Post your comments for Feb. 19-25
I'm a bit behind this week. I'll be posting tomorrow myself. Please post yours. And DON'T FORGET -- WE'LL HAVE PIZZA NEXT WEEK FOR OUR LAST CLASS!!!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Previous Posts
- News of the Week: Feb. 12-18
- Here is my entry for the week of Feb. 5-12: Now po...
- Here are my comments -- Now post YOURS! February 5
- I was able to post on the blog!
- CAUCUSES, Tuesday, Feb. 5 (GET INVOLVED!)
- What's in the news? January 28
- COURSE SYLLABUS: Advanced Communication Seminar
- Welcome
6 Comments:
2-19-08
A1: Suicide for middle-aged people has never really been extensively studied. For people ages 45 to 64, the percentage of suicides has risen dramatically since 1999. Many theories has been thought of to support these rising numbers due to the lack of research on the topic. One theory involves the drop of using hormone replacement therapy by menopausal women. The story referred to multiple cases where the people who committed suicide seemed happy before they killed themselves.
A15: Many people are turning to burning wood with wood stoves and boilers due to the rise of oil prices. The number of houses that are expected to burn wood as their main source of heat is expected to rise. The article says that if the economy is sluggish, people turn to wood. If the economy is good, people use gas.
C10: Andy Pettitte has come out and admitted that he used HGH when he was struggling to perform in both 2002 and 2004. Pettitte and Roger Clemens, another accused Yankee player, are good friends and teammates. Pettitte went before a jury and told him of the time where he remembered Clemens admitted to have used HGH himself. Although the two have different sides of the story, Pettitte still says he missed Clemens and still thinks of him as a good friend. Andy will not say that Clemens is telling the truth.
2-20-08
A1: Muscular Dystrophy is a disease that does not have a cure. Many young boys are suffering from this disease, which makes you loose your muscle coordination. Most of the people diagnosed with the disease die before they reach the age of thirty. Researchers believe that if they focus on the effects of the disease, instead of just finding a cure, that they can find a drug that will lessen pain.
A1: Obama seems to be claiming victory in state after state…
C6: Less people have been going to the movies these days. Consumers having the option to deliver movies to your home and digitally downloading movies on your computer make it easier for people to not leave home. The movie industry is changing and more cinemas are turning into dining experiences instead. Eating dinner at movie theaters is not a new idea, yet the new idea is to bring dinner and luxury together. By making the whole experience more comfortable, movie theaters will try to combine valet parking, dining, and luxury together, to entice people to come to the movies. At these nice places, people will spend an average of $16 on food, instead of $4 at a normal movie theater. I think it’s a good idea…for people with money to spend!
2-21-08
A1: Golfing isn’t as popular as it used to be. With men not spending as much time on the courses, many courses have closed due to lack of use. Not to say that only men golf (because I do!), but the majority of golfers are said to be men. Only about 25% are women. Golf Courses are finding that people aren’t wanting (or able) to spend so many hours out golfing, while their families are at home. Marketers are trying to think of some new strategies to make golfing more “family-oriented,” otherwise, the numbers may keep dwindling…
C1: HD DVD is pretty much dead! With Wal-Mart and Netflix completely abandoning HD DVDs altogether, Blu-Ray seems to be the winner! I guess the DVD format war is over. All I have to say is GOOD!
02/19/2008 A4: Strike by ethnic minorities shuts down Nepal’s capital
This news surprised me. I never thought of a country would closed their schools because of fuel shortage. This was mainly caused by “a general strike called by ethnic minorities demanding more rights”. “These schools will remain closed as long as the fuel shortage continues,” said Lakchya Bahadur K.C. of the Private and Boarding School Association of Nepal. This isn’t the right thing to do because I think it affect the school kids greatly. Some of the taxi driver even sleep in their vehicle hoping to fuel their tanks once the petrol station re-open. It’s a serious situation; hopefully this problem could be solved as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary bad consequences.
A 13: 5 Iraqis killed as rockets hit U.S. base in Baghdad
Rockets killed 5 Iraqis near Baghdad International Airport. Six suspects were being arrested at the launching site. There are at least 11 rockets being fired and another unexploded rocket was found nearby. As of another case on Monday, 3 Iraqi civilians were killed and four were wounded by bomb according to the New York Times. What I think is that, everyone should loves peace, and stop war.
