Saturday, May 16, 2015

Sensationalism

The depiction of media with crime seemed to be the distorted reality. The writers put it more colorful words for audience attraction that sometimes, the crime story seemed to be unreal. This warped image is produced mainly by the need of profit by the media especially those in the newspaper business. Since we have the technology to know news easier, the newspaper industry is thriving to gain back their audience who are now more involved in using technology. Also, with the newspaper stories having only the accompaniment of photos, the writer needs to extend his words in order to captivate the audiences’ attention. The same goes with radio broadcasting where in there are no visuals. This disagrees with the saying that pictures tell a thousand stories. Here, the words must speak for themselves. More often, photos are not even available and the newspaper is nowhere near to being a photo book wherein there is a need for a photo for every article.

                People crave for conflicts and action stories. They get tired easily by reading the usual news that contains events with long speeches and seminars. So, a crime story is what we often see in the banner and if not, stories about politics or weather. But even politics has conflicts- conflict between the government and people. The reason why we read crime stories is because it gives us the sense of enjoyment. We are naturally born to like to listen to arguments and know what side of the story will prevail.

                With too much sensationalism put in the coverage of a crime story, the true story becomes another story. The use of exciting language by the media does attract readers and the overall media audience but it also puts on the line the expense of accuracy. Accuracy is the main goal of journalism and if it will get inaccurate, then there is no sense of writing the story.

                According to Michael Best, sensationalism makes a story newsworthy although it contradicts the need for precision. A journalist once admitted that they had to order the victim of a murder in a police station to be as violent as possible to the suspect when the camera starts to roll. That journalist said that is was sensationalism which completes a crime story. If sensationalism is not there, the story would be incomplete.

                Writers can still avoid too much exaggeration or any exaggeration at all without putting the facts in danger. The story would remain true yet strong.


 Sticking to the facts is a must. It is important to have a proper division between facts from hearsay. Writers must avoid of using rumors as facts and staying with the truth. Having proper names and story line will keep the story unbiased and less sensational. While doing a coverage, the reporter must be able to get all the facts that he can so that there will be no need to adding other contexts in the story. Tell a good story by telling the truth.

OMG so jeje


Just imagine if some of our most renowned journalists like Jessica Sojo or Ted Failon would use the 'jejemon' or 'konyo' language while reporting. Would that still make you listen to their reports?  Or would that only make you turn off your television grab a cup of tea and read a well written book instead?

Using proper grammar is a big must not only for journalist but for every professional in the globe.  Since professionalism is somehow measured based on how your logic works and how well you can speak and communicate not only with the locals but also foreigners, knowing proper grammar should be one of the major concerns of a soon to be journalist. 

Reporting and writing a news article focuses mainly on the content of the story which means it needs to be precise and simple as possible. There is no need for luxurious words for not all have the capacity to understand that word. Proper usage of the english grammar should be observed to help the audience connect with the story. But if majority of the audience is not familiar with the english language, then the journalist should use the native dialect. But still, proper grammar should be observed.

A journalist is not limited only in the four corners of the media room. There will always come a time that a journalist would be assigned to cover a specific event at a foreign country. And obviously, a good interview makes up a good story.   He should know how to communicate with the interviewees and use proper grammar so that the interviewee would immediately get his point. It will not only help the journalist to have the deeper thoughts of the interviewee but will also make the interviewee more comfortable during the conversation.

What if a journalist is expected to interview Barrack Obama, the most powerful man in the planet. That journalist would only waste President Obama's time if he could not even gather his thoughts and formulate a question. And every second for this man is precious.
No one would read a poor written story for there will be no point of reading it. It will only confuse the readers and not help them know the things that they should know about the society. The journalist should pick the most suitable word that would fit the story and not include the bastardized words.

Journalists are expected not only to have mastered the english language, which is the universal language, but also master the proper use of it. As they are the voice of the society, they should deliver themselves well. They should be able to express themselves with words for it is the main essence of their profession.


A picture tells a thousand words but words tell a thousand meanings. Using proper grammar would rise up the confidence of a journalist to speak with others. With proper grammar, the journalist would be able to formulate his thoughts easier and it will help him write up faster.
If it was not for the Journalism curriculum that I belonged to during my high school years, I would probably a Fine Arts student right now. I never chose Journalism. In fact, I purposely failed the entrance exam for the Special Program in Journalism curriculum. They say that I am good in the English subject but I believe that I just suck terribly at Math and Science so I landed here. Nevertheless, with almost six years of "training" as a journalist, I can say that I already fell in love with it and this is what I wanted to do.

