Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Key Ingredients

1. List 3 details that you found above that help the story.
  • The money he had promised to pay would cover all expenses: the room, the minibar, room service should they order it, the train ticket that had brought her from New York and, naturally, her time.
  • A 47-page affidavit from an F.B.I. agent investigating a prostitution ring described the man at the hotel as “Client 9” and included considerable detail about him, the prostitute and his payment methods. 
  • But a law enforcement official and another person briefed on the case have identified Client 9 as Eliot Spitzer, the governor of New York.
2. There are details that you might not include in a regular news story, please list at least 2 of them.
This was at the Mayflower, one of Washington’s choicer hotels. Her client for the evening, a return customer, had booked Room 871. 
3. Do you want to keep reading?
Yes

4. List 3 descriptive details that you found above that help the story.
She lay on a torn, moldy mattress on the floor. She was curled on her side, long legs tucked into her emaciated chest. Her ribs and collarbone jutted out; one skinny arm was slung over her face; her black hair was matted, crawling with lice.
5. There are details that you might not include in a regular news story, please list at least 2 of them.
Her ribs and collarbone jutted out; one skinny arm was slung over her face; her black hair was matted, crawling with lice. Insect bites, rashes and sores pocked her skin.
6. What conditions exist regarding this child that the author describes to you?
She was curled on her side, long legs tucked into her emaciated chest. Her ribs and collarbone jutted out; one skinny arm was slung over her face; her black hair was matted, crawling with lice. Insect bites, rashes and sores pocked her skin. Though she looked old enough to be in school, she was naked — except for a swollen diaper.
7. Do you want to keep reading?
I would like to know what happened to her.

8. How does the quote help the transition statement above it?
The quote explained what happened and gave more details about the fire.
9. Do you want to keep reading?
Yes

10. List 3 descriptive details that you found above that help the story.
On the morning of July 4, 2007, ranch hands were fixing a water pipe on private land in a narrow canyon off the road to Zaca Lake, about 15 miles north of Solvang. Sparks from a metal grinder jumped into some dry grass. Soon flames were rushing through the brush toward Zaca Ridge.
11. There are details you might not include in a regular news story, please list at least 2 of them.
By the next day, nearly 1,000 firefighters were trying to box the fire into a small area. But late that afternoon, the Zaca made a run, moving east into Los Padres National Forest. By July 7, Forest Service officials realized they were facing a potential monster.
12. What was the anecdote that the author used in the story.
The anecdote in the story is the fire coming to life and spreading.
13. What was the ironical part of this story regarding how the fire started.
It was ironic that the workers were fixing a water pipe that caused the fire to start and the water from theater pipe could had been used to put out the fire.
14. Do you want to keep reading?
Yes

15. List 3 pieces of background information found in these 3 paragraphs.
A decade ago, the agency spent $307 million on fire suppression. In California, state wildfire spending has shot up 150% in the last decade, to more than $1 billion a year. Wildfire costs are busting the Forest Service budget. 
16. Which one do you think is most crucial?
Fire is chewing through so much Forest Service money that Congress is considering a separate federal account to cover the cost of catastrophic blazes.
17. Do you want to keep reading?
Yes

Monday, November 24, 2014

CE #3.3

1. Why did Bowie student Jack Guy design Grade Buzz? Page A1 "Student launches..." Did you know this was in our school newspaper 2 weeks ago!!!!
For students to easily check their grades, attendance records and tutoring times.
2. After the huge snowstorms hit Buffalo, NY last week, what is the next major concern for the region? Page A5 "Winter Weather"
The melting snow creating flooding in the flood prone areas.
3. What point is cartoonist, Chan Lowe, trying to make in the political cartoon on page A11?
That people are spending so much money on sales and discounted items that we are growing broke.
4. Why is Alexis Alpha suing the San Marcos police department? Page B1 "Woman sues police…"
She says to have suffered from broken teeth and a concussion due to San Marcos police officers while being arrested for something she said she didn't do.
5. Why are theme parks struggling to attract new visitors? Page B7 "Changing theme of parks"
We are so involved in our tis and electronics that we don't have time for theme parks to keep up with technology.
Short Answer: What impact does Capitol Metro's decision to raise fares by $.50 in January potentially have on the people of Austin?
The Capitol Metro's raie in bus fairs could affect the people of Austin because less people could be able to ride the bus and afford it. They might not have enough money to ride the bus frequently and pay the money.
Think logically here and think outside the box. 
Who does this impact the most and what will happen to their lives? This mostly impacts the poorer people in Austin and the people who don't have cars, because if they have to spend more money on bus fares, it adds up in the future and they may not be able to pay for something important, like bills and food. In some cases every cent counts, and they don't need to spend extra money on just trying to go where they need to.

