Blogga Please

Blog post 4

2008-05-01T04:13:00.000-07:00

I made, I did it. Today life long aspiration has been archived. It's odd to consider what these things mean to you once you are on the other side of the goal. Today I directed my first television show for broadcast. Watching it will be embarrassing but I hope that will subside with time and as my skills grow I will be able to look back and think of how far I have come since today, and even in the three practices that we have had up to this point.
I am so proud of the team I assembled. I may be directing and making the final calls but I couldn't do it without each of them. My own personal A-Team. They are enough to make me feel superfluous. Equipment failed, cues were missed, we started late, and two guests left before their segments. Somehow it all came together and we even got out on time. Two shows were filmed and we managed to time them both out perfectly to 26 minutes and 25 seconds. It felt like a miracle, but it wasn't a miracle. It was all of the reason that I chose the people I did, proving themselves to me, themselves, Roy our boss, and even Roy's bosses. We have a long way to go, and the show is choppy and could use a certain amount of post-production work, but damn it we did it. I can't believe that we were given the chance, and I can't believe that we did it.

Pregnancy

2008-04-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

Take two:
When Lilian Garland came back from her maternity leave to find her job filled, it was like a slap from the 1950's.

With 55 million women in the work force knowing that their job will wait for them is not just an issue, but a necessity in the modern work force...........................

Take one:
The way the glass ceiling was crashing down around Lilian Garland was enough to make her wonder if it was 1950 again.
Juggling a career, and a family has not gotten easier over the years. Recently when Garland was granted maternity leave, her employer ,California Savings and Loan, failed to hold up their end of the bargain.
The new mom's job had been filled in her absence.

Japnese Internship

2008-04-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

So the class wandered off campus for a rare college field trip. We went to check out a bronze Japaneses memorial commemorating the Internment of America Japanese during WW2.

I have been studying the Internment this whole semester in Professor Gotliffe's class, Mass Comm 136. I found the wall to be an accurate reflection of the things we have talked about. They showed the squaller conditions and the barbed wire, but the artists also let us know that there were still many aspects of a normal life going on within the camps, like: cub scout troops, art classes, and baseball in the field.
When we talk about concentration camps everyone thinks of the holocaust and those morbid black and whites that they showed us in 8th grade history. It's nice to see that she made sure to differentiate the experience of the Japanese internees from Holocaust victims. While they were both horrible, they are miles apart.
My favorite picture there is of a group of huddled soldiers hovering over a helmet while a japanese soldier cooks some sort of soup in it. This is supposed to be the 442nd armed battalion, the Japanese effort in Italy.
I think the wall is a nice reminder and even a pretty good crash course in the subject. In that sense it's more effective that even the likes of the Washington Memorial.

Individual blog #3

2008-04-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

I have a whole new perspective on television. Yesterday I directed my first full length mock episode of the show that I am working at at KICU Action 36. You look at the director spot and at first it may look like all he is doing is telling people to switch from camera one to camera two, but oh no no no no.
At first I felt overwhelmed with the number of different things going on. Not only did I have to demonstrate good judgment and a proper sense of timing, but I had to be on top of ever single department. I was hold four conversations at once as I listened to the one going on in the TV studio next door to the control room. I was monitoring the CG and calling for it, I was talking the tape operator through a mini-disaster while I was compensating for the disaster. There were tape failures, equipment failures, and just a general lack of training present but with my ragtag crew working with me we put together a damn fine show and I am pretty sure that we are breaking new ground. I'll have to look it up to see what president there is for college students to suddenly take over an actual TV show.
Next week we go for real. The pressure is on because it's now time to put up or shut up.

