Media Project: Enterntainment Weekly Review of Iron Man 2

Release Date: May 7, 2010
Rated: PG-13 Length: 125 minutes
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, and Samuel L. Jackson
GRADE:




When the first Iron Man film came out 2 summers ago it was considered by many viewers to be a critical success. People enjoyed its action packed storyline, the impressive visuals, and Robert Downey Jr.’s wise-cracking antics as the hero Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Yes many even compared it to The Dark Knight that summer and even said that it was one of the best comic book movies of all time. Now the next part might shock you a bit but I was one of the weirdos at the time that didn’t think to highly of the movie. In fact, I thought the whole film was mediocre at best, with some above average visuals, and some funny lines by Robert Downey Jr. and nothing more. That said though, at the time I thought there was a good base to build a good sequel off of. So, like your typical action moviegoer, I rounded up my dude friends and caught the Iron Man 2 midnight premier and prepared myself for some good old fashion summer action movie testosterone. After viewing the movie however, it turned out I was only partly right about it being better.


Iron Man 2 continues the story of billionaire turned international crime fighter Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and his Iron Man suit, six months after the events of the first film. Right now, the United States senate is trying to confiscate the Iron Man suit as a weapon for the military but Stark won’t let them have it because he has “successfully privatized world peace.” Meanwhile a Russian scientist named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has a grudge against Stark and his family and plans to execute his vengenance by making a suit of his own to kill Stark with. To compound this, Stark’s rival businessman Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) wants the Iron Man suit so he can make his own and sell it to the military and he’ll do anything to get his hands on it, even if it means working with Vanko. Now, Stark must suit up again to stop these two before it’s too late.


Robert Downey JR. as Iron Man prepares to blast some bad guys.

Now lets get the good stuff out of the way first and make no mistake there was plenty to like here. Like the first film the movie is non-stop visual eye candy. It has some of best computer film graphics around and it’s hard not to think Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle look cool in their Iron Man suits. The film also doesn’t lack any star power either featuring some new faces like Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. But by far the best thing about the film is Robert Downey Jr who plays the hero Tony Stark aka Iron Man. He brings out the best of Stark’s character like his ego, his narcissism, and playboyish attitude. Like the first film he is the life and soul of the movie and is the most fun to watch on screen.

But unfortunately the second film had many of the same problems I had with the first. As I said before I love Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark but where the film does well in the Stark department it does bad in the Iron Man one. Some of the best parts of this movie are when Downey Jr. is in his Iron Man armor but like the first he’s hardly ever in it. The film felt like there was maybe 30 minutes of Iron Man while there was about an hour and half of Tony Stark. The other problem I had was how underused some of the stars were in this film like Don Cheadle as James Rhodes aka War Machine and Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko aka Whiplash. Cheadle seemed almost bored throughout the movie and his character never seemed to take flight even after he became War Machine. Rourke was barely in the movie too and he’s the feature villain! The sad thing is that there were times in the film where you feel like Rourke’s character might finally explode and get exciting but it never happens. Using these two actors so lightly is kind of like using a gun to open a can of beans, it’s over kill! Sadly too, despite the impressive visuals, the action scenes are few and far apart during the movie. They all seemed to come at the very start and the very end with a long hour and a half lay over between them. Now this would be forgivable if the story was engaging at all but it’s not. It’s better than the first but at times the story ventures from being somewhat interesting to downright boring and confusing and it’s hard to sit through it. When the film picks up though it really does pick up, but the time in between those sequences can be so long you might fall asleep before they even come.


Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko aka Whiplash, still sporting his same hairdo from "The Wrestler."

In the end, the film is still far from awful and despite my criticisms it’s mostly a solid movie. When the film gets entertaining it really is hard not to watch and enjoy yourself but unfortunately when it gets bad it’s hard not to fall asleep too. It’s worth the watch and money for sure and hardcore fans of the first film will probably enjoy it too. The “iron”y is the second film might not be as successful as the first but I actually enjoyed it more.

A solid start to the summer movie season but don’t expect anything too special…

Broadcast style exercise

NORTHQUEST AIRLINES ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT IT IS CUTTING ITS DOMESTIC FARES BY UP TO 40 PERCENT FOR HOLIDAY TRAVELERS. (4)

FRANK DEWITT, CEO OF NORTHQUEST AIRLINES, SAYS QUOTE "WE LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS A HOLIDAY GIFT TO OUR CUSTOMERS." (3)

DISCOUNTS VARY DEPENDING ON TRAVEL DATES. WITH THE DISCOUNTED, NON-REFUNDABLE FARES, A PASSENGER COULD TRAVEL ROUND-TRIP BETWEEN BOSTON AND SAN FRANCISCO FOR AS LITTLE AS 349 DOLLARS. (3)

TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY JULY 1 FOR TRAVEL BETWEEN NOVEMBER 20 AND JANUARY 5 IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES (3)

Broadcast stories

2 Struck, killed by train in Richmond


AN ACCIDENT IN RICHMOND KILLED 2 PEOPLE WEDNESDAY, WHERE AUTHORITIES SAY THAT AN AMTRAK TRAIN STRUCK THE TWO VICTIMS.

ACCORDING TO AMTRAK SPOKESMAN, VERNAE GRAHAM, THE TWO WERE HIT AND KILLED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF CARLSON BOULEVARD AND OHIO AVENUE, AT ABOUT 1:40 P.M., NOT FAR SOUTH OF THE RICHMOND AMTRAK STATION.

AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE 39 PASSENGERS ON BOARD WERE ESCORTED ON FOOT TO THE STATION WHERE THEY WERE ABLE TO BOARD ANOTHER TRAIN.

THE VICTIMS HAVEN’T BEEN IDENTIFIED BUT AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THEIR DEATHS IS UNDERWAY.

BOTH TRACKS NEAR THE ACCIDENT WERE LATER ABLE TO REOPEN AT 5:35 A.M. ALLOWING AMTRAK SERVICE TO RESUME.



Horse spotted running on Highway 17 found safe and sound


A HORSE RETURNED HOME TODAY AFTER BEING SPOTTED GALLOPING ON HIGHWAY 17 AFTER ESCAPING FROM HIS HOME NEAR LOS GATOS.

