Spitzer Blog

New York’s governor, Elliot Spitzer, resigned this past Wednesday March 12 after rumors began about his connection with the high priced prostitution ring, Emperors Club VIP. However, it was Monday March 10 that the now former governor originally addressed the issue during a press conference, at which is wife Silda stood faithfully by his side. During the three minute speech the governor explained how he was “deeply sorry” for the embarrassment he caused both his family and supporters yet; he refused to answer any questions.
According to the allegations on the night of February 13, Sptizer made a phone call arranging for one of his “call- girls” to take a train ride from New York to Washington where she would meet him at an unidentified hotel. The high priced ring of prostitutes can charge as much as $5,500 an hour, and the governor has reportedly spent as much $80,000. Government officials caught the former governor in the crime during a wired call, Spitzer was known as Client 9 during the conversation that was later traced back to him.
Spitzer resignation became in effect this past Monday, March 17 and to many it has become obvious that his once promising political career is now over. David Paterson will be replacing the former governor in office, and there are high hopes for this well regarded politician.

Amendments

The five rights protected under the First Amendment are freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition. However, there are more rights covered under the 10 Amendments. These rights include the right to bear arms, troops may not be placed in homes during a time of peace, no unreasonable search or seizures, not sentenced for a crime without a hearing/can not be tried twice for the same crime if previously proven innocent, the right to a public trial with a lawyer supplied by the government and witnesses called upon to testify, a jury will be used in trials when the money at stake is over $20, no excessively high bail or cruel and unusual punishments, unlisted rights are not to be denied, power not directly given to the United States or denied to the states rest in the hand of the state or with the people.

Reordering

>ORIGINAL ORDER:
*Alfred C. Glassell who is an oil and gas entrepreneur. Has been collecting Akan gold for years now.
His stuff is going on an exhibit
*The Akan chiefs of Ghana wore crowns, amulets, bracelets and muskets too made of glittering gold up until the last century
*The Boston Museum of Fine Arts is going to put on a special exhibit of Akan Gold from March 12 to the 30
*Ghana has been independent from Great Britain from 1930
*The ruler of the Akan King wore amazing jewelry, 8 to 12 karats in each piece he wore. It really did not belong to him but to the people
*Art Historian Doran H. Ross who wrote the catalog for the exhibit said “I find it amazing that the people of southern Ghana still wear stunning gold pieces”


>NEW ORDER:
*The Akan chiefs of Ghana wore crowns, amulets, bracelets and muskets too made of glittering gold up until the last century
*Ghana has been independent from Great Britain since 1930
*Alfred C. Glassell who is an oil and gas entrepreneur. Has been collecting Akan gold for years now.
His stuff is going on an exhibit
*The Boston Museum of Fine Arts is going to put on a special exhibit of Akan Gold from March 12 to the 30
*The ruler of the Akan King wore amazing jewelry, 8 to 12 karats in each piece he wore. It really did not belong to him but to the people
*Art Historian Doran H. Ross who wrote the catalog for the exhibit said “I find it amazing that the people of southern Ghana still wear stunning gold pieces”

College Budget

As most college students already know, learning to live on a budget is one of the most difficult adjustments of freshman year. Many college bound seniors save money all summer to use in increments throughout the upcoming semester, so when the money stops coming in yet continues to be spent a budget needs to be made. So that is exactly what Veronica Lewin did, after talking to her parents about how much money they would be giving her each month and adding that to the amount she had saved over the summer, she was able to successfully decide how much could be spent each month and what she would be including in her monthly budget.
Lewin’s parents decided they would add $500 a month to her debit account for monthly spending. The money was divided up amongst her cell phone bill, hair salon visits, tuition and books. Lewin’s would then use her $830 a month scholarship, $100 Christmas break savings, and $40 from book sales to cover other expenses such as the remainder of her tuition bill. She also added in the average monthly expenses of $60 in clothes, $30 in food, and $10 in prescription medicines. Lewin’s also spends $60 a week going out 2-3 nights. As like many college students this is where most of her monthly budget is spent.
It is important for students to plan a budget early in their college careers so they do not rack up unneeded bills. If students do not learn how to sufficiently spend their money then it can cause for major financial and credit issues in the future.

Prince Harry Article

I feel that the Associated Press made the right choice when they decided to keep Prince Harry’s military term in Afghanistan a secret. After learning that the English military bribed the press to not tell the world that Prince Harry was fighting in Afghanistan from December to April it raised many questions about ethics and the responsibilities journalists have to report news. I feel that the public has the right to know uncensored news if it greatly impacts their lives however, what impact did Prince Harry fighting in Afghanistan have on the lives of the public? None, and that is why I agree with the choice the Associated Press made to keep his deployment a secret. If in fact it became public news that the Prince would be fighting in the war for over 5 months and the press gave his location along with other various facts about his term, he could have been in grave danger and become one of the most high profile targets for terrorists attacks against him and his fellow soldiers. I believe that safety should be the primary concern of the press, that is by far more important then getting a good story; the choice that blogger made to print the story in advance jeopardized the well being of Prince Harry. I am disappointed that the story got leaked on a blog before the time his tour was finished and it is unfortunate he could not complete his time in Afghanistan. I do believe he will go back soon to defend England and I hope this time it will not be leaked onto the internet, giving information to people who do not have his best interest at heart.

