Extra Credit

I went to the Symposium for PR on October 28th at 3pm and the speaker was talking about the relevance of PR in today's economy and how to get involved. Although I am not a PR major, I found myself interested in what was being said. Being able to work with a diverse amount of clients on a daily basis. He also talked about how Public Relations have changed throughout the year and has become more of an industry than just a simple business relationship. He mentioned how PR works with many other departments so having a little bit of background in everything can only be beneficial to someone's career. Some students asked questions regarding his experience, but I only heard a little since the two girls in front of me were talking about what "trash" her ex-boyfriend is. All and all, the talk lasted about an hour and I can definitely say I learned something. I have always thought PR was kind of a boring career, but now I see that it is exciting and even though I am pursuing Journalism, it could only help my social skills with other people if I learned some PR techniques.

Word Of The Week #8

1. Kvetch: (noun)

Pronunciation: (kah-vech)

Definition: A complaint. Or a complainer.

Used in a sentence: I would assume people who work in hotels have to deal with kvetches from all over the world.

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

When I read ZZ Packer's short story "Brownies," I really found myself examining the symbolism. Even though the troop was named after the popular dessert, it also represented the color of the main character's, "Snot" skin. She feels like an outcast in her troop because there aren't many girls who look like her and at her age, she needs a sense of community to feel accepted. Even though the story was short, I saw "Snot" grow in front of my eyes. From being hesitant and reluctant to standing up for herself when the other troop of girls call her and her friends retarded.
The technique of the story is also very interesting. The plot isn't furthered by narration, but is furthered by dialogue instead. The most interesting parts of the story happen when the characters are talking to one another and the reader is given background information about where the different girls come from in the book. Another topic the author highlights is the importance of religion, which helps the reader distinguish the kind of community the characters are coming from. Whether it is Presbyterian, Lutheran, or even Mennonites, it is understood that the characters are from the South where what sect of Christianity a person belong in encompasses their social hierarchy. Packer is either a very religious person or anti-religious person because secular beliefs are mentioned often in all of her stories.
Another thing I noticed is that Packer does not describe her characters. She leaves it to the readers to imagine them the way they want to imagine them. The social issues of the story are also portrayed through the conversations of their children. It is apparent that Packer is talking about how different people are treated in society, but uses children to spread that message.
The few stories I read from Packer grabbed my attention and got me thinking and if a book has that affect on someone than it is obvious that it is well-written.

Word Count: 329

NPR Interview Analysis

When  I listened to "All Things Considered" with Michele Norris, even though it was just a broadcast show, I feel like I could picture everyone in the studio perfectly and their facial expressions appeared to my mind just by hearing their voices. The interview that I listened to was with an Imam, a Muslim feminist, and a liquor store owner. In the interview, they discussed the rise of liquor stores across the nation and how these places are ironically owned by Muslim men, who according to their religion are not supposed to drink alcohol. But surprisingly, many liquor stores keep opening in low-income neighborhoods instead of grocery stores and places where nutritious food would be found. Norris hounded the liquor store owner about what his demographic is and what his profit is when it comes from these markets. The liquor store seemed hesitant to answer these questions and could feel him getting uncomfortable. The imam was then questioned as to why Muslims will open liquor stores and he answered that sometimes they don't have an option to do anything else. They usually start off selling groceries, but it is a competitive market and it is not easy to put out the same sales as a chain like Walmart or Target. Norris asked if the imam was for it or against it and he even said it was a close call because of course it is "morally wrong," but it is also wrong to not be able to provide for the family. Norris' strategy was that she seemed prepared and she didn't give much time for the people she was interviewing to speak. It was quick and she covered a lot of information.

Word Count: 282

Copy Edit The World #2

It should be "pop star." It is not a hyphenated word.

"Breathtakingly" might not even be a word and if it were it would be two separate words.

 The period should be outside the parentheses.

Word Of The Week #7

1. Harlequin- noun

Definition: noun- a clown
adjective- varied colors

Pronunciation: (HAHR-luh-kwin)

Used In A Sentence: In The Cask of Amantillado, the main character dresses up as a harlequin for the county fair. 

Mystery Character

My blue eyes and brown hair make me attractive according to many women, even though I started off as a homeless kid. At one point, you could even call me Romeo. I am familiar with many walks in life be they fictional or non-fictional. I quit basketball to do drugs, I swam in the sea during a historic moment, I've traveled to South Africa, been in New York gangs, and even worked as an undercover cop in Boston, or "the staties" as my colleagues liked to call it. I've been known to be a con artist, have schizophrenia, and recently learned how to manipulate people in their dreams. Who am I?

Word Count: 111

Word Of The Week #6

1. Custos Morum- noun plural 

Pronunciation: [koos-tos-moh-rum]

Definition: A guardian of morals; censor.

Used in a Sentence: In Journalism, it is necessary to follow the custos morum of the industry to be a professional writer.