We learned about various literary devices, which, though I was aware of them before, now make a clearer kind of sense to me.  I believe that the exercises, activities and writing assignments that I completed during this semester have helped me to write in a neat and concise manner, which is great for news. If I planned to become a newspaper writer, this class would be a must-take.

I found that having a writing class helps me to stay in practice with my writing. I enjoy being forced to write (to some degree) because it means that I am making progress as a writer.

This class helped me to understand that my writing can become professional. The class has given me a more serious view of my writing. It showed me that, through hard work and revisions (and revisions) it is possible to come up with a product that I can be proud of.

This class has given me the tools to begin writing in the professional (freelance) world of journalism. Being able to write professionally has been something that I have always wanted to do, and this class is the first one to actually show how to go about it.

My main strength in my writing has been, and probably always will be, my narrative voice.  The main examples can be seen in the introductions to my two magazine articles. The profile story, though mostly from the interview I took with Joe Morel, shows some flair in the introduction and conclusion especially. This strength stems from my love of fiction and fiction writing.

My main weakness seems to be formatting. I am learning more about how different paragraphs and sentence structures can change the pacing and mood of a piece. However, I still find it very difficult to implement these ideas during my actual writing process. The introduction to my how-to article was originally all a single paragraph. My instructor then suggested that I break it up to increase drama, and it worked beautifully. I think these formatting issues are most likely due to not spending enough (read any) time on the revising process. I need to actually read my work after it is complete, think about how I could make parts better through formatting and then implement those changes.

I have posted a few pieces of my writing online already, so my view of my writing has remained about the same. However, I have never had a blog before, and I am quite happy with it. WordPress takes all the difficulty out of making a nice looking blog. It is so easy to use!  I’m sure I will continue with it in the future.

Personally, I believe that good writing starts with reading. Because of this, one of my main goals for the future is to devote more time to reading. I have several books that need to be finished, and many more that need to be started.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will use writing in my future career. Filmmaking is an industry that is in constant flux, allowing and demanding creativity to flourish. Being able to write well will only help to translate that required creativity into media that allows more people to better understand exactly what it is that I am trying to accomplish. In that, writing can and will be valuable to my career for my entire life.

One would not expect a crime problem on such a serene campus. However, Fresno State faculty discovered Wednesday that several computers were stolen from the Speech Arts building sometime Tuesday night.

The theft shocked several of the faculty, who were more concerned with the intellectual value of the information lost than the monetary value of the computers. The faculty assumes that the theft was probably planned and happened at night.

Theft is not a new issue at Fresno State. Linda Richmond, who has taught ceramics for the past 10 years at Fresno State and is also an alumna, has her share of tales of strange thievery. While Richmond was still a student at Fresno State, some 15 years ago, one of her sculptures was stolen from the outside display cases in the Conley Art Building.

The sculpture, an iron dragon mask, was the first piece Richmond had ever cast out of metal. She remembers, “When I put it in the case, I had an eerie feeling about it.”

After the theft, in an effort to recover the piece, Richmond and her teacher drew an outline of the piece on the wall in the case, accompanied by a note saying it had been stolen. “Somewhere there is an iron dragon mask with my initials carved in it,” Richmond said.

It would seem that this issue would have been addressed and taken care of by the institution. However, as many Fresno State students know, things that can be left alone will be left alone.

When Candace Egan, associate professor of mass communication and journalism, came in early to work Wednesday, she found some of her coworkers discussing the theft of another faculty member’s laptop. She then went to her office and discovered that hers had also been stolen. The computer was a brand new and expensive MacBook Pro. However, it was the information she lost that truly upset Egan. Much of her important information was saved on her other computer, but her email contacts, her only means of communication with many of her past students, are lost.

Once again, one would expect Fresno State to take more action against theft, especially given the past record. Especially when intellectual property is being stolen, a higher education institution should be more concerned.

At Summer Arts, a visiting artist’s toolbox was stolen, which contained his invaluable personal selection of specialized tools, one of the most important possessions for all fine artists.

Art is an extremely personalized career. The tools that an artist collects over the years are exactly what he or she needs. They are a direct reflection of that artist’s personal style. Stealing these tools is tantamount to destroying documents needed for a research project or any other kind of intellectual and personalized property.

