4.7 Paraphrasing

February 18th, 2010

Quotation 1

Martin Goldsmith, general manager of the local public radio station: “Our goal in this year’s fundraiser is $100,000, a 15 percent increase from last year. The money we are seeking will go toward programming. We spent $130,000 on programs and the costs are going up each year. Our audience wants more on our station and this is the way they help pay for it.

Quotation 2

Marilyn Wall, president of the Walls Tire Co., a locally owned tire manufacturer: “This has been a good year for our company. Our orders increase by 20 percent over last year, and we were able to recall many of the employees that were laid off over the past three years. We have also expanded  our work force, adding about 20 new jobs in various departments.

Quotation 4

Jerry Butts, city council member: “Our options were limited this year. We could either grant the police a much deserved raise and raise property taxes or we could have denied the raise and kept the taxes the same. I think most people would be opposed to a raise for the police if that meant taxes would increase.

Quotation 7

Bruce Hill, organizer of this weekend’s antique automobile show: “These old cars are fun and interesting. I have a 1929 Packard that I’ve got running about as good as it was on the day I first brought it home. A lot of people in the show will be driving British cars and some of the old sports cars can really give you a ride. Folks should come out and see our show this weekend because they would really be interested in it.

Description

February 16th, 2010

Photo curtesy of Flickr user e.kristina

 

About five or six book are stacked on a nice red-flowered table. These books remind me of the books that taught me to spell in second grade. Some are thick, others thin. They are worn on the corners, as if from overuse.  In some of the books, the pages look like they are torn or falling out. The pages are also turning a dingy shade of yellow. The covers of the books are also worn and the color is gone in some places. The newest, or least used, book seems to be the white on on the bottom. Only one of its corners is worn and from what I can see, the cover is smooth and in tact. Since one is unable to see the titles or the full cover of the books, one must wonder whether these are novels, fiction, non-fiction, text books or if the belong to a genre all their own.

I like how the images in the background are blurry. This brings the eye to the books and only the books. One has no choice but to focus on the condition and use of the books. It does not matter what is going on around the books, only the books matter.

All Star Weekend 2010

February 14th, 2010

Valentines’s Day Weekend was also the NBA 2010 All Star Weekend. Some people were going out to dinner or buying flowers while others hopped flights to Texas or gathered with friends to watch the contests(Friday and Saturday) and the game(Sunday). During the three days of fun in Dallas, TX, the NBA’s best and “brightest” got together to show America who really “got game”. The official website can be found here.

Ok after this post feel free to call me the Twitter Queen. I just want you to see the power of social networking. While watching the contests with my friends on Saturday night, I Tweeted about how lame the slam dunk contest was. And I wasn’t alone. It was a trending topic before the contest was even over. Don’t beleive me? Check it out.

I think it is great that people are able to express themselves in such a quick manner. People come together and grow apart, just because they have the same feeling about something going on in music, news, sports, entertainment, or a local issue.

Exercise 3.11

February 10th, 2010
  1. The United States comprises 50 states
  2. A.D. 33
  3. czar
  4. QE2
  5. court-martials
  6. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
  7. Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
  8. liberal
  9. pour
  10. Atlanta

Presidential Quote=Trending Topic

February 9th, 2010

On Feb. 6, CBS news aired a piece on the snowstorm. At the beginning of the video clip, Obama coined the term “snowmaggedon”. This term quickly became a trending topic on Twitter and the entire DC area was using it to describe this weekend’s snowstorm.

I think CBS was thinking smart when they put this piece together. They opened it with a quote from the president and then moved into facts about the snowstorm and how it affected the people and business of the area. They used the news value of prominence by using a quote from the president, someone that everyone knows about. CBS did report the accumulations and they ended the piece with stories of people who were snowed in and stranded in airports.

HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP THEM!!!!

February 5th, 2010

James Ray, a self proclaimed guru, was charged with three counts of manslaughter. Three of his “students” were participating in the sweat lodge activity and later died at an Arizona hospital. The full story can be found at:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/04/arizona.sweat.lodge/index.html?iref=allsearch

I felt this story was relevant to me because I am currently enrolled in an Eastern religions class. My teacher claims to have several gurus that she follows.  I wonder how she felt about hearing this story.

It also makes me think about the cult crimes of the 20th century. A lot of people get caught up in looking for ways to better themselves that they will believe anything and follow anyone. I am not saying that looking to others for advice in wrong, but one should check out the person they are asking help from. Are they a licensed therapist? What kind of credentials to they have? Would you refer them to a friend of family member? If you are unsure about the answers to any of these questions, seek another method of help.

Five Questions on Short Article

February 3rd, 2010

I chose the story entitled “FBI Continues Digging Suspected Mob Grave”

  1. The news values presented in this story include an unusual event (crime) and timeliness (the story has been developing over time and this is a break in the story).
  2. Who- Richard Joseph Beedle Sr., Federal Agents, State Police, Salvatore “Butch” D’Aquila Jr. What- grave found behind Beedle’s home When-Friday Where- New York Why-A crime was committed and the police and FBI were trying to solve it. How- by investigating
  3. The major types of sources are people, records, and personal observations. In this story, a person, U.S. Attourney Stanley A. Twardy Jr., was the primary source in the story.
  4. Twardy was the only specific source in the story. A reporter could have interviewed Twardy to obtained the information presented in the story.
  5. One party of the story that may not be accurate is the number of people found in the grave. Also, it is not specifically started how the people died. I would want the reporter to get an exact number of people that were found in the grave and how they were connected to the suspect.

Movie Review: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

January 28th, 2010

This movie is the sixth installment in the Harry Potter movie series and explains more about the wizarding world and those who live in it. I really like it because it expands the story with lots of details and background information. I give it four out of four stars.

Wordiness Assignment

January 26th, 2010

There was never any doubt  that Hannah would soon  become an internationally known jazz singer, recognized by fans everywhere.

Midville is a small place  that offers a lot of  security to its citizens, especially families with small children.

Erin could not  continue to pay tuition to a college where she was not receiving the best education

During most of February, Laura stayed in her room and tried to fight a debilitating cold.

Hello world!

January 21st, 2010

Welcome to onMason. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Update: This is not the first post. And this post is useless.