Jana: Profile

With forty seven years and counting in western Mass., Bambi McQuaid has spent all but two years of her life in Ware, Massachusetts, "a nice little town." She met her husband, John McQuaid who is five years her senior, of twenty seven years on a Ware sidewalk when she was fifteen years old. They married five years later just before Bambi turned twenty one.
Only three years passed after Bambi's June wedding before she and John brought Katie McQuaid into the world. Bambi and John continued the McQuaid family tradition by raising their three children on the same sides-streets where they met. Fifteen months later Bambi gave birth to Johny and seventeen months after that, Beth McQuaid rounded out the family.
When Bambi's youngest, Katie started her first year at Umass Amherst, Bambi took a job at the Franklin Dining Commons. Eight years later, Bambi thinks she will supervise the dish room for a few more years. Her favorite part of her job is meeting new student working who all seem to know her well. Hunting in Ware occupies her free moments when she's not visiting with her grandchildren or spending time with her father. Bambi hunts deer, pheasants, and geese regularly. "I clean 'em, and I eat 'em." Bambi has never had a problem being one of the few female hunters in the area. She smiles as she tells of being "razzed" when she picks up her husband in the Knights of Columbus dressed in camouflage.
John and Bambi planning on visiting an island oasis to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary. Bambi gave John plenty of time to prepare for the trip. "After thirty years of marriage, traveling's what he can give me." Bambi's laugh ends in a wide smile as she talks about how great this part of her life is now that her children are grown. The McQuaid's have an opportunity to, "rediscover each other again."

Gabriel: Profile

The STA Travel office looks like an Ikea showcase, with yellow and purple walls, and a mahogany ceiling. Over in a corner sits a man, underneath a neon Peterpan Bus sign, fiddling with an electric bass plugged into a travel amp. I ask him if it’s all right if I interview him for an assignment, due in two hours, detailing his life story. He says yes, but then seems to forget why I was here. The next thing I know, I’m behind the desk with a 12-string acoustic guitar and we’re jamming to a standard 12-bar blues. He laughs sporadically, changes topics of conversation without the slightest hesitation, and flies through his history of musical tastes, disregarding any polite questions on my part to clarify or expand on any of the information. Eventually, as my time grew short, we settled down to business.Michael Piedra I was born in Holyoke, Ma. 38 years ago. He grew up in a bilingual household, with two Ecuadorian parents and three brothers. He attended Holyoke Catholic High school where he kept mostly to himself. Not one for sports, Michael started playing guitar after his first experience listening to the Beatles. After high school, and a number of temporary jobs, including restaurant work and clerical temping, he spent a year at UMass Amherst, but decided the college scene wasn’t for him. He found a job at the University hotel and worked under his musician friend “Dave” for six years. While working at the hotel, Michael played around the area with his garage band, playing almost every weekend, all weekend. “I’d basically be up from Friday morning until Sunday night,” he said. In 1996 he began working for the University’s travel department.Michael met his wife Brenda in the mid-90s. After seven years of dating, they tied the knot in 1994, and soon had a son, Michael Pieda II. He describes his marriage and the birth of his son as his two life-changing moments. As a self-proclaimed art lover, he can rattle off an impressive list of musical interests and influences, ranging from Itzach Pearlman to the Australian guitarist John Williams, from Shostakovich to Kansas. His current rock band, Second Nature, recently released a rock cd, Innocenz Lozt, featuring a silhouette of the band against a purple sky. They rarely perform now, but keep together out of a love of music. He views his rock career as a casual hobby – one that he can take to work. “I’m a very ‘not going to die more than 30 miles from where I was born’ kind of guy – very much Western Mass.,” he said as he sank back into his bass.

John: "Chef Enjoys Dining Commons"

Meet John Kopp, a Berkshire Dining Commons chef that enjoys his job and theenvironment of the UMass Amherst campus. The 20 year old cook from Pembroke,Massachusetts became an employee of UMass two years ago when he started offwashing dishes at the Dining Commons. Kopp grew up in the small town ofPembroke, located in the South Shore of Massachusetts. His childhood was aquintessential New England upbringing in his small suburban town. Koppremembers his childhood as being ordinary and pleasing. He participated inbaseball and basketball as a youth and attended public schools. “I alwaysenjoyed growing up in the area that I did and I had a very supportive familyevery step of the way,” said Kopp. After he graduated from Silver Lake HighSchool in 2002, Kopp enrolled at UMass and looked for a job to help him with theeconomic strains of college life.
During his freshman year of school Kopp applied for a job at the BerkshireDining Commons because he needed money and something to keep his daysregimented. Kopp enjoyed the job right away because of the benefits that itprovided him with. “The DC gave me good hours, my boss was lenient andunderstood that I was taking classes as well, and I found it easy to get daysoff here and there.” When asked about the disadvantages of his job Kopp said,“…dealing with students that complain about things that I have no control overand tough weekend hours.” Currently Kopp is working as a stir fry chef on aline and cooks a variety of International food. The chef plans to keep workingat the Dining Commons for a couple of years while he is still living in theAmherst area.

