to the statehouse for a lecture and tour. I was walking down a narrow walkway and an average-to-tall range boy I did not know happened to be walking next to me. I paid him no notice, until I realized he was staring at me. I looked up and he frowned.

�You know,� he said, pointing down at me. �You�re really short.�

Right, because I never realized his before. I half laughed and looked away, speeding up my walking pace. He caught up.

�Seriously,� he continued. �If I stand behind you, I can�t see you when I stare straight ahead.�

I stopped walking.

�What�s your name?� I ask, my eyebrows raised.

�Joe.� He replies. �What�s yours?�

�Colleen,� I say quickly, then cross my arms. �You know, Joe, you�re extremely rude. And you didn�t make for a very good impression.�

�Colleen?� he asked and laughed. �That�s an unusual name.�

Needless to say, that was the end of my discussion with Joe.

Short people do have to put up with a lot of ridicule from certain people, but that does not make it a disease. Parent�s say that they want the drug to improve their children�s lives so they will not have to go through the �horrors� of being short all their lives. I think being short is an advantage, to me at least. I learn a lot about someone when I first meet them. It sounds exaggerated, but probably half the people I meet will make a crack about my height within the first five minutes of meeting me, especially if they�re very tall. This tells me that maybe they are the type of person I want to associate with, thus preventing me from getting myself into a bad experience. Then there are the people I meet who never bring up my height unless I say something first. Take my good friend Ben for example: when we met over the summer, he was 6�4. Just last night, he told me he had grown another inch, making him 6�5. I made a comment about how that�s unfair, and he�s hogging all the �tall� for himself, which led into a conversation about me being short. It ended quickly, however, with Ben stating, �You could be ten feet tall for all I care. You�d still be Colleen.� It takes time to learn who will accept you for who you are and not focus on small, insignificant details, such as height. Trial and error is needed, and wisdom to find your true friends is obtained in the end.

Being able to pick your or a child�s destiny is an attempt at playing God. Life is a machine when everything is strictly predetermined from birth. In Brave New World, people are manufactured based on what they will do in life and what they will grow up to become. Their lives are meaningless except for keeping their production line of a society functioning to produce more clones of vapid robots such as themselves. It�s a never-ending cycle of work, produce, never question authority, die. There was no emotion, no way to break free and choose their own destiny. A world like that would be horrible- forced to do what society�s leaders choose for you to do. Free will was nonexistent. Even in sleep they could not be free from the constant reminder of the class system and weighted births. There was no reason to live in that society, and without being able to make mistakes or try new things that do not always work out, they were never able to grow as a people and remained as robots forever. Without mistakes, we would all be robots, programmed to make all of the right choices, all of the time, no questions asked.

Doing what you know is right is not always the easiest thing in the world to do. Pain and heartbreak may happen at first, but time heals all wounds. Happiness will follow. Though it would be easy to swallow a pill and be tall, or choose the lives of our unborn children, or be told what to do all the time, there is no joy or fulfillment in any of that. Everything happens for a reason; mistakes are what make us human; wisdom comes from experience. We can never learn to move on without looking back on our past first and deciding then what is right for us.

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Comment Response

Nice post! The interesting question that arises with these issues is how we will deal with this as a society. What if we can treat racism and prejudice? Should we? Should we make treatment mandatory? How far do we go with improving ourselves physically and mentally?

I�ve recently come up with a theory to stop racism, though I don�t believe it will work for generations. As children, we were taught that everyone is the same, empathizing that color makes no difference. Though this sounds like a good idea, we are pointing out this one aspect of a person, singling out a feature that maybe the children could just ignore if it wasn�t brought to their attention. Being told not to discriminate leads children into asking why, and wondering the reason they were taught that to begin with. I think that by stopping young children from having �skin color doesn�t matter� drilled into their heads, they will grow up ignoring the fact that their skin is different instead of making a point to notice the difference. I believe this is a good idea, but it will never work due to outside influences from adults and generations taught beforehand. In a perfect world, we wouldn�t even need to be discussing this right now.

