Individual Blog Post #4

Word Count: 281

Recently in the media, we all have been given a gift-the gift of Susan Boyle.  For once, all issues, drama and problems in our world was pushed aside as America watched the extraordinary talent Susan shared with us- her beautiful voice.  She has captured the world's attention and taught us all a valuable lesson.

Boyle, a 47 year old, was just an unemployed  charity worker who lived with her cat in a small village in Scotland.  When she performed on "Britian's Got Talent"- the crowd snickered at her looks and painfully ordinary look. The minute she belted out her song, the crowd jumped into a standing ovation for she was extraordinary.  Boyle taught America a huge lesson for she was prejudged by her looks before she had a chance to share her talent.  She taught us that one should never judge- a very important life lesson that made so many feel guilty and shameful when laughs were made at Boyle.

I think that this is such an inspirational story.  We need more Susan Boyle's in our lives.  She showed us how one should follow your inner talents and share them to the world.  To allow yourself to be modeled by your own gifts takes courage. She took the chance and endured the harshness of the audience and became an overnight sensation.  I think that so many of ushidden are so afraid to fail that we never take the chance to succeed.  

If you have a talent- don't hide and follow your dreams.  Susan Boyle is a phenomenal role model for all of us, not just because of her amazing singing ability but for her perseverance, courage and willingness to succeed.

IMHO #2- Peterson jokes, chews gum at court appearance

Word Count: 412

In the news-Drew Peterson, 55, was arrested again earlier this week for the death of his third wife.  Peterson, a former police officer, has been married four times and his last two marriages have resulted in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, who drowned in a bath tub and the fourth wife has been missing for a year and a half. He is arrested for killing Savio and suspected for killing the fourth. He appeared in court on Friday, and was full of jokes and smiles.  

Peterson sat in court talking with a clear voice and asked the judge to continue with the hearing-even though both his attorneys were not present.  He simply stated he had no objection with the delay.  The investigation of Peterson's missing wife led officers to renew interest in Savio's case. Authorities ran tests and her death has now been ruled a homicide. Peterson will now be charged.

In my humble opinion, Drew Peterson is flat out guilty.  He is an ex-cop that has outsmarted the police. His former wives have admitted that they were abused physically and verbally by Peterson. His last two victims were young, white woman. I have watched several interviews with Peterson, and the man acts very nonchalant with his jokes and chipper personality.  In a recent interview, he dragged two of his children with him and they both spoke stating that their father is innocent.  The whole story is very fishy and has GUILT written all over it.

One does not need to look deep into Peterson to realize his past tells a lot.  A history of abuse, getting into trouble as a cop, failed relationships- its not like he has a clean record that his recent charges would appear shocking.  In my humble opinion, Peterson killed Savio and his fourth wife, Stacey Peterson.  It will be interesting to see what the hearing will provide as Peterson doesn't have much evidence against him- which makes it very hard for police to nail him.  

It is very out of the ordinary to have a wife die in a bathtub and extremely suspicious to have another go missing. That just doesn't happen.  Peterson is manipulative, and has figured out a way to outsmart the legal system.  I think that the media needs to not hype this up because we have seen in other murder cases, where the drama overcomes the truth and the guilty get set free.

Peterson is guilty.

Links to Article:

1. Drew Peterson/CNN

Individual Blog Post #3

word count: 301

For my whole soccer career, I have had men as my soccer coaches. I have learned over the years that as well as they may understand the game of soccer-when it comes down to women issues these coaches try to avoid them as much as possible. Women are sensitive, hormonal and don't take getting yelled at very well. Men just tend to forget that women need to be coached differently than men.

I know on my team, it is hilarious to watch our coaches walk around the subject of menstrual cycles-or anything of that matter. Men just seem to not handle that kind of stuff well. I have had several different male coaches handle this situations differently and they have all made me chuckle.

In high school,  during my senior year, we had a new coach come in.  He was young in his mid twenties and was taking on the job of coaching 18 girls.  I will never forget his speech he gave to us on the first day of practice.  He simply stated "I know you woman have that once a month thing and I would rather there be no talk on it. Just deal with it." It was so funny because he was so uncomfortable with that subject matter that he figured he could get it all out on the first day of practice and it would be done.  Little did he know that by the next day a girl on our team was yelling for a tampon.