Short story with information on Page B2 under Community News - "Bus fares change…"


Thursday, November 20, 2014

CE #3.2

1. Why would the city spend money to develop two PGA-level golf courses in East Austin? Page A1 "Austin council considers…"
It is supposed to be an economic development boom for austin and a tourist attraction to bring in more revenue.
2. What is the % of 1st time gun buyers purchasing weapons at Metro Shooting Supplies in Ferguson, MO? Page A2 "Gun sales surge…"
About 60%
3. How many feet of snow fell in Buffalo, NY in a 24 hour period yesterday? Page A3 "7 dead in Buffalo…"
As much as 5 and a half feet of snow yesterday.
4. Why were 2 Austin Police Department officers suspended yesterday? Page B1 "2 officers suspended…"
Remarks caught on video about jokes on rape and inappropriate humor.
5. What has helped Target stores report an increase of 3.2% on profits? BE SPECIFIC Page B5 "Target rebounds…"
Shoppers bought beauty products, toys and back to school items after a data breach last year.
6. Who are the current projected teams who will play in the 1st ever NCAA football play-offs? Page C3 "Power Four plus more" List the 4 teams projected by both the National Staff Writers and the other team selected by the Austin American Statesman for a total of 5 teams.
1. Alabama 2. Oregon 3. Florida State 4. Mississippi State 5. Baylor
7. What are three of the best items you can build to improve your outdoor space to make it more livable? Page SA3 "Move your lifestyle…"
Outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces, and fire pits.
8. Why is Players burger joint closing" Page D1 "Customers reminisce about…"
The UT System Board of Regents voted to purchase the land in 2012 for Rowling Hall, a new addition to the UT business section.
9. Which of the 5 items in the Long Weekend Five Things to Do would you like to go to? Page D2
I would like to go to the Jo's Coffee November Movies because it looks like a lot of fun.
10. Do you ever read your horoscope? Go to page D5 and read yours and respond to the predictions.
I read the horoscope when I see it but not that much. I thought it was interesting because my birthday is today and it said that this year will be bring a lot to be grateful for and that good things will happen in the future.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Feature Story Brainstorm

1. Who is your main subject?
My Aunt Cassandra
2. Supporting interviews (who else do you need to talk to)?
My Uncle Steve and my mom
3. What is the topic or potential topic?
Their wedding/honeymoon in Italy
4. Which angle from above will you write the story?
3rd person
5. Then to help you get going faster, come up with 20 questions that you can ask your main subject. Type these in your blog.

  1. How long were you in Italy?
  2. What was your favorite place you visited?
  3. Who was with you on the trip?
  4. How many places did you go to while in Italy?
  5. Where did you get married?
  6. What was your favorite memory about the trip?
  7. What kinds of food did you eat while you were there?
  8. What food was your favorite and what was your least favorite?
  9. Did you go anywhere else other than Italy?
  10. Did you met any cool people in Europe?
  11. Did you have any culture shock when you got there?
  12. What did enjoy most about the entire trip?
  13. Did you learn any Italian while you were there?
  14. Would you go back if given the opportunity?
  15. Why did you go on the trip?
  16. What were your ways of transportation?
  17. Was there anything different that you saw in Italy that you wouldn't normally see in America?
  18. What are some of the customs in Italy that you had to learn?
  19. Where did you stay while you were there?
  20. What is memory that you will never forget while you were there?
6. Once you complete that portion, you need to come up with 5-10 questions you need to ask your supporting interviews. Type these into your blog. You may need different questions for each supporting subject.

  1. What was your favorite part of the trip?
  2. Do you know any Italian?
  3. Have you been there before this trip?
  4. What was your favorite food that you ate there?
  5. Would you bad if given the opportunity?


7. You will need to do a little research on the topic you expect to interview your main subject about. Take a little time and do some google searching - find at least 5 new things about the intended topic you should know before you interview your main subject. List those on your blog.