Individual Blog post 2

2008-04-16T01:38:00.000-07:00

I think college students need more help. It's hard to say a blanket statement like that because not all college students do, but anyone who is not one of the children of our countries 2.8 millionaires might be a little screwed financially. I personally have four jobs and I still can't really make ends meet. I don't know, maybe it's just the jobs that I choose. There never seems to be enough hours to make ends meet. I wonder if this is an epidemic among college student where most of us are under-employed. I have no idea how many college students have to work, but working and going to college kind of sucks. What can you do though.
Obama and Clinton are both suggesting that students be allowed to give two years of civil service to help pay for college. I think this is probably a step in the right direction. I don't know how they intend to pay for the program but any help is appreciated. It just really sucks that the alternative to not working is building up your debt; because everyone knows that the best way to start out in your professional life is $30,000 in debt. Nothing in life is free but we might be screwing ourselves as a country by making college so expensive and forcing a lot of people to drop out. I don't know the answer but it seems like it used to be easier, or maybe past generations just made it look easier.

Blog Post #1

2008-04-10T02:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a fantastic day. I had my first day as a television director. I got the the studio at KICU early an waited for everyone to show up. I assembled the team myself and watching them one by one show up to cPublish Postome together to do something that we all have been working towards was the realization of a goal that I had no idea that I would meet. My friend Matt who got me my first job as a sound guy at live shows was to my left running sound on an actual television show while I was standing with a collection of monitors shouting orders to everyone to jump from one camera to another or to run the b-roll, or trying to catch the sudden moment that manifested. When all was said and done I held a post-production meeting. I got to turn to a really great group of guys and say to the hoard of green newcomers "Congratulations Bill, your a Law."

Copy Edit the World

2008-03-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading an article titled: VP: Iran May Have Resumed Weapon Program and in the article I found this line:

But Cheney that that while the NIE said Iran had a program to develop a nuclear warhead, it remains unclear if it has resumed that activity.

The full article can be found here.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8VGJH980&show_article=1

Copy Edit the World

2008-03-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

For my Copy Edit the world assignment I noticed that all of the posters for one of Will Smiths movies are all mispelled. All of the posters say "Persuit of Happyness" They should say ....Happiness, because that is how it's spelled.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

NPR

2008-03-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

I listened to the NPR broadcast with Terry Gross interviewing Aram's Roston's about Ahmad Chalabi. I got the impression that they had a previous rapport. She was aware of Aram's Roston's resume. She was versed enough with his writing that she could hand him a quote of his as cue as to which chapter from his book that she wanted him to address. The interview lasted 38 minutes.

It seems to me that Terry Gave Aram a lot of latitude. When you talk about a major government agency I feel that you have to quote sources especially thoroughly; especially if you are NPR criticizing the government or Fox News criticizing Moveon.org. She never asked "How do you know" "Where did you hear this." "Did you talk to the CIA?" Basic questions but very important.
Aram in the very beginning of the interview he leans on saying things like" Some people say." when he is talking about aspect of his thesis that may make or break his case. When quoting politicians he would say "they said" never mentioning a specific name or title or position "they" only being identified as neo-conservative with that term being as big a blanket as "liberal". Terry never followed up and asked "who?". An anonymous source? Strom Thurman? Don Rumsfeld? Or someone who in fact has no clue what was going on and wasn’t really in a position to know? We don't know because Terry never checked, and I don't plan on buying this man's book to follow up. Perhaps his sources are better addressed in his book.
This was a softball interview and Terry never once challenged her guest who was talking about events that we all know happened but I question his ability to prove some of the motives he accuses people of, specifically those in the American government. Were there neo-cons who ate up everything Chilabi said, certainly. Where they in a position for their opinion to effect policy? Who knows since he never names those involved in the romance he describes.

Word of the Week #8

2008-03-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

foment \foh-MENT; FOH-ment\, transitive verb:
1. To nurse to life or activity; to incite; to abet; to instigate; -- often in a bad sense.

New Attacks Foment Fear in Afghanistan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/12/AR2006041201823.html

I could feel the hatred foment around me as I took the opposing opinion.

Word of the week #7

2008-03-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

sojourn \SOH-juhrn; so-JURN\, intransitive verb:
1. To stay as a temporary resident; to dwell for a time.

