COMM11007 Week 3 Blog Activities

1.      Practical: Plan your stories and prepare for Assessment 2

One possible event: Official Opening: Women on the Monaro, at the Raglan Gallery, Cooma, NSW Snowy Mountains Region.

I plan to cover this Art Exhibition, opening 3pm on Saturday 5^th August 2017. Featuring local female artists, including works of paintings, drawings, ceramics and photography.

I will need to get a quote from one of the artists, someone working at the gallery and someone attending the opening.

This exhibition will display various aspects of women’s contributions within the Monaro communities.

Another possible event:  Truffle hunt during August, followed by a truffle luncheon.

I plan to go to one of the truffle hunts, that are held at Bredbo, 80km south of Canberra.

These are held every winter. The day starts with a physical hunt on the farm. They have dogs that are specially trained to find where the truffles are.

Accreditation will not be needed, as they encourage you to take photos for social media using #macenmist and #black-truffle hash tags.

I will need to get a quote and photo from the people who run the farm (and their dogs), and also, from other people attending the hunt.

This event will be of interest because farming truffles in Australia is very new, and there are only a few farms doing this. Most of the truffles are exported overseas, but interest is growing here in Australia, and a chance to see where they come from, and to taste them will be an exciting experience. http://visitcooma.com.au/events/macenmist-black-truffle-wines-truffle-hunts-4-2017-09-02

Kate’s Video: ‘Why you need a plan’

A very helpful video with tips to guide you through the process. You must be prepared, by knowing where to go and park; what time the main event/s will be on. Start preparations early, so you don’t run out of time. Check the schedule, if there is one, and contact the necessary people. Find out if you need accreditation. Research the event, finding out all the necessary background information.

2. Inquiry: Short media story

'Giant' huntsman spider terrifies removalists after hitching a ride to Britain

When a shipping container from Brisbane was being unloaded in Surrey, by burly British removalists, a huntsman spider greeted them. One of them, terrified, ran two miles up the road. Another caught the arachnid in a lunch-box, and took him home, waiting for the RSPCA to pick him up. The spider will be re-homed with a spider specialist.

Who: Burly British removalists.

What: Frightened of an Australian huntsman spider.

Where: Surrey, England

When: Unloading a shipping container.

Why: The arachnid hitched a ride in the belongings of a couple from Brisbane, re-locating to South London.

How:  The appearance of the huntsman made a good story.

The BBC’s report that the spider was as big as a guinea pig was a laugh. And I loved the way the RSPCA rescued the huntsman, and looked after him till he could be re-homed.

Alternative Lead: 

BURLY BRITS RUN A MILE FROM GUINEA PIG SIZED AUSSIE HUNTSMAN SPIDER 

Reference:

Browne, R 2017, “´Giant´ huntsman spider terrifies removalists after hitching a ride to Britain”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 July, viewed 28 July 2017, http://www.smh.com.au/environment/giant-huntsman-spider-terrifies-removalists-after-hitching-a-ride-to-britain-20170723-gxh60k.html.

Quiz Reflection Week 3

I found this quiz easier than I thought I would. Reading chapter 4 made me confused, so I just did the quiz, and got 3 wrong the first time.

After seeing how they were wrong, I understood why.

Then attempted the quiz again, and got them all right.

This was a very challenging chapter, mainly because of the subject of the chapter, 'Grammar: problems and confusions.' Reading the whole chapter just made me more confused with the things I find confusing, like: double negative, differences with 'following' and 'after', fragments leaving subordinate clauses hanging in the air - to name a few. These are areas I need to revisit and learn to understand, repeatedly, until they stick in my mind.

Reference:

Hicks, W 2013, English for journalists, Chapter 4, Grammar: problems and confusions, pp. 41-60, 4th edn, Routledge London and New York.