Thursday, October 21, 2010

Riley

I spent an afternoon with my Irish Terrier mutt, Riley. She was a cute and very curious model. Mostly this session was just to play with camera settings on a overcast, fall day.





Wednesday, June 23, 2010

New shop features old styles

Lindsey Treffry | The Communicator

A one-piece jumpsuit from the 1960s, a brand new T-shirt, cowboy boots, a homemade headband, and a ring from the 1980s could be the latest outfit put together by purchases from Fringe and Fray.  

Opened by Grace and Ryan Johnson, Fringe and Fray is a resale boutique with men and women's clothing, jewelry, purses, home decor, and art. 

Located downtown, the store differs from other resale shops because of the mixture of vintage clothing and new styles. 

"We have older styles, like the 80s, which is in right now," Grace said.

The small space is footsteps away from Rocket Bakery on the corner of Cedar Street. Their shopfront houses a pair of mannequins with floral decor plastered on the windows, where shoppers can take a peek at the clothing racks inside.

Grace and Ryan renovated the brick space, taking out cabinets and replacing them with dressing rooms. Grace, who has worked in retail since her teenage years, opened the shop with her husband in January. 

"When we first opened, one of my favorite items was this red owl dress," Grace said. "It sold fast."  

According to their website, customers who bring in items can receive store credit for approximately 30 percent of the resale value. According to Grace they will take the item if it's current or vintage, and in good condition. 

"We are selective," Grace said. "We want it to have a certain feel."

Although selective, their prices don't reflect their particular store credit picks. The average price for clothing and jewelry ranges from $7 to $20. According to Grace the only time prices go over $20 is when a vintage item is "completely unique." Fringe and Fray also houses a clearance rack, where some items are as low as $3.

In addition to clothing, Ryan creates some of the art available for purchase in the store. His "digital photography manipulation" is hung along the walls of the shop, and showcases different buildings and cityscapes with animals or colors superimposed into the frame. 

Cloth headbands, specifically pieced together by Grace and other employees, are floral and feminine in design. Some other creations available include rings, necklaces, and other hair accessories that are on display near the home decor table.

"A lot of people feel like because of the look (of the store) it is out of their price range, when really it is affordable" Grace said. "I think people will be pleasantly surprised."

Break Out Box
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: 1325 W. 1st Ave. (Corner of 1st and Cedar)
Contact: Grace or Ryan at 509.720.7116
For more information: http://fringeandfray.net/ -OR- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spokane-WA/Fringe-Fray/392620460480?ref=ts

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Skateboard shop is safe haven

Lindsey Treffry | The Communicator  

Paradigm can be defined as an archetype; a philosophical framework; a Spokane skate shop.  

Owner of Paradigm Skate Shop, Todd Bearden, has been skateboarding since 1989. Bearden originally got his bachelor's degree in Marketing and Human Resources from EWU. He managed Spirit Skate Shop, where Paradigm is now located, and assured the landlord would sign over the lease after Spirit's owner closed the shop. 

Paradigm is located on Washington, blocks away from the concrete, Under The Freeway skateboard park.

Bearden chose to name the shop Paradigm, because he didn't want the generic "Joe's Skate Shop," and wanted his apparel to transcend other brands.  

"Paradigm can mean shift, or it can be something philosophical," Bearden said. "It is phonetically correct, and intriguing. "(The word paradigm) makes people ask 'What is it?'"  

Different from corporate shops that have "belly button rings, hoola hoops, and kayaks," Paradigm only carries skateboard equipment. They also design their own brand of clothing, which is their most popular item, and changes seasonally.  

Not only a store, Paradigm hosts events and sponsors local skateboarders. Their sponsored skaters receive discounts and free equipment, in exchange for giving Paradigm "a face." They make sure their skaters are presentable, can attend contests and demos, and do not include themselves in drug-related activities.  

Paradigm often hosts "under-ground" events, like skate jams and barbecues, but most often attend skate park openings. Samuel Imus, an employee at Paradigm, has known Bearden since middle school. 

"Skateboarding made us friends," he said. "Owning a shop made us brothers."  

According to Imus, Bearden provides equipment and boards for kids who shop at Paradigm, but don't have the extra money. Bearden said he is like a "big brother" to a majority of the kids who shop at Paradigm.  

"We cater to loitering," he said. "We have a PS3 and a big screen to let kids hang out.
"It's a safe place, and their mothers knows where they are."  


As seen in Issue 41.9 of The Communicator

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

How to dig up the dirt you need

After assisting in research on an article regarding Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) hiring the new Chancellor despite past allegations, I found these few following links and shortcuts extremely helpful (and free):

- Visit harvester.census.gov to find a single audit database. This can be helpful when trying to find a past evaluation on a person or an organization.

