In journalism class we were assigned to read the book Hiroshima by John Hersey. I am glad I read it because I thought the overall book itself was very good and the stories were something I hadn't known before about the atomic bomb's victims.
I thought Hersey's idea was great. The people affected and their stories. We're always taught to have real people in our stories in journalism so the reader can connect, and he did it very well. I think this a great example that journalists can learn from.
The story recalls what happened through the eyes of the victims, not of the americans who dropped the bomb - which is the most commonly known story. I think it was good of Hersey to reach onto the other side because otherwise we would never know how they felt.
In one part of the story there are details about someones skin peeling off their hand. That's what you remember, not the name of some guy in a plane dropped a bomb that killed thousands of people. Hersey talks about what people care about - feelings.
The only parts I didn't like were the structure. I thought the sentences were too long, the paragraphs were confusing and the type was so small it was hard to keep track of everything. The names were all similar too so hard to follow, but there's a cultural difference for you.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Freelance is your friend
Last week I wrote a freelance piece for the Winnipeg Free Press Sunday Xtra. It was posted online and was on a page by itself (A3), and had a little banner on the front page of the paper. Seeing my name (and face) on a piece of that size in a publication like the WFP was a feeling unlike I've ever felt before.
It was posted online (I just found it Monday morning) here is the link to it: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Blurred-vision-134221368.html. To get the full effect with the photo etc, you'll have to read the actual paper copy.
The WFP gave it a headline of Blurred Vision, here it is:
He told me he was OK to drive. “I’m fine, I didn’t drink that much,” he said. I believed him.
He says he doesn’t feel guilty about driving impaired.
It was posted online (I just found it Monday morning) here is the link to it: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Blurred-vision-134221368.html. To get the full effect with the photo etc, you'll have to read the actual paper copy.
The WFP gave it a headline of Blurred Vision, here it is:
He told me he was OK to drive. “I’m fine, I didn’t drink that much,” he said. I believed him.
A group of us sat in his car trying to warm up before leaving the parking lot. It was cold outside and we were just happy to be getting a “safe” ride home.
He backed out smoothly. The drive started off slow. We turned out of the parking lot onto the road. That’s when it hit me: he was lying when he said he wasn’t drunk.
My house was only five minutes away but it felt like longer. He swerved in and out of parked cars, sped up to stop signs and turned so sharp I thought I was going to fly out the window.
We finally got to my house. I got out of the car. My heart was racing. I said to myself, “I’m never doing that again.”
Many young people do, though — every weekend. Jane, an 18-year-old college student, says she has gotten into a car with someone she knew was drunk. None of her friends ever volunteer to be the designated driver, she says.
“I’m too broke to take a taxi. Nobody ever wants to be the sober one. We usually walk but I did get in a car with someone I knew was drunk. Now that I think about it, it was scary. At the time though I didn’t feel like anything was wrong. I just wanted to get home.”
Brian, a 22-year-old university student, hasn’t only been in a car when the driver was drunk, he’s been the driver.
“I have driven drunk before,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how many drinks I have, as long as I feel in control I will still drive my car. If I don’t drive like an idiot chances are, I won’t get caught.”
He says he doesn’t feel guilty about driving impaired.
“I always get home safe when I drive after the bar,” he said. “I’ve never been in an accident and I don’t feel bad about it. Like I said, I always feel like I’m in control.”
His story is similar to others I’ve seen and heard. People don’t seem to be afraid of getting caught — especially when they still feel like they’re “in control”.
But how in control of your motor skills can you really be after having six or seven alcoholic drinks? As a 21-year-old social butterfly, I’ve been to the bar more times than I’d like to admit — and I’ve seen more people driving impaired than I’d like to admit.
I’ve witnessed people walking out of the bar with their keys in their hands, stumbling to their cars, getting in and driving away. I always wish that people would see the dangers and find another way home.
People often complain that taxis are expensive but that’s only one way to get home. Winnipeg Transit often runs until one or two in the morning and bus fare is less than $3. Operation Red Nose (which kicks off next weekend; phone 947-6673) will pick you up and drive you home in your car for free during the holiday season.
It’s a good way to avoid another holiday tradition: The Winnipeg Police Service check stop program, which kicks off at the start of December. Officers set up random check stops and pull cars over to screen for impaired driving.
Last holiday season, 98 people were charged with impaired driving — 72 per cent more than were charged in 2009.
But even the police check stops don’t scare some people. I’ve overheard people at the bar talking about where check stops are. They know which routes to drive home to avoid them.
People are always connected to each other through Twitter, Facebook, BBM and text messaging. These resources make it easy to find out where the police are stationed and how to avoid getting caught at a check stop.
Shaylene Handford has the best solution to not getting caught: don’t do it. She started Sober Ride this year, an awareness program to battle impaired driving in Winnipeg.
The program gets drivers to take the Sober Ride pledge and put a sticker in their car window. The decal is a representation of the car owner’s pledge to only allow sober driving in their car.
Handford said she started the program after being personally affected through her line of work and in her personal life.
“I want to help make a difference and take a stand on a topic that still some people don’t fully understand,” she said.
Since starting the program more than 500 people have taken the Sober Ride pledge. Handford said the program is developing daily and she hopes the pledge makes a difference one person at a time.
Between awareness programs, MADD, police actions and stories of people dying because of drunk driving (two young people died last weekend in crashes in which alcohol was believed to be a factor) you’d think people would stop drinking and driving. But the initiatives don’t seem to be working.
I don’t know why they’re not working. The one think I know that does work is enforcement. The only time I ever saw someone decide not to drive drunk by getting out of their car and calling for a ride was when the police were sitting at the front door of the bar. Perhaps police should keep the check stop program running all year. But unfortunately, they can’t be everywhere. Some night after hitting the bar, Jane, and Brian, may have to make a responsible decision all on their own.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Lost Stories
When I was a young kid I picked up a photo in my grandparents’ room and asked, “who is this?”
It was my grandpa - but I didn’t believe my grandma when she first told me. I said, “no way Grandma, that’s not what Grandpa looks like!”
When I knew him he was a big balding man who wore velcro shoes and plaid shirts. He liked hunting and fishing and made the best cookies and peanut brittle I’d ever eaten. He loved ice cream and his Lazy Boy chair.
The man in the photo was a boy. He was thin and had a serious look on his face. Oh, and he had hair! He was in uniform. It was a photo when my grandpa was in the army. But I didn’t realize what it meant until he died in 1998.
My grandparents lived in a small town in the Interlake of Manitoba called Steep Rock. It was a beautiful place to live and you could walk to lake Manitoba from their house in less than a minute. The population deteriorated in the late 90’s and when my grandpa died my grandma decided to move to Winnipeg because she didn’t want to live alone.
I remember going through all the things in the garage (there was a lot) and finding my grandpa's old army things. That's when it became real to me.
Seeing my dad become emotional over finding my grandpa's army things made me realize that not only was my grandpa in the army but he fought for our freedom.
I asked my dad to tell me stories about my grandpa's time in the army but he said he didn't know any. I was confused as to how that could happen but he explained that my grandpa didn't like to talk about it. Yes, he was proud that he fought for freedom but I think the experiences he had weren't positive ones and he didn't want to share.
Another thing I found out was that he didn't join the army voluntarily like it is now. He was the right age at the right time and I wouldn't say he was forced to join but it was something he didn't have much of a choice about.
My grandma told me she worried all the time - which made me think that he was probably on the battlefield. I just wish I knew more about his history.
Soon there won't be any WW2 veterans left to tell their stories which is such an important thing. My grandpa's stories are lost, but we need to find the ones that are left and tell them - if they are willing.
That's what is important about Remembrance Day. It's to honour why we live in a free country. Soldiers. It's so sad that a lot of them have traumatic experiences and don't want to share them because their stories are Canadian history. Let's make sure that we don't lose our history.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Sick Journalist
These days I find that I am so run down from everything I'm doing that my immune system isn't as strong as it normally is. This morning I woke up with a lovely cold - probably the third one I've had since school started.
Then I started thinking to myself, what would happen if I was working my dream job and had to be on air today with this gross stuffy nose, constant sneezing (okay, I sneeze a lot anyways) and weird voice. Would they let me go on or would I have to call in sick even though I feel pretty okay.
So my assumption of what would happen is I would probably let them know that I have a runny nose and itchy eyes and they'd tell me I can't go on air. (This is just my make believe scenario, I don't really know what would happen) Then I'd either be sent home or to the control room and people would shift around their jobs. Hopefully the producer is ready to go on air!
