Today I discuss Raw, Bret Hart, Syracuse and much more. See Team Hellions at the WWE SuperShow in Syracuse NY!

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nextBLOG writer Megan Hess interviewed one of her professors while studying abroad in London

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Christopher Cook is a culture and media aficionado who has worked for the BBC for over 30 years. He also currently teaches at Syracuse University’s London program, specializing in a course called British Mass Media & US Politics–a course I took while studying abroad in the fall. Below, Cook imparts his wisdom about breaking into the industry, asking those “tough questions” in interviews, and the necessity of people-watching in cafes.

Q: What was your inspiration to break into the field of communications?

A: When I was a student at Cambridge University, I edited the student magazine called Granta.  One of my predecessors had graduated and gotten a job as a researcher in the BBC’s Parliamentary department, and one day, her co-worker phoned us up at Granta. They needed a researcher to help out over Christmas break, and I gladly volunteered. I helped out over the next school break as well, at which point my mentor, Trevor, took me aside to ask what my post-graduation plans were. I told Trevor that I was planning on going to film school to become a feature filmmaker, and his response was, “Don’t be stupid, come and work for me in television.” I guess I was lucky – you can’t waltz into media quite as easily nowadays.

Q: Very true. So what tips do you have for students who are trying to break into the industry today?

A: You have to knock on doors – network, offer to write stories, get an address book together, develop a profile with obvious interests. Never say no, and always return phone calls. You can only afford not to return calls when you have become very grand and successful.

Q: Do you think it’s easier to find jobs in communications in the UK than in America?

A: In Britain, it’s easier to transgress borders. It’s also smaller than the US, so you can do more; I critique dance, opera, music, theater, and film, whereas many critics in the US just specialize in one of those fields. If you can get a work visa – which requires a great deal of planning – you should come work in Europe.

Read the rest of the interview below

Q: What are the greatest differences between American and British media?

A: The media in the US are much more respectful toward interviewees. Just compare CNN’s Larry King to BBC’s Jeremy Paxman or BBC’s John Humphrys or Channel 4’s Jon Snow. The Brits want blood, and Americans like Larry King just want to be loved. They never ask those tough, offensive questions. Jeremy Paxman, on the other hand, once asked the Home Secretary the same question 32 times because he kept dodging it. The journalist’s job is to be to rude and make the lion stir in its cage – even more so today, because the news is so manipulated by those in political power.

Q: Do you have any tricks for asking those tough questions?

A:  Personally, I’m not too confrontational, and I want my interviewees to like me afterwards. I try to lead them along a path so that they will trip up and reveal themselves. The real interview is in the supplementary questions – the ones you don’t prepare. You have to be willing to go places the interview isn’t supposed to go. I once interviewed a cinema producer who was gay, but nobody had confronted him about his sexuality. I guess it wasn’t socially acceptable back then to talk about it so openly, but I asked him about it in my interview, and I was amazed how willing he was to discuss it with me. When you sense a moment, don’t suppress yourself! But then again, don’t think you’re all-important or all-knowing…you’re not.

Q: What do you wish you’d known starting out your career that you know now?
A: Well, I wouldn’t have started if I’d known it didn’t get any easier! Just kidding. Let’s see, I guess there comes a moment when you find your own voice – in print and in broadcast – but you can’t force it. I spent so much time agonizing over finding my voice, but you don’t need to hunt. Also, I wish I’d known that the whole job thing doesn’t need to be as serious as you think when you’re starting out. After all, it’s a job, not a crusade.

Q: Does it worry you at all that the face of journalism is changing rapidly?

A: I fear for style. Something I’ve always loved about journalism is good, elegant writing. In new media, I’m worried that there will be no room for that style; journalism will no longer be a branch of literature. I adore The New Yorker, even though it is becoming a dinosaur, because their long, political pieces are breathtaking. And I’ve come to adore blogs, too. I like the non-professional ones – like my friends’ travel blogs – because they take you by the hand and show you something you don’t know.

Q: What are the best things aspiring media professionals can do to keep up?