I have joined a lot of Journalism contests. May it be photojournalism, broadcasting or copy reading. These contests served as our training ground to improve our skills and be better at our soon to be profession.

I have always wondered if I could immediately land a job after graduation. Most of the seminars that I have been to said that during their batch as journalism and broadcasting majors, only ten made it to the business. And that journalists does not make a lot of money but requires a lot of effort and little sleep.

If I were to be a true journalist, I would love to be a part of big news papers like Manila Bulletin and the Daily Inquirer. Even though the print media is slowly dying because of technology, I would always prefer the pen and paper. It is just like reading a story out of a book compared with reading a story out of a gadget. You will never get that satisfaction when you read using your phone or tablet. And you will always embrace the smell of a new book.

It is true that most news paper writers do not get enough credit by the people as much as TV journalists do but fame is not the reason why we are entering the media world. We are doing it because we wanted to serve the public and not be famous. If I wanted to be famous, then I should have just entered the showbiz. I can always take up acting lessons and have plastic surgeries.

Everyone starts at the bottom. It may be hard at first but some day, my byline will be the banner story of the day. And when someone asks "What is the banner story for today?" they can see my name at the first page of the paper.

My high school teacher once told me that journalists must have a pretty-face to make it to the business so I should not be one. But a pretty face would not make it to the business if she does not have the skills. And so, I am trying the best I can to be better and learn a lot.

Traditional journalism is not dead and will never die. With the new generation of journalist like us, we will prove to the world that technology will not kill the true meaning of reporting.

Journ World


If you wanted to become a successful journalist, then you must learn how to love stress.

Coming from a Journalism Curriculum, I am already aware of how hard and stressful my life would be if I pursue my Journalism career. While most of our high school batch mates are enjoying their high school lives, we remain on the four corners of our room writing tons of articles and lay-outing newspapers. This is why I had second thoughts on whether i should enroll at UST to become a writer or enroll at PNU to become an educator. In the end, I had to follow my heart. It is a good thing that I already have some background on news writing which made it easier for me to catch up with the course.

My views on news writing and news reporting did change. During this course, I had realized how dangerous and life-taking my future profession would be. Although our school paper adviser before already told us that there are a lot of threats in becoming a journalist (like libel cases), I never realized that it would come to the point of death. I am now seeing our journalists as brave warriors but instead of holding a shield and blade, they are protecting and defending themselves with pen and paper.

Also with this course, I have realized how poorly treated our journalists are. Although we live in a democratic country, a lot of innocent media men are killed just because they are revealing the truth. In the media business, I doubt that every story we see on television or the newspaper is the truth. In our world today, the definition of the word truth is not definite.

With the requirement of this course of interviewing a journalist, I was able to fulfill my dream of meeting a true journalist. I was supposed to interview Ms. Kara David but she told me that her whole October and November was full and so, I had to find another one. After emailing and tweeting a lot of journalist non-stop, I was able to schedule an interview with Ms. Mariz Umali. And with this experience, I have observed how intelligent and proper Ms. Umali’s replies are.

Ms. Umali was able to describe her working place and the processes that happen behind the lenses. I have learned that there are a lot of editing and revising before a two-minute news report would be flashed. And so, it made me think again whether I have made the right choice of choosing this course.

A journalist merely gets enough sleep especially when he/she is a radio or TV journalist. I love to sleep and my mood would be grumpy throughout the day if I get less than 6-hours of sleep.


Knowing the “drill” made it easier for me to write articles. It is harder for me to contain all the things that I wanted to say in 500 words flat. This activity shows me that every word is counts.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Interview with a National Figure: Senator Antonio Trillanes IV

             

Senator Trillanes during the interview dated April 16



              Despite the challenge of Makati Representative Mar-len Abigail Binay to Senator Antonio "Sonny" Fuentes Trillanes IV to resign, Trillanes remains firm saying that if there are people meant to step down, it should be the Binay clan.

            “That’s petty and even childish. Hindi naman ako nagnakaw .Hindi ako magnanakaw like their family so kung may magre-resign dito, sila dapat na nag-aabuso ng kapangyarihan,” Trillanes said.

