Autobiographies

To do for Wednesday:
Students will continue to work on their narration for their autobiographies.
If they are done with their narration they should start gathering photos and videos online that correspond to their project.
All youtube videos can be downloaded from ZAMZAR.
Just ask James or Mrs. Westagate how to do it!

GRADING::: THESE ARE DUE BEFORE BREAK ON DEC 23RD! THINK X-MAS PRESENT!

A Worthy Projects:
-Narration
-Rehearsed voice over
-Use of archival photos
-Video footage
-Original Music
-Editing effort is evident
-Images from internet and/or videos
-Beginning, middle, end structure

B Worthy Projects:
-Narration
-Voice Over
-Use of photographs
-Original music
-Editing effort
-Beginning, middle, and end structure
-Archival images
-Use of images from internet and/or videos

C Worthy Projects
-Voice Over
-Narration
-Some editing effort
-Pictures from internet and/or videos

D Worthy Projects
-Narration
-Voice Over
-Hardly any editing effort

100 Eyes Photo Magazine

www.100Eyes.org stood out to me out of all the other sites. What's so different about this site? It is a photo magazine and it has a digital magazine where you can flip the pages like a real magazine. The home page is also very, very easy to navigate. The cover pages of the most recent "magazines" are displayed right in front of you so you do not need to look through archives to find a specific volume or edition. In the "magazine", each page has picture with a text description or story to go along with it. 

100 Eyes

written by Kevin Phu

Photo Journalism

Photo journalism has always been interesting to me. I took photo 1 and 2 in this school and was  hoping to get out of stats and into an independent study but was rejected because there is a maximum of two independent study kids allowed.

Anyways, I came across a few really good sites for photo journalism. The 37th Frame is one I really enjoyed. It showcased photographers pictures and the article that goes with it. It seems to encompass many different newspapers and magazines. http://www.the37thframe.org/

Another really good site and my favorite is Mercury News Photo. It has many videos and pictures showing artistic and journalistic views. It also has a mix of very serious stories and some not so serious. Some of these include "Law Enforcement Tool or Abuse of Power" and "Recession '09". http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com/blog/

The city Of Belarus

The picture i decided to blog about, was a picture by Anderi Liankevich. The portfolio is called the Belarus Portfolio. I got it off of Burnmagazine.com. I picked the picture because it is a picture of a big city. The lights and the way the picture came out caught my attention. Also, the angle of the picture was also very interesting. It is a very pretty picture, in my opinion. The article that i read about the place called Belarus and thats the town that the picture is from. Check it out !

Link : http://www.burnmagazine.org/

The New York Times section called the Lens has links to many photography blogs.  On was the LA times.  They had a picture story called Living under the 7th Street Bridge.  The photos showed homeless people in their homes under the bridge.  One photo shows a women making breakfast next  a river.  The area is littered with trash and she stands in the middle of it cooking.  One photo shows a drug dealer with a needle.  He says "I want to be high so that I don't feel sick so I can do my drawings and pass away with some happiness because I never got it anywhere in this world."  These photos show what homeless peoples lives are like.  Many journalists have written about homeless people but seeing the conditions they live in makes it easier for people to understand their lives.

Another site had photos of poor children in India.  The story was called The World's Children.  The story started by introducing an 11 year old boy who had disabled parents and was beaten by his grandparents.  He ran away and was now living on the streets.  Another photo showed an infant lying on the street.  

"Festival Of Sacrifice" & "Stars"

The blog I read is called Eid al-Adha and the Hajj, 2009 , and it's about the beginning of the Muslim "Festival Of Sacrifice".  It includes a total of 38 beautiful photos.  The Eid al-Adha is a holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God.  This celebration takes place immediately right after the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Mecca.  Around 2.5 million Muslims from around the world gathered in Mecca this year.  After their pilgrimage, they celebrate by shaving their heads and slaughtering animals to be shared amongst their families.

   The second topic I visited is called Stars , which shows amazing photos of the galaxy.  I found it on the National Geographic site and it has a total of 8 photos.  This photo to the left is of a neuron star located 50,000 light years away from Earth.  It was so bright it temporarily blinded all the x-ray satellites in space and lit up the Earths upper atmosphere.

Dubai’s Improbable Tale

See Article Here

In the "Dubai's Improbable Tale" Photography I saw a photo of the Burj Al Arab hotel. This hotel has a guest reception desk on every single one of the many floors. Dubai seems amazing I need to visit there some day!

Afghanistan

There is this blog on the Boston Globe and one post has photos about the war in Afghanistan and I thought that it was interesting because it was posted on November 25th, the day before Thanksgiving and the day that the White House announced that the President will speak in a National address today to formally announced his decision to the public. In this photo blog, there 42 total photos of the last month in Afghanistan and it was a sign of the times over in that country. Here is a link to the site, I have looked at half of the photos so far.

The Life of Farrah Dornevil

   Farrah Dornevil was born on July 16, 1993 in Waltham, MA.  She currently lives with her parents and has a total of seven siblings, which consist of two brothers and five sisters.  Talk about a full house!  Her mother is Dominican and her father is Haitian.  Her mother is a nurse and her father works at Newlyweds Foods.  Farrah began school by attending Watertown's Hosmer Elementary School.  She also began gymnastics at the age of five.  She is addicted to both Facebook and MySpace.  Most importantly, she has a passion for singing, and she's really good at it.  She even writes and records her own music.  I think she should audition for American Idol.  She loves to shop and has a collection of 65 pairs of Nikes and Jordan sneakers.  Where does she fit them all!?!
      She currently attends Watertown High School and she plans on starting cheerleading in the winter.  She comes to school with a new hairstyle almost everyday.  One day it's short, the next day long and wavy, and sometimes in a ponytail.  She even color coordinates her outfits with her shoes.  Every year she travels to "mad" places, including Pennsylvania and Florida.  She one day dreams of becoming either a fashion designer or a pediatrician.

      
By: Despina Najarian

Kevin Phu Biography

Click on this to see Kevin's video

Kevin Phu was born on January 23, 1992 at St. Elizabeth Hospital. Throughout his life he moved from Brighton to Toronto, and then finally settled down in Watertown. His mother works at a Medical Supply Company and his dad gambles. The strict childhood he grew up in turned him into a rebel. He has a sister who is 4 years older than him. His hobbies include karate, which he took up at the age of 7 and stopped when he was 14. He started writing and making music in the early years of high school as a hobby and ran track for a couple years. At 15, he started working to help the family out. After high school, Kevin plans to join the Navy and serve his country.