Whether it is original artwork or carefully gathered information, the consequences of thievery are deeply felt, especially by its victims. The thieves themselves most often have no consideration for the intellectual value of anything, and are only concerned with their monetary value. Richmond said, “Stealing art is a terrible thing,”

Richmond’s piece has yet to be recovered. A few weeks ago, Fresno State replaced the locks on the cases where it was displayed.

Pet allergies can seriously hurt the relationship between you and your dog. Allergies can be devastating to the point that giving up the animal seems to be the only option. However, there is a ray of hope, shining through all the hair and dander, which just might postpone that separation indefinitely.

First, you need to decide how much of a dog lover you are. The solutions to pet allergies require quite a bit of hard work, and should only be initiated if you truly want that dog. If you have been yearning for that cute little puppy your whole life, only to be constantly deterred by allergies, then this good news is for you.

Eilene Merriam, a serious suffer of pet allergies, gave the following suggestions. The first thing you should do is go to an allergist. Most have seen this scenario before, and understand what needs to be done to help. Antihistamine therapy is available for minor allergies. Immunotherapy allergy shots are also there for the more serious allergens. Ask your allergist about starting a therapeutic program to get a handle on your allergies.

Allergist Sim K. Lee of the Fresno Allergy and Asthma Center, explained the following regimens for allergy-free living.

Dr. Lee recommends using a higher-end air filter in your home, preferably an Ionic Breeze.

Get rid of the carpeting in your home. This is because carpet is one the biggest allergen-collecting items, and with a pet, that effect is intensified.

Everyday Regimens

• Brush your dog, preferably outside. This will control the amount of hair the dog sheds in your home.
• Vacuum regularly, to catch and remove any hair that the brushing missed.

Weekly Maintenance

• Wash all sheets and bedding that the dog lies on in hot water.
• Wash your dog in plain water. This will remove other allergens from the animal. Do not use shampoo, as this can increase dander.
• Use soap to wash the walls and floors of your home to remove accumulated dander and allergens.

If you can keep up these simple routines, and you are ready to get your dog, Animal Rescue of Fresno is the perfect place to go. They have plenty of microchipped dogs waiting for a good home.

FRESNO, CA. Animal Rescue of Fresno (ARF) is holding its annual open house this holiday season. Anyone is welcome to attend. Come and meet many friendly and wonderful dogs, and some pretty swell people as well. Refreshments will be supplied, including hot chocolate, cider and cookies.

The event will be held on Dec. 6 during normal Saturday business hours, 12-5 p.m. The open house will feature many vendors selling dog-related items. The vendors will donate a percentage of their profits directly to ARF. In addition, previous ARF patrons will return with their dogs, so there will be even more cute dogs in attendance than expected. Anyone can get their picture taken with Santa, and don’t forget about the exciting silent auction featuring donated items.

ARF is a no-kill all-volunteer dog adoption center, dedicated to pet overpopulation control. All dogs adopted from ARF have been spayed/neutered, microchipped and have all their shots.

Location and contact:

4545 East Dakota Ave.

Fresno, CA 93726

559-225-5715

AmericanStyle

3000 Chestnut Ave., #304

Baltimore, MD 21211

Dear Hope Daniels,

Joseph Morel spent the last 30 years as a production glassblower. In that time, he created countless pieces and became a true master glassblower. He has now moved beyond improving his own skills to teaching glassblowing at California State University, Fresno. At Fresno State, he imparts an unbreakable knowledge of glass craftsmanship to his students.

The article will cover:

• A profile of Joseph Morel
• Details about some of his techniques
• Mini-profiles of some of his star students, some of whom are emerging glass artists
• The impact he is having on the future of glass crafting
• A sub-theme on the importance of good teachers for the future of craft

I think this article would be perfect for your publication. It includes all the elements that make up your magazine. It will cover a master craftsman and his craft, new emerging artists and the importance of Morel and other teachers and craftsmen who keep crafts alive.

