60 Seconds with Kris

60-Sec Broadcast from Feature Story

IMHO #2

According to the Associated Press article, "Canadian Woman loses benefits over Facebook photo", a woman did in fact lose her work benefits because of Facebook photos. The woman, Nathalie Blanchard, had been on leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Quebec, for the last year. She was diagnosed with depression, and was receiving monthly benefits from the insurance company Manulife. All of a sudden, in the fall, her benefits dried up for no apparent reason. When Blanchard called the insurance agent, she was told that there was several pictures proving that she was no longer depressed.

According to Blanchard, her doctor told her it would be beneficial to her condition to try and have fun, and hang out with friends in order to try and forget her problems. The pictures in question, depict Blanchard at a her birthday party at Chippendales, and another at a holiday.

The question is weather the insurance company acted hastily, and in who's interest. In my opinion, Manulife was obviously looking out for their own best interest, and had been investigating Blanchard, or else these photos would not have been found. According to the dictionaries definition of clinical depression, "...the reaction to unfortunate life circumstances is more intense or prolonged than would generally be expected". It seems that a few pictures could not have accurately portrayed Nathalie Blanchard's depression over the last year, and definitely couldn't diagnose her as being cured. The fact that Manulife stopped her benefits because of the pictures on a social networking site is troubling. Of course the Manulife is going to say that that isn't the case, but there is no way it was a coincidence, plus the agent told her that was the reason. There definitely should have been some sort of second opinion by a doctor, done by the insurance, or some sort of communication with Blanchard at least. Hopefully the truth comes out, and Blanchard gets the help she needs.

Story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091122/ap_on_re_ca/cn_canada_facebook_insurance

Fish out of Water: Vietnamese Party

The social event I attended was a birthday party for my aunt Mimi at her house. She is Vietnamese, and everyone who attended the party was Vietnamese, except for a few Mexican’s including myself. The party was for my aunt’s 40^th birthday, and she decided to have the party at her house because it wasn’t going to be that big of a party. There were about 15-20 people at the party, and there was a lot of food. My aunt was in the kitchen cooking along with her mom, sisters, and aunt’s. There was a lot of mingling with the family, there weren’t many friends of my aunt, and it was mostly just her family.

When it was time to eat, my aunt took the food out, and thanked everyone for coming. My aunt’s mother did a prayer in Vietnamese, and everyone joined in, then they began to eat. The food consisted of two different types of soup; steam rice, and a few chicken and pork dishes. The food was amazing, and it was fun because everyone talked at the table and conversed while they ate. I’m used to the table being for eating only, and also not even eating at the table. My home life is a lot different then my aunt’s when it comes to eating.

When everyone was done eating, they all sat on the couches and chairs and talked more. The talking between families was very important at the party, and must be important to my aunt. There was no Television, or computers, there was only mingling, and conversing between the people at the party. There was also a lot of alcohol, and drinking was pretty normal. Everyone seemed happy at the party, there was no conflict, people even tried to talk to me and they didn’t know me.

The party definitely gave me a different perspective on the Vietnamese culture, and it was a lot of fun to be apart of the event. I was there mostly as a guest, and conversed with people and took part in the activities at the party. I wasn’t used to eating that type of food, I usually eat a lot of traditional Mexican food at my house, so it was nice to try something new. Another thing that was different was the language; there were a lot of people speaking in Vietnamese. At my household, even though we are Mexican, we mostly speak English. Overall, the party was fun, and I learned a lot.

Targeting Audiences

Ad 1: The first advertisement I found was in UFC magazine, which has to do with the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It focuses on the UFC organization, which is one of many organizations that promote mma events. The advertisement was for the UFC Undisputed video game. A targeted individual could be male or female, ages 16-40, and can work for a variety of companies, mostly chains like Target, or Best Buy, but can range from being a distribution manager at an internet start-up company. The average audience would have education ranging from high school or less, to a college degree. As far as income is concerned, the target audience is broad, ranging form wealthy celebrities, all the way to people who are just making ends meet. The basic lifestyle for the average audience is middle class, enjoys watching the fights to unwind, and release some built up anger, maybe not getting that promotion. Also, the average audience aren't rattled by the sight of blood or gore, the UFC is violent, and sometimes brutal. It is a sport, so the audience believes in a sense of sportsmanship, maybe they've played in some sport when they were younger.