Nicole's Life

Nicole Panza was born on January 13, 1993 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When Nicole was two years old her sister Jordan was born. Nicole and Jordan got along well as little kids, but began to argue with each other as they became teenagers.

  Nicole has lived in Watertown her whole life with her sister, her mom Rosemary, and her dad David. Her mom works as a grant administrator at Boston College, and her dad helps out special need kids. Nicole comes from an Irish(mom), and Italian(dad) heritage. 

Nicole has been playing field hockey since she's been in third grade. This is her favorite activity because she thinks it is fun.

When Nicole was five she went to the Cunniff Elementary School in Watertown, MA also that year she went on a surprise family vacation to Disney World which she considers her funnest memory to this day. Her favorite part of this trip was Magic Kingdom, because of the rides she got to go on. Nicole's other fun trip was she went on a West Coast road trip where she ended up going to Arizona, Nevada, and then California. Also Nicole owns a cottage in Harwich, Cape Cod where she visited every summer until 2007.

A peek into the life of James Dunoyer

On June 10, 1993, James Dunoyer was welcomed into the world at Beth Israel Hospital. He has lived in the small town of Watertown his whole entire life. James currently lives with his mom, dad and little sister. A lot of his family still lives in France and he has been to France to visit them four times. James started skateboarding and film editing in his middle school years and he pursues those activities. Lucky for him, if he ever gets hurt skateboarding, his mom

can help him because she is a nurse. Also, if he ever runs into any trouble on a film project he's working on, his dad can help him because he is a film editor. James has combined his skills in both of those areas and has even made several skateboarding videos. He is currently a junior at Watertown High School. He plans on going to college to major in film editing. So what is he doing now? Well, he's sitting in his media class writing a mini-biography on me. 

click here to see his videos

written by Kevin Phu

The Life Of Despina Najarian

On November 30th, I interviewed Despina Najarian and asked her a few questions about her life. She started off my telling me where she was born. She was born in Malden, MA on May 26, 1993. Despina went to Hosmer Elementary School in Watertown Mass. She has two older brothers, one that is 27 and the other one is 24. Her oldest brother has a daughter, she was born May 25th, 2009 ( a day before Despina's birthday) her name is Dessie. Despina is currently living in Watertown, MA attending Watertown High School. 

Despina lives with her father and her mother. Her mother is Greek and her father is Armenian. They are both working people, her mother works at CVS as a beauty advisor and a cashier. Her father is an auto man and he fixes cars. Her mother was born in Athens, Greece and her father was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait. I found it very interesting when she shared with me that she lived in Greece from the age of 14 months to age 5. Also she goes back to Greece every summer. She can also speak Greek fluently.

Despina also has a cat named Alina, she got her in march of 2009. She is addicted to a couple of things: make-up ( like almost every teenage girl) and facebook ( like whole world). Despina also has a best friend by the name of Sarah Shin, which she met  in fourth grade and has been very close friends with ever since. When Despina gets older she wants to become a nurse or an obstetrician. Not only is she very connected to her culture but she embraces it.  

By: Farrah Dornevil

Shane's Life

Shane Fitzgerald was born in Newton, Massachusetts on February 9, 1993.  When he was two years old his brother Cory was born.  That same year he got his first pet, Snickers.  Snickers is a Beagle Black Lab mix.  At the age of five he started attending the Cunniff Elementary School in Watertown, MA.  After elementary school he went to Watertown Middle School.  Shane loves playing and watching sports, especially football and basketball.  

 He has lived in the same house in Watertown his whole life with his parents and brother.  Shane's father owns a bar (Fit-z 's) and his mom works in sales at a painting company.   Shane enjoys traveling and has been on many trips.  He has been to Florida four times and also has been to California.  In fifth grade Shane traveled to Ireland for a wedding.  He was able to see where his family is from.  Now Shane is a junior at Watertown High and plans on on going to college.

By: Nicole Panza

ANIMOTOS and AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

HOWDY CLASS:

If you haven't finished your ANIMOTO and blog about Animoto vs. Final Cut PLEASE DO SO.

If you have finished then please begin creating a rough draft of your AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
Create the file in GOOGLE DOCS....BE PREPARED TO HAVE A ROUGH DRAFT WHEN WE ARE BACK IN CLASS ON TUESDAY....OR ELSE...

Make sure to start with your birth and end with death....just kidding...end with where you are now in your life. If you have ideas beyond the LIFESTORY then please include that too!

I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THEM!
HAVE AN AWESOME WEEKEND!
MS. V

Animoto

Animoto is a very interesting site.  I like how it makes the video for you and how the music flows with the pictures.  I would rather work with Final Cut because it gives you more choices of how to make your video and what to incorporate into it.  With Final Cut, you can choose how your video should be presented.

My video is more about my culture and what the most important aspect of it is.

Today in Interactive Journalism we used a video creation site called animoto.com. I liked Final Cut better because you can add better features and better music. Animoto was an alright site but I feel that it can be upgraded in quality. I also think that this was very easy. All together I think Animoto is alright, but not as good as Final Cut. 

Animoto Video

I have made a video in Animoto and I can't post it on the blog.
I basically like making videos on Animoto, it is good because you won't to always have to import your own music, videos, and pictures; they have defaults on the website itself. It's also good for those who don't know how to edit videos because the website will do it for you unlike Final Cut were you would have edit, there would no way around it. One thing I don't like about Animoto is that takes too long to render the video while it's done, guess I would have to wait if it's also self-editing.

My Life in a Nutshell

I used Animoto to create this brief video about my life. It was simple and easy. A lot different from Final Cut, in good ways and bad ways. For the good part, it takes the frustration out of the editing because Animoto simply does everything for you. That's bad in some ways too because you can not incorporate your own ideas into the video and you have no way and controlling how the video gets put together. The only control you have is of the sequencing of the image/videos. I like Animoto though, it's a quick and easy way to put a nice little video together.

