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)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
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.
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.
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
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
Thursday, February 18, 2010
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.
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)
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!
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.”
“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.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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.
"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.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
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.
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.
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.
“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.
Friday, February 5, 2010
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.
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.
"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.
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