TPJ: Rules, playing fields and landmines

Today's post on my blog Vered's The Penny Jar.

In the world of Waldorf (Santa treated this journalist to the second season of Gossip Girl), the ex who dates first is the one who wins.

But it's not winning when you date someone else or at least give dating someone else a shot and end up realizing that while, yes, you can move on, you don't want to.

All I can think about is what I want and what I'm not getting. I'm not enjoying myself or living in the moment. I'm not sure anymore if I can open up to a new guy. And if I do, what pace should I take?

Read the rest of this blog post here.

New Cera film a fun, youthful ride

The burgeoning actor, who visited Main Campus last week, stars in an irresistable comedy.

On the Youth in Revolt poster, Portia Doubleday looks like Lolita, donning red sunglasses and holding a red lollipop. One can see how she, as Sheeni Saunders, might lead the opposite sex into trouble as the young beauty of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel once did.

And lead them into trouble, Sheeni does. Nick Twisp, played by Michael Cera, who recently visited Main Campus to premier the film, falls for the 17-year-old free spirit and in an effort to win her affections and – more importantly to the virgin Nick – get into her pants, decides to rebel against the forces that keep them apart.

Youth in Revolt, Miguel Arteta’s adaptation of C.D. Payne’s novels about Nick Twisp’s adventures, features some of Cera’s best acting yet. In it, Arteta has mastered the art of taking the pain of young love and making it all at once realistic, touching, hilarious and outrageous.

View the rest of this film review for The Temple News here.

Adjuncts rally for union at bell tower

The Adjunct Organizing Committee is pushing for unionization with the support of TAUP.

The Adjunct Organizing Committee, a group that aims to unionize Temple’s part-time faculty, declared the week of Nov. 16 Adjunct Awareness Week. Members of the committee stood at the Bell Tower around noon every day through Nov. 20.

The AOC has worked for several years to unionize adjuncts. Its goals are to gain some predictability in adjuncts’ courses, a clear path for promotion based on performance in teaching and research and equal pay and benefits for equal work.

This is the first year the committee organized Adjunct Awareness Week.

Adjunct American studies professor Regina Bannan said they chose to do so this year, “because the university is doing the Middle States Study for accreditation, and the Middle States standard is that all faculty should be treated as faculty. We decided to do this to raise awareness that Temple is not treating its adjuncts equally.”

Adjunct professors make up 46.5 percent of Temple’s faculty but do not receive the same pay and benefits awarded to full-time professors. Although the AOC has the support of the Temple Association of University Professionals and the American Federation of Teachers, its members still face great opposition in their quest for unionization.

To read the rest of this 1,000 word piece for The Temple News, click here.

From soul to screen

Peter Jackson’s newest film is an emotionally charged endeavor that examines the soul after death.

The Lovely Bones is Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson’s favorite of his projects, if only because it is his most recently completed film.

“That’s like asking a mother which of your six children is your favorite,” Jackson said in a conference call in which The Temple News took part. “Honestly, you enjoy making the one that you’re working on at the time the most because it’s such an intense experience, making a film, you know.”

The Lovely Bones, set for release Jan. 15, 2010, is about how the Salmon family, living in rural Pennsylvania in the early 1970s, deals with the rape and murder of their 14-year-old daughter, Susie, while she watches from heaven, unable to intervene in events on earth or to bring her father closer to discovering the identity of her killer. The Lovely Bones is an adaption of Alice Sebold’s novel of the same name published in 2002.

To read the rest of this 900 word article for The Temple News, click here.

Fraternity brothers shake cans for prostate cancer

“Ask me about my prostate,” cried Jonah Hill, a member of Phi Kappa Theta, at the fraternity-sponsored Bell Tower can shake to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer held Tuesday.

Although President Obama declared September Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, an international following has deemed November an unofficial men’s health month by supporting Movember, an effort to bring awareness to and raise money for prostate and testicular cancers. Phi Kappa Theta fraternities nationwide teamed up with Movember to grow mustaches and raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the LIVESTRONG Foundation.

This is the first year Phi Kappa Theta has held this fundraiser.

“It’s a good cause because one in six men gets prostate cancer,” Derek Spencer said, holding a can out to passersby at the Bell Tower around 1:30 p.m. Phi Kappa Theta’s can shake began at 11 a.m. and would last until 3 p.m.

The rest of this article, a 350-word web exclusive written for The Temple News, can be read at Temple-News.com.

Edward H. Rosen Hillel Center opens doors for students of all faiths

The dedication ceremony for the Edward H. Rosen Hillel Center a block off Main Campus was held Wednesday night included greetings and remarks from many of those involved in the realization of a center where all students – not just those of the Jewish faith – could gather. Those in attendance included Sen. Arlen Specter, President Ann Weaver Hart and namesake Edward H. Rosen.