If I was sent home I would feel horribly guilty. Just from the one time we had to do mini newscasts in Broadcast J I realize how important every person is to the show and if I got sent home that would mean somebody else would have to do my job, and then down the road somebody would have to do two jobs. I can't imagine having to do two jobs at once during a live newscast.
What about if I was a journalist working at a newspaper/online/magazine? That probably wouldn't matter as long as I had a big box of kleenex because nobody has to see me - I'd have to make sure to do my interviews over the phone though.
So what is my solution to never having to face this problem? I'm going to drink orange juice every morning and have a lot of Vitamin C and if I feel a cold coming on, Cold FX is my friend.
What would you guys do if you had an annoying little cold and had to go out on the job as a reporter?
Then I started thinking to myself, what would happen if I was working my dream job and had to be on air today with this gross stuffy nose, constant sneezing (okay, I sneeze a lot anyways) and weird voice. Would they let me go on or would I have to call in sick even though I feel pretty okay.
So my assumption of what would happen is I would probably let them know that I have a runny nose and itchy eyes and they'd tell me I can't go on air. (This is just my make believe scenario, I don't really know what would happen) Then I'd either be sent home or to the control room and people would shift around their jobs. Hopefully the producer is ready to go on air!
If I was sent home I would feel horribly guilty. Just from the one time we had to do mini newscasts in Broadcast J I realize how important every person is to the show and if I got sent home that would mean somebody else would have to do my job, and then down the road somebody would have to do two jobs. I can't imagine having to do two jobs at once during a live newscast.
What about if I was a journalist working at a newspaper/online/magazine? That probably wouldn't matter as long as I had a big box of kleenex because nobody has to see me - I'd have to make sure to do my interviews over the phone though.
So what is my solution to never having to face this problem? I'm going to drink orange juice every morning and have a lot of Vitamin C and if I feel a cold coming on, Cold FX is my friend.
What would you guys do if you had an annoying little cold and had to go out on the job as a reporter?
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Transportation of a journalist
I am lucky enough to have a car that is very reliable and that I can take anywhere I need to go, as long as there is somewhere to park it. Downtown Winnipeg is one of the hardest places to find parking and yesterday our journalism class went to the Law Courts downtown.
I don't have any idea where to park downtown, and I didn't want to spend $10 just to be there for a few hours. So, I took the bus.
Last year I took the bus to school and back home almost every day but now that I'm used to driving it was a terrible experience. Why, you ask? Well, to start you never know when the bus is going to come.
Winnipeg Transit isn't always on time. Sometimes the bus is early, sometimes it's super late. And, living in the South end of the city makes it even harder to get places like downtown because busses don't come very often and if you miss your bus, you're going to be late. It's very important that journalists aren't late especially to the Law Courts because if you miss part of the trial you're going to have to catch up and you might miss the announcement of a publication ban.
The bus is also way too hot and often over crowded. I was sweating on the bus yesterday which hindered my appearance. I had to comb my hair once I got the Law Courts, it's important for journalists to look professional.
Some people don't respect others when riding the bus. It really annoys me when people (mainly Jr. High aged kids in this case) take up a ton of seats, talk loudly and generally break all the rules of the bus. This put me in a bad mood and it's important for journalists to always be open minded and not grumpy. So, I had to shake it off.
Being on the bus makes me personally very sleepy. This is really bad because unless it's night time, and even that doesn't matter sometimes, journalists need to be alert. If you're tired and nodding off you can miss something and you'll just look unprofessional and you don't want that kind of reputation.
Maybe all of these things just happened to me and affected me because I'm not used to taking the bus. But, for the rest of the year I'm going to be taking my car. It gives me time to think, be alone, sing really loud (which pumps me up), be in control of my own arrival time and most importantly sleep in!
I don't have any idea where to park downtown, and I didn't want to spend $10 just to be there for a few hours. So, I took the bus.
Last year I took the bus to school and back home almost every day but now that I'm used to driving it was a terrible experience. Why, you ask? Well, to start you never know when the bus is going to come.
Winnipeg Transit isn't always on time. Sometimes the bus is early, sometimes it's super late. And, living in the South end of the city makes it even harder to get places like downtown because busses don't come very often and if you miss your bus, you're going to be late. It's very important that journalists aren't late especially to the Law Courts because if you miss part of the trial you're going to have to catch up and you might miss the announcement of a publication ban.
The bus is also way too hot and often over crowded. I was sweating on the bus yesterday which hindered my appearance. I had to comb my hair once I got the Law Courts, it's important for journalists to look professional.
Some people don't respect others when riding the bus. It really annoys me when people (mainly Jr. High aged kids in this case) take up a ton of seats, talk loudly and generally break all the rules of the bus. This put me in a bad mood and it's important for journalists to always be open minded and not grumpy. So, I had to shake it off.
Being on the bus makes me personally very sleepy. This is really bad because unless it's night time, and even that doesn't matter sometimes, journalists need to be alert. If you're tired and nodding off you can miss something and you'll just look unprofessional and you don't want that kind of reputation.
Maybe all of these things just happened to me and affected me because I'm not used to taking the bus. But, for the rest of the year I'm going to be taking my car. It gives me time to think, be alone, sing really loud (which pumps me up), be in control of my own arrival time and most importantly sleep in!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Journalism Jobs
Before I know it I'm going to be out on work placement and getting some "real world" experience. I put real world in brackets because a lot of the things we do in CreComm are the same things we'll probably be doing on the job, we just do them at school.
As I'm thinking about where I'd like to have my work placement, I think about where I want to end up when I graduate. I don't want to be working as someone's assistant or teaching english to kids in Africa. Both of those jobs are great for those who like that kind of thing, but that's not just for me.
So I started thinking, what is my dream job? Well obviously CNN or BBC anchor, but that's setting the bar pretty high for a 21-year-old brand new journalist. So what's my dream first job? I would love love love to work in tv. Reporter would be ideal, but when you're first starting out it's kind of that "take anything you can get for experience" kind of thing.
So I set out to look for some TV jobs in Manitoba (I would love to stay in the province close to my family friends and boyfriend). Low and behold, there weren't any.
During the summer the internet job posting websites were full of TV news jobs. From reporter, to anchor, to weather, etc. All summer I was thinking "oh man I wish I was done CreComm so I could apply for these." There was a lot of change that went on this summer and I feel like that doesn't happen very often.
I'm hoping that this drought for TV news jobs at home doesn't last. I'm also well aware of the "who you know" clause. So my plan for finding an awesome first journalism job: make a lot of connections at work placements and scour all the media job websites I can find.
Here's a list of ones I used for those who are looking:
I'd love to know what other resources people use to find jobs, and what your "first dream job" is.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tips for Blogging
Blogging is a great tool for every journalist to use. The more you do it, the better you get and the better your blog is. It's a great way to showcase your writing and for potential employers to see what you've got.
There are some guidelines that I like to follow when I write a blog, and some that I don't that I probably should. Your blog becomes an online portfolio that EVERYONE can see. It won't go away if you delete it thanks to the wonderful tool of screen capturing and printing. Don't forget that your blog is probably one of the first things that comes up when someone Google's your name.
1. Keep it simple. If you write long winded, non-sensical sentences that turn into page long paragraphs, nobody will read it. People don't have a lot of time to read blogs so they usually just skim - and if it's too long it's on to the next.
2. Don't say anything you wouldn't have published. You risk your reputation if you say things that aren't professional.
3. Try and keep a style. If your blog posts are consistent in style (the one you write in normally) then potential employers can decide if they like you or not. It can be distracting if every post seems like its written by a different person.
4. Add photos and videos. If you want hits, this is a great way. People like visual stimulation so photos and videos are a great addition on any blog post (as long as it's relevant).
5. Follow other peoples' blogs and comment on them. This way people will see that you are getting engaged with them and go read what you have to say.
I'd love to know tips from other bloggers out there! I'll be adding to this list as I come up with more and get deeper into the world of blogging.
There are some guidelines that I like to follow when I write a blog, and some that I don't that I probably should. Your blog becomes an online portfolio that EVERYONE can see. It won't go away if you delete it thanks to the wonderful tool of screen capturing and printing. Don't forget that your blog is probably one of the first things that comes up when someone Google's your name.