THE HORSE, A 22-YEAR OLD RESCUE ARABIAN NAMED STAR, WAS CAUGHT AT HOME ON KENT WAY, AFTER GALLOPING ON THE HIGHWAY, AND TAKEN TO AN ANIMAL SHELTER IN SAN MARTIN.

STAR REUNITED WITH HIS YOUNG 10 YEAR-OLD OWNER ATHENA MUZUMBAR AND HER FAMILY IN HIS HOME NEAR A CORRAL PROPERTY SOUTH OF LOS GATOS OWNED BY SUZANNE CRISTALLO.

THE HUMANE SOCIETY WAS ORIGINALLY RELUCTANT TO RELEASE STAR BACK TO HIS FAMILY BECAUSE OF SUSPICION OF MISTREATMENT BUT AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE MUZUBAR’S, WHO HAD THE PREVIOUS OWNER CALL THEM ABOUT STAR’S HEALTH PROBLEMS THEY ALLOWED HIM TO RETURN HOME.

ACCORDING TO CRISTALLO, THE CULPRITE BEHIND STAR’S ESCAPE COULD BE A PONY NAMED OREO WHO LIKES TO SLIDE OPEN METAL LOCKS ON METAL GATES THAT CORRAL HORSES.

IT SEEMED THEN THAT STAR TOOK HIS CHANCE RUN WILD BECAUSE HE’S NEW TO THE FARM AND ACCORDING TO CRISTALLO STILL HAD QUOTE “NO ALLEGIANCE TO THE HEARD.”

STAR’S OWNER ATHENA SAYS SHE’S HAPPY TO HAVE HER HORSE BACK AFTER THE BRIEF SCARE.

Soft Broadcast lead

An Alarming Event

*Voice Over format

Fire-fighters are known for putting out house fires, forest fires, car-fires, but you wouldn't expect them to put out birthday candle fires.

A women's group from the First United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma were celebrating the 95th birthday of resident Mabel McCullough when they were unexpectedly interrupted by a group of firefighters who arrived at the house.

The firefighters, who were expecting to see smoke and fire at the house, arrived only to find 95 burnt out birthday candles. Apparently McCullough's birthday cake had exactly 95 birthday candles on it and upon blowing them out, with the help of her guests, the smoke triggered her fire alarm which mobilized the firefighters to come to the house.

The firefighters didn't stick around for cake but they did have their pictures taken with McCullough.

Topical Blog Post

*Decided to do a little sports bit on a couple of the Bengals 2010 draft class. Hope you like it!

Gresham and Shipley Headline an interesting Bengals 2010 draft class


The 2009 AFC North Champion Bengals may have pumped some faith into their small but loyal fan base these last few days with the players they took in this year’s NFL draft.

The two picks that immediately standout are Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham and Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley. Gresham and Shipley should both be immediate impact players next season for the Bengals that will help open up the passing game for Pro-Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer. Gresham helps give Palmer the play-making tight end he’s never had in his seven-year career with the Bengals, while Shipley helps give Palmer a solid route-running possession receiver that he can count on on third-down.

The Bengals’ 2010 draft class does have some questionable calls though. Cincinnati was in need of an elite safety to man the middle of the field for the Bengals top cornerback tandem, Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall but didn’t succeed in trading up to get top safeties like USC’s Taylor Mays or Texas’s Earl Thomas. And while both Gresham and Shipley are considered in large part to be solid picks, the Bengals had chances to draft other stalwart receivers like Dez Bryant in the first round, and fan favorite Mardy Gilyard in the third round.

The Bengals though believe they made the right choices here but for many Bengals fans, these picks could be “hit” or “miss.” The team and it's fans are hopeful though, and maybe, just maybe, a little excited too.

Copy Edit the World #3 re-do

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Island-survivor/0d48f1c3-e324-4749-aca1-109901b099c2

"After getting directions to Fanene’s home, Busch found himself off the beaten path and into the woods by a stream. His first look at Fanene was memorable but also given what Busch learned about his relentless approach, it was fitting. Fanene was working, wearing work boots and a native robe while holding a weedeater."

"weedeater" is two words

"Then on the next snap Fanene chased Ben Roethlisberger out of bounds and dragged him down on a play that reinjured the quarterback’s throwing thumb. Later Roethlisberger babied an interception to Thurman that set up the Bengals’ insurance score with just under seven minutes left."

"reinjured" is spelled "re-injured."


http://www.bengals.com/cda-web/article-module.htm?id=4d42ba3d-5b59-4f93-aefb-1cc144376296&seoTitle=Lewis-draft-take-Scheffler-talks-denied§ion=news&vv=print

"“I don’t think you want to alter it,” said Lewis of his team’s board during the gap between the first and second rounds. “I think you have a chance to re-look. ‘Boy, nobody thought this guy was going to be sitting there.’ Kind of what you did in the past at the start of the fourth. ... Probably overthink it, overanalyze it. Probably not the best thing to do.”"

"Overthink" and "overanalyze" are two words: Over think, over analyze.

""Hopefully he does or he can, but I can't guarante that. He doesn't have to," Lewis said. "And that's generally a good situation for the team. Because I think the guys respect that. That gives everybody on the current roster a good feeling. There's nothing guraranteed here. Everybody earns the opportunity to be out there on that field and that's my job to fit them in the right spots.""

"Gurante" and "guranteed" are spelled "guarantee" and "guaranteed"

Feature Story Structure

The football helmet was made to protect players from sustaining head trauma during games, but still a shockingly large amount of all high school football related injuries happen to the neck and head.

There are approximately 20,000 injuries in high school football each year. 12 percent of all victims become permanently disabled and 13 youths also died last year. A shocking 35 percent of all these injuries occur to the neck and head and many critics are blaming the helmet for this.

Pete Stenhoff, a junior at Chula Vista High School in Redmond, Calif., was one of these players who sustained such an injury. During a game in his senior year, he rammed his head into the ball carrier’s chest and effectively cracked his vertebrae in his spine. Stendhoff is now confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life. Despite this though, he is not bitter.


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Wasn't sure if you wanted me to conclude the story in anyway but I did keep the first two paragraphs. Anyways I wasn't exactly sure what the nut graf and transition exactly was but I'm assuming right now that what I wrote is correct but let me know how it could be better if I didn't do it right.

