Original Information
1. Child Abuse Prevention Center in Baltimore released a survey yesterday showing that three to four children die every day in the United States from child abuse or neglect, along with evidence showing the cases of child abuse have increased to 2.7 million, from 2.5 million the previous year.
2. MILWAUKEE – Yesterday nearly 150 anti-abortion protestors were arrested for disorderly conduct during a three-day demonstration, intended to last six weeks, of over 2,5000 people.
3. Yesterday a delivery driver for a Chinese food restaurant was robbed of his delivery at gunpoint at 718 S.W. Western Avenue.
4. A casual cigarette cause over $45,000 in damages to Kathy Maloney's home in the 2300 block of Main Street last night.
5. Colorado murders are up 53 percent according to a report release yesterday by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, but the number of rapes and robberies have decreased significantly.
6. A ten percent increase in skin cancer cases over the next decade could be a real scenario, as United Nations scientific panel released a report yesterday showing that damage to the earth’s ozone layer is increasing.
7. A Santa Ana woman was charged with attempted murder yesterday after June Carter, 71, doused her husband, who was confined to a wheelchair and had cancer, with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire.
8. Broadband users have finally surpassed dial-up users due to lower broadband prices; 53 percent of residential users now use broadband, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.
9. In an effort to stem grade inflation, Princeton University put a cap on the number of A's that can be awarded this school year.
10: Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a sleep problem, according to the National Sleep Foundation, which cause an estimated $100 billion to the American people annually.
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
In-Class Editing
a. PANORA, Ia. – This small town welcomed home one of its soldiers Friday, but instead of jubilant well-wishers, there were 525 mourners who packed every corner of the United Methodist Church, and instead of a parade down Main Street, there was a stream of cars that stretched from the church to the West Cemetery outside of town.
b. There were flags at half-staff, there were red, white and blue ribbons tied to flower sprays that surrounded the altar and there were tears – of grief, not joy.
c. To the rest of the country, Army Spec. Michael Mills was one of 191 Americans killed in the war, he was one of 28 people killed Feb. 25 when an Iraqi suicide bomb exploded, but to the 1,100 people here, Mike Mills was the 23-year-old hometown boy who carried on a family tradition by joining the Army, and his funeral Friday provided a somber contrast to the joyous reunions held for returning troops throughout the country.
PANORA, Ia. – Mourners flooded the streets and churches when 23-year-old Army. Spec Michel Mills' body was returned to his home town. Mills was one of 28 people killed in a suicide bombing Feb 25.
The United Methodist Church was filled with 525 grievers, and the streets played host to streams of cars between the church and the West Cemetery outside of town. There were flags at half-staff, there were red, white and blue ribbons tied to flower sprays that surrounded the altar and there were tears in many eyes.
Mills had followed family tradition by joining the Army, and his heartbreaking death rings strongly throughout the 1,100 close people of Panora. The scene played a stark contrast to joyous reunions and celebrations taking place around the country.
The rest of the country may feel for the loss of Mills, but to them he is one of the 191 Americans killed in the war. But to the small Iowa town, he was a known member of a community, and one whose loss will ache for years to come.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Scene
The air of anticipation and tension is palpable in ATLAS 402 as students begin to fill the room. They nervously glance at the ceilings high above, with pipes and scaffolding still exposed, air system churning gently. The bare concrete floors echo loudly throughout the room as they slowly walk to their assigned desks, and rolling chairs creak and slide as they sit down.
The classroom is capacious, walls stretching 50 or 60 feet away from the large, black double doors, ending in a wall made up mostly windows. But despite the windows, light still remains scarce, and what light there is casts long shadows amongst the students and still-lifes in the late afternoon sun. The lights high overhead are off for this very purpose.