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2 Article Blog Post

�It does seem ridiculous to treat otherwise healthy short people as disabled. A man who is 5-foot-3 or a woman who is 4-foot-11 is hardly in the same position as someone who can't walk or see�Still, being short does, on average, hurt a person's prospects�The tall guy gets the girl. The taller presidential candidate almost always wins.� (Going to great lengths)

Being that I am a Vertically Challenged American�short�I found this article to be interesting. I agree that being short is a far cry from being a disease, but nevertheless, it does cause complications. I�m 17 years old and (barely) 5�1, and I�ll admit, I get ridiculed daily for it. It�s never anything harsh or mean; my friends just like to joke around and know I don�t mind. There�s no use in getting mad over something stupid like that, and since I know they�re kidding, I couldn�t care less how many times they bring up my height. Also, not to be gender discriminative, but since I�m a girl, it�s considered normal for girls to be shorter than boys. While I don�t believe appearance is especially important in relationships, I have a small, shallow confession. I honestly don�t think I could date anyone shorter/as short as me. The two boys I�ve gone out with have both been WELL over 6 feet tall (one was 6�2, the other 6�4), so I agree with the article about tall men more often getting the girl. I can�t even explain why this is so; I�m short as it is, and I know height does not change personality, but I like to follow the old norm as the man being more in control/protective- being tall makes men seem more intimidating I suppose. This of course isn�t always the case with everyone, but the stereotype of tall boy with shorter girl seems to remain strong even in our modern, more open-minded society.

�The 48-year-old man turned down a job because he feared that a co-worker would be gay.� (Going to great lengths)

�Short men, in particular, are paid less than tall men.� (Psychiatry Ponders Whether Extreme Bias Can Be an Illness)

How ridiculous is that? Pay a man less for a hereditary trait he can�t control? Quit a job because of a possible gay coworker? These people are not diseased, they�re just stupid. I can�t even respond further to either of those quotes. It�s just common sense to me, as it should be for everyone else.

�Perpetrators of hate crimes could become candidates for treatment� (Psychiatry Ponders Whether Extreme Bias Can Be an Illness)

More nonsense! So, if a heterosexual man were to run up to a homosexual man on the street and slit his throat just because he was gay, he�d be sent for treatment rather than jailed for murder under the pretense of hate crime? That�s another thing I never understood. �Hate crime.� What falls under that category? Technically, every crime is a hate crime. You don�t kill for the love of someone. Hate can manifest as anything, not just the obvious racial or sexual oriented kinds we normally hear about. Any kind of murder should be considered a hate crime. Along those lines, how come if a white man harasses a black man, it�s considered a hate crime, but not vice versa? Or if a homosexual is harassed by a heterosexual, but not the other way around? I once heard that black on white crime is called �reverse racism.� To me, there�s absolutely no such thing. Racism is racism, whether you�re black, white, or aquamarine.

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Outline

I. Introduction

A. Opening

1. Statistic of the current death toll in Iraq

a. First- death toll of American soldiers

i. The US death toll in Iraq is 2,132.

b. Second- death toll of Iraqi civilians

i. President Bush, speaking at the Philadelphia World Affairs Council, said that the civilian death toll so far in Iraq stands at "30,000, more or less", based on news accounts.

B. Nutgraph

1. Thesis Statement- Thousands of soldiers are losing their lives fighting in a war long overdue to end. Nothing is being accomplished, and the United States government needs to end combat immediately.

II. Presenting the Problem

A. Why did the United States get involved with Iraq?

1. The reasons that were cited for going to war in Iraq - regarding the access of the regime of Saddam Hussein to weapons of mass destruction and the ties of Hussein to the events of Sept. 11, 2001 - have long since been discredited, and thoroughly so.

B. Who was the main cause?

1. The Bush administration was also alone in making the absurd claim that Iraq was in league with Al Qaeda and somehow connected to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That was based on two false tales. One was the supposed trip to Prague by Mohamed Atta, a report that was disputed before the war and came from an unreliable drunk. The other was that Iraq trained Qaeda members in the use of chemical and biological weapons. Before the war, the Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that this was a deliberate fabrication by an informer.

C. What was the main cause?

1. Yet by the time the war began, March 20, 2003, it was quite clear that Iraq had no nuclear weapons program. All the evidence for one -- the aluminum tubes, the uranium from Africa -- had been challenged. What's more, U.N. inspectors in Iraq had found nothing.

*I have some sources on these questions but I need to research more on the background rather than the present to make a stronger argument*

III. Opposing Viewpoint

A. Troops are needed in Iraq to help stabilize.

1. In the end, however, the Bush administration must realize that more troops are needed if it is to successfully stabilize Iraq. Once Iraq is stable then the administration will be able to tackle Iraq�s political, economical, and social problems.

