The Way Life Should Be

The way life should be: here in maine, that is what we pride our state on. However this is not a perfect world and their will always be an issue or two to fix. In Maine one issue that is getting worse and worse is: Air Pollution. Thousands of tourist flock to Maine in the summer in hopes of seeing foliage, beaches, and fresh pine scented air. That being said the quality of Maine's air has been on a steady decline for the past several years.
The primary culprit for the mass amounts of pollution is coal fired power plants and automobiles. Ozone levels exceeded the national health standard, as well as fine particle pollution causing reason to worry. Polluted air forces many people to remain indoors on hot days in fear of asthma attacks and being short of breath. The Clean Air Act takes aim at reducing the amount of pollution being released and has been doing so for the past 40 years.
One way to significantly reduce air pollution is by producing cars that release less toxins. Recently special interest lobbyist purposed a proposal that would have blocked President Obama's Administration from enforcing the Clean Air Act to combat global warming. "Climate change is the largest threat to public health this century. Allowing tricky political maneuvers to derail science-based carbon emission reduction strategies is simply unconscionable" said Paul Santomenna, Executive Director of Maine Physicians for Social Responsibility.
The proposal which has been dubbed "The Dirty Air Act" was received with much anger by mans environmentalist. “This attack on the Clean Air Act was written by polluters for polluters. The Dirty Air Act would have a sweeping impact, blocking protections to safeguard our health as well as to reduce America’s oil dependence and move us to clean energy. Our goal is to alert constituents in Maine about this behind-closed-doors attack on our clean air protections so they can ask Senators Snowe and Collins to oppose the rollback,” said Caitlin Seeley, Federal Field Associate for Environment Maine. Hopefully with the years to come we will be able to have even more success reducing harmful emissions into the ozone.

Twitter, a social networking website, designed so anyone with an account can post anything from what their doing to a random thought on their account. So one might think to themselves how could this be of any importance other than stalking ex's online? Lets put it in perspective: You wake up to an alert on your phone from twitter saying: "Earthquake." You then go online to find out what is going on and you see many of your friends via Twitter have been giving updates and status checks. This can be of vital importance to mobilize people when natural disasters occur, as well as used to let family and friends know your alright. During the rush of a disaster it may be hard to keep in touch with all of your loved ones; however, with new social media tools available it is now as simple as posting "I'm Alright", and the stress a family might have faced would be over as soon as they saw that. Wikipedia is another useful tool that has gained steam over the past few years. It is an online encyclopedia with information on just about anything. It is set up so people who are registered can log in and edit information that has been posted, all in the spirit of posting actual facts. Wikipedia has been used to the benefit awareness by Virginia Tech students who, after the fatal shootings in 2007, created a page on the Virginia Tech shootings about 20 minutes after the first shots had been fired. That along with a Facebook group called "Safe at VTech." This allowed family and friends to check those who had joined the group and decipher whether or not they might be safe. Albeit these internet tools can only be used to a certain level and should not be used blindly. Information, when it can be posted by anyone, should always be double checked because many times online it could be false.

Broadcast

[Newscaster]:

Today in 140 Bennett Hall students and staff alike met to discuss Technologically Enhanced Humanity
The lecture was led by Charles T. Rubin who talked about both sides of the issue stating: "We do what we do and the way we do it because of the advances in modern science."
There was much debate over the issue among the students

VO inside room
[student]: "How could there be equality when some people might have a considerable genetic advantage."During the lecture the ideology of transhumanist were discussed and analyzed, allowing us to see the difference between gradual advances in society and human genetics.