A17: Clinton camp says Obama plagiarized in his speech
I found this news to be extremely funny. “Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign on Monday accused Senator Barack Obama of commiting plagiarism in a weekend speech”. While being accused by Senator Clinton, Senator Obama fought back by saying: “I’ve written two books. I wrote most of my speeches. I would add that I noticed Senator Clinton, on occasion, has used words of mine as well.” Isn’t this crazy? I can’t help but keep laughing. Anyway, good luck to both of them.
02/20/2008: Wisconsin hands Obama victory, ninth in a row A1
Senator Barack Obama won over Senator Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin on Tuesday night. Senator Barack Obama is leading the game now. Clinton advisers were saying that they must change their strategy in order to give a negative impression of Obama for his supporters, and highlight her own strength. Senator Clinton must win those two primaries by strong margins to be a formidable rival to Mr. Obama for their party’s nomination.
A4: Two paintings stolen from Zurich Museum didn’t get far
Four paintings that had been stolen, two found their way back. Authorities found the two paintings by Monet and van Gogh to be in perfect condition in the back seat of an unlocked car. These two were being abandoned were because of their size. It’s hard for the robbers to transport them, authorities assumed on Tuesday. But, Mr. Gloor said he’s still worried about the other two including the “Boy in a Red Vest,” which worth $91 million. Estimated costs for all four paintings are about $163 million.
A19: In politics, inspiration or plagiarism is a fine line
I really am impressed by this article. It covers so many “plagiarized sentences” that we will never ever noticed. This article includes all Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, and Deval Patrick. Everyone is “echoing one another”. This issue is related with the one on Tuesday. It’s interesting for sure.
02/21/2008: Journalist sentences to death in Iran, accused of terrorism A9
Being suspected as a member of a terrorist group in the country’s southeast, a journalist has been sentenced to death. The journalist, Yaghoob Mirnehad, had been charged of “membership in the terrorist Jundallah group as well as crimes against national security,” according to the associated press. The number of people being executed has risen. Mrinehad, was arrested in May with his brother and another four.
Deadly bomb in Mexico was meant for the police. A10
A man identified as Juan Manuel Meza Campos, 44, tried to put a bomb in the car of a police official on Friday when it blew up. Another woman was injured in this incident, while the man died on the spot. According to the New York Times, “the bomb was made of acetone peroxide, a highly unstable substance.” The woman was burned over half her body. The man who died was linked to drug traffickers. The target of Mr. Juan Meza was a police commander which until now couldn’t be identified.
Hate mail sent to Blacks at prep school is investigated A14
“Students of color appear to be the target”, according to Jane Brown. The words “bang bang get out of here” has threaten the students. After the black students received threatening mail, St. Paul’s school in Concord held a special assembly immediately and about 525 students attended while 8 percent or about 40 are black. School authorities are now trying their best to assist those students whenever they need help, and continue to investigate where all those mails were from.
02/22/2008: Retired priest sentenced for bilking two churches A15
“Money from churches was used to support a wife and three daughters.” Other than that, the money was being used to assist his relatives back in Philippines and to buy property there. A retired Roman Catholic priest was sentenced on Thursday to more than five years in prison for embezzling the money from churches. His wife explains that he had been a surrogate parent to his nieces and nephews, sponsoring their education fees. On top of that, he had to look after his parents. Personally, I think that these excuses are not strong enough to let him used the money without the consent from other members.
02/25/2008: Born Irish, but with Illegal Parents A1
“George-Jordan Dimbo, 11, is an Irish citizen, but his father, Ifedinma, is not.” His parents, both are illegal immigrants from Nigeria, judged that Ireland is the best place to raise George up. George has reckoned himself as an Irish child. For centuries, Ireland had been a racially homogenous land of emigrants according to the New York Times. But, it is not the case now. Luckily, there’s little conflict happened. People still look some of the Blacks as Irish, which is a good thing.
Long Island mother in custody fight is charged with killing 3 children A18
An emotionally disturbed woman is afraid of losing her child’s custody called the police on Sunday and showed the police the scene where her young daughter and two small sons were lying dead on a bed. She had been charged with the murder of all three children, and been sent to a hospital for physical and mental examination. Another case of innocent victims. This was truly a very disturbing scene because they were children! “The mother was stressed out and everybody knew about it, because she would go around asking people for money,” said the baby sitter of the innocents.