Here's my video

Animoto

I thought Animoto was a very interesting website.  It makes making a video easier and quicker.  The selection of photos was small but I uploaded photos from other websites.  The way they synchronise and use the photos you choose is very cool.  I prefer final cut because it allows you to be more creative and make the video on your own.  I also prefer the time line on final cut and how you can view what you have completed so far.  Animoto is a good tool for slide shows or short videos but I would would rather use final cut for a longer or more detailed video.   

I would rather work with final cut because it seems like you can do more specific things and get into detail more than you can with Animoto. I do like Animoto though because they have a lot of cool footage on there. The quality of the footage on Animoto is really great and I would never be able to record that on my own. I think that on final cut its easier to make the video personal and you can finally tune your video but in Animoto its just like putting a bunch of clips together. I also like how you don't have to edit to the beat in Animoto it just does it for you.

-Ben Sampson

Animoto

Animoto is an interesting website and i can see its values for sure. There are too many videos on the internet made by amateur editors that are painful to sit through. For these people animoto would be a great tool because they can easily make a sequence look presentable.

However, it does undermine good editing and take away from a lot of the creativity, especially since they already have plenty of archive footage and music available. Somebody who has never even edited before create a video without knowing the first thing about editing or without even gathering any footage.

Overall, I'm alright with Animoto. Its not like a professional editor could make something on animoto and succeed on passing it off as original. If you already know about editing then its fun to check out and move on, if you don't know jack about editing you can put together an interesting presentation without having to buy expensive software or put in the time and hard work to learn how to edit well.

Growing Up Online

The video "Growing Up Online" was very interesting.  I like how they interviewed teenagers and asked them their opinions of the internet and what they post on it.  One girl interviewed, Autumn Edows, explained her situation and what she does secretly.  I can understand that she had no friends and was made fun of, but I don't think posting pictures of herself half dressed would really solve her problem.  It's interesting though that she felt more better of herself and didn't hate herself as much while she would post them.  I think her parents did the right thing having her delete all her files.  It was very sad when the story of Ryan, the boy who hanged himself, came up.  It was disturbing to know that he was being told hateful things by another boy he was talking to on the internet. 

Overall it was a good video because I can relate to it.  I'm always on the computer, and if it's not homework I'm doing, I'm talking to my friends.  I don't see myself getting into bad situations on the internet like this these people were in because I know my boundaries and what is appropriate and what isn't.

Burden Of Innocence

The video i picked to watch was called Burden Of Innocence .I picked this video because it was the title that caught my attention. The video was about different men that were wrongfully accused of rape, murder, etc. These man spent up to 10-20 years in jail when they didn't even do anything. Also, in the video they explain their experiences in jail and their life after they get out. Just knowing that you didn't do anything and your the one put in jail, i could only imagine how they felt wasting all those years in jail knowing that they are innocent but are accused of something that they didn't do.Until years later after serving 10-20 years in jail, they finally took a DNA test that proved that the people they had in jail wasn't who they were looking for. They also were interviewed after they get out, their lives changed completely and some left jail to come home to nothing.
I think that that is wrong. I think they should of took the DNA test when they were in trail or on the edge of going into jail, i think its wrong and they should sue the government for that. But it can take years to get a response back to see if you can ever sue the government for that. I think the video was a great video; it was also very sad because innocent people got a big chunk of their lives thrown away for no reason, i don't think they deserve that, no one does.

Merchants of Cool

This 2001 frontline video is about how marketing business' go after teenagers to sell more products. These companies try to make their product more cool by asking kids about what's in and what's out.

Later door by door to visit kids also to find out what they like. This video also talks about how companies that sell to teens hire Mooks to get more viewers, like Viacom hiring Tom Green, and Howard Stern. The other type of Mook is the Mildriff which is a Mook but a girl. The Mildriff consists of girls that try to look good even if it means minimal clothes. Although it is not getting in trouble like Mooks instead they dress slutty.

In the next part they talk about how the Mildriffs get hired to play popular teen shows like Jessica Biel on 7th heaven. Also in this part they talked about how certain television shows conflict to more of a teen level by talking about sex. Thsi part also talks about how MTV went sexy by shaking there butts in bikinis on spring break, and people making out and having sex on the real world.

Later the video takes place in Detroit for a popular concert of rap rock mix band Insane Clown Posse or ICP, which attracted teens because it lets them be them selves, like Limp Biscuit.

I like this video because I can somewhat relate to it, like I like to watch, listen, and do whatever seems cool like the teens in this video.

Growing up Online

This Frontline video is about how teens are using the Internet to much. Some teens use it for bullying, some for taking pictures, and some just to keep involved. Whatever the case was these teens spent way too much time on the Internet. 

One case was Jess or Autumn. She was a young girl who got picked on growing up in school. So when Jess was 14 she changed her Internet identity to Autumn Edows. As Autumn Edows she was a goth model which was completely different  then who she really was Jess.

Another case was a 13 year old kid named Ryan. Ryan was constantly bullied at school and on the web. When Ryan would get home from school he would go to in the Internet and get bullied which unfortunaly led to suicide.

The last kid was in High School and was on the computer all day, whether it was spark notes or facebook  he was never off. In one case he went on an educational site so his parents thought he was learnin when really he was on facebook.

Growing Up Online

When I watched this video, I thought of how some of the kids are growing up in a digital age and the parents don't even know about the Internet that much. It always seems like one generation grows up with something that the previous generation hasn't even learned about until they were adults. The same thing must have happened with cell phones, the internet, and e-mails for some people. Above, I have a picture of the earth, which symbolizes that anything you put on the internet can be seen all throughout the world, literally. This is what I think about this video.

Growing up online

I like the video that  James picked because I can relate to it. I use the computer a lot and I'm always connected to the media somehow. When I'm not at my computer I'm texting and my parents always get mad at me for it. Thy aren't as protective as some of the parents in this video. They have never asked me for passwords or only let me use the computer when there in the room I have a laptop so I use that in my room. It is very true that all the kids use the internet but I've never been cyber bullied. 

Hunting For Cool

There is a Frontline video called "Hunting For Cool" that aired on February 17 2001. This video is about what kids think is cool and what companies will do to target the kids. Kids are one of the most targeted demographics to companies because they have the money and will buy a product if they think it will make them seem cool. There is a man named Douglas Rushkoff who had a couple kids sit in a room with him and he asked them all sorts of question to find out what they wear, eat, listen to and watch.