The walls, unlike the floor, and covered haphazardly with portraits and projects, black graphite shining with a slight glare. Some of the drawings reflect the room itself, depicting the several piles of objects throughout the room; chairs and vases and flowers and bolts of cloth and boxes and stools. The desks of the room encircles one or other of the still-lifes, and once students seat themselves, they begin to pull out their supplies. Pencils roll on the tilted surface of the desks as they are placed, and loud slaps ring out as 18 by 24 inch sketch-pads are hurriedly brought out.
The students begin to lean over and begin their work, flipping open the sketch-pads to the proper page mirroring the group of objects in front of their respective stations. The only sounds in the room are the scratching of pencil on paper, the quick breathing of the prospective artists, and the constant churning of the air system. The teacher hasn't even arrived yet.
The room is not yet filled; half of the 30 desks remain empty. They are the desks of those who already finished their work, with no need to come in before class and scramble to finish their work. Those who haven't finished continuously glance towards the single clock above the doors, seeing how much time they have, before bending down to work again. They don't have much time.
Tense minutes pass as furtive pencil strokes replicate on paper what the students see in front of them. Some lean back from their work and let out a sigh of relief as they manage to complete the drawing. Most do not. The students who already finished are starting to arrive, placing their complete work in a pile near the door, standing idly near their old work stations, watching the people who are still trying to finish.
A few more minutes pass, and then the large black double-doors burst open, then shut with a loud thud behind the tall, dark figure who entered. She stands directly beneath the clock, emphasizing with her presence what the panicking students have been dreading.
"Time's up children," she said, raising her voice above the churning of the air system, echoing around the capacious room. Sighs of regret follow.
The classroom is capacious, walls stretching 50 or 60 feet away from the large, black double doors, ending in a wall made up mostly windows. But despite the windows, light still remains scarce, and what light there is casts long shadows amongst the students and still-lifes in the late afternoon sun. The lights high overhead are off for this very purpose.
The walls, unlike the floor, and covered haphazardly with portraits and projects, black graphite shining with a slight glare. Some of the drawings reflect the room itself, depicting the several piles of objects throughout the room; chairs and vases and flowers and bolts of cloth and boxes and stools. The desks of the room encircles one or other of the still-lifes, and once students seat themselves, they begin to pull out their supplies. Pencils roll on the tilted surface of the desks as they are placed, and loud slaps ring out as 18 by 24 inch sketch-pads are hurriedly brought out.
The students begin to lean over and begin their work, flipping open the sketch-pads to the proper page mirroring the group of objects in front of their respective stations. The only sounds in the room are the scratching of pencil on paper, the quick breathing of the prospective artists, and the constant churning of the air system. The teacher hasn't even arrived yet.
The room is not yet filled; half of the 30 desks remain empty. They are the desks of those who already finished their work, with no need to come in before class and scramble to finish their work. Those who haven't finished continuously glance towards the single clock above the doors, seeing how much time they have, before bending down to work again. They don't have much time.
Tense minutes pass as furtive pencil strokes replicate on paper what the students see in front of them. Some lean back from their work and let out a sigh of relief as they manage to complete the drawing. Most do not. The students who already finished are starting to arrive, placing their complete work in a pile near the door, standing idly near their old work stations, watching the people who are still trying to finish.
A few more minutes pass, and then the large black double-doors burst open, then shut with a loud thud behind the tall, dark figure who entered. She stands directly beneath the clock, emphasizing with her presence what the panicking students have been dreading.
"Time's up children," she said, raising her voice above the churning of the air system, echoing around the capacious room. Sighs of regret follow.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Left- vs Right-Handed Death Rates
Focus Sentence: A recent study shows that people dominant with their left hand may live an average 6 years less than those dominant with their right hand.
Visual: a bar-chart showing average age at time of death for left- and right-handed men and women.
By David Blackwell
A recent study shows that people dominant with their left hand may live an average 6 years less than those dominant with their right hand.
The study, conducted last year, compares the death and accident rate of left- and right-handed people. California State University psychology professor Diane Halpern and University of British Columbia researcher Stanley set out to discover why there are fewer left-handed people amongst the elderly.