~Wes

Column

“Health-Bowl 2010”


I don’t know about you but I’m SICK and tired of the health care debates! It just seems that this discussion about important issues concerning millions of Americans and their health and finances has devolved into a war of egos and prides between conservative and democratic politicians.

It has gotten so bad lately that I don’t even see this as a debate anymore; it’s just a one big football game. Yes, I just equated one of the most important political topics in recent history to the Super Bowl. But that’s really what it has become though. Conservatives and democrats a like don’t care as much about making health care reform right as they do beating the other side and getting re-elected.

For voters even it has devolved into this as well. For liberal and conservative voters it’s like watching your favorite football team play your most hated one. You don’t care whether your team deserves it or not you just want them to win and the other to lose more than anything.

But that’s the problem here, is that conservatives and liberals a like have devolved a reasonable political discussion like health care reform into a battle of football teams and that same feeling has been carried down to their “fans” or voters. And now neither side is willing to find a middle ground because there are no “ties” in the world of politics and in the end both sides just rather win than lose at this game. Either way, who ever wins, the American people lose.

Ethical Decision Making

Scenario 1:

I might read them first just to check and if it's something that I cannot ignore in terms of the law then I'll likely use them. I would also try inquiring her about it when she gets back, if I decide not to read it. If she says she's not at liberty to discuss them I will likely press her about it for a while if I think there's a good chance that she is lying.

Scenario 2:

I would do it but after gathering all the info I need I would go back to the nursing home and ask if it is ok to do the article. I would give them a chance for rebuttal so that they can give their opinion on the issues of their nursing home. But if they don't oblige then I'll have to either scrap the article or consult with my editor on how to deal with this. Perhaps work out a compromise.

Scenario 3:

I would reference the other source's quotes in my article stating something like "In a similar CNN.com article _____ said..." The only other thing I would do is call the other source and ask for permission to use their quotes. The important thing here is basically not to plagiarize another's work.

Libel Exercise

A sophomore at Springfield University claims a chemistry professor has sexually harassed her.

Karen Hart, 123 Hill Hall, says the professor, George O.T. Jungle, has touched her during tutoring sessions in his office and has invited her to his apartment several times. She said she declined his invitations.

"I am having trouble in the class and I have to go see him to get help with my papers and projects," Hart said. "But I am scared to go in his office now."

Jungle denied having an improper contact with the student and threatened this newspaper with a libel suit if it published the story.

Hart said she is thinking of filing a formal complaint with the university.

"I don't know how to do that," she said. "I don't know what to do."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bold and italic part of the passage is the obvious libelous message.

The problem with this article is:

1) There is no proof other than a statement from the supposed victim that she had been sexually harassed meaning using the "watchdog" case for journalism defense probably won't work because there isn't enough proof.

2) The teacher did not give permission for the reporter to publish this article thereby violating his right to privacy.


I'm not exactly sure how you would be able to publish this without getting a libelous suit. The one way I see this working is if the "watchdog defense" could be used here. Perhaps if Hart went to the police and filed this report making it something the police would have to allow as something that can be released to the public, then maybe it can be released because it becomes public instead of private.

Another way is instead of having the teacher just say "Don't publish" ask him if he would be willing to give his side of the story so that both Hart and the teacher have equal say on the accusation. This makes the article fair and the teacher will more likely give consent.

Lastly if you want to go around the "libel suit" threat, then find undeniable proof and facts that this event occured, by investigating further into the case before publishing. This makes the article more factual and gives the teacher no defense in the case.

Not sure if there is any other way this could be made better, please let me know of any other ways =).

Magazine Blog Post: Sports Illustrated

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

The magazine I currently subscribe to is Sports Illustrated and as an avid sports fan I think it’s worth every penny to read it every week.

Sports Illustrated’s target audience and focus is pretty straightforward; it’s about sports, for sports fans and men in general. What I think sets it apart from your typical sports magazine though is that it’s much more comprehensive and most of all intelligent compared to the others in it’s coverage of sports. It’s writing style is good in that it’s much more than just recycled garbage from ESPN (ex: “Well if the QB just threw the ball better…!”). The writers here like to be more creative in their analysis of the game and it’s players, giving more information on why certain players, coaches, GM’s, franchises, operate the way they do and then give a decent opinion on how they feel about it without it being overly bloated or opinionated.

Another great thing about Sports Illustrated is the photography, which to me is among the best in the magazine industry. Their photographers really do well in capturing the detail, beauty, and epic-ness of a sports event, whether it’s a Kobe Bryant slam-dunk in an NBA game, or a Larry Fitzgerald mid-air catch in the NFL. It’s really impressive and it’s one of the cooler things about this magazine. Plus they do an “exceptionally” good job in the annual “Swimsuit Issue.” Hehehe…

One other cool thing I like about the magazine is that it always has at least one solid serious investigative sports journalism piece on a slightly off-topic subject that has more appeal to it than just sports in each issue. One of my favorite ones was an article they did on young high school athletes who live in the east bay, and have to deal with crime and poverty growing up and see sports scholarships as an escape from all that. They discussed the triumph of the few that make it out but also talked about the tragedy that affects most of them, who often don’t make it and more often than not have their lives cut short by gang violence. So I like Sports Illustrated in that way because they will touch on more emotional subjects as well.

All in all I think Sports Illustrated is one of the best in the magazine business, which judging by its popularity is probably true. It’s a solid sports magazine that analyzes sports from an intellectual standpoint and details the nitty-gritty parts of it while not sounding like rehashed BS from ESPN. Definitely recommended to sports fans!

Copy Edit the World #2

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/13038701/bryant-agrees-to-deal-with-bengals

“The Bengals (10-6) won the NFC North last season with Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles as the starting wide receivers. Coles was released on March 4.”

Fact error Bengals play in the AFC North not the NFC North


http://www.bengals.com/cda-web/article-module.htm?id=888254b5-f094-4b71-9d8f-f60813ea0217&seoTitle=Gavel-notes-Carroll-offers-Rey-support-NFC-South-eyes-Bengals§ion=news&vv=print

“It’s always a physical division,” said Payton of the NFC South’s matchup with the AFC North this season. “They’ve always had great defenses, No. 1, historically, with Pittsburgh and Baltimore and I think Cincinnati has changed dramatically. Cleveland has begun to make their improvements. You look at a good defense right from the beginning and now you’re getting a healthy Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger. Your quarterback in Baltimore who is playing better.

