O conteúdo foi publicado no site do Curso Abril de Jornalismo. São elementos fundamentais que muitas vezes, equivocadamente, são tratados com irrelevância.

As dicas abaixo devem ser trabalhadas e estudadas cuidadosamente para se ter um bom resultado após uma boa entrevista.

1. A entrevista não é uma arte nem uma ciência. Não é uma arte no sentido de que o artista nasce com um dom. Não é uma ciência no sentido de que se baseia em experiências que podem ser repetidas - no jornalismo, coisas que funcionaram na semana passada podem não dar certo hoje.

2. A entrevista é uma destreza, uma habilidade. O bom entrevistador se treina.

3. Todos nós temos uma habilidade natural para conversar, para sociabilizar. Ela é a base para fazer reportagem. Um bom entrevistador não pode ser tímido, retraído. Mas dá para aprender, dá para melhorar. Escrever e editar é só a metade do trabalho.

4. Não vá na conversa do “seja você mesmo”. Entrevistar não tem nada a ver com ser você mesmo. O jornalismo, quando faz uma entrevista, tem que representar um papel - o papel do entrevistador. Tem que ser diferente a cada pessoa que entrevista ou a cada circunstância que seu trabalho determina.

5. O jeito de andar por uma sala ou escritório cria um efeito “estou aqui”. Seja positivo, confiante e entusiástico. É contagioso.

6. Seja sempre profissional com o entrevistado. Não entre em intimidades. Mantenha uma ligeira formalidade.

7. Sua primeiras palavras - antes mesmo das perguntas - definem um clima. Insista no bom humor até o entrevistado entrar no seu astral.

8. Mas evite contar piadas. Você pode ter senso de humor, mas não apele.

9. Dê sempre ao entrevistado a impressão de que ele é importante, e não que está sendo usado como trampolim para você chegar a fontes mais quentes.

DOMINE SUA VOZ

10. Você aprende a fazer boas entrevistas fazendo entrevistas horríveis. Para melhorar, experimente observar seu próprio desempenho. Grave sua voz, ouça as fitas, avalie seu trabalho.

11. Também funciona gravar sua voz ao telefone e depois ouvir como ela soa.

12. Evite falar monotonamente. Varie o ritmo e o tom de suas palavras para passar uma impressão de entusiasmo e ganhar a simpatia do entrevistado.

13. Não seja uma metralhadora verbal. Quando você fala pausadamente, o entrevistado fica mais à vontade. E ele pode desacelerar também, o que facilita as anotações e deixa mais clara a gravação.

14. Evite ficar ruminando pausas verbais do tipo “hum, hum”, “o senhor sabe”, “entendo”, que desviam a atenção do entrevistado.

CONTROLE OS NERVOS

15. Um rosto de pedra pode não ser interpretado como objetividade jornalística, mas como sinal de que você morre de tédio. Em geral, quanto mais animada sua expressão facial, mais chance você tem de conseguir boas respostas.

16. Sorria sempre que seja o caso. Dê impressão de estar se divertindo com as respostas do entrevistado.

17. Mantenha o controle emocional durante a entrevista. Não fique irrequieto, não tamborile pés e mãos, não ande desnecessariamente. Todos os seus movimentos e gestos devem ter um significado calculado.

18. Tente eliminar a barreira que o separa do entrevistado. Evite começar a entrevista com uma mesa de reunião entre vocês. Muito melhor é sentar ao lado dele num sofá.

19. Contato visual é um meio de comunicação. Use-o . Olhe o entrevistado nos olhos. Se você for tímido, fixe o olhar numa das pálpebras do entrevistado, nos seus óculos ou em outro detalhe facial.

20. Se o entrevistado não fuma, não fume, para não incomodá-lo e não despertar sua antipatia, pressa ou má vontade.

21. Lembre-se de seu objetivo durante a entrevista. Você está atrás de uma entre duas coisas - informação ou intimidade do entrevistado.

22. Tenha um comportamento profissional. Sua credibilidade depende de seu senso de organização. Se você revira os bolsos atabalhoadamente à procura da caneta ou toma notas num cupom, de estacionamento, está perdido.