Companies want to target young kids on things like television and other media sources because they have a lot of money to spend freely and will most likely see the advertisements. Anywhere they go there is a marketing message and teens on average see 300 discrete messages in a day and 10,000,000 by the time they are 18 years of age. 75% of teens have a television in there rooms and 1/3 have personal computers. On their computers teens spend 2 hours a day on the internet. Because there are so many channels marketers are able to specify age demographic and have demographics for one year age differences.

Trying to find out what these kids like is called hunting for cool. Marketers are trying to find out what all of the cool kids are doing or what they could be doing in hopes for their followers to follow them. 20% of the population will influence the other 80% to buy things so they influence those 20% and they will do the rest. The people who try to find these things out are called culture spies. Culture spies perfectly describes these people because they are trying to find out what is "hip" in today's culture. They walk around with cameras, do research on the internet, watch videos, and have interviews with other people, which are all things that companies cant do so they hire these "culture spies" to penetrate these boundaries. The goal for the culture spies is to find out what the trends are before they get popular because once all of the marketing companies find out about whats popular it will no longer be popular.

-Ben Sampson

Media Matters

Yesterday I went to UMass Boston with a few of my classmates for "Media Matters." Media matters was a conference for high school students that talked about the media and all the different angles. For the first seminar that I went to it was called "Sports Stories- How to Get Your Angle." Bill Littlefield who hosts his own radio on WNPR called its only a game. His show is not a talk show because he says that he doesn't like it when people will call in and say ridiculous things like "ya i think that the Bruins should put two people in the goal cause that way nobody will be able to score." I found his stories very interesting and he talked about how sometimes a nobody is more important to talk to than a big star such as Rodger Clemens. The second class I went to was by a guy who writes for the Globe and he shared his stories about how he began to write. He writes for the  arts section and he said that he likes writing for the arts section because not many newspapers have good art sections.  The other two that i went to were on how to make a good press conference and about how racism is in the media and how it has changed over time. I found the conference very interesting and I would definitely go again if I were able to take different classes.

-Ben Sampson

Media Matters: Writing Conference

Yesterday I went to the Media Matters conference at UMass Boston with four other Watertown high students. When we arrived we got a string backpack. In it was a chocolate bar, notebook, pen, brochures and teen newspapers. There was also a book which had a short bio on all the guest speakers.

First I went Sports Stories--How to Get YOUR Angle. THe speaker was Bill Littlefield from WBUR show "Only a Game". He talked about stories he had written. He talked a lot about how football is a popular and powerful sport in the U. S. but it is very dangerous. A lot of football players have brain damage and die younger. He said it is hard to write a story against something so popular. Then he went on to say that athletes get tired of reporters. A reporter has to find a way to break through. Sometimes you have to risk asking a stupid question to get a good story. Although I thought his stories were very interesting he never really answered the question of how to get the angle.

Next I went to From Iowa to the White House. Derrick Z. Jackson, an associate editor for the Boston Globe, spoke about his experiences following the campaign trail. First he showed pictures of Obama that he had taken himself. The pictures looked professional and very close up. He said a speech Obama made on race helped him win the election. He said that if Obama had made one mistake in the wording of the speech he may not have been President. He said one of the hardest parts about being a political colomnist is not letting personal opinions get in the way.

Next I went to Investigative Reporting: From Documents to Door Knocks. Ric Kahn, Coordinator of Boston Teens in Print and former Boston Globe reporter took us step by step through the process of writing one of his articles. When we first walked in everyone was handed a laptop. The story was about a homeless woman who had died of a herion overdose. Suprisingly she was from the wealthy town of Wilmington, MA. We went of the Wilmington town website and found her house. This gave information about how many rooms were in the house. Next he said to go to the house to ask the family questions. Calling would make it to easy for someone to hang up. Unfortunately this family was not willing to give out much information so he turned to death certificates, marriage licenses and police reports. He said the more information you have the more people will give you. At the end of the class Ric Khan made everyone ask a question before we could leave. This was my favorite class because it was interactive and really interesting.

Abortion Clinic

Watch the video!

The video "Abortion Clinic" is a video on PBS Frontline, which was first aired on April 18, 1983.  This documentary was filmed at the Reproductive Health and Counseling Center in Chester, PA.  At that time, the city had a 30% unemployment rate.  During their five months at the clinic, the producer's of the film met with hundreds of women.  Two of those women, Barbara and Helen, have their abortion's filmed.  It is a struggle for both of them, emotionally and physically.  Two decades later, it remains one of Frontline's most powerful stories ever told. 

I'm hoping you all know what an abortion is. If you don't, then let me explain it to you.  An abortion is when a pregnancy is terminated, in which the fetus is sucked out of the mother's uterus.  This documentary is divided into six chapters.  Chapter one gives and overview of the women who visit seeking for abortions, and also the towns anti-abortion activists.  Chapter two and three tell the story of Helen, a seventeen year old who visits the clinic to get an abortion, and shockingly, this will be her second one.  Chapter four discusses the alternatives to abortions such as adoption and keeping the child.  Dr. George Isajiw and his wife are mentioned in this chapter, who both have counseled and supported over 500 women who decide to carry their babies into term.

Chapters five and six introduce Barbara, a seventeen year old women, who visits the clinic to get an abortion.  She has had a difficult and sad life.  She would get beaten by her boyfriend.  She managed to have a two year old boy named Michael, but now feels that her life is in a difficult situation to have anymore kids.  As her abortion is being showed, it is clearly visible that she is an a lot of pain and has a hard time with the abortion.

In my opinion, an abortion is a murder.  They should be illegal.  How is it that these mothers don't realize they are killing their babies?  They are denying their own flesh and blood and preventing a life from entering the earth.  Do you know what happens when an abortion is complete?  The fetus get tossed out, like it is worth nothing.  At a certain growth, the fetus can feel pain and if it's life is being terminated, should it be allowed to feel death?  This picture shows what is done to the fetus.  Do you think life should be treated this way?