1. Keep it simple. If you write long winded, non-sensical sentences that turn into page long paragraphs, nobody will read it. People don't have a lot of time to read blogs so they usually just skim - and if it's too long it's on to the next.
2. Don't say anything you wouldn't have published. You risk your reputation if you say things that aren't professional.
3. Try and keep a style. If your blog posts are consistent in style (the one you write in normally) then potential employers can decide if they like you or not. It can be distracting if every post seems like its written by a different person.
4. Add photos and videos. If you want hits, this is a great way. People like visual stimulation so photos and videos are a great addition on any blog post (as long as it's relevant).
5. Follow other peoples' blogs and comment on them. This way people will see that you are getting engaged with them and go read what you have to say.
I'd love to know tips from other bloggers out there! I'll be adding to this list as I come up with more and get deeper into the world of blogging.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Who Says I Can't Be A Journalist?
When I was in high school I had an interest in journalism and I loved the idea of being a reporter on TV, but I never thought I could actually do it.
My friends would tell me "I want to be a journalist" and I'd say "Ha, good luck with that!" But now, I see myself heading towards a career as a journalist.
Now was is a journalist? I can't even answer that question because there are so many things that a journalist can be. For example, some television personalities on news shows are simply there to be "web" or "social media" reporters. What do they even do? Who knows!
My dream job: reporter for a television news station. I've come to find that I love writing for TV and producing VO's (voice overs) in Broadcast Journalism. Thinking about the pictures you have in your video, putting that together with words that make sense - and the viewer will care about is the perfect recipe for me. I love doing it, and so far - that's where I want to end up after CreComm.
I do also love writing. Writing, writing, writing, writing - I can write all day long and not be bored (unless it's an academic style paper, ugh.) I love telling stories. I haven't had as much opportunity to write stories for the Projector lately because all the first years are writing, and I am a little bit sad about that but am glad to be writing for The Lance.
So look, here I am - the sports editor of the Projector, and writing for the Lance. Next up - news reporter extraordinaire.
Page ...
The New York Times movie Page One was one of the best I've seen in a long time. It definitely made me think a lot about what we've been learning in CreComm about how "there is no such thing as print journalism".
As most people know, there are people predicting that newspapers will only last another 10 years before they're no longer relevant. Me? I think we can all live in harmony - newspapers and internet.
The most interesting part of the movie for me is when they talked about how every reporter should have Twitter.
I think this is really important because Twitter has the ability to spread news fast, and as soon as it happens. People will believe anything on Twitter, so having reporters being the ones telling the news is the best way to make sure everything is true (well for the most part hopefully).
For that reason, I've been starting to look into tweeting more myself - and with the last live-tweeting assignment we had, I noticed how much people really are using it. There were only 2 students at the event I was at (Town Hall with Dr. Jon Gerrard at the WFP News Cafe) last week, but I got a lot of feedback from followers, as did Lindsey Wiebe who was tweeting as a reporter.
I'm glad that Twitter and the internet are integrating themselves into newspapers and reporting but I hope that in 10 years I'll still be able to pick up page one of the New York Times.
As most people know, there are people predicting that newspapers will only last another 10 years before they're no longer relevant. Me? I think we can all live in harmony - newspapers and internet.
The most interesting part of the movie for me is when they talked about how every reporter should have Twitter.
I think this is really important because Twitter has the ability to spread news fast, and as soon as it happens. People will believe anything on Twitter, so having reporters being the ones telling the news is the best way to make sure everything is true (well for the most part hopefully).
For that reason, I've been starting to look into tweeting more myself - and with the last live-tweeting assignment we had, I noticed how much people really are using it. There were only 2 students at the event I was at (Town Hall with Dr. Jon Gerrard at the WFP News Cafe) last week, but I got a lot of feedback from followers, as did Lindsey Wiebe who was tweeting as a reporter.
I'm glad that Twitter and the internet are integrating themselves into newspapers and reporting but I hope that in 10 years I'll still be able to pick up page one of the New York Times.
Monday, September 19, 2011
A new kind of Journalism
In first year journalism classes last year the first, and main thing we learnt was writing for print. Sure we could've published those stories online, or on a news app. We learnt about blogging too, but generally we learnt how to write longer style news stories.
This year in the journalism major we're still learning that, but through other classes we're expanding our horizons.
In radio and broadcast journalism classes we're learning how to write for their prospective mediums.
At first I thought - Oh, Crap! I have no idea how to do this. I'm for sure doing this all wrong. But that's part of learning so I was okay with it.
I think radio has been the hardest for me. Though it's similar to writing for tv, with short, concise, easy to understand information - it's harder to do without any visuals.
I like the challenge of writing for radio but I've discovered that I love writing for TV.
Writing for TV is pretty hard because you are constantly having to think about what the viewer is going to get out of your story. Why do they care? I definitely made this mistake in the first couple weeks but I'm proud of my last story and hope I did it right!
The visuals definitely help, but add another challenge - to write to your video. But it's fun and I'm slowly falling in love with television writing. Next step...on air reporting!
The nice thing about CreComm is that they might throw you into something you don't know how to do, but then once you do it you know what you did wrong. I hope that most students are like me and
This year in the journalism major we're still learning that, but through other classes we're expanding our horizons.
In radio and broadcast journalism classes we're learning how to write for their prospective mediums.
At first I thought - Oh, Crap! I have no idea how to do this. I'm for sure doing this all wrong. But that's part of learning so I was okay with it.
I think radio has been the hardest for me. Though it's similar to writing for tv, with short, concise, easy to understand information - it's harder to do without any visuals.
I like the challenge of writing for radio but I've discovered that I love writing for TV.
Writing for TV is pretty hard because you are constantly having to think about what the viewer is going to get out of your story. Why do they care? I definitely made this mistake in the first couple weeks but I'm proud of my last story and hope I did it right!
The visuals definitely help, but add another challenge - to write to your video. But it's fun and I'm slowly falling in love with television writing. Next step...on air reporting!
The nice thing about CreComm is that they might throw you into something you don't know how to do, but then once you do it you know what you did wrong. I hope that most students are like me and
Monday, September 12, 2011
Anderson Who?
Two Fridays ago (September 2, 2011) I was at home, channel surfing when I finally decided to watch eTalk because there really wasn't anything else on. I was super excited when I clicked on the show and the screen changed to a nice close up of Anderson Cooper, one of my favorite journalists.
Here's the link: http://en.video.sympatico.ca/index.php/en/video/entertainment/3/all-entertainment-providers/153/etalk/729/cooper-countdown/1149933462001
It's just a promo interview for Cooper's new daytime television show, Anderson. The show is comparable to Oprah's talk show as they mentioned, with a large emphasis on celebrities lives and going into depth and finding out what their real stories are.
The show looks interesting but I'm not sure what to expect. I'm hoping and expecting a large emphasis on real journalism from Cooper, but this highlight reel doesn't give me that feeling. eTalk makes it seem like just another talk show and I'm a little worried because Cooper mentioned his guilty pleasure is "bad television" but I'm counting on him to impress me.
I PVR'ed the show, and am going to watch it later tonight - my thoughts on the new show to come. Hint, the first show features interviews with Amy Winehouse's friends and family, and is the first big interview they did after her death.
I didn't catch the whole interview, but when I tuned in what I heard amazed me. Ben Mulroney who was interviewing Cooper was asking him something along the lines of why or how he became a journalist.
Cooper, who has a BA in political science from Yale became a journalist in a more drastic way then most of us. Compared to what he did, us CreCommers have it easy! During the interview Cooper told Mulroney that his friend made him a fake press pass and he started going to wars to cover them.
I knew that Cooper was an amazing journalist, doing amazing work with CNN - but I had never heard how he started before and I was amazed. I had gained a great respect for him and was impressed that eTalk was airing a more "newsy" story. That was until I watched the "highlight" video from the interview.
Here's the link: http://en.video.sympatico.ca/index.php/en/video/entertainment/3/all-entertainment-providers/153/etalk/729/cooper-countdown/1149933462001
It's just a promo interview for Cooper's new daytime television show, Anderson. The show is comparable to Oprah's talk show as they mentioned, with a large emphasis on celebrities lives and going into depth and finding out what their real stories are.
The show looks interesting but I'm not sure what to expect. I'm hoping and expecting a large emphasis on real journalism from Cooper, but this highlight reel doesn't give me that feeling. eTalk makes it seem like just another talk show and I'm a little worried because Cooper mentioned his guilty pleasure is "bad television" but I'm counting on him to impress me.
