CHARACTER REFERENCES - CAE

Anna Kurtz

I have known Anna Kurtz for six years, both as a colleague and a friend. We first met at secondary school when we did two weeks' work experience together in a local kindergarten. Since then, I have got to know her very well and have come to appreciate her many talents. At present, we are both at the same teaching training college, learning to become primary-level teachers.

Whatever she does, Anna brings two outstanding qualities to her work_ a sense of responsibility and her ability to handle new and unexpected situations calmly and sensibly. She has always proved herself to be honest and hard-working in whatever professional situation she finds herself in, and gives the impression that she is acting in the best interest of others.

With children, Anna inspires confidence. She has a strong sense of discipline, yet children find her fun. In schools where we work, she is much liked and respected.

I regret having to say anything negative about Anna, but in the classroom she is not always very tidy. As a colleague this can sometimes be irritating, and it is all the more surprising because her bedroom in college is meticulously neat and clean. Nevertheless, it is not a major problem and doesn't really interfere with Anna's ability to do a good job.

For the reasons I have given, I have no hesitation in supporting Anna's application as an au pair. I believe she would care for your two young children very well.

REVIEW FOR AN INTERNATIONAL MUSIC MAGAZINE - CAE

REVIEW OF TWO DIFFERENT AUDIO CDs

You might think that Diana Krall and Eminem could have nothing in common, but you'd be wrong.
In The Girl in the Other Room, Diana Krall, the marvellously talented jazz pianist with the wonderful singing voice, explore her musical depths in a number of moving interpretations of modern standards. In the Eminem Show, the notorious rapper, whose controversial lyrics have shocked the world, produces tracks that are raw with thundering rhythms. While Krall's music takes us back to an earlier era and appeals to the mature young and middle-aged audience who like their music safe, Eminence seems to threaten society as we know it and is the standard-bearer for angry, dispossessed youth. And yet both have a kind of sincerity and honesty in what they do, as they try to explore the possibilities of their art. In this album, Krall is experimenting with different formats and exposing her audience to new material in an attempt to create something that is truly original. These beautifully recorded songs are a mixture of her own and adaptations of such singers as Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Raitt. Each song is wonderful, and Krall's voice and style fits in perfectly with each song she sings. Although they are quite sad, they are no way depressing. Eminen, too, likes his material downbeat, as he explores his life, loves and failures with surprising insight and honesty. In every song there is genius. So, two very different artists, but what they have in common is creativity and integrity. They are two great talents.

REVIEW FOR AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MAGAZINE - CAE

TWO TV PROGRAMMES OF SIMILAR GENRE

If you like to watch ordinary people make fool of themselves, then these two programmes could be for you.
In Big Brother, ten contestants are locked into a house, with no contact with the outside world.
Every week the TV audience vote one of them out, and the final person left in the house wins the prize. During the week the producers give the contestants tasks to make the show interesting. Of course, how interesting the programme is depends on the personalities and how they get on. Some people have found the show riveting, but personally I found it excruciatingly boring.
Survivor is considerably more interesting and, at its best, is absolutely hilarious. While Big Brother stretches over an interminable nine weeks, Survivor lasts only 39 days and has 16 contestants, thrown together in a remote part of the world. The basic idea is that they have to compete against each other and survive a number of physical and psychological challenges, then vote each other out of the game one by one. Of course, hidden cameras pick up everything, and there are some terrific shots, not only of the contestants making fools of themselves, but of exotic wildlife, too.
However, despite the many amusing moments, I have to admit I found the programme a bit flat at times, depending on which personality was being focused on.
If I had to choose one programme, though, there's no doubt which one I'd choose. Quite simply, Survivor is fun, Big Brother is a bore!

PROPOSAL - CAE

PROPOSALS FOR INCREASING CENTRE ATTENDANCE
Introduction
The main aim of this proposal is to make suggestions for improving sales. Having look at customer feedback I have considered whether it is necessary to extend our facilities and looked at different ways of increasing our public profile.

