News post #15

Article:That Tap Water Is Legal but May Be Unhealthy

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/us/17water.html?hp

Summary: 35 years ago a law was passed to protect the purity of Americans' tap water. That Safe Drinking Water Act only covers 91 potentially-harmful chemicals in water while there are actually more than 60,000 chemicals. Government and independent scientists have found that some chemicals cause cancer and other life-threatening diseases yet they haven't added one chemical to those regulated by this federal law since 2000. As a result of the government not updating the Safe Drinking Water Act, more than 62 million Americans have come across dirty water according to an analysis done by The Times. One example of the government trying to cover up the dangers of our water occurred in Los Angeles when the city covered the surface of a reservoir with black plastic balls that covered the lake from the sun. This was done in order to prevent carcinogens from forming in the water and leading to cancer. The directors of this project came under attack by residents of L.A. The people of America, especially in the poorer parts, are becoming outraged that the government isn't protecting such a simple privilege: clean water.

Opinion: In my opinion, it is absolutely necessary for the government to step up and take care of this issue. With such serious diseases going around like the Swine Flu, the only thing we need is a problem with our water. They need to update the Safe Drinking Water Act and include all the harmful chemicals in it. Meanwhile, they should inform people around the country to be cautious about drinking tap water. The American government should make this issue their top priority before it gets too out of hand.

News post # 14

Article: Police Shoot and Kill Man Outside Hotel in Times Square

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/police-shoot-man-at-hotel-in-times-square/?hp

Picture: Gunshots shattered glass of a store called Broadway Baby in Times Square.

Summary: Early Thursday morning when the streets of Times Square were filled with shoppers, a plainclothes policeman shot down a 25 year old man. The cop had confronted the man who was demanding tourists to buy CDs from him. The man was armed with a loaded Mac-10 semiautomatic pistol and had shot first when he was asked about what he was doing. The unidentified man was giving shoppers CDs, writing their names on it, and demanding they pay the $10 fee. According to the policeman, the vendor got in people's faces and intimidated them to buy his CDs. When the police sergeant approached the man to see if he had a tax stamp that allowed him to sell CDs, the man started running in the other direction toward 46th street. The cop started chasing him and the man opened fire. Eventually, the cop fatally shot the man. Medical workers came and took the man to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, where he died.

Conclusion: In my opinion, it was very fortunate that the cop was in the right place at the right time. Who knows how many could have been killed if the cop hadn't approached the individual who was aggressively trying to sell CDs. This also goes to show that shootings don't always have to happen in the middle of the night in back alley. Someone with a gun can be anywhere, even in broad daylight in the middle of such as busy place like Times Square. You have to be aware of your surroundings and always make sure you stay away from suspicious-looking people. Everyone was so lucky that the policeman got there in time and prevented anyone else from getting hurt.

News post #13

Article:

City to Shut 4 Schools for Poor Performance; More Closings Expected

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/nyregion/03closings.html?hpw

Summary: On Wednesday, The New York City Department of Education (NYCDE) announced that they will be closing four NYC schools whose performance has been lackluster over the years. The soon-to-be closed schools include a large technical high school in Brooklyn, one school in the Bronx, and two schools in Manhattan. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already shut down 91 schools since 2002 during his plan to overhaul the city's school system. The deputy schools chancellor for strategy, John White, believes that school's administration is doing their best, but that the school simply doesn't "have the capacity to prepare students for the future". These four schools have been receiving a majority of F's and D's since 2002. The schools have been trying to turn around their performance for the better recently by hiring a new principal and working with parents, teachers, and students. These school closings need to be approved by the Panel for Educational Policy before officially closing. Students that are enrolled in the closing schools have the option to remain there until the closing is approved or transfer.

Opinion: It is a pity that New York City schools are closing,but if they can't prepare their students to be successful in life then they should be closed. Instead of taking such drastic measures by closing them maybe the NYCDE can continue trying to improve the schools and finding the root of the problem why they aren't living up to their potential. Other city schools may now become overcrowded due to less schools in the area and learning there might suffer as well. Panelists on the Panel for Educational Policy need to look at all the problems the school closings could cause before making their final decision.

New Post #12

Article: ‘Twilight’ Dawns Bright at the Box Office

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/movies/23box.html?_r=1&ref=movies

Summary: The inexpensive sequel to Twilight, New Moon made $140.7 million in tickets in North America this weekend. This high profit was surprising especially since Summit Studios predicted the movie would make around $100 million. New Moon made $70 million on its opening night on Friday with 50% of moviegoers under 21. Only 20% of the audience was male.