I PVR'ed the show, and am going to watch it later tonight - my thoughts on the new show to come. Hint, the first show features interviews with Amy Winehouse's friends and family, and is the first big interview they did after her death.
Monday, September 5, 2011
What is Journalism?
Journalism is described by the Oxford dictionary as "the activity or profession of writing for newspapers or magazines or of broadcasting news on radio or television."
That may have been accurate 25 years ago, but with today's modern technologies journalism has grown to be so much more.
The first point of news used to be radio - where you found out first. Radio newscasts happened throughout the day and short, detail free stories were announced there. Next, a longer version of what happened was presented on the television news. And finally, you'd get the full story with the next morning's newspaper article. Now, with social media and the internet, the full story happens a lot faster.
In my personal experience, I find out first on Twitter. By following all the news sources, and through word of mouth - news spreads fast on Twitter. For example, when Amy Winehouse died - I found out the news hours before any coverage was present on tv radio or print. The short 140 character description can tell it all or be accompanied by a link, which will take you to the news source's website where you can find either a shorter version of the story, or the later updated version.
The need for immediacy has taken over the world of news journalism. People want to know what happened and they want to know now. Because of outlets like Twitter, Facebook, websites and Apps, the job of journalists is changing.
Crime journalist for the Winnipeg Free Press, Mike McIntyre, said last year to a group of CreComm students that he now has to do twice as much work and twice as fast. He has to write a story right away for web, and another full story for the next day's print version of the paper.
Journalism is being changed by technology, and by what people want from their news. In Winnipeg for example, it seems as though crime rates are rocketing through the roof when they're actually going down. Why do we think they're getting higher? Because the sad reality is people want to know about crimes that are happening, so that's what the journalists in the city choose to cover over other stories.
Journalism is moving away from New York Times and magazine style long articles, and becoming more condensed. Consumers are getting more stories, with less information. So it's becoming a less is more kind of industry.
That may have been accurate 25 years ago, but with today's modern technologies journalism has grown to be so much more.
The first point of news used to be radio - where you found out first. Radio newscasts happened throughout the day and short, detail free stories were announced there. Next, a longer version of what happened was presented on the television news. And finally, you'd get the full story with the next morning's newspaper article. Now, with social media and the internet, the full story happens a lot faster.
In my personal experience, I find out first on Twitter. By following all the news sources, and through word of mouth - news spreads fast on Twitter. For example, when Amy Winehouse died - I found out the news hours before any coverage was present on tv radio or print. The short 140 character description can tell it all or be accompanied by a link, which will take you to the news source's website where you can find either a shorter version of the story, or the later updated version.
The need for immediacy has taken over the world of news journalism. People want to know what happened and they want to know now. Because of outlets like Twitter, Facebook, websites and Apps, the job of journalists is changing.
Crime journalist for the Winnipeg Free Press, Mike McIntyre, said last year to a group of CreComm students that he now has to do twice as much work and twice as fast. He has to write a story right away for web, and another full story for the next day's print version of the paper.
Journalism is being changed by technology, and by what people want from their news. In Winnipeg for example, it seems as though crime rates are rocketing through the roof when they're actually going down. Why do we think they're getting higher? Because the sad reality is people want to know about crimes that are happening, so that's what the journalists in the city choose to cover over other stories.
Journalism is moving away from New York Times and magazine style long articles, and becoming more condensed. Consumers are getting more stories, with less information. So it's becoming a less is more kind of industry.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Bridesmaid Dress Disaster
Over the next year, I will be part of three wedding parties. The dates are July 2, 2011; March 31, 2012; and June 2, 2012.
Fun, right? Well, yes. For the most part. I love helping with the socials, doing the nails, going dress shopping, showers, etc. All of that stuff is great. I even like asking people for free stuff for social prizes. Oh, and designing social tickets and letters (can you tell I'm the maid of honour for one of them?) But when it came to trying on our newly ordered dresses for the wedding in July (yes, a month away) it was a disaster.
The first time I went in to try it on about a month or two ago, I can't exactly remember, I could get the dress on but it took three people, and I could barely breathe. They told me to come back and try it on again in a month or so, and I did.
This event was horrifying. I went into to store asking to try my dress on again, and they said they didn't have it. I was so confused as she pulled the dress I knew was mine down, and said "oh no, this isn't it, wrong color" I tried telling her that was my dress but she didn't understand. I waited for the next 15 minutes until she finally realized that she was wrong, and the first dress she pulled was mine.
Next, I try the dress on. I can't even do it up, it's too tight around my ribs. It's one of those dresses that has a waist-clinching band right under the bust, you know the kind that is always way too small? Well of course, since there was only two of us, we couldn't force me into it. I asked her what she would do for me, because I need the dress to be comfortable to be in all day. You'll never guess what she told me, and then another lady who appeared from the back.
"You need to diet! Lose weight, , just diet to fit the dress," she said.
Yep, she basically told me I was fat and that I needed to lose weight to fit into the dress. She said it was too hard to take out, and she didn't want to do it if she didn't have to, after at first saying it was impossible to take out. Is that not her job? Altering dresses?
The weird thing, two of the three other bridesmaids got the same lecture. Even weirder, the only place it doesn't fit is right at my ribs, where may I mention, she didn't measure initially to size the dress, and I have no fat there, it's pure bone.
So how am I supposed to lose weight in my bones? Plastic surgery? Dieting? Extreme Exercise? Diet Pills? Starvation? Nope, none of that would work...it's freaking BONE! So I took my dress home and am getting my mom to take it out. :)
Fun, right? Well, yes. For the most part. I love helping with the socials, doing the nails, going dress shopping, showers, etc. All of that stuff is great. I even like asking people for free stuff for social prizes. Oh, and designing social tickets and letters (can you tell I'm the maid of honour for one of them?) But when it came to trying on our newly ordered dresses for the wedding in July (yes, a month away) it was a disaster.
The first time I went in to try it on about a month or two ago, I can't exactly remember, I could get the dress on but it took three people, and I could barely breathe. They told me to come back and try it on again in a month or so, and I did.
This event was horrifying. I went into to store asking to try my dress on again, and they said they didn't have it. I was so confused as she pulled the dress I knew was mine down, and said "oh no, this isn't it, wrong color" I tried telling her that was my dress but she didn't understand. I waited for the next 15 minutes until she finally realized that she was wrong, and the first dress she pulled was mine.
Next, I try the dress on. I can't even do it up, it's too tight around my ribs. It's one of those dresses that has a waist-clinching band right under the bust, you know the kind that is always way too small? Well of course, since there was only two of us, we couldn't force me into it. I asked her what she would do for me, because I need the dress to be comfortable to be in all day. You'll never guess what she told me, and then another lady who appeared from the back.
"You need to diet! Lose weight, , just diet to fit the dress," she said.
Yep, she basically told me I was fat and that I needed to lose weight to fit into the dress. She said it was too hard to take out, and she didn't want to do it if she didn't have to, after at first saying it was impossible to take out. Is that not her job? Altering dresses?
The weird thing, two of the three other bridesmaids got the same lecture. Even weirder, the only place it doesn't fit is right at my ribs, where may I mention, she didn't measure initially to size the dress, and I have no fat there, it's pure bone.
So how am I supposed to lose weight in my bones? Plastic surgery? Dieting? Extreme Exercise? Diet Pills? Starvation? Nope, none of that would work...it's freaking BONE! So I took my dress home and am getting my mom to take it out. :)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz
Armin Wiebe's first play The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz was a big success.
Playing at the Rachel Browne Theatre from April 7-17, 2011. It was so popular that most nights sold out, and they added an extra show. Though the theatre is quite small, the intimacy of it made the viewer feel like part of the play.
The story is so intimate, and difficult to understand in some ways, as there is a lot of low german script so this location was perfect for the type of show. Not too big, not too small. The message could've easily been lost in a bigger space such as MTC or Pantages Playhouse.
The play itself was very entertaining, and not what I was expecting at all. The title does infer that it is a mennonite culture play (last name Blatz) but I was not expecting the sexual content. Generally, I would be very uncomfortable in a theatre environment where there is promiscuity, sexual tension, actions, and even nudity, but in this play I was okay with it. I think it's because the blocking was so well done, and the tone of the play was not of a sexual nature that it felt good.