"Yet he is now an accomplished student and speaker of English, a literary editor and television producer, someone who has sojourned in Paris and attended the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
William H. Gass, "Family and Fable in Galilee"

If I am lucky I will be able to sojourn in London for my internship.

Mystery Character

2008-03-10T22:42:00.001-07:00

Coming into our homes almost daily his graying hair shows the wisdom that comes with years in the business. He knows the news and he stops the spin. He fact checks our leaders and points out the irony while mugging for the camera and playing with his tie. He has been touted as “America’s most important Jew”. He is an author, a speaker, and a satirists and managed to make the best of the writers strike. He stand up to power even though when he actually stands it might not seem very intimidating. Sitting at his desk he leads his crack team into a new paradigm of television.

Word of the Week # 6

2008-03-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

agroterrorism

n. terrorist acts intended to disrupt or damage a country's agriculture.

– derivatives

agroterrorist n.

If the government cant make our food safe from us contaminating it how will it protect us from the threat of agroterrorism.

The food and agricultural sectors of all nations are vulnerable to terrorism incidents or threats. With worldwide cooperation, collaboration, and information-sharing among representatives from governments, the private sector, and academia, the potential for agroterrorism can be reduced.

elections

2008-03-02T18:02:00.001-08:00

This week I have noticed that a lot of people are talking about Hillary needing to get out of the race. While personally I am not inclined to vote for her, I am a little shocked by the how much the media has taken sides. I don't know that I have seen one negative story about Obama. I'm sure political hit men are hard at work digging up the dirt on him but the crazy part is that there may not be much dirt to dig up. The Clintons call this a lack of experience. One thing I will definitely say for Obama is that if experience is being loosely connected with a string of drug murders in your home state then Hillary has got him beat hand over fist.
The bottom line is that the votes in Ohio and Texas have not even begun to be cast. Polls are never reliable and when people hear the results of them they often subliminally change their opinion. Reporting the results of a poll changes the results. Latinos have heavily favored Clinton thus far in most states and winning a plurality in that state is enough to keep her in till the convention. Besides, what would history have to say if the first woman with a real shot at the white house quit half way though?

Infinite Ingress

2008-03-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Memo:
Date: March 02, 2008
To: Mrs. Editor Lady Mccune
From: Joshua Cobbley, Student
Re: “Infinite Ingress”
Dear Cynthia,
In regards to the article “Infinite Ingress” there are many places where the article is in need of current information. For starter the article sites a number of studies from the Department of Finance talking about projections for 2040. Surely another study has been done that will give as more accurate numbers. There are several other studies mentioned including numbers from the 2000 census that will need to be researched an updated.
There are also a series of comments made my Senator Feinstein and others that speak about the current intentions of the governor and the state which may very well be no longer accurate. Immigration has been a wedge issue in the last two elections and steps have been taken to address the problem. The article often mentions the states lethargic approach to the situation when in the last few years both state and national bills have been ratified and begun being enacted. The Republican party in particular would be most likely to take offence.
The article is salvageable but needs a major rewrite. Although it is not factually incorrect I would also suggest dumping the first two paragraphs and having your writer create a whole new lead. Something simpler and direct because the connection between the story illustrated and the article reads as two separate stories.
-Joshua Cobbley

Copy Edit the World

2008-02-28T03:18:00.000-08:00

Source: http://chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com/2008/02/irregardless-of-john-mccains-alleged.html

"Irregardless of John McCain's alleged fence-jumping,
the real issue here is his ongoing preference for doing elaborate business-boosting favors for Washington lobbyists."

Problem: Irregardless is not a word. This is a blog but even so I would generally advise against making up words if you are trying to be persuasive.

Word of the week #5

2008-02-28T03:11:00.000-08:00

Temerarious- Presumptuously or recklessly daring

Becket's slayers insist that the king had indeed authorized or directed murder, an interpretation fortified by Henry's known enmity toward the temerarious priest for protesting the subordination of ecclesiastical to secular authority.

When I was young cliff diving blindly from the side of the mountain was temerarious of me.

