Introductions...

My name is Matt Winter and obviously I go to Towson University. I'm real big into sports and music and would like to make a career around those two interests some day. I'm in my second year at Towson but I also went to a community college for two years.

In this class I really would like to learn how to work better with new programs and to basically learn as much as I can to build my resume.

One Mans Trash Is Another's Treasure

The economy has driven many businesses to close this year, but it will never bring down the business, Towson University siblings, Sarah Donald and Frank Donald have.

For the last month, Sarah Donald and her brother Frank Donald have stopped in the middle of roads, pulled off the shoulder of I-95 and even gotten out of their car in the pouring rain to collect abandoned hubcaps. After they collect them they bring them back to their house and polish them to make them look as new as possible.

“Depending on how they look all cleaned up depends on how much we will sell them for, but we’ve set a limit at $10,” said Frank Donald.

As the expenses of going to Towson University began to pile on, Sarah Donald began to struggle to balance school and work. She found herself having no extra money left after all her bills were paid. Then, by luck she got an idea.

“It all started by coincidence,” said Sarah Donald. “A friend had asked me if he could have the hubcap laying in my front yard. I suddenly got the idea that there might be a business in there.”

Since March, the two have sold eight hubcaps for a total of $52 dollars. They have 14 more that they are currently trying to sell. They are currently contemplating whether to sell their collection on Ebay or Craigslist.

“I realize this doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but we’re getting there,” said Sarah Donald. “I just really wanted to do something to get some extra money and I couldn’t find another job because no one is hiring.”

While it isn’t entirely true that no one is hiring, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation reports the Baltimore-Towson regions unemployment rate has jumped from 3.6 percent in February of 2008 to 7.6 percent in February of 2009.

In a poll of 20 Towson students, all 20 of them admitted that finding a job in this economy is in the top three of their concerns after graduating from college.

“All I ever hear on the news is a how businesses aren’t making it through this recession,” said Stephen Wilhelm, a Towson student who was involved in the poll. “I’m a business major and I think about it everyday.”

The struggling college student cliché sums up the Donald siblings. They are just keeping their heads above water while balancing school, a job and a somewhat active social life to their standards.

“This isn’t a solution and this isn’t going to be a career or anything but in this economy I’m thankful for every little bit of money I can get,” said Frank Donald.

Since I Missed Class...My North Carolina Trip...

Students who struggle to find parking everyday and say they are forced to pay for spots that they will never get.

“I paid $240 at the beginning of the year to park at school and maybe have actually parked there 10 or 15 times,” said junior John Schlotterback.

Students are showing up to class 10 minutes late because it took them a half hour to find a spot, time they could use to study. Also, most teachers have attendance policies where you can lose points towards your grade from being late.

“I missed my 10:15 a.m. class because both parking garages were full and I was scared to park anywhere else because of Pollards,” said junior Frank Donald.

Donald is referring to Pollards Towing of Towson. If you park illegally and they tow you the standard is a $200 dollar fine. Pollard’s fines have been known to reach $440.

Twice last year, Pollards towed Donald; both times he was parked in spaces marked as “visitor” spots. The second time he had his flashers on because he was moving into his apartment which was on campus. When he called Pollards and the police to argue his side they told them there was nothing they could do to help them.

“I felt like a victim of someone who stole my car then offered it back to me at ransom and no one would help me and no one would listen. It’s sad that I am scared to park at my own school that I pay all this money for,” Donald said.

Donald shares the sentiments of most students who feel like they don’t know what to do if they can’t find a spot. Leaving early won’t always help and most the time students just hope to get lucky.

“Two-hundred and forty dollars I paid to park, I deserve a spot. Everyone does, it’s not fair, something needs to be done,” Schlotterback said.

Local resident saved 3-year-old girl from water-filled washing machine at Glen Rock Laundry and Dry Cleaners yesterday afternoon, said police chief Robinson.

