Semester Reflection P2

What is the greatest challenge facing your generation? What will be necessary to address it?
I believe that the greatest challenge facing my generation would be technology mutilating social norms. With social networking and college/schools developing online with the same benefits as a normal school, people will be kept in their houses, confined to a computer screen. To address this would be reconsidering online schooling and perhaps giving a limit to those who can and can't attend online schooling, i.e. those with low budget who need to work and don't have time to school. However, a certain number of hours in a schooling environment should be required for graduates.

Describe your vision for yourself in pursuing higher education.
I plan to attend a 4 year college and major in either international business or international affairs, with a minor in the Chinese language. I'd also like to study media arts and graphic design.

What is a quality in a classmate that you would like to develop in yourself?
A quality in classmates that I've worked with would be to gain leadership abilities, since in groups, I tend to be more of a follower. I would like to be a leader to easily share my ideas and have a thought that people are hearing them.

Beyond grades, what motivates you to work hard at school?
I am motivated by the thought of college, and through high school classes which subconsciously teach how to take notes and learn how to manage your time with assignments. This is especially important in college, since there is notably a lot of work that you are expected to know how to deal with when you get there. Not to mention, what you do in high school greatly changes your chances of getting into whatever college you're interested in, so that's a motivation too.

Writing Reflection

At the beginning of the year I found it difficult to create leads and endings to my writing pieces. I had always felt that I had strong content to put in (albeit a tad jumbled) but I could never find a way to pull a reader in or lead a reader out without making me feel awkward about writing the whole piece in general. An example of such would be my "Desert Solitaire" question writing, which I did back in December, which would be here. The essay begins abruptly and ends with a statement that could've been explained much clearer. During my internship, I presented this problem to my mentor. I watched her create ledes and endings for some short articles she had requested I finish. I was able to see what structure an ending should have to finish the writing piece strong, crisp and clear, with a thought in your head. I found that my ending for Ampersand was presented stronger and at the same time satirical.

A goal for my writing in the future would be for my side to be presented stronger. In my ampersand piece, I didn't exactly take too much of a side. An example of this would be my Ampersand piece. While I do find that I had a strong article, I found myself not really taking a side, instead presenting both sides. As Randy always says, there is no such thing as an unbiased piece of writing, so my attempt to create a piece explaining the pros and cons of 2 opposing concepts, and it may have looked like I didn't exactly know what I was writing about. Also, I would like to have more of a smooth transition between different ideas. An example of this is here.

Semester Reflection P1

What challenges do you face as a student in a project-based learning environment?
I'd have to say that after attending HTHMA for 3 years, the greatest challenge I find is the ability to do "normal" school work when it is assigned. By this, I mean essays and other assignments (i.e. math assignments, next-day biology readings, etc.) that would be due in a limited amount of time I sort of found harder to do, since I was used to working in and out of school on a long-term project, such as Ampersand, where I could space my time out and not have that "it's due tomorrow" feeling. This is a challenge, since I will have all sorts of different assignments due overnight in senior year and college, so I have to get used to not having project homework every night.

Describe in detail one significant academic challenge you faced this year. Why was it a challenge for you? Go in depth, use specific experiences, and explain how they contrast with a less challenging experience.

I mostly had a challenge when it came to organizing thought. I found myself stuttering when it came to explaining my own thoughts when I was called on, or writing in unorganized thought with no pattern. Even now as I write this, I find myself jumping from sentence to sentence. Because of this I had an especially difficult time writing for the La Jolla Light Newspaper (my internship), since my ideas mostly came out jumbled or 1/2 in my head.
Also, Ampersand was more difficult since it was more like I threw everything I wanted to say in the article all at once.

Describe one valuable mistake you made this year.

I think a mistake I've made this year was not keeping up with reading, especially with Grapes of Wrath. I didn't figure it meant much since I was working on Ampersand most of the time, so I didn't keep up with reading. Next thing I know, I'm being told that there's a quiz coming up in 2 days on chapters I haven't read, so I end up frantically reading through the book the last day. I found this to be a habit throughout the year with the honors novels, but after the GoW issue I learned that I should be more on top of reading, and was able to complete Slaughterhouse 5 on time and finish the quotes/sketches every time they were assigned.

Historical Reflections

Of all of the historical figures we have studied this year, including—but definitely not limited to—Presidents, philosophers, politicians, leaders, social movement-ers, and the many everyday people that have contributed to American history & culture, who would you most like to run into in college?

If I could run into any historical figure, I'd want it to be late president Franklin D Roosevelt. I wouldn't mind him being a student, but if he was a student, he wouldn't have had that much experience in his life, so I'd like him to be a professor for a philosophy class that I'd take. He would be teaching after his presidential occupation had been finished (but not dead, mind you).

Roosevelt would be an amazing public speaker in a classroom environment. I believe he'd treat the students as equal to himself as he did to American citizens when he became president in the 30's. I think he'd personally connect to the students as a teacher opposed to just teaching them blindly.

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."
"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Franklin_D._Roosevelt.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USArooseveltF.htm
http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/fdroosevelt

Honors Essay - Literary Reflections

If you could bring one character from any one book that we have read this year with you when you go to college, who would bring? Why?

If I had to go to college with a character from a book we've read, I would choose a Tralfamadorian from Slaughterhouse 5. I wouldn't choose any Tralfamadorian in particular, just the first one I pick. They're friendly, or so I've heard (more like read), so they wouldn't mind accompanying me. I wouldn't need it as a roommate, since it could easily blend into my bathroom as a plunger (well, for the most part). The far superior sight of this Tralfamadorian could predict for me which questions would be on any exam I'd take during my time at college, giving me an advantage for studying. As Kurt Vonnegut once explained, these Tralfamadorians had much to teach about time to us inferior earthlings, giving me the oppurtunity to see beyond what I've been given.

The Tralfamadorians' philosophies are some to live by too. For example, their philosophy of death is one to keep you thinking. They believe that death is just a "hard time in a person's life," meaning that they are still alive and well in other places and time. Surely, their words would have an impact of some sort while I am stressing over myclasses.

S2, Honors History Blog 2

How/Why are World Wars 1/2 important today? How do they impact and/or inform our world today? hint: think about alliances, democracies around the world, cultures, international institutions, nuclear (and other) technologies, etc.