                Trillanes stunned the Senate and media after exposing the bribery allegation of the 2 Court of Appeal (CA) justices saying that CA justice Jose Reyes Jr. and Francicsco Acosta each received P25-million as a payment to stop the suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr.  on corruption charges.

                “Kase sinabi nila ‘you name names’. I was in the process of validating the information and eventually, the information was validated and I was so sure of the information I received,” Trillanes stated.

In addition, Trillanes claimed that the challenge of the Binay camp was just an additional motivation to expose the names of the justices involved.

                Inside rumors around the senate says that the source of this information was relayed by another CA justice however, Trillanes did not disclose the information saying that he has no comment and refused to name the informant.

                Even so, Trillanes stated that it is probable that other people knew about this issue but they chose not to expose it.

                After Representative Binay proclaimed Trillanes as a big embarrassment to the institution, Trillanes commented it was a big embarrassment probably to Representative Binay because that is how they look at things. “I believe to the rest of the country,they feel differently,” Trillanes said.


Earlier last month, Trillanes would like to further inspect the matter regarding the BInays about the alleged corruption of the Makati Friendship Suites and the Makati Homeville in Calauan, Laguna.

Lawyer Ronaldo Bondal disclosed the issue about Vice President Binay overpricing the said projects.

Last April 16, 2 of the Makati residents attended the hearing saying that VP Binay’s promises about their relocation were all lies.

Edison Rivera and Domingo Arcilla were among the people who were re-located to Laguna last 2009 in Binay’s Homeville project.

Binigyan ho kami ng dalawang kilo bigas na masama ang lasa, dalawang sardinas na kupi…Pagkarating po, iniwanan na kami,” Rivera said during the hearing.

After arriving to the site, the residents were left with no electricity or water supply.

In addition, the structures in the site were not as homely as the residents expected saying that the cement used was feeble and they have no means of livelihood.

                The residents also claim that meters away from the Binay mansion in Makati, lived the hundreds of people who are living below the average income.

                Senator Trillanes is one of the senators actively participating in the Senate Committee hearings regarding the allegations against the Binays. However, Trillanes claims that he is not exposing all the Binay secrets for his political ambitions.

“I plan to run for VP pero hindi yan konektado sa mga expose ko kasi kahit noon na hindi pa ako kandidato o politiko, sundalo pa ko noon, ginawa ko na ito. Kaya nga ako nakulong ng 7 and ½ years. So I’m just being consistent.  Kapag kailangan may tindigan, titindigan natin.”

In addition, Trillanes explained that the evidences are offered by the individuals of the Binay camp saying that they cannot handle the malicious actions done by the Binays.

“Nung nag-embark ako dito sa crusade na ito against the corruption of the Binay family,napatunayan naman natin. Marami tayong  pinakita. Marami tayong mga testigo at mga dokumentong nilabas,” Trillanes explained.

“Taumbayan ang manghuhusga kung nagkamali nga ako o hindi,” he added.
Just recently, Trillanes said that VP Binay might even back out of the Presidential race on the upcoming elections because of the allegations and issued thrown to him.

For almost 20 years of being in office of Jejomar Binay Sr as a Makati Mayor and now  the Vice President of the country, Trillanes says that the former Makati mayor not do his duty well as a leader.

“VP Binay definitely did not do his part as the VP. Kase ngayon binigay siyang role or designation as housing SAR. Siya yung in-charge ng mga housing para sa mahihirap. Dun sa hearing,  lumabas kung ano yung mga informal settlers na di-nemolish sa Makati at tinapon dun sa Laguna,.

Aside from Vice President Jejomar Binay Sr.,Trillanes claimed that Senator Juan Ponce Enrile Sr. was also one of the  black sheep of the Senate.

“Eversince his career expand 50 years, kahit saan mo siya ilagay, nag-abuso siya,”Trillanes exclaimed pertaining to Senator Enrile.

Nung panahon ng Martial law siya yung Minister of Defense tapos eventually nung naging Senate President siya ganun din. Puro pag-aabuso kaya tinindigan natin siya,” he added.

The former post of Vice President Binay was believed to be one of the most progressed cities in the country and might have pushed the people to vote him as VP expecting that he could turn the country like Makati as well.

