Category: journalism

Stuff having to do with the world of journalism.

Honor’s Ski TRIP

yrreskrapLeave a comment


UGH! My mittens were filled with snow…again. I dusted my jacket off as I strained and struggled to get on my two feet. My poles dug deep into the white, icy powder and my body pushed itself up. Finally, I was standing and all I could think was “I need to get back to the cabin.”

Cross country skiing was not what I thought it would be. I jumped at the opportunity of going on the Honor’s Ski Trip, thinking it would be a breeze, especially because of my love for downhill skiing. Little did I know that cross country skiing had nothing in common with downhill skiing…except for maybe the poles.

I struggled to keep up with the rest of the group my first day. I was falling here and there, into deep pits of powdery snow. Even when I was standing up, I would somehow manage to fall over.

However, I had a lot of time to contemplate life, just as a I do every camping trip. It’s something about being isolated from technology and being beset in nature that makes the mind flow so clearly. Letting the mind flow was very refreshing and well needed, although now quite the opposite is happening with all of the backed up school work that is calling me. Regardless, for the time being, the trip allowed me to unwind and have some quality thinking time.

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Dear Gangsters, Please Go Away

Paloma Spencer3 Comments

You know who I have a problem with?

Gangsters.

Those people who think they are so tough.

Those people who speak in such arrogant tongue.

Fine, so I’m being completely judgemental, but I dont care. I’m not saying they are not good people and I am definitely not defining all of them with these characteristics. But I have sadly yet to see one that has proved my opinion wrong.

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The Radiant Child

smackyjackjack1 Comment

Jack’s Movie Pick of the Week

The Radiant Child is the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child Poster

Jean-Michel Basquiat has been described as the most important artist of his generation.  Basquiat was born December 22nd, 1960 in New York city.  He was interested in art from an early age. His small cartoons and doodles eventually blossomed into a career.

Basquiat had a short career. He died of a drug overdose shortly before going out to a concert with his friends on August 12th, 1988. In his short life, Basquiat managed to creat some of the most powerful and unique art of his time. His art was praised by one of Basquiat’s best friends, Andy Warhol.

Final Verdict

This is a good documentary about a very important artist. The editing is a bit rough at times, and the film itself could have been cut more. But aside from that, the story is engaging, and the subject is intriguing.  This is a good documentary for those who love expressionism.

Cross-Country Challenge

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

I’m sure that plenty of people will be blogging about this soon, but last week eighteen students, including five students from this blog, went on the honors ski trip.

We all packed up Monday morning and made the six hour drive to Yosemite in two school vans filled to the brim with snacks and camping equipment. I hadn’t been to the snow in five years, so needless to say I was ecstatic.

I had also never skied before. Here is where my actual blog starts.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

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My Two Cents

sennymcfly1 Comment

So many writers have blogged about image and the pressures to have the “perfect body” and how you should love yourself for who you are and how the world’s opinion doesn’t matter. All of this is true, but for some reason no matter how times we say it, we just don’t seem to get it.

As children we are usually raised under the impression that image doesn’t matter. Our parents always tell us not to judge others by the way they look, but how they act. “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, right?

We say that, but do we really mean it? You can tell a girl struggling with anorexia that she is perfect the way she is and then go to the bathroom, stare at yourself in the mirror and question your own perfection. We are all hypocritical and we all know it, but we don’t say it.

It has been brought to my attention that body image is a real problem. One thing that is clear is that it is a big problem here in Southern California.

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Best Movies Ever?

smackyjackjack2 Comments

With the Oscars only a week away, it’s high time to blog about movies.  Out of all the movies nominated for best film of 2010, I have only seen three (The fighter, Inception and True Grit). The Fighter was by far the best. Christian Bale showed just how good of an actor he could be. That would have to be the best movie of 2010.

The Fighter might be ok for 2010, but there are other movies out there that could blow the Fighter out of the water.

THIS IS JACK BEVERLY’S FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME!!!

The best all time drama is a tie between John Huston’s The Man who Would be King, and Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo.

The Man who Would be King is based off of Rudyard Kipling‘s book of the same name. It is about two ex soldiers who decide they want to become kings of Kafiristan. Spoiler Alert!, they do. As is that wasn’t cool enough, the two soldiers are played by Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Yeah. Those two are in the same movie. It may have caused a rip in the time space continuum of awesome.

Fitzcarraldo is Werner Herzog’s epic story of a rubber baron who decides to go down the Amazon in search of rubber. Before I go any further, let me just say that Werner Herzog doesn’t make movies about any wimps. Just read the first paragraph on his film school’s website…..did you read it? Yeah. That’s pretty much Fitzcarraldo. Multiply that by the craziness it took to lug a steam boat over a mountain and you have the film that is Fitzcarraldo.