Missing quotation mark at the end of paragraph

New Seattle head coach Pete Carroll coached five Bengals at USC, including a Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Carson Palmer and a Defensive Player of the Year in SAM linebacker Rey Maualuga . He’s got high hopes for Maualuga and is concerned about his DUI earlier this year. It’s believed that Maualuga is finishing up a monthlong stint in a southern rehab facility, not the Betty Ford Clinic as previously reported.

Monthlong is two words: Month long

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/AFC-North-slants-and-screens/aec3b222-0157-4b98-b096-47d088b06688

"We don’t necessarily have a backup plan at this time. It’s early in this process and we’ll let the process run its course and kind of make decisions from there," Tomlin said Tuesday at the AFC coaches media breakfast. "I hope we don’t come to that. ... I think we’re in a position right now that we can kind of wait and see. Of course if we have to we will but I don’t think it’s gotten to that point yet where we need to kind of make those hard and fast decisions."

“Coaches” should be Coaches’ since it’s possessive.

http://www.bengals.com/cda-web/article-module.htm?id=20632998-d7e5-4e3b-ae19-0eb83a2bb6c3&seoTitle=Brown-says-hell-vote-for-OT-change-in-regular-season§ion=news&vv=print

"Their persepctive was how does it chage their world? What problems does it present for them?" Brown said. "And it does present problems they have to deal with. It's easy to discount those if you're sitting on top. I don't discount them."
On Tuesday morning before the vote, Lewis said he thought coaches would coach differently in the new format.

Two spelling errors. “Persepctive” should be perspective. And “chage” should be change.

Math for Journalists

1) College Budget

- 66% of the college’s budget is from the state. 5% comes from Student tuition. 28% comes from fees, grants and gifts.

- The significance is that it shows how much schools depend on the state for funds as opposed to straightforward tuition and aid from other lenders.

- A large percentage of the local college's budget comes from state funds, while only a small sum comes from student tuition, fees, grants, and gifts.

2) Prison Sentences

- Average: 22 months

- 8,12,12,12,12,14,84. Median = 12 months

- The median is more accurate in this case because the average is heavily inflated by the 7 year prison term of Michael Reese (84 months)and since 4 of the 7 people with prison terms were one year people anyways it makes sense that majority would be the more accurate average in this case.

3) Food sales and grocery sales

- California is 8.25% sales tax.

- With sales tax citizens would spend $291. Without sales tax it's $260. You save $31 without sales tax.

- With sales tax it's $1167. Without it's $1040. You save $127 without sales tax.

AP Style S-Z

AP Style Exercise (S-Z)
18 errors / 18 points / 1 bonus point

Please identify and correct the AP style and other errors in the following sentences.

1) When he heard the building plans for the new high school had been rejected, Bill pulled out his stationery to write a letter of protest. (2)
2) Ben really knows his Scriptures, but he knows little about the Talmud or the Shariah. (3)
3) Her home in upstate New York is surprisingly ultramodern and rather unique for its middle-class neighborhood. (4)
4) To celebrate Veterans Day, the anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I, troupes of former soldiers will march down Main Street carrying U.S. flags. (3)
5) Word-of-mouth has it that Ellen will wind up with the only “A” in the class. (2)
6) When Sara spotted the Louis L'Amour paperback, she asked whose book it was. She couldn't believe it was John’s; after all, nobody reads Westerns anymore. She had no idea he was so weird. (4)

BONUS: The man was arrested for brandishing a twelve-gauge shotgun outside his home. (1)

AP Style M-R

JOUR 61A - AP Style Exercise (M-R)
(21 errors/20 points + 1 bonus point)


1) He hopes to make a billion dollars by the time he's forty. Already he figures his net-worth is between $2-$3 million, depending on current stock prices. (3)
2) Ever since she joined the U.S. Navy on June 15, 2005, she has been a vocal proponent of naval practices and policies. (3)
3) It was a one-sided game, and he was a poor loser. After losing the playoff when his ball went out of bounds, he made an off-color remark that could be heard in the stands. (4)
4) Hundreds of people attended Sunday’s race to watch seventy-five top bicyclists pedal across the finish line. (4)
5) Every summer the Jones' and the Kinneys’ pore over travel-brochures, planning their winter trip together. This year they're hoping to vacation in Panama City. (4)
6) The five-year-old girl was born in Canton, Ohio, but she now lives in Fremont, California. (3)

* There were a few I couldn't find this time, just to let you know. Hopefully I can understand it better in your comments =).

Feature Lead: Fact Set#2 (revised)

An Alarming Event

Fire-fighters are known for putting out house fires, forest fires, car-fires, but you wouldn't expect them to put out birthday candle fires.

That’s right, a women’s group of the First United Methodist Church, in Tulsa Oklahoma, were celebrating the birthday of a woman named Mabel McCullough who turns 95 on September 27 when they were unexpectedly interrupted by a group of fire fighters who arrived at the house.

Apparently, the carrot cake they served to McCullough had 95 candles on it and upon blowing them out, with the help of the guests, there was so much smoke that it actually set off the smoke alarm.

“There wasn’t an inch to spare. By the time we had them all lit it looked like a torch” said Eddi Carlin, one of the guest at the party, “We had just sat down to eat when we saw them (the firefighters) in the doorway.”

As a result of the alarm, five engines, two ladder companies, and 24 fire fighters arrived at the house promptly only to find 95 burnt out candles.

“In my 23 years on the job, I’ve seen a lot of things set off an alarm, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one going off because of a birthday cake,” said Fire Chief Lonnie Lamb.

The fire fighters didn’t stick around for any birthday cake but they did have their pictures taken with McCullough.

News Story 6

Applesauce


Highway 101 was closed for several hours, yesterday morning, when a a tractor carrying two flatbeds of apples spilled 10 tons of its contents all over the road.

The incident occurred just south of Petaluma near Kastania road when a truck driver, who was hauling apples from Maryville to Sebastopol, lost control of his tractor while driving in misty conditions. The truck driver, Robert Ubrins who hauls for Broadway Transportation in Stockton, stated that he lost control after hearing one of his cables snap. Upon hearing it he said the rear flatbed started “whipping” and scattered the apples all over the road. The apples covered about 200 to 300 feet of the pavement, some landing nearly 1000 feet away along the shoulders and median strip.