- When looking for a home phone number in the US, type "rphonebook: full name, state" in a Google search.

- If trying to find court case filings, you can usually find county reports on their website, for example: Denver, Colorado. Beware that not all civil cases can be filed in this manner, if only looking up a name. Also, some states like Colorado require you to pay for a state court case report and are not open record like other states.

- Not getting the info you know you have rights to? Visit splc.org to get a sample FOIA letter or fill out your own.

Make sure to read the featured story above to see how some of these links were implemented for research.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Loss of Net neutrality: A slippery slope

Lindsey Treffry | The Communicator
 

As of April 6, broadband providers can sell, limit, or promote access to any website they want; or any website that pays them. This could mean your personal blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr will never be seen again.

Once websites pay for broadband service, the Internet will no longer be neutral. To limit the outlets people use to share information and express themselves is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution.

According to savetheinternet.com, Net neutrality means “Internet service providers may not discriminate between different kinds of content and applications online.” In other words, a corporation does not have the power to sell Web access and limit broadband speeds. Prior to April 6, this was true.

According to an April 6 Spokesman-Review article, a federal appeals court ruled that the Federal Communications Commission lacks the authority to treat broadband providers equally. This means the courts decided it is okay for Comcast to sell all their broadband bandwidth to MTV if they want, leaving little to no broadband speed to a “lesser” website, like a local band’s, if they so choose. So long to indie music.

The net neutrality debate has not been popularly broadcast most likely due to the fact that news stations won’t spread the word. All major news outlets are owned by a corporation that hopes to buy out broadband speed.

According to freepress.net, the “big six” corporations that own news outlets are General Electric, The Walt Disney Company, News Corporation, CBS Corporation, Time Warner, and Viacom. These corporations are the parent companies to media outlets such as NBC, MSNBC, ABC, ESPN, Fox Cable, CNN, MTV, and more. This also includes print publications like the New York Post and Wall Street Journal. If all these corporations have control over television stations, web and print publications, who is going to spread the word about Net neutrality? Who is going to stop the Internet from becoming a Google monopoly? Not a measly student journalist via blogger.com, because their broadband speed will be bought out by Hannah Montana’s official homepage, thanks to Disney.

The Internet has been a free forum for people to voice their political and personal views for years. To take away Net neutrality, broadband providers could potentially infringe on the country’s freedom of speech and freedom of press, specifically the voice of students.

In an over-a-decade-old trial, the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition (CIEC) filed a complaint against the United States Department of Justice. According to CIEC, the Internet exists and functions solely as a result of hundreds of thousands of separate operators of computer networks independently decided to use a common data transfer to exchange communications and information with other computers.

“No entity whether it be academic, corporate, governmental, or non-profit, can control, govern, or run the Internet,” the CEIC’s complaint states.


As seen in Issue 41.10 of The Communicator

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Road to recovery leads to degree

Lindsey Treffry | The Communicator

Like other Chemical Dependency trainees, JoAnn Price is finishing SFCC requirements and is ready to graduate this spring.

The difference between Price and the average Chemical Dependency major is the fact that she is a 75-year-old recovering alcoholic.

Price, an avid Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) attendee, came to SFCC when she was seven months sober, and has now been sober for 2 years. Price said she began drinking because she was shy and wanted to be more talkative. She said this is a common reason among women in AA. Once her drinking began, she struggled with sobriety, and continually tried to challenge her “drinking thinking.”

“All I know is today I’m sober, today I’m not drinking, and right now I don’t want to drink,” Price said.

Her last drinking experience almost resulted in a suicide, when she finally decided to get help. One of Price’s daughters was not as lucky in escaping an alcohol-related death. Although Price was aware of her daughter’s drinking, she didn’t think it was as bad as it was.

“(My granddaughter) and I were on vacation in Victoria when we got the call,” Price said. “We flew down to California.

“It’s not a pretty death to watch.”

According to medicalnewstoday.com, alcoholism can be hereditary. Price had other family members that had struggled with alcoholism during their lifetime.

Price was not only inspired to become a Chemical Dependency counselor by her daughter’s death. She was told by a counselor in treatment that she would make a great counselor herself. Other in-treatment counselors also believed because of Price’s age, the now-retiring baby boomer generation could relate to her more easily than a counselor of a younger generation.

“I think that JoAnn is a model for aging in our society,” said Carla Dvoracek, SFCC Chemical Dependency instructor. “It is never too late to have goals to reach and these can certainly include education.”

Price said she also wants people to see alcoholism as a disease that can be treated with help and should not be looked down upon, just like diabetes, with those who have to take insulin.

“(Diabetics) can’t eat a lot of sweets,” Price said. “We can’t drink alcohol.”