Nevertheless, Trillanes claims that the progressed Makati was created by the Ayala’s and not the Binay’s.

Yung pagiging maunlad ng isang Lungsod, ay base sa location nung mga negosyo. Bago pa naging Mayor si VP Binay, karamihan ng mga malalaking negosyo sa bansa ay diyan naka-locate yung kanilang mga headquarters so kaya diyan sila nagbabayad ng buwis and therefore, nabibilang yan sa income ng Makati,” Trillanes explained.

He added that the population of the city was not that huge and so, the Binay’s did not have to take care of many residents.

“Yung magandang bahagi ng Makati, hindi si VP Binay yang gumawa niyan. Yung mga Ayala ang gumawa niyan,” he said.

Yung may tulay sa ilalaim ng Guadalupe, yung may mga informal settlers at squatter, yun ang Makati ni Binay,” Trillanes assured.

Trillanes secures that he would not stop the investigations until the truth would come out and the abuse of power would remain to be disclosed.

Janine Perea and Sen. Anotonio Trillanes IV



               


Idioms

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Find the meaning of the following idioms and learn how to use them correctly.
1.           At the head of the class-someone knowledgeable or an expert at something
2.           Head and shoulders above – someone or something who is a lot better than                        others being compared to
3.           A head start – an advantage granted or gained at the beginning of something
4.           Have a good head on one’s shoulder – to have common sense
5.           Off the top of one’s head – in an impromptu way; without much thought
6.           Put one’s heads together – (usually by a group ) to think about something in                      order to get ideas or to solve a problem
7.           Use one’s head – to think; have common sense
8.           Make one’s head spin – cause one to be giddy, dazed, or confused
9.           Over one’s head – beyond one’s depth
10.        Scratch one’s head – express puzzlement or perplexity
11.        Head over heels – completely; thoroughly
12.        Lose one’s head – lose self-control; panic
13.        Out of one’s head – crazy
14.        Soft in the head – stupid
15.        Heads will roll – people will get into severe trouble
16.        Talk someone’s head off – to speak too much
17.        Laugh someone’s head off – to laugh too much
18.        Hard-headed – tough; not moved by sentiment
19.        Thick-headed – stupid
20.        Hot-headed – hot-tempered; impetuous or rash
21.        Cool-headed – not easily excited; calm
22.        Knucklehead – a stupid person
23.        Bonehead – a dunce
24.        Sleepyhead – one who is in need of or groggy from sleep
25.        Pothead – one who habitually smokes marijuana
26.        Head off – to go
27.        Head on – with or involving direct confrontation
28.        Head in – to move into something
29.        Turn heads – to be so interesting or attractive that people turn to look
30.        Keep one’s head above water – avoid succumbing to difficulties
31.        At the eleventh hour – almost too late
32.        In the dead of the night – during the middle of the night
33.        A nightcap – an alcoholic or hot drink taken at the end of the day or before                         going to bed
34.        A night-bird – a person who is habitually active or wakeful at night
35.        On the spur of the moment – on impulse; without planning in advance
36.        One’s Sunday best – your best clothes which you wear on special occasions
37.        To do something at the last minute – to do something just before the                                  deadline
38.        It’s all in day’s work – a part of what is expected
39.        To have seen better days – have declined from former prosperity or good                   condition
40.        To call it a day – to stop a particular activity for the rest of the day
41.        To fight tooth and nail – to use a lot of effort to oppose someone or achieve                        something
42.        To have the time of one’s life – to have a very good time
43.        To kill time – pass time aimlessly
44.        To learn something by heart – to learn something so well that it can be                      written or recited without thinking; to memorize
45.        To have one’s heart in one’s mouth – to feel strongly emotional about                                 someone or something
46.        To pull someone’s leg – play a joke on; tease
47.        Not to have a leg to stand on – to have no support for your position
48.        To be on its last leg – about to stop working
49.        To pay through the nose – pay an excessive amount for something
50.        To stick one’s neck out – to take a risk
51.        To give someone the cold shoulder – to behave towards someone in a way                 that is not at all friendly
52.        To run shoulders with someone – to meet and spend time with someone
53.        To toe the line – to conform to a rule or standard
54.        To hold one’s tongue – to avoid speaking
55.        To make a slip of the tongue – an error in speaking in which the speaker                    says something unintentionally
56.        To let one’s hair down – to relax and enjoy yourself without worrying what                 other people will think