California Highway Patrol crews arrived at the scene at 9:45 a.m. upon which they closed off the northbound Highway 101 lane in South Sonoma County. “We got applesauce all over the highway,” stated California Highway Patrol officer Wayne Ziese “Right now, we’ve got apples piled two feet high on the roadside, and crews out here with brooms and shovels.” Urbins stated that he was driving 55 mph when the accident occurred, but he was still issued a traffic citation for the spilled load. The citation could end up costing him several hundred dollars.

According to CHP officer Ziese, there were no injuries in the accident but a motor home that was driving behind the flatbed truck did suffer some minor damage.

AP Style I-L

1) The last time she played soccer, she suffered a serious injury to her knee. Sometimes it’s hard to understand why she wants to keep playing. (2)

2) He was indicted on the charge of assault but his lawyer said the case against him is circumstantial and she is sure the inquiry will exonerate him. (2)

3) He knows it isn’t kosher, but green Jell-o is his favorite dessert. This admission has prompted his friends to question both his taste and his judgment. (3)

4) Now that he has DSL, he finds it much easier to go online to check his e-mail and download files. (3)

5) He stood at the lectern, addressing his longtime colleagues at the Knights of Columbus. (3)

News Story 4

Several businesses and restaurants in the South Market area, at Folsom and 11th Street, were closed temporarily yesterday when a private construction crew accidentally severed a gas pipe.

According to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the incident occurred a little before 12:30 p.m. when a private construction crew was working on repairing a sewage line when they accidentally severed a two-inch underground gas pipe with a black hoe. The accident resulted in the temporary closing of several businesses, restaurants, and residences in the South Market area, forcing at least 100 people to leave. The Police also cordoned off all surrounding streets, effectively shutting down a four-block area and bringing all traffic to a major standstill in all near by streets.

Many of the people stood outside the surrounding area, appearing irritated with the situation. “Ask any of my customers, they were pretty irate,” said Carla Lauria, manager of Crocker’s Lockers a self-storage company on Folsom near 10th Street. Her employee’s kept busy though by going outside the police perimeter and collecting payments and checks from customers.

Restaurant businesses were also hit hard by the situation. Samantha Feldman of Wa-Ha-Ka restaurant, a business on the corner of where the construction crew was working, said her employees and patrons had to leave as soon as they were notified of the gas leak. Feldman also added that her restaurant lost about $500 in business in the shutdown.

Restaurants and other businesses in the South Market area remained closed for several more hours before the gas was turned back on around 5:09 p.m. according to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

News Story 3

A man in his 50’s was rescued from his home, yesterday, when a fire started in his house in San Jose and engulfed the whole building in smoke.

According to the San Jose fire Captain, Rob Piper, the fire was reported around 3 p.m. at a single-story building on Annapolis Way when a fire started in the kitchen and spread to the attic. The fire fighters then proceeded inside the house and rescued a man who was lying unconscious, surrounded by flames, in the kitchen area. According to Piper the man, who has been identified as Robert Kent, suffered third-degree burns on 50 percent of his body. Currently Kent is listed as being in “grave condition” according to a nursing supervisor at Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

According to Captain Piper the cause of the fire is still under investigation but the fire department did discover that there was no smoke detector in the building when the incident occurred.

Copy Edit the World #1

The errors are in bold and italics.


http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-in-Hall-of-Fame-Game-vs-Cowboys/ba2de80e-3227-4f46-b864-684dd36e7b16

The Bengals have some MoJo whwen they start the season in Canton. After their other appearance in 1975, a 17-9 loss to the Redskins, they finished with their best winning percentage ever at 11-3 in taking the AFC Central in the middle of the Steelers heyday.

"Whwen" is supposed to be when.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Monday-notes/dd51a876-6de9-4592-a792-bb320b90dd30

He did indicate the mandatory minicamp that ends the spring workouts is going to be about the same time, Father’s Day weekend in mid to late June.

"Minicamp" is two words

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Combine-competition/32f216bb-eb48-41f5-9d66-c2927f6c5a67

“I told him that he could sit it out and just work the pro day. He said he didn’t want to pull out of the combine, or not do some of the drills like some of the superstars,” Mashall said. “He told me he wanted to compete against those guys. And he said he wanted to do it on the biggest stage. The national stage.”

"Mashall" is supposed to be Marshall


http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Saturday-notes-TO-interests-Ravens/631340cd-72c8-4253-ad07-d366f8777d7f

NO HEAVY LIFTING: University of Cincinnati wide receiver Mardy Gilyard, a person of Bengals interest, is going to do everything at the combine but the 225-pound bench press after his sholulders were sore following Friday's pushing and pulling in the medical exams.

"sholuders" is supposed to be shoulders.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/-punctuate-combine/028cc244-4473-4d22-954c-cc66e271005f

This is what Simmons asks the placekickers because “I guarantee you the good kickers can tell you in detail about all the kicks they’ve made and all the ones they didn’t,” he said.


"Placekickers" is two words.

*I don’t know who edits Bengals.com but I find at least one typo or error in Geoff Hobson’s writing each week.

~Wes

Top News #3

“Obama team raises pressure on health insurers”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100219/pl_nm/us_usa_healthcare_insurers


Found this article online at yahoo.com in the news section. I think this is definitely an important story because of 1) the effects health care reform would have on the U.S., both positive and negative and 2) how long this discussion seems to be going on because it just seems like the whole debate has turned into less of a debate to reform a flawed system but rather a forum for political hackery and finger pointing on both sides. The fact that healthcare reform talks have gone on this long just goes t show how screwed up our “leaders” in D.C. are. It’s like the Democrats and the Republicans are more concerned with who is seen as the hero or winner of this debate rather than actually reforming the healthcare of this country. I’ll be honest right now and say that despite the fact that I voted for Obama, I have been largely unimpressed with the way he has handled this issue but what has pissed me off even MORE is his detractors. From day 1 of this administration, these conservative morons have been trying to do one thing and one thing only and that is sabotage and naysay Obama as much as possible in whatever he wants to do. It’s like all they care about is just tarnishing the guy’s image instead of actually trying to solve the issues that are facing this country. Even when Obama tries to admit his wrongs or try to negotiate some kind of compromise they just say “no” or say it’s a “socialist, secret-Muslim, Kenyan-born, nazi, reverse racist sub plot” of his and that they want no part of it. I mean at least the President is trying to help and trying to find answers, be it clumsily, but at least he’s putting ideas out there rather than just nay saying like the Republicans are.