Watching the play was very enjoyable, the actors were superb, perfect for their parts. As Wiebe in his talk to the students on Thursday April 14, 2011 said they were lucky to find someone who could play piano, as well as act (Beethoven Blatz - played by Eric Nyland). The most interesting part I thought of his talk, was how he said they had workshopped the play in Calgary. I've never had the opportunity to workshop any plays but I would love to as an actor, and that really intrigued me. Though I was disappointed to the lack of detail he gave of the changes that the actors had made, and the great impact that generally comes out of workshopping, I was impressed that his play got to do this and right away saw why it was so well done. Nyland was part of the workshopping, and it showed. When everyone gets to be a part of the creative process, it makes for a greater production. In high school, my drama class, wrote, and acted in a play for the Festival Theatre Jeunesse. Since it was our "baby" and we all contributed, everyone was more passionate about it and this same vibe was felt when watching Wiebe's first play.
I was also a bit puzzled by his response to the question "why did you choose Beethoven's Moonlight sonata?" asked by classmate Tom Asselin. I was expecting some kind of background story, one that I had already developped in my head from watching the play, and referrencing his past work (much of which is in low german as well), but all he said was "because I liked it, and it's easy to play." So I guess playwrights aren't always as profound in their choices as we think. Maybe I was over analyzing.
Though the play was good, and talking to Wiebe was nice, I thought it was a bit of an overkill having it twice. I was expecting to be able to talk back with the actors, ask them about their experiences, especially since this is what we were told and the fact that Wiebe was already scheduled to talk to us two days later. As an actor, I wanted to know what they were thinking, and though I did have an opportunity to greet them afterwards as they were just kind of standing around, it would have been much more beneficial to have an open Q&A with them.
Overall, the experience was great and I hope that Wiebe writes more plays so I can try my best to solve the puzzle that is mennonite drama written in half low german, knowing not a word but "nine" which means no from a little german girl I met on an airplane from Germany to Montreal in 2008.
Playing at the Rachel Browne Theatre from April 7-17, 2011. It was so popular that most nights sold out, and they added an extra show. Though the theatre is quite small, the intimacy of it made the viewer feel like part of the play.
The story is so intimate, and difficult to understand in some ways, as there is a lot of low german script so this location was perfect for the type of show. Not too big, not too small. The message could've easily been lost in a bigger space such as MTC or Pantages Playhouse.
The play itself was very entertaining, and not what I was expecting at all. The title does infer that it is a mennonite culture play (last name Blatz) but I was not expecting the sexual content. Generally, I would be very uncomfortable in a theatre environment where there is promiscuity, sexual tension, actions, and even nudity, but in this play I was okay with it. I think it's because the blocking was so well done, and the tone of the play was not of a sexual nature that it felt good.
Watching the play was very enjoyable, the actors were superb, perfect for their parts. As Wiebe in his talk to the students on Thursday April 14, 2011 said they were lucky to find someone who could play piano, as well as act (Beethoven Blatz - played by Eric Nyland). The most interesting part I thought of his talk, was how he said they had workshopped the play in Calgary. I've never had the opportunity to workshop any plays but I would love to as an actor, and that really intrigued me. Though I was disappointed to the lack of detail he gave of the changes that the actors had made, and the great impact that generally comes out of workshopping, I was impressed that his play got to do this and right away saw why it was so well done. Nyland was part of the workshopping, and it showed. When everyone gets to be a part of the creative process, it makes for a greater production. In high school, my drama class, wrote, and acted in a play for the Festival Theatre Jeunesse. Since it was our "baby" and we all contributed, everyone was more passionate about it and this same vibe was felt when watching Wiebe's first play.
I was also a bit puzzled by his response to the question "why did you choose Beethoven's Moonlight sonata?" asked by classmate Tom Asselin. I was expecting some kind of background story, one that I had already developped in my head from watching the play, and referrencing his past work (much of which is in low german as well), but all he said was "because I liked it, and it's easy to play." So I guess playwrights aren't always as profound in their choices as we think. Maybe I was over analyzing.
Though the play was good, and talking to Wiebe was nice, I thought it was a bit of an overkill having it twice. I was expecting to be able to talk back with the actors, ask them about their experiences, especially since this is what we were told and the fact that Wiebe was already scheduled to talk to us two days later. As an actor, I wanted to know what they were thinking, and though I did have an opportunity to greet them afterwards as they were just kind of standing around, it would have been much more beneficial to have an open Q&A with them.
Overall, the experience was great and I hope that Wiebe writes more plays so I can try my best to solve the puzzle that is mennonite drama written in half low german, knowing not a word but "nine" which means no from a little german girl I met on an airplane from Germany to Montreal in 2008.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Oh Summer, Where Art Thou?
It's April 13, 2011. Last year the temperature in Winnipeg 15 degrees celcius, and the minimum was 6! What do I wake up to this morning, just 365 days later? MINUS 9! Felt like minus 19 with the wind. What is this February? And the rest of this week has been gorgeous, Monday it got up to 18 degrees, and yesterday it went as his as 13 degrees. My poor Olympic mittens thought they were being retired for summer, but they were wrong.
The temperature isn't the only thing I want to change. I want summer to get here so I can start working full time, only problem is it seems impossible to find a job! There are only seven days left (school days) of first-year CreComm and I still don't have a summer job.
I want to work in communications, or in some kind of professional environment this summer so I can keep learning what I am doing in school right now, but it seems like most of the summer jobs out there are labour oriented (which is definitely NOT my strong suit). I'm hoping that with exams finishing up in University next week, and College classes finishing, there will be a lot more postings.
For now, I will keep sending my resume and cover letter to companies, even if there is no job posting, as well as applying to the ones that do exist. How many applications is too many? We'll have to wait and see.
The temperature isn't the only thing I want to change. I want summer to get here so I can start working full time, only problem is it seems impossible to find a job! There are only seven days left (school days) of first-year CreComm and I still don't have a summer job.
I want to work in communications, or in some kind of professional environment this summer so I can keep learning what I am doing in school right now, but it seems like most of the summer jobs out there are labour oriented (which is definitely NOT my strong suit). I'm hoping that with exams finishing up in University next week, and College classes finishing, there will be a lot more postings.
For now, I will keep sending my resume and cover letter to companies, even if there is no job posting, as well as applying to the ones that do exist. How many applications is too many? We'll have to wait and see.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Not so Forever
Forever 21 doesn't seem to be so "forever" lasting. Though I'm sure the store will be around for a long time as it is very popular, offers something that many other stores don't, is very reasonably priced and has a HUGE selection of clothing, the time you can stay in there isn't forever.
I experienced this first hand last week when I ventured into the giant store, wide-eyed, excited and ready to shop. That was until I realized how many things they had. That was then I put my game face on, only digging through the sections that I thought were suitable for my wardrobe.
I was expecting chaos when it came to clothes being everywhere like in other stores of similar quality/price range, but they did do a good job of keeping things in their place, on hangers, etc. I just wish the employees "cleaning up" were able to help people out as well. But I guess you can't ask for much for the price you are paying.
So once I went through all the sections (took about an hour) I had a whole bunch of stuff to try on. I went to the fitting rooms and was surprised and very happy to see that there was no line-up (hooray!). So after trying on all the garments, I decided which ones to buy and met my mom, sister-in-law and brother's girlfriend outside where they had also picked their winners.
Then came the line-up to pay. It was scary, very long, but we thought it would move fast, but it didn't. At one point my mom said (since she didn't try clothes on, she's tiny things always fit her) "I should've came and waited in line while you girls were trying stuff on." It was true, she should have. Then we would only have had to wait...45 minutes in line.
Now we should have probably seen this coming, as a greeter informed us that "debit was down" when we walked in, but credit cards and cash were being accepted. But the whole system for credit and debit cards were down, and they were doing credit cards manually. They called before they did every transaction by hand to authorize the amount of purchase, which is why it took so long.
The thing I didn't understand was why they only had one side open (there were two sides with cash registers and enough employees working to fill them all). I understand it may not be their jobs to do cash, but the people cleaning up didn't have much left to do, it was near closing time and all the customers were waiting to pay.
Anyways, I had to make my own swift exit before I got the register, leaving my poor mother with all my clothes. What happened? I fainted. It was so hot and I was carrying so many things and standing in the same spot for almost an hour, that I got dizzy and had to sit down, I couldn't see. It didn't last long the first time, I was up on my feet again in 30 seconds, but it happened again. This time it was worse, I black ed out but I was already few inches away from sitting on the floor and my lovely sister-in-law caught me.
