Extra credit recorded broadcast for feature story

http://soundcloud.com/arhochmuth/tattoobroadcast/s-cPkD5

Copy Edit The World #3

This is from the MSNBC News app on my iPhone. The line in the middle accidentally spells blanket as "blacket."

The first word in this story spells the name of Anna Nicole Smith's daughter wrong.  Her name is supposed to be spelled "Dannielynn" instead of Danielynn.

To be fair, this isn't an originally found typo.  This was an amusing story I saw on the news about an elementary school that misspelled its own name for 9 years. Posters, flyers, t-shirts, and other memorabilia all used the spelling "Sunrise-McMillian" when it should really be "Sunrise-McMillan" with no extra "i."

Post #11 - IMHO (#2)

            A recent story I read on msnbc.com is about a woman who was fired from her job with Wells Fargo for a crime that she committed 40 years ago.

            Yolanda Quesada, a Wells Fargo employee for more than five years, was terminated last week after a background check revealed a shoplifting conviction from 1972 when she was just out of high school. 

            Judging from the online comments on this news story, many people are worked up about Quesada’s termination.  One of the most scrutinized lines in the story is a quote from a Wells Fargo spokesman that says, “We are bound by federal law that generally prohibits us from hiring or continuing the employment of any person who we know has a criminal record involving dishonesty or breach of trust.”

            Considering the recent controversies surrounding Wells Fargo in the last two years or so, I can see why this comment sparked a lot of discussion.  Wells Fargo has had incidents with tax evasion and has been accused in the past by public officials of misusing taxpayers’ money.  In 2012, the company was fined by a judge for unfair overdraft practices that misled customers.  Also, last month, they were ordered to pay $3.1 million in damages for mortgaging service misconduct.

            Based on these incidents, it seems a little ridiculous that Wells Fargo would fire an employee for a minor crime of 40 years ago when they haven’t done much to prove their own honesty as of lately.  I can’t disagree that this seems a bit hypocritical of a company charged with misleading customers and avoiding taxes.

            I am torn on this issue, however, because I also see the fault in Yolanda Quesada.  Wells Fargo has a written contract against hiring anyone with this kind of criminal record.  Quesada knew this when applying and knowingly lied during the application process.  In that respect, the termination is not unfounded. 

            I can see from the perspective of both the bank and the employee.  This, to me, reiterates the importance of understanding every angle of a story when examining the news. 

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/07/11578176-wells-fargo-fires-employee-for-72-shoplifting-conviction 

Letter to the Editor

Dear Yahoo! News,

I just want to let you know how much I appreciate the story by Eric Pfeiffer about Hawaiian student Ciara Cetraro’s 13 years of perfect attendance.  It is truly refreshing to read a story about something good that someone has done and to see them recognized for it.  In a news world full of crime, violence, and celebrity garbage, it is nice to finally come across a story with a positive message.  Ciara deserves to be praised for her hard work and great achievement.  Thank you for using her encouraging story to spread inspiration to others.

Sincerely,

Amanda – San Jose, CA

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/13-years-perfect-attendance-student-nears-2-000-221116269.html

Advertisement Analysis

           

         The ad I am analyzing is for Metromint peppermint water and was found in a People Style Watch magazine.  Considering the magazine it was placed in, I would assume this ad is targeted specifically for young women.  The ad uses bold colors and a sleek design to perhaps appeal to a trendy audience.  This also goes along with its placement in a style magazine.  The ad makes an effort to promote the fact that the water is 100 percent pure, has zero calories, and uses no sweetener but still provides cool refreshment.  It specifically uses the phrase “100% guilt-free.”  This is likely to appeal to young women who are figure-conscious and are involved in an active and healthy lifestyle.

            I think the main message of this advertisement is simply that by drinking this brand of water you will be both trendy and healthy.  Even the graphic design of the label on the bottle looks modern and would appeal to a young, active generation.  I think the use of style, colors, and text does a good job of reaching the target audience.

Simile/Metaphor exercise

Metaphors:
She sat quietly on the front porch letting the sunlight embrace her.

He was a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment.

Similes:
The building stood tall like a proud soldier watching over the city.

Her harsh words felt like a knife twisting into my chest.

Post #8 - Japanese Internment Memorial

            The vignettes at the Japanese Internment Memorial depicted an emotional past of not just the artist, but the entire Japanese race. 

The Japanese Internment began shortly after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  The Internment, authorized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, allowed the confinement and relocation of Japanese and Japanese Americans living in the U.S to what were known as “war relocation camps.”  This was essentially prompted by racial prejudice and fear of the Japanese people in America revolting against their own country.  Eventually, President Ronald Reagan apologized on behalf of the U.S. government and attempted to distribute more than one billion dollars in reparations to the Japanese Americans who had been held captive in the country they called their home.

 In 1942, San Jose State University utilized their gym (what is now Yoshihiro Uchida Hall) to house and register Japanese Americans before sending them off to various internment camps.

Ruth Asawa was one of those interned during the 1940s.  An aspiring art teacher, she was unable to get hired for the prerequisite teaching that was necessary to complete her degree.  She instead became a sculptor, famous for her many different styles of art including stone and wire sculptures, paintings, and drawings seen all over the Bay Area.

In her Japanese Internment Memorial sculpture in downtown San Jose, Asawa portrays much of the angst, fear, and confusion of those dark days in American history.  Scenes are pictured of children being held in areas surrounded by barbed wire fences.  This makes them look more like herds of cattle being imprisoned rather than innocent young children.  The carved images show the discomfort of tight, crowded living quarters, with families practically piled on top of each other.  Overall, the murals convey a sense of fear and frustration from the hands of an artist with firsthand knowledge and experience of such devastating times.

In my opinion, it would be almost unthinkable for something like this to happen in the future.  It seems that our country is in a much different place than in the 1940s.  I think the events of the Japanese Internment will remain a sad but prominent piece of American history.