Visual.ly Fun!

Today in class my partner Clayton James and I presented a demonstration of a fun website called Visual.ly. This website allows the user to easily make infographics and share them with the world via Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and more. Here is some of the work I made as an example for our presentation:

This Winthrop Life Episode One

This American Life Homework

Episode 447: The Incredible Case of the P.I. Moms

1. The purpose of the prologue was Ira Glass setting up the story for the audience, by catching them up to speed the concept of the P.I. moms. Music was only used during the prologue as a transition technique and to set the mood for act one.
2.  The idea of the P.I. moms was that of Chris Butler, a former police officer. He came up with this idea in an attempt to sell the concept to television producers for a reality TV deal. Meanwhile Butler hires a P.I. firm to build a buzz for his moms, which leads to the moms being the topic of an episode on Dr. Phil and even a full page spread in People Magazine. The usage of audio from the Dr. Phil episode draws in the reader.
3. Next, journalist Peter Crook of Diablo Magazine goes on a three month ride along with the moms as they work a case. The job is a normal possible case of spousal infidelity. The moms tail the perp from one car lane away and make the same illegal U-turns as the perp. The reporter at the time does not realize this, but he is being setup on a fake case. Interviews from Peter Cook and the actors involved in this fake case really keep you drawn in.
4. The interviews with Carl Marino, Peter Cook, and other actors involved in the fake case kept your attention to the story. For example when Peter Cook was talking, you could sense a sort of disappoint or embarrassment in his voice, like someone who had just been taken for a ride. Then with the Marino interview you could hear in his voice a sort of smirk when telling his side of the story as in he couldn’t believe how childish and stupid this entire incident was. The only time quotes were used was for the P.I. Agency’s founder Chris Butler, but only because the interviewer had made it clear that he had denied an interview to the program.
5. There were not a whole lot of conversational snippets in this piece. Though the one snippet that stuck out at me was when host Ira Glass was interviewing the hired decoy Carl Marino. During the interview Glass would cut off Marino in mid conversation, whether it was because he couldn’t believe what he was hearing or to reiterate something to keep the listeners attention.

Getty's Festival Fundraiser

Popular French Bakery Lives up to French Hygiene

Health Inspectors Shutdown Amelie's

Recent findings from the Mecklenburg County Health Department has called for health inspectors to temporarily shut down Charlotte’s most popular bakery.

Amelie’s French Bakery of 2424 N. David St was shut down last Friday after failing their fourth health inspection. The bakers’ license was suspended immediately after findings of inadequate refrigeration and thrown trash on the ground were discovered.

The bakery is one of the largest bakeries in they city. They provide breads, pies, cakes, and other pastries to over 100 grocery stores and restaurants, while also supplying 40 employees with employment. It has also hurt the bakery’s’ owners, the brotherly team of Charles and Andrew Kalani.

Attorney Saul Goodman, the brothers’ legal representative has said that his clients are losing $13 thousand and permanent customers each day that the bakery is closed. He went on to say, that she does believe that the health departments’ allegations are exaggerated.

Allen as stated that the Kalani brothers are ready to take their case to the city council tomorrow night. If that attempt fails, then they are ready to take it up to the courts and do what ever it may take to save their business.

Wall Street South

Hard News Leads #2

1. The Rock Hill Police Department today has fired their infamous hero and current Police Officer of the Year, Daniel J. Silverbach after he refused to trim his mustache and sideburns, which were too long by department standards.

2. State of South Carolina officials have advised paraplegic, Dale Snow and his new bride, Terri Snow of 3418 Hazel St. to get divorced in order to continue receiving Dale’s monthly payments from the South Carolina Department of Social Services and federal Supplemental Security Income.

3. 50% of human cremation remains in South Carolina go unclaimed. To deal with this problem the Funeral Directors Association met yesterday to begin lobbying a new state law, which allows funeral homes to dispose of unclaimed remains after 90 days.

4. An excess of $8 thousand of items were stolen yesterday at 2481 Santana Ave., the home of recently widowed Dorothy R. Elam between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. while she was at her deceased husbands’ funeral.

5. Social Security has denied 81-year-old widow, Gladys Anne Riggs four months of payments after a system error claimed that she had been dead since then.