Ten Trillion and Counting

This front line video that I watched is about the national deficit and how it has spiraled out of control during the past eight years under the Bush Administration. There was a surplus during the later years of Bill Clinton's presidency but it slowly started going down after George Bush took office in January of 2001. When George H. W. Bush was president, he put in order a pay as you go plan that required the government to find a way to pay for everything that it spends. It was extended when Bill Clinton took office but expired eight years later. Just like this graph shows, it will take years (and money) for the government would turn the deficit around into a rare surplus.

About this "pay as you go" plan, George Bush didn't bother to extend it and nowadays, Barack Obama said he wants to have it reinstated again because it requires the government to be more financially responsible with taxpayer's money. If there is something somebody wants either it's a congressman, a senator, or even the president himself that is expensive, they have to pay for it someway by cutting spending somewhere else or by raising taxes; then if this cannot be done, then this bill will be dropped in Congress or the president wouldn't even bring it up to Congress.

Close to Home

Close to Home is a Frontline documentary about the Upper East side in New York City and how it is affected by the economy. Most news channels and documentaries have been focusing on the lower and middle class financial problems. The fact that this documentary was about wealthy New Yorkers made it unique. Another very interesting point of the video that made it unique was that it was filmed in a hair salon called Deborah's. Customers were interviewed while getting their hair done. The idea of the documentary was to capture what Deborah, the hairdresser, heard daily about the day to day struggles her clients were facing due to the economy. Deborah said people often tell her about their economic troubles "Somebodies willing to listen. Somebodies willing to hear the problems that they are facing because of this economic crisis." Many clients had lost their jobs and even businesses. One young couple lost their coffee shop because they were not getting enough customers. There were some people I was very sympathetic for such as a man who had been out of work for months. He had sent out more than 200 resumes and gone on many job interviews. He seemed worn out from the stress. He constantly was attending support groups for the unemployed where members help each other improve resume and interview skills. There were other people who I thought were very dramatic and not thankful for what they still had. One woman was at the salon for a touch up because she was going out that night. She said she had to sell her beloved Porsche to pay for her health insurance. She said giving up the Porsche was harder than getting a divorce. During the interviews the clients were getting their hair cut. This was a different perspective that showed a different side of the upper class.

Growing Up Online

See Video Here

The Video "Growing Up Online" on PBS Frontline was a video about how the the new generation of kids are all growing up with the internet at their disposal. It touches on the subject of whether or not the internet is a good thing or a bad thing by interviewing multiple families about their experiences. In most cases the parents were against it and the kids were for it.

The internet is a place with no boundaries and no rules. Anything can be said, read, and seen. Obviously kids are ecstatic over this freedom available to them, and obviously parents are frightened, and for good reason. The internet had negative side effects on many of the kids featured in this video. Talking trash is easier online than in person, so groups of girls who had been fighting online for weeks eventually got into a brawl at school in the cafeteria that everybody was able to see because it was filmed on multiple cell phones and put up on YouTube. Another self conscious girl used the internet to look up details about anorexia with her spare time.

The repercussions of the internet were much more sever in one kids case though. In school this boy was bullied, and if it wasn't for the internet he could just go home after school and be safe, but just like most other kids he went home and logged on to his facebook or myspace where the harassment just continued. At the age of 13 he killed himself. When his father looked on the boy's computer for clues he saw all the tormenting messages, and that he had been looking up many things about death and suicide. The boy had also been talking to another kid online about about his self destruction who was convincing him to kill himself. The internet may not have been the only reason that the boy committed suicide, but it was definitely a catalyst.

The overall message of "Growing Up Online" is that the internet is here to stay and despite the dangers of it the best thing to do is to educate kids on how to be safe online. Attempting to hide them from it will only make them more naive and vulnerable. I agree with this completely. In my opinion the internet is one of the greatest resources we have right now and if it is used well then it can be extremely useful. We're using the internet right now anyway right, and how awesome is that.

Ms V and the Pats!

PLEASE SEE ME ANYTIME ON FRIDAY SO I CAN UPLOAD YOUR EDUCATION VIDEO FOR THE COMPETITION!!! YOU CAN FINISH FRONTLINE ON MONDAY! GET YOUR EDUCATION VIDEOS DONE!

Frontline & EDUCATION VIDEO

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL STUDENTS KNOW THAT IN ORDER FOR THEIR VIDEOS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE NATIONAL COMPETITION THEY MUST BE DONE BY THIS FRIDAY!! SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSING EARLIER THAN I EXPECTED.


THAT MEANS SOME OF YOU WILL HAVE TO COME TO THE LAB AFTER SCHOOL IF YOU WANT YOUR VIDEOS IN THE COMPETITION. YOU CAN ALSO WORK ON IT FRIDAY AFTER SCHOOL--I WILL BE THERE TO HELP! 
ALL SUBMISSION MUST BE THROUGH YOUR PERSONAL YOUTUBE ACCOUNT. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE THEN MAKE ONE!

SINCE I WON'T BE SEEING YOU GUYS YOU WILL HAVE TO E-MAIL ME (msventurawhs@gmail.com) YOUR YOUTUBE ACCOUNT INFO AND I WILL UPLOAD YOUR VIDEO FOR YOU.
PLEASE SEE ME AFTER SCHOOL ON FRIDAY SO I KNOW THE VIDEOS I SHOULD EXPORT AND UPLOAD.

MS. V

FRONTLINE ASSIGNMENT
Here is my advice if you want to do well on this assignment:

1) WATCH THE VIDEO AND TAKE NOTES IN A GOOGLE DOC ( 1st Lab)
2) AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEO START A "ROUGH DRAFT" OF THE BLOG (2nd Lab)
You are writing a REVIEW of the documentary. Be sure to include quotes from film, links, pictures and your opinion. You will be presenting your review to the class so MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!
3) FINISH Writing and double and triple check grammar, POST BLOG (3rd Lab)

I look forward to reading your blogs! Cheers, Ms. V

Frontline Blogs Timeline

 

Interactive Journalism Schedule
Day 7: Tuesday Oct 27th: First Grade Education Video

Day 1: Wed Oct 28th: LAB --Watch Your Frontline Video
Day 2: Thursday: LAB Oct 29th-Write blog, but do not post
Day 3: no class
Day 4: Monday LAB--FINISH BLOG & presentation ideas for Grade
Day 5: Wednesday Nov 4: Re-Edits and exports of Education Video
Day 6: Thurs. Nov 5 LAB: Start autobiography project--writing about life
Day 7: Friday Nov 6: Watch all videos (Final Grade)