23. Seja curioso sobre tudo, mostre-se interessado ao entrevistado. Não pareça distraído ou preguiçoso.

24. Por meio de sua atitude, dê ao entrevistado a sensação de que está mais empenhado em entender o que ele diz do que com suas próprias necessidade ou sua ansiedade.

PONHA A VERGONHA DE LADO, E VÃ!

25. Curve-se e rasteje, se necessário, para conseguir sua entrevista. Mostre-se disponível para qualquer hora e local, carregue a mala do sujeito se preciso.

26. Não use a palavra “entrevista”. Diga que você quer informações. “Entrevista”, quando solicitada ao telefone, pode até parecer pedido de emprego.

27. O fax pode ser usado com sucesso para pedir a entrevista.

28. Se você encontra muita dificuldade em chegar a um entrevistado, mande-lhe um telegrama, o que produz um efeito dramático. Esses pedacinhos de papel costumam ir para o alto da pilha de correspondência diária.

29. E-mails também funcionam.

30. Adiante-se. Nunca chegue em cima da hora. E, atrasado, jamais.

31. Tenha três ou quatro boas perguntas prontas já na hora de pedir a entrevista. Pode ser sua única chance de falar com a fonte.

TRACE UMA ESTRATÉGIA PARA AS PERGUNTAS

32. Tente controlar o fluxo da conversa. Comece agradecendo. Dê ao entrevistado algumas informações a seu respeito.

33. Sua primeira pergunta deve cativar o entrevistado. Não faça uma pergunta preguiçosa, algo que o currículo dele já contém - ou que, por alguma razão, você já deveria saber.

34. Em vez disso, deixe claro ao entrevistado que você fez a lição de casa e pergunte sobre um fato do começo da carreira dele (que você pesquisou, obviamente). Ele ficará impressionado.

35. Tenha à disposição um estoque de perguntas-padrão: gostos e preferências do entrevistado, seus maiores erros, seus maiores acertos, como ele se vê daqui a cinco anos etc.

36. É melhor escrever antecipadamente as perguntas, mesmo que você não venha a tirá-las do bolso. Cuidado: não ponha no papel as perguntas mais delicadas.

37. Use perguntas “quando” para levar o entrevistado a pensar em termos de tempo e lugar ou de eventos específicos. Perguntas “como” para levantar detalhes concretos. E perguntas “por que” para obter mais considerações abstratas.

38. Num pacote de entrevistas planejadas para uma matéria, comece pelas fontes amistosas. Com elas você recolhe informações que podem ser úteis para lidar, depois, com as fontes inamistosas.

39. Comece por baixo e vá subindo gradualmente. Não entreviste primeiro o presidente da companhia.

40. Crie no seu computador um arquivo para perguntas, que devem ser atualizadas com freqüência. Se você fez uma entrevista com um ambientalista, por exemplo, essas perguntas podem ser arquivadas em A (de ambiente). Quando esse assunto, ou um tema próximo, voltar a ser o objeto de uma entrevista, você já terá um ponto de partida arquivado.

SEJA DISSIMULADO

41. Não abra suas intenções às fontes. Basta ser genérico sobre o assunto que vai abordar. Não precisa entrar em detalhes e revelar a pauta.

42. Se não houver outro jeito, dê por escrito ao entrevistado uma visão geral, ou mesmo organizada em tópicos, da entrevista que você quer fazer. Isso preserva sua credibilidade. Mas só em casos extremos mostre as perguntas - até para manter, na hora da entrevista, a liberdade de deixar alguma de lado.

43. Não dê a um entrevistado a impressão de que você está falando de outras fontes pelas costas. Ele pode achar que também será tratado do mesmo modo.

44. Não mostre ao entrevistado as declarações que ele fez. Ao ver o que disse, ele pode querer voltar atrás ou mudar a declaração. E você fica com reputação de mole.

45. Se o entrevistado insistir, limite-se a contar-lhe genericamente os temas que vão entrar na matéria.

46. Só mostre declarações para conferir sua exatidão. Em matérias técnicas ou científicas não há problema.

47. Defina muito bem para a fonte o que é off the record. Deixe claro, antes da entrevista, que o off é apenas o compromisso de não revelar a fonte - e não o compromisso de não publicar a informação.