2. In the end, the president has been ill-formed. More troops were needed in the months after the war and more are still needed today.

B. War is bringing good to Iraq.

1. Before the war, fewer than 900,000 Iraqis had telephones. Cell phones were unavailable. Now there are more than 4.5 million phones, including an estimated 3 million cell phones.

IV. Background

*Need to find more sources on background*

V. Future Consequences

A. Soldiers� futures.

1. O�Hanlon noted that �if the president decides to stay the present course in Iraq some troops would be compelled to serve fourth and fifth tours of combat by 2007 and 2008, which could have serious consequences for morale and competency levels�.
B. Iraq�s future.

1. A premature U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq might trigger a regional conflict in the Middle East that could draw in predominately Shiite Iran and Sunni Arab states, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad warns in a television interview.

A. America�s future.

1. Congress has already spent $192 billion on the war. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that occupying Iraq through 2013 would cost another $200 billion, or perhaps more. Other congressional estimates place the cost through 2010 at $600 billion. One reason for the imprecision is that the White House has not developed a war budget. Instead, the administration waited until it ran low on money and asked Congress for more. Last month, Congress approved a supplemental defense budget for $82 billion. Next year, it will be some other figure. Without an honest budget assessment, we are left to imagine and fear the ultimate total.

IV. Possible Solutions

*Needs more sources/back ground*

IIV. Conclusion

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Flu Post

�We have quite literally brought back to life an agent of near-biblical destruction. It killed more people in six months than were killed in the four years of the First World War. It killed more humans than any other disease of similar duration in the history of the world, says Alfred W. Crosby, who wrote a history of the 1918 pandemic. And, notes the New Scientist, when the re-created virus was given to mice in heavily quarantined laboratories in Atlanta, it killed the mice more quickly than any other flu virus ever tested.� (Of test tubes and terror)

When I first started reading about resurrecting this flu, I could not for the life of me come up with a reason to want to bring a hideously deadly flu back to life. I thought, what possible reason could there be to subject the world to this kind of pandemic again? Well, it hit me as I read through the rest of the article: war. Fighting. Killing for the hell of it. Biological warfare: the wave of the future- a way to kill a whole mass of people without having to do it yourself. Brilliant. There is one line about using it to stop the �bird flu� we have now. Instead of focusing on how this could make the world better, we of course, only see the benefits of using it to fight our �enemies�- our fellow man. I will never agree with war. Killing is killing- a life is a life no matter what race, religion, or color they are. Technology only improves our ways of killing. We could be using such technology to do something good, say�cure cancer? HIV? AIDS? But no, that�s ridiculous. We would rather find ways to kill rather than ways to cure. Sure, that makes sense.

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5th Blog Post

*DISCLAIMER: This was posted at 12:33am at my house. I don't sleep!*

�You also say that "80 percent of Iraqis want us out." I'm not sure where you got that figure, but it's probably low. I'd guess that close to 100 percent of Iraqis -- as well as 100 percent of Americans -- would love to see U.S. troops heading home for the holidays. But some of us think it matters whether we leave Iraq after we've defeated our enemies -- or whether we leave Iraq after having surrendered to our enemies. (Clifford D. May: The shortcoming in Murtha's plan for Iraq)�

No one can honestly say that they want their loved ones risking their lives overseas, especially with it being so close to Christmas. Since I�m not personally overseas right now, I can�t see the extent of �good� our soldiers are doing, but I�m going to field a guess and say it�s a lot less than the bad we�re doing. I�m sorry if my hippie, �make love not war� attitude isn�t exactly realistic, but if all the Middle Easterns want us out of their countries and our soldiers/their families want to them to leave just as bad, wouldn�t it be logical to give up this war and just go home? This war is to the point where no one wants to fight anymore. Everyone on both side wants to give up and go home If we could all have it our way, everyone would come home tomorrow, safe, sound, and done fighting for good. Alas, this will not be happening. I personally couldn�t give a damn who wins or loses anymore. I want my friends, family, neighbors, home. Now. As I�ve said before, America needs to push its massive ego aside and just give one for the team. What does the winner get in the long run? Bragging rights? Yea�totally worth thousands of people�s lives.