Jounral #2

2008-02-26T04:24:00.000-08:00

I covered the story commonly titled: Too Pretty to Fly?

A) One of the first places I saw this story was on CNN. It is also in their video archive online. The story is one minute 23 seconds long, which is certainly long enough for such a fluff piece of news. For television they take the time to set the situation up and tell it like a story. Their lead was "It started off as a regular flight, but 18 year old Nisreen Swedberg and her friend Sarah Williams that soon changed." It comes off like a movie trailer in the beginning. This version of the story relied almost entirely on the testimony of the girls. While they read quotes from a South West spokes person simply confirming that the incident happened, both girls had a chance to explain their side and state their theory as to why it happened.

B) For my second source I went to a site devoted to local news in Tampa Bay because that is where the story happened. They used about 300 words to tell the story and had a lot more information down to how much the two girls paid for their tickets on the return trip. Their lead is "Prejudice against pretty?" This lead is fast direct and catching. They jump strait into the issue, which I like. The girls are each quoted but they get way less time and frankly their side of the story comes off better in print than when they tried to tell it. There is only one still shot of the girls. It is better than you can't hear them talk because they sounds air headed but at least in print it is easier for me at least to take them seriously.

C) For my third source I went to a blogg called Galdling. His lead was "I believe that we have just crossed the line from irritating to incredulous in the Southwest Airlines fashion police scandal." This lead assumes that you know something about the story. This story is not so much informing you that this event happens but people are tuning in to see what the author and the community have to say. They are not bound by facts or trying to be fair. At one point the author says "maybe you were just being spoiled brats." referring to the girls saying the stewardesses were jealous because they were younger. It's a refreshing take and I think it brings light the the idea that there are not always two equal sides to every story, but in legitimate news you have to try anyway.

art installtation

2008-02-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

Who likes toll house cookies? I do. And so does the bust of Abe Lincoln on the fifth floor. He looks so sad. The man had good reasons, and it’s a pity that they never had prepared baked goods to make the civil war a little more cheery. Slavery is depressing but who could say no to chocolate chip. Only Al-Qaeda, and even those guys.......

Fireman leads

2008-02-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

Take one:
A man laid dying in his kitchen until firemen pulled him out of his house as he was surrounded by flames.
Take two:
Firemen are putting out the last of a fire in San Jose having arrived at the scene just in time to pull an unconscious man out of his burring kitchen alive.

descriptive assigment

2008-02-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

The hills:

The first hints of spring have become evident as the green takes over the hillside overpowering the few patches of brown and yellowed grass. The rains have been good to this plot of earth. At it’s prime it is what I think of when I think of Ireland, deep emerald blades moving in time with the wind like waves breaking on the ocean. The grass is not yet that tall but I already see it in anticipation of the short window where San Jose blooms. It’s a blink of an eye to nature and not much more to the rest of us. Before we know it the hills will become parched and the green will fade out until the summer sun bakes all plant life not irrigated. Rocks protrude out of the soil like blemishes. Where on the cheek of a person pimples like this would be considered an eye sore for the hills it’s a source of character reminding us of all of the things that lie below the thickening grass. Truly these are California hills. While the green is fleeting the rocks are there all year round. They remind us that they are stable and ready. We can count on them to be there next year as they become covered in green again.

Word of the last week

2008-02-20T13:29:00.000-08:00

demurrer:

1. One that demurs; an objector.

2. An objection.

3. Law A method of objecting that admits the facts of the opponent's argument but denies that they sustain the pleading based upon them.

"For all these reasons we conclude that the trial court properly sustained the demurrers to
plaintiff's complaint."

Before Nicholson appealed the case the first judge he sought out demurred the case.

Word of the week

2008-02-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

tortiously:
of the nature of or pertaining to a tort.

tort: a wrongful act, not including a breach of contract or trust, that results in injury to another's person, property, reputation, or the like, and for which the injured party is entitled to compensation.