The researchers began their study by examining death certificates of 987 people in Southern California, as well as talking to relatives of the deceased via mail. In the end, they concluded that on average, left-handed women and men die at 72 and 62 respectively, while right-handed women and men die at 78 and 73 respectively.
"The results are striking in their magnitude," said Halpern. Left handed people, who make up over 10 percent of the population, are 4 times more likely to die in car accidents and 6 times more likely to die from accidents overall.
Halpern said, "Almost all engineering is geared to the right hand and right foot. There are many more car and other accidents among left-handers because of their environment."
However, the conclusions from this study should be applied cautiously. "It should not, of course, be used to predict the life of any one individual," Halpern said. "There are many, many old left-handed people."
Visual: a bar-chart showing average age at time of death for left- and right-handed men and women.
By David Blackwell
A recent study shows that people dominant with their left hand may live an average 6 years less than those dominant with their right hand.
The study, conducted last year, compares the death and accident rate of left- and right-handed people. California State University psychology professor Diane Halpern and University of British Columbia researcher Stanley set out to discover why there are fewer left-handed people amongst the elderly.
The researchers began their study by examining death certificates of 987 people in Southern California, as well as talking to relatives of the deceased via mail. In the end, they concluded that on average, left-handed women and men die at 72 and 62 respectively, while right-handed women and men die at 78 and 73 respectively.
"The results are striking in their magnitude," said Halpern. Left handed people, who make up over 10 percent of the population, are 4 times more likely to die in car accidents and 6 times more likely to die from accidents overall.
Halpern said, "Almost all engineering is geared to the right hand and right foot. There are many more car and other accidents among left-handers because of their environment."
However, the conclusions from this study should be applied cautiously. "It should not, of course, be used to predict the life of any one individual," Halpern said. "There are many, many old left-handed people."
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Research Practice Take 2
1. Census
a. What is the total population for your state based on the most recent census statistics available?
Based on the 2009 census, the population of Colorado is 5,024,748.
b. What was the population of Asian and Pacific Islanders in your state in 2000?
128,135 = 2.6% for the former & 4,675 = .1% for the latter.
2. Crime Story
a. Find a site that lists sex offender registries in the U.S. What is the URL?
If anyone out there is concerned for the children in college, which, given that they're in college, you should be if even just a little, you can get a good idea for the sexual offenders in your child's area with this site or this one.
The sites go into detail about the nature of the offender's crimes, whether they be violent sexaul abuses, multiple abuses, etc etc. I checked the immediate area around my home, where I live next to Boulder High School, and found to my lack of surprise that sexual assaults are not unknown. Check it out. You can even see how to use the interactive map to your advantage by clicking here for an example.
3. Crime Story 2
If parents are still concerned about their students and want to see what kind of campus their child is attending, they can easily check several databases about the number of crimes on campus. They can go to the U.S. Department of Education's home page and check for statistics for any individual school. For example, the statistics for the University of Colorado at Boulder can be found here. However, it would be prudent of parents to also check the college or university campus security, as some crimes do not go beyond campus security. For the University of Colorado at Boulder, you can check their statistics page. (Note: if this link just goes to a search page, as it sometimes does, just search "police statistics" and click "campus security.")
In 2008 at CU Boulder, there were 7 forcible sex offenses, or rapes. If you're checking the US Department of Education's page, then there were 59 burglaries on campus in 2008, but according to the CU website, there were only 44. However, CU's page claims there were 446 thefts recorded, while the Department of Education's page doesn't even list that statistic.
a. What is the total population for your state based on the most recent census statistics available?
Based on the 2009 census, the population of Colorado is 5,024,748.
b. What was the population of Asian and Pacific Islanders in your state in 2000?
128,135 = 2.6% for the former & 4,675 = .1% for the latter.
2. Crime Story
a. Find a site that lists sex offender registries in the U.S. What is the URL?