�According to Biden, the United States will move about 50,000 servicemen out of the country by the end of 2006, and "a significant number" of the remaining 100,000 the year after. (White House claims 'strong consensus' on pullout)�

Finally. There is action being taken after�almost six years? Better late than never, right? Oh wait, no. Not when lives are at stake. Apparently there are about 150,000 troops in the right now. The best we can do is remove maybe a third of that number in a year. Then, we have this �significant number� leaving afterwards�a year later. Going on seven years now with still More than half of the troops left after �withdrawal.� And how much will this �significant number� be? As far as we know, they could remove two troops and be satisfied. Now Mr. President, how long do you propose it will take the remaining 99,998 + troops to get out? Another seven years? I�m sorry, but we can�t wait that long.

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4th Blog Post

�Yet by the time the war began, March 20, 2003, it was quite clear that Iraq had no nuclear weapons program. All the evidence for one -- the aluminum tubes, the uranium from Africa -- had been challenged. What's more, U.N. inspectors in Iraq had found nothing.� (More than a �Mistake� on Iraq)

The whole basis of invading Iraq was for these so-called �weapons of mass destruction,� yet from the very beginning, we knew they do not exist. We had proof they did not exist. Our government, however, decided to go ahead and invade anyway, using a new excuse as to why we needed to go to war when they were proved false. If there was factual evidence that none of the weapons were in Iraq, what was the point of getting involved?

Their new excuse:

�The reasons that were cited for going to war in Iraq - regarding the access of the regime of Saddam Hussein to weapons of mass destruction and the ties of Hussein to the events of Sept. 11, 2001 - have long since been discredited, and thoroughly so.� (Withdraw This)

Ah, Saddam. We went from bombing Afghanistan to get back at Al Queda, to bringing up Saddam Hussein on terrorist charges. Bush�s excuse was because he supports terror, we must bring him down. He also says that this war will not be over until terrorism is gone. TERRORISM WILL NEVER GO AWAY. New groups emerge every single day- the newest example, the Baghdad terrorist group, The Swords of the Righteous Brigade. They have kidnapped a group of peace keepers (including Canadian, British, and American citizens) and are threatening to kill them unless all of the Iraqi war prisoners are released. Our government, of course, has no comment. Again, innocent lives are in danger because of a war they were not even involved in. These people are going to be killed, and it is going to be our government�s fault. They are not looking out for the safety of our citizens; the only thing they are worried about is winning a war not worth fighting in, no matter how many innocent people must be killed in the process.

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3rd Blog Post

In a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 57 percent of respondents said Bush deliberately misled the country into war, and barely a third said they consider him "honest and straightforward." (The Lies That Bind)

When over half of American citizens polled say they believe their president led them into war on purpose and barely a third say they think he is honest, that should bring up a red flag right away. Our president had preconceived notions of war. This was no mistake on his part- he knew what he was getting into and SHOULD have planned accordingly. Alas, like everything else he has promised to do in his presidency, Bush has come up short again. What happened to �no child left behind�? Schools all over the country are under funded and overcrowded, leaving children without proper teachers or books to provide them a good education. What about the disaster that was FEMA and director Michael Brown? He was trained as a judge for HORSE SHOWS. Understand? HORSE. Not emergency situations. He had absolutely no qualifications to be in that position- it was just another prime example of George electing his buddies into office again. Bush claimed �Mission Accomplished� in May 2003�yet we are still fighting two years later. He is a man that is not to be trusted, and apparently, the American public is beginning to finally understand that.

�The poll also found that nearly 60 percent now disapprove of the way Mr. [Bush] is handling the situation in Iraq. And nearly half of those surveyed said that they were not proud of what the United States was doing in that country�Support for the war in Iraq has fallen to an all-time low, according to the poll. Only 44 percent now say the United States made the right decision in taking military action against Iraq, the lowest rating since the question was first asked by this poll more than two years ago.� (Iraq's Cost Worry Americans, Poll Indicates)

Again, when OVER HALF of people polled hate the way the president is handling a severe situation, we have a serious problem. An elected officer should have the public behind him 100%; anything less is unacceptable. He is running a country; he has control of literally millions of lives. He should be taking care to keep those millions of people on his side rather than going off and doing what he wants. The American public comes first- their opinions should be the ones that matter the most. Honestly, how in the hell did this man get RE-elected?