Shane: Merchants of Cool
James: Growing Up Online
Ben: Diet Wars
Farrah: Burden of Innocence
Nicole: On Our Watch
Peter: Ten Trillion and Counting
Despina: Abortion Clinic
Obama's War: Kevin
Joey: Spying on the Homefront

Educational Video Rubric: Due Oct 27th

A: SUPER AWESOME PROJECT:
Good Attendance
Always on time—less then 2 Tardies
Voice over or video
Images correspond to voice over or video
Transitions
Text
Music
Youtube videos
Great Effort

B: Because you are Trying!
Voice over or video
Images correspond to voice over or video
Transitions
Text integration
Music
Youtube
Fair Effort


C: Can’t hurt to try harder
Bad Attendance
Lots of Tardies
Voice over
Images barely correspond
Poor Effort

D: Did you even try?
Everything in C….plus

F: Frankly, you are wasting space.
Terrible Effort
Do you have a pulse?

Jeff Fisher Wears Colts Jersey

This is sure to make Titans fans very angry... their head coach who is has lead the Titans to an 0-6 record so far has worn a Peyton Manning Jersey at an event where he was introducing former Colts coach Tony Dungy. A controversy was made over nothing and I don't even know why it would be hyped up by the media in the first place.

A link to a youtube video

News at WHS

" ExPeCt blOoDShEd "



On Wednesday ; October 7th at Watertown High school ; A custodian was cleaning out one of the boys bathroom and came across the words " Expect Bloodshed" written on the stall door. Immediately, he reported what he had saw and the school quickly contacted the Watertown Police department. At 6:OO am there was a Ed message sent to all students and staff of WHS explaining what had happened and for all students to enter school that morning through the Columbia Street entrance ONLY and leave all backpacks at home.

Of course many students brought backpacks; but all backpacks were collected and all students will get their bags back at the bell at 2:3Opm. All of the students of Watertown High School was gathered together in the auditorium after coming into school for a brief meeting with all staffs and students about what was going on. Personally i thought to my self " What in he world is this ?! " I was confused because i didn't know any of this until a student on his way to school told me and my sister and my cousin that we wasn't allowed to bring bags into the school or they were going to take it for the day.

Not only did they check all lockers, take all bags, messed up the whole morning , they all canceled all after school activities that day, including : Cheer leading, Basketball, Etc. It was all back to normal the next day. Students were allowed to enter the school with bags, but they asked for all students to enter the school through the Columbia Street entrance. The school took those to words very serious, as they should. Overall, everything is back to normal and they asked if anyone knows who wrote it or what it means, don't hesitate to tell someone, it would really help.

In my opinion i think every student at Watertown High had to go through a lot ; just for one kids stupidity and their senseless actions. It really pissed me off. I had to go through airport security just to start school that morning.

Playing baseball or playing monopoly? (Midterm Assignment)

There is a monopoly going on in the MLB. The only one that comes to mind is the New York Yankees. The Yankees are a team that makes a whole lot of the and, without a salary cap can just go out and spend all of their money. Basically they can just go to get an expensive player and they can win because of it. For those who don't know how a salary cap works, here's a link that explains it:
Salary Cap Explaination

As you read, in the NHL, NBA, and NFL; there is a salary cap which no team can exceed. On the other hand, there's no salary cap in baseball and that leads to wealthier teams like the Yankees to monopolize the system. I think that they need a salary cap to stop teams like the Yankees from monopolizing the system year after year.

What do you think about this situation in the MLB?

Females on Submarines (Midterm Assignment)

Just a couple weeks ago Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), proposed that the ban on females working submarines be lifted. This has been a policy that the Navy has been trying to change. The CNO believes that a more diverse crew would help the Navy force move forward.
I agree with the fact that women are able to perform the same tasks as men just as well in the submarine force. It is has always been seen that women are less capable than men militarily and I do not agree with that. I believe women should be allowed to serve on submarines.
Women on submarines could be a problem though. Navy officials are worried that there will be a rise in sexual harassment cases. Subs are small and space is tight. Most of the time, sailors have to share bunks and this could be a big problem with females in the submarine. However, there are some renovations plans being looked into if the women on submarines ban is lifted. This would cost millions of dollars though.
In my most honest opinion though, the Navy should keep things the way they are. The old adage "don't fix something that isn't broken" perfectly fits this situation. I say keep the ban and save the headache and money on something more important. No offense, I just don't see this issue as a major concern at all.

Here is the link to the original article on Navytimes.com



Written by Kevin Phu

Midterm Assignment

Obese Baby denied insurance

Health insurance companies have been known for excluding people with health problems. In a business perspective that is a smart approach to running a business. Accepting all people with expensive health care needs can lead to the foreclosure of the business. In a personal perspective it seems cruel to exclude the people who need health care the most. Someone with a serious disease should not need to worry about how they are going to pay for their health care.

A recent story stirs up controversy on how much power insurance companies should have in denying coverage. A four month old baby, Alex Lange, has been denied health care because he is obese. Rocky Mountain Health Care has denied the 17 pound, 25 inch baby. He is being considered a high risk patient because of his obesity. His parents are shocked and upset. Alex’s father says “I could understand if we could control what he's eating. But he's 4 months old. He's breast-feeding. We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill. There is just something absurd about denying an infant."
Bernie and Kelli Lange, the baby's parents have been informed that babies above the 95 percentile for height and weight are not accepted by health insurance companies. Their baby is in the 99th percentile. Doctor Doug Speedie, the medical director at Rocky Mountain Health Care commented, “your weight is not an absolute determinate of health. Unfortunately when we try to sell people insurance, a number has to be used as a cutoff."

The fact that a baby was denied insurance because of his weight seems ridiculous. There was no indication that the baby was unhealthy. I understand that healthcare is a business but it seems like the cut offs are quite extreme. I agree with Bernie Lange that there is not much that can be done to control a baby’s weight. I think stories similar to these are becoming more and more visible due to the healthcare debates.

Sources
Fox Article

Video
Newscast

Midterm Assaignment (Angel In The Outfield0

On April 8th 2009 Nick Adenhart made his fourth career start and the first one of the season. In this start he pitched 6 scoreless innings and struck out five batters during that start, a near perfect start for his first of the season. This was the best game of his young career, which looked to be promising.