48. Se o entrevistado responde simplesmente com um “sem comentário”, alerte-o de que isso também é um modo de comentário.

49. Com gente famosa, faça primeiro perguntas sobre coisas que a imprensa ainda não cobriu.

50. Seja polido diante de respostas chatas ou que denotam vaidade excessiva - mas, logo em seguida, faça a conversa voltar ao rumo desejado.

Para ver as outras 50 dicas para melhorar a prática da entrevista, clique aqui.

The latest inflation readings came in higher than projected. Many analysts and Fed watchers believe this makes it less likely that more rate cuts will come until inflation is back in check. Stocks don’t like that idea and so they are down as I write this.

First, is this a surprise? Food and energy prices have been racing up. Health-care costs continue to climb. Core prices have also moved up steadily. As rate cuts were made to smooth the economy there were little side notes in the discussion questioning when it would all add up to higher inflation. I believe the question was always when, not if, so should not be considered a surprise.

Second, is this a problem? The popular opinion of the Fed’s comfort level suggests 1-2%. What if they are willing to put up with inflation up to 3.5% for a while? If inflation gets out of control it is a problem. Until then, the bigger question is how realistic are inflation numbers. If most people are experiencing personal inflation approaching 4% is it really a problem if the official reading says 3%? I don’t believe it is a problem. It is a real concern that needs to be included in your plans.

The airwaves are alive with political rant about middle-class Americans, the challenges they face, and a growing gap between rich and poor. Yet the demographic data tell some intriguing stories about who is in the middle class, who is poor, how they got there, and their chances of remaining – irrespective of who wins the November elections.

FACS will present two tele-seminars examining class disparities on Tuesday, Oct. 14, and Tuesday, Oct. 21. The seminars conclude a series inspired by “The Measure of America,” a recently published compendium of data on how Americans live, earn and struggle. The statistics document pockets of middle-class strength or vulnerability in many American communities.

Presenters in the tele-seminars will introduce journalists to a wealth of resources that trace incomes, wealth, education, and the other factors needed to join – and stay in – the great American middle class, as well as the growth of persistently poor groups throughout the country.

The focus will be local and regional as well as nationwide.

“Covering the Middle Class Squeeze” (Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific) brings together Kristen Lewis, co-author of “The Measure of America,” and Kathy Kristof, financial columnist and former president of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW). They will explore how families navigate the slippery economic slopes, the determinants of success or failure, and why the game has changed.

“Permanently Poor in the Land of Opportunity ?” (Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. Eastern/ 11 a.m. Pacific) will feature Lewis’s colleague Sarah Burd-Sharps along with Kristof to dissect the facts about poor families, and being poor in different regions of America . Where has the upward mobility gone? Why are the racial gaps growing?

The encompassing series of six tele-seminars is based on “The Measure of America” and presented by the Foundation for American Communications (FACS) with funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The goal is to help journalists nail the stories that best apply to their local audience.

Participation is free for working journalists, but advance registration is required. For further details or to register, go to www.FACSnet.org

Registrants will receive a confirmation e-mail with information on how to participate.