If anyone out there is concerned for the children in college, which, given that they're in college, you should be if even just a little, you can get a good idea for the sexual offenders in your child's area with this site or this one.
The sites go into detail about the nature of the offender's crimes, whether they be violent sexaul abuses, multiple abuses, etc etc. I checked the immediate area around my home, where I live next to Boulder High School, and found to my lack of surprise that sexual assaults are not unknown. Check it out. You can even see how to use the interactive map to your advantage by clicking here for an example.
3. Crime Story 2
If parents are still concerned about their students and want to see what kind of campus their child is attending, they can easily check several databases about the number of crimes on campus. They can go to the U.S. Department of Education's home page and check for statistics for any individual school. For example, the statistics for the University of Colorado at Boulder can be found here. However, it would be prudent of parents to also check the college or university campus security, as some crimes do not go beyond campus security. For the University of Colorado at Boulder, you can check their statistics page. (Note: if this link just goes to a search page, as it sometimes does, just search "police statistics" and click "campus security.")
In 2008 at CU Boulder, there were 7 forcible sex offenses, or rapes. If you're checking the US Department of Education's page, then there were 59 burglaries on campus in 2008, but according to the CU website, there were only 44. However, CU's page claims there were 446 thefts recorded, while the Department of Education's page doesn't even list that statistic.
4. Political Reporting 1
Opensecrets.org tells us that Michael Bennet’s campaign committee raised $3,661,380 from 2005-2010. Mark Udall’s campaign committee, by contrast raised $12,015,829 from 2005-2010.
5. Political Reporting 2
Governor Bill Ritter Jr. raised $984,026 in campaign contributions, as you can see here. In his last election, Mr. Ritter raised $4,365,475 in campaign contributions. He must've had a lot of donations, because the limit for Colorado is $525.
Tuition costs in 2007-2008 were $16,245
Average public tuition at four-year institutions for fees, room and board in 2007-2008 were $13,424.
Average fees, room and board for four-year public tuition were, in 2007-2008, a startling $30,393.
You can find the information here.
7. Government Statistics 2
Homepage for the state of Colorado: http://www.colorado.gov/
8.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Research Practice
National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
#1. Hurricane Andrew, Southeast Florida and Southeast Louisiana, 1992. $26,500,000,000
#2. Check for Hazards in the Home, Identify Safe Places Indoors and Outdoors, Educate Yourself and Family Members, Have Disaster Supplies on Hand, Develop an Emergency Communication Plan, Help Your Community Get Ready. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/
#3. 6 non-fatal crashes around Boulder, Co. 0 fatal crashes.
Alaska Airlines.
49
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
#1. Hurricane Andrew, Southeast Florida and Southeast Louisiana, 1992. $26,500,000,000
#2. Check for Hazards in the Home, Identify Safe Places Indoors and Outdoors, Educate Yourself and Family Members, Have Disaster Supplies on Hand, Develop an Emergency Communication Plan, Help Your Community Get Ready. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/
#3. 6 non-fatal crashes around Boulder, Co. 0 fatal crashes.
Alaska Airlines.
49
Monday, January 25, 2010
Rathergate
Rathergate: an infamous day in the history of news reporting and journalism, when the one of the media's most trusted faces was brought to his knees by the honest bloggers who saw falsehood in his reporting. However, there is more to it than that.
CBS was sent several documents making claims that would damage George Bush's reputation as a military man mere weeks before the 2004 election, a critical time for politicians and voters alike. However, in the hours following the 60 Minutes report with Dan Rather, bloggers began to rip the documents apart as forgeries, and before a week had passed, CBS was forced to acknowledge their mistake, and as a consequence let Dan Rather and several other staff members go.