"On appeal plaintiff attempts to distinguish between publication of confidential
information lawfully obtained by the press and that obtained tortiously."

The arresting officer was reprimanded for his tortious treatment of the suspect.

The Amazing Race

2008-02-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure exactly when I made the decision to but for the last five days I have been chasing presidential candidates. With the run up to super Tuesday all the candidates were making one final push for votes. Here in the bay area the Republican presence was limited to Mike Huckabee giving a speech in San Francisco. On the Democrat's side there were several world class events, and I covered as many as I could get to.
For the one or two of you reading this who might now know I am a broadcast journalism major. I packed up my camera and three sets of press credentials and walked right up to the media entrance at each event to be eyeballed, searched, and sniffed by the dogs of the Secret Service. I was surprised how easy it was to get it but then again turning away any free press is most of the time a bad plan unless they are press the way Borat was press.
The Hillary rally last Friday was the first rally I covered. Once inside I saw that there was a special stage for all of the television cameras. I looked down the line and saw people who would soon be my contemporaries. I set my camera up feeling proud of my shot. The BBC and it's top correspondent was to my left, and NBC 11 was to my right along with Fox, CNN, KRON and about 15 or 20 other places that I would not at all mind working. All around me reporters were going live then waiting for the word from their news desk and I was there with an undeniable sense of penis envy concerning my camera which was nice but nowhere near as cool as the complicated looking contraptions mounted on some of these guys shoulder's.
I was getting what seemed to me to be professional quality footage some of the time. For this rally I employed the help of my friend Daren to help me with the camera. I was playing the role of the intrepid reporter and it always helps to have help. Unfortunately as glad as I was to have his help he never exactly was trained in how to set up an interview shot. My fault really for not taking more time to go over it with him, but he gets a lot of points for coming out at all to help me. There was plenty of good footage regardless.
Saturday I'm still amazed that I even got out of bed to go cover the Obama rally at Mexican Heritage Plaza. John Kerry was the keynote speaker and treated a mostly Latino crowd to a rousing town hall meeting. I was glad to see that there was no Secret Service at this rally. Getting close to Senator Clinton was nearly impossible because of those guys. I got close enough to shake her hand and I almost got her to sign my press pass but, no dice. During the rally I couldn't get close to Kerry either, however with some patience and correctly guessing what the best escape route was it was just me a few staffers and John Kerry in the side parking lot who then gave me the interview that I was after.
I was feeling a kind of legitimacy that I didn't think I could have until I had landed a job. Sunday after the Super Bowl I covered Michelle Obama's speech. I spoke to her but did not land an interview. After that night I thought I might be done. Over dinner with some friends I was telling them about my adventures and over the conversation I heard a rumor on the talk show they were watching that Bill Clinton might be in the bay area before Tuesday. I have met the former President before and can testify to his overflowing charisma. THAT was the interview that I wanted to land. I knew that I wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the President as media but dang it I was going to try.
I ended up taking part in what I think will be a new paradigm for elections. Hillary's National Town Hall meeting was the first of it's kind and I promise you we will see more events like that. Gavin Newsom hosted the event asking the audience to pose questions and vote on which ones they wanted to ask Hillary over a satellite up link.
When Bill entered the room even though there were only 200 or so in the room the applause rivaled Hillary's at her convention with 5,000 people. As he spoke he approached each subject from a very technical point of view, something wish more of the other candidates do. Once again I was standing a prestigious press line and the whole lot of us wanted the same interviews. Newsom was wandering around somewhat aimlessly before the event. I decided it was the right time to approach him. We shook hand and seemed generally interested in San Jose State and the journalism program, or else he is a very good politician, or both. I asked if he would have a minute to talk as the event winds down and he said YES.
The rest of the night went as smoothly as I could have asked for. I got my interview and found myself in the middle of a pile of reporter thrusting their mics out towards Newsom. As other reporters called out their questions I waited for a moment to put in my two cents. As a number of reporters started to clear away it was easier and easier to get my questions out and upon hearing what I asked some reporters that were leaving pulled a 180 and put their mic back in the fold. That was good enough for me.

