Sunday, October 23, 2011

5 Ws and an H

Underwear Bomber Trial
Who: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
What: Tried to detonate explosives
When: December 25th, 2009
Where: Northwest Flight 253 out Amsterdam to Detroit
Why: Sent to the U.S. by an Al Qaida spiritual leader
How: Stashed explosives in his underwear

Thursday, October 20, 2011

What Pique's Your Interest?

What have you liked lately? If you need some help here, ask yourself
these questions:
Do you have a new favorite Hobby, TV show, book, type of music, film,
website?
    I love to play lacrosse, watch The Office and Weeds, read almost any sort of books, listen to Animal Collective and the Beach Boy's Pet Sound, and spend my time on the website Pinterest.
What are your pet peeves?
    When other people are constantly grumpy.
What makes you really angry?
    When people insult my family and friends.
What things in the world do you really wish you could change?
    People's attitudes towards life and the world.
What people, places, and ideas are in the news at the moment?
    There are many stories circling the news at this moment. One particular one is about a suicidal man who let his exotic animals free to terrorize his Ohio community before committing suicide.
Are there any events coming up in the next six months or in the next
year that are sure to be newsworthy and that you can get the jump on
now?
    The president election in 2012 will be a major source of news soon.
What’s new in your city?
    The Cumberland school systems are implementing many new policies and have elected a new superintendent.
What’s new in your school?
    The 2011 class clash would be a major source of media attention. Many kids got in trouble for alcohol consumption and possession and inappropriate behavior
What’s new in your immediate neighborhood?
    My neighbors are moving to Texas because the father got a new job there.
What’s new with your family?
    This weekend my aunt and cousin will be visiting from Texas for a week.
Is your generation, ethnic group, or racial group facing changes,
hardships, or freedoms that have not been addressed in the past?
    No

Sunday, September 25, 2011

"Is Freelancing Right for You?" Responses

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working independently?
Working independently has it's many advantages and disadvantages. For people who enjoy spending time on their own and attempt to stay away from social interactions freelancing is a great job. Freelancers are able to create their own schedules. They can sleep late, take lunch whenever they want, and choose their place of work. Working alone does have it's disadvantages, though. Help in writing pieces is not as readily available as it would be in an office and loneliness often haunts a freelance writer. This is why it is important to seriouly think about the pros and cons of a freelancing job before you begin.

How does your occupation/ position/ or status affect your potential opportunities or career direction?
One of the main points of "Is Freelancing Right for You?" made was that freelancing is a very difficult occupation to begin. Freelancing is an uncertain job, writers do not have a set schedule and publishing does not always come quick. That is why it is important to continue with your previous job until one is absolutely certain that money will be coming in regularly. Some pieces are paid for upon publishing, meaning that even though a piece was written 2 months earlier, it will not be paid for until it appears to the public. This makes situations tough for a freelancer so it is important to have a back up plan and enough money to start off with incase this career does not take off as quickly as planned.

How does the frequency or infrequency of payment from freelancing affect the budget of a writer?
Freelance writers often find themselves struggling with money, especially beginners. Opportunities for pieces are usually random and their payment varies depending on who the piece is being written for. Some freelancers are paid upon publish, which makes the time between the piece was submitted and it's publish date very difficult. Freelancer's must be careful with their money and plan in advance for bill payments and other mandatory payments.

How does flexibility, organization, and discipline affect a freelancer's capacity to research, generate, and produce quality work?
Freelance writers must be very flexible, organized, and disciplined in order to produce quality work. Writing opportunities appear irregularly and freelancers must be ready to accept a job at essentially any time. Freelancer's must also be very organized in their scheduling because without having a boss to set up work schedules, freelancers are on their own. Freelancer's must be disciplined so they can get their pieces submitted on time, they can not be procrastinators. If freelancer's are not flexible, organized, and disciplined they will have an extremely hard time surviving in the business.

How does one's expertise or ignorance affect a freelancer's choice of assignment?
Freelance writers must choose their assignments carefully and they must choose topics that appeal to them. Ignorance of the writing topic only creates a more difficult, unenjoyable situation for both the writer and their future readers. It is important for freelancer's to choose topics they are familiar because it shows greatly in their writing if they do not know what they are talking about.

Should you say no to an assignment? Why or when (at what point)?
Freelancer's should always feel free to say no to an assignment, especially if it is a topic of no interest or knowledge. It is important to write about what one wants to because it is obvious in the piece if a writer was uninterested in the topic. Freelancer's should also be careful as to when they say no to an assignment. In the beginning of a freelancer's career, when assignments are scarce, one should be more lenient in the topic of writing so that their name will begin to be known.