The 3-year-old Jennifer Childs, of Rockland, was locked into the washing machine as it filled up with water. After hearing screams from Jennifer’s aunt, Paul Heckler, a shopper at Glenn Rock Shopping Center, rushed in to see what was going on. Seeing the girl in the machine he rushed to his truck to get a hammer and returned to smash the glass saving her from drowning.

Jennifer was admitted to the hospital and is listed in good condition.

Lede #4

Identity theft victims of Towson will benefit from a proposed bill to help cardholders see if their numbers have been stolen online, said a state representative.


Lede # 5
The Maryland Department of Education awarded more than $30 million to 53 school districts throughout the state to help aide educational programs and fill the demand for needed materials.

Lede practice

Lede #1:

A three car accident, involving the Mayor's husband, caused major injuries at the intersection of Warren and Davidson, Thursday.


Lede #2:

City Council members call for a local board to oversee changes to buildings in the six block downtown historic district.

Lede #3:

The plan to store 77,000 tons of nuclear waste near Las Vegas is safe, the United States secretary of Energy said.

Ms. Penny the life-saver.

Five Most Grammatical Problems:

1. Punctuation: the marks, such as period, comma, and parentheses, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.

Ex: She managed the restaurant, but he cooked the food.

2. Subject and Verb Agreement: When the subject and the verb compliment each other.

Ex: I is interested in cars.(incorrect) I am interested in cars. (correct)

3. Correct use of Pronouns: Words like "he," "she," "it," or "I" that stand for a noun.

Ex: Matt went snowboarding. He was gone for the entire week.

4. Sentence Structure: How a sentence is put together. Problems include Fragmentation, Run-on sentences, Faulty Parallelism and Modifier placement

Ex: He enjoys reading and to go skiing.(incorrect) He enjoys reading and skiing.(correct)

5. Word Usage: The way we choose our words say everything about us and our writing. Choosing the right word usage makes your writing seem professional.

Ex: Accept/Except: Accept means to receive something whereas Except means to exclude.

Summary Lede

Summary Lede: An opening sentence or paragraph that crams as much information from the story into it as possible. A good summary lede contains the 5W's and a H. Using
few words while still being specific is very important.

1. Baltimore Sun: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/olympics/bal-te.sp.phelps05feb05,0,3171313.story

"Swimmer speaks out in first interview since photo of him smoking from marijuana pipe was published in tabloid"

2. New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/business/media/05digital.html?ref=technology

''Less than two weeks before the expected end of analog broadcasting, television owners received a reprieve on Wednesday. It appears probable that Americans will have four more months to upgrade their old sets before a federal deadline requires stations to switch to digital TV."

3. New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/technology/internet/04myspace.html?ref=technology

"MySpace provided two state attorneys general the names of 90,000 registered sex offenders it had banned from its site in response to a subpoena."

Chapter 14 Homework.

Objectivity- not being influenced by personal feelings or opinions when representing facts.
1. Know both sides of the story.
2. Avoid using "I" "me" or "my"
3. Do not report speculation.

Thoroughness- complete with regards to every detail; not superficial or partial.
1. Research topics your are writing about.
2. Never guess or assume you're right.
3. Report to answer the whole question, not just part of it

Accuracy- the quality of being correct or precise.
1. Double check facts.
2. Spell everything correctly
3. Use the AP style guide for any writing questions.

Fairness- covering equally both sides of the story.
1. Interview sources from all sides of the issue.
2. Avoid stereotypes.
3. Have more then one source.

Transparency- easy to understand or detect.
1. Provide links to source material.
2. Show pictures.
3. Use common words, nothing to hard to understand.

About Myself

Hello, my name is Matthew Daniel Winter but Matt is fine. I'm 20-years-old, and try to stay well rounded. I believe you can learn a lot about who you are and about life in general from a baseball game. I fill my spare time with work, guitar, reading and writing. When it comes to music I like what I'm in the mood for. Lately, I've had the urge to get out and explore. Bob Dylan has been the perfect music to get up and go with me. Advertising is my major. I have 2 more years at Towson