Woman Bites Teenager on the Bus

I started looking at this article because it was title 'Woman faces jail for biting student on bus' and I thought it would be funny story. However after watching the video that accompanied the article I found that it was actually horrific to watch. This elderly woman is physically hitting and bitting this young boy, and police say he had two deep bite marks on his neck. I cant seem to find or copy the video but here's the link Elderly woman bites teen
A 70-year-old school bus attendant in the US faces five years in jail after biting and hitting a teenage bus passenger accused of taunting her.

Hattie Yvonne Branch was filmed by a camera mounted at the rear at the rear of the bus as she bit, hit and pulled the hair of a 14-year-old student from Lakeland Senior High School in central Florida.

The video shows Branch, whose arrest report lists her as being 140cm tall, confront the much taller boy at the back of the parked bus on June 2.

She reportedly lost her temper after the student playfully flipped one of his classmates over a chair and his legs hit her.

"You did it on purpose," Branch says in the surveillance footage.

At one point the teen stands up to Branch, swearing at her, which only seems to provoke a second attack.

As the scuffle continues back and forth across the aisle, a younger child can be heard screaming in fright while another female student comforts him.

When police asked Branch why she hit the boy she told them: "I was told by my supervisor that I could use the force necessary to protect myself when attacked," her arrest report reportedly reads.

The teen attacked by Branch reportedly told police he had threatened and swore at her in the past but did not provoke her on the day of the incident.

The police report notes the teen had two separate bite marks on his back.

Branch has been charged with child abuse and could spend up to five year in jail if convicted.

She resigned from her job with the school district on June 30 .

Branch is scheduled to appear before a pre-trial conference later this month.

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Bluejuice's Controversial Video Clip

After seeing an article on nine news entertainment about the Australian band Bluejuice and their new son 'Act Yr Age' I went and watched the music video for their song. In the video one of the band members passionately kisses an older lady. Although I do find it somewhat unusual, it definitely grabbed my attention. Here is a little blurb about the band:

They are known for their wild behaviour, comedic video clips and general onstage mayhem, but the video for Bluejuice's latest single, the infectious Act Your Age, is sure to incite more controversy than anything the Sydney band has done in the past.

The reason? Titillating sex scenes? Nudity? Violence? Nope, it's much worse than that; a slow-motion kiss between vocalist Jake Stone and an elderly woman. 

Why will this passionate embrace (with very liberal use of tongue) offend so many sensibilities? We aren't quite sure; the opposite scenario occurs with startling frequency, but never seems to raise ire. Nevertheless, we predict an onslaught of opinion on what is a characteristically hilarious video.

Family gets lost in maze.

I seem to be posting stories that really are not that very important but that I find so amusing such as this one below. How this got into the newspaper I don't know.

A US family resorted calling police for help after they became lost inside a maze made out of a corn crop.

A couple and their two children were walking through the maze on a farm in Danvers, Massachusetts, on Monday when they became disoriented, prompting them to call emergency services, the Danvers Heraldreported.

When a police officer found the family after a nine minute search, they were less than eight metres from the street."We had a few people who got a bit lost last year but they found their way out," farm owner Bob Connor said. "There is no wire or fence around the maze, so if they really want or need to get out all they have to do is listen for the sound of traffic. They can always make their way through the corn rows to the road."

Connor said it typically takes visitors about an hour to get through the maze.

"We offered for them to come back on us and try the maze again — but I think they had enough."

The town of Danvers, north of Boston, is best known as the original location of the Salem witch trials as well as for its infamous insane asylum.

Lecture 8: Public Media

Public Media

-       Media whose mission is to serve or engage a public

-       Ultimate purpose is to serve the public and not turn profit

-        

Australian Media Landscapes Public Media

-       SBS, ABC both tv and radio

-       Triple J

International Media Landscape Public Media

-       BBC, CBC, PBS, Chanel 4 (british)

-       NPR (national public radio)

Australian Media Landscapes Community Media

-       4ZZZ, American Public Media

-       31 digital is a community TV station

What is Public Media’s role in democratic society?

