Comparing Networks

Noticias Univision 14, presented their opening newscast with a compassionate story on a victim in San Bruno. It showed a picture of the victim, Jessica Morales, and talked primarily about her boyfriend’s attempt to save her life. Family and friends at the funeral were integrated into the story with their commentaries. The story was definitely meant to be more emotional, based on the voice projected from the reporter, and the ongoing quotes such as “Today was Jessica Morales’ last goodbye.” This story wove nicely into the second story, which was about current explosions being experienced in San Bruno and how they have affected the region through major natural gases. This story however, rather than being an emotional one, focused on how to further prevent these incidents and how PG&E is currently dealing with the situation. I found it very interesting how this story, rather than including an actual scenery shot, portrayed a picture of a map. The map made the story more informational rather than emotional, like the first story. After these two leading stories were reported, a couple of buried stories continued, all of which included a fifteen year old high school student in Novato dying in a car crash due to alcohol intoxication, a shooting in Pittsburgh, a man accused of shooting a cop that had something to do with gang involvement, highway 680 fees and the debate of how much carpool fees should be for those who break this law, and how the decision of Arizona’s governor is experiencing decision making that may greatly affect immigrant rights. The second to last (leading) story focused on the declaration of the end to the United States recession as of June 2009. It was commented that it has been the most prolonged since the Great Depression. This story was followed by shots of families shopping and labor workers. In particular with this story, I didn’t like the tone of voice used on behalf of the reporter (which was a woman). It was somewhat deep which made me feel intimidated and alarmed. After a very small commentary on sports, the newscast ended with a one minute story on a classified heroic act of a man with one leg who managed to save a dolphin after swimming to reach it far out into the ocean.

Throughout the thirty-minute newscast, a series of four leading stories were outlined and a total of sixteen buried stories were delivered. This definitely gives me an idea as to how strictly time constraints are applied. Take into consideration that a total of twenty stories needed to be covered, and only four of them weren’t small segments (meaning more than a minute or two of air time).

Some of the foreshadowing in the newscast was very nicely integrated, creating the proper “suspense” needed in creative storytelling. Two of the foreshadows I noticed being used was one about how the recession in the U.S. has officially ended and the other one was about Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon commenting on the current underwater conditions of Veracruz due to the Hurricane.

The anchors in this newscast, just to provide a small visual, all wore black along with colored ties, one of which was pink and the other burgundy. This made me feel as if though the newscast was definitely on a high-ended professional level. I thought that there were various points throughout the report where the anchors were talking to fast and it was hard for me to follow along and grasp what the reporter was telling me. This newscast definitely abided by the “classic” newscast portrayal: conservative yet trendy. It was a good report, but on the negative side it was sometimes stale or “dry”.

After watching this newscast, I followed by watching the second one: Noticiero Univison. Unlike the first newscast which left this story almost until the end, Noticiero Univision opened up with the story of underwater Veracruz. Unlike the first report, they focused more on how people struggled looking for their personal items and families. They interviewed an affected person which was a more effective way to connect the audience with the people and situation. One of the things that I also noticed was that at one point, the reporter was shot on an actual boat floating over underwater houses, which made the story that more real to me. It portrayed the rescues of children at night and still the numerous amounts of people seeking aid. All of these things contributed to my favoritism for this report rather than the first one. Followed up by this leading story, came a second leading story about Colin Powell and the Dream Act. The newscast integrated an NBC recorded interview of Powell as well as a quote on his stance on immigration. There were a couple of commentaries from Republican analysts. This story flowed nicely with a buried story that came right after about how hundreds of students are actively protesting, advocating their rights and talking about their life situations. Another leading story, like the first newscast, revolved around the official declaration of the end of the United States recession. Interestingly enough, I liked the first report better because it gave me a better informational background on the recession as a whole, something which I am not too familiar with. The second one had commentaries from the general public which didn’t really give me much information. Oddly enough, the newscast ended with a report on Paris Hilton’s declaration of in fact having possessed cocaine. This gave the news more of a comic finish, which was fresh and witty.

In contrast with the first newscast, the second newscast conveyed a total of three leading stories and eleven buried stories to complete a total of fourteen stories. One of the things that I liked about having less stories, is being able to focus more on actually understanding most of the reports. I can honestly say that I felt more in connection with the three leading stories that were reported the second time than I was the first time, specifically because I had that extra time to connect.

The greatest thing about this newscast, unlike the first one, was that it was definitely a lot slower and a lot clearer. It included less jargon and was even though it was simple, it kept things much concise and to the point without confusing me and losing my train of thought as a viewer.

After watching both newscasts, I definitely think the second newscast (Noticiero Univision) did a better job of presenting a better connection with its viewers. The fact that they included all the commentaries made it easier for the viewer to stay interested in the story, giving them a sense of interaction with the anchor, reporter, or interviewee.

Mary J Lovers

I think that weed makes people lazy and it gets in the way of their success. I want to say at least every other one of my friends smokes weed, and I honestly don’t have a problem with it. I don’t have a problem with it because I’m not the one smoking, they are: people are free to do as they please. However, I think smoking starts to become a problem when it gets in the way of individual progress. There are people that I know that need to smoke weed before they write a paper to get there creative juices flowing. There are people I know that need to roll a blunt before they go see The Hunger Games because it will be more entertaining to watch high. But then again, I can’t say I understand smokers because I don’t smoke weed.

Before I came to college, I was obviously raised with the idea that of course marijuana is bad and anyone who does it is a bad person. I was instilled with the idea that marijuana defines gangsters and who knows probably people who shoot or stab other people. It sure sounds funny but it really is the truth, if you grew up in a conservative Mexican-Catholic family.