World War 2
During WWII, in America, women had to take over men's jobs in factories and other workplaces, as men were fighting in the war. When the war was over, women were so proficient in the workplaces that it was more acceptable for them to work in heavy type jobs that were limited to males before. "Rosie the Riveter" became an icon of female work in factories and manufacturing plants.

WWII especially affected Germany. Germany made many enemies and few allies in WWII. Germany was given a choice to either be invaded by the allies or sign the treaty, so officials felt they had no choice to sign it. Through the treaty of Versailles, a large amount of land would be taken away from Germany (13% of land given to France, Belgium, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, and Poland). The militant forces were to be reduced to 100,000, and Germany was forced to admit to being the main cause of the war, even though that is not entirely true. Germany was also to pay for a large amount of money to allied countries (approximately $32bil USD) in which it the country is still paying off today. Through this, Germany has taken measures

After WWII, the United Nations was formed, more specifically, in 1945. The UN formed after the League of Nations proved to be a failure. The United Nations originally consisted of the Allies Nations in WWII, but now consists of every country of the world (excluding antarctica). The purpose of the United Nations is to keep security and cooperation between the countries, internationally.

Sources:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/versailles.htm
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1656.html
http://www.un.org/en/
http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/index.html

WW2 Letters

1. You are a soldier at ... Iwo Jima. Write a letter to a friend or family member. Think of what might be in a letter like this: it would be on a specific date & from a specific city. this letter might describe your hopes, feelings, expectations, fears, etc. It might reference current events (or, then-current events), technology, or politicians. It might describe people, places, settings, technology and more. It might include the other person's life, perspective or questions. In fact, the person the letter is written to might be one of the people on that list!

February 18, 1945
Dear (insert loved one's name here),

Tomorrow we will attack Iwo Jima, a Japanese island. It will be our force's first attack on a Home island of Japan.

I am very nervous about what will await us tomorrow. I heard that there are over 10 miles of tunnels under the ground from where the Japanese can attack. Us on the American side have plenty of ways to attack the island, from the water, land, AND sky, and with the help from napalm and other gases, it should be no trouble exterminating the Japan side, and yet, I am uneasy if it will work.

Our plan has been set. First, two troops will land near Mount Siribuchi, a mountain on the island. They will secure the mountain along with securing the west side of the island. From there, we will go from the south up in order to take over the island. We will attack from land using flamethrowers and other artillery, along with napalm gases and others to poison them from aboveground. Then we will do aerial attacks using bombs dropping from over-going aircraft.

Love,
Mr. Marine Man

S2, Blog 15

After WWII, the ministry of education ordered the kanji count in the Japanese language to be condensed to only 1,945. Also, words created in Japanese after WWII would be in English, but in katakana (For example, English "CD" is japanese "Shiidii" and English "DVD" is japanese "DEEBEEDEE"). This is interesting because, in a while, Japanese will literally be half English.

Ideas such as the microprocessor and computers were branched from WWII during the Manhattan project, when the idea of multitasking machinery was considered. The first were punchcards fed into such a machine and would spit out information.

S2, Blog 14

1. What are the most interesting aspects of World Wars 1 and 2?

2. What do you hope to learn about these wars?

3. How/Why are these wars important today? How do they impact and/or inform our world today? hint: think about alliances, democracies around the world, cultures, international institutions, nuclear (and other) technologies, etc.

1. The most interesting aspects of world wars 1 and 2 are the causes that brought the wars to be. For example, I'm aware that World War 1 started because of the controversial assassination of Franz Ferdinand (not sure much what happened after that, which I hope to learn).
2. I hope to learn what conflicts initially started these wars. I believe I know what start WWI (franz ferdinand) but what else? Also, what triggered WWII at first?
3. These wars are important today because, without them, things that were fought for during the World Wars (i.e., extermination of nazism, and other aspects)


Greenpeace Campaign

S2, Blog 13 (GOW Essay) {honors novel 2}

How does Jim Casy's moral philosophy guide the novel as a whole?

In a way, Steinbeck portrays Jim Casy as a sort of holier figure in the Grapes of Wrath book. His accidental meeting with one of the main, if not the most main, character, Tom Joad, was where this first concept came in to play. Jim Casy was seen sitting alone, recognizing Tom Joad on sight as a boy he once baptized many years ago. Upon asking if he still was known as reverend Jim Casy, he goes on to explain a revelation he made while preaching that brought him to the conclusion he should no longer preach.

"...I was sayin' out loud, 'The hell with it! There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do. It's all part of the same thing.' . . . . I says, 'What's this call, this sperit?' An' I says, 'It's love. I love people so much I'm fit to bust, sometimes.' . . . . I figgered, 'Why do we got to hang it on God or Jesus? Maybe,' I figgered, 'maybe it's all men an' all women we love; maybe that's the Holy Sperit-the human sperit-the whole shebang. Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of.' Now I sat there thinkin' it, an' all of a suddent-I knew it. I knew it so deep down that it was true, and I still know it."

These was a significant moment in the Grapes of Wrath because it conveys a whole new perspective on a widely controversial subject: the subject of higher power existing. He explains his revelation of this "Sperit" that he once believed to be with only those believing in God and Jesus to be in man as a whole.

However, his philosophy of holiness being in humans as a whole contradicts the actions and "virtues" of people in Grapes of Wrath.

Through this, his philosophy can help guide the novel as in show how corrupted and "unholy," in all senses of the word, the world has become during this time period. Casy's philosophy is that holiness is in people, and their so called "sin and virtue" is nonexistent, as it's just "stuff people do." He believes that this holiness and true virtue is in the heart and soul of the people, which drives us as humans to do what we do, and care for each other with the same love that one may think was God's love. However, during the book, things happen were any kind of virtue, God's or philosophically the ideals of man. During this time period, man's true "evil" side came out when the value of wealth became more valuable than the value of men. For example, when fruits were allowed to rot instead of given to those who truly needed it. Through this, the philosophy is turned sour in a contradictory situation of mankind's ignorance to their love for one another. Also by this, the moral philosophy that Jim Casy invented and had potentially led the story along was contradicted, which made the reader think harder of the meaning behind Grapes of Wrath.