Best all time comedy is Stanley Kramer’s It’s a mad mad mad mad World.  This movie has every one of the greatest comedians of it’s time you can think of, and Ethel Merman. The crazy plot, and non stop laughability (I had to make up a word to describe it) makes it the best comedy of all time.

The best all time psychological thriller would have to be Christopher Nolan’s Memento. Usually, I don’t like many of Nolan’s films, but Memento was awesome. Basically, the film is about a guy who has very strong amnesia. He is trying to find out who his wife’s killer is, but he forgets what he does the day before. So, without giving away too much, he has to tattoo the clues he has found on himself. Pretty cool stuff.

The World (as we know it) is Coming to an End [[Pt. 1]]

yrreskrapLeave a comment

It’s very hard not to get sad when thinking about the world and how horrible a place it can be. It’s very hard to remember the other lives that are being abused today, when my life is so easy. It’s very hard when you know you can’t fix these problems that plague society. It makes my blood boil.

Right now, people are living in fear. In fear of their government, in fear of their people, in fear of disease, in fear of something.

Burma, Southeast Asia, 2007.

Monks are holy and sacred figures, the symbols of peace and humanity in Burma. They are religious leaders who focus on the tranquility of life and don’t involve themselves in politics, that is, until the summer of 2007.

The political standing of Burma is corrupt, savage, and inhumane to put it lightly. The government, an organization of people meant to protect the welfare of their fellow Burmese, has caged their people and censored the news. Their goal was to disband people, to prevent civilians from joining together because two people are stronger than one, and 100 people are stronger than 10. Nobody speaks in fear of being taken by undercover government officials. Their voices aren’t heard. The people are mute. The people are afraid. The people are waiting for an answer, for a solution.

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Awkward News

sennymcfly1 Comment

This blog is a place where news can be shared between the loving and word-savy students of the fourth period journalism class as well as any outside source who stumbles upon our cozy little news corner known as OVS Journalism Blog. In the short time that we have been here, we have had many outsiders come in and comment on our opinionated posts. Some are quite intriguing. Others are not very important, but at the same time still very entertaining. But, others are…awkward.

OVS news reporter Emma Zornes, who is also a Ginger by the way, recently posted a blog concerning social appearances and how people should keep their opinions of to themselves if they don’t like the way someone acts, thinks, dresses, or presents themselves sexually. It was a well written article that got people’s attention and yes, there were comments. Fellow OVS news reporter Madisen Schay, who is black by the way, left comments followed by an outside blogger who left a HUGE impression on Zornes’ post.

mehhh

Now, due to the inappropriate content on this poster’s blog page, I won’t go into detail about his…interests. Also, I’m pretty sure that this is the reason why Mr. Alvarez refuses to make the comment public. What I will say though, is that the comment he left was one that was so “effective” that I really felt the need to write a post dedicated to the very comment.

So, questionable blog poster, a wherever you are, keep on keepin’ on. Oh, and bee tee dubs, you made things pretty awkward, not gonna lie.

awkward

P.S. How many times can you say awkward in one sentence? Let’s see if we can turn this into a competition.

Round 3: Driving Disaster.

Yourcupatea3 Comments

Driving
Stalling a car five times in a row is not cool.

Driving past the Topa Topa Ranch for the fourth time I was confident that I had successfully perfected the route.

The gears, stops, and keeping on the road were all finicky mistakes that needed changing but I was sure that this was the time that I would prove myself as the brilliant driver I was destined to be. I was wrong.

Cruising up to the stop sign I efficiently switched into second gear and began to slow. Greeting the white line I stopped perfectly.

Slowly I took my foot of the clutch pushing my right foot onto the gas. Stall.

Peering around it seemed that a once derelict crossroads had transformed into a now raging road (otherwise known as a death zone).

Ok you can do this Georgie. I turned off the ignition and once again go through the simultaneous steps to start the car. Edging my foot off the clutch I get ready to go. Stall.

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Lights out for lighthouses?

weirdjennyLeave a comment

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Lighthouses have shone a friendly beam for sailors and fishermen for several centuries. However, the new technology, Global Positioning System(GPS), has gradually replaced the role of lighthouses.

The president of the America Lighthouses Foundation, Jeremy D’Entremont, said that “Everyone loves lighthouses, but as far as the government is concerned, they are not exactly a spending priority.”

Although there is 75% of lighthouses are still working in America, federal funding is limited to the mechanical maintenance of the lights. In Britain, the last light keeper retired in 1998.

So now, all British lighthouses are fully automated and monitored by computers, and they can even change light bulbs by themselves. Although that lighthouses are gradually replaced by new technology, they still keep many cultural and historical value. Many lighthouses have turned into hotel, resting places, or museums. Despite the fact that new technology is replacing the role of lighthouses, they still are an important role in sailors and fishermen’s heart!