Rosen wore a suit, a red tie and a rose pinned to his left lapel and spoke openly and warmly about his role in the campaign for a Jewish community center.


A graduate of Yale, Rosen learned at his school’s Hillel about community service and giving back and after 20 years of service on Temple’s Board of Trustees, the opportunity presented itself.

“I’ve been working in the community trying to pay back the opportunities I had growing up. My goal [with this Hillel] was to make a meeting place for forums and lectures … It’s a wonderful place,” Rosen said.

This article was written for The Temple News' News section. Appeared in print on November 17, 2009. Read it online here.

The first picture, above, is what the finished Rosen Hillel Center is to look like. The second picture is of Mr. Rosen and Temple President Anne Weaver Hart.

The Spectrum signs off

After four sold-out Pearl Jam shows the last week of October, the legendary building that served as the site of championships and concerts over the years, closed its doors.

Beer cost a dime at the concession stand.

A slice of pizza cost a quarter, a roast beef sandwich just 75 cents, and a 12-ounce soda – the largest size available – cost a quarter. These were just some of the items on the Wachovia Spectrum’s (then simply named the Spectrum) menu in September 1967.

The Spectrum, which opened Sep. 30, 1967 with the two-day Quaker City Jazz Festival, closed its doors Oct. 31 after a four-show concert series by Pearl Jam. The arena’s closing signals the end of an incredible era and marks, or at least Comcast-Spectacor and The Cordish Company would hope, the beginning of a new era.



To read the rest of this 900 word article for The Temple News, click here.

Cheap dates in Philly

This 880 word piece covers cheap dates in Philadelphia, particularly focused on college students, for College Clipper.

Dating can quickly get expensive and when you’re a college student, the word “expensive” just cannot exist in your vocabulary. You’ve likely got student loans and you’re probably low on spending money anyway. But even though dating can be a strain on your wallet, it doesn’t have to be. If you don’t mind doing some walking, here are some ideas that will make your next date in Philadelphia an affordable one:

For the artsy couple:
You’re going to take a trip to the Rodin Museum on the Parkway. Admission is pay-as-you-wish although a donation of $5 is suggested. Rodin, a French artist known for his statue “The Thinker” but also, and more romantically, “The Kiss.” Recreate this piece of Rodin’s work. You are on a date, aren’t you? Once you’re done at the museum, head over to The Rose Tattoo Café for lunch. It usually cost around $10 for a lunch entrée. After you’ve had your fill, walk to the intersection of Spring Garden and Broad Streets. On the northeast corner you’ll see a big mural that incorporates kids reenacting famous artworks. Engage in a conversation about the murals in Philly.

While CollegeClipper.com is not live at the moment, when it is, I will post the link to the entire article. In the meantime, if you're interested in reading it, please email me at rosellaeleanor@gmail.com.

(Photo Credit: Szilas via Wikimedia Commons)

Guarding your meager money supply

I wrote this 600 word piece about budgeting money as a college student for College Clipper's "Campus Talk" section. Here is the beginning of the piece:

I’m rich! At the moment, I have 32 dollars and 43 cents to my name. This is more money than I usually have.

So what, if anything, do I have to complain about? Well, a week ago my dad gave me $50. This means in one week I have spent $17.57. I am, quite frankly, surprised I have as much money left as I do. College is expensive. And college kids are broke. The question quickly becomes: What does one spend their little money on?


Read the rest of this piece here.

(Photo credit: Grisu the Dragon via Flickr.)

Matt Lauer speaks at Temple

“Vividly, in my mind, I’m still your age…”

Matt Lauer said this to Temple students packed into Annenberg’s Atrium on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. The Today Show co-host of 16 years shared his knowledge of and experience in the world of broadcast journalism with eager School of Communications and Theater students. After he made the above statement, he expressed his appreciation of the job he has.

“I have arguably the best job in broadcast. I pinch myself every day,” Lauer said.

One of the things he said he admires most about his job is the ability to see parts of the world he may never have seen otherwise. The three big ones: Easter Island, Mt. Everest, Cuba. “Where In the World Is Matt Lauer?” on the Today Show was broadcast live from each of these places.

“I used to think [the toughest part of my job] was getting up at 4:10 a.m.” His perspective has changed. Lauer has three kids at home, ages 8, 6 and 2 years old and he finds that the 1.5 hours of homework a night take a toll on his family life.

“I love my job but the homework can be a little tedious,” Lauer said.

