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.