The sequel to Twilight came in as the 3rd best movie opening ever behind The Dark Knight and Spiderman 3. The movie that previously held the title was Pirates of the Caribbean 3. The profits of New Moon were so beneficial to a small studio like Summit because it only cost them $50 million dollars to make. This was different compared to The Dark Knight, which cost $185 million, and Spiderman 3, which was funded by $260 million. The audience that drove such high ticket sales for New Moon was mostly female. The next movie in the series, Eclipse, comes out June 30th.

Opinion: This is great news for the studio that such a small budget movie is making huge strides in the movie business. It's great for fans because since the movie is making so much cash in the box office, the movies will continue to come out. There's still two left in this series written by Stephenie Meyer and the next one comes out in June. Although the movie is predicted to make more money, the studio is worried that since the Twilight fans that call themselves "Twi-hards" already saw the movie, who else will go out and see it? This may be a problem, but these movies are known to get repeat customers. I know myself because last year when Twilight came out, I saw it four times.

Glass Houses Article

Summary: In this article, Jack Shafer describes all the things that Glass did to break the journalism code of honesty. He says that he never doubted Glass until Forbes revealed the truth. Before the scandal, publications in England and Singapore used Glass's "facts" to write some of their own articles. When a topic from one of Glass's articles is searched on Google there are results that come up. The catch is that all these results are published AFTER Glass wrote his articles. Also, editors never called Glass bluff because he was "too good to check". They were entertained by his out-of- this-world stories. They also had respect for him since he was willing to accept criticism and often pulled all-nighters to fix his articles. The only part he didn't seem to be willing to tweak was the sources. The New Republic did have a fact-checking department, but Glass received sympathy because of how much he contributed. Shafer says," Anyone can doubt a bad writer. It's the good ones who need watching."

Opinion: The fact that even a editor for an esteemed magazine like Slate was fooled by Glass shows that he truly was a great writer. The problem was that because everyone thought he was so great, no one bothered to check up on him. No one doubted him. Major magazine companies in Europe believed in him so much that they even based their own articles on his. Too bad they didn't know that instead of reporting, Glass was writing fiction. Glass made sure there were no holes in his stories, even going as far as creating a website for one of the companies he made up. The quote at the end of Shafer's article shows that people in journalism automatically put down the writers that don't show flair and color in their articles. On the other hand, they always trust the writers who do show these things. You always assume that the man who has everyone laughing at the meetings and shooting out great articles is perfect. What you don't do is look under the surface of this perfection.

News post # 11

Article: Sounds During Sleep Aid Memory, Study Finds

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/science/20sleep.html?ref=us

Summary: Science researchers, while trying to figure out how the sleeping brain works, have found that when people listen to something over and over while they sleep their memory is enhanced. This is very beneficial especially when a person is trying to cram for a test, memorize lines for a play, or learn a new language. Scientists at Northwestern University performed a test on several people that included them seeing pictures, taking a short nap while the sounds that the pictures they saw made were played in the background, and then being quizzed on what they saw before they fell asleep. The people that took a nap did better than those who didn't. They had no recollection of any sounds being played during their nap.

Conclusion: This new information may cause differences in people's lives. Scientists always urge humans to get a good eight hours of sleep each night. Now people will actually realize how important sleep is. The human brain does many significant things while asleep like store and organize memories. Researches also feel that because of this new discovery SAT scores may increase. Hopefully people will know realize that instead of cramming for that history final till 2 AM, they should get some sleep.

News post #10

Article: Can You Believe Your Eyes?

Summary: This article talks about how ever since the beginning of photography, pictures have been retouched in some way or another. The first photo to ever be retouched was in the 1860s when Abraham Lincoln's head was stuck on top of Senator John C. Calhoun's. Another example was a picture of Soviet dictator, Stalin. There was a man next to him who later was arrested. After the man's arrest he was wiped out of the picture. While some photographers might do this for their own advantage, nations, such as Iran, retouch photos to make their countries seem stronger. When Iran photographed a shooting off of their missiles, only 3 out of the 4 went off. They later retouched the picture so it looked like all 4 went off, to make their military seem stronger. Magazine covers, such as TV Guide and Newsweek, also retouched the bodies of their cover stars.

Response: In my opinion, it is completely wrong for these so called "professionals" to be readjusting photos to their liking. Photographs are supposed to be real-life pictures that capture what actually happen. When photographers mess with what was caught on camera, they alter history. Since photo retouching started in the beginning when photography first started, who knows how long it will continue especially with the advanced technology.

News Post #9

Article: Is 2 Much Txtng bad 4 u?