Anyways sorry for the mini rant there, just had to get that off my chest but this is an important article because it shows how bad our healthcare system is and how no matter way the conservatives look at it, it needs some touching up. Health insurers are getting richer and richer while more and more Americans can’t get covered because these companies are now jacking up the prices. I did a report last year on healthcare reform and one of the most disturbing numbers I saw when it came to our countries healthcare in comparison to others is that we are ranked 37th worldwide by WHO (World Health Organization) in total efficiency, cost, customer satisfaction, mortality, etc. While we exceed in healthcare technologies, we are among the worst in coverage (47 million people are uncovered in this country) and life expectancy (42nd ranked in the world). I could go on and on about he problems here but my post is already long enough as it is so I’m just going to move on.

So this is important to readers in several ways. In terms of proximity it’s America so every American citizen should be interested because it deals not only with their health but also with their pocket books, as healthcare reform could be good or bad for both. It obviously also has a great impact on our lives because as this debate continues sooner or later one side is going to give and the result will be a new healthcare system that could be potentially better or worse, or things stay the same and we continue to use the current healthcare system. Now depending on what political background your from, your rooting for one of these things to happen and kind of like my sports team metaphor from my last “Top News” post, everybody wants to see their favorite team (Democrats or Republicans) win.

In the end, I hate to sound cynical but I doubt anything will ever get resolved here in the immediate future. The Republicans are too stubborn to make a compromise or even speak with the president, and as always it seems nothing will get done in Washington because neither side is willing to talk civilized to one another without calling the other a “socialist” or “capitalist pig.” Oh well, but that’s politics isn’t it? It’s not really about helping other people anymore; it’s all about the boosting political egos and 1-uping one another.

Ap Style Exercise #2 (E-H)

1) To ensure the accuracy of the news story, Susan Jones checked with her source. For Jones, this is an everyday practice not an exception. (4)

2) As the two boys argued over who should get the last piece of pizza, both seemed equally hungry. Clearly, they had forgotten their earlier decision to forego having seconds. (2)

3) He suspected his neighbor was selling drugs, so he called the F.B.I.. However, his neighbor cried fowl at the accusation. (2)

4) She grew up on the Great Plains near Alliance in New England, where the winters are long and harsh and the living is hand-to-mouth. (3)

5) Her car was sideswiped by a hit-and-run driver on Route 1-A this morning. She was not injured but the impact sent the contents of her purse helter-skelter. (4)

Got what it takes to be a reporter?

Answers:
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. Yes
6. Yes
7. No
8. Yes
9. No
10. No
11. No
12. Yes
13. Yes
14. No


Score: 23


So I scored a 23, which is basically passing according to this test, which isn’t bad. The questions seemed fair but a little vague in some ways. I feel like I got some of the good qualities that were touched on in the questionnaire to be a reporter though. In question 1 for example, I don’t read as much books as I would like to but I do like to read and I constantly read newspapers, magazines, comic books (an under appreciated medium) and sports/movie/news articles everyday, so I’m pretty fluent in my reading skills. In question 6 too, I think I got the knack to retain lots of information. People have told me many times before that I’m a walking sports and film almanac, and since those are two fields I like to write about that’s probably a good sign if I want to keep pursuing this career. I also have a strong memory on famous names and people and what they do and their significance (politicians, news anchors, TV personalities, celebrities,etc). For question 11 it’s more like I’m willing to accept the standards of a high maintenance job with low pay because 1) it’s my career choice and 2) I hope to eventually work hard enough to gain a more steady position or higher paying writing job someday, so I just see the early goings as a stepping stone. The issues that I’m definitely going to need to work on though are my grammar and library research skills. I’ve been weak in those categories when it comes to my writing and obviously I need to improve them if I want to be a great journalist someday.

All in all though, I feel pretty confident in myself, I think I got a chance to become a great journalist and hopefully this confidence is all I need to succeed!

News Story #2: Fact Set 1&2

Fact Set #1:

“Construction car loses control coming down hill and crashes into car killing 1 and injuring 3”


Earlier this afternoon, a construction car lost control coming down hill and crashed into a sports utility vehicle in the parking lot of grocery store in San Mateo.

According to San Mateo police Captain Kevin Nguyen, the crash occurred at 1:15 p.m. in Mollie Stone’s Grocery store parking lot when the driver of the construction car “apparently had some type of mechanical failure” while it was coming down 43rd Avenue, a residential street that dead end’s at the grocery store’s parking lot.

Upon losing control the car crashed through the parking lot striking a black sports utility vehicle, dragging it 75 feet along with eight-nine other vehicles, and leaving the parking area a mess of shattered glass and crushed vehicles.

One victim, a driver of one of the vehicles that was hit, was pronounced dead at the scene. Another victim, a pedestrian, was also hit but only injured, while two other people were also injured. One of the three injured citizens was taken to Stanford Hospital by helicopter while the other two were driven away by ambulance.

The names of the construction driver and the four victims have yet to be officially identified by the authorities.


Fact Set #2:
“Seatbelt saves lucky driver from Devil’s Slide crash”

A motorist survived a horrific crash today, thanks to his seat belt, when he accidentally drove off a 150-foot cliff at Highway 1 at Devil’s Slide.

The driver, a 24-year old San Francisco resident whom has yet to be identified, was driving his Mazda Sedan in dense fog at 4:10 a.m. heading north towards San Francisco when he accidentally missed a turn and drove off the side of the cliff.

Amazingly the car landed upright on its wheels and the driver, whom was wearing his seatbelt, only sustained minor head injuries. Upon his “landing” the man used his cell phone and dialed 9-11 for help.

The highway was then closed for two hours in both directions, as rescue crews with the California Highway Patrol and Cal Fire had difficulty finding the stranded motorist in the dense fog. The rescuers eventually discovered him 45 minutes later, when they rappelled down the cliff side. They then pulled the man up from his vehicle, in a protective cage, and he was taken to San Francisco Hospital for observation.