However, in the final scene, where Rose of Sharon suckles an old dying man after birthing a stillborn child, the concept of Casy's "holiness" and a higher power "holiness" concept collides. The scene has been compared to that of the virgin Mary's when she held the dying Christ, and shows both the love of humankind and the original "Sperit" comparison. After the scene, Rose of Sharon looks into the distance and smiles "mysteriously," as if to come to the revelation that everything will be okay, even after their cars have been rained away, along with all their money spent and their new child being born dead. With this the moral philosophy of Jim Casy ends in the book with an unexpected revelation.

My Grapes of Wrath character sketches

https://sites.google.com/a/hightechhigh.org/shanna-s-dp/humanities/grapes-of-wrath

S2, Blog 12

What were "public works projects"? What famous ones were part of the New Deal? What public works projects would you recommend for our society today?

Public works projects were projects created by the Public Works Administration during the great depression. The purpose of these projects were to rebuild the economy and the nation.

Famous programs that were included in the New Deal included the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Association), RA (Resettlement Administration), Farm Security Administration (FSA), and the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority).

For our society today, I would recommend the Resettlement Administration. The program relocated those who could not afford to live in their houses and were relocated to communities funded and planned by the federal government. This is a smart idea, because one of the largest factors of the recession is bank reposession of people's houses, leaving many homeless. With the resettlement administration program, those who had been kicked out of their house could be resettled to a federal government community.

S2, blog 11

Dear Mr. Obama,

It has come to my attention that our country as a whole has not been returning to its original healthy, pre-recession state too soon. This may be because of you and your still-new title of presidency, as you may think, but with your term over 1/4th through, enough is enough.

May I suggest a re-do of late president Mr. Roosevelt's plan, of the New Deal? With aids to, well, "aid," careers and essential parts of the country (i.e. livestock, factories, etc.) I'm sure that businesses can boom once again.

Also, perhaps you could do something about the buying out and shutting down of small businesses lately here in California, as well as other states I'm sure. The local bank and market I'd always gone to had been bought out by citibank and Vons, which was upsetting. I'm unsure what you could do about that, but there must be something to stop a "monster company" invasion, right?..

Sincerely,
Shanna M.

S2, Honors Novel Blog 1

Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

The book "A Million Little Pieces" is chock full of literary elements. For starters, the title in itself. The title can easily contrast to the narrator, a drug-abusing alcohol-addicted sex-deprived "messed-up" individual whose life is in shambles, or, "a million little pieces." The book starts off with a poem about a young man going to an elder who had broken an object and had it in a million little pieces:

The Young Man came to an Old Man seeking counsel.

I broke something, Old Man.

How badly is it broken?

It's in a million little pieces.

I'm afraid I can't help you.

Why?

There's nothing you can do.

Why?

It can't be fixed.

Why?

It's broken beyond repair. It's in a million little pieces.

This poem is about for someone young seeking help from one who's had experience in the world. What the young man has broken remains unnamed, but when mentioned that it was broken "into a million little pieces," the old man tells him it cannot be fixed, as it is beyond repair. The poem is undeniably a metaphor for, in the eyes of this certain elder, who could be compared to old man Time, how someone's life cannot be repaired once messed up so much it is, again, in a million little pieces. The constant asking of "why, why, why?" can be compared to how said person's ruin life can be pondered upon, why and how you can repair it to no avail. Although a pessimistic view of such a person's life, it is all too real.

This book is a self-told story of James Frey, said "mess-up," and his time recovering from a lifetime's worth of drugs, alcoholism, and lost love once sent to one of the most expensive rehabilitation clinics in America with a patient success rate of a little over 10%. The issue of drug and alcohol addiction is a touchy social subject, and talk of those sent to rehabilitation clinics and is often taboo. In this book he delves into his experiences and memoirs in rehabilitation including his meeting of Lily, an ex-prostitute whose life at that point had been similar to his, full of abuse and addiction.

The format in which the book is written can be perceived as a blocky style, with no quote marks, full sentences or explanation upon whom is talking. At some point it is difficult to tell if he is speaking of present occurances or going into a flashback. Another time he runs on a sentence for nearly a page explaining the white pain of a root canal without anaesthesia. He may have written this book because of how the story corelated with his state of mind during these occurences: full of incomplete findings and quick events all too important to conform to a "normal" book's formatting.

S2, Blog 10

Do you believe that the Grapes of Wrath successfully establishes sympathy for the plight of Dust Bowl farmers? Why or why not?

I think that the Grapes of Wrath is trying too hard to establish said sympathy for those affected by the Dust Bowl, i.e. Farmers. the book tries to incorporate every terrible thing possible into this book until it seems jumbled. The book even starts out miserable, desperate for the reader's sadness and sympathy, mentioning how CHILDREN and WOMEN are looking for their man's reassurance and how there is nothing truly there. Comparing banks to monsters are another cry for attention, and saying how tractors "rape the earth" is quite a hyperbole.

Having several characters die/run away is also trying too hard to be sympathetic. Surely, not everyone at once should die just because they're journeying west to California, and not everybody suddenly miscarries/stillbirths after their spouse leaves them and some crazy religious lady tells the so. Don't get me wrong, I do feel sympathetic for those who lost their land, their home, and everything else int he Dust Bowl, i.e. farmers and their family, but I can't say that Grapes of Wrath makes me cry over it.

S2, Honors history blog 1

Imagine you are an advisor to President Obama. Write a letter to him in which you advise him as to how to succeed in the "Great Recession" by using FDR in the Great Depression as an example. Your advice should be presented as strategy for his first (and possible second) term as President. You should consider strategy in the following areas: US economy, relationship with Congress, relationship w/American society, as a political leader (getting laws through Congress, leading his party, etc.), and establishing himself and his ideas in American history. FDR provides clear examples in all of these areas and should be the basis of your advice for Obama's present & future. Cite all of your sources. Also, consider this a possible Ampersand piece.

Dear Mr. President,
I've come to notice that you're not exactly as likeable as a president as you had first thought you'd be in the beginning of your term. Your promising and strong words that accompanied your speeches gave hope to those desperate Americans in need of reassurance. However, with over a year gone by and not much of a sign of change, those so faithful and hopeful are starting to feel as if this whole time was a scheme and a false hope reminder. You wouldn't want people thinking that of you, now would you, Mr. President?