8. Write when you plan to conduct the interview(s)?
Over Thanksgiving break.
9. Where you will interview them (some interviews are better to do in the persons environment, while others should be done in public places, ALL interviews should be done in person)?
My house/ Aunt's house
10. How will you record the information? (taking notes is ideal, and if you want to record the conversation you MUST get permission. You can do both if they will allow you to record, this is a really strong technique that you could use.)
Taking notes, and/or recording

Friday, November 14, 2014

CE #3.1

1. How many undocumented immigrants could be impacted by proposed immigration changes? Page A1 "Obama immigration overhaul.."
Up to 5 million.
2. Why will the Philae lander potentially stop working in a couple of days after its historic landing on a comet? Page A3 "Cliff on comet's surface…"
They only have a day or two left until the battery is exhausted.
3. How many homeless people were provided shelter from the cold last night through city services? How many men were at ARCH? Page B1 "Shelters opening doors…"
About 330 people and 180 men were at ARCH.
4. Who were the American and National Leage MVP's in Major League Baseball? Page C5
Clayton Kershaw- National League MVP Mike Trout- American League MVP
5. How can you limit ad tracking on your iPhone? Page SA4 "What Atlas, Facebook's ad…"
On iPhones you can go to settings, privacy, advertising and turn on the button "limit ad tracking"
Short Answer: Read the article on Page A1 "Cruz's net neutrality views irk techies".

A. What does "Net Neutrality" mean?
B. Do you think that the government should be involved in Internet regulations?
C. WHY OR WHY NOT?
D. What is Ted Cruz's view on net neutrality?
E. What do techies think about Cruz's views?

"Net Neutrality" is the internet regulators being able to access all internet content. I don't think that the government should be involved in internet regulations because people should be able to 

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Lone Star Dispatch Issue #2

Front Page Article:
Unforgettable Proposal
Right on the football field, Pablo Riera kneeled down on one knee and preposed to his long time girlfriend, Christine with her daughter along. With the band playing, Silver Stars lined up and waiting, and the cheerleaders shaking their pompoms and holding up the signs "will you marry me?" it was the perfect engagement that took a lot of time to plan. Christine and her daughter both said yes when he proposed, keeping family love in the air. After many months of planning and getting both of their mothers flown out to see this event, the yes was a relief for Riera.

Who- Pablo Riera
What- He proposed to his girlfriend Christine
When- Homecoming game against Akins
Where- Burger Stadium
Why- For the perfect and original proposal
How- The band, Silver Stars and cheerleaders all helped to make this possible

Who was quoted in this story?
Pablo Riera, Kate Buffler and Jamie Dorsey.
What quote was the strongest in your opinion?
"I was ecstatic when she said yes and her daughter was there too which made the moment even more special, this is a big step in my life and it made me very happy," Riera said. "Now its on to planning the wedding."
Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?
Yes
Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?
A statement

Student Life Article:
Are homecoming proposals worth all the stress?
Every year tons of student spend hours thinking and creating the perfect way to ask someone to homecoming. The stress and pressure to ask someone out is sometimes overwhelming and many students think that the money and time spent into the proposal isn't worth it, especially when the most fun is the actual dance. Some girls get heartbroken when a guy doesn't ask them to the dance, but sometimes the most fun is just hanging out with your friends.

Who- The students at Bowie
What- Homecoming Proposals
When- The homecoming dance, October 18th
Where- Bowie High School
Why- Homecoming dance
How- Students were asked in many different ways to go to Homecoming

Who was quoted in the story?
Patricia Maney, Sierra Crum, Kristina Tidwell and Jeremy Branham.
What quote was the strongest in your opinion?
"The experience is the dinner, the dance, the group you're with and the fun you have. The five seconds it takes to ask someone to go is just silly," Maney said.
Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?
Yes
Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?
A quote

News Article:
The band marches to fourth place
The JBHSOPE wins fourth place at state in San Antonio in the Alamodome last tuesday. They 

Friday, November 7, 2014

Feature Writing Preview

1. What is the difference between a hard news lead (lede) and the one you read above?
A hard news lead is 
2. What paragraph(s) did you learn the following information?
a. Who- Paragraph 2
b. What- Paragraph 2
c. Where- Paragraph 2
d. When- Paragraphs 2 & 3
e. Why- Paragraph
f. How