His only visible injury was a bump on the head, according to CHP Sgt. Trent Ross. “He did what he was supposed to do; he wore his seatbelt,” said Ross who further added that if it had not been for his seatbelt during the crash, “there is no doubt it would have been fatal.”

News Story #1

“Drunken Senior Citizen plows car through Store and stills asks for Beer”

Yesterday evening, a drunken elderly woman plowed her car through a convenience store and afterward awkwardly tried to buy a 6-pack of beer.

The senior citizen, a 74-year old woman named Lynne Rice of Norwalk, was driving her 1988 Cadillac when the vehicle went crashing through the convenience store, Joe’s Food Mart and Video in Norwalk in Los Angeles County. The storeowner, Mr. Joe Awada, stated that upon exiting the vehicle, Rice walked over to the cooler, pulled out a 6-pack of Budweiser beer, and tried to buy it.

“I don’t know how she managed to walk,” said Awada. He further stated that a cashier refused to sell her the 6-pack and instead called the police who arrived promptly.

Police Lt. Han said that Rice was then taken to a hospital where she was taken in for examination for a medical condition she has. Afterwards, the authorities said Rice was arrested for investigation of misdemeanor driving under the influence and was later released on a $15,000 bail.

FOG Index Calculation

Here's a quick excerpt of my work from a film review I did on Watchmen:

"But by far the greatest performance was by Jackie Earle Haley who plays probably Watchmen’s most famous character, Rorschach. He did this character to perfection even making him a little more bad ass than the original. He really brought out the pessimism, the angst, the hatred, and the black and white philosophies of this character and it’s sad that such a great performance will likely won’t even be mentioned for an academy award nomination. To me his performance will always be one of the best comic book character portrayals of all time, right up there with Heath Ledger’s menacing Joker."


25 word average a sentence and 16 "hard" words.

FOG Index: 16.4

So from my observation, it would seem that my writing is at least not "elementary." However I'm not sure if it means my writing is either solid/understandable or pedestrian/simple. I would like to think it's solid at least.

Personally though when it comes to my writing I do try to make it fast and easy to read but also at the same time try to make it intelligent as well and not so simple that it becomes too bland. In the end, what's important to me when someone reads my writing is that it doesn't come across as being robotic or too choppy but rather conversational like instead so that it's faster to read. So this number isn't too surprising or bad to me, I mean I never thought my writing was very scholarly to begin with anyways.

AP Style A-D

1. Mayor Richard Wrigley expressed confidence that the Gubernatorial Debate, which begins at 7:30 p.m. this evening, will have a positive affect on his candidacy. He added, “Gov. Red Davidson is a master of dirty politics but I will not take any of his bologna.” (4)
2. For her birthday, the nine-year-old girl invited five good friends over for ice cream and cake. The chocolate cake was so tasty that any of the children could have eaten it all but they carefully divided it between themselves. (4)
3. The new head of the journalism department, Dr. Deborah Dunwoody Ph.D., recently bought a house at 6 Riverside Drive in San Mateo, a city in the San Francisco bay area. (4)
4. ROME, Italy – All around the world today, Roman Catholics listened as the Pope delivered his homily. (3)

*Comma removals aren't highlighted.

Top News 2

Top News 2:

http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/11/news/international/china_japan/index.htm?cnn=yes

“China to push aside Japan as No.2 Economy”

Found this article on cnn.com in the money section, and this story interested me for a couple reasons. Firstly, because I am part Japanese I do feel a sort of connection to Japan being supplanted by China as the world’s #2 economy and I guess in some strange way I feel disappointed by this happening because it’s kind of like watching your favorite sports team lose in the semi finals. Secondly because I’m American first and foremost, it’s a little unsettling to see a country as corrupt as China close in on us. God knows how many corners and human’s rights they cut to get to be as powerful as they are now. As the article pointed out, as the rest of the world seemingly took a nosedive during the economic downturn, China not only stayed afloat but also still grew 8.7% economically. That’s just insane how powerful they are! So this is all important because not only does it show how close China is coming to basically finally ruling the world, but how far the U.S. has fallen in terms of it’s economic strength. While our congress continues to argue about same-sew marriage, handing out pay checks to Wall Street, and point fingers at each other for various faults with the country, China just keeps getting stronger and we continue to get weaker. It’s almost as if the American way and progressiveness of our country just evaporated and was replaced by party hackery and political rambling and it has stalled our once well oiled American machine. Uggh, it’s very unsettling.

Anyways though, the reasons that this article would be interesting to other readers is because it’s kind of like what I said earlier about the metaphor of sports teams. America is probably among the top 5, if not the top, in world egos amongst its people. We Ah’mericans love being #1, gosh darn it! And we won’t settle for #2! Basically what I’m getting at is this story would probably appeal to the more patriotic bunches of Americans because the impact of China catching us would be kind of like watching your favorite sports team lose the championship. It would also appeal to those who know about China’s humanitarian rights violations and how unsettling it is that the world’s best “secret dictatorship,” as I like to call it since most people see China in almost a friendly light, is closing in on us as the world’s top economic power. So readers will likely be emotional about such a corrupt country getting this powerful. In terms of immediacy it deals with the future here, almost foreshadowing future events, basically building up the reader’s paranoia of the coming tide of a super Chinese economy.

Anyways, it’s an important article to me because I’m not a big fan of China and the things they did in order to become this powerful and it’s unsettling to see them gaining this much ground so quickly. In the end though, as the article pointed out, there was a time when Japan threatened to be the #1 economic power and it faltered in the end, so I’m hoping that America can beat China out as well here.

Leads 3-5

Lead 3:

“Woman, Whom Died at Golf Course, Ruled as Accidental Drowning”

The cause of death of a woman, who was found dead at the Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica last month, has been ruled as accidental drowning according to the San Mateo County coroner.

The coroner, Robert Foster, announced this today stating that the victim, a 34 year old named Laura Jessica Smythe of Pacifica, had no signs indicating that her death was not incidental. Foster sited the fact that her death was “consistent with fresh water drowning, associated with probably hypothermia.” Foster also added that Smythe had methamphetamines in her system when she died as well, indicating the possibility of the drugs influencing the accident.