FACS is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational institution providing seminars for journalists on complex issues in the news. FACS is a programming partner of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Around Washington, anyway, black helicopters almost always fly around in pairs. Rarely, I have seen one, and even less commonly, three of them at once. Therefore, I must confess, when strolling down K Street early this afternoon, I was astounded to see more than dozen of them, flying west-south-west, no more than five hundred feet above the ground. So yes, I admit it, I gawked up in the sky at them instead of watching where I was going.
My key mistake, however, was not rubbernecking at what must be twenty percent of our Government’s black helicopters roaring overhead, but rather, failing to stop strolling down K Street as I watched. That’s why I tripped over the gentleman lying on the sidewalk, near the end of the alley next to Legal Sea Food.
As I got up off the pavement, I looked him over, and noticed how well-dressed he was: Prada loafers, Armani suit, Hermes tie - had he been mugged? No, I concluded, not likely, because he was wearing a platinum Rolex that any mugger worth his lead pipe would have taken. Heart attack?
I leaned down and took his pulse - normal, if a bit slow. Then I noticed his breath and realized exactly what this fellow’s problem with verticality was - he stank with an aroma that, I imagine, would have been what the gutter outside the 21 Club would have smelled like, had Eliot Ness and his cronies ever managed to confiscate their top shelf liquor and make, as they so dearly desired, a grand and public example of the place. Dead drunk, that’s what this guy was, and not from a single drop of anything cheap, either. That, at least, was consistent with his fashion sense.
Now, I’m no saint, and I have been like that myself, but, Lord Almighty, that was when I was nineteen. My new acquaintance was obviously much older than that, and presumably should have known better than to end up in such a sorry condition.
“Wha?” His eyelids fluttered as I picked him up, then maneuvered him into a sitting position, propped up against the wall of a nearby building.
At first, the phrase “Are you okay?” leaped into my mind, but, obviously, that was not quite right. “Are you injured?” I asked instead.
He turned his head, looking himself over, trying his arm joints, wiggling his fingers. “Nah, nah, I’m fine,” he assured me with a string of wet and slurred syllables.
“Pardon me for inquiring,” I continued, “but what on earth drove you to get so ridiculously snockered?”
“[Expletive] Fannie…” he mumbled, waving his right hand in a dismissive arc at the passing traffic.
“Fannie?”
“[Expletive] Freddie…” he blurted out vehemently.
“Your girlfriend Fannie ran off with a guy named Freddie?”
“No! No,” he protested, “Fannie Mae! Freddie Mac!”
“Oh them,” I nodded, “yeah. You’re a stock holder?”
“No! No!” He stared up at me with bloodshot eyes. “I’m a lobbyist!”
Suddenly, he turned a slight but quite genuine shade of green, pitched his head between his knees and tossed a huge fan of vomit all over the sidewalk in front of him. “That is…” he confessed, as tears ran down his cheeks, “I was a lobbyist.”
“Oh, oh, yeah,” I realized, “you’re one of the lobbyists that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can’t hire anymore.”
“Tha’s righ…” he sighed, dejectedly, “New… hic… new [expletive] law. Those [expletive] sucking… hic… CEO’s get twenty [expletive] million dollar… hic.. golden parachutes, and I’m… hic… totally [expletive].”
“Gee whiz,” I commented, “I guess I should have known. Judging by the way you’re dressed, you either had to be a lobbyist or a pimp for Ivy League male prostitutes.”
“Wha’s… hic… th’ difference?” he demanded.
“Oh, well,” I explained, “gay Ivy League pimps have vastly more integrity, of course - no offense.”
“None taken,” he moaned, holding his head with both hands.
“But see here, good sir,” I admonished, “what folly is greater than that of those who fall upon the thorns of life and bleed? To thrive inside the Beltway, my good man, one must be made of considerably sterner stuff. What about your other clients? I bet they wouldn’t want to see you like this!”
“Didn’t… hic… didn’t have any other clients,” he wailed softly. “And now, nobody else wants me.”
“Oh, come, come now,” I gently chided, “are you telling me that there aren’t plenty of trade associations, special interest groups, religious organizations, commodity cartels, foreign governments, financial consortiums and covert political organizations in this town that would love to have someone like you plying the American people’s duly elected federal representatives with campaign contributions, off-the-books junkets, cosy real estate deals, absurdly profitable inside business deals, handsome, vigorous whores, primo drugs, top-shelf liquor, insanely expensive entertainment, incredibly priced gourmet meals, attache cases full of precious metals and suitcases stuffed with cold, hard cash?”
“Not me,” he muttered, “not anymore. I lobbied for Freddie and Fannie, and the word is out - don’t hire those people - they’re bad luck. Damn it,” he spat, “those [expletive] all think we’re jinxed!”