Alcoholism isn’t a disease that just goes away Price believes, and can be a lifelong struggle. According to Price, if someone starts drinking again, it’s not like that person has been sober for the years they weren’t drinking. A previous drinker’s body starts where it left off, and that is where the damage can continue.

For anyone struggling with alcoholism, or any type of addiction, Price suggests attending an AA meeting, and talking to people who understand the struggles of addiction.

AA doesn’t require a membership or a fee to join, and their Web site states the only thing needed is “a desire to quit drinking.”

“Just pick up the phone,” Price said.

Now a Chemical Dependency trainee, Price hopes to attend Whitworth and obtain her bachelor’s degree to become a counselor if financial aid allows.

“When I look back on my life entirely, I would say that everything that has happened to me has had a purpose behind it,” Price said. “If I didn’t have those experiences I wouldn’t be sitting here today, as sad as they are.

“But in some ways they’re good.”



As seen in Issue 41.9 of The Communicator
Also as heard in the podcast Storytellers

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Clothing stores involved in journalism

Urban Outfitters' is much more than an eclectic clothing store.  Connecting shoppers through new medias like twitter, iTunes, and facebook, UO also has a website that not only houses a blog, but a Features page containing extensive stories about fashionistas and models. Although their specific layout is a little sporadic I absolutely love the idea.

Journalism has branched out in many different areas, and now journalists that love fashion can write for more than just magazines like Elle and InStyle. Here is an off-the-street feature about a French university student. Not only does it show off UO's new styles and is another form of advertisement, but it opens up their store to a new audience-- readers! Even for those not interested in fashion, check out what UO has attempted in the field of journalism. I think it's great!

Urban Outfitters Feature

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Tuition prices anticipated to raise at popular Washington universities

Lindsey Treffry | The Communicator 

Two-year students planning to attend major public Washington universities will see a steep hike in tuition prices.

On Feb. 3, senators unanimously passed the Washington State Senate Bill 6562, giving Washington State University, Western Washington University, and the University of Washington greater tuition setting authority.

"Beginning with the 2011-12 academic year, reductions or increases in full-time tuition fees for resident undergraduates shall be determined annually by the governing boards of the state universities," the bill states. The bill allows the universities to raise tuition up to 14 percent in any given year so long as tuition increases do not exceed 9 percent over a rolling 15-year average. 

"It's already hard to pay [tuition for a two-year college] and it's going to be difficult to pay for a four-year if tuition is doubled," said Nursing pre-major Kendra Reynolds.

According to Peter Sterr, the Vice President of Communications at the Washington Student Association (WSA), this means
"tuition may raise 14 percent next year, 14 percent again the following year, and 14 percent again in 2012-13, before it is forced to retreat to single-digit increases." If tuition is raised by that amount every year, in eight years, tuition could double.

The WSA, a non-partisan corporation serving as a channel for student organizing and advocacy at public colleges, has worked to keep Bill 6562 from passing. On Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, the WSA organized students for class walkouts and rallies, Sterr said in an e-mail. Although unsuccessful, WSU had approximately 300 attendees at their rally, while UW brought about 300 students to Olympia to prevent the bill from passing.

According to WSA's Executive Director Mike Bogatay,
there were five other bills discussed in relation to education. Of the five proposed, the only bill that did not pass required objective measurements for performance agreements between universities and the legislature. But a similar bill-- which remains in the House of Representatives, sets specific, objective standards for performance agreements.

"Students are just saying 'no,'" Bogatay said. "
There are two pieces of legislation to change tuition policy in the House of Representatives that are supported by students."

These two bills if passed, establish a more deliberative approach for determining tuition rates. They ideally will consider each university's role, while keeping them financially accountable.

Without approval of these two bills, students should note the affects of Bill 6562.

Sterr said students should worry about that fact that the bill, "eliminates public oversight of tuition increases... students have little recourse if their tuition increases at the maximum levels."  Students should also be weary of the fact that this bill takes another step towards the privatization of our public colleges and universities, Sterr said.

Although the bill doesn't affect two-year colleges, it is students who plan on transferring to WSU, UW, or WWU who will see the hike in prices. According to Sterr, if students want to take action against tuition raises, they need to press student governments or other advocates to take an active role in the cause. This can be done by connecting with WSA, writing letters to legislators, and rallying on campus.

"We need to show legislators that we are organized, can mobilize, and will turn out to vote in November," Sterr said. 


