Column writers begin presentations on professional columnists

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - Four column-writing class volunteers stepped up Monday in the column writing class to do profile presentations on magazine and newspaper columnists.

Steve Lopez, George Skeleton, Maureen Dowd and Lisa Kogan were profiled, with more columnist profiles set for next Monday - and a several Mondays beyond that.

In addition to an oral presentation, each column-writing student also is writing a column about their choice, with the links posted on this page.

Column writers strike out to do restaurant and food reviews

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - The intrepid columnists of the column-writing class at CSU, Sacramento are heading out this week - and weekend - to review area restaurants and their fare, with a column due next Tuesday morning (by 8 a.m.) about their experiences.

The students are heading out in groups of three or more, and are in the process of picking restaurants - and times and dates - to do the research (eating!) for the reviews.

The assignment is similar to one given annually to the class, in which a group goes out to a restaurant, usually with each group member choosing something different off the menu.

Last year, I went with a group to Hoppy's Brewery where the beer was fabulous. The food? Well, the group wasn't all that hoppy (or happy) with it - or the bill.


Fine dining magazine


Budget dining

The choice of restaurants is completely up to the students, with transportation, budget and timing being major obstacles for many of the students, who juggle school, work, families and a modest amount of recreation.

In a few cases, some students are likely to pick on-campus eateries for reviews.

The Sac State campus does have a wide assortment of restaurants, including the University Center, a dining room in the University Union that serves lunches and is frequented by some faculty and many administrators, including campus president Alexander Gonzalez.


Alexander Gonzalez

Video on 'education and creativity' is, well, creative and educational

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - On a rainy Monday, rather than have my students listen to me drone on in my prepared lecture (Drone on? Never!), I opted instead to show the video below from a TED conference: Technology, Entertainment and Design.

The speaker talks about education and creativity and sparked good discussions in several classes.

Educational and creative discussions, of course.

Here's the video.

Dan Weintraub leaves The Sacramento Bee - going 'independent'

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub published his farewell column in Sunday's newspaper, ending a nine-year run as a writer and most recently as the interim editor of the editorial pages since the departure of editorial pages editor David Holwerk.

In his farewell remarks, he mentions columns upcoming with the New York Times and plans for a website where his work will be featured.

• LINK: Weintraub says adios to The Bee

Dan will be missed by many of his faithful readers. He was known for doing a tremendous amount of reporting before ever touching the keyboard to write his column. And most of his columns were well thought out and analytical. High-pitched emotions were not a part of his regular repertoire. If anything, his critics complained that they wanted him to inject more opinion and/or outrage into his writing.


Dan Weintraub

I met Dan Weintraub on the day he came to work for The Sacramento Bee. He took over the office of the late Bee writer John Jacobs, his job to write about politics and policy matters. At the time, I was working as fill-in editor for Bill Moore, then editor of the Bee's Forum section.

Over the years, when I was filling in at various times for Bill Moore or Jewel Reilly (editor of the op-ed pages), Dan and I talked a lot. On occasion, I edited Dan's column before it went to press.

We didn't always agree on political matters. And our discussions about the politics of universities and university education - and university professors - were a lot of fun. Probably more for me than Dan.

Dan's role at the newspaper changed in the last year or so, as the Bee management struggled with the financial free fall that has affected most media companies. His columns became rare as he took over other duties and the number of staff members in the editorial section of the newspaper kept shrinking.

And for a brief time, he found himself at the helm of the newspaper's editorial section, a duty he just relinquished in the last few weeks, when Stuart Leavenworth was promoted to the editor's position.

Dan Weintraub's departure adds his name to a long list of talented writers and editors who have left The Bee in the last few years, some voluntarily, some taking a buyout, some laid off (or pushed not-too-gently out the door): Bill Moore, John Hughes, Dorothy Korber, Mike Dunne, Lisa Heyamoto and Rachel Leibrock, to name just a few.

It will be interesting to see if The Bee opts to replace Dan, or absorb his position (and salary) into the bottom line of the corporation.

Either way, it will more interesting to follow the next adventures of Dan Weintraub as he becomes an 'independent journalist.'

Sacramento Bee columnist offers writing tip to CSUS students

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - Sacramento Bee columnist Marcos Breton told a class full of aspiring columnists Wednesday that they need to do plenty of reporting before they write their columns - and not just offer up opinions.

Breton, who writes about city issues and occasionally sports, told the students that he came to The Sacramento Bee 20 years ago, and was planning to stick around for just two. He wrote sports and a sports column before moving over full time to the news department of the paper.

He said the Sacramento market is somewhat unusual in that his news column gets better readership than sports columns, a situation that is reversed in most major media markets.


Marcos Breton

Breton said he believes that if he hasn't made readers think with his column - or cry or laugh or get mad - he hasn't done his job very well.

And he encouraged the students to write about the things that people are not talking about, but of which they are certainly aware.