“Jinxed?”
“Well,” he grumbled, “that’s what I figure.”
“Might it be, instead,” I suggested, “that they are blaming you for the results of your work?”
“What results?”
“Oh, you know,” I related dryly, “keeping Congress and the Executive away from the mortgage industry for all those years.”
“Hell,” he protested, “that’s what the executives at Fannie and Freddie wanted - they wanted us to keep the government off the back of free enterprise.”
“You don’t really expect me to accept,” I shot back, “the idea that Fannie and Freddie are credible examples of free enterprise, do you?”
“Why not?”
“Because they aren’t,” I explained. “They never have been.”
“Huh?”
“Look,” I went on, “maybe they appeared to be something like free enterprise organizations, because they sold stock, had a board of directors and a CEO…”
“Stinking [expletive] eating [expletive] CEOs!”
“Let the odor and diet of the former chief executive officers of the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation be whatever they may. Smelling like you do, sir, and what with your having obviously subsisted off a diet of nothing but flammable liquids lately, I would venture to say that you are in no position to criticize them. Neither institution has, or ever has had, anything to do with free enterprise! Both of them are sponsored by the United States government, and, now that you and your fellow lobbyists have done such a crackerjack job of perverting Congressional and Executive oversight of their activities, our entire economy is in the toilet!”
“They told me,” he whimpered, “plenty of times, ‘just keep Congress and the federal auditors where they belong, and let us do our jobs,’ that’s all they ever asked.”
“What?” I demanded. “Was it their job to promote behavior that reamed the bond markets, crashed the equities markets and ruined the dollar?”
“Ah, [expletive],” he complained, “they never put it like that, okay?”
“And you never bothered to examine what your client was doing?”
“Look, buddy,” he dissembled, “there’s no way a lobbyist can make it in this town if he questions his clients’ motives or actions.”
“But you should be aware of what they are, don’t you think?”
“Why?”
“What do you mean,” I queried in a beseeching tone, lightly seasoned with a few pinches of sarcasm and a quarter teaspoon of irony, “that you, by some chance, profited by ignoring the fact that your clients’ strategic plans were going to ruin them? That they would totally screw up mortgage finance, national economics, international debt markets, foreign exchange and global equities?”
“I didn’t know anything about… ” he paused, trying to gather his clouded thoughts. “About… mortgages, economics, debt markets… whatever. I’m a lobbyist. I go to the marks… I mean, the people in Congress, and the Executive Branch, and I make nice-nice, I spout the spiel Fannie or Freddie gave me to memorize, I answer any objections with the prepared talking points… you know… then, I find out what it is they want that they can’t get, or not getting enough of, anyhow, and I see that they get some of it, or more of it… hic… all right?”
“But don’t you see?” I pointed out. “You needed to conduct some sort of de minimis ethical assessment - not for their sake, but in order to save your own miserable hide!”
“I’m sorry,” he flatly spoke, “but ethics and lobbying don’t mix - not even… hic… a little bit. Everybody knows that. Look at the other lobbyists here in Washington. Do you see them worrying about the ethics of the National Rifle Association, the Tobacco Institute or the United States Chamber of Commerce?”
“But those organizations only represent continuing, senseless slaughter; the promulgation of rampant, needless disease for corporate profit; and naked, unprincipled exploitation of impoverished labor,” I replied, “not the American real estate industry!”
“Which is what - much more evil than all that other [expletive]?”
“No,” I elaborated, “which had the potential for something much, much more evil than all those things combined - the total collapse of the United States economy!”
“And I…” he choked, “You’re… hic… saying I… hic…”
“And the other lobbyists like you,” I clarified, “yes, all of you…”
“We are to blame?”
“Hey,” I pointed out, “didn’t you just get through telling me that everybody’s doing just that?”
His face went ashen as his foggy brain slowly grasped my point.
“So… hic… I… hic… deserve to…”
“What’s wrong with him?”
I looked up to see one of DC’s Finest, peering down at the hapless, unemployable former lobbyist. The cop picked him up, performed a quick visual survey, and spoke authoritatively. “Sir, you’re under arrest for public intoxication. Come with me, please.”
With that, the cop started to drag the poor fellow toward a waiting police cruiser.
“You don’t understand,” the drunk protested, “I was a lobbyist for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac!”
With that, he pointed his right index finder at his temple.
“Don’t arrest me! [Expletive] shoot me!”
“Sir,” the cop brusquely informed him, “if I weren’t absolutely sure that would cost me my job, I would.”