57.        To escape by a hair’s breadth – to barely escape
58.        To have one’s hands full – to be busy or totally occupied with something
59.        To be a handful – to be difficult to deal with
60.        To be an old hand – to be skilled at something through long experience
61.        To get the upper hand of something – to have power and control over                                 someone or a situation
62.        To say something off-hand – to say something without preparation
63.        To have a finger in the pie – to have a role in something
64.        To keep one’s fingers crossed – to wish for luck for someone
65.        To see eye to eye – to agree on something or view something the same way
66.        To keep a straight face – to not show one’s feelings
67.        Elbow room  - space which allows you to move around
68.        To get something off one’s chest – to confess, or speak about something that                has been bothering you, especially when it this comes as a relief
69.        To play music by ear – to reproduce a piece of music one heard
70.        To be within earshot – to be close enough to something to hear it
71.        To pick someone’s brains- to seek information to someone knowledgeable
72.        A bone of contention- the subject or point of an argument
73.        To have one’s back against the wall-to have very serious problems
74.        To be up in arms- in armed rebellion; very angry
75.        To break the back of something- to end the domination of something
76.        To see red- someone to be angry
77.        To see the red light-to stop what one is doing
78.        To catch someone red-handed-apprehend someone in the course of wrong doing
79.        To have green fingers- to be good at keeping plants healthy
80.        To turn grey-extreme anxiety or grief can turn someone’s hair grey
81.        To see pink elephants- euphemism for drunken hallucination, caused by alcoholic allusions or delirium tremens
82.        To feel blue- to be depressed
83.        To be dressed in black- to mourn or be sad for an unfortunate event
84.        To beat someone black and blue- hit someone until they are bruised
85.        A feather in one’s cap- a symbol of honor or achievement
86.        A wolf in sheep’s clothing- a dangerous person pretending to be harmless
87.        To clip someone’s wings- to reduce someone’s privileges as a punishment
88.        To take the bull by the horns- confront a problem head on
89.        To have butterflies in one’s stomach- to get nervous or tense
90.        To rain cats and dogs- to raining in great amounts
91.        To count one’s chickens before they hatch- make plans based on events that may or may not happen
92.        To have other fish to fry-to have other things to do
93.        To go to the dogs- go to pot; go to hell
94.        To wait till the cows come home- for a long but indefinite time
95.        To err on the safe side- to err on the side of caution
96.        To set the ball rolling- maintain a level of activity in and enthusiasm for a project
97.        To talk down to someone- to speak to someone in a patronizing manner
98.        To clear the air- to get rid of doubts or hard feelings
99.        To throw someone’s weight around- put on weight
100.     A saving grace- A redeeming quality, especially one that compensates for one's shortcomings
101.     To affect ignorance (of something)- to enlighten; share knowledge
102.     To be asking for trouble- to do something that would cause trouble
103.     To be barking up the wrong tree- a mistaken emphasis in a certain context
104.     To beat the air-to strike violently repeatedly
105.     To blow one’s own trumpet- blow out of proportion
106.     It all boils down to- to emphasize the importance of something
107.     To buck one’s ideas up- to summon one’s courage
108.     To buckle down to something- to settle down
109.     To burn one’s bridges- to cut off the way back where you came from
110.     To burn a hole in one’s pocket- to cause someone to be tempted on money
111.     To burn the candle at both ends- getting up early in the morning
112.     To burn one’s fingers- to get one’s self in an unexpected trouble
113.     To burn the midnight’s oil- to work late into the night
114.     To butter someone up- to flatter someone
115.     To buy a pig in a poke-something that is bought without the buyer knowing its true value
116.     To call the tune- a musical setting of a hymn, poem, psalm etc.
117.     To catch someone napping- catch someone who is unprepared
118.     To catch someone red-handed- to catch someone doing an wrong act
119.     To chop and change- to keep changing what you do or plan to do
120.     To cross the Rubicon- to do something that inevitably commits one to following a certain course of action
121.     To curry favor with someone- to try to make someone like you or support you by doing or saying things to
122.     To cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth- to plan one's aims and activities in line with one's resources and circumstances.
123.     To draw a blank-to get no response
124.     To err on the safe side- doing the thing that is safe rather than risking