Suggestions and recommendations
Facilities
It is clear from feedback that our customers think that our facilities are already of a high standard, sufficient in number and do not have to be extended.
Publicity material
With regards to our website, the general view seems to be that it is inefficient. Search engines frequently fail to locate it, and it is poorly designed and very slow making it difficult for customers to find their way around. We propose getting a web-design company to overhaul the sight.
Special events
The centre has not been featured in the local media for some time, and we are therefore currently underexposed. It would be a good idea to invite local journalists to the centre on a regular basis.
Perhaps the most effective way of increasing visitor numbers would be to offer discounted rates for school parties at quiet times.

Conclusion
If the centre is to increase sales, it is vital that we introduce some, if not all, of the above measures.

ARTICLES - CAE

Thanks to her role as Peggy on television's Alimony Street, hers is a household name. And much like the TV character she plays, she exudes an air of innocence and helplessness that has found her a place in the general public's heart and which has taken her so far in such a short space of time. However, initial appeareance can be deceptive, and I soon learnt what people mean when they say that we shouldn't take others at face value. After only ten minutes in her presence, I began to suspect that under the childlike veneer she employs so well on the screen there lurks a mature and determined woman who doesn't suffer fools gladly, enjoys having power over others and never, ever takes "no" for an answer. So it didn't come as too much of a shock to me when I found myself on her wrong side by asking about her current boyfriend. Without warning, she dropped the sweet, innocent act and told me,in no uncertain terms, to "change the subject right now or get out". Here, then, there's a private wolf in public sheep's clothing.

ARTICLES - CAE

The public has an insatiable appetite for news of their favourite celebrities, and I must admit that I was quite excited to get the chance to interview her. Here, after all, was the most glamorous female star to have appear on our cinema screens for years. But what we see on film and what we get in reality are often two different things, and this was no exception. Not for me the tall, slim, sharp-dressed starlet with a twinkle in her eyes, a toothpaste smile and charming manners. When I was shown into her dressing-room, I got a rather short,slightly overweight, bad-tempered teenage girl in scruffy casual clothes who scowled at me all the way through the interview, refused to answer half my questions and couldn't pay attention for more than a few minutes. It certainly gave me a different perspective on fame. I guess rudeness goes hand in hand with those like her who achieve celebrity status!

ARTICLES - CAE

ARTICLE
He's made a big-screen living playing a vast array of violent roles, whether as a gangster, a corrupt policeman or a sadistic army sergeant. So to meet him in the flesh really came as a pleasant surprise. Here is a polite, intelligent young man who, unlike others, hasn't let face go to his head. Not for him the intolerable rudeness and arrogance that celebrity can bring. And despite his reputation for avoiding public scrutiny (which presumably means journalists like myself probing into his private life), he seemed quite happy to sit and answer all my questions. True, he has strong religious convictions and political beliefs,but he doesn't ram them down your throat, and he spoke objectively about the things he feels pasionate about. It all made a refreshing change from interviewing the usual self-centred celebrities who feel our screens, newspapers and magazines, and our interview was the most enjoyable two hours I've spent in ages.

ARTICLES - CAE

TOPIC: CELEBRITIES
TYPE: ARTICLES

The popular press describe him as a suave, sophisticated, demi-god with charm, personality and intelligence. When I met him, however, I began to wonder whether any of these journalists had actually met him, or were just playing a joke on their reading public. What struck me the most was his complete lack of any of these qualities, with social skills coming right at the bottom of the list.
Although he is in his late twenties, I felt like I was interviewing an adolescent schoolboy. He couldn't sit still, couldn't concentrate for more than two minutes at a time, answered my questions in monosyllabic grunts, and not once made eye contact with me.
There was also an air of barely suppressed anger about him, and it seemed that, at the slightest inconvenience or provocation, he would blow his top like a volcano.
I guess a more sympathetic person would feel sorry for him, but I couldn't see beyond the spoilt child that he really is, and although I have looked hard for his "appeal factor", I am still thouroughly perplexed at the blind devotion he receives from his fans.