This incident is revered as a revolutionary day for journalists and bloggers alike. It showed that there is a more involved checks and balances system for the media, and an effective one at that. Bloggers have the availability and access of the internet at their disposal, being able to say what they want, and in turn to point out the mistakes of their more professional counterparts. Intelligent men and women who are unable, or unwilling, to involve themselves in the media can effect change in the establishment, which is a great and new thing. It also forces journalists to be more honest, lest they be found out by the people and hung up as an example. As an aspiring journalist, you'd think this would worry me, but it doesn't. My intent, and goal, is to report the truth. I don't think I have anything to worry about, as long as I remain honest. There will always be those who disagree with me and argue no matter what facts I present, but there wont be any controversy in the conveying of my news.
I think one of the worst parts of Rathergate was the political nature of the incident. Not in the political nature of the government, but the politics of journalism and business of news. And make no mistake, the News is a business now. CBS failed to authenticate the documents before putting them in Rather's hands, and the public repudiation was directed at the entire organization, not just Dan Rather. However, Dan Rather at the time was the face of CBS, and the CEO's of CBS had just gained a large scar in the form of the Killian documents. But rather than just patching up the mistake and moving on, they decided they needed a new face entirely. The blemish on one of their most popular news anchor's reputations was just too much to handle, so they got rid of it. Maybe a smart business move, since keeping Rather might have hurt their ratings, but it wasn't the right thing to do. Rather was a trusted news anchor for a reason. He reported the news, and people believed him. It wasn't even his fault the incident occurred, but he was the one who was punished. He even said, after the incident, "if I knew then what I know now – I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question."
This demonstrates a trend that has long bothered me. News programs, particularly TV news, but others as well, are run by people more motivated by profits and agendas than they are by reporting accurate news to the people. They care more for their public image than they do for competent reporters who make mistakes, and rely on that image more than the public's reliance on accurate news. The drama and impact of the documents, two weeks before the election, must have seemed like gifts from the gods to the higher-ups of CBS, something new and edgy that would attract more viewers. They probably didn't care if they were authentic or not as long as it brought in more ratings, although they might have thought twice if they knew the trouble they would cause for them.
Mind you, this is speculation on my part.
But you can see this trend all over. When Anna Nicole Smith died, Fox news covered the story every day for more than a month. I know. I saw it whenever my mom stopped to watch the channel. It was embarrassing. And you can see plenty of shows and channels out there that just bring in opposing experts to duke it out in a pointless debate which has no purpose beyond entertainment, seeing as how no one on opposing sides is going to be convinced of anything contrary to what they already believe.
Why? Not only because it's cheap, but because people want to watch. And that, above all else, even above reporting and educating, is what producers of media want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmj6JADOZ-8
CBS was sent several documents making claims that would damage George Bush's reputation as a military man mere weeks before the 2004 election, a critical time for politicians and voters alike. However, in the hours following the 60 Minutes report with Dan Rather, bloggers began to rip the documents apart as forgeries, and before a week had passed, CBS was forced to acknowledge their mistake, and as a consequence let Dan Rather and several other staff members go.
This incident is revered as a revolutionary day for journalists and bloggers alike. It showed that there is a more involved checks and balances system for the media, and an effective one at that. Bloggers have the availability and access of the internet at their disposal, being able to say what they want, and in turn to point out the mistakes of their more professional counterparts. Intelligent men and women who are unable, or unwilling, to involve themselves in the media can effect change in the establishment, which is a great and new thing. It also forces journalists to be more honest, lest they be found out by the people and hung up as an example. As an aspiring journalist, you'd think this would worry me, but it doesn't. My intent, and goal, is to report the truth. I don't think I have anything to worry about, as long as I remain honest. There will always be those who disagree with me and argue no matter what facts I present, but there wont be any controversy in the conveying of my news.