Today, Hillary Clinton outlined her plan to restore the American midde class. Understanding that a vibrant middle class is essential to America’s prosperity, Clinton vowed to implement a broad set of policies to once again restore opportunity for all Americans.

“Today, I propose a new economic blueprint for the twenty-first century economy, a plan to create the new, good jobs essential to broad-based prosperity; to restore fairness to our economy; to renew the basic bargain that if you work hard, you can get ahead; and to put our fiscal house in order again”

Hillary’s economic blueprint to restore the American middle class includes:

• Harnessing innovation to create the high-wage jobs of the 21st Century
• Creating a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund to jumpstart research and development of alternative energies
• Strengthening unions and ensuring our trade laws work for all Americans
• Providing quality, affordable health care to every American
• Making college accessible and affordable
• Confronting the growing problems in the housing market
• Bolstering retirement security by promoting savings and investment
• Returning to fiscal responsibility and moving towards balanced budgets

“We have to change our economic course just as we have to change course in Iraq, and change course when it comes to health care. When it comes to the economy, I believe I have the strength and experience to make that change — and make our economy work again for our middle class and for all our people.”

HillaryClinton.com - Media Release

Tags: Politics, Liberals, Progressive

Okay as you may have heard by now, while we on the road, Tokyopop announced its split into two divisions: a publishing arm and a movie/multi-media line, called Tokyopop Media. They alaso announced the layoffs of 39 people, and a 50% reduction in their publishing line. A bunch of people have weighed in on this, including:
Chris Butcher
Brigid Alverson
Matt Blind
Simon Jones
Johanna Draper Carlson

We recommend reading all of these entries, but a few points jumped out at us. Blind and Butcher have excellent business analyses of the move, with Blind adding:

Typically a reorganization and spin-off is done to isolate risk, maximize business potential of individual units, and present clear options to investors for business segments that, while related, depart radically from a firm’s core business. AT&T from ‘95-’97 springs immediately to mind (even over the breakup of the Bells, which was ordered by the courts) as the AT&T-NCR-Lucent division was done voluntarily — and presumably was purely a business decision.

So it’s just business, not the end of the world.

As Tokyopop isn’t a publicly traded company (and doesn’t have to play these investor games if they don’t want to), I have to wonder why bother with a reorganisation at all, unless of course one expects a part of the business to tank, tank hard, and tank soon.

In addition, Alverson has this observation:

Tokyopop suffers from an extreme lack of focus—they toss out a lot of ideas, some good, some bad, and then don’t follow up. I also agree with Lori that more focus on the global titles is not a bad thing, if they pick strong books and give them the support they need.

Our email is still overflowing with behind the scenes dirt, but the above seems to be an important piece of the puzzle: over the last few years, TP has launched a lot of initiatives — OEL, OGM, The Harper Collins deal. manga on phones, manga in newspapers, a manhwa launch, comics on MySpace, comics on YouTube, movies, tv, etc etc etc…but it hasn’t really stuck with any of them long enough to make them work. We’re reminded, sadly of CrossGen towards the end, another company run by a charismatic and talkative “visionary.” As one CrossGen employee told us as that company cirdled the drain “We call it ‘Comic on the Moon’…what are they gonna come up with next?”

A fact reported by PW, but not picked up much elsewhere: Tokyopop has pulled out of San Diego, and is rumored to be pulling out of Anime Expo as well. Yet another sign of cost-cutting.

One thing that has emerged from our email is that part of the problem is that TP has burned a lot of bridges, including, surprisingly, in Hollywood, where they seem to have developed a bad reputation, with several people telling us the usual reaction to the name of Tokyopop being brought up in meetings is “eye rolling.”

And what about all those OEL/OGM books slated to came out? From what we’re hearing, no one knows what is happening, with phone calls and emails to editors unreturned or else big time confusion still ruling.