A: When writing, you’re often telling people about things they don’t know. Don’t patronize them! Instead, say, come and have a look at this. Enthusiasm is vital. Anyone who is serious about being a journalist should write every day. It’s like swimming or riding a bike; the more you do it, the better you get at it. All would-be writers also need to sit at cafes and people-watch. You learn more about how the world works when you’re sitting and observing, asking yourself questions like, Why is that man so angrily reading his newspaper? or, What are those women whispering about in the corner?

Q: What is your best piece of advice for aspiring journalists?

A: Never imagine you’re telling the truth – there’s no such thing. You’re always just telling a truth, coming as close as you can.

~Megan Hess, Syracuse University ’11

The 2009 Hillside Special Santa program has come to a successful end, meaning that more than 5,000 children, teens and their families learned there really is a Santa. Whether you were a volunteer or a donor, you were a true Hillside Special Santa to one of more of our children and families.

On Christmas Eve, we received word that three children were being admitted to a crisis intervention program, and were in need of gifts. Our staff had been getting “silly” winding down from a very busy month, and suddenly all was quiet. With a goal of serving more than 5,000 children, we were quite touched with the reality of these three youngsters coming into our care on Christmas Eve. Fortunately, our staff was able to find just the right items for each of them.

You are a part of our success in helping our children believe. As a Hillside Special Santa, you have made a difference in the lives of thousands. Thank you so much for sharing your holiday spirit with us. We extend our most heartfelt wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

Sally J. Bohne

Director of Hillside Special Santas

The Syracuse Area Outdoor Adventure Club hiked up Bald Mountain & took these great photos.

A friend called my attention to a story in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune about the recent talk of expanding the Big Ten. Joe Paterno has told ESPN (again) that he’d love to see a Big East team join the Big Ten, and he mentioned Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse, “even Connecticut.” Having a 12th team would pave the way for a Big Ten championship game, which would keep the league in people’s minds a little longer each fall.

“Right now we play—and then we sit and watch,” the paper quotes Paterno as saying. “We were through (with the regular season) Nov. 21st.”

It’s not the first time Paterno has made his views on the subject known; last April, when he was in New York City for one of the Alumni Association’s “An Evening with Joe” events, he told ESPN pretty much the same thing.

It also brings to mind this item from our senior editor Ryan Jones, writing last March about Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese’s regret that that conference didn’t add Penn State back in 1982. Penn State was an independent at the time, and the Big East came within one vote of inviting the University to join. Interesting to think about how things might be different today if that vote had turned out differently.

Tina Hay, editor

Seen a river otter lately in CNY? Call the DEC

Merry Christmas everyone! How’s the new interface? I decided to change it because a few of my friends told me that my previous layout was a bit boring. Now…I even have snow falling on my page! You know what it is.

Well, how is everyone’s Christmas going? So far, I drove around with my mother and sister to visit my relatives and exchange Christmas gifts. This whole process gets less fun every year because now I just receive money from everyone. It’s supposed to make both the giver and receiver’s life easier? Later on, I will be having a family dinner. A lot of my relatives should be coming over. It gets way too loud but it’s fun.

But what I will be writing about today is how I spent Christmas Eve with my girlfriend. I am so glad she is in my life. Last year, I was watching couples giggle during Christmas but this year is different! We first met at California Pizza Kitchen; we had both been craving it for a while but it ended up disappointing us. Maybe we ordered the wrong ones… Anyway, we also exchanged gifts here! By the way, one of her close friends, Anna, helped me choose these gifts. Thank You! I owe you dinner =). Anyway, I got her:

• A huge Mashimaro doll so she can hug it at times when I am not by her side. There were many kinds but the one I got her had a really fashionable beanie/scarf on so I had to get her that one. After, she told me that she always wanted one if she ever got a boyfriend. Teehee.
• A pink mushroom doll because I really love mushrooms (the food) and it could possibly remind her of me.
• One of those clear umbrellas so she can see where she is walking. Whenever it rained back in Syracuse, she always carried a small umbrella that was a bit broken.
• Penguin erasers, a boy and a girl. It was super duper cute. I hope she does not actually use those erasers and deteriorate them. Haha.
• Funky leggings from American Apparel that she has been wanting for a while. I saw one of the employees wearing the same leggings and did not really love it but I know my girlfriend can pull it off ;].
• Finally, the last gift is one that I thought of completely by myself. I know music is a large part of her life: it makes her happy, helps her with various activities, and cures her when she is down. Therefore, I got her the Dr. Dre Beats-Lady Gaga HeartBeats earphones. Plus, I would love for her to listen to my music in high performance. Hehe.

Now let me talk about what she got me . She kept telling me that she was sure that I would not like the gift and was extremely worried…but I loved it! Honestly, I think I would have liked anything she got me though because it would be from her. Also, even the fact that she thought about it and went to stores that I liked is enough. Well, here is one of the most special gifts I have ever received in my life:

• A dark green American Apparel hoodie. I have maroon and gray. Now that I have three, I want to collect all of them! She also told me that she might get the dark green one or the maroon one so we can have a couple outfit! My sister also has a dark green one so I can also have a cute sibling outfit. LOL.
• A black cashmere sweater from Banana Republic. I don’t own any cashmere sweaters so this is my first. Looks like I’ll be warm this winter! She put the sweater and hoodie inside a cute box that she folded herself.
• My favorite chocolate, Ferrero Rocher, in a cute bell shaped container. As you can see in the picture, I already devoured half of it.
• Six cupcakes from Baked By Melissa. It is a cute cupcake store in Soho.
• A little Baby Milo keychain from Bape. I love it. =).
• She said her card is nothing special but there was one thing that I was really happy to read.

Then we went to Bryant Park and walked around. We needed to kill some time because I wanted to take her to a special place that only looks good at night time. So anyway, there was some kind of outdoor boutique at Bryant Park so we looked around but there was absolutely nothing to buy. We crossed the street and discovered this Japanese book store/stationary store. It was a very cute store and it felt like I was in Japan. I knew Michelle loved stationary but her face LIT up when she walked inside this store. We told each other that we will come back to buy school supplies for the next semester.

Then it was time to take her to special place. I have lived in Brooklyn my whole life. For one point in my life, I lived in a neighborhood called Dyker Heights. This area is very famous for having the best Christmas Decorations in New York. So, I decided to bring Michelle here and show her =). Plus, she never took a step into Brooklyn so I wanted to be the first one to show her the borough. Here are some of the pictures that she took when we visited:

Thanks Michelle, you made my Christmas [Eve] fantastic! <3

Bye!

]]> http://computerrepair4all.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/syracuse-computer-repair/ Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:24:08 +0000 computerrepair4all http://computerrepair4all.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/syracuse-computer-repair/

And in Carousel Mall in Syracuse, NY of all places!

We had been playing our game. One we had invented on the long trip. We would change the song on my I-pod and try to guess the song and artist before the other. We hadn’t been able to touch because the night before her roommate had been in the room. I had taken my last final at Syracuse early so I could surprise her and show up early. I had driven 12 hours speeding the whole way so I could call her and just be sitting outside when she answered. I suppose in some ways I have always been a sappy romantic. I reached across the seat and interlaced our fingers. There is something about the way our fingers fit together. That spark between us seemed to ignite whenever our hands touched. Even if it was just when my fingers touched hers. She sighed. A sound most probably unnoticed but to me, it wrapped all my feelings in an exported sound.

I could not meet her eyes because mine were glued to the road. A highway I had not traveled and ,in the dark of December, a road I wanted to pay attention to. The thing about us is I did not have to meet her eyes. I could feel them through out intertwined fingers she could feel my returned glance that flashed  deep with understanding, passion, and reverence at the love we had found.

Her eyes; the only thing that could stop me cold. I always knew what she was thinking when I looked into them. It was simply another means of communication between us. Even in times where we were surrounded by strangers where our words could not convey our true meaning, our eyes would tell the whole story. Perhaps in the end, when I could not see her eyes, this is why I could not see the truth. I could not see what was coming and what already was.