2.19.08
A15
“With Oil Prices Rising, Wood Makes a Comback.”
Around the area of Newport VT, many residents who are dealing with the economic crunch have turned to wood to heat their homes. People who paid $3000 to heat their homes with oil or natural gas, are now paying around $600. This is great for the timber industry who say that in the past decade there’s been a sharp decline in homes using wood. Unfortunately with cheap heat it put out more particulate into the air. Roughly 205 times more than an oil furnace, and 8000 times more than a natural gas furnace.
A24
“For Maybe $490 a Month, Home on Manhattan’s Bounding-Main Street”
Since 1937 many people have called the 79th Street Boat Basin home, docking boat houses, yachts, a schooners. While many consider the lifestyle to be amazingly free and relatively cheap, others like the Riverside Park Fund, a private group that raises money for the park used to call the residents squatters on public land. Over the last decade annual residency has declined due to a permit issue. Now with the issue resolved, the city is allowing a limited number of new residents in to “bring in new blood.”
2.20.08
A15
“Reporter Held in Contempt in Anthrax Case”
Toni Locy a journalism professor at West Virginia University who reported on Dr. Steven Hatfill, a bioterrorism expert during the anthrax case. He’s now suing the federal government, saying his reputation was ruined by leaks to the news media. Judge Walton said Ms. Locy’s testimony was important to help Dr. Hatfill pursue his lawsuit. He plans on setting fines of $5000 a day until Ms. Locy reveals her sources.
C2
“Toshiba Gives Up, and Blu-ray Wins the DVD Format Fight.”
In Tokyo, Toshiba’s chief executive Mr. Nishida, announced his company would stop all production, sales and marketing of HD-DVD players. This is because in January, companies like Warner Bros and Wal-Mart said they’d go strictly with Sony’s Blu-ray format. Analysts believe this could cost Toshiba hundreds of millions of dollars. This isn’t a fatal blow though to a company who’s sales last year were $60.3 billion dollars. Mr. Nishida says that he hopes this decision will help the high-definition DVD market develop. The company will now focus its efforts on more profitable products such as laptops and memory cards.
2.22.08
A15
“Across the Bay, on a School Bus Wearing Skis.”
For the community of La Pointe Wisconsin, an island about 2 miles from Bayfield, the commute can be made in many ways. During the winter once the ice is at least 11 inches thick, cars and trucks can make their way on a plowed path. During the warmer weeks of winter when the ice is thin or when it compacts together, the school district brings out the Windsled. Made by two brothers who own a construction company, this 4 ½ ton vehicle carries students across the bay in a way many find extraordinary. The students say its normal and think nothing of it. This machine has been in service for eight years and until this year had to be maintained by the city. Yearly usage costs ranged from $24,000 to $30,000 dollars. This year, legislators approved a budget item providing operating costs up to $35,000.
This week in the NY Times:
Tuesday, 2/19/08
“Russia’s Claim Under Polar Ice Irks American”, A1
Last August, Russian’s travelled to the bottom of the ocean in Antarctica to plant a Russian flag to claim that territory. Alfred S. McLaren, 75, retired US Navy Submariner, said he helped the Russians with the dive plan, which is supported by E-mails and other documents. Don Walsh, a deep ocean diver, also backs McLaren’s account. McLaren studied and mapped the ocean floor for the Navy during service and this is some of the information he shared with the Russians, which they used during their dive for territorial claim.
“New Trove in Kennedy Killing; New Theories Sure to Follow”, A1
A secret safe was unlocked after 40 years after John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The contents included clothing worn by Lee Harvey Oswald, a leather holster belonging to Oswald’s killer Jack Ruby, a contract for a movie deal, along with a transcript about the killing, and two sets of brass knuckles. New conspiracy theories are expected to follow.
Wednesday, 2/20/08
“Lacking Cure, a New Track on a Muscle Disease”, A1
I’ve always had a crush on Jerry Lewis, and for the past several years he’s been raising money for Muscular Dystrophy each Labor Day. But finding a cure has not been easy or successful and they have started looking into different treatments and drugs. The fact is that there is some hope with corrective surgery and rehabilitation therapy. Parents are trying to get doctors to keep trying new treatments.