Technologically Enhanced Humanity

Orono- On Friday, March 26th in 140 Bennett Hall, students and staff alike met to discuss Technologically Enhanced Humanity. Thoughts were provoked, issues touched upon, and yet solid answers about hypothetical problems were hard to come by.
The lecture was led by Charles T. Rubin (PHD, Political Science) who talked about both sides of the issue stating: "We do what we do and the way we do it because of the advances in modern science." Many points were raised during the lecture, one of them being how for centuries there has been a "bargain" between Science and Technology on one hand and Politics and Society on the other. The bargain being investigations in natural science is left free to the few who desire to pursue it.
One issue that would would be of serious magnitude if the transhuman ideals are met is where would the line between Gene Therapy and Gene Enhancement. If we are able to repair damaged genes that would eliminate diseases, what would the difference between doing this and modifying genes to become superior. Where would we determine the difference? Mr. Rubin then said: "At a basic level the power to heal a sick human being overlaps with the power to enhance"
During the lecture the ideology of transhumanist was discussed and analyzed, allowing us to see the difference between gradual advances in society and human genetics, and the extreme advancements that transhumanist aim for.
A variety of issues come to mind when thinking about e genetically enhanced human race, one of them being: "How could there be equality when some people might have a considerable genetic advantage." If the capacities of the Human body are pushed, how far can we push them?
One thought of the transhumans is that we humans are "Meat Machines," and if we are already machines, why not enhance and modify this machine to become faster, stronger, more productive and push the boundaries of nature we once thought were unbreakable. As for the fallout of such technology? The answer given by many transhumanist: "We will cross that bridge when we come to it."

Town Issue: Looking Back

As time draws nearer to the departure of Falmouth High School's Principle, Allyn Hutton, many in the community reflect on her esteemed contributions to the Falmouth School system. I had the chance to speak to former students of Falmouth High School who had Hutton for a principle, as well as an involved parent in the community. Joe Horgan, former student and Student Body President, had this to say about the former principle:
"She was always incredibly helpful and friendly working with student government, and always supportive of our agenda as student body."
What were some ways Mrs. Hutton would assist the student government?
"Well one thing that I respect about her is that she didn't mind doing small menial jobs when asked too. She would almost always be willing to chaperone events. Not to mention she always was supportive of us coming up with fundraising ideas and activities "
Allyn makes a great edition to any department of education and will do so again when she takes over as the Kittery Superintendent. Her vast knowledge for the educational system combined with her passion makes her the individual she is.
In a instance in 2007 a student was beaten after having hot coffee poured down his back and while many questioned the student about it in an interrogative manner, Principle Hutton was the only one asking the student how he was doing, and the only one with a sincere . This may not be as gratifying to the public as finding a budget cut but it shows that she puts her heart into her job.
Former student and football Captain, Kristopher Floridino became close with Hutton as she was an avid supporter of the football team and had this to say about her: "she was always looking for new and creative ideas to better the establishment"
They are not alone in their support for Hutton as Barbara Powers, the new Falmouth high School Principle praised her stating: "She enriched the students learning experience through one on one contact and by keeping the school one of the best in the state"

Town Issue: Falmouth High School Principle Leaves for Kittery

2008 Principle of the Year Allyn Hutton was recently announced by the Kittery School Committee as the new nomination for the position of Superintendent.
Hutton has been in the education field for 25 years and takes great pride in her work and is excited to take the kittery school district to "the next level."
Having worked for Falmouth High School since 2002 she has ascertained a very close relationship to the student body and was always seen showing school spirit at sporting events and school rallies.
Recently appointed Falmouth Superintendent Barbara Powers praised Hutton stating that Mrs. Hutton is "an outstanding principle." Powers also paid tribute to the "open door policy" Hutton had in place, which could be seen by the steady flow of students entering and exiting her office doors on any given day. "It's going to be a really tough job for us to fill her shoes, but I'm confident that Falmouth as a district will be able to attract outstanding candidates to the high school," Powers said.
Currently Allyn Hutton earns over $95,000 a year in a district that contains 2,100 students in Falmouth. The Kittery School District contains less than half of Falmouth with around 1000 students. Current Superintendent for Kittery Larry Littlefield will retire at the end of this school year in June.
Hutton was in the running for the job along with 20 other candidates, and had to undergo interviews and panels with Kittery Teachers asking questions related to the districts issues. One of them being how the candidates will address a budget of $3.6 million, while Traip Academy has a budget of $3.1 million.
There is no doubt Hutton will be missed as she is a valued and esteemed member of the community. Both Falmouth and Mrs. Hutton have gained a great deal from each other. For the town its educational department has been under great leadership and guidance for the past 8 years. For Allyn Hutton, she now has award winning experience in a revered town, she also plans on drawing from this experience to further enhance the progression of the kittery School District.