On that unexplored highway as our fingers caressed the length of the others I could feel the desire and heat of connection emitting. I slowly reached over and reached for the seam of her sweatpants. It seemed that the comfortable wear was also convenient for exploration. As I began to float my fingers to touch what I could not see, I heard another one of those sighs. This one told me of the relief and comfort of trusting the one you are with. She sank lower in her seat and enjoyed the exploration and discovery of my fingers. She ran her hand up my arm leaned over and kissed my neck. As my concocting fingers began to near their goal I felt her whole body tense in an evasive manner. I told her to relax and just let the feelings take over her body. She responded with another pregnant sigh and the small moans told me I was going in the right direction. The clamping of her own hand over my arm and the fluttered release and complete relaxation indicated her satisfaction.

As we re-entwined hands I could feel her smile, could feel her smiling at me through our hands. I had the image of that smile ingrained upon my memory. The one I thought about when things were rough, the one that let me know that we always had that connection, that things would always work out.

We pulled off outside Little Rock for the first night stay over. She was overwhelmed with excitement about exchanging Christmas gifts. I knew she had something huge in mind, but I hadn’t realized just what she wanted to tell me. She had made me a blanket. One that reflected both our favorite colors. Symbolism was always something we both valued and attempted to portray to each other. Perhaps it seems now as if it were attempting to justify what we were by over-integrating ourselves into each other. As a river runs over rocks, the rocks are always there but the river blurs their true identity and the only way to feel them is to step into the river and part the water. I question if we over-exaggerated our likeness. That is, perhaps, another question I will never have answered.

The small gift she gave me turned out to be the one with more magnitude. It was a necklace. Something that I could wear, a constant reminder of the bond that I thought would remain forever between us. A representation of the trust. The one diamond that represented there was one person. The one individual that understood us better than ourselves. The one person that we could always count on to be there for us.  It was something that I would cherish for the rest of my life along with her.

The following night we stopped in Amarillo. We had fought about something meaningless. Perhaps it was about my upcoming 5 month trip to China and her worries about the trip. I silently issued my apologies through my eyes. I could see the guarded forgiveness in hers. That night, I took her virginity.

It was the beginning of the last month I would know love of my life. I suppose even now as I look back I should have seen it was the beginning of the end.

Nice going G-Men!....NOT

2003 was the year that I sat down and watched my first football game that I could enjoy. It did not end well. But hey, it was a good game. It was a Giants playoff game in January. They were playing the 49ers and blew a big lead. Jeff Garcia led the 49ers on the comeback. The Giants had a chance to win it with a field goal at the end, but messed up the snap. If I was watching that game now, I would have been furious. How do you miss an easy field goal by botching a snap? But at the time, I thought it was a mistake that was not that bad. Maybe that was a good thing. Before this game, I had no interest in football. But when I sat down to watch this game, I could not stop. I think I had to get ready for school the next day but just kept watching.

Despite that game, my main focus in 2003 remained basketball. I was lucky enough to see the Nets make it to the finals for the second straight year. Even though they lost it, they had a great run. They dominated the Pistons and Celtics in those days, sweeping both teams in classic games in each series. Damn those Spurs.

At this point I was not very into baseball or football like I said before. Those sports would follow in the next couple of years. In 2003, it was all basketball.

However, I do remember watching some of the Marlins/Yankees World Series. I also caught some of the Cubs/Marlins NLCS (Bartman and angry Moises Alou ring a bell?), and the infamous Yankees/Red Sox ALCS. So I guess I did follow baseball a little.

Speaking of 2003, Syracuse won the NCAA title, led by Carmelo Anthony. Too bad I wasn’t really aware of it, although I would not have been overly excited if I had watched it anyway because I had no connection to Syracuse at the time. If Syracuse wants to make up for that, they can go ahead and win the title again this year!

This was also the first full year that I received SI Kids, which I sadly stopped getting…this past August.