The male coaches I have had have always been so funny when coaching women. Perhaps men need to get a little more on their softer side and open up to talk about this kind of stuff. No need to put up a tough wall. We are all human here.

Journal #6- Fish out of Water

Word Count: 470

Greek Orthodox Church- St. Basil's


I am a devout Catholic. I was born and raised in a very Catholic family where church is among a weekly activity. Catholicism is really the only religion I know. Since I have not witnessed many other different religious institutions, I thought it would be interesting to check out a different church. The church I went to was St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose. I attended with my friend a weekend service at the church known as the Saturday Vespers.

When we arrived at St. Basils, I was immediately drawn to the appearance of the church. It was beige, with white trim and looked like a house structure with a wooden white cross on the roof. There was four large green bushes in front. It was very nicely landscaped. My friend, who is a member of the church, informed me that unlike other Greek Orthodox parishes, primarily attended by Greek immigrants and Greek Americans, St. Basils is multi-ethnic and includes families from other parts of the globe. When we got out of the car, I realized that I was a little under dressed by looking at the others walking in. The people all appeared to be seniors and families.

During the service, my friend and I sat close to the front. I noticed that there was a lot of ethnic people and those of which were Greek- I didn't fit in with everyone but the community was very welcoming to new visitors. Throughout the service, music was played in Greek. The priest even spoke part in Greek. Although I did not understand a lot of the service, I really enjoyed being able to hear and witness another language and culture. The service was a lot different than that of a Catholic church. Catholicism is very strict in their beliefs- Saint Basil's was more open and the faith adhered prescribed more to Christianity. The church is not very big and it was filled up. The community of people all seemed very friendly towards one another and I could feel the closeness it radiated.

At the end of the mass, my friend and I were hugged by the priest and welcomed back again. As we walked to the car, we were stopped several times by strangers I had never met that so kindly said "goodbye" or "have a nice evening." Saint Basil's parish was something out of the ordinary. The kindness and openness the people shared with one another was beautiful and I left a changed person. Overall, it was a very interesting experience that opened my eyes to other cultures. I was very glad that I went outside my religious community and witnessed another- it broadened my understanding of other religious institutions.

Individual Blog Post #2

Word Count: 257

Recently in the news, the swine flu outbreak has been on every single news channel. The flu is spawning debate about how people get information during health emergencies. During a time, where news sources are becoming less centralized, people are turning to Twitter to find out information. However, the micro-blogging site has created unnecessary hype and misinformation about the swine flu. Twitter is propagating fear amongst people as opposed to seeking actual solutions or key information.

I believe that people who are using Twitter to find out news is in the wrong place. Twitter is not CNN or MSNBC, it is a blogging community. People who are seeking health information should go to official sources. The swine flu epidemic is very serious and by reading false information with unreliable sources causes hysteria in people. The best advice I would have is to not use Twitter. President Obama stepped in to try and calm America down, he simply stated that the outbreak is "cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert" but is not a cause of alarm at this moment. The swine flu is defiantly something to take seriously and be aware of.

Twitter has been gaining a lot of media attention. It's popularity has risen to the top in recent months. However, it also has gotten criticized and put down in the media. The swine flu epidemic could have Twitter headed in the wrong direction. It will be interesting to see if Twitter tries to change their image to appeal more to media standards.

Ad-redirect

Synopsis


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New Ad


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Focus Story Structure-

Emily Belding

Mcom 100w m/w 1:30-3:45

Focus Story Structure

Word Count: 89

Woman denied job back due to pregnancy, U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor

Lillian Garland, an employee for California Federal Savings and Loan, was cut from her job when she returned from her granted pregnancy leave.

Garland sued under California law requiring employers to grant up to four months' paid disability leave to pregnant workers and to guarantee a job for them when they return.

On Tuesday, the U.S Supreme Court voted 6-2 to uphold the state law, but the ruling came five years after Garland had her baby.