As you know, or I'd hope you'd know, we are going through an infamous "Great Recession." As you may not know, many American citizens are starting to lose hope and faith in your judgement as president. This may be because of their uneasiness when it comes to your ideas to bringing us out of this recession. The public does not want another Herbert Hoover! It may help to provide information, step by step, of your plans to aid those financially deficient. For example, as you should know, thousands of Americans are being evicted from their homes each month because of their inability to repay bank loans. What are your plans to aid these? And why aren't these plans enforced?

Hopefully you will take my ideas and thoughts into consideration.

Sincerely, Shanna McCue

S2, Blog 9

Post a thoughtful reflection on how you have performed within the numerous freedoms associated with Ampersand. Then post a thoughtful reflection on how you have performed within the numerous structures associated with Ampersand.

Honestly, such a freedom that was given with the Ampersand worktime unfortunately provided some distractions. Although I did come up with a good idea to write about, I haven't exactly been able to work 100% because of the freedom and distractions. I've received many good writing tips, especially after studying for the writing tips quiz. That was enough to make me memorize all about Concerts, pancakes, and everything in between.

S2, Blog 8

Franklin D. Roosevelt vs. Barack Obama
They are very similar.
Both are Democratic, attended Harvard and were on the track to become lawyers.
Both have persuasive, powerful forms of speech.
The public's response to the president is different with the times. Mentioned in Roosevelt's grandson's memoir, while he lived in the white house, he described what power the Americans had given the president. He states, "...Wall Street types were perfectly willing to give FDR dictatorial powers if he would cope with the financial crisis. Nobody's mentioned that with Obama, and you won't see it." Because of America's desperation to come out of this financial crisis, they found hope in the president's determination to solve the nationwide crisis.
With Obama, people are more critical of the idea of him leading an impractical "dictatorship" in this recession. Regardless, the two are taking similar action upon the country they lead going through a financial crisis (depression/recession) by creating stimulus packages to help the economy. In Obama's case, a $7billion bailou was approved, while Roosevelt created Social Security, the FDIC, and an array of other aid programs.

S2, Blog 7

Predict how companies or industries similar to the one that you worked at during internship would have fared during the Great Depression. Would your company have thrived or sunk? Why?

I worked at a local newspaper company, the La Jolla Light. Although it is a very popular newspaper nowadays, it would have probably "sunk," so to speak, during the Great Depression. During the 30's, most local companies shut down, most likely including local newspapers. Perhaps local newspapers that were centered more around the source of the Great Depression's cause, which would be Wall Street. Seeing as how La Jolla is all the way across the country from Wall Street, it wouldn't be too thriving. However, the La Jolla Light has been around and enlightening La Jolla since 1913, so in truth it actually survived through the Great Depression.

S2, blog 6

The preacher that Joad meets
"Lead 'em around and around. Sling 'em in the irrigation ditch. Tell 'em they'll burn in hell if they don't think like you."

"I went off alone, and I sat and figured. The sperit's strong in me, on'y it ain't the same."

"I says to myself, 'What's gnawin at you? is it the screwin'?' An' I says, 'No, it's the sin.' An' I says, 'Why is it that when a fella ought to be just about mule-ass proof against sin, an all full up of Jesus, why is it that's the time a fella gets fingerin' his pants buttons?' I says, 'Maybe it ain't a sin. Maybe it's just the way folks is. Maybe we been whippin' the hell out of ourselves for nothin'."

Most of the chapter where Tom Joad meets the preacher are all dialogue of the preacher that explain himself as a character. He was once a preacher, but found out that perhaps God isn't real, and the holy "sperit" is just one in himself, opposed to some holy ghost. These quotes are three of many exerpts from his dialogue.

S2, Blog 5

Madison's Photo Essay
http://mmhuman.blogspot.com/2010/02/photo-essay.html
The photos are high quality and correctly placed in the blog above the explaining paragraphs. The writing is clear and literature-like.

Ruben's first draft mentor interview
http://pcs-rock.blogspot.com/2010/02/mentor-interviewnot-complete.html
Although a first draft, it illustrates complete ideas

Photo Essay

This picture shows one of the signs put above the computer on someone's wall. It says "Our job is not to judge if they're right or wrong. Our job is just to lend voice to their stupidity." I took a picture of the sign the first full day of internship that I was here because it's true: The job of a news-writer is to give information about both sides of the story, even if one of the sides is, well, stupid. Since everyone has a different opinion, you can't tell right from wrong in the news business.



My time as an intern was a spontaneous experience. Perhaps fortunate for us, the unusual weather sported opportunities for weather-related news stories (i.e., some of the largest waves ever seen at La Jolla Cove, strong wind gusts blowing over king palms). Because of this, often, I’d be sitting at my intern desk, blogging or putting things into the San Diego Suburban News . The next thing I know I’m told to go to downtown La Jolla and photograph a breaking news story. Luckily, I had a car to assist me in taking me places, and a hand-me-down Canon Rebel EOS to take the photos needed for news stories. At one point I went out and took pictures of the gusted ocean, crashing against the wall at Children’s Pool. However, my side view mirrors were in the way, creating a self-portrait that I thought of as a fair depiction of my experience the three weeks.


Taken from one of the highest points in La Jolla, Mount Soledad. Depicted is the target audience for the La Jolla Light and San Diego Suburban News papers. The point of the La Jolla Light and any local newspaper office is to enlighten the target audience of their surroundings and current events.


A view from the La Jolla Light, which sits atop the Pearl Plaza, a 3 story building on Pearl Street, one of the busier streets in the La Jolla Village. From the view in the office, most of the village can be seen. News and current events can be seen while still sitting at the office. This is what made the La Jolla Light office more unique than the next newspaper office: by giving the office where the news writers and editors work more of a neighborly feel of who they are writing for.

S2, Blog 4

AMPERSAND!!!!1
Post your personal goals, hopes and ambitions for your class' production & publication of this book.

• I hope everyone does their job
  
• I hope no deadlines are missed
  
• I hope the book is not imperfected in any way. i.e., no pictures pixelated, no cut-off words, etc
• I hope the cover art is appealing
• I hope mine is in a spot in the book where it isn't skipped over (does that sound pompous?)
  