“Research Centers on Finding New Drugs”, A16
Researchers have pretty much given up on replacing defective genes that cause Muscular Dystrophy and are looking at ways to override the gene instead. There has been a promising new drug by PTC Therapeutics that corrects some mutations. It is also being tested on cystic fibrosis. The drug is supposed to “cancel” the effects from mutations. They are also working on stem cell transplantation. Although none of these drugs or new studies may correct the disease, it may make it a more manageable chronic disorder.
Thursday, 2/21/08
“Pressed for Time and Money, Americans Are Giving Up Golf”, A1
It looks like there are too many golf courses in America, because many Americans are not finding enough time anymore to continue with the sport. Many golf courses are closing down.
“Mercury Taint Divides a Japanese Whaling Town”, A8
Japan loves to eat whales and dolphins. No one has been able to get them to stop harvesting the animals. Now, laboratories are finding high levels of mercury in the dolphins and whales which may force the Japanese to stop or extremely slow the consumption of these animals. Although the levels are 10 to 50 times the advised intake amount, only pregnant women have been issued a warning. The townspeople are angry at the government for not notifying them of the increased hazard potential.
“Using Stem Cells, Researchers Control Diabetes in Mice”, A14
The study is still young, but some mice have been injected with stem cells to take on the part of producing insulin, and it worked. Refinement is needed before the treatment on humans can be studied, but it’s looking promising.
Friday, 2/22/08
“Suit Says Spinal Disk Maker Falsely Won F.D.A. Approval”, C2
The Spinal Disk article from last week update: The patients were misled about the treatment and the makers are in BIG trouble. They also found that the doctors who recommended the treatment had compromised reasons of personal gain from conducting and suggesting the new treatment to unsuspecting patients.
“Cuts at Starbucks”, C6
Starbucks has eliminated 600 jobs to reignite growth. 220 people were laid off and 380 open positions were eliminated.
Monday, 2/25/08
“An Article Brings Sharp Responses From Russians”, A9
The New York Times published an article that described Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on Democracy, and then published a Russian translated version of the article on a Russian Web site to encourage comments from Russians. The comments from Russians in the Times today were very colorful and interesting, and sort of funny.
2.26.08
A11
“In Boston, Mayor and Librarian Clash Over Control.”
In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino and the city are going to take control of the Boston Public Library’s 200+ trust funds to better monitor how money is being spent. President of the library, Bernard Margolis says this will only cause trustees to stop giving to the library. His argument is that when people make these donations, they believe that the people who know how to spend it are the people who run the library. Some are concerned that the trust funds will be spent elsewhere, but Dot Joyce, a spokeswoman for Mayor Menino said the city did not intend to use the funds for other purposes, and had no legal way of doing so.
D3
“Photovoltaic Cells Are Still Very Green, Comparative Test Shows.”
Brookhaven National Laboratory scientists have found that out of four different types of solar energy cells, cadmium telluride cells are the greenest. The actually differences in pollution is slight. Researchers also say replacing electrical power from the grid with electricity generated from solar cells results in an 89% reduction in greenhouse gases. I ask the question, “What are we waiting for?”
2.27.08
A8
“Binding Emissions Treaty Still a Possibility, U.S. Says.”
In Paris a senior White House official on Tuesday outlined a new approach to discussing, with Europe, a meaningful agreement to limit global warming. James Connaughton, chairman for the White House Council on Environmental Quality says the US could agree to a binding treaty if it included mandatory steps for China, India and other developing countries. This is a step away from the Bush Administrations usual way to go about global warming. While not a big step, it does allow for further discussion in the U.S.’s involvement in global responsibility.
2.29.08
A8
“Near Arctic, Seed Vault Is a Fort Knox of Food.”
On a Norwegian island in the Arctic Ocean, the Global Seed Vault is beginning to receive its first shipments of seeds. Located 500 feet below the permafrost, the facility is almost self operating. Systems have been installed to control temps and if something fails, the general temp in the vault will not reach above -20 Celsius. This is due to plant species disappearing at an alarming rate. The Global Vault is part of a broader effort to gather and systematize information about plants and their genes. Climate experts believe this information could be incredibly valuable. Decisions to create this seed vault stem from the idea that with global warming causing so many species to go extinct, what are we to do? Many seed banks exist through out the globe, but they’re located in unstable countries.
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses
All go to the university,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
And there's doctors and there's lawyers
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf-course,
And drink their Martini dry,
And they all have pretty children,
And the children go to school.
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
And they all get put in boxes
And they all come out the same.
And the boys go into business,
And marry, and raise a family,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.
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