I then sat on the floor, drank some water, and stayed for a few minutes before I was well enough to walk outside, get some fresh air, water and most importantly sugar. Afterwards, my brother's girlfriend said "your face looked like a mannequin, you lost all expression and it was so white, like you had zero colour in your face at all." She was scared.
Now I know it doesn't sound funny, but it kind of is now that I look back at it. It's a funny story and I definitely think that it goes to show what some people will do for fashion. If I was at Wal-Mart I wouldn' t have even bothered waiting in line.
I experienced this first hand last week when I ventured into the giant store, wide-eyed, excited and ready to shop. That was until I realized how many things they had. That was then I put my game face on, only digging through the sections that I thought were suitable for my wardrobe.
I was expecting chaos when it came to clothes being everywhere like in other stores of similar quality/price range, but they did do a good job of keeping things in their place, on hangers, etc. I just wish the employees "cleaning up" were able to help people out as well. But I guess you can't ask for much for the price you are paying.
So once I went through all the sections (took about an hour) I had a whole bunch of stuff to try on. I went to the fitting rooms and was surprised and very happy to see that there was no line-up (hooray!). So after trying on all the garments, I decided which ones to buy and met my mom, sister-in-law and brother's girlfriend outside where they had also picked their winners.
Then came the line-up to pay. It was scary, very long, but we thought it would move fast, but it didn't. At one point my mom said (since she didn't try clothes on, she's tiny things always fit her) "I should've came and waited in line while you girls were trying stuff on." It was true, she should have. Then we would only have had to wait...45 minutes in line.
Now we should have probably seen this coming, as a greeter informed us that "debit was down" when we walked in, but credit cards and cash were being accepted. But the whole system for credit and debit cards were down, and they were doing credit cards manually. They called before they did every transaction by hand to authorize the amount of purchase, which is why it took so long.
The thing I didn't understand was why they only had one side open (there were two sides with cash registers and enough employees working to fill them all). I understand it may not be their jobs to do cash, but the people cleaning up didn't have much left to do, it was near closing time and all the customers were waiting to pay.
Anyways, I had to make my own swift exit before I got the register, leaving my poor mother with all my clothes. What happened? I fainted. It was so hot and I was carrying so many things and standing in the same spot for almost an hour, that I got dizzy and had to sit down, I couldn't see. It didn't last long the first time, I was up on my feet again in 30 seconds, but it happened again. This time it was worse, I black ed out but I was already few inches away from sitting on the floor and my lovely sister-in-law caught me.
I then sat on the floor, drank some water, and stayed for a few minutes before I was well enough to walk outside, get some fresh air, water and most importantly sugar. Afterwards, my brother's girlfriend said "your face looked like a mannequin, you lost all expression and it was so white, like you had zero colour in your face at all." She was scared.
Now I know it doesn't sound funny, but it kind of is now that I look back at it. It's a funny story and I definitely think that it goes to show what some people will do for fashion. If I was at Wal-Mart I wouldn' t have even bothered waiting in line.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
How to Make a Sandwich
Are you hungry and don't know how to cook? Going to have a long night in an edit suite, or the mac lab? A fast and easy way to satisfy your hunger (long lasting too, and you can make it in the morning and eat it at night!) is the classic sandwich.
Now some people like to make their sandwiches fancy, but when you don't have time you need something plain and simple, but still very delicious. Also, something you can take with you and won't get soggy or go bad by the end of the day.
My best advice for this type of sandwich would be to have either: PB and J or your classic meat and lettuce sandwich.
For this you will need some ingredients. (PB and J is pretty self explanatory so I won't address that issue)
2 slices of bread (any kind, you choose what kind of bread you like!)
Condiments (probably mayonnaise, maybe mustard)
Meat (I prefer turkey, but mediterranian chicken from superstore is the best)
Lettuce (the green kind)
Cheese (swiss is the best, but some people like slices)
Smother the bread slices in condiments, then layer the cheese, lettuce and meat on one piece, top with another piece. Cut diagonally (it's the best) and put in a Ziplock sandwich bag. Put in school bag, consume late at night in Edit Suite F.
Now some people like to make their sandwiches fancy, but when you don't have time you need something plain and simple, but still very delicious. Also, something you can take with you and won't get soggy or go bad by the end of the day.
My best advice for this type of sandwich would be to have either: PB and J or your classic meat and lettuce sandwich.
For this you will need some ingredients. (PB and J is pretty self explanatory so I won't address that issue)
2 slices of bread (any kind, you choose what kind of bread you like!)
Condiments (probably mayonnaise, maybe mustard)
Meat (I prefer turkey, but mediterranian chicken from superstore is the best)
Lettuce (the green kind)
Cheese (swiss is the best, but some people like slices)
Smother the bread slices in condiments, then layer the cheese, lettuce and meat on one piece, top with another piece. Cut diagonally (it's the best) and put in a Ziplock sandwich bag. Put in school bag, consume late at night in Edit Suite F.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
March Madness
And no, I am not referring to the NBA.
March for CreComm students is definitely the busiest most of us have ever seen in our lives. I can't even remember half the assignments we had to do but I know there were lots of them.
Luckily, we did have the IPP presentations that were a nice break, but also at an inconvenient time as we were all in need of the school's resources to finish up projects.
Now most things we did are fun, like going on the travel assignment, Manitoba Moose game, magazine project, infomercials, ads, proposals...but so stressful.
The magazine project is pretty much done, just the trade fair and printing to go, but I have to say I probably lost the most sleep over finishing that than anything else I've ever done.
But, in the end, it's all worth it and we signed up for this.
Time to get back to put the finishing touches on my IPP proposal.
March for CreComm students is definitely the busiest most of us have ever seen in our lives. I can't even remember half the assignments we had to do but I know there were lots of them.
Luckily, we did have the IPP presentations that were a nice break, but also at an inconvenient time as we were all in need of the school's resources to finish up projects.
Now most things we did are fun, like going on the travel assignment, Manitoba Moose game, magazine project, infomercials, ads, proposals...but so stressful.
The magazine project is pretty much done, just the trade fair and printing to go, but I have to say I probably lost the most sleep over finishing that than anything else I've ever done.
But, in the end, it's all worth it and we signed up for this.
Time to get back to put the finishing touches on my IPP proposal.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Torture
CHERRY BLACK, 25, exits a taxi and shuts the door with almost no force, as to avoid making any sound. She tiptoes to the garage, where she picks up a gas can and removes her shoes. Cherry scurries down the path between the garage, and her house, eventually placing the gas can on the front step. She stops and looks around to make sure nobody is watching.
Her eyes open wide, and her face expresses that she had a brilliant thought. Cherry runs, with long strides like a gazelle, back to the garage. She sees her bag, picks it up, and dumps the contents out onto the floor. She carries the empty bag over to a pile of old bricks, and begins to fill it with as many as she can get into it. It’s heavy, but she carries it back to the doorstep, taking breaks every few seconds.
As she approaches the door, she can hear the muted sound of the victim’s cries from inside, her screams, the rustling sound of a locked doorknob turning. She places the heavy bag at the bottom of the steps, and climbs the stairs. As she approaches the door, she can hear the muted sound of the victim’s cries from inside, her screams, the rustling sound of a locked doorknob turning.
She checks her pocket for the matches, and her key. She picks up the gas can, and shakes it, hoping the victim is too distracted to hear the racket she’s making. Her eyes grow smaller, as she grunts picking up her bag full of bricks.
She puts the key in the hole, and slowly turns it. She then opens the door, trying not to let it creak and prepares to swing her bag when she hears a loud, muffled voice and jumps back, falling down the stairs. Her limp body knocks over the gas can, spilling it, while the lighter falls out of her pocket. The alarming sound of the brick filled bag crushing her skull against the cement awoke her neighbours.
Moments later, the loud boom of emergency sirens creep closer to the scene, from all directions.
FADE IN
INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT
The door to the emergency room is violently swung open by the paramedic, in a desperate attempt to save Cherry. The sound of the wheels spin increasingly faster, signaling that he fate of her life is in the hands of the faceless paramedics. They enter a room, and place her on the bed with ease, as the doctor enters and hooks her up to life support. Before the faceless health care workers could blink their unseen eyes, the monitor went blank. Her chest stopped moving, and eyes slowly shut. Her skin turns from pink to white, and the clip board is marked with her time of death. Sirens continue to ring in the background.