S2, Blog 3: Kathy Day, Mentor Interview

Kathy Day, La Jolla Light News Editor
La Jolla Light

A view of the business district of the La Jolla Village can be seen from the humble La Jolla Light/San Diego Suburban News office atop the three story building Pearl Plaza Building. With this a broad view of all that goes into the weekly newspaper can be seen by just looking out the window of the small office. The head of this local newspaper is Kathy Day, the La Jolla Light News Editor, the head honcho of the office, so to speak.

She sits at a large desk in the same room as the other editors, along with me, the intern, and the other occasional high school and college intern who would come in every so often. Her desk is positioned for her to see what all goes on in the room at all times, and the grand view of La Jolla Village. A few times every hour, a coworker would come in to ask a question or a small favor, to which she always had an answer or a response. She was the one person everybody would come in to talk to, and I usually the one asked where she was when she was absent. I ask to myself, and eventually to her, how she came to be in the trusted position she currently holds.

The climb up the ladder took more than just hard work. In order to be successful in her craft she occasionally had to be “bad cop” when it came to tough interview subjects and others she’d get her information from. Good relationships with people that she interviewed would be over in the drop of a dime if she was given the wrong information or lied to, from there a more assertive side of a news writer would emerge to get the correct story she needs. "You'd have to step back from being their friend for a moment," She told me. "Sometimes, you have to flat out say, 'You lied to me. Tell me the truth now.'" Even then, when all else failed, she would have to "go around the backdoor" for information for her stories.

SM: What made you interested in newswriting?

KD: I just started doing it in Junior High. I always liked it. It's a good way to get to know interesting people and talk to people, and you get to share interesting stories with readers and also give them information that helps them learn of the world around them.

SM: What'd you have to do in order to become where you are today?

KD: I had to have a degree in journalism. I had a summer internship that got my foot in the door during college and I got a job with it after I graduated. I was in public relations business, I've done freelance writing so I could great a broad view of the business. At first I was a copy editor, then a reporter, then a data reporter for a long time. Eventually, I worked my way up.

SM: Why are you interested in newswriting?

KD: I think it's important that people know more than what they get on a television, tv news, the internet, etc. In newspapers, you get to tell more of the story than tv news. It's always been my that people need to know what schools and government, etc. are doing. I really like being at the community level. Although I don't LIVE in La Jolla, I treat the readers like my neighbors. Readers and sources have to know about the readers to be on that level.

Sometimes, if you're working on a story and it's somebody you've known a long time and you have a good relationship with, but you find out they didn't tell the truth, perhaps broke the law, you've gotta step back from being nice to becoming the bad cop and wanting to push info out of them. Sometimes, you have to flat out say "you lied to me -- tell me the truth now." Sometimes you have to go around the backdoor in order to get information.

Sometimes you have to be hard nosed to get the story you need, you have to ask hard questions and the people you interview won't like it. But if you create a good relationship with your interviewees and they know you're just doing your job, then they're likely to open up to you more.

S2, Blog 2: Article

Kathy Day, La Jolla Light News Editor

La Jolla Light

A view of the business district of the village of La Jolla can be seen from the humble La Jolla Light/San Diego Suburban News office atop the three story building Pearl Plaza Building (?). With this a view of all that goes into the weekly newspaper can be seen by just looking out the window. The head of this local newspaper is Kathy Day, the La Jolla Light News Editor, the head honcho of the office, so to speak.

She sits at a large desk in the same room as the other editors, along with me, the intern, along with the occasional high school and college intern who comes in an hour at a time. Her desk is positioned for her to see what all goes on in the room at all times. A few times every hour, a coworker would come in to ask a question or a small favor, to which she always responded. I ask to myself, and eventually to her, how she came to be in the position she currently holds.

In order to be as successful as she is now, Kathy Day had to be "hard nosed" and "go around the backdoor" for information for her stories. Good relationships with people that she interviewed would be over in the drop of a dime if she was given the wrong information or lied to, from there a "bad cop" side of a news writer would emerge to get the correct story she needs. "You'd have to step back from being their friend for a moment," She told me. "Sometimes, you have to flat out say, 'You lied to me. Tell me the truth now.'"