Week of Dec. 21

#1) Kansas, 11-0: Jayhawks played somewhat tough competition this week, beating both Michigan and Cal easily. Bill Self’s team is doing it on defense, allowing just 59.3 points per game and having held their last six opponents to less than 70 points.

#2) Texas, 11-0: Call them number 1-A. Hard to say that Texas is any worse than Kansas and the ‘Horns may be playing better right now. Two huge wins over top-10 caliber programs over the weekend. First, they dropped 100 on North Carolina, then dismantled Michigan State in the second half on Tuesday. In their last five games, the Longhorns have averaged 96 points.

#3) Purdue, 11-0: Just continue to hum along in the Big Ten. Might be the only team in the conference worth paying attention to with the two Michigan schools struggling somewhat. New Years day matchup with West Virginia.

#4) Syracuse, 12-0: Just look at the numbers. Orange has more assists and more steals than any other team in the country. That is maximizing possessions. And they do it out of a zone defense. ‘Cuse is also the best shooting team (percentage) in the country and, not coincidently the third-highest scoring team at 88 points.

#5) Kentucky, 13-0: Sort of by default that the Wildcats fall down this far. They have played a few more close games than the teams ahead of them. The most dynamic player in the country resides at UK, however, as John Wall is averaging 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists.

#6) West Virginia, 9-0: Waited until after the Mountaineers put the finishing touches on a nice win over an upstart Mississippi team to keep them up here. They are winning despite some telling numbers: 219th in field goal percentage defense (44%) and shooting just 66.5 percent from the free throw line.

#7) Duke, 9-1: Completely outplayed Gonzaga in every aspect on Saturday at MSG. One of their bigger teams in a while is still run from the perimeter and deceptively athletic. Still, vulnerable to really athletic forwards.

#8 Villanova, 10-1: Climbing just because teams ahead of them have lost. Hasn’t show a whole lot yet and has one disturbing stat, especially if they play close games. Nova commits 21.3 fouls per game, a very high number that will mean a lot of free throw shooting by opponents.

#9) Kansas State, 11-1: Wilcats’ only loss to Ole Miss and have beaten two ranked teams (more than Pac-10 leader Washington). Also with wins over Xavier and Alabama. KSU has tough start to Big-12 play, with Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma State in three of first five.

#10) Connecticut, 8-2: Total crapshoot here. Huskies are seventh in RPI and have losses to No. 5 Kentucky and No. 7 Duke, which is hard to punish. Interestingly, UConn sits at 11th in the Big East right now. And for good measure, this team is not even close to the best one on that campus (see Maya Moore).

A lot of people are confused by Scientology. OK… EVERYONE is confused by Scientology — it’s just so mystical and fabulous! You might say Scientology is the glitter of religions: it’s entirely unnecessary, always craving attention and no matter what you do, you can never seem to get rid of it.

Have you ever wondered what the Scientology Christmas story is? Probably not, but read on anyway… this one’s not to be missed!

It all began in the snowy month of Murgatroid, galaxy period 560.98 (December, 1962 to us earthlings). Things were not well in the world, the U.S. was in the midst of an epic galactic battle with communist robots in Vietnam and the White House had been seized by the thetan-fueled John F. Kennedy. The almighty Xenu, ruler of Scientology and founder of the Sci-Fi channel, had found solace in the great, Atlantic volcano (New York City), where he awaited the birth of the Savior.

L. Ron Hubbard had written a prophecy to take place that night, and although the novel was not yet available at Borders, Xenu had read an advanced copy and knew what was destined to take place. He donned his traditional, red and white Scientology robes, strapped on a sensible pair of heels, and prepared for his great journey north. As it had been written, Xenu was to meet and travel with two gods from the faraway galaxy of Los Angeles to bring their newborn Savior gifts. Hovering above the great Atlantic volcano flew John Travolta, with his co-pilot, Kirstie Alley. Xenu looked skyward and saw the bright lights of Travolta’s plane in the sky, beckoning him to follow north to their destination: Syracuse.

