Palin on SNL

Sarah Palin appeared on Saturday Night Live on October 18th. I feel this is more shallow publicity. She didnt answer any tough questions (I wouldn't expect any to be asked) but she got her face out there to the mass media audience. Is this ethical? Should a VP candidate become a novelty figure because she is easier to impersonate? When will she answer some questions?

Moderator bias?

I've heard bunch of talk, specifically from Yahoo (wonder if Leah Hitchings knows more) about possible biases from moderators on these debates. I would say given the conservative nature of media conglomorates, this favores the right wing. Sigh. I was not impressed with Obama last week, I felt like he conceeded to much to McCain. It will be interesting to watch the VP debates and how the media covers it. Kerry in '04? Big F'ing sigh.

Palin

Did anyone see that Extra! segment on Sarah Palin's parents? They hunt moose and probably don't own a TV. They're not so much conservative suburbanites as they are rednecks.

Paris

Just a brief note. I spent the weekend in Paris, and couldn't be more excited about going back. Definately more to do in Paris than Lille, especially on the weekend. I was lucky enough to stay at the flat of a former neighbor's, The Gronki's, from Madison Park while they were away in Chicago. I'm thinking about going back this upcoming weekend.

Europe '08

Sure, it may be nearly two months into my trip, but I feel it's about time for my first post. France has been treating me well so far, besides the lack of hot water some mornings (this morning) and NOTHING being open on Sat/Sun and sometimes Mondays... Yes, the people are nice and much more pro-America than I thought. I have befriended a girl named Marine Deroo, who one day told me that French people don't have any national pride unless the World Cup is being played. "You Americans have so much pride for your country, where we don't really like being French." This line almost knocked me off my feet. Maybe its the Left Coast point of view, but it seems that back home all we do is complain about Bush, etc and renounce our nationality. I was also unaware that the French are dissatisfied with theirs as well, seems like she has it backwards... or maybe I do?

Literally just returned from Italy a couple of days ago. I spent 5 nights in Rome with my childhood friend Karel, who knew a ton about the ruins and important sites in Rome. After Rome, spent a night in Cinque Terre, the coastal region, and I recommend it highly. If you're going to Riomaggore (pictured), or any other small village on the coast, go on the weekend. Most of the restaurants are only open then. Spent an evening and night in Pisa, saw the tower, didn't like the rest.

I'm happy to be back in Lille, and looking forward to the next couple of months/weeks before my parents arrive.

USFtv

Sports Update Season 3 - Episode 4
Behind The Bench exclusive with coverage of Men's Tennis WCC Tournament at the University of Washington in Seattle.

USF Journalism Panel

USF Media Studies Alums Stress the Importance of Self

For some of the alumni of the University of San Francisco Media Studies department, breaking into the journalism world has been a struggle. A number of these alums were back at USF on October 16th to talk about their experiences for the first annual Journalism Alumni Panel.
Toan Lam, a broadcast journalist who is currently working for KRON, stressed the important of building yourself when preparing to enter the journalism field. When asked if he thought that students were compromised by the lack of a journalism major at USF, Lam disagreed. Rather he said that USF is a good school for learning the theories of journalism and the lack of a structured major challengers the student to be more independent.
Lam, who originally wanted to be in print journalism rather than broadcast, had five internships during the four years he spent at USF. When the opportunity to work for the broadcast side appeared, Lam was well prepared from his time at USF.
Panel members and also USF alumni included: Vicky Nguyen, another broadcast journalist from Channel 11 (NBC), Myra Sandova who is a copywriter for the Gap, Tiffany Maleshefsky, a technical writer for eWeek, and Kent German, a cell-phone reviewer from CNET, among others.
The audience included undergraduates in the Media Studies department, who seemed to be overwhelmed by the struggles that some of panelists had experienced on their road to success. There were also several faculty members and alumni in attendance.