During the interview with me, however, she finds nothing intimidating or incorrect about the way I ask things. She puts her assertiveness aside and sits down for a chat.
~~~~~~~

SM: What made you interested in newswriting?

KD: I just started doing it in Junior High. I always liked it. It's a good way to get to know interesting people and talk to people, and you get to share interesting stories with readers and also give them information that helps them learn of the world around them.

SM: What'd you have to do in order to become where you are today?

KD: I had to have a degree in journalism. I had a summer internship that got my foot in the door during college and I got a job with it after I graduated. I was in public relations business, I've done freelance writing so I could great a broad view of the business. At first I was a copy editor, then a reporter, then a data reporter for a long time. Eventually, I worked my way up.

SM: Why are you interested in newswriting?

KD: I think it's important that people know more than what they get on a television, tv news, the internet, etc. In newspapers, you get to tell more of the story than tv news. It's always been my that people need to know what schools and government, etc. are doing. I really like being at the community level. Although I don't LIVE in La Jolla, I treat the readers like my neighbors. Readers and sources have to know about the readers to be on that level.

Sometimes, if you're working on a story and it's somebody you've known a long time and you have a good relationship with, but you find out they didn't tell the truth, perhaps broke the law, you've gotta step back from being nice to becoming the bad cop and wanting to push info out of them. Sometimes, you have to flat out say "you lied to me -- tell me the truth now." Sometimes you have to go around the backdoor in order to get information.

Sometimes you have to be hard nosed to get the story you need, you have to ask hard questions and the people you interview won't like it. But if you create a good relationship with your interviewees and they know you're just doing your job, then they're likely to open up to you more.

Semester 2, blog 1

What makes a good interview?

• Having good questions. That's obvious.
  
• Creating a good relationship with your interviewee before interviewing. That way, when you start interviewing them, they won't seem intimidated by your questions, and you can be more friendly and open to them. By doing this, they'll be more comfortable giving you their answers to your questions.
• Obviously, when recording what they're saying, being sure that everything they're saying is recorded correctly is a necessity.
  

Internship 16

This picture shows one of the signs put above the computer on someone's wall. It says "Our job is not to judge if they're right or wrong. Our job is just to lend voice to their stupidity." I took a picture of the sign the first full day of internship that I was here because it's true: The job of a news-writer is to give information about both sides of the story, even if one of the sides is, well, stupid. Since everyone has a different opinion, you can't tell right from wrong in the news business.

This picture may seem myspace-y, but it's on this blog because of the meaning behind it. From the picture you can take that I'm in a car, I'm near some kind of background that is white, like the top of a tall hill or an ocean (it's the ocean, by the way). Judging from the water on the car window it's raining (which it was), and the camera I'm holding is a Canon Rebel EOS, which was probably the most important resource to have in my time as an intern at the La Jolla Light.

This picture was taken about halfway through my time as an intern. I was out on an adventure to take pictures of the ocean, rough by the storm that La Jolla was caught in. Very often I'd be told to go out and take photos of an event, place or thing, or go out on my own and take pictures which could be used in the newspaper/website.

(taken with a camera phone)

This picture shows my target audience: the entirety of La Jolla (even though this is only 1/2 of La Jolla pictured, I couldn't exactly fit all of La Jolla into one camera phone shot). Taken from Mount Soledad, a high point in La Jolla. The picture is 1/2 of La Jolla, some of other parts of San Diego, too. Since the La Jolla Light is merged with San Diego Suburban News (?) it also applies to the rest of San Diego County.

Internship 15

Resources

Here is a picture of the entire county of San Diego. There are several of these around the office. Highlighted are the parts of the county that San Diego Suburban News offers news for.


These are all newspapers that San Diego Suburban News has produced in the past year. Once the year is up, new newspapers replace the year old ones, week by week. These can be used as resources or sources of past news events, or to see how formatting was used in past papers.

Classic resources: Pens, highlighters, post-its, a recorder, stapler. These can be used for interviews and editting.

The view of La Jolla that the Light office overlooks. From here, we can actually see some areas where notable news is happening.

Internship 14

Kathy Day, La Jolla Light News Editor

La Jolla

What made you interested in newswriting?

I just started doing it in Junior High. I always liked it. It's a good way to get to know interesting people and talk to people, and you get to share interesting stories with readers and also give them information that helps them learn of the world around them.

What'd you have to do in order to become where you are today?

I had to have a degree in journalism. I had a summer internship that got my foot in the door during college and I got a job with it after I graduated. I was in public relations business, I've done freelance writing so I could great a broad view of the business. At first I was a copy editor, then a reporter, then a data reporter for a long time. Eventually, I worked my way up.

Why are you interested in newswriting?

I think it's important that people know more than what they get on a television, tv news, the internet, etc. In newspapers, you get to tell more of the story than tv news. It's always been my that people need to know what schools and government, etc. are doing. I really like being at the community level. Although I don't LIVE in La Jolla, I treat the readers like my neighbors. Readers and sources have to know about the readers to be on that level.

Sometimes, if you're working on a story and it's somebody you've known a long time and you have a good relationship with, but you find out they didn't tell the truth, perhaps broke the law, you've gotta step back from being nice to becoming the bad cop and wanting to push info out of them. Sometimes, you have to flat out say "you lied to me -- tell me the truth now." Sometimes you have to go around the backdoor in order to get information.

Sometimes you have to be hard nosed to get the story you need, you have to ask hard questions and the people you interview won't like it. But if you create a good relationship with your interviewees and they know you're just doing your job, then they're likely to open up to you more.

Internship 13

This will be the blog that I don't do this week (since we get a choice of not doing one every week), but instead I'll substitute it with 3 pictures of the Riford center (which was my subject for the day)

Internship 12

1: Documenting

Over there ---->

2: Writing

The amount of people I work with per day can vary depending on the day. It depends if I am staying at the office and doing office work all day or if I'm out and about La Jolla, doing interviews and taking pictures.

"How many people are indirectly affected by your work?"

The work done here at San Diego Suburban News could affect everyone in the world if their homepages were set on ours. It's impossible to estimate how many people could be affected by my work since I can't count how many people read the La Jolla Light newspaper on a weekly basis, or how many check the website. So, I'll just say whoever decides to read the La Jolla Light and sees a photo that I took that is in an article will be affected in some way.

"Describe your direct collaboration with others—how does it go & how does it influence the work?"

At a newspaper office, there has to be a lot of collaboration in order to get work done orderly and correctly. If there is an issue, or I need someone's opinion on a story or photo, I will ask them to proofread it. I believe I've helped at the office in a way, too. At one point, my mentor Kathy Day gave me a rough draft of the newspaper that would come out the next day. She told me to find any errors in spelling, grammar, etc. I didn't find any errors in that field, however, looking closer at one of the articles, I saw a person I knew in a picture. However, under the picture, they had captioned his name wrong. Even though it wasn't that big of a deal, I was able to catch a small mistake, which must've benefited the newspaper that much.