Lead 4a):

“Smoking Wheels Causes Plane Evacuation”

Forty passengers were evacuated today from a Northwest Airlines jet, when a landing tower employee spotted smoke near the wheels.

The Northwest Airlines, flight 428, was set to take off from LaCrosse, Wisconsin Municipal Airport when the landing tower spotted the smoke. The airliner was following a flight from Minneapolis. Cause of smoke is still unknown at this time.


Lead 4b):

“Missing Boy Found After 3-year Search”

A missing 7-year old boy was found today after a 3-year search that ended today when a neighbor recognized the boy next door and called the police.

The neighbor said she was able to identify the boy after she saw his picture after a showing of the movie Adam: The Song continues. She stated that after that she called the police and they arrived at the house in question and immediately arrested the boy’s mother. The mother, Ellen Lynn Conner 27, was arrested in Brick Township, New Jersey where she currently faces charges of kidnapping and interference with a custody warrant.

Leads 5:

Fact Set #1

“Pipe Fitter Suffers Third-Degree Burns in an Electrocution Accident”

A pipe fitter suffered third degree burns, at 3 p.m. Wednesday, when the worker touched a power line carrying 15,000 volts with a piece of angle iron.

Fact Set #2

“Chevy Chase Appointed to Board of Trustees at Bard College”

Actor and comedian, Chevy Chase, was appointed to Bard College’s board of trustee’s yesterday during an announcement at the school’s alumni dinner during Homecoming Week.

Top News

"Cal-State to use 51 million to Restore Cut Classes"

http://cbs5.com/local/csu.new.classes.2.1473638.html

Found the link to this news item online at yahoo.com, under the local news section on the front page. Obviously this is important to not just me but millions of students in California in or applying to CSU's. It's newsworthy because of the millions of students it effects, as well as the teachers working for these schools, and obviously it has a local connection to us because it's CSU and that's California.

The California State University budget has been a big issue for about a year now and many of my peers, including myself, have been pretty pissed off about this. When I came to this school in the fall 2008 semester, I thought I was finally going to be away from that high school culture of not caring about students, classes, and school maintenance and upkeep but so far I have been mostly wrong. Granted, coming from where I came from but still I expect more from a school I actually pay to teach me. I feel like a lot of the BS hasn't stopped in that transition from high school to college because of this budget problem and it's a damn shame that schools continually gets s*** on (pardon my French) first whenever this state gets into a budget deficit of any sort.

But this is a good sign though that CSU system might be recovering and is able to put some money back into the students and teachers after screwing around for the last year. This is also good in that my friend from back home will have a better chance of making it into this school for the fall semester as well and I'm looking forward to having some more hometown buds here with me. Overall, I just hope it's a sign of things to come, not just a tease.

Leads 1-2

Lead 1:

"Small Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Santa Clara County."

A small earthquake, with a magnitude of 2.2, struck earlier this morning at 8:32 a.m. in the foothills off Alum Rock Falls Road in Santa Clara County. No injuries or structural damages to housing were reported.

Lead 2:

"Wind and Rain causes Trees to Fall, Sealing off Highway 9 for Nearly 9 Hours!"

Highway 9 was closed yesterday, in Saratoga County just west of Saratoga at Pierce Road, for almost nine hours due to rain and wind issues causing trees to fall onto to the road during the night.

The Kilted Samurai: A Little Something About Myself

Hello my name is Wesley Dugle. I’m a So Cal guy, born in Long Beach raised in San Pedro. Lived there most of my life, not a bad town, but it was boring to me so I came up here to SJSU to get a change of scenery.

Now first off you might be asking “Dugle? But with those ‘Can’t drive for s**t eyes’ you should have a name like Wong or Chang or Kim, right?” Well first of all, none of those last names pertain to me because I’m Japanese and second of all I have that last name because I’m half white and my dad comes from that end of my genes. My middle name in fact is Hayato, which means falcon and samurai. To be exact I’m about 50% Japanese and about two thirds Scottish/Irish, which makes me kind of like a samurai in a kilt. I’m proud of my double heritage though and feel blessed to be born that way because I can identify with both sides and learn from both cultures.

A few little tid bits about myself; I’m a Journalism major (obviously since I’m taking this class) looking to minor in Japanese possibly. I’ve been avidly writing since my junior year of high school and have kept a movie review blog going on Myspace for the last half year or so called “Saitosan’s Movie Reviews.” I enjoy doing kendo (Japanese fencing), cross country biking, watching films particularly of the action/sci-fi/adventure/thriller genre, and I’m an avid sports fan of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Lakers (Sports is another medium I would like to write about). I’m also a part of the Theta Chi Fraternity Gamma Xi chapter on campus and I live in the house near by.

In general what I’m looking to get out of this class is to learn if I really want to pursue this career field. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing, but the thing is this field isn’t exactly steady work and most of the time does not pay well and I probably would be better off trying one of my other major ideas like geology, business, or Japanese. So basically this class is a test for me to see if this is really what I want to make a career out of and I’m hoping it’s the case because in the end I want to do something I love for the rest of my life rather than something that pays well but doesn’t give me any spiritual satisfaction. Anyways, I also hope to learn how to improve my writing because even though my writing is far and above better than most of my peers in this school (mostly because almost nobody knows how to write in this school) I would like to bring my skill more up to the speed of the best writers in the school. I’m definitely in need of some improvement in terms of proofreading and vocabulary/grammar but I think at least I’m pretty strong in delivering solid messages in what I write. Often most people say my strongest skill in my writing is that they feel like I’m speaking to them as they read rather than reading some robotic piece of “you know what” from other writers. So hopefully in this class I can polish that skill to perfection as well. The only other thing I would like to improve is to learn how to be more concise because as you can see I’m a little wordy with my write ups even for a short little “Introduce Yourself” assignment like this.

So that’s me in a nutshell; a kilted samurai who is skilled in swordsmanship, loves to write, cheers for a lousy football team but cheers for a great basketball one, a film buff who loves to write about the stuff he watches, a member of the longest standing SJSU fraternity on campus, and looking to see if doing what he loves is really a practical career field to pursue. Anyways I hope you learned a few cool things about myself in this brief paper and I’m looking forward to learning from you this semester!

Sayonara!
~Wesley Hayato Dugle