The advertisement isn't very information rich, it has the consoles that the video game will be available to be played on, and also has the release date and tag-line. But, most of the advertisement is pictures, and screenshots of the in-game action. The advertisement seems like it's geared more to the mma fan side of the spectrum, not so much the gaming side. The realism is portrayed well in the screenshots, and the same line that is used in real-life events, "so you want to be a fighter", is used in the advertisement. There is also real fighters from the sport in the advertisements, so the fan base for the UFC would be interested, as oppose to just a gamer who is looking at the advertisement, and unfamiliar with the sport.

http://www.mmagearguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ufc-undisputed-2009.jpg

Ad 2: My second advertisement was also from UFC magazine, and was for the clothing and fighting accessories company "Tapout". The intended target audience for this product would be mostly male, ages 18-35, eight-five job, and even minimum wage jobs. Education level would be some college and below, as well as a middle class income. Again, like the last advertisement, the audience needs to enjoy the sport of mma, and watch the fights regularly. The brand is not well known, or recognized by people unaware of the sport, so the knowledge and enjoyment of the sport is important to the targeted audience. The advertisement doesn't have many words, just a tag-line, a website, and a visual. The visual is sleek, and grabs your attention. The image evokes feelings of passion toward the sport, and brand loyalty. The unique selling point the Tapout brand exploits is that they've been with the sport, mainly the UFC, since its inception. The advertisement has endorsements from their owners in the ad, they are the three crazy looking guys in the visual. the advertisement is geared towards fans of mma, and not people who have never watched an event or heard of mma.

http://www.rapattacklives.com/images/TAP-OUT-AD.gif

Word #10

1. Reverberate

2. Found the word in an article entitled, "Marines' Memorial Club an elegant source of honor, inspiration and memories", on the Mercury News website.

3. "Footsteps reverberate through this tribute to those who have gone before like the echo of distant gunfire."

4. To reecho or resound, to rebound or recoil (verb)

5. The man heard the music reverberate in the mansion.

Copy Edit the World - Last 15 points

1. (above) There is actually three problems in this photo, they were both taken from a newsletter sent by the church my parents go to. The first is that "the" isn't needed in the sentence. The exact sentence was "This is the day when the whole Church remembers all the deceased throughout the world, in our parish and in our families." After the words "remember all", there is no need for the word "the". Another Problem was that the word Church should not be capitalized, because it isn't the exact name of the building, which is Holy Cross Church.

The third problem in the picture is that the next sentence starts off with "Masses as follows: ...", but it would sound clearer as "Mass is as follows: ...".

2. (above) The fourth mistake was in the same newsletter sent out by the Holy Cross Parish, a church my parents attend. The mistake is that P.M. should be lowercase, and it should look like 6 p.m.

All the mistakes are from a newsletter, so each should be four points each. (16 points)

Japanese Internment Sculpture

Due to the attack of Pearl Harbor, over 100,000 Japanese were put into camps around the United States. This happened because of an order given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was pressured after the events at Pearl Harbor. Because of these events, and the internment that these Japanese citizens endured during this time, a sculpture was enacted in their memory. The sculpture is in San Jose Calif., and was sculpted by Ruth Asawa. The Japanese internment memorial is located in front of the Robert Peckham Federal Building in Downtown San Jose.

Ruth Asawa is a famous Japanese sculptor, who grew up in the time period she sculpted. She got her high school education in an internment camp. She later grew up, and wanted to become an art teacher. After that didn’t work out, she went into sculpting, and later creating the Japanese internment memorial in San Jose.