BTW, we’d be checking up on some of these rumors for comment, except that we have no idea who to ask. While no one has said who exactly was laid off, Director of PR Susan Hale was among those let go– she sent out a letter to industry friends yesterday. Hale had no staff or assistant, and no replacement has been announced, so we’re clueless as to who to go to anymore.

As for who else was let go, a Facebook group for those laid off has started and looking at it, we get the following names (most unknown to us, and most layout artists, we’re told):
Stephanie Duchin, Mike Estacio, Paul Kersh, Chelsea Jane Windlinger, Michelle Prather, Christopher Tjalsma, Keila Ramos, Lauren O’Connell, John Lo, Michelle Nguyen, Holly Slear, Trond Knutsen, Shannon Watters, Jessica Chavez, Gavin Hignight

More as it comes in.

i went out for dinner with some friends last night. we headed to a restaurant and ate heaps of australian beef. of course, the beef went down very well … and there was lots of soju to go with it. i got a little pissy, but i had a good time.

when i woke up this morning i felt a little fuzzy. but the hangover wasn’t bad and i recovered quickly. school was easy today, since it’s the last day of the month and all my students have returned to their university studies. so i finished early and headed out to do some errands.

on my list of things to do was get a few shots. i was due for my second hep B shot, which i got done, and i headed to a children’s hosital for a hep A injection. in 5 months i get my last hep B shot and in 6 months i get my second (and last) hep A shot … i also need a yellow fever injection (which is probably going to make me sick) but it is difficult to get in korea. so i’ll probably get it abroad.

in other news, the korean won is diving like crazy. last week it was 1080 won to the US dollar, now it’s 1130 won. while it doesn’t affect my savings (which are already in US$) it means that i’ll be losing money on my income for the next six months … damn it!

there’s talk of a second economic crisis (only 10 years after the IMF last intervened and bailed out korea’s ridiculously over-inflated economy). the IMF has warned korea numerous times to control their economy. foreign companies are pulling out their investments and it’s widely predicted that shit and fan will meet.

i just hope the country can hold itself together for 6 months … or the won recovers. i really don’t want this to explode before i get out.

This isn’t a political blog and generally, I don’t really share my views with anyone but perhaps my husband. However, I just watched an incredible video that I feel compelled to share especially given the topic of yesterday’s post.

You may have noticed a small icon above here in support of Ron Paul and this video also gives you a glimpse as to why I believe in Dr. Paul.

Here’s the video

I encourage to watch it, think about the current issues in the news and really try to understand just what the long term effects are if the current policies are not changed quickly. It’s imperative that every adult in America who is legally eligible to vote, do so.

Our country depends on it - Our future generations -

OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN

- depend on it.

Until next time,

~ Annie

The gasoline companies have known for years about the technology used in fuel reformulators. Their benefits include getting better fuel economy and reducing exhaust emissions from vehicles.

If driving around your neighborhood looking for the gas station with the cheapest gas is your way of lowering your fuel bill, think again. The best way to save on gas costs is to get more miles per gallon (mpg) from every tank of gas you purchase.

If you were thinking of buying fuel ‘additives’ you see on automotive shop shelves, don’t bother because they won’t help either. These might give your driving a little ‘kick’, but they are expensive (one bottle every time you fill up), and don’t do anything to improve the running of your car or truck.

There is one type of product however that is causing a big stir in the motoring world, and one that the gasoline companies are very worried about.

It is a fuel ‘reformulator’ that, when added to your tank, will give you better fuel economy and save you 7% to 19% on gas. That’s taking money right out of the big companies’ pockets and for some reason they don’t like it!

A good fuel reformulator is one that can be used in any internal combustion engine. It must have proven itself to be safe and natural, and reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 30% or more. Reducing the toxic emissions from internal combustion engines greatly reduces the pollution in our towns.

Using tiny molecules called ‘esters’, they break up the dense gasoline molecules to help them vaporize faster. Esters of this type restore your engine to ‘new’ condition by cleaning its chamber, stripping it of any gas sediment that has remained unburnt.

If that wasn’t enough, the best fuel reformulators lubricate the components of your engine, reducing wear and tear on engine parts, giving a smoother ride. A ground-breaking feature like this can actually save thousands of dollars on maintaining your car engine in top condition.