As soon as I moved into Zinfandel Village my freshmen year, it took me a longer time to find out what a CSA was then to find out where I can buy weed. The truth of the matter is, a lot of students at Sonoma State smoke or sell marijuana, and the more I have been exposed to it the more I have grown to realize it really isn’t as bad as people think. I’ve met some really bright people who are on the Presidential Scholar list and smoke weed more than twice a day. However, I think smoking has grown to take over control of people’s daily routines and level of priorities.

Kim K Fetish!!!!

Why is Kim Kardashian's blog so addicting?! Between "Blonde Hair Don't Care" and "Kiki Look I'm Doing A Yoga Pose" I find myself reading this crap for a good two hours.

Ahh, and here we have Mason...The more I analyze this blog, the more I notice how it's all blog posts about her life.

Can anyone tell me what keeps the reader so hooked on this!?

Sex and the Soap

You ever notice how beautiful women are portrayed in Spanish soap operas? If you watch them, then you definitely will. Spanish soap operas are known for having female protagonists who are drop-dead gorgeous and have every guy cringing with desire. The portrayal of Latin women, physically, is a positive one almost always. Latin soap operas capture and praise Latin beauty. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Latin American culture has been long thrown into the pile of inferior.

American soap operas on the other hand, portray women in a different way. They are more conservative with women and tend to defer from the sex appeal. This in large part is affected by cultural trends, including wardrobe.

Perhaps the difference in female portrayals in Spanish and American soaps has to do with finding different things attractive. American soaps tend to capture the thin rather than the curvy. American soaps tend to lean towards the unique and awkward whereas the Latin soaps lean towards classic looks.

Whether you choose to agree with me or not, cultural differences in genders are definitely transmitted through media.

The Death Trap

Taking 23 units in one semester is by far one of the stupidest things I have ever done, yet hopefully the most rewarding when it comes time for Commencement in May.
Before this semester started, I can honestly admit to having never read one single book my entire college career. How had I managed a 3.3 grade point average with no reading? I have yet to find out. This semester, maybe it’s my karma for never having read a book, I find myself consistently reading novel after novel. Less than two months into the semester and I’m already on my 6th novel. There’s the definite feeling of guilt after turning in assignments week after week that I’ve just slapped together because I didn’t have enough time. I sleep at 2am almost every night and wake up at 6am to finish homework. When I’m on a lunch break at work I read, when I’m in the bathroom I read, when I’m having dinner with my mom I read. But taking 23 units isn’t all bad. I can honestly say I’ve learned plenty of time management skills followed by quick and efficient study habits.

If you’re anything like me, you would have also registered for 23 units to graduate in May, even if it means French literature, Spanish literature, and biology all in the same semester. My word of advice to the younger college students: don’t wait till the last semester of college to take that one class that you absolutely hate and have been avoiding! It will come back and haunt you.

Now that I’m done with college (almost), I can acknowledge that I’ve been very fortunate to have made it in four years, but first and foremost: Don’t Rush. 23 units can wait.

The Poor and the Beautiful

This week I found myself in a consistent battle with my roommates trying to prove to me that Angelina Jolie and Adriana Lima are by far the prettiest woman on the planet. Who identified the characteristics of the most beautiful women on the planet anyway? It occurred to me that each one of my roommates said they would go lesbian for Angelina Jolie or Adriana Lima. I don’t know about that but I can definitely see how you can put Angelina and Adriana in the same sentence. Both weigh about 90 pounds and are enormously tall. But if you ask me, the most beautiful woman in the world isn’t composed of lip gloss and stilettos, but by intelligence and humility.

But my roommate continues to argue as I type my opinon. Angelina helps out the world, she adopts kids from like twenty different countries. Angelina Jolie is an ambassador for the United Nations and goes to third world countries to help the disadvantaged. Maybe I’m wrong…or maybe my roommate has been taken over by media that sensationalizes Angelina Jolie and puts her in the light of a hero.

She never gives it a rest. I was reading an article in The Press Democrat about a homeless man who passed away last year during the holidays. The impoverished man died after getting hit by ongoing traffic on HWY 101. After doing some research on the homeless man’s death in hopes of finding a relative to contact, authorities discovered this homeless man had been donating money to a charity organization to children in Africa. Breathtaking. So while we argue to find the sexiest and most worthy people on the planet, we should definitely consider the homeless.

The Autopsy

The importance of weekly events on a global level is hard but not impossible to define. This week, we finally discover the autopsy results of 14-year-old Takeimi Rao after her death a couple months ago while having a sleepover with three friends at her parent’s house. For those of you who are new to this story, the young 14-year-old was found dead the morning after having a sleepover under the supervision of her mother. Oddly enough, that particular night, the girls seemed to have what Rao’s mom thought to be an upset stomach. Rao’s mom was certain all that was needed was a little rest. That morning, Takeimi Rao’s mother found her daughter dead. The three friends were picked up and called for investigation, along with Rao’s parents. After weeks and months of testing and analysis, it was discovered that the girls had been drinking vodka. Intoxication had been a possible factor. This week, however, a new autopsy detected that the young girl hadn’t suffered from deadly alcohol intoxication but had suffered from drinking a deadly dose of a date rape drug. The three friends who had been at the sleepover reject having knowledge of any date rape drug usage and new investigations are being held. It’s been months since I first heard about this story and to this day I think one of these girls is lying. It’s definitely something to question. It is however also sketchy that Rao’s mother and step dad refuse to talk about the new autopsy results. Could it be that there was some abuse going on in the house that investigators have failed to acknowledge? Rao did have a step dad. I’m definitely not canceling out the possibilities.