San Jose was one location in which many Japanese were forced to move to and live during 1942-1945. San Jose State was actually a location for many Japanese to check in before heading to the camps. The Japanese internment memorial pays homage to the Japanese and their suffering during this horrendous period of American history. The sculpture has a few vignettes, and also murals of daily life in the camps, and the journeys that many Japanese had to face during this period of time. The depictions are well sculpted, and the stories are a way for the viewer to go through the long road for the Japanese in the internment camps.

One vignette described the orders sent to the Japanese people, and the list contained rules on what they could and couldn’t bring with them to the camps. The list was very basic, containing clothing and bedding, but the formal way the list looked was very scary. The way these people must have felt is awful, hopelessness and fear of not abiding by these rules. It is impossible for me to image how it must have felt to receive one of these notices, especially the parents of children. They must have known the severity of the situation, but had to save face for their children.

There was a barbwire fence sculpted into the top of some of the sculpture, and an airplane soaring above it. The barbwire must have been a symbol for the containment both physically, and mentally, since many, if not most of the Japanese must have felt hopeless at this time. The airplane was a sense of hope, even though the conditions were tough, the Japanese would carry on, and eventually succeed in America.

There was also a picture of a ship that was next to a dock on the left side of the sculpture. This must have been how the Japanese were taken to the island where they would live for the next few years. Working in the fields, living in tight quarters, a sad daily life for many Japanese in America during this time. These may not have been extermination camps like in Europe, but the camps in the United States were shameful, and awful situations for the Japanese

Word #9

1. Perplexed

2. I read the word in an article on yahoo sports site. It was about Cole Hamels after game 5.

3. His quote did not sit well with some teammates, apparently, and even manager Charlie Manuel was perplexed by it.

4. (verb) cause to feel completely baffled.

5. The young boy was perplexed after being given a complicated math problem by his teacher.

Blog #8 IMHO

There was a recent news story written about a 20 year old college student from San Jose State University named Phuong Ho, who was beaten by San Jose Poilice. In early september, Ho was involved in a domestic disturbance dispute, and the San Jose Police were called shortly after. When the police arrived, Ho was unarmed, but after the police were unable to understand Ho, due to his accent, they went into his room to find identification. Shortly after, Ho was slammed into a wall, and was continuously beaten by police with baton's and a taser gun. Ho's was hopeless as his glasses were knocked off his head during the beating and he was rendered unable to see, as well as the language barrier keeping him from fully understanding the officer's orders. There is now a full investigation, and also potential criminal charges stemming from the incident. After watching footage recorded by a cell phone in the apartment during the incident, and reading the statements made by the police, the mayor, and Phoung Ho himself, I feel that the police definitely stepped over the line. This is repulsive, the police reportedly beat Ho even after he was on the floor handcuffed. It's in my opinion that these officers should be prosecuted for beating this young man, and there should also be some sort of new training officers are given in order to deal with people who cant speak the language well. The fact that there were four officers who beat Ho, even after he was handcuffed is awful and unneeded. The video taken during the incident is gut-wrenching, hearing Ho cry for help, and moan out of pain makes the Police seem like the criminals. Hopefully the law will take care of this incident, and mostly, hopefully police can learn from this incident and make better judgement in the future.

This is a link to the original story made by the San Jose Mercury News, this also includes the video: http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_13635707?nclick_check=1

Just the video: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid31377651001?bctid=46153271001

Word #8

1. Subdue

2. MercuryNews.com, article - "4 San Jose cops put on leave after video shows student beaten"

3. "...state officer Kenneth Siegel used his baton, and officer Steven Payne Jr. used his Taser gun to subdue Ho, whom the reports describe as violently kicking..."

4. To overpower by superior force; overcome (verb)

5. The hostages were released from the bank, and the perpetrator was subdued shortly after.

Blog #7 Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

I read the chapter "Every Tongue Shall Confess," and I found a few techniques that the author used in their story telling. The author Packer starts the scene off with the description of an Aunt Alma’s room and how it compared to a hospital with the “wheezing” and “snoring”. Packer's descriptions are very complex and detailed, showing emotions and little things from different perspectives.

