If you have ever walked into the University Union from the South Perimeter entrance, and happened to sense an odd presence to your right, you may have noticed the garish and oddly large likeness of the building’s namesake. Yes, that portrait of the balding man in wire-rimmed glasses is the university’s own former president Julian McPhee. You will also note that the adjoining overpriced mediocre coffee shop, Julian’s, was also named after the president who labored an astonishing 33 years at Poly. Students all over campus can be seen feeding their caffeine addiction with mugs and cups bearing his name. It seems President McPhee was an enabler then, as much as he is now. Then, he became the father of the Polytechnic University system, now he enables students to partake of one of the most addictive substances on the planet– way to go! The building, affectionately known by freshman as "Number 65," is often bustling with activity from snoozing students to religious revivals. Right outside the University Union is the Mustang monument built in memorial for lost students. Lost as in defunct– not those who are stuck in the limbo between their official and desired majors. The plaque commemorates those who died in WWII efforts as soldiers and also those who worked to maintain peace during the post-WWII era. There is also another plaque honoring 17 football players who died en route to play Bowling Green in Ohio. This memorial was very much a downer.
On to happier things, the only monument I found near the H.P Davidson Music Center was a bench in memory of William J. Kwan Jr, who was only 21 when he passed away in August 2003. Shoot, that’s not happy at all. Apparently, he was a son, a brother, and a friend who brought love, laughter and music to all. Phew! Neither Davidson or Kwan produced very interesting Google search results.
After a romp around campus, I found only one construction site (to my knowledge) located in Poly Canyon. They are building a new parking structure and dorms to accommodate the remaining 99% of students currently unhappy with either residential facilities or parking– mainly the lack thereof.

Assignment 3

1. Banana Crisps: What you don't know CAN hurt you. Trader Joe's may save you money... at the expense of your waistline.

2. Computer Gaming: Pastime or Too much time? When gaming gets out of control.

3. Student Government: Fruitful or Futile efforts? Can they really elicit change--or just a way to fool the student body into thinking they actually have a say?

Assignment 4

"It was the lawyers of ancient Rome who came up with the modern definition of fatherhood: Mater semper certa est; pater est quem nuptiae demonstrant (rough translation: The mother is obvious; the father is the one she was married to when the child was born)" (Time Magazine).

This lede sparked my curiosity. I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be sarcastic or completely serious. Either way, I laughed to myself when I read the first few lines of the article. I was certainly intrigued by the author’s historical and Latin references, but I was sold when I found out the subject matter of the article. It addresses the question: should a father who finds out that he has been supporting a child that is not biologically his be able to decline his once obligatory financial responsibilities? It was pretty interesting.

"Neatness is overrated" (Time Magazine).

Enough said. Sold. I could have put down the magazine right then if I didn’t have the suspicious feeling that it was too good to be true. That, and I had no where on my desk to put it. As a moderate mess myself, I was curious to learn the empirical data in support of the growing mound of dirty and clean laundry on my floor, as well as my personal "non-organization" organization system. It’s complex.
What I found, though, was a very interesting piece that backed up its lede with very reliable sources, attribution and background. I also put the article on my refrigerator, should my roommates happen to glance at it.

"It’s O.K. to be teary and sincere if you’re new, like Jennifer Hudson of "Dreamgirls," but at the Golden Globe awards, it’s better to be fast and mean" (New York Times).

I actually had to register myself with the New York Times in order to read the rest of the article. They trick you with a nonsensical lede and then lure you to receive junk mail and give up your personal information just to find out what it means. I fell for it. But even though I read the entire piece, I still have no idea what the author is trying to get at. It actually never again referred to why it is better to be "fast and mean" or what that even means. I gave up minutes of my time and likely any chance of computer privacy– if that even still exists.

Assignment 2

1. Headline: "Thousands Gather on Capitol steps for animal rights"

2. Lede: "Thousands of animal... laboratories."
Lede Backup: "U.S. Capitol Police... showed up."

3. Elaboration: "Marchers chanted...their dogs."

4. Background: Organizers said... that stance."

5. Impact: " 'In the meantime...society.'"

6. Elaboration: "The event...fur clothes.

7. Reaction/Quotes: "Health officials...tests."

8. Ending: "Participants...issues."

Assignment 1

The ubiquity of news coverage is difficult to evade, even if one wanted to. The truth is, stories that used to be limited to merely print, are now available in other forms: audio and video. But are all mediums used to disseminate ch stories created equal? Here I will take one story, the unveiling of Apple Company’s "iPhone," and discuss the pros and cons of each way it is presented to the anxiously awaiting public.

The first version of the iPhone story came in print-flavor; I stumbled upon it in Time magazine. At about 5 pages long, the article cleverly titled "The Apple of Your Ear" gives a plethora of information about the new trendy must-have gadget. It discusses the thought process behind the miracle invention, pausing to reiterate how well Apple and its gadgets have been doing over the last 2 plus years. We know, the iPod is God’s gift to the world, bla, bla, bla. The author of the piece, Lev Grossman, then goes on to explicate exactly what the iPhone can do for you, hardly leaving anything to the imagination. It is smooth and pretty, organizes your phone calls and messages, and has a touch screen for ease of text-messaging. It also has bluetooth technology, web access, and can store photos and music. Who needs a significant other when they basically have a shinier, more organized version of a person living in their pocket? Of course no article about a gadget wouldn’t have crazy-awesome graphics to seal the deal. Shown in photograph are the iPhone’s many capabilities including one of it shown in actual size. It’s like a free paper iPhone. Yipee! The Pros of the print version of this story is the ability for it to have loads of background information and lots of room for photos and other visual embellishment. The words are there to read and reread– in case you just can’t believe that the touch screen allows you to send a text message with your eyes closed. A con of the print article might be that it is lengthy, and for those non-readers who loathe big words and little type– this medium might be hard for them to get their head around.

At 1 minute, 48 seconds, the video coverage of the new iPhone was short but sweet. I can see how this medium would appeal to such a large amount of the public. Although short, the report gives the viewer a good idea of what the iPhone is, what it does and what it looks like. The clip showed footage of Steve Job’s actual presentation which includes Job demonstrating all that the iPhone can do. It was definitely cool to see the phone/computer/music player can actually do. The pictures were crisp and the giant phone showed on a giant screen practically sold itself. This medium would be attractive because it is visually stimulating and gives the information in a fast and easy way to obtain. One con might be that the length of the short may limit information about the story. The print story was much better from an informational standpoint.

The last version of the story I looked at–or listened to, was the audio version, which I found on the NPR website. The recording is called "Apple Has It’s ‘I’ On New Cell Phone" and is by Wendy Kaufman. I found this recording to be the least beneficial mainly because of its lack of visuals. Especially when reporting a story about a new product, it is helpful to have some images of the new gadget. Though it reported everything accurately and in detail, the iPhone was not done justice.

My pick is still the print version because it provided apt visuals and information simultaneously.