-       IT is media that is in support of public and democratic processes

Public Media should have Public Value

-       According to the BBC Public Value

-       1. Is embedding a ‘public service ethos’

-       2. Value for License fee money

o   In Australia it is the tax payers money

-       3. ‘Weighing public value against market impact’

-       4. Public Consultation

o   A lot of people calling up or twittering etc.

o   QandA has a tweet stream that comes up immediately

What the ABC makes:

-       ABC news

-       ABC Local radio

-       Radio Australian broadcast around the work

-       New Digital channels

-       Was founded as a ‘nation building project’

-       Makes Drama, comedy

o   Angry boys, the chasers

-       Documentaries, Reality shows, News, Australian Story

What SBS makes:

-       SBS Tv and radio

-       Launched as a multi cultural channel

-       Hybrid model in terms of funding

-       World News, World Game, Living Black

Various Funtions of Public Media

-       Nation building

o   To bring the nation together

o    

-       National Heritage

o   Anzac day parade (ABC), documentaries

-       National Identity

o   Who are we?

-       National Conversation

o   Quite often they are to do with sports

o   Public media has had a big sport content

Commercialization of Public Media

-       The commercial dimension

-       ABC Commercial, BBC Worldwide

Another key mechanism of Public Media – News

-       ABC News Caff

-       41% of Australians get their news from ABC

-       12.6 million Aus. what ABC TV

-       only source of lenthy interviews with politicians that aren’t talk bakcs

The News ‘style’ of PM

-       Importance over interest

o   Not about getting people’s attention

-       Considered, not quik and unchecked

o   Often last to post on twitter to make sure the only post factual events

-       Serious

-       Broadsheet style

-       Downside

o   Boring, elitist, of limited interests

Communication Style

-       The press

-       Entertainment

-       Utility – weather

-       Social – cooking programs

-       Propaganda – FOX news channel

Challenges for Public Media

-       It is doing well

-       Rupert Murdoch says, Government regulation of commercial

-       To be Independent

o   The differing ground rules of commercial and public media

o   The abc and SBS are not ‘owned’ byt the government

o   Commercial pressure for one = political pressures for the other

o   Perceived lack of political independence = more control and more targeted funding

o   Legislation and Funding

o   Allegations of Bias and Agenda

o   Glen Milne

o   Peter Costello

Challenges – Opinion

-       Used to be brief to avoid political bias and tor present both sides of the story,

-       But they are giving journalists ability to insert some of their opinions

Challenges – Funding

Future for public Media

-       Public media 2.0

-       Engages the public at their core

To Do list for PM

-      To produce quality, To be Independent

Steve Jobs

I think one of my favourite things about this was that he resign from apple because of power struggle then later bought it back. Makes me happy thinking if you work hard enough you can achieve what you want.

Storytelling Exercise

The article written about it was small, but to me there was nothing small about it. On the 18th of May 2010 in the early morning a fire destroyed my grandparents’ house in Toowoomba. On so many levels they were lucky to survive. By chance my grandma chose not to take her sleeping pills that night which would have made her dead asleep the whole night.. For whatever reason it was, it was that decision that saved both my grandparents’ lives. Since she didn’t take the sleeping pills she was up and about at 2:30 in the morning when she heard a popping sound. She left the kitchen to inspect and what she found were flames burning the spare bedroom, the bedroom just across from where grandpa was sleeping. She immediately rushed to call 000 who told her, as anyone could have, to get out of the house straight away. My grandparents aren’t young and mobile they are 88 and 89. Although it may seem a simple task to just get out of the house, when your hearing is impaired, your sight is blurring and your body isn’t anywhere near as strong as it use to be, it is not such a simple task. Grandma rushed to the bedroom to wake grandpa and get out. From the time it took for grandma to call the fire brigade the fire had spread, the flames reaching the roof, smoke filling the house at a rapid pace. Grandpa, foggy and disorientated from being jerked awake from a deep sleep, didn’t know or understand what was going on. Being told that your house, of 35 years, where you children grew up was now on fire could never be an easy thing to hear. Grandma steered both of them to safety, then waited for the firemen to come, all this time watching their house burn down. Watching their possessions, their memories burn and not being able to do anything.

