1. Weight and Fitness Center. 
With three separate sections, the weight and fitness center will have triple the cardio and weight space than the current Fitness Center.  Free weights, machine weights and cardio equipment will all be included in the fitness center.  "I won't be using it," sophomore Jolie Rodriguez said, "but it will be good for the people who will use it."

2. Indoor Track
The indoor track will be located on the Mezzanine floor (third floor) overlooking the fitness center, basketball courts, climbing wall and the lobby. "It will be easier for people to exercise when it's raining or when it gets dark outside," said the art history major.  "It will also be good for people who don't like to exercise outside."

3. Outdoor Recreation and Resource Center
Students will be allowed to check out hiking equipment at the recreation and resource center.  Students will also be able to sign up for outdoor excursions at the center.  "It's really cool that this resource is being made available on campus," Rodriguez said.  "Especially because people do not really have those resources anywhere else."

4. Outdoor Pool Complex
The outdoor pool complex will have a pool for every need, whether it be relaxing, playing around with friends or exercising.  There will be a lap pool for people to get their exercise in and a recreation pool for the casual swimmer.  "People who are in the recreation pool won't be getting in the way of people exercising," said Rodriguez.
There will also be plenty of seating for people to relax poolside.

5. Racquetball Court/Multi-Activity Courts
There will be one racquetball court and three multi-activity courts.  The multi-activity courts will be designed for various indoor sports like indoor soccer, floor hockey, basketball, volleyball and badminton.  "The courts are a smart thing to have," Rodriguez said.  "It's a nice place for people to have fun."

The Student Recreation Center is scheduled to open Spring 2012.

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top-5-feautures-of-the-new-student-recreation-center-CuHBhpvrzcGqfvErxgeJ.zip (3.12 MB)

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

This video contains pictures taken from my classmates' weekend adventures.  Each of these pictures represents what the weekend symbolizes to the photographer.

Natalie's picture was the picture of the monkeys at the Los Angeles Zoo. She went to the L.A. Zoo with her sister because her sister had passes.  She did a quick walkthrough of the zoo while enjoying a bag of popcorn.  

Virginia took a picture of her laptop while she was in the process of working on a multimedia project for her photojournalism class.  Her project was on a guitar player from the Adam Lasher Band.  

In 2008, the 18th Street Art Complex in Santa Monica, Calif. held an exhibit called "Citizens Artists Making Emphatic Arguments".  In this exhibit, artists show their work that illustrates the impact that natural and man made problems has on the society.  This is a way for the artists to make arguments to make the world a better place.  Many of the exhibits were related to environmental issues.  One of the art projects, "Fallen Fruit" focuses on how the public relates to fruit in public spaces and how fruit in public spaces relates to the public.  Fallen Fruits main goal is to look at the history of Americans and how it can help the future.  Fallen Fruit encourages collaboration with people and their neighborhoods.  They express their ideas through many different types of events like mapping all of the public fruit in neighborhoods and public events.  Public fruit consists of fruit trees that grow on or are over public spaces in Los Angeles.  The members of Fallen Fruit are David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young.  

The event curator was Al Nodal, who is known for linking art with issues such as the environment.

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midterm.mp4 (3.21 MB)

<br /><small>View 18th St. Arts Complex in a larger map</small>

Facebook is a website where people can re-connect with old friends, keep in touch with current friends, and past the time.  If you do not already have a facebook page, follow the steps below and in just two minutes you will be done!

How To Create a Facebook page:

Step 1: Go to www.facebook.com

Step 2: Type in your name, email address, password, gender, and date of birth

Step 3: Click sign up

Step 4: Post pictures, update your status, find friends and you're ready to go!

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How-to.mov (944 KB)

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There have been a lot of articles in the media about the budget cuts the are affecting the public libraries in Los Angeles.  In the three articles that I found, they each have a different message about the budget cuts.

The first article, "Library Cuts Don't Add Up; An accountant looks for city budget funds and finds his voice" published in the Los Angeles Times on July 13, 2010, explains how the budget cuts are affecting the libraries.  According to the article, the city of Los Angeles let $260 million in revenue go uncollected last year.  That money would let libraries stay open six days (as it was before the cuts).  David Meyer, an accountant, told the Los Angeles Times that he would take a look at the revenue and if he could find revenue that had been missed, he might be able to help keep the libraries open¹. 

The second article, “City of airheads: Villaraigosa dismantles L.A.’s vaunted library system” published in the LA Weekly on September 16, 2010, explains how the mayor could have avoided cutting money from the library budget.  One example the article used to show that the mayor could have avoided cutting money was the Gang Reduction and Youth Development program that the mayor put into place.  The article states “GRYD is a still-unproven new program beset by troubles and secrecy.  According to the recent audit by City Controller Wendy Greuel, nobody knows if GRYD is working.”  The article also says that it would be cheaper for taxpayers if the GRYD budget were cut instead of the library’s budget².

The final article that I looked at, “Levy for libraries proposed” published in the Daily News on June 17, 2010, proposes a way for the city to help fund public libraries.  The city Board of Library Commissioners proposed that a $39-a-year parcel tax be put on the November ballot for voters.  City Librarian Martin Gomez told the Daily News that “the purpose of this special tax is to generate funds specifically earmarked for use if the Los Angeles Public Library to provide six-day service, reading incentive programs, after-school homework centers, new books and other library materials.”³

The library’s yearly budget is $82.81 million.  $13,510,000 million is being cut⁴. 

Interesting facts about the library⁵:  The library has 3 million historic and contemporary images and the library has a collection of 6.4 million books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, etc.

¹http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/03/local/la-me-banks-20100703

²http://www.laweekly.com/2010-09-16/news/city-of-airheads-villaraigosa-dismantles-l-a-s-vaunted-library-system/

^{3  http://www.dailynews.com/ci_15312304?IADID}

⁴http://parc3.lacity.org/api/cfm/netdocs/?catid=1069&CSS=1667&H=18487&L=18488&DS=2&DD=2

⁵http://www.lapl.org/newsroom/2010_facts.html

A.  Punjabi Tadka is a potato chip like snack.  They are small, swirly, crunchy and orange-yellow in color.  The seasoning is like the seasoning you find on Indian food.  After you eat one, Indian spices fill your mouth, then your mouth feels like it is on fire because this snack is also spicy.  It makes your mouth dry and in search of some water.  When you open a bag of Punjabi Tadka, it is as if you are opening the doors to an Indian restaurant.  For Indian food fans, this is the snack for you.  For people who are not Indian food fans, Punjabi Tadka is not the snack for you.

B.  Punjabi Tadka is not good.  It was like eating a plate of Indian food on a small, swirly, and crunchy potato chip, which I don't prefer to do.  I would not recommend it to anyone who does not like Indian spices and tastes.  If you decide to try this snack, make sure you have water or something to drink nearby. 

Last semester I was given an assignment to cover a case that was going on in a local courthouse.  I chose to cover a case that was being heard in the Chatsworth courthouse.  This case was about a lady suing a bank.  Once I got into the courtroom, the lawyers from both sides agreed on a settlement.  I went up to the clerk and asked if I could see the case file.  The clerk said no and I walked away even though the file was public record and had a right to view it.

The next day I went back to the courthouse and I again asked the clerk if I could see the file.  She again said no.  I then told her that I have a right to see the file and that she should let me see it. She then looked at me and said no.  I realized that the clerk was never going to give me the file, so I stopped trying.

I probably could have been more persistent and more pushy like a real journalist would be.  I guess it's something that I just have to work on.