Last weekend, the TM staff attended SoCal's JACC convention. JACC stands for Journalism Association of Community Colleges. The convention started Friday noon and culminated with an awards presentation on Saturday night.
The convention consisted of various workshops such as "Headline writing" and "Getting and using good quotes."
My personal favorite was "Getting into journalism without any experience." The guest speaker was Gustavo Arellano, reporter from the OC Weekly and the author of the popular "Ask a Mexican" column. The highlight of the weekend was me getting an autographed copy of his book. The tragic ending to my weekend, was losing that book.
Aside from the workshops, there were also on the spot competitions that were held. I participated in the Critical Review and Feature Writing competitions. By far, my favorite was the Critical Review.
We were asked to review a play called "Urinetown." The play was hilarious, and I highly recommend it. The Feature Writing was on a Newspaper owner who was advocating recognition for Latino reporters. His goal was a good one, but his mode of presenting it was dull and lacked enthusiasm.
The conference was at Cal State Fullerton, which coincidentally was only a few miles away from the wildfires that raged during the weekend. Smoke penetrated the air and cast a shadow over the city, while the smell of smoke infiltrated the buildings. It was an eerie sight to stare at the sun through clouds of smoke.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Prop. 8 Debate: What you missed.
A TM trifecta covered the Prop. 8 debate held in the Teleconference Center here on campus last Thursday. The room was jam-packed with supporters from both sides. People lined the hallways and sat on the floor next to me, as we watched both speakers give their side of the tale.
Each side brought up good points, as well as each side having their wacky supporters. One thing I appreciated from the Yes on 8 side is that they never tied in religion to support their beliefs. It's a common misconception from people against Prop. 8 that it is greatly influenced by religion.
Now, on the other side, the No on 8 supporters main argument is that they had the right to love whoever they want; a human trait that under the constitution must be protected.
The debate went on without many major disturbances, with a few exceptions.
There was the religious conservative lady who damned the No on Prop. 8 speakers to hell.
There was the liberal hippie college student who referred to an ex US Supreme Court Judge as an "old man."
Both group of speakers took such remarks in stride, although it was evident that they were not pleased.
Prop. 8 passed Tuesday, effectively banning gay marriage in California. The end of this conundrum though, is yet to be witnessed.
Last night I watched No on Prop. 8 supporters march in the streets of Hollywood. They were gathered in large numbers, demanding the right to be able to marry whoever they please.
It is evident that they are not going down without a fight.
Now, I don't support or oppose either side. Frankly, I say ban marriage period. The idea of marriage has been so tarnished that it makes no sense to get married nowadays. My parents have been together for 22 years. They have four kids and are a happy couple. They are not married, even though they have lasted much longer together than do many married couples.
Happy marriage is an idea that has been left behind in black and white family sitcoms.
Each side brought up good points, as well as each side having their wacky supporters. One thing I appreciated from the Yes on 8 side is that they never tied in religion to support their beliefs. It's a common misconception from people against Prop. 8 that it is greatly influenced by religion.
Now, on the other side, the No on 8 supporters main argument is that they had the right to love whoever they want; a human trait that under the constitution must be protected.
The debate went on without many major disturbances, with a few exceptions.
There was the religious conservative lady who damned the No on Prop. 8 speakers to hell.
There was the liberal hippie college student who referred to an ex US Supreme Court Judge as an "old man."
Both group of speakers took such remarks in stride, although it was evident that they were not pleased.
Prop. 8 passed Tuesday, effectively banning gay marriage in California. The end of this conundrum though, is yet to be witnessed.
Last night I watched No on Prop. 8 supporters march in the streets of Hollywood. They were gathered in large numbers, demanding the right to be able to marry whoever they please.
It is evident that they are not going down without a fight.
Now, I don't support or oppose either side. Frankly, I say ban marriage period. The idea of marriage has been so tarnished that it makes no sense to get married nowadays. My parents have been together for 22 years. They have four kids and are a happy couple. They are not married, even though they have lasted much longer together than do many married couples.
Happy marriage is an idea that has been left behind in black and white family sitcoms.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Homecoming Wrap-up
Last night, the TM gang and I culminated our week long adventure into the world of float building.
I must admit, I have never built anything in my life, much less something as complex as a float.
Granted our float wasn't and engineering marvel, but it wasn't that bad either. Sadly, we did not win anything, but I feel the experience (and food) was enough to compensate the hard work.
The adventure began on Wednesday since we waited until last weeks edition of the the amazing Talon Marks was printed. I wasn't there as much as the rest of the crew, but at least I provided the comedic relief.
The process was long and tedious, sprinkled with heated arguments here and there and dabbed with paint along the way. I must say that the final outcome was something I was proud to say I was part of.
Even though I may not have added much to the float, I feel Rick and I had the hardest job of all. We had to pull the float; the rusted, squeaky, incredibly difficult to steer float. And to top it off, we had four members of the TM on top.
Even though it was a tough job, I will say it was fun. Since joining the Talon Marks i've come to experience something i've never had before. Something I would always see on TV, or read about in books. A little something I though never existed: School spirit. It made me proud to say "I'm a Cerritos College student."
Go Falcons!
I must admit, I have never built anything in my life, much less something as complex as a float.
Granted our float wasn't and engineering marvel, but it wasn't that bad either. Sadly, we did not win anything, but I feel the experience (and food) was enough to compensate the hard work.
The adventure began on Wednesday since we waited until last weeks edition of the the amazing Talon Marks was printed. I wasn't there as much as the rest of the crew, but at least I provided the comedic relief.
The process was long and tedious, sprinkled with heated arguments here and there and dabbed with paint along the way. I must say that the final outcome was something I was proud to say I was part of.
Even though I may not have added much to the float, I feel Rick and I had the hardest job of all. We had to pull the float; the rusted, squeaky, incredibly difficult to steer float. And to top it off, we had four members of the TM on top.
Even though it was a tough job, I will say it was fun. Since joining the Talon Marks i've come to experience something i've never had before. Something I would always see on TV, or read about in books. A little something I though never existed: School spirit. It made me proud to say "I'm a Cerritos College student."
Go Falcons!
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