3. Are there quotes in this story?
Yes
4. Are those quotes arranged in the "quote-transiton" style we used in news writing?
Not all of them
5. Who is quoted in the story?
Kevin McLoughlin, Ted Williams, Doral Chenoweth III, Ken Andrews, Tony Florentino, Shane Cormier, Frank Willson, and Patrick Harris.
6. What quote is the most powerful in the story, in your opinion?
"My boss said to me: 'If you don't get him hired, you're fired,'" said Kevin McLoughlin, director of post-production films for the National Football League.
7. How many paragraphs is the story?
33 paragraphs
8. How many words is the story (hint: you can copy and paste into Word and get a word count)?
784 words
9. What is significant about the lead (lede) and the final paragraph of the story?

10. Why do you think the writer did that with the lead (lede) and final paragraph?

11. Was the story interesting to read?
Yes
12. When you finished the story, but BEFORE you watched the video, did you want to hear the voice?
Yes
13. Multimedia approaches are powerful tools, what impact did the video have when watched directly after reading the story?

14. Would the story have lost its impact without the video?
Yes because
15. Did the writer try to come up with a way for you to hear the voice, i.e. did he try to describe the voice or give you a way to "hear" the voice without really hearing it?
Yes
16. How did the writer do that?
The writer added familiar quotes in between information to give the reader a way of hearing his voice without really hearing it.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Peer Reflection #2

1. Who wrote the story?
Avery Clark
2. What is their story about?
Animal Cruelty in Zoos
3. What is their direct opinion about that topic? Please quote it directly from the story or do a really good job of paraphrasing.
"We should not remove them from their habitat and let them live the life and have the freedom they are meant to have." Said Avery.
4. Did they address what the other side might think about their topic?
Yes
5. Were they wishy-washy with their opinion? By this I mean do they ever write anything that makes it sounds like they really aren't sure about their opinion?
No she was very clear about her opinion.
6. Are there any quotes in the story?
No
7. What point of view did they write in (1st, 2nd or 3rd)?
1st
8. Can you tell if this person was writing an editorial or a straight commentary piece?
Editorial

Monday, November 3, 2014

Peer Reflection #1

1. Who wrote the story?
Ana S.
2. What is their story about?
Abortion
3. What is their direct opinion about that topic? Please quote it directly from the story or do a really good job of paraphrasing.
She doesn't think that babies should be aborted and that its wrong.
4. Did they address what the other side might think about their topic?
Yes
5. Were they wishy-washy with their opinion? By this I mean do they ever write anything that makes it sounds like they really aren't sure about their opinion?
No she was very strong about her opinion.
6. Are there any quotes in the story?
No
7. What point of view did they write in (1st, 2nd or 3rd)?
She used 3rd Person
8. Can you tell if this person was writing an editorial or a straight commentary piece? 
Editorial

Current Events Quiz #2.8

1.What internet speeds will Google Fiber potentially bring to business in Austin when it arrives? Page A1 "Businesses: Google Fiber…"
More than 100 times faster than the current internet
2. What band does Thomas Magnuson play in" Page B1 "Musical McCallum teens…"
The Mr. Clark Experience
3. What states are considering raising the minimum wage in the upcoming election? Page B5 "Small businesses divided…"
Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska, and South Dakota
4. What were the final scores in both the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans football games this weekend? Page C1
The Dallas Cowboys won 28-17 and the Houston Texans lost 31-21
5. On page D2 in the section called Joe Gross Pop Culture Countdown, pick your top-5 things coming soon and list them in order.
1. One direction "four" 2. Dumb and Dumber To. 3. Garth Brooks, "Man Against Machine" 4. "Interstellar" 5. Pink Floyd "The Endless River"
Short Answer: Read the story on page C6 called "Dying wish is a dream come true for Hill"
Answer the following questions:

A. Is this story written in a different style than we have encountered so far in our journalism writing experience? HOW?
This story is a different style than we have been writing so far because it is emotional and tells a story.
B. How did the story impact your emotionally?
I thought it was really inspirational that she chased after her dreams and goals even when she was told that she couldn't do it.
C. What is wrong with Hill
She has an inoperable brain tumor which causes her to only have a few months left to live.
D. What two awards has Hill won?

She has won the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Patt Summit Most Courageous Award