The fire brigade came and put out the fire, but nothing could be saved. 88 years worth of photos, clothes, all of their belongings were now ashes in the house that used to be their home. But nonetheless they were thankful they still had their lives, another 2 minutes and they would have been destroyed along with the house. My grandpa spent two days in the hospital from the smoke inhalation, but they survived. I have only heard the story from them and I feel their pain but I could not have imagined being there and witnessing that. Initially the source of the fire was said to be the electric blanket in the spare bedroom but after 7 hours of searching through the house it was discovered that an electric chord had caused the fire.

After the fire they lived in a hostel in Toowoomba for a couple of months, but it turned our to be hard, so they moved down to Brisbane. I never thought about how hard it would have been for them moving from their home of 35 years, leaving their long time friends to live in another city, where the only people they knew were my family and I. My mum has spent the last year fixing up the house which cost my grandparents $300,000 to repair. Although they do miss living in their home they are now just as happy as before living together in an age care facility. What they went through was traumatic and horrible but they survived and to me that makes them heroes.

Cassi and Comments.

After Lecture 7 and talking about commenting on news articles I started reading the comments people left on online newspapers. I am posting this because I watch the show and found the comments interesting, many very harsh. 

SHE learnt to strike a pose and strut a catwalk on Australia's Next Top Model.

Now Cassi Van Den Dungen has taken on her most important challenge - motherhood.The tearaway teen, who marched to her own beat on the show and in her post-ANTM modelling career, has given birth to her first child. 

The 19-year-old and her boyfriend, Brad Saul, 27, have a son. "YAY my lil man is now in the world so happy to be able to hold him and kiss him and give him cuddles. he's so strong already trying to lift his head ... god i love him," she posted on Facebook. 

The headstrong and beautiful Van Den Dungen has been devoted to her bricklayer beau since they started dating when she was 15. Her fledging modelling career will take a back seat while she devotes herself to her child. The wild child was earmarked for an international career after finishing runner-up in the 2008 series of ANTM.

 She was taken on by Priscilla's Models in Sydney and pounced on by powerful New York modelling agency Elite Models. However, she turned down that offer, gave Priscilla's the flick and opted to stay with Saul in Sunbury. In February last year, interest from IMG Models saw Van Den Dungen head to Paris with Saul by her side.That trip ended badly. The pair were sent home within 48 hours of touching down after an ill-conceived outburst on Facebook, where she labelled the French "frog eaters" and "snail slurpers".

Here are some comments

• rbara of Bentleigh East Posted at 10:23 AM October 01, 2011
  

  Wow, so young to be a mum, hope they have no regrets down the track,could have made some money and then settled down,before starting their family.

• Rosalie of Albert Park Posted at 12:39 PM October 01, 2011
  

  What a stupid girl, giving up all those opportunities!

• Cathie Posted at 1:24 PM October 01, 2011
  

  Who gives a dam about this girl. She was picked out of the crowd at a shopping centre, kept in because she was the rough nut of the group, so she has had a baby, who cares.

• Kris Posted at 2:22 PM October 01, 2011
  

  What a shame, this girl will regret giving up a career that obviously was headed for great sucess, I feel bad for her.

• MelBogey of SE Suburbs Posted at 2:23 PM October 01, 2011
  

  It's great that she moves to the beat of her own drum, but tact, diplomacy...they still have their place. Shame that another aspiring model did't get the opportunities that Cassie has spurned. I bet my bottom dollar that we'll read the story of her regret some day soon...

• Huh? of Western Suburbs Posted at 4:37 PM October 01, 2011
  

  I just don't get it? Why do some people throw away an opportunity just like that? She didn't even have to work hard for it and she couldn't bare it. A door opens for you Cassi to make perfectly good money and be independent but you choose to stay in Sunbury and raise a child? Couldn't it wait seriously??? Anyways, I wish her family all the best.