Packer's story telling techniques in this chapter put as a witness to everything that’s going on, by giving us the descriptive details, like the one about the catheter, and also the phrasing in general. Just the experts about the hospital rooms were so detailed, and the fact that the rooms in hospitals are always being used, and who knows how many people have been in the beds or died in the rooms. It’s like the rooms are wiped with a clean slate, and the memory of any past patient is cleared away. Also, Packer's use of certain quotes are done very well, and placed in places where they are easy to remember. I also noticed the references to the bible throughout the reading, and the words being capitalized by the preacher in order to show that he is talking loud and not softly.

Word #7

1. Cognitive

2. Yahoo News article, "Web Surf to Save Your Aging Brain"

3. "Our study is often referenced as the crossword-puzzle study -- that doing puzzles, writing for pleasure, playing chess and engaging in a broader array of cognitive activities seem to protect against age-related decline in cognitive function and also dementia."

4. of or pertaining to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning, as contrasted with emotional and volitional processes. (adjective)

5. My grandma improved her memory by playing cognitive training games.

AB 656

Writing a story about the budget situation on education was interesting, and actually really made me realize what's going on. I didn't know that AB 656 even existed, and so the rally on the SJSU campus was surprising. AB 656 made me feel more involved and made me want to be even more active in what's happening to our educational system. Fee increases and furloughs have totally turned the semester upside down, and it really feels like I'm getting short changed as far as my classes are concerned. But, I feel like the rally really opened my eyes, and was a good source of information.

Blog #6: NPR interview analysis

I listened to NPR's radio show "Fresh Air" for 10/13/09

1. The interviewer had a lot of knowledge on the subject, she really seemed to do her research, and even did a brief one minute introduction before starting the interview. She didn't let the research be over powering though, she just helped the interview stay on course by adding information as needed.

2. She didn't ask very many yes or no questions, she mostly asked open-ended questions so the subject could really expand on their answers. There were many "how" and "what" questions that were asked.

3. They didn't really have to build up to questions, she just guided the conversation by what was being discussed, and what the subject was saying. She formed most of the questions as the interview was going on. Not many preconceived questions that were asked.

4. She did kind of have a strategy, there were certain topics she wanted to talk about. But within those topics, there was a lot of room to go as far as questions are concerned, and they didn't keep the subject from saying what they wanted.

5. If the interviewer didn't get what she wanted out of the answer, she would just ask a question that built on the last question. There weren't many inadequate answers, the interview seemed to go very smoothly, and the subject seemed relaxed.

6. It seemed as if the subject had met the interviewer before, but they didn't seem to be best friends, just more of acquaintances. They joked around, so it seemed as if there previous meeting had been enjoyable, or the subject listened to the program before. The subject seemed comfortable, and answered all the questions the interviewer asked.

7. I definitely learned that it's useful to form new questions based on the subjects answers, in order to keep the interview smooth and really get good answers. Also, its good to do a little research, but don't say everything yourself, let the subject reveal information as well.

Pitch Letter: Blind Tech Support

“Clinks” and “beeps” are all that Doug Rose needs to hear, in order to diagnose the problem with customers PC’s. Marvina, a black Labrador, sits at Rose’s feet patiently waiting as he takes technical calls from customers.

Rose has been blind since childhood, growing up in Thousand Oaks,Calif., and now uses special Braille equipment to operate his computer and a voice recognition system to tell what’s on the screen. Doug Rose works for Packard Bell's tech support, and gets customers calls everyday about problems he may not be able to see, but can diagnose by just sounds.

Blog #5 : Mystery Character

Who am I?

Clumsily wadling down the street, slipping and falling over the curb yet still determined. Shirt is wrinkled, coat is dusty, pants are two sizes too large, and shoes hilariously too big. Bumping into citizens, creating confrontation, but sneaking away quietly without any harm. Twirling his cane, and walking away with his awkward penguin-like waltz. One event after another, it seems that trouble always follows.