Shawn: Profile

Stephen Simurda, formerly from the Bronx, New York, now resides in North Hampton, Massachusetts with his sons, ages eight and sixteen. An avid Yankee fan, Simurda has become a student favorite as a professor of Journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Graduating from a local college, Hampshire College, Simurda spent his years with a concentration in Journalism. Leaving Hampshire College for one year, Simurda traveled to Seabrook, New Hampshire, to protest against Seabrook Nuclear Power plant, and the usage of nuclear power. “I was among the 1,414 people arrested for trespassing. It was really fun”, he said.
After graduating from Hampshire College, Simurda continued his education at Columbia University in New York City. Simurda was involved in starting Amherst Weekly News, where he worked as a production managers “I was in charge of a lot of things, but I didn’t write,” he said. Simurda’s journalistic career moved him across the country to San Francisco, California, where he worked for the Associated Press. In his time as a journalist, Simurda has worked for newspapers in Springfield, Massachusetts as well. “My first journalism job was working for my high school newspaper, I wrote for the sports section. I believe I was paid $2.00 per game, but $5.00 for football games.” Simurdas interest in journalism began in his elementary days, when at the age of eight he started a newspaper for his elementary school. “I have no idea why I became a journalist. I just always wanted to. It was just one of those things,” he said.

Ryan: Profile

Mike VanKleef, 26, is a Resident Assistant at U-mass Amherst. On Tuesday night VanKleef gave us an exclusive interview on his life. VanKleef is currently working on a double major of Management and Plant & Soil Sciences. He is also very active in the computer field and enjoys the difficult task of assembling a computer by hand. . When Mr. VanKleef isn’t protecting the halls in Leach he is living in Osterville Massachusetts with his family. His Father works at a local Home Depot and his mother works at a local K-Mart. He also has a younger sister who is seventeen years old. VanKleeef enjoys his work as an RA, and the steps he takes to keep the university safe. “We {U-mass} need to discourage outsiders (who cause the most trouble - because they don’t have a vested interest in the University) from harming the campus and its reputation,” said VanKleef, “because eventually that will lower the value of degrees from this University if we are known to the world as a party school.”

Ogo: Profile

19 year old Carley Desillier was born in Providence, Rhode Island at the Women’s And Infants Birthing Center. Her father was not around long. Her Mom raised her and her 21/2 years older sister Sheyenne. By the time she was 4 her family moved to Leominster, Massachusetts and stayed there until Carley was 6 years of age when her family decided to move a second time , this time to Fitchburg, Ma. She attended South St. Elemantary School. After graduating from there she went to B.F. Brown Middle School. Then Moved on to Fitchburg Highschool Where she played on the Basketball team under the role of Captain. She graduated in 2003 with The Presidents award that rewarded her for her community service work and admirable leadership skills. She later enrolled into Framingham State college, where she pursued a Bachelors in Liberal Arts. She studied there for a year. Then in the Fall of 2004 she was granted admission into Umass, Amhert. Where she is currently pursuing a Bachelors in Marketing with a minor in African American Studies.

Malinda: "Life Changes for A Umass Employee"

Teri Kovalsick, 31, works in the registrars’ office of Umass. Her job title is clerk three and she clears seniors for graduation. Kovalsick has recently started going deaf. “I’m going deaf. I have hearing aids now. It kinda changed my life.”, she said. Things sound better at work and home. She was surprised to hear her cat meow with the hearing aids, “I didn’t realize she was that loud.”, stated Kovalsick. As a child she had tubes in her ears but those were removed when she was 16. Kovalsick says that the hearing aids have “changed her life for the better.”
Originally from Belchurton, Kovalsick now resides in Turner Falls with her husband, Jesse Kovalsick. The couple has been married for four years and together for ten. Her husband grew up in Turner Falls and they met through friends. When asked what the most important event in her life was, Kovalsick said, “Getting married.” Kovalsick considers her husband her first love. The couple does not have children yet but Teri seems hopeful about the possibility.
The half French, half Irish Kovalsick graduated from Connecticut Canine School. She has done some dog training. “It’s kinda hard because my friends had dogs, but not at this time.”, she said when asked if she still worked as a trainer. She also took some classes at Greenfield Community College and Umass. Kovalsicks hobbies including exercising, scrap booking, sewing and crocheting. She also enjoys listening to country and pop music.

Covering religion

Why do so few journalists covering religion know religion?

Self-defined Brokaw ready to step aside

CNN article: But the evening news world has changed, with the 60-something Brokaw and ABC's Peter Jennings (and 73-year-old Rather, who announced his retirement last week) as only slightly older than the average age of the evening news viewer. The television landscape has changed -- CNN was in its infancy, and MSNBC and Fox News Channel weren't even born yet in the early 1980s -- and the United States has changed too. Millions who grew up watching the Big Three are now too busy at 6:30 p.m. to catch Tom, Dan or Peter.

Jesus accepting gays too hot for NBC, CBS, church says

CNN: CBS has refused to run an ad by a liberal church promoting the acceptance of people regardless of sexual orientation because the network believes the ad is advocacy advertising.

Blogs rule!

Publisher: 'Blog' No. 1 word of the year (CNN)

A four-letter term that came to symbolize the difference between old and new media during this year's presidential campaign tops U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 words of the year.

CNN: "New Congress more diverse"

More women, more blacks, more Hispanics. Oh, and more lawyers. CNN reports.

County-by-county

Here's a fascinating map of election results BY COUNTY, not by state. Do you live in a blue or a red county?

Mideast coverage of Bush's re-election

CNN: "Arabic newspapers gave special coverage to the American elections on Wednesday, but the story ranked second behind the death of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE president."

Now what?

International Herald Tribune: "News Analysis: What next if Bush gets a mandate?"

Why is Ohio"the new Florida"?

... Among others, because Ohioans can't even decide if they all like the same kind of chili!

How did different demographic groups vote?

Jewish voters, Catholic voters, church-goers, Hispanics, urbanites, women, people-concerned-with-the-economy, people-concerned-with-moral-values, etc. CNN reports.

Plus, group-by-group stats.