EXT. CHERRY’S HOUSE - NIGHT
The sounds of sirens have disappeared, as the police officers tape off the area where Cherry fell for further investigation into her death. The exterior door is shut, the outside world being unaware of the happenings inside. The sound of an officer’s shoe crushing plastic is followed by a loud explosion.
Fire breaks out, and the sirens commence again, this time the fire fighters.
The hose sprays water, and eliminates the flames from outside, but in fear that the fire has spread inside the door is knocked down, to search for possible victims within. As the door creaks open, the muffled sound of a man’s voice is heard, presumably from an old radio or television set. There is no sign of fire, but the presence of panic is still emerging.
Bangs, cries, screams and the sound of finger nails scratching against wood come from upstairs. The fiddling of a door handle can be heard and the fire fighter searches the house for movement. He cautiously climbs the stairs, one foot in front of the other, as not to creak the wood and frighten whom, or whatever is creating the racket.
He sees the door knob of the closet at the end of the hallway turning, approaches it and opens the door to find a disheveled woman, hair in a mess, wearing nothing but a bed sheet and make-up running down her face. Her body and face are covered in bruises, and cuts and tears roll down her face until her system runs dry. She is so skinny and fragile that he is afraid to touch her.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Do I know you?
When someone sends a friend request on Facebook, it's generally because they know the person. Now every once and a while, some weirdos add people they don't know, or get confused.
In a case where someone requests to be your Facebook friend, and you don't know who they are, you either completely ignore it or you send them a message saying "Do I know you?, How do I know you?, Who are you?"
But on Twitter the case is quite the opposite. You want people to follow you who you don't know. It's like, the more followers the better. Though some people feel that way about Facebook and add every Jo Blow who comes around, the general consensus is that Facebook is for friends, family and your private life and Twitter is for networking with people with common interests, and to get as many unique followers as possible so that your message will be far spread.
Though the goal on Twitter is to have more followers than you do friends on Facebook, it isn't necessarily the easiest one to reach. Your tweets have to be interesting to the people you follow and if they're not, they will unfollow you. Also if you write something that offends them or they don't agree with, unfollow. The challenge of Twitter is that there are so many people with different interests on it tweeting that it's hard to sell yourself.
The things you say on Twitter vs. Facebook aren't always, but should probably differ. I view Facebook as my personal page, for only people I want to see to see. I set the privacy settings so ONLY friends can see, nobody else. Twitter is out there for the world to see, you can't have anything to hide.
My advice, if you want to stay private, stick to Facebook. If you want to unleash your thoughts on the world, cross over to the Tweet side.
In a case where someone requests to be your Facebook friend, and you don't know who they are, you either completely ignore it or you send them a message saying "Do I know you?, How do I know you?, Who are you?"
But on Twitter the case is quite the opposite. You want people to follow you who you don't know. It's like, the more followers the better. Though some people feel that way about Facebook and add every Jo Blow who comes around, the general consensus is that Facebook is for friends, family and your private life and Twitter is for networking with people with common interests, and to get as many unique followers as possible so that your message will be far spread.
Though the goal on Twitter is to have more followers than you do friends on Facebook, it isn't necessarily the easiest one to reach. Your tweets have to be interesting to the people you follow and if they're not, they will unfollow you. Also if you write something that offends them or they don't agree with, unfollow. The challenge of Twitter is that there are so many people with different interests on it tweeting that it's hard to sell yourself.
The things you say on Twitter vs. Facebook aren't always, but should probably differ. I view Facebook as my personal page, for only people I want to see to see. I set the privacy settings so ONLY friends can see, nobody else. Twitter is out there for the world to see, you can't have anything to hide.
My advice, if you want to stay private, stick to Facebook. If you want to unleash your thoughts on the world, cross over to the Tweet side.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Resilience Runs in the Family
As you may or may not know, over the past 6-7 years, I've had some pretty unfortunate problems happening with my body. From chronic tendonitis, to growth plate displacement, to dislocated pelvis, you name it, I've probably had it. Through all of it, I've still managed to keep up my dancing and regular exercises, and not get fat! (woohoo)
Over the past few months I have realized where my resilience, some may call it stubbornness, from. This blog post isn't about me, it's about my Grandma.
My Grandma is the most stubborn, resilient lady I have ever met. Even through her failing health, she keeps on pulling through. Now, let me give you a brief history of her "miracles".
Grandma is born to a woman in her mid-thirties (this was unusual at the time), youngest child (1922)
Grandma has a child (my dad) in her late thirties (also unusual at the time - 1958)
*Now these past two things may not seem like a big deal, but let's put this in context. My Grandma was born to a very poor family who lived in rural Manitoba, with little to no health care nearby, and limited resources. Also, for women to have babies past 30 was considered unsafe at the time, until the 1960s I'd say it was, when women started having careers.*
Grandma gets diabetes around her 70th year.
Grandpa (Grandma's husband) dies of a heart attack in 1998, leaving her alone to live in her rural home for a couple years.
Grandma moves to the city and learns how to drive (2000).
Grandma has many hospital visits, scares of diabetic health and such (2000-2010)
Grandma needs surgery, to put in an artificial artery to help bloodflow to her legs, and survives (2010-age 88)
Grandma needs more surgery, actually she ends up having 3 surgeries in 2 weeks. Surgery 1- extension of artificial arteries, surgery 2- redo of one, because it didn't work in the right leg. Surgery 3 - amputation.
And that brings up to today, where my Grandma is recovering from the amputation of her right leg at Deer Lodge. The surgeries didn't help the blood flow to her right leg, and they had to amputate above the knee for her to survive.
The spry 89-year-old started physiotherapy just a day after the surgery, and is doing better than anyone could've expected, especially since we didn't think she would survive.
She makes comments like "Good thing I have a needle and thread in my wallet, I need to hem all my pants." and "I want more physiotherapy so I can get out of here". She even told the doctor she was going to fire him if he messed up one more surgery.
The cutest thing was when she asked my dad if he could buy her some sweat pants for physiotherapy. No elastic though, and they have to be gray. And when he asked what size she said "34 inch waist". Oh Grandma, you're so funny, they don't make sweat pants like that.
I love you Grandma, thank you <3 xox.
Over the past few months I have realized where my resilience, some may call it stubbornness, from. This blog post isn't about me, it's about my Grandma.
My Grandma is the most stubborn, resilient lady I have ever met. Even through her failing health, she keeps on pulling through. Now, let me give you a brief history of her "miracles".
Grandma is born to a woman in her mid-thirties (this was unusual at the time), youngest child (1922)
Grandma has a child (my dad) in her late thirties (also unusual at the time - 1958)
*Now these past two things may not seem like a big deal, but let's put this in context. My Grandma was born to a very poor family who lived in rural Manitoba, with little to no health care nearby, and limited resources. Also, for women to have babies past 30 was considered unsafe at the time, until the 1960s I'd say it was, when women started having careers.*
Grandma gets diabetes around her 70th year.
Grandpa (Grandma's husband) dies of a heart attack in 1998, leaving her alone to live in her rural home for a couple years.
Grandma moves to the city and learns how to drive (2000).
Grandma has many hospital visits, scares of diabetic health and such (2000-2010)
Grandma needs surgery, to put in an artificial artery to help bloodflow to her legs, and survives (2010-age 88)
Grandma needs more surgery, actually she ends up having 3 surgeries in 2 weeks. Surgery 1- extension of artificial arteries, surgery 2- redo of one, because it didn't work in the right leg. Surgery 3 - amputation.
And that brings up to today, where my Grandma is recovering from the amputation of her right leg at Deer Lodge. The surgeries didn't help the blood flow to her right leg, and they had to amputate above the knee for her to survive.
The spry 89-year-old started physiotherapy just a day after the surgery, and is doing better than anyone could've expected, especially since we didn't think she would survive.
She makes comments like "Good thing I have a needle and thread in my wallet, I need to hem all my pants." and "I want more physiotherapy so I can get out of here". She even told the doctor she was going to fire him if he messed up one more surgery.
The cutest thing was when she asked my dad if he could buy her some sweat pants for physiotherapy. No elastic though, and they have to be gray. And when he asked what size she said "34 inch waist". Oh Grandma, you're so funny, they don't make sweat pants like that.
I love you Grandma, thank you <3 xox.