The real story is the tragic events that arose the night after his stellar performance against the A's. On April 9th 2009, Nick Adenhart was involved in a tragic three-way car crash in Fullerton. This accident happened just around midnight by a 22 year old man named Andrew Thomas Gallo. Gallo was driving drunk and already had a suspend license, so Gallo's car ran after he hit Adenhart's car and was caught 30 minutes later by the cops. He was later charged with the murder of Adenhart.

Ever since this accident happened the Angels players have really honored him by displaying his picture in the outfield and also bringing his jersey to every game. The Angels also have kept his locker with his jersey in it. And they also have the number 34 patch on the front of all their jerseys. The fans created their own memorial outside the stadium with his jersey and flowers.

In my opinion this is the best and saddest story in all of baseball. This is a sad story because of the bright future lost due to a tragic death. It is also a touching story because of what the Angels have accomplished this season with the loss of their teammate and best friend.

ARTICLE

Midterm Project

Fewer Clicks On Web Display Ads

See Article Here



Recent studies by comScore ("a digital marketing intelligence platform that helps its customers make better-informed business decisions and implement more effective digital business strategies") show that website display ads are getting fewer and fewer clicks. This is bad new for the hosting web sites, seeing as one third of all online ad spending pays for such ads and most of these sites are paid by the click. Let's take a look at why these ads have so little appeal, and whether or not they're still worth it.

ComScore's statistics show that the percentage of Americans that click on display ads dropped from 32 to 16 percent. However, it is more of the advertiser's fault that anybody else. The people writing these ads are fairly aware that the person sitting at their computer have little to no interest in the product offered, so they set up bait to trick the gullible. Ads will say things such as "Take this survey, win a free laptop," when in reality the company has no intentions of giving out any free laptops. At first people clicked on these hoping to get free stuff but eventually everybody caught on to the scam and refrained from wasting their time.

Despite the fact that less people are clicking on display ads Andrew Lipsman, comScore’s director of industry analysis, still sees their value. He thinks that judging an ad's success by number of clicks "grossly understates the importance of an advertising campaign." Even though people might not click on the ad they will still see the product, and ComScore's studies found that by just looking at a product increases the chances that the viewer will purchase it later on. The sole purpose of most ads out their is to gain brand awareness, which is a value that can't be compared to the number of clicks.

Gay Rights Advocates March For Change

                           

Thousands of gay and lesbian activists marched Sunday from the White House to the Capitol, demanding that President Obama keep his promises to allow gays to serve openly in the military and work to end discrimination against gays.  The crowd was filled with rainbow flags and homemade signs.  The crowd filled Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House as the crowd chanted "hey Obama, let mama, marry mama" and also "we're out, we're proud, we won't back down!"  Many children were also among the protesters, which stretched several blocks down by the afternoon.

At the annual Human Rights Campaign, Obama promised to end the "don't ask, don't tell policy." Last year, more than 600 people were forced out of the armed forces under this policy.
This policy means that if you are gay you can't talk about it or tell anyone.

In his Saturday night speech, Obama also called on Congress to repeal the Defense Of Marriage Act, which limits how state, local and federal bodies can recognize partnerships and determine benefits. He also called for a law to extend benefits to domestic partners.  He expressed strong support for the Human Resource Campaign agenda of ending discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people but did not explain a detailed plan for how to get there.

These people are determined to end discrimination against gays.   They want equal rights for themselves and others.  "If somebody doesn't have equal rights, then none of us are free," said Jason Yanowitz, a 37 year old computer programmer from Chicago.

To me, it is embarrassing to see how the country I live in, the land of the free, does not treat these people equally.  They are humans, are they not?  No one should be telling others they can't marry the person they love or serve in the military based on their sexual preferences. Furthermore, they shouldn't have to keep their sexual  identity a secret.  If Obama wants to lead a country and help his people, then he should keep his promise to end this discrimination.

Want to learn more?  
Visit and read these articles!

Here is a clip of the march:

New School Snacks

I found an article in the New York Times about how the Education Department is trying to work on a new contract for schools which would mean less junk food. The contract for the drinks would give exclusive drink machine rights to CC vending which is in the Bronx and they would be selling Pepsi products to the schools. The elementary schools and middle schools would be required to sell drinks that have less than 10 calories per 8 ounces and for the high schools 25 calories per 8 ounces. The drinks would not be allowed to be artificially sweetened which means no sodas are allowed. They would have to be caffeine free or non carbonated.

The snack machines would be run and operated by Answer Vending which is in Queens and it would put limits on calories, fat and sugar content. They are trying to get rid of all unhealthy foods from schools and replace them with healthier foods. The new rules would also ban bake sales except for once a month bake sales for parent groups to raise money for the school. These new contracts with both CC Vending and Answer Vending will be replacing the other unhealthier vending machine companies.

I think that its a very smart idea for the schools to be making healthier choices because childhood obesity is a very serious issue. I know from experience that kids at schools eat a lot of calorie, fat, and sugar filled snacks and drinks. Having healthy snacks will not just help with obesity but overall health.

-Ben Sampson

MID TERM BLOG ASSIGNMENT_due OCT 13

 The Mid-term Assignment is to create an original BLOG where you are the journalist “covering a story.”
You are free to choose the story, but make sure that you can provide resources to support your discussion and information—otherwise it is plagiarism. You can also blog about a local event or news worthy item. Blogs must be at least 3 paragraphs.
Due, Tues Oct 13

EXAMPLES:
TIMES BEST 25 BLOGS 2009

Invisible Children: How It Ends

See Video Here

This video is about the "How It Ends" movement where many people showed up in DC help pass a bill to take Joseph out of power. The reason they needed so many people was so that the bill doesn't get "lost in the political process."

The Guilt-Trip Casserole: The Family Dinner

Read this article and react! What is your opinion regarding family dinners?
The Guilt-Trip Casserole: The Family Dinner

NY Times Video Blogging & Presenting

As we begin making videos in this class, it is helpful to look at other videos made by journalist. NY Times has a wonderful array of subjects and topics in a short video format.

Today start to check out what this site has to offer. Be prepared next week to share one specific video with the class. Also, make sure to blog about the video before the presentation.