Word #6

1. Contingent

2. www.Yahoo.com / Y Buzz article "Columbus Day: A Working Holiday?"

3. Why the disparity? Well, among other reasons, a strong contingent feels that the Genoese navigator's sailing the ocean blue in 1492 introduced a dark period of colonization.

4. A group of people united by one common feature. (noun)

5. There were two main contingents that divided advertising class yesterday.

Word #5

1. Myriad

2. NBA.com, "First in line" article by Keith Langlois

3. With Villanueva’s offensive skills and myriad options behind him, the Pistons probably are going to get as much offense out of the four spot as they got from Wallace and McDyess.

4. A very great or indefinitely great number of persons or things. (noun) 5. The boy has myriad options after he gets out of college.

Copy Edit the World: First 10 Points

1. (Above) The first error I found was in the course green sheet for ADV 125 - Advertising Layout and Production. The error was that there was a word that wasn't needed in the sentence. In this case, taking out the "a" after "as" would correct the sentence. (4 points)

2. (Above) The second error I found was in my MCOM 101 (Media Law) class green sheet. The error was that the sentence needed a comma to avoid running on. The part of the sentence should read something like "...ethical issues that are important to working journalists, advertisers, and public relations professionals. " (4 points)

3. (Above) This third error was found in the course green sheet for ADV 125 - Advertising Layout and Production. The problem was that the end of the sentence had no period. I added a period in the photo, as well as circled it. (4 points)

Fly on the wall

In the backyard of my house today, the dogs watched as the shadows of the leaves came tumbling down to the ground. They barked at the friendly neighbors trying to sweep their own yard. The trees swayed back and forth as if moving to the beat of a song. A plane flew overhead, loud to some, but silent to my own ears. The birds had a conversation above, maybe talking about the great weather we've been having. The cold air tickled my feet as the wind blew between my toes. The swing moved in the wind, as if someone invisible had decided to ride it. The yellowish and blue striped ball sat in the middle of the concrete, dirty from the weather, parallel to the hoop. The leaves lay lifeless on the pavement, victims to nature, and the reason they will remain lifeless until swept into the bright green barrel. The faint sound of a bus in the background, stopping and going, puffing and screeching, one of the only signs that life was moving by as I sat in my backyard today.

Word #4

1. Unfathomable

2. Media and Culture: An introduction to mass communication (6th Edition) by Richard Cambell

3. "This unfathomable tragedy [of September 11, 2001] reminds me of the original reason the Internet was invented in 1969 - to serve as a decentralized network that couldn't be brought down by a military attack."

4. Difficult or impossible to understand; incomprehensible:unfathomable theories. (adj.)

5. The results of the game last weekend were unfathomable, the visiting team had no chance of winning.

Comparing Media

The story I chose to compare was the Garrido case, having to do with the look for two young girls who have been missing around Lake Tahoe. Garrido kidnapped a young girl named Jaycee Dugard 18 years ago, and fathered two children with the young kidnapped girl. Garrido was a registered, convicted sex offender, and his trial for the latest kidnapping is still being scheduled.

The first media I observed was television, Fox news, and the story was about five minutes, and also had a press conference from the police official in charge of the case. The only two sources that were quoted by the news was the family of the victim and the police. The television news compares to newspaper in that the television-based news has a lot of visuals and ways to keep you interested. Newspaper is tougher for people to get into because it’s strictly written, and has to draw in readers by language instead of visuals like the television media.

The second media outlet I looked at was online news. I went to the ABC website to find national news, and looked at the update on the Garrido case. The online news is very detailed, but not as intriguing as the television coverage on the story. The story is only a few paragraphs long, not quite a page. The only sources used in this story were the police, and investigators. It is definitely like print media, not really like broadcast.

