THROUGH THE LENS OF SOMEONE ELSE'S CAMERA

Monday, March 23 2009

Today I saw my first real action in broadcast journalism. I’m usually a tad critical of video news because I see the format as too time limited, but working with Diana Nguyen on the Cancer Research U.K. piece showed me a positive side. It was definitely a learning experience and I can see that I need more skills in that department.

We started the day out like most – an early morning meeting after a small breakfast then defining the day’s grand plan. Afterwards, Diana and I went looking for a source she discovered while asking locals about thrift stores. Again, I love the Tube here in London; it almost never lets you down.

I began realizing early on during this trip that my story about the working poor was going to be difficult considering I have no press credentials and apparently I’m “only a student,” a quote I heard from numerous possible interviewees. There were plenty of panhandlers and homeless folks around London, including some talented street musicians, but government officials and professionals were not taking me seriously.

So, given the situation I found myself in, I focused on the people because they were a little more willing to talk to me and many of them had interesting stories. I found two stories in particular that I thought shed some light on economic issues as well as exemplified London’s personality.

John Ellis
Print Journalism

FINDING OUR WAY THROUGH THE UNDERGROUND

Sunday, March 22 2009

The Underground tube system never fails!

Any destination is easily accessible, making the possibilities practically endless. Today, Mike Anderson, Ya-an Chan and myself trekked around Hyde Park all morning looking for sources for some stories. It was a beautiful Sunday morning in London. The sun shining with a nice breeze and people were out in bunches, but with little commotion in Speaker’s Corner. To say the least the park is huge and it’s easy to get a little lost.

It took me the better part of an hour to cruise one quarter of the park on my skateboard looking for a story while Mike and Ya-an scouted for people willing to talk about the nationalized health care system. They were more successful than I but it’s hard to say the morning was wasted because I was having so much fun.

I came across two inline skaters doing their thing in what, at first glance, looked like freestyle dancing. One cat, Samer Alhabash, 32, was a dreaded hair, semi hard-body with his shirt off who seemed like the rowdy type. He set up about 12 three-inch plastic cones and speedily criss-crossed in between them with backward spins, one-footed turns and ballerina-like pliers.

I took some pics and chatted with them long enough to find out that they were “freestyle slalom in-line skaters.” Apparently, according to Mr. tough guy, it’s been the craze the last five years or so but has yet to catch on in the states, aside from a small New York fetish. Sure enough, about a hundred yards away, there were another four or five sets of cones with another fifteen or so skaters. Samer (I love the name for some reason) took the cake, though.

After I met back up with Ya-an and Mike we made the journey to Big Ben, the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, to take a group photo with the rest of the students on the trip. We also checked out a couple of hospitals for Ya-an’s story and a park to try and find some homeless folks for mine.

On a side note, Mike and I talked to a receptionist at one of the hospitals about health care. We asked about services for the homeless and she told us that everyone gets the same treatment regardless of their situation. She seemed surprised to hear that the homeless in the United States usually only get treatment when they are super ill. Mike and I pondered that for a little while we waited for Ya-an to do her thing. It is kind of crazy if you think about it. What a world, huh?

London is fantastic. I could easily live here.

John Ellis
Print Journalist

FREE MUSIC FROM THE WORKING POOR

Musicians litter the streets of London, showcasing their musical talents in hopes of just a few coins dropped in their instrument case. They are in the subway, standing in street tunnels and around every corner.

The sounds of flutes, saxophones and violins filled the air as I ventured out into the Soho district of London tonight. While I walked up and down the streets in search of a non-crowded pub or restaurant, a violinist and his son crossed our path.

My best friend Harvey Rañola, a broadcast journalism major, approached the gentleman and began to ask him questions about being a street musician. It turns out the gentleman is an immigrant that barely speaks English. To make ends meet, he currently plays the violin along-side his son on the tambourine.

I couldn’t help but feel awakened to the harsh reality of what life is like for the working poor. To walk the streets of London, late at night when the temperatures drop, is not something I would have ever imagined my father to ask of me. How desperate must their situation be to have a father ask his son to accompany him as he performs for strangers on the street?

And would Americans do the same thing? I see homeless people all the time in our city of San Jose and they don’t “work” for their handouts. I wonder if, when push comes to shove, Americans would humble themselves enough to try and perform in order to feed their families? Or would they just sit there on the street corner with their hands out?

We gave the violinist four pounds and thanked him for his time. He turned around and with his son by his side, continued down the road playing the violin, and his son shaking the tambourine.

Alex Ruiz-Huidobro
Broadcast Journalism