The trio reached the snowy, vampire-filled town of Syracuse just in time to witness the blessed event. The Savior had hatched from his egg moments before and been given a name: Tom Cruise. In elation Xenu, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley all jumped on couches exclaiming, “I’m in love!!!” — a tradition that Scientologists continue to this very day. From that day forward, the world became right once again: the robot war ended, John F. Kennedy went to live on a farm and the Savior became America’s golden child.

This story of Christmas (or Cruisemas as Scientologists prefer it to be known) is, in essence, enlightening, inspiring and totally unreal.

The Factor’s Top 10 Teams (with games played through 12/21/09):
#1. Kansas
#2. Texas
#3. Syracuse
#4. Duke
#5. Ohio State
#6. Minnesota
#7. Brigham Young
#8. Kentucky
#9. Michigan State
#10. Miami (FL)

I have a desire to get back outside and take tons of photos.  I haven’t been able to do that very often lately, due to driving so much.  These are the types of photos I have been taking lately.  Building photos.  Photos to send to people to obtain help to redo one of our stairwells at work.  Don’t get me wrong, I love these old architectural details.

Marble with wood. Too bad the tiled floor is covered with that gross tile.

Nice and thick marble and wood

Detail underneath the stairs

Very tall walls with window wells that have been filled in.

Long wooden banisters

Close-up

Ceiling to . . .

Floor Metal Molding

Detail of molding. Wouldn’t this look good in different colors?

The stairwells used to be open with marble stairs, in fact, they still are in the back staircase, and I’ll have to take photos of that sometime. Ohhh, I know, I’m sooo exciting.

I also take pix of oak molding in the 2nd floor exhibit area – covered up by years of paint:

Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse vs. Harvard in 2009 Fall Ball.

Here is my quick take on the BCS, which has never really interested me until now. For those of you who do not know what the BCS is, it is the current format of postseason play for NCAA football. Each year, there are over 30 bowl games, and five “BCS” bowls, reserved for the top teams. There is only one national championship game (one of those five BCS bowls)  So here’s my view:

I know that if by some miracle Syracuse were to go undefeated in football, they would have no shot at winning the national championship. Take Cincinnati. They are undefeated this year, yet will not play in the championship game along with fellow undefeated teams such as Boise State and TCU. Why, you ask? Because Texas and Alabama, the two teams that are playing for the nat’l championship, come out of the SEC and Big 12. Those conferences are supposedly “tougher” than the rest of the conferences in the land. I’m not going to lie, though. They are tougher. But not by that much. Why can’t Cincy or Boise or TCU get a chance to prove their worth? Maybe they are better than Texas and Alabama. Either way, with the BCS system, if you have more than two undefeated teams, someone is not going to be happy. Unofortunately, I do not think a playoff would be that much smoother. An NCAA football playoff would not be as easy as the basketball one. Football games are only played once a week and require more time and energy than basketball games. As much as I would like a playoff to make things fair, it just would not work out logistically.

But here’s something that would be interesting: keep all of the bowl games, and make a playoff for say, the top four or so teams. That way all of the top teams get a fair crack at the nat’l championship. Of course this will never happen, but Syracuse going undefeated? That’s never going to happen either.

Three weeks ago we took a trek to Syracuse, NY to pick up our wonderful new Wheaten Terrier puppy we named Teddy.  He’s sooo frickin cute.. but in case you need the proof I’m attaching pictures.  I have to admit, I never understood crazy dog owners.. the kind that seem overly obsessed with their pet.. talking about them as if they were human.. plastering the walls of their office with pictures of their pup, well I am going to resist the whole crazy part.. but I have somewhat hopped over to the other side.  Teddy has earned a position as the background of my computer..  I think about him a gazillion times a day.. I tend to talk in a baby voice to him (a personal pet peeve of mine).. and now I find myself writing a blog post about him. Darn dog.. too cute.  So far, I think the Wheaten breed has been a perfect choice.  He doesn’t shed, has a loving personality, and is smart…. when he wants to be I look forward to having him around for a long time to come… but I must resist becoming a crazy dog owner!!