I can offer information about the experience of working with Morel firsthand. I was his student for three semesters. In that time, I came to understand that Morel is not just another teacher, but someone who wants all of his students to become artisans at his craft. I am currently involved in making a mini-documentary on Morel and this very subject, so I already have many hours of interview time scheduled with him and his students.

Thank you for your consideration in reading this query.

Sincerely,

Carl T. Merriam

8132 N. Callisch Ave.

Fresno, CA 93720

(559) 930-4752

Justin McAleece sits in front of his dual-monitor Final Cut editing center.

The hum of computer fans and electronics fills the dark office.

His stare is not vacant.

It is not bored.

It is focused, like a razor focused on splitting hairs, on the task at hand.

He is a video editor.

“Justin will work 80 hours a week, just to get everything done,” Blake Barnett, who co-owns BLARE Media, along with McAleece, said.

BLARE Media started as a personal business in Justin’s house. He and his wife, Nicole, along with his friends Blake Barnett and Will Quiram, decided to create it as a joint venture, in order to do what they all wanted to do: video production.

“How do I do it? I pay attention to all the details,” McAleece said, “I notice the little things that no one else will notice when they actually look at it, but those are the things that push it over the edge into professional production.”

It is difficult to “break in” to the video production business. So, how did they do it? How did they become the only production company in the Central Valley with the funds to own a RED ONE? “It’s all about work,” Barnett explained. “We worked (and work) very, very hard. We take every job we can, just to show people what we can do. It’s about building a client base.”

One of the biggest leaps to take when starting a production company is getting over the sticker shock of the initial investment. Like any small business, you have to spend money to make money. “Every time I have to buy new equipment, I feel like we’re never going to make any money,” McAleece explained. “Between buying new cameras, new computers, new software and new everything else, sometimes I wonder how I can afford food.”

In this business, Final Cut Pro is essential. “When I first got Final Cut, I learned everything I could about it, taught myself everything about it, and there’s still so much potential that I haven’t tapped yet.” McAleece said. “Sometimes we are so busy I can’t see straight; other times there’s nothing to do.”

Video production is not a glamorous job by any means. However, for the passionate, it can be very rewarding. There are the occasional perks. Will Quiram commented, “I’ve been to a lot of events with celebrities, even met a few of them myself. It’s also getting to the point where I’m kind of a local celebrity.”

Quiram has been featured as a voice-over actor on countless local commercials, as well as actual on-screen jobs. “A lot of it has to do with networking,” Quiram said. “Just getting people to remember your name can be the most important part of your career.”

So, how do you start your own production company, and actually make it successful? Work and more work. “When we first started, we couldn’t hire anybody, so we had to do it all ourselves,” McAleece remembers. “We were working so hard and, at the beginning, we were making less than our friends who were waiting tables.”

After you convince yourself how much work it is going to be, you then need to make the plunge into the gaping maw of debt. Unless you are independently wealthy, you will go into debt starting a production company. BLARE Media did not start paying off until its third year in business.

Public relations is, quite possibly, the most important aspect of video production. Because it is such an expensive field to be in, it is crucial to understand how to get people to invest their money in your company. Barnett said, “I’m basically on the phone all the time, trying to get more business, more people interested in what we’re doing. It really takes a lot of effort to get any business at all.”

All their hard work is finally paying off at BLARE. They have expanded to Web design as well as video production, and have began hiring more and more staff. “The hard part,” Barnett explained, “is getting Justin to realize that he doesn’t have to work 80 hours a week editing anymore, that that’s what our employees are for.”

Joseph Morel is a glassblowing master. This is what he was born to do. He spent the last 30 years as a production glassblower. In that time, he created his own unique line of countless spectacular pieces, which he sold worldwide. He is easily called a true master of glass.

Morel has now moved beyond improving his own skills to teaching glassblowing at California State University, Fresno. At Fresno State, he imparts an unbreakable knowledge of glass craftsmanship to his students. Throughout his career, he has always had a passion for glass and a desire to share it with the people around him.

Joe’s career in glass began at age 6 on a trip to South America. His family stopped in New Orleans and there he saw a film about glassblowing, which struck his interest. Several years later, while attending California State University Chico, he saw the same video, along with a demonstration of actual glassblowing.