Aaron Matthews News Story

This past Wednesday nationally recognized documentary maker, Aaron Matthews, visited the SUNY Albany campus to show his latest film, “The Paper”. Following the films’ viewing Matthews allowed for audience participation with a series of question and answers, which allowed the students to interact and gain a deeper understanding of the production of Penn State University’s campus newspaper, The Daily Collegian.
This film was first released in late 2007 and drew an immediate audience from journalists across the country. Only a few weeks after being released “The Paper” had begun receiving praise on its accuracy of depicting an active newsroom while adding a twist of humor. Throughout filming during the 2004-2005 school year various issues confronted the editors of The Daily Collegian leaving them with no other choice but to make important decisions while still learning the field of journalism. One of the most important issues had to deal with the diversity on such a large campus and the under representation of the black students. Another pressing issue throughout the film dealt with the coverage of rape incidents occurring on campus, reporter Laura Baker wanted each rape case to be reported in the newspaper to raise student awareness. However, Editor in Chief, James Young, had opposing views to each of these issues, which became very clear during the film.
During the series of question and answers Matthews described the outcome of some of the most important decisions that faced the staff of The Daily Collegian. As mentioned earlier, many black students felt they were being under represented on such a large campus. They also felt the staff of the newspaper should go through a diversity training program so that the writers would become more sensitive while asking questions to the black students. Editor in Chief, James Young, openly rejected this idea by stating his staff was sensitive to their issues and that they did not need training to ask the students questions. Yet, during the Q&A Matthews stated that the coverage of racial issues got much better on campus and the staff paid closer attention to censoring the way they phrased questions. The other main issue throughout the documentary dealt with how much press coverage rape incidents on campus would receive from The Daily Collegian. Laura Baker was both a reporter and women’s studies major that wanted to cover the rising rate of sexual abuse occurring on campus, however once again Young felt that not every single case needed to be printed in the paper. In the end Young overruled the young reporter, which sparked many feminist activists to act out against his decision on campus.
Penn State has one of the most successful student run newspapers in the country, which greatly influenced Matthews decision to film at this particular university. However, another factor that contributed to his choice of location was the simple fact that he lived very close… close enough to walk! Matthews recorded over 350 hours of footage to put together the hour and a half production, his reason for shooting that many hours was simple “tape is cheap and I got carried away.” Since Matthews in an independent film maker he receives next to nothing for funding, allowing him no other choice but to shoot 75% of the footage by himself using only a microphone and camera. Since this one-man act did almost the entire documentary by himself the students in the newsroom grew very comfortable in his presence. Matthews said that he would ask the students a controversial question about a current issue in the newsroom and would then record their debate. He also said that because he got to know the staff so well he did not add anything in the film that was personal and only used the important footage, nothing gossipy.
The students who attended this special presentation on campus walked away with a new perspective on journalism and the choices that face news reporters on a daily basis. Aaron Matthews did a great job of showing the accuracy of how a school newspaper is run and added some comic relief with the reactions from the reporters. The question and answer session allowed the audience to gain specific information about the behind the scenes footage that only the filmmaker himself would know. This was a great experience and a fun way to learn about what goes on behind the closed doors of a newsroom.

Interview Analysis

Victoria Beckham on Larry King Live Parts 1, 2, 3, on youtube

1. I feel the best question asked was about how the members of the Spice Girls have changed over the years. Victoria answered with how the members have really matured; four of them are now mothers. She also said they have a greater appreciation for their success and they do not take their fame for granted.
2. I felt Larry King was very positive while asking Victoria the interview questions; he really tried to not make her uncomfortable and asked questions that would portray her in a positive light.
3. I did not find any mistakes or awkwardness’s during the interview except for one. Larry asked her a question about the successful solo singing careers the other members of the Spice Girls have had, and Victoria really hasn't had that equal success. She was uncomfortable and thought about her response slightly longer than she had for the other questions. Her response was that she has had success in other ways, especially with her fashion career.
4. I feel the overall interview was very good. I am a big fan of Victoria Beckham, which is why I chose this interview. I feel she handled herself very professionally and positively. She did respond with a single negative answer to any of Larry King's question.
5. I cannot think of any questions that were left out that affected the interview. I liked how they had questions that were emailed in from fans, which led to a big variety in the interview topics.