Psycho Woman Writes a Book
Hypothetical situation: Terryn Shiells writes a novel.
What would I write about? Maybe a love story, where high school sweethearts get married and then one dies. Oh wait, no, that’s a cliche.
I think if I were to write a novel, it would be the world through the perspective of someone who is psychotic. I’m not sure how I’d pull it off, I’d have to do a lot of research and maybe even be psycho myself, but I think it would be fun to write.
So yes, a couple years go by and am I finished writing this masterpiece, now what? Should I publish it myself, take it to a publisher...or just make it into en e-book?
On one hand, an e-book is a good idea since more and more people are shying away from spending money on print, because of wanting to be “green” and the technological advances we have. But on the other hand, who doesn’t want a copy of something they can keep forever. The smell of the pages, the everlasting feeling. Like, imagine your iPad or your kobo breaks, or you want the newest version, that means your books aren’t forever.
I think, if I were to write a book, I’d take the steps to self publish it, and make sure it was available in hard copy. With a hard cover too, because everyone knows you can’t fall asleep reading hard cover books.
Monday, February 7, 2011
The "Situation" Analysis
No no, this is not a blog post about Jersey Shore! It's a snippit from our situation analysis as part of our proposal in PR class for our magazine, it was really fun figuring out what could go really wrong, and really right in the project.
The situation analysis for Run WPG magazine outlines internal and external factors that could affect its success. Strengths and opportunities being for, and weaknesses and threats, against.
Strengths
- The editorial team members represent different age groups. Having writers who represent different generations will be beneficial to the content and the readers of Run WPG.
- The editorial team members are all residents of Winnipeg. They are familiar with the city, the goings on and the overall personality of the population.
- The magazine allows for two-way communication between the reader and editorial staff through its format which includes letters to the editor.
- The concept is sustainable. There are many possible topics to be covered since running itself is diverse and can be associated with many other types of exercise and nutrition.
- The editorial team has a lot of good connections in the running community. One member is good friends with Darren Anderson, who is the director of the Manitoba Marathon.
Weaknesses
- The concept promises content for both runners and walkers, but the focus is blurry. The editorial doesn’t include anything specific for people who walk, which will potentially defer them.
- The spring 2011 issue is being written in the middle of winter, making it hard to include news worthy and relevant topics for the time of release. It is also difficult to create original photography of people running outside without snow on the ground.
- Not all readers will identify with the celebrities that are featured in Run WPG. People will see a face that they don’t like, and won’t be prompted about purchasing the magazine.
- The editorial staff consists of only four members. They are creating everything from advertisements to stories which will make it hard to keep the quality of work consistent.
- There is a very limited budget for the magazine. Being a student project, there is no advertising revenue and all costs will be paid out of the pockets of the staff.
Opportunities
- The demographic of 25-40 year olds that the magazine targets has a lot of dispensable income.
- The running community is very small and tight knit. Run WPG can benefit from word of mouth within it.
- There are many running events, such as races and marathons in Winnipeg where the magazine can be a presence.
- Many charities are associated with running, and Run WPG can take advantage of the benefits being associated with charities can have on the magazine’s image to the community as well as partnering for distribution.
- Mainstream media is very popular with Run WPG’s target market and many celebrities in these mediums endorse staying fit and running.
Threats
- There is a lot of competition for Run WPG. The strongest being lots of content available for runners online, as well as other magazines.
- The weather in Winnipeg could create seasonality of the magazine.Though some people do run in the winter, all of the events are happening in the spring and summer. It also rains a lot here, and it could happen that marathons and races are rained out.
- The possibility of failure is a factor for Run WPG, as it is with any print production.
- Though running is trendy right now, it could happen that it becomes unpopular, making the survival of the magazine very difficult.
- There are opposing interest groups that are against running for reasons such as health and safety that could protest the publication of Run WPG.
Friday, January 28, 2011
City Council Story
Winnipeg city council unanimously voted to hire 58 more police officers over the next two years at its Wednesday morning meeting.
They plan to assign 20 more officers to the gang unit, 20 to foot patrol and 18 to general patrol in hopes of reducing crime.
Though all the councillors voted for the additional officers, there were some concerns from some of them, including Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, and Coun. Russ Wyatt, about how much money will be spent and where it's coming from.
Coun. Scott Fielding, finance committee chair, said that this year they've put away around $1.1 million for the plan, and by the end of 2012, when all the officers will be hired and in training by, they will spend just over $4 million.
Coun. Fielding said it's all about making priorities, and spending the citizens' money wisely. "According to citizen concerns for crime and safety, we've identified the new police officers as a priority."
Mayor Sam Katz said that many of the citizens he talked to were concerned about crime and safety and supportive of the increase in police officers. "Everyone thinks it's a positive thing, at least every door I knocked on."
Catherine Hay*, a 21-year-old University of Winnipeg student and a former downtown resident, said she is happy to know that the police in high-risk areas will be increased but isn't sure it's going to work.
"When I was 18 I moved to an apartment downtown and I loved being so central," said Hay*. "But I had to move because I didn't feel safe with all the gangs around."
Hay* recalls the sound of gunshots and breaking glass, and how scared she was. "At first I thought everything would be good. I spent a lot of downtown during the day and I really wanted to live there. But then I experienced downtown at night, and I didn't like it."
Hay* now lives in St. Vital and says she's much happier, and feels a lot safer. She says she wishes she could still live downtown, close to her school and favourite stores and restaurants but is afraid that it won't happen soon.
"From what I understand, the idea is to hopefully reduce crime over the next two years, but I think it's going to take longer than that," said Hay. "I've seen the gang members and they're stuck in a rut, it's going to be hard to get them to leave their lives of crime."
*Name has been changed at the request of the subject.
They plan to assign 20 more officers to the gang unit, 20 to foot patrol and 18 to general patrol in hopes of reducing crime.
Though all the councillors voted for the additional officers, there were some concerns from some of them, including Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, and Coun. Russ Wyatt, about how much money will be spent and where it's coming from.
Coun. Scott Fielding, finance committee chair, said that this year they've put away around $1.1 million for the plan, and by the end of 2012, when all the officers will be hired and in training by, they will spend just over $4 million.
Coun. Fielding said it's all about making priorities, and spending the citizens' money wisely. "According to citizen concerns for crime and safety, we've identified the new police officers as a priority."
Mayor Sam Katz said that many of the citizens he talked to were concerned about crime and safety and supportive of the increase in police officers. "Everyone thinks it's a positive thing, at least every door I knocked on."
Catherine Hay*, a 21-year-old University of Winnipeg student and a former downtown resident, said she is happy to know that the police in high-risk areas will be increased but isn't sure it's going to work.
"When I was 18 I moved to an apartment downtown and I loved being so central," said Hay*. "But I had to move because I didn't feel safe with all the gangs around."
Hay* recalls the sound of gunshots and breaking glass, and how scared she was. "At first I thought everything would be good. I spent a lot of downtown during the day and I really wanted to live there. But then I experienced downtown at night, and I didn't like it."
Hay* now lives in St. Vital and says she's much happier, and feels a lot safer. She says she wishes she could still live downtown, close to her school and favourite stores and restaurants but is afraid that it won't happen soon.
"From what I understand, the idea is to hopefully reduce crime over the next two years, but I think it's going to take longer than that," said Hay. "I've seen the gang members and they're stuck in a rut, it's going to be hard to get them to leave their lives of crime."
*Name has been changed at the request of the subject.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Who Knew Mission Statements Could be Personal
Today in PR we learnt all about mission statements. The good, the bad and the ugly. Who knew so much went into making a good mission statement? Any who, here is my personal mission statement.
My mission is to bring life back to the highland dance community in Manitoba. I will work to promote my own dance school, recruiting students and encouraging them to enter competitions. I will also inform my students’ parents of the importance of volunteering for the Manitoba Highland Dancers’ Association, either as a permanent position or at individual competitions. My belief is that the more dancers and volunteers at the competitions, the more likely they are to be successfully run and therefore qualified candidates will be more apt to enter them in the future.
My mission is to bring life back to the highland dance community in Manitoba. I will work to promote my own dance school, recruiting students and encouraging them to enter competitions. I will also inform my students’ parents of the importance of volunteering for the Manitoba Highland Dancers’ Association, either as a permanent position or at individual competitions. My belief is that the more dancers and volunteers at the competitions, the more likely they are to be successfully run and therefore qualified candidates will be more apt to enter them in the future.
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