Summary: This article talks about how teenagers are texting in ridiculous amounts. The statistics have been rising ( the average teen sends and receives 2,300 texts per month) and it worries doctors because texting mania leads to suffering grades in school, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. There is also the problem of teens texting while driving. One sophomore teen girl noticed painful cramping in her thumbs after texting insanely for the past few months. Doctors can't tell yet if these thumb cramps will cause permanent damage. Lastly, some teens go over their texting limit and parents need to go as far as confiscating their phones and creating strict texting times.

Conclusion: In my opinion, teen texting has gotten out of control. The old worry was that teens would drink and drive. Now people are scared that their kids will get into a car crash because they were texting while driving. Times have changed and now teachers even tell their students not to use "texting language" in their papers. With teens texting so much their grades suffer. Parents have to monitor their young kids and make sure that their homework gets done so when they get older, the problem doesn't get out of control. Kids shouldn't have phones in 3rd grade because this opens up the door for future issues.

News Post # 8

Article: New Meaning for Night Class at 2-Year Colleges

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/education/28community.html?em

Summary: Some colleges are holding classes that start at 11:45 p.m. and end at 2:30 a.m to accommodate the hundreds of students that applied. Bunker Hill Community College offers these courses for people who work during the day and are trying to get a better job. There are also courses as early as 6 a.m for people who want to come before work. They are aided by unlimited coffee, cookies, and an instructor who actually does push-ups before class to get pumped up. Other things that occur as a result of the boom of students applying are new parking lots being built, extra space being renting, and many students wait-listed. College professors say that the recession has really hit hard and many people who are out of work are desperate to get a better education.

Response: In my opinion, these new classes, although scheduled at a difficult time, are better alternatives to getting wait-listed or not getting any education at all because there's not enough room. Although colleges are doing their best to increase space, sometimes that's not enough so they need to add classes. If someone is really passionate about their education or they simply want a better job in these tough times, they can arrange a different sleeping routine in order to do so. It's a great idea to have unlimited coffee and for all the students to support each other throughout the wee hours while they're learning. If this is what it takes to educate more people, then it's a great solution.

News Post # 7

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-dinosaur22-2009oct22,0,1635147.story

Article: Fossils of North America's smallest dinosaur identified

Summary: Fruitadens haagarorum, North America's smallest dinosaur, weighed only 2 pounds and was 28 inches tall. Its fossils were unearthed in Colorado and are now on display in the L.A. Natural History Museum. It lived in the Jurassic Period among many other huge dinosaurs. This creature was thought to be a fast runner. The actual remains were discovered in 1970, but it was only recently that they were identified and named a species. Scientists think that this dinosaur was an omnivore.

Response: In my opinion, this is great that scientists have discovered this new species because it shows that the stereotype that all dinosaurs are gigantic is proved wrong. Scientists may have disregarded small fossils before whereas now they may see a link. This discovery will hopefully provide more answers that archaeologists all over the world wish to know more about.

News post # 6

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/14/us/AP-US-Model-Altered-Photo.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=ralph%20lauren%20model&st=cse

Article: Model in Altered Ralph Lauren Ad Speaks Out

Summary: The model Filippa Hamilton (whose body was photoshopped in a Ralph Lauren ad) speaks out about her rocky time while working for Ralph Lauren. She says her contract with the company was not renewed because she was "too large". Hamilton claims that they became angry when she couldn't fit into their clothes anymore and fired her. Before this incident, she had considered Ralph Lauren her second family because she had worked with them since she was 15. She was let go in April but only decided to go public when the picture of her surfaced. The 5'10 model weighs 120 pounds and is a size 4. Apparently, this was too big for the company and they usually look for size zero or size two models. Ralph Lauren released a statement that the reason for the model's firing was because she disobeyed her contract in multiple ways. Regarding the re-touching of the picture, the company takes full responsibility and say Hamilton is "a beautiful and healthy woman".

Response: In my opinion, the statements that Ralph Lauren is releasing are simply just to try to clean up their image. If they thought Hamilton was "a beautiful and healthy woman" then why did they feel the need to re touch her waist and make it look as wide as her head? Instead of making her seem gorgeous in the picture, they made her look like a bobble head. Modeling agencies should acknowledge the fact that the average size of an American woman is size 14. The images they create of pin-thin models only ruins the self confidence of women everywhere especially teen girls who think that in order to be considered beautiful, they must look like the model in the magazine. It was a breath of fresh air when in Glamour magazine they featured a woman who had some fat in her stomach area. The media was set ablaze and everyone was wondering who this woman was. The media should set a spotlight on women like this instead of the imaginary figures that are created by computers. I thought modeling was all about being photographed in person not created on Photoshop.