Describe your indirect impact on others through your work—there are probably many people you never actually see who are affected by your work. How does this happen? How does this influence your work?

As I said, working at a newspaper office, there will be plenty of people that read our work that we have never seen. There's no way to monitor how many people actually sit down and read the whole newspaper every week. This influences our work because it reminds that complete strangers to us, personally, are trusting us with providing them correct information about what's happening around their neighborhood.

Internship 11

Summary

This past week has been quite a crazy one, I guess you could say. Things were different every day. Some days I'd stay in the office and work on the La Jolla Visitor Guide website, while other days I'd step into the office and be sent to photograph an event at UC San Diego.

High!lights

On occasion, I would be told that something big or crazy had happened, and I needed to go to the site and take pictures. That was pretty exciting. One day, while it was raining, a king palm fell on one of the busiest streets in La Jolla Village. Out of nowhere they told me to get my camera and drive over there and take pictures. "This is what we call breaking news," Says my mentor. An hour later, the pictures that I took are on the website for all to see. Awesome!

Not to mention, it's pretty awesome seeing my name under pictures in the stories in the newspaper and website.

Low?Lights

Somedays, it'd feel like I was just in the way, as if my mentor didn't know what to do with me. She'd sound annoyed at me when I asked what I should do, or when I asked questions on how to do certain things. Can't say that was too good.

Internship 10

This photo shows me taking a selfportrait(-ish) photo of me in the rear view mirror of my car, with the rain falling down. The camera is a Canon Rebel EOS, the type of camera that I use while working at the La Jolla Light. I've come to find that this camera is indeed very helpful. Usually, on a day at the Light, I'm told to shadow somebody or I'm quickly told to go to a site and take pictures of a breaking news story that just happened, notably while it was raining. That's why this photo summarizes a Light day for me.

1. What exactly made you interested in newswriting?

2. Why are you interested in newswriting?

3. What courses in college did you have to take in order to become a newswriter?

4. What jobs built you up to this career you have now?

5. What do you think is in stock for you in the future?

6. Anything else?

^^ These are just some ideas for questions. I will be interviewing my mentor, Kathy Day, this afternoon. ^^

Internship 9

The

Internship 8

What characteristics and qualities do you see in the people at your internship that you'd like to develop in yourself? Some of these qualities and characteristics could be creativity, empathy, risk-taking, ambitiousness, honesty, fairness, and so on. There are so many qualities and characteristics that people could have, so look around and think of a few good ones that you see in the people you work with.

At my internship, everybody seems friendly to each other, as if they know how to talk to each other professionally but casually at the same time. That's something I'd like to learn how to do, because I don't want to sound sloppy talking, but I don't want to sound intimidating by being to professional. Not to mention the way that they dress. I see sanuks and pants worn quite often, but in a way that it still looks as if they're going to work and not lounging around home. The way they match their casual clothes and make them professional, as if it's a quality you inherit by being in the office.

What new appreciations (for who? of what?) have you gained through internship that you did not have before? How did you develop these appreciations?

I think I have a new appreciation for computers after going to this internship. That may sound strange, but I think it took as long as waiting until he whole office hit the pause button for 10 minutes while the server went down. The server had everything and anything that the office needed in order to produce a weekly newspaper in time. Also, an office worker told me a story about how newspaper offices were 30 years ago, before computers were commonly used. She explained the process of manually putting lines and formats into the papers and it sounded dreadful.

So, I'd have to say my newfound appreciation lies in computers for now.

Internship 7

The first part.

Internship site: San Diego Suburban News

Department: La Jolla Light

Project Title: Riford Center Profiles

General Description: Shadow 2 people (man and woman) who attend classes at the Riford Center and see how the Center affects their lives, whether it be socially, physically, etc. Write a well-written news story on this.

Learning Objectives: How to write a news story (yes, I did learn in Randy's class, but I can put it into real-world use at the Light)

Organization/Company Objectives & Benefits: A story for the newspaper

Schedule: Tuesday, the 19th: Visit the Riford Center and find 2 possible subjects to base my project on.

Academic Skills: Writing, Photography (the story will include photos)

Technical Skills: " "

Collaboration—Skills and Opportunities: Obviously, I have to work and talk to other people if I want to create a profile story about them. I'll get the opportunity to speak to Riford Center-goers and learn more about their lives, as theirs is much different than the ones I'm used to hearing about.

Exhibition Plans:

Schedule & Timelines: So far, I know for sure I'll be going to the Riford on Tuesday (And on wednesday, but that's for a different story idea). I know that my POL is on the last day of internship, but other than these dates there's nothing set in stone.

The second part.

What were the highlights? What challenges did you face and how did you manage them? How did you work with others? What did you see and/or experience that you did not expect? How would you describe your first week to someone who has never had an internship?

This week has been a very different week. It seems like almost every day I was doing something different. One day (Thursday) I spent the entire time on a computer, writing in codes for a website. I literally did that for all 6 hours of my worktime. Another day (Friday) I went to a middle school and a California University in one afternoon to take pictures and, in one instance, write about what was going on. Some days I'd walk around La Jolla with my mentor to meetings or interviews, while other times I'd go to a nighttime Jiu-Jitsu class to write about/photograph a story I'd been told about. Another day (Tuesday) I'd shadow an executive director of a successful adult center and attend a rotary club meeting at the La Valencia. Already, some of my work has been published in the La Jolla Light about La Jollan buildings that date back to the 19th century.

I haven't had too many challenges throughout the week, except maybe in storywriting (which, here, is probably the worst challenge to have at any time). In a story about 2 young children winning the Jiu-Jitsu championships, I had jumbled facts to write about, and had to constantly e-mail my subjects in order to get straight facts from them. I definitely had some highlights throughout the week. Mentioned before, I got to meet new people and go to interesting new places, which has been amazing.

Internship 6

What I want to know about my mentor:

• I want to know where she went to school, like what kind of college or courses she had to take in order to become a newswriter.
• How long it took for her to reach her current position
• Her opinion on how long newspaper print will last

I'm planning on having this interview next week, probably at her desk. I don't have this interview "set up" quite yet, but I'll get to that soon

Internship 5

Project title: Riford Center Profiles

Project description: Story of people who attend the Riford Center and how the center has affected their life in some way (socially, physically, etc.)

Project schedule: Some day in the near future I will go to the Riford Center and find two people to do profiles on (preferably a man and a woman). Get basic information on them, such as how long they have been going to the Riford Center, why they do, what they do there, etc. etc.

Materials & Equipment needed: 2 subjects, the time and materials needed to talk to them and document what they're saying. Camera in order to take pictures of in and around the Riford Center, and the subjects themselves.

Project documentation: Newsprint

Internship 4

1. What academic skills could you use on the job?

2. What forms of collaboration could you use in a project?

3. What technical skills can you use at your internship?

4. What new things can you learn while working at your site?

5. How can you exhibit, showcase or otherwise share your work?

6. How can your work or your skills & abilities help your company or organization?