As for the role of Lauer’s celebrity in his work, he said: “Sometimes it’s a pain in the you-know-what. It’s very strange… It helps that I know what it’s like to be asked strange questions.

“I’m more respectful [of those I interview],” Lauer said.

Lauer’s advice to students seeking jobs in the field of journalism? “[There is] very little patience with mediocrity in this business… If you want to be in this business you’ve got to have a thick skin.”

(This was written as extra credit for George Miller's Journalism 1111 class, Fall 2009. It has not been published elsewhere.)

Where the filed things are

With the recent movie release of Maurice Sendak’s children’s classic, the Rosenbach Museum explores the beginnings of a phenomenon.


"They get increasingly angrier.”

That’s how Patrick Rodgers, the Traveling Exhibitions Coordinator of Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum & Library, describes each of Maurice Sendak’s 44 drafts of Where the Wild Things Are. Even diehard fans may not know this many drafts of the 10-sentence manuscript exist.

Advertised as an exhibition that will show visitors why the book is still popular nearly 50 years after its publication, the Rosenbach’s exhibition “And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are” fails to do exactly that. Still, fans will find plenty of good reasons to visit the one-room showcase, which runs through Oct. 25...



Click here to read the rest of my first story for The Temple News! Click here to view and, should you wish, download a PDF version of this article.

Trust Issues

Here are the first few paragraphs of a post I wrote for my blog Vered's The Penny Jar on September 18.

Why is it so difficult to let past transgressions go, especially when they could be hurting our chances with someone new? I find it so difficult to watch a friend struggle with trusting someone new because of old hurts. Lately, it is the very situation I have been finding myself in. I am watching as my friend Kay struggles to trust what this very new, very cute guy is telling her because she is so worried about protecting herself, and nothing I say or do will help her to trust while still keeping a close watch on her heart.

I have been in her place, scared and afraid, tormented by the emotional pain I had been put through because the people I trusted had done me wrong. I was scared to trust new people but by nature, I still did trust to a degree. That's the thing about me. I can't help but trust people. Even when I want to put walls up, I can't help but tear them down--or let someone else do the work--but usually the walls don't get but waist-high before I let someone in. And I'm not talking just romantically.

Why is it so hard for others of us, when for some (like me) it comes so naturally, to trust someone when they've never hurt us?


Read the rest of the original post here.

Career: Industrial Designer

Imagine the rush you would feel, opening a magazine to find a picture of Jessica Alba using the camera you designed. Or picture a young boy, seated on the floor, playing with a toy robot you designed, a look of complete joy on his face. Such are the thrills and rewards of a career as an industrial designer. For LaVonne Strand, Chief Operating Officer of STRANDesign, both of these situations are a part of daily life.

Industrial design is the process of learning what the client wants, what unique specifications must be followed and figuring out how to take a product from concept to a physical reality. Strand has been working in the field of industrial design since he earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 1989.

Strand sums up his ideas on good industrial design anecdotally: at a meeting an unnamed client described exactly what the company envisioned and Strand was able to do a quick sketch within minutes. The client liked this idea so much that Strand was whisked off to China for three days to oversee the execution of the product...

This is the first part of a 900-word piece I wrote for the Spring 2009 issue of Motivos magazine, a Philadelphia-based bilingual magazine. To read the full article, click here.

Small Business Resources

I compiled this sidebar for the Winter 2008-2009 issue of Motivos magazine. Click on the image above to see a larger version.

Fame: A blessing and a curse

She was the hottest witch on TV. Now, Alyssa Milano is proving she really does lead a "Charmed" life.

Or does she?

Milano, in town to promote her clothing line TOUCH, stood next to NBC 10's Tim Furlong with a camera about 12 inches from her face. The interview with Furlong was the first of several press tapings and interviews during her crowded day. Scheduled for later were CBS, FOX, and ABC affiliates, CW57, Comcast SportsNet, then the Trentonian and South Philly Review.

Despite this packed schedule, Milano took the time to speak with this student journalist about living and working in the public eye. The pros and cons of which, she said, were obvious.

The pros: "I think it's an amazing livelihood," Milano said. "You get to have a public voice that's strong enough to affect and empower people around the world, and that's an awesome thing."

...

I wrote this story about the pros and cons of celebrity while a participant in the Philadelphia Daily News' Urban Journalism Workshop during the summer of 2008. The program resulted in the one-time newspaper Catch-22. Click on the image above to read the article or click here to see the full page in PDF.

Mints and cents

This piece was also written for Catch-22, the product of the 22nd Philadelphia Daily News' Urban Workshop. It's about the future of the Lincoln penny, which, at the time was a big issue. Read the image above (click on the image to enlarge it) or go here to read it.