“There was a piece of molten glass, and it was glowing orange,” he recalls, “then it dripped on the ground, and turned white. I thought, this is some magic stuff.”

Joe continued to take glassblowing classes for several semesters at Chico State, until the teacher “told me I wasn’t a grasshopper anymore” and kicked him out of the class.

Disgruntled by the lack of glass in his life, Joe decided to start working for a Bay Area glassblowing studio. The owner of this studio was good friends with many of the Venetian master glassblowers. Through this relationship, Joe gained the opportunity to meet these masters and study their techniques, a privilege which is usually only attainable by working up through the Venetian glassblowing ranks, literally a lifelong process. These rare opportunities, along with an unmitigated love of glass, helped propel Joe to the next level of his career.

In 1971, Joe and his brother started their own glassblowing company. He got a chance to display some of his pieces in the Bay Area, and was thrilled when he actually received orders for more.

“The piece we took was a sculpture of a couple lovebirds. We got orders for a dozen of them, and I thought, this is really going somewhere,” Joe remembered.

The business was a success, and remained so until he closed it down in 2005. “I was making plenty of money for myself and my employees, but it was just money,” Joe said.

Joe’s favorite part of owning the business was the ability to allow people to come into his studio and learn glassblowing. His students varied from business executives to troubled teens.

“We had one lady who would come in all dressed up, with high heels and everything. She would change into jeans and a T-shirt, and start blowing glass. She would get so into it, she’d start sweating and her makeup would start runnin’, but she didn’t care, she loved blowing glass,” Joe said, with a twinkle in his eye.

Though he enjoyed all his students, Joe was truly joyful about the impact he had on his younger students. Joe said, “I had another young girl, her mom made her come to my shop. She had no drive or ambition. She started glass, started to understand it and be able to work with it. This gave her a powerful sense of accomplishment. It turned her life around. She decided to go to college and really push herself to succeed.”

Imparting the knowledge of glass touches people, and Joe decided that was more important, and much more rewarding, than money could ever be.

After he closed the business, Joe started looking for teaching jobs. He found a part-time position at Fresno State. From there, he transformed what everyone knew about glassblowing. “He’s really revitalized the department,” commented Nick Potter, one of the painting and drawing instructors at Fresno State.

His status as the best teacher ever has become legendary at Fresno State, especially in the Art and Design Department. He is described as extremely down-to-earth and an all-around great person. He has students from all departments across the school becoming involved in glass. Many of them find solace in the therapeutic nature of glass. It is something that should be experienced to be understood. “You just got to come down here and try it,” commented Jon Cox, one of Joe’s students.

Rojer Serpas is a nine-semester veteran of glassblowing at Fresno State. He has become one of Joe’s star students. “When Larry [the previous instructor] was teaching it, he was showing us the old way to do glass, the ‘70s way. When Joe got here, he started showing us things that I had never seen before,” Serpas said. Rojer originally became interested in glass similarly to Joe, when he saw a video of renowned glassblower Dale Chihuly.

Joe seeks to make sure glass stays alive and well. “Not a lot of people do it, so it has that respect, that novelty, that comes with that,” Joe said. He has trained several students who he is confident will become professional glassblowers like himself.

Through his classes, Joe allows each of his students to learn as much about glassblowing as that student desires, and he is not afraid to let the students push the envelope to further develop and add to the exciting world of glass.

Two fire engines rushed to the scene at a Clovis animal shelter Sunday night, where possible arson left serious damage.

Clovis police are investigating the cause of the fire at the Clovis Pet Adoption Center, which could have been vandalism. Two young men were loitering in the area before the fire was reported, but they have not yet been identified.

Though the 85 dogs and 27 cats that live at the facility were unharmed, the shelter itself is in need of serious help. The shelter’s director, Carol Heider, said, “We were already low on money before the fire, and I don’t know how we will repair this. I hope we can manage somehow. We will definitely need the community’s support in returning our shelter to normal.”

Only one animal was injured in the fire, a dog named Fuzzy. The shelter’s staff veterinarian, Sharon Roberts, commented, “Fuzzy was burned on his back slightly when part of his kennel collapsed on him while it was burning. He’s eating well and seems happy. I think he will make a full recovery.”

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