Answer these questions:
What is the video about?
Why did you choose this video?
What are some of the filmmaking techniques the journalist employed when making this video? What would have you done differently.
Please make sure to attach a link to the video as well.
http://video.on.nytimes.com/

Did You Know?

What is your reaction to this video? What is the purpose?
Write a THOUGHTFUL reaction to this video and be prepared to talk about your opinions.

Is college worth the trouble?

The article I read on college and how it's affected by the economy has me slightly worried. The recession we're in currently has had a horrible affect on college's funding but also, the rate of enrollment and acceptance has gone way up. With cutbacks and more kids to educate things are going downhill. In California, they want less freshmen to be accepted into their state colleges.

The article also talks about the debt that comes with college, which can be upwards of 20 thousand dollars. Is the college education worth it, they ask. They found that the median salary a college graduate makes is about $47,000 a year. A college student that doesn't complete a full four years still makes about $33,000. Unfortunately college tuition is on the rise along with rates of enrollment, and budget cuts.

Here is the link

A "SLUT" list ?

Many people most likely  read the article on Nytimes.com, taking about the "Slut list" that girls around the world are taking "mean" to a whole different level. In Millburn High School in New Jersey, girls at the school made a list of girls that are " Sluts" and or/ perform oral sex, and sex with other guys on the campus. No surprised the parents of these students were informed and they were shocked. I couldn't believe that girls now a days would take it being mean to  a whole different level. 

I find the article sad; but also very true, many girls would do things like that to hurt others, I find it disgusting that girls would be so                                                                                           heartless and do things like that.   

link to the article ::  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/weekinreview/27kelly.html?_r=1&ref=education

Post a comment. 

Not Serving Those That Did

When is the Department of Veterans Affairs going to help the ones who they're supposed to be helping. With the Montgomery G.I Bill available for every veteran, it's hard to not expect that they are going to use it. The bill covers most, or usually all educational expenses for vets if they decide to  go to college.

For months, VA has been pushing the bill so that everyone takes advantage of it. Not the the applications are flooding in and guess what? The people are not getting their money. Thousands of veterans have had to dig into their life savings to cover school costs since their colleges and universities never got tuition payments that were supposed to be made by September 1 by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Thousands have been forced to take out loans and are now in debt. Many have even had to drop out of school because VA is saying that most applicants will not be getting their money until November. 

The reason why veterans enrolled in school this year was because the VA was urging them to, assuring them that everyone would get their money by September 1 and that they would not have to worry  about a thing. Obviously that was a big lie and now veterans are in a horrible financial situation that they never expected.

The men and women that honorably served our country need to be honorably served by the ones appointed  to help them in their post military lives. 

Click here to read the original article posted on NY Times

Blog written by Kevin Phu

When the Cool Get Hazed

See Article Here

This article is about a "slut list" found at a New Jersey high school that was spread through Facebook. The girls say that the list was made all in good fun, which makes no sense because it slanders and trashes just about every girl in the school, which is pretty funny i guess. One recent graduate said “Being on the list means you are rich, you wear expensive clothing, and probably fall under the general umbrella of attractiveness." It's pretty dumb (and funny) that all these girls think they're the best just cause they sleep around.

Sleep Tight, Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite...

On thursday the John Jay College of Criminal Justice shut down because of a bed bug problem in the dorms. Some teachers said that they were getting rashes in August but they didn't think that it would be bed bugs. Bed bugs were in half of the rooms and teachers and student were astounded when they heard about what areas were infested. There have been no bites reported just rashes but this is still a serious issue, and they should be opening up again on monday. 

-Ben Sampson

Click here for a link to the article

Awkward walk-ins at Tufts

College Students don't want to walk into their dorm room to see that their roommate is having sex with someone. This is quite an awkward situation especially when the roommate walking in doesn't know anything. It is also just common sense to give a roommate a heads up when these situation are going to occur.

Here's a link to a Boston Herald Article

I've been reading this article and I think that this is interesting to hear about.

Our education, our future!

 In Cape Town, South Africa, thousands of students marched to City Hall with a slight request: they want a library and librarians.  These students wanted to make a difference in their lives by demanding the proper education they need. These students even strive to fix their school. Around five hundred windows at the school were broken for years, which left the students cold in the winter. In November, provincial education officials agreed to fix the school windows and a sum of ten times what the students requested would be invested in the school.  I think these students seem inspiring and they inspire others to pursue an education and they want their school to be in better conditions for each other.

Want to learn more?  Click here.

Crowed School

I was reading an ARTICLE  about how a school called Francis Lewis High in Queens New York has over twice the amount of students as it was built for which is 2,400 student. Having twice the amount causes the school to have the first lunch around 9 Am, and last lunch ends at 2:46 Pm. Also the some of the students start school at 7 Am and some don't leave until 12 hours later.

The gym classes are held outside unless it snows, rains, or if it is below 34 degrees. Still for some reason this High School is still one of the most popular High Schools in New York city with about 13,000 applications a year. One reason why it is so packed is because it is one of the best schools in the city having a graduation rate of 81%, and also most high schools in Manhattan are open to just city kids, Francis Lewis High is open to kids on a certain geographic area.

When the Cool Get Hazed

The  New York Times article  When the Cool Get Hazed  is about a new kind of bullying or hazing.  Now the taunts have become more sexual and have reached the Internet.  Recently at a New Jersey High School  a "slut list"  has been found.   The list links how promiscuous you are to how popular you are.  Being on the list is considered a good thing and is  a step toward popularity.    The list has been posted on facebook.  Recent graduates of the school  have said "Being on the list means you are rich, you wear expensive clothing, and probably fall under the general umbrella of attractiveness. Essentially, the slut list is the Goldman Sachs daughters list, a distorted assertion of wealth and power within a highly pressured upper middle class environment.”  I think that this seems really bad and am surprised that it went on for 10 years at this high school.  I think that the Internet makes it easier for bullying and spreading rumors.  

State Radio - Camilo

I love this band, this song, and this video. It's about a friend of the band who went to the war in Iraq but when he came back he decided to become a conscientious objector, which is someone who refuses to go to war based on their religious or moral principals. For doing this, Sergeant Camilo was sentenced to 9 months in prison.