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2nd Blog Post

In Bush to spell out Iraq plan, it states, �The Pentagon already has announced plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq after the Dec. 15 elections, from 155,000 to 138,000, their base level during most of this year. U.S. commanders have privately indicated that further near-term reductions are likely.�

Here is my problem with this statement. For the past year, reports and rumors kept coming up that �our boys are coming home�- that there were going to be less soldiers being sent off to war, when in fact, more people are being sent everyday and the ones already there are having their service time extended. Some have gone back three or four times, and every time they�re sent home, it seems like they are getting right back into uniform a month later.

I also know for a fact that a close friend of a friend who just turned 20 last week is going to Iraq in the beginning of January to drive a tank. Because he found out he was leaving, he just married his high school sweetheart, so that if he dies, he knows she will be taken care of. They had dreamed of starting a family together after both had graduated college and moved on into the real world. They had their futures planned out together for years during high school, but as soon as he graduated, he changed his mind and decided to get into the military. Now, the two rushed to the alter, she only being 18, and were married. He later confined in my friend- �I don�t think I�m coming home.� He leaves in less than a month, and the latest news I received is that they have a baby on the way now.

�A White House spokesman, Ken Lisaius, said last night that he had not seen the letter, but added: "We're not going to cut and run, we're going to keep moving toward victory over terror. Victory in Iraq will deny the terrorists their stated goal."� (Senator Clinton Calls for Withdrawl)

Lives are being lost everyday. Over 2,000 lives have been lost already. Terrorism will never disappear. We OURSELVES have become terrorists to the innocent people living in the Middle East. We have BECOME what we are fighting against. Young men should not have to die for a lost cause; they should not have to die for a victory that will never be achieved. The military needs to pull their heads out of their asses and realize that enough is enough. Ego is playing more into this than the drive to do what�s right. The value of, �You bomb us, WE�LL BOMB YOU BACK TWENTY TIMES HARDER M** F**!!!� is dominant over any other emotion. The ego trip needs to stop. Let them win. It�s an empty victory. Whatever happened to turning the other cheek?

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1st Blog Post

The article, Reasons to be Pessimistic and Optimistic on Iraq, explains the three areas of the war effort that need the most improvement-political reform, security and economic reconstruction. Each one has its negatives and positives, the negatives outweighing the positives, and in all, little progress is being made. The whole article explains mostly the bad, adding brief statements about something good happening there. Some of the �good� aspects, however, are very much debatable.

For example, the last paragraph of the article states:

We have spent too much money in Iraq on apparent unnecessary items such as cell phones. As stated in the article, The Deceptions of War: The Cooking of Intelligence on Iraq,

"Our country would be much more secure if the billions spent in Iraq had been used to repair our crumbling infrastructure, protect our ports, search air cargo, and secure our nuclear and chemical plants."

What our government does not understand is that we need to put our country's priorities first before dumping billions of dollars into a country we bombed then decided to rebuild. We have problems at home that need fixing. Hurricane Katrina comes to mind. If there had been enough National Guardsmen and funds available to clean up, we would have been done quicker and be rebuilding the south right now. Instead, our men were overseas and so was our money. The problems in our country are never going to be solved as long as we're fighting in a neverending, pointless war. America is suffering.

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Article Response

As practice for this type of writing, please read the article: "In New York, It's Open Bags or Find Exits." Then create a post that discusses the personal freedoms and privacy people are sacrificing for security. Paraphrase and quote from the article and be sure to create a hyperlink back to the original story. Be sure to express your opinion on how far as a society we should go to ensure our safety. Include some of your own experiences and/or examples from your novel as part of the discussion.

"I go to the gym every day, and I didn't bring my gym bag today," said Shaquille Qureshion.

James Murphy, 24 "What can it hurt?"

Amy Lisogorsky, 24, was searched for the second time in the day. "It was fine this morning when I was checked," she said. "Now it's a little frustrating."

Eve Holbrook, 35, who works at a law firm, submitted to a search at the station without being asked. "It gives me a sense of comfort," she said. "I went up there of my own free will."

Most people are willing to give up a small part of their freedom, such as a bag search in the subway, if it means that it ensures the safety of the other passengers and takes any threat of terrorism or violence away. People understand that to continue being free, sometimes small sacrifices must be made. Some are more than happy to have their bags checked, knowing they have nothing to have, but I can understand the frustration of having it done multiple times when they are innocent.

I went to Washington last June, and security was ridiculously tight. Every single hotel, restaurant, store, public place had a metal detector and security gaurds milling around. I did not mind having my bag checked the first few times, but after they threatened to take my bag because I had batteries, I was annoyed and fed up with the security.

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