Enviromentalists are killing people

2008-01-29T12:38:00.001-08:00

So I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. I learned a new word today, agflation. Agflation is when the cost of food goes up. It's derived from two words, agriculture and inflation.

Definition: an increase in the price of food that occurs as a result of increased demand from human consumption. While the competitive nature of retail supermarkets allows some of the effects of agflation to be absorbed, the price increases that agflation causes are largely passed on to the end consumer.

As in "We are in a state of agflation because so much of Iowa's corn is going to make bio-fuel as opposed to having it feed people." When I read this I thought it was really amusing. For years I dated a vegetarian, I am anything but. She was cool but in her circles I ran across a few people who I would characterize as "Vegan Nazis". These are the kind of people who see you eating a hamburger and feel obligated to remind you that it takes 12 pounds of grain to make one pound of beef.

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10252015

Today I read that article above and it let me know that you could feed a person for a year on the amount of corn that it takes to make one tank of bio-fuel. Because of the government subsidies on corn being grown for alternative fuel we have a food shortage. The irony is this year Iowa farmers reported a record yield. Thats corn that is not feeding people, or cattle in a world where there are still people starving.

Corn ethanol is a red herring just like hydrogen as far as alternative fuels go. Hydrogen technologies are still a long ways off from being affordable and on the road. Even worse than that is the fact that we have no infrastructure in place to support hydrogen fueling stations. It's those filling stations that are the reason that the government is backing hydrogen technologies. They don't want to be responsible for loosing tens of thousands American job in gas stations across the country. They want to make sure that there is something we have to stop and put into our cars. In a documentary I saw once called "Who Killed the Electric Car" I saw Phillis Diller reminiscing about driving in an electric car back in the 1920's. The biggest problem with electric cars is where is all the energy going to come from if everyone has to plug in their car at home each night. Well, we might get there with solar some day but at this point we would need a solar panel the size of a medium sized state.

Some people won't like this but nuclear is at this point the best way to go. We have had nuclear since 1942. In all that time there have only been two accidental disasters. One was Chernobyl which was a joke among nuclear plants in terms of safety procedures and maintenance, and Three Mile Island which got scary but in the end nothing happened. If we build new nuclear plants that are up to modern standards the chances of a meltdown are in the range of 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 20,000 per reactor, per year according to the extensive research I did a minute ago.

As for the issue of nuclear waste Yucca Mountain in Nevada has been under construction for years. Nevada is an ideal location due to the fact that there is almost no chance of contaminating ground water. It's open has been long delayed do to the "not in my backyard sentiment; but there is room there for storing over a hundred years of nuclear waste. In a hundred years I can almost guarantee that we will not only have a method for disposing of waste but I would bet that we will not be still using nuclear power. In the next 50 years solar may very well increase it's energy efficiency and will be in a position to take over but we still need something to see us through the better part of a century without the rolling blackouts the we in California remember so well. Nuclear dose not effect local air quality, and it's abundant and powerful enough to solve: the gas crisis, our dependence on foreign oil, and lower our green house gas emissions.

Blogga Please

2008-01-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

Here we are, here we go. The excitement in the room is palatable. Have you been waiting for me? I severely doubt it. The Daily Kos this is not. I have enough opinions that are sure to piss someone off so maybe I could pull something like that off. I think this will be a place mostly for rants and assignments.

So who is this mysterious masked man? Well, I'm Joshua Cobbley. I'm a 24 year old college student working on getting into broadcast journalism. In my short time thus far at San Jose State I must admit that it has been good to me. I'm already meeting interesting people and starting my collection of contacts that I'm sure will make my rolodex resemble a slice of tree trunk. I have had all kinds of job including working with special ed students, on tv shows, in numerous malls, and at NASA. I hope my next job put me directly into the industry. Things just might be coming together in that specific regard. I really hope by tomorrow I'll have some good news worth reporting here.