I think one of the worst parts of Rathergate was the political nature of the incident. Not in the political nature of the government, but the politics of journalism and business of news. And make no mistake, the News is a business now. CBS failed to authenticate the documents before putting them in Rather's hands, and the public repudiation was directed at the entire organization, not just Dan Rather. However, Dan Rather at the time was the face of CBS, and the CEO's of CBS had just gained a large scar in the form of the Killian documents. But rather than just patching up the mistake and moving on, they decided they needed a new face entirely. The blemish on one of their most popular news anchor's reputations was just too much to handle, so they got rid of it. Maybe a smart business move, since keeping Rather might have hurt their ratings, but it wasn't the right thing to do. Rather was a trusted news anchor for a reason. He reported the news, and people believed him. It wasn't even his fault the incident occurred, but he was the one who was punished. He even said, after the incident, "if I knew then what I know now – I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question."
This demonstrates a trend that has long bothered me. News programs, particularly TV news, but others as well, are run by people more motivated by profits and agendas than they are by reporting accurate news to the people. They care more for their public image than they do for competent reporters who make mistakes, and rely on that image more than the public's reliance on accurate news. The drama and impact of the documents, two weeks before the election, must have seemed like gifts from the gods to the higher-ups of CBS, something new and edgy that would attract more viewers. They probably didn't care if they were authentic or not as long as it brought in more ratings, although they might have thought twice if they knew the trouble they would cause for them.
Mind you, this is speculation on my part.
But you can see this trend all over. When Anna Nicole Smith died, Fox news covered the story every day for more than a month. I know. I saw it whenever my mom stopped to watch the channel. It was embarrassing. And you can see plenty of shows and channels out there that just bring in opposing experts to duke it out in a pointless debate which has no purpose beyond entertainment, seeing as how no one on opposing sides is going to be convinced of anything contrary to what they already believe.
Why? Not only because it's cheap, but because people want to watch. And that, above all else, even above reporting and educating, is what producers of media want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmj6JADOZ-8
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Walter Lippmann Response
The news of the day as it reaches the newspaper office is an incredible medley of fact, propaganda, rumor, suspicion, clues, hopes, and fears, and the task of selecting and ordering that news is one of the truly sacred and priestly offices in a democracy.
-Walter LippmannI believe this to be an optimistic view of journalism. It sets up the media as this holy institution, beyond corruption or influence, standing untouched in the brutal world of politics and censorship. But the media is not beyond the reach of these things. Yes, the media does sort through fact and propaganda and rumor, but rather than just reporting facts as they are, it places the propaganda and rumor right alongside the facts, sometimes because of who backs the newspapers, sometimes just to sell. The paparazzi takes the wildest rumors available that have evidence enough to convince the lowest common denominator and puts them right on the covers of their magazines. Even newspapers and news programs become culprits when they allow political agendas to frames the stories reported, or when they permit a political force to assign them propaganda to spout to the people.
However, though his view was somewhat optimistic, Walt Lippmann tries to get to the heart of what journalism should be, despite what it might be today. At it's core, the press and media is meant to be a tool of the people. It allows the people to find facts that they otherwise wouldn't learn, and the people can usually sift through the fiction of propaganda and rumor and derive the truth from the facts given. Usually.
The media is meant to provide the people with a verbal check to the government, allowing them to expose dishonest politicians and the plethora of scandals the may hinder the democracy we've created. The press is the people's voice.
In that way, Lippmann had it right. The press is an essential tool to the running of a successful democracy. The press is the very symbol of freedom. As long as the press exists, the facts can be spread to any number of people, allowing them to make educated and informed choices when it comes to their government. But like the allegorical church Lippmann refers to, the press is corrupted from what it should be. People abuse the freedom that it represents, using it to spread gossip and invade the privacy of people's lives.
That is not to say that there is no good press. There are many journalists who work hard to bring not only objective truth to the people, but objective truth with context. This last part is important. Without the context for the facts, some people might not know what conclusions they should draw from the truths given to them, and wouldn't know to make the decision best for themselves. They should be told what choice to make, but they need to be shown the overall context for their decisions. It is here that some media take advantage, distorting the context in order to influence decisions, but many journalists just do enough to allow a person to make the best decision for himself.
"...and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." -Thomas Jefferson
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