Website Response

Website: http://www.cjr.org/

The Columbia Journalism Review had many useful tools available for both professional and student journalists. The column Language Corner provides a unique perspective on how to approach an important issue in the news. There are no pictures but the article is extremely effective and draws the reader in. Another interesting aspect of this website is the archive. You can go back in time all the way to 2004 and read about the issues that were happening not so long ago. The articles are separated into categories, such as politics and a special column called Behind the News, so it’s easy to quickly know what each one is about. There are over thousands of articles all with a witty title that draws the reader in. Lastly, I found that there is a multimedia section featuring both audio and video news. Readers can learn about what is going on in the news in a cool and entertaining way. Videos range all the way from new projects that the Columbia Journalism Review is planning, such as Climate Central which helps improve climate coverage, to discussions about trends in the journalism world. In conclusion, this website is both interesting and useful at the same time.

News post # 5

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/nyregion/07contract.html?_r=1&hpw

Article: In Schools, New Rules on Snacks for Sale

Summary: A new vending drink machine contract in New York City was set that in elementary and middle schools drinks can't be more than 10 calories per eight ounces. In high schools, they have to be less than 25 calories per eight ounces. Artificially sweetened drinks or soda aren't permitted to be sold. CC Vending is currently trying to get the rights to drink machines. Another new regulation is that there can only be one bake sale per month held. Marketing officials are also trying to get a healthier contract for snacks as well. The regulations would include: snacks can't be more than 200 calories and 200 milligrams of sodium. Patrick J. Sullivan, a member of the health policy panel, disagrees with these new contracts saying, “If they we're so concerned with student health, why would they focus on this instead of making sure that all students have a basic gym class?” Since New York schools' contract with Snapple has expired at the end of August, vending machines are

Opinion: My opinion about this article is that although it seems like there is something drastically new happening to the lunch program, this has been around for quite a while now. We already have healthy choices at lunch, such as salads and wraps, so this new vending machine policy is nothing new. The thing is that it is up to the students to make the healthy choice and buy one slice of pizza instead of their usual two.

News post # 4

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/01/us/AP-US-Tenn-Newborn-Snatched.html

Article: Newborn Snatched from Tennessee Home Missing

Summary: A blood-covered woman knocked on Eric Peterson's door and begged him to help her find her children since a strange woman had broken into her house and stabbed her with a kitchen knife. The victim, Maria Gurrolla, had rushed to a neighbor's house to get help after being stabbed, leaving her children at home. When she got back her infant son and toddler daughter were gone. The intruder posed as an immigration officer who was there to arrest Gurrolla.It is not known whether Gurrolla was an immigrant, but she had lived in Nashville for 10 years. Eric Peterson was able to get Gurrolla's 3 year old daughter safely back home, but there was no sight of the newborn baby. Police are trying hard to find the abductor of Gurrolla's baby.

Opinion: In my opinion, I think it was really stupid that after Gurrolla was attacked, she left her children at home to get help for herself. While it's normal to think that she was in panic, she should have thought about the lives she created rather than herself. Police should find out more background information on Gurrolla so they will know if she was an unfit mother. Hopefully, the abductor will be found and the baby will be returned safely to his home.

News post # 3

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/health/policy/23fda.html?_r=1&ref=us

Article : Flavors Banned From Cigarettes to Deter Youth

Summary: The sale of flavored cigarettes has been banned by federal health officials on September 22.

Officials think that when cigarettes are flavored they appeal more to teens because they seem less dangerous. Popular flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and Camel Exotic Blends are now banned from being sold in stores. Studies show that every day 3,600 kids and teens start to smoke with 1,100 of them becoming daily smokers. Many store venders are confused whether the ban includes cigars and cigarillos as well. F.D.A agents visited shops to clear up these issues and said that all tobacco products, such as Black & Mild cigars, are forbidden as well. Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said that the ban of flavored cigarettes is covering cigars and all other flavored tobacco products too. The F.D.A. hopes that this ban will help to not attract kids to cigarettes.

Opinion: This ban is almost all good news. Although it may seem beneficial, people who previously smoked flavored cigarettes are now switching over to cigars according to Brian M. Mulholland, general manager of Georgetown Tobacco in Washington. Also, now that the products are banned, teenagers may feel rebellious and want to break the law by illegally purchasing flavored tobacco products. Many studies show that it is simple human nature to want what we can't have. Ann Brampton of Annebrampton.com said,"Wanting and pining sometimes bring us some kind of perverse pleasure." While this ban may seem like terrific news for now, later on when rebellion sets in flavored cigarettes may even be a bigger problem.

