MJV Designs: October 2009

Article: "Sympathy for Umpires"

In this article, George Vescey, discusses the blown calls in Game 4 of the MLB's ALCS pitting the NY Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He focuses in on Tim McClelland actually holding an interview after the game admitting his mistakes and commends him for stepping up and admitting his faults. The calls in question were a ruling that Nick Swisher left third base too early on a sacrifice fly and that Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada were not both called out when they were tagged by Angels' C Mike Napoli at third base later in the game. In this article, Vescey argues that the umpires are the "third team" on the field and do have an impact on the game. The human error is part of what makes baseball what it is.

Visuals associated: Tim McClelland, umpires, baseball teams, images associated with blindness (guide dogs, walking sticks, blindfolds, sunglasses, etc.), bats (the animal and the baseball equip.)
Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/sports/baseball/22vecsey.html?_r=1&ref=global

Other useful websites: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/ps/y2009/

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/umpiring+plagues+ALCS/2129242/story.html

http://www.halosheaven.com/2009/10/14/1085634/alcs-umpires-strike-zone-analysis?ref=yahoo

Article: "For Car Buyers, the Brand Romance is Gone"

This article comments how many people no longer have brand loyalty when it comes to buying cars. Due to the turmoil in Detroit and pickier customers, people are no longer just sticking with one brand their entire lives. It marks the rise of Toyota over American brands such as Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, and Dodge. Most of this switching is due because of the ease of access of comparison shopping on the internet. It also notes how advertising campaigns now single out several cars within each brand instead of overarching slogans for the brands themselves, noting specifically the high sales of the Toyota Camry against the less than stellar sales of their well-reviewed Tundra truck

Visuals associated: Cars, Brand logos of companies mentioned, auction sites, the brand new and shiny vs. old reliable, aging vehicles

Link to Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/business/21auto.html?ref=us

Websites that could be useful: http://www.toyota.com/

http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/the-4-best-toyota-cars-694990.html

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/100ff7fe-b3a1-11de-ae8d-00144feab49a.html

Article: "It Works for Dating, Why Not For Jobs?"

This article describes how New York is now trying a new job search site that matches job-seekers with positions that fit their skills and prior experiences, much like sites such as eHarmony.com match people with similar interests. It goes on to tell the tale of a Ms. Lazzaro who received only 2 matches, one being hundreds of miles from her home. Another example, a Ms. Berger, had 15 "matches" but more than half were duplicates, suggesting the kinks in this sites infant stages.

Visuals associated: Blind date, profile on a dating site, resumes, unemployment lines, speed dating

Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/nyregion/22jobs.html?ref=nyregion

Useful websites: http://www.labor.state.ny.us/lookingforajob.shtm

http://www.eharmony.com/

Article: "Plug-in Cars Are Almost Here, but Charging Stations Lag"

This article discusses how sales of new electric cars from several brands next year may be slim due to a shortage of charging stations. It says one of the greatest fears of motorists is being stranded with a "dead battery." One of the other problems that these cars face is creating an infrastructure where the power needed to refuel these vehicles does not overload the grid. Some talks are in the works about changing building codes to put charging stations in business centers and apartment complexes in the future, but much remains to be done.

Visuals associated: traffic jams, electrical outlets, plugs, extension cords, road trips, abandoned vehicles, jammed car lots, charging stations

Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/business/22electric.html?ref=business

Websites: http://www.chevrolet.com/pages/open/default/future/volt.do

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/01/ford-electric-car.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-9996353-54.html

Article: "Britain to Give Zimbabwe $100 Million"

This article states how the British government will be sending $100 million in aid to Zimbabwe to help the country as it rebuilds itself. This happened after a decade of strained ties between the two countries because of the actions of former Zimbabwe President, Robert Mugabe. Now Zimbabwe has a joint power government managed by the President and Prime Minister of the country.

Visuals associated: British and Zimbabwe currency, persons mentioned (pres. and prime min.), brawls, the globe

Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/world/africa/16zimbabwe.html?ref=europe

Websites: http://www.gta.gov.zw/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/opinion/22thu2.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9iLdekCzgmau83da1wZYl-aAJ8QD9BFMKR01