I can use the skills I've learned to write newspaper articles this past semester in Randy's class as a skill at the Light. However, I didn't learn EVERYTHING about writing newspapers this past semester (sorry, Randy), so there's always room for improvement, and more to learn. Also, there are different programs at the Light office that I've yet to learn, as they use older models of computers with different programs. Exhibiting my work should be easy, since the products are posted in the newspaper for all to see. This work would help the Light, I'd think so, because it's like a story for the paper that I've written for them. That's one less story they'd have to write, therefore helping them.

Internship 3

1. What skills would you like to develop at your site?

2. What interests do you have regarding the work done at your site?

3. What needs can you address (needs your mentor has, your company has, etc.) based on your skills and interests?

At my site, I'd like to put my newspaper writing skills to use in real life application. I learned how to write in newspaper format through the 1st semester as a junior, but I'm still not entirely sure that I know everything as a newspaper writing (which is expected, I'd consider myself still fairly new to this style of writing). My mentor has given me a newspaper bible which is full of norms and rules with the newspaper world, i.e. what to and what not to put in the newspaper, how to organize facts, etc., which will help me on the way.

I like how the work is done around the site. In this office, there are several rooms and sets of people work in each room at their own desk. The Light is a small office, with quite a small staff, which makes it more personal, not to mention how well people can communicate with each other easily this way.

I live in La Jolla, so I am interested in what goes around in my neighborhood. This is, naturally, put up in the La Jolla Light. That's an interest in what the site does already: Inform me, as a La Jolla resident and an intern about the happenings around my environment (how should i word that to make myself sound like a human?) For a project, I've already decided I am going to create a story (or perhaps multiple, if I get the chance) created all by myself, from the initial reporting to the final story. Already, I am working on a project like this, about 2 children who have won the World JiuJitsu Championships recently that live in La Jolla. So far, I have interviewed them (mostly their coach and dad), taken pictures, and even started writing drafts for the final story. However, I have a ways to go before it can even be considered good enough to put in the Light paper.

What to do when I have concerns involving my internship? Say I don't know what to do one day. I can, to start off, figure out something to do, like finishing a blog or an unfinished story. Or, I can just express my concerns by just asking her anything that might not come across clearly to me. After all, there's no such thing as a stupid question, right?..

Alternate Project Ideas (if I don't have enough time to write my own article) include helping with photography for other articles, or helping write briefs or calendar entries in the paper. Most likely, this won't happen, but I'm not going to assume anything just yet.

Internship 2

What have you actively done to start off on the right note?

What have you actively done to create interesting opportunities for yourself?

What have you actively done to advance the interests of your mentor and/or site?

What can you do in the immediate future to improve yourself and your experience in the above areas?

At the beginning of internship, I made sure to bring in the proper materials to start myself off on the right note, such as notebook and pen, camera (for photography), and a folder full necessary papers needed for internship. I greeted everyone I met with a smile and my name, and when they talked to me I'd give them my eye contact, which hopefully gave them a good impression of myself.

So far during internship, I've taken part in going around La Jolla, following my mentor and other staff doing their jobs by performing interviews, doing research at the La Jolla Historical Society, and even watching how ads are placed in the weekly newspaper. Whenever a task or interview comes up and I am asked to do it, I take it, as it can lead me to interesting places, and already I've met interesting people.

At one point during the day, my mentor invited me to shadow her in an interview with a businessman. Although this interview sounds formal, the way she started the interview off was friendly and much different than how I thought it would go. The two discussed happenings in the daily life before going on to ask questions, which confused me. Afterwards, she told me that it's good to create a connection with the interviewee to make it seem less intimidating. Little things like these give me an idea how a reporter for the LJ Light, or any newspaper for that matter, is successful.

La Jolla Light Internship, day 1: January 6th, 2010

In the office, people mostly wore semi-casual office clothing. Pictured is the secretary, wearing a blue sweater with a white collared shirt underneath and black pants: Perfect attire for an office setting. I wore similar clothes: A purple dress shirt, black pants and purple snakeskin shoes to match the shirt. I think that'll suffice for work as an intern.

My workspace was a desk with some writing room and a Mac computer. Also on the desk were postits, scotch tape, highlighters, pens, paperclips, and a stapler -- Typical office materials. The weekly edition of the Light was sitting on the desk along with an unnam

ed CD.

Something that shocked me was the sense of humor the office had. I saw this sign above one of the computers next to my workspace. It says "Our job is not to judge if they're right or wrong, our job is just to lend voice to their stupidity("they" being the readers)." This quote is true but something you don't expect newswriters to openly admit, which was sort of a shock, I guess you could say.

The expectations as an intern are as follows; I am expected to produce a well-written newspaper article by the end of the 3 week term, like the one pictured. My project is to create a story that is acceptable as newspaper material. This story pictured is one about the seals at Children's Beach, an often brought up subject in La Jolla. As an intern, I expect to maximize my writing skills, as it may be published. Also, during this internship, I hope to become a more proficient photographer, since I'll be photographing events for the Light, too

.

What Happened During the Day
I woke up way too early, around 6 a.m. I had to go to the La Jolla Light Office at 9:30 a.m. so I had some time to get ready. At 8:30 a.m. I left my house and drove to the office, only to get there at 8:35 a.m.; way too early. So I went back home and left a little bit later. The office is on the 3rd story of a building at the end of La Jolla Blvd, near downtown La Jolla. Upon arrival I met a man named Dave, who would help me out throughout my internship. He told me that he was going to the La Jolla historical society later that day, and I should come along to take pictures and do research on the subject of Red Roost and Red Rest, 2 historical cottages by the La Jolla Cove that have stirred up some controversy in the past. Before we left, I was given an assignment to learn more about a blood drive in Del Mar, but when I called for information, they only gave me a website. Afterwards, I went with Dave to RR/RR first and took pictures using my Canon Rebel EOS, perfect for newspaper photos. Then I went with him to the la Jolla historical society, where I looked through several files about RR/RR's history in newsprint and photos. After I was done looking through the files, I returned to the office, where I uploaded the photos I had taken on the intern folder in the Editorial Network at the office. Hopefully these photos will be used in the Light soon. After this, I had a lunch break, and I went to Pacific Beach, which was a mistake, because it took too much time, but there aren't many fast food restaurants close by.

In order to succeed at the Light, I'm going to have to work on my writing skills quite a bit, in order to create an acceptable newspaper article. Also, I'll have to do some research on controversies and events in La Jolla in order to create a an article that hasn't been overdone.

My hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a 1/2 hour minimum lunch break somewhere in-between. I wish I could start earlier so I could end earlier, but this schedule is okay.

Sarah's assignment
Has the economic crisis affected the La Jolla Light? How?
Yes, it has. We had to take a week off without pay last year, thankfully we didn't have to layoff anybody. However, one person left for graduate school and we didn't bother to replace them.

What changes will the La Jolla Light undergo because of the recession?
Adapting to more people using the web, and creating the website so it's not the same as other La Jolla websites, making it more like our own. We also need advertisers to support the Light, since the newspaper is free and is mailed, which can be expensive on our part.