Word #3

1. Bestiary

2. Watchmen written by Alan Moore

3. "I'd join you, but I think I'm close to locating Gluino, which would completely validate Supergymmetrical Theory if we could include it in the Bestiary."

4. A collection of moralized fables, esp. as written in the middle ages, about actual or mythical animals. (Noun)

5. I have learned about history and ideals while reading medieval Bestiaries for school.

Cougar Attack

Two people were attacked in front of their cabin by a cougar in Mendocino County today. At approximately 4:30 a.m., Kathleen Jones was attacked while checking on her wounded Border Collie on the porch. The cougar lunched out from under the porch, biting off the finger of a friend Troy Smith while trying to fend off the ferocious animal. It was at that time that Chuck Jones, Kathleen’s husband, hit the Cougar with a baseball bat, and watched it flee the scene. Kathleen had this to say about the incident, “Now, I'm just glad we're alive because it was a close call. That cat was big, it was strong, and it was aggressive. I thought I was a goner." On a positive note, Kathleen Jones as well as Troy smith have been treated, and released from Frank Howard Memorial. The California Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have reportedly dealt with a similar Cougar case in Placerville, Calif. DNR authorities later tracked down and killed the 80-pound cat.

Word #2

1. Moniker

2. UFC magazine, article entitled "Out for blood" by Tim Struby.

3. "He sits down on his stool, and Duran-who picked up the moniker "Stitch" in the Vallejo,

Calif., kickboxing gym where he first dabbled in the cutman business back in 1985-immediately goes to work."

4. A person's name, esp. a nickname or alias. (Noun)

5. After a rough start, the band tried to reinvent themselves under a new moniker.

My favorite writing:

To be perfectly honest, I don't read very many books in my spare time. But recently I've been reading a funny book written by Forrest Griffin, an MMA fighter. The book is entitled "Got Fight", and its about his journey to becoming a professional mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In this excerpt from his book, Griffin jokingly talks about things your need in order to be tough.

"If You Want to Appear Tough, You Only Need to Accomplish Six Things.

1. Get some letters shaved into your hair, all the way down to the scalp, and then have your stylist, Roy, finish off your do with a fabulous multicolor dye job! (Happy Ending optional ? [fighters love emoticons].)

2. Acquire a number of those really cool tattoos that everyone has: barbed- wire armbands (you know, the ones that chicks got in 1995?), a really scary skull, or simply have your name (or the nickname that your gang gave you when you jumped in on the super mean streets of Malibu) inked on with that really hard-looking calligraphy- type stencil stuff. The grenade on the side of the neck is always good, but putting one on your biceps is just as good as long as you wear a Tap Out tank top. FYI, biceps tattooslook really cool when your gunboats are all swollen from blasting out curls.

...."

The excerpt goes on, but it's a little long. I think the reason I find this book so interesting is because it has to do with the world of mixed martial arts. Also, the book is humorous, which is something I enjoy in my reading. The construction of the writing is pretty simple, the words are pretty straight forward and not complicated at all. Forrest Griffin doesn't pride himself as being a smart guy, but he is a funny guy who gives 100% in whatever he does.

About Me

Hello everyone, or nobody, depending on how popular I am. I’ve started this blog for my Mass Communications class at SJSU in California. My name is Kris and I’m 22 years old. I’m currently a senior and trying to acquire my bachelor’s degree in advertising. My focus is in copywriting, and hopefully in the future I’ll be able to get a job in a related area. Even though my degree is in advertising, I’m interested in Television, and I’m planning to get my minor in the television and broadcast department. I plan to graduate with my degree, and find a job that’s challenging, but also enjoyable on a day-to-day basis. My worst nightmare is getting stuck in a job that has no future. Ideally, this blog will be a way for me to show off my writing skills as well as give my opinions on certain subjects I find interesting. I’m interested in sports, mostly professional basketball, and mixed martial arts. I’m also a semi-tech savvy person, so I’ll also post opinions on new technology and gaming. For the majority of the posts, the information will have to do with school assignments. Thanks for reading, if anyone is reading this.