News post #2

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/mtv-awards-marred-by-performers-comments/

Article: MTV Awards Marred by Performer’s Comments

Summary: When America tuned in to watch the Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 13th, they expected plenty of drama. They didn't expect for Kanye West to humiliate Taylor Swift. When Ms. Swift went on stage to make her acceptance speech after winning Best Female Video for her video "You Belong With Me", she was shocked. After facing off against such tough competitors ( Beyonce, Single Ladies) it was a huge accomplishment for a country singer like Taylor. In the middle of her speech, Kanye West jumped on stage, took Taylor's microphone, and said the following: “I’m really happy for you,” he told her. “I’m going to let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.” He left a stunned Taylor Swift on stage while the audience booed him. The award show quickly went to a taped comedy segment. At the end of the show, Beyonce ended up winning the night's biggest prize, Video of the Year. She invited Taylor Swift on stage to finish her rudely interrupted speech and Taylor happily obliged. Kanye West took to his personal blog to apologize to Taylor, but has yet to reach out to her personally.

Opinion: In my opinion, during the VMAs you have to expect the unexpected. This is nothing new for Kanye West as during the 2007 VMAs, he had a fit when he lost all the 5 of the awards he was nominated for and he didn't get to open the show (Britney Spears did instead). Kanye stated that he "would never come back to MTV again". Perhaps, if he stuck to his words, Taylor Swift wouldn't have been publicly humiliated. The extremely rude thing Mr. West did set blogs , Facebook, and Twitter on fire. Everyone wanted to know what had happened between the two performers if they didn't see it for themselves on TV. What was a lack of good behavior, turned into a publicity stunt for Kanye West.

Journalism Road Trip

When you walk through Pascack Valley in between classes, the only thing you focus on is not tripping down the stairs. You fail to notice all the little things in the hallways or in classrooms. Yesterday, Mrs. Slockett announced that we would be going on a "road trip" throughout the high school during our journalism class. She wanted us to be observant journalists and pay careful attention to the things we usually wouldn't. Being observant in the world of journalism is very important, and this trip showed us how to be.

There are many aspects of Pascack Valley that we,as students, don't see on a regular day to day basis. When you are walking through the main stairwell doors you don't realize that the door squeaks when opened. Normally, with all the students nosily chatting in between classes you wouldn't be able to hear much of anything, let alone a door squeaking. Next, while running to your next class you don't bother to stop and look in the trophy cases and see what our school has accomplished. Did anyone even know we have three NDA trophies, all of them 1st place? Lastly on the first level, when you are busily trying to find your friends so you can sit with them in the auditorium, you don't have time to spot the sign on the door that says, "no food or drink."

When Mrs. Slockett took us upstairs to show us the huge windows overlooking the school courtyard many students said to each other, "We have a pond?" or " Since when are there such big windows in our school?" We all stared mesmerized by the sight of something as simple as a courtyard. Some of us barely have time to wander down that hallway or others don't even know it exists. Another special treat was when we traveled into the New Science wing. Although some of us have our lockers in the newest addition, we pay no attention to the cool features located there. There is a tube going around the whole wing to show how fast sound travels and a model rollercoaster.

In conclusion, a crucial part of being a journalist is paying attention to the small details and always trying to uncover more information. Being observant is so important because if you don't know specific details, then your articles are broad and don't give your readers a true sense of what is happening. During this road trip, I learned that if you aren't paying attention for even a second you could miss the thing that ties your whole article together. Applying all the things I learned during this fun class activity, I can pay closer attention and analyze the details I would normally disregard. Like the saying goes, you should always "keep your ear to the ground" especially if you are a journalist.

News post #1

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/09/10/health/AP-US-MED-Swine-Flu.html?_r=1&hp

Article: Studies: 1 Dose of Swine Flu Vaccine Works

Summary: This Thursday scientists found out that only one dose of the Swine flu vaccine will be necessary instead of two, which they first expected. This means that people will have to go to the doctor's office only two times this year for the flu shots. Once for the winter flu and once for the Swine flu. U.S. health authorities urge people to get their winter flu shot now to get it out of the way so when the Swine flu vaccine arrives in Mid-October, they will be all set. Lastly, the article states that these vaccines should be taken very seriously especially considering how dangerous Swine flu is.

Opinion/Response: My opinion about this article is that it is very good news for the American public. Now instead of having to go to the doctor's office for three different times, they will only need to go twice. Also, there will be plenty of supplies of Swine flu vaccine left over. The U.S. has ordered 195 million doses of the vaccine so most people will be protected. I think it's very important that the American citizens listen to the authorities and make sure they get to the doctor's office early to get the winter flu vaccine first. Waiting around is the wrong choice for your own health and others' as well.