As seen in Issue 41.7 of The Communicator

Monday, March 8, 2010

My "Wordle"

Introduced to me by Mark Luckie in his 10,000 Words tweet, along with the Oscar speech Wordle compilation. Here is my "wordle", all about me! To check out more, or create your own, go here! Click to enlarge the picture for a better view.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Flavors.me

Here is a great place to store an online portfolio, or give people all your links to your social networking sites! Check it out:
http://flavors.me/lindseytreffry

ACP Media+ Conference

I had the honor of representing our newspaper in the ACP Media Plus conference down in Phoenix, Arizona. After a Thursday, 10am flight and one layover in Salt Lake City, Utah, we arrived at the Wyndham Hotel in the heart of downtown Phoenix. The hotel was gorgeous (the nicest place I've ever stayed) and the decoration was tasteful. That night Jason Nix (advisor), Wendy Gaskill (other student) and I ate at The Matador Restaurant where I had a delicious fajita taco salad. Wendy and I took a late-night trek to find a CVS for crucial snacks and "needs". At first we enjoyed the scenery and took lots of pictures and videos of the cool art and buildings downtown. After a mile or so, with aching feet we finally found the CVS. We were exhausted and decided to ride the tram back to the hotel, which was a new experience for me!

Friday started off with a Starbucks latte and educational sessions. I went to "Database investigative reporting on campus" by ASU's Steve Doig. I learned the history of investigative reporting, and about great investigative reporters like Gene Miller, Seymour Hersh, and the classic Woodward and Bernstein. The second session was "The Art of Access: Strategies for acquiring campus records" by author David Cullier from the University of Arizona. He discussed in-depth story ideas, consumed of concealed weapon permits, food inspection reports, text message records, and campus incident reports. He provided letter outlines for people trying to conceal reports from newspapers that are legal and public record. He also noted that there are psychological strategies to getting such records like: reciprocation, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. The third session of the day was "Five Stages of a Story/Coaching Writers." These five stages consist of Idea, Report, Organize, Draft, and Revise. The session moderator provided a new way to map your stories for more information, and also pushed reporters to ask the question 'why?' to get a more in-depth story. For lunch, Jason and I went to a sandwich shop on the outskirts of ASU's campus. We had a long college discussion, and he made me realize it's okay to get out of my comfort zone and apply to other places that aren't just in Washington State. After touring the campus and visiting The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, I saw that Phoenix and this college may be a great place to apply for. Why not?? We returned to the hotel and the last session of the day, lead by Chris George of The Arizona Republic, was "Designing Page One For Maximum Impact and Maximum Enjoyment." He said the three credentials for a good front page includes volume (photos, text), tone (photos, art, typography, design tricks), and sex appeal (subject/presentation). He also provided some great websites for design ideas: newseum.org and npd.snd.org. After a light dinner, Wendy and I went down to the pool. There we met some friends from "The Navigator News" and "The Horizon." We talked about our newsrooms and played marco polo until the pool closed.

Saturday began with a session by Mary Ann Pearson, a baptist university newspaper advisor, called "12 Steps to Building a Successful Team of Skilled Journalists." Some steps included recruitment, google docs, AP style, attending conferences, entering contests, and internships. The next session "Selling the complete package" by Paul Bittick of CPU, addressed advertisement revenue. I learned that ad sales on the website should not be geared towards students, but towards incoming college freshmen, alumni, and parents of students. Some ideas spawned in my head, like: multimedia pop-up boxes, post-it note ads, and advertisement of other universities. Jason and I went to the ASU shopping center and ate at Hurry 4 Curry, a delicious, new-age Indian style restaurant. After returning to Wyndham, Jason, Wendy, and I then attended our newspaper critique and found some great ideas to better our layout, that are easy to change and would instantly better our paper. The last and best session I attended was "How to be an editor without killing someone" by Holly A. Heyser of The State Hornet. She addressed the problems every news staff is facing, such as bad reporters, assholes with bad attitude, stories not resembling their assigned idea, production-night tension, ridiculous orders from your EIC, trash-talking, and people going behind your back on decisions. Her number one rule?: "Your actions and reactions will either defuse or magnify any situation. You can instill fear and invite defensiveness or create an environment in which people collaborate and grow." After our pizza dinner, Wendy and I relaxed that night and watched the huge "monsoon" and neon colored lightning from our hotel window.

Sunday we checked out of the hotel. We went to the editorial cartoonist keynote lecture, followed by the award ceremony. Our newspaper and multimedia package did not place, but our website won fourth place, beating out all other two-year schools. Waiting for our plane to arrive we relaxed in Starbucks and Jason and I concluded the trip by touring the city on foot.

The whole trip was a great experience and opened my eyes to all the possibilities journalism offers, along with what college may offer me in the future! I learned a lot from the sessions and the critique and I have a lot to share with our staff. If you have any questions regarding the sessions, want to watch FlipVideo footage, view my class presentations, or want to see any further photography taken on the trip, email me at sfcc.lindsey.treffry@gmail.com.

Multimedia

Here is my first multimedia piece. Photography by Kaitlin Allen, Editing and Photography by Madison McCord, Editing and Reporting by Lindsey Treffry (me).

First Post

This blog will act as online portfolio for my news stories and journalistic ideas. More to come soon...