125.     To feather one’s nest- to decorate one’s home in  style and comfort
126.     To fish in troubled waters- to involve self in a difficult situation
127.     To flog a dead horse- to insist in talking about something that no one is interested in
128.     To fly in the face of someone- to challenge someone
129.     To fly off the handle- losing one’s temper
130.     To follow the crowd- go along with the majority
131.     To follow in someone’s footsteps- to do the same things in your life as someone else
132.     To gild the lily- to over embellish
133.     To hand out bouquets- to give out or confess one’s love
134.     To handle someone with kid gloves-to deal with someone very gently
135.     To harp on the same string- to play the same note over and over
136.     To hear something over the grape-vine- to hear news from someone who heard the news from someone else
137.     To hold the olive branch-to offer to make peace with an enemy or rival
138.     To hit below the belt- an unfair blow
139.     To iron out differences- resolve differences; settle disputes
140.     To join forces-to work together in a common enterprise
141.     To jump on the bandwagon – to support something because of its popularity
142.     To kill two birds with one stone – achieving 2 things with only one activity
143.     To know where the shoe pinches – the true cause of the trouble
144.     To know which side one’s bread is buttered - to know who to be nice to and what to do in order to get an advantage for yourself
145.     To lead a charmed life – a life in which one is always lucky and safe
146.     To lead someone a dance – lead someone around in your point of view
147.     To lead someone a dog’s life – very unhappy or unpleasant life
148.     To lead someone up the garden path – deceive someone
149.     To leave much to be desired – be imperfect or unsatisfactory
150.     Let by-gones be by-gones – leave whatever happened in the past
151.     To let sleeping dogs lie – not talk about a bad situation that most people forgot
152.     To let something drop – casually reveal a piece of information
153.     To let the cat out of the bag – reveal facts previously hidden
154.     To let the grass grow under one’s feet – to not waste time by delaying
155.     To meet one’s Waterloo – to encounter a big obstacle and be defeated by it
156.     To meet someone half-way – to agree in a condition
157.     To mend one’s ways – to change someone
158.     To mince one’s words – traitor
159.     To mind one’s p’s and q’s – practice good manners
160.     To move heaven and earth – do everything you can to achieve something
161.     To nip something in the bud – put an end to something before it becomes larger
162.     To pat someone on the back – to congratulate
163.     To pocket one’s pride – to hide your pride in certain situations
164.     To pour oil on troubled waters – to calm two talking person who are fighting
165.     To rain cats and dogs – hravy rains
166.     To rest on one’s laurels – to stop trying because of satisfied achievements
167.     To ring a bell – to remember something
168.     To rise to the occasion – to stand up to what you believe
169.     To rob Peter to pay Paul – to take something from someone for the benefit of another person
170.     To roll one’s sleeves up – to be serious in a situation
171.     To throw in the towel – to stop something
172.     To tighten one’s belt – spend less than before
173.     To wash one’s dirty linen in public – discuss something that should be private
174.     To weather the storm – to be able to continue doing something despite problems
175.     To whistle for the wind – to take purposelessly
176.     To make one’s feet wet – get a little first time in something
177.     To stick one’s neck out – take a risk
178.     To stretch a point – do something unacceptable
179.     To smell a rat – to suspect that something is wrong
180.     To speak volume – giving out opinion
181.     To steal someone’s thunder – lessen someones force or authority
182.     To spill the beans – give away private information
183.     To split hairs – to argue about a trivial aspect of an issue
184.     To stick around – to stay a little longer
185.     To run in the blood – a unique characteristic in your family
186.     To be six feet under – to be dead
187.     To die by one’s own hand - suicide
188.     To come to an untimely death – death at an early age
189.     To be on piece-work – paid a fixed rate regardless of time
190.     To cook someone’s goose – to ruin someone
191.     Straight from the horse’s mouth – comes from an original source
192.     To hold one’s horses – to calm down
193.     To look a gift-horse in the mouth – not to refuse something good that is being offered
194.     The lion’s share – the owners share
195.     The leopard can’t change its spots – one can’t change essential nature
196.     To put the cat among the pigeons – a disturbance caused by an undesirable person
197.     To have a bee in one’s bonnet - obsession
198.     To take the bull by the horns – to deal with a difficult situation
199.     To have other fish to fry – to have other important things to do
200.     To keep the wolf from the door – to maintain oneself at a minimal level