You only need to add one ounce of the very best fuel reformulator each time you give your car a 10 gallon refill. When you change your oil, it is highly recommended to add an ounce to your crank shaft - for even better results.

A small California-based mom and pop innovation, this fuel reformulator has become a product passed by the EPA and is now sold in countries around the world. Not only is it used by truck drivers, fleet managers and freight companies , it is also used now by individuals.

Its distributors offer a “Double Your Money Back - Lifetime Guarantee” which is a promise only the supremely confident can make. It goes with out saying that they are confident about the effectiveness of their product.

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Maybe many people don’t know about the small and seemingly harmless striped shells that that begin appearing at the bottom of their lakes and streams. Boaters and water enthusiasts in the Great Lakes, and unfortunately the inland lakes of the states surrounding the Great Lakes, know these small, but ever multiplying shells all too well.

What I’m speaking of is not just empty shells, but mussels; Zebra and Quaga Mussels more specifically. These species are not native to North America (but in their defense, not much that lives here now, really ever was…). They are, in fact, native to Russia’s Caspian Sea. They’ve taken many long vacations due to international shipping and subsequently have fueled their prolific spread. They were first detected in North America in the Great Lakes region in the late 1980s, traveling on ocean going ships from the Atlantic into the St. Lawrence Seaway and on into the chain of the Great Lakes. Since then the spread has been astronomical, affecting not only the Great Lakes but major US rivers including the Mississippi, Hudson, St. Lawrence, Ohio, Cumberland, Missouri, Tennessee, Colorado and Arkansas.

One thing the mussels due for the waterways is make them much cleaner and clearer, filtering the water. In reality, they are actually filtering out the algae that would be a normal food source for native organisms. They also overwhelm the local mussels, by reproducing exponentially faster, forcing them into extinction and throwing off the entire ecosystem. Their numbers have grown so much they actually clog pipelines, marinas, boatyards, docks and in some places completely cover the natural landscape, whether it be the lake bottom or the shoreline.

How they are making their way across the country is by attaching themselves to boat hulls, drives, trailers and pretty much anything that finds its way into the waters they occupy. According to the US Geological Survey, the costs associated with controlling zebra mussel expansion may soon reach an estimated $5 billion annually, and that’s just in the Great Lakes region. Now, in less than 20 years, the mussels have made their way from one US coast to the next; something a lot of humans can’t even say. Around the beginning of this year, both species of mussels were found in California and causes multiple closures to waterways.

So what can we do? Anyone with a recreational water vessel can help prevent the spread of the species. It has actually been the recreational boater that has caused a major portion of the expansion since they found their way to the US. It can be easily deduced…just look at some of the lakes where the species can be found, much too small for even large recreational boats to navigate. Boaters who trailer their boats from lakes to lake, river to river, spreading this infection each time they launch their vessel. It’s not just the boaters who travel across the country either, but even fisherman and Jet Ski owners who trailer to local lakes. So Yes! Everyone with a water vessel.

Thankfully, the steps to prevent the spread are really very easy and take little time. Simplistically put, careful inspection and a thorough washing and drying of your boat and trailer after removing it from the water: which you should be doing for regular maintenance anyway.

Now, for the specifics: The mussels can be microscopic but typically look like black pepper and feel like sandpaper to the touch. Hulls should be cleaned to remove heavy build-up and thoroughly washed, ideally with hot water and high pressure, ounce far away from fresh water. Any visible plant or animal material should be removed, and water needs to be drained from all areas, including the bilge. Cooling systems also should be flushed with fresh water, and drained as much as possible, as mussel larvae can live in this water. Both hulls and engine compartments also should be thoroughly dried. Ideally, watercraft should be kept dry for a minimum of five days before launching into any new, different body of fresh water. The same steps should be applied to your watercraft’s trailer (Hemmel, Jeff. “Invasive mussels force California closures.” Powersports Business March, 10 2008.).

Sounds like a lot of work, and maybe too much trouble? Think of the alternative - mussel infestations will close your local waterway. On the bright side, I know where you can find some fast, effective, biodegradable Marine Cleaners. (BB)