Profile: Garrewt Chapman

Garrett Chapman is a freshman at the University of Maine Orono and is currently working on getting his business degree. Garrett is an avid surfer, one of many in his family, and also participates in the rarer form of the sport: winter surfing. When asked about surfing in below freezing temperatures he had this to say,"It takes a lot of passion and dedication to surf when you can feel frost building up on your eyelids, but I love it and wont stop." Having learned to surf from his father Gary Chapman, a former professional who was sponsored by Oakley, at the young age of 8 has formed a close bond between father and son. As a Native American Garrett has a great sense of pride for his heritage and is taking the Native American studies course offered by the University. As a business major Garrett has plans to one day own a car customization garage in Hawaii, "My goal is to customize cars, installing audio components, and minor mechanical modifications as well. I would sit down with customers and discuss what they would like done to their car and together we will brainstorm to come up with something creative and unique." Since owning his first car at 16, Garrett's hobby of working on his Civic turned into a passion as his friends would pay him to install sound systems and work on their vehicles. Garrett also has a strong passion for animals, claiming he even thought about becoming a veterinarian. "When I was younger I had a golden retriever and was very close to him; however, he developed cancer and we had to put him down. It was a very rough experience for me, and I would love to be able to help animals."

Convergence and Consolidation in Journalism

For years the way we receive our news has been evolving. From newspapers, radios, tv's, and now the internet. This convergence allows any journalist to write and post any article they deem "newsworthy" online for any viewer to read. However with this convergence brings consolidation to a once thriving market. The average person is more likely to go online and read about the news now than they are to buy a newspaper. That being said the internet has found ways to make news more compelling, as journalists can post videos along with their articles. Consolidation is when you combine multiple things, in this case companies, and make them into a singular, more effective whole. This argument was more thank likely used when larger companies pressured smaller local companies to sell out and "consolidate."
By creating less companies it creates less journalists which means many local and smaller news stories go unnoticed. When that happened the internet was being used to the fullest with news becoming more accessible online, and much more convenient. While convergence does have its negatives that feed into consolidation, they also have positives that counter these very problems as well.
Among these negatives includes the loss of jobs. “In the USA today there are roughly 3,000 people working on the internet making news. Last year alone 16,000 newspaper employees lost their jobs." While the internet does its best to create employment, it is simply not enough. Another negative linked with this is credibility. Now more than ever readers must be weary of of the credibility of stories online, as it could be someone fabricating lies for an entertaining story. Another negative is if there are only a few networks left, after consolidating, then it creates less competition between them. As this revolution continues anyone with the a passion for news can now act up on it enter the world of professional journalism.




Media for All: Solving convergence and ownership consolidation problems by Damien Gayle

http://blogs.journalism.co.uk/editors/2009/11/03/media-for-all-solving-convergence-and-ownership-consolidation-problems/

Morals In Journalism

In September of 2009 the associated press released a photo of a marine dying on the battlefield, doing so against the wishes of the marines family. This has long been an issue of much debate and discussion around the nation. During the Gulf War in 1991 the Bush administration put a blanket ban on any media coverage of Honor Guard Ceremonies. This is an issue that many are very passionate about as it pertains to the fallen protectors of our nation and their honor. The argument of one side is: Pictures of fallen soldiers show the public that tragic truth about war and honor the soldiers. The counter argument to this is: The Associated press is not releasing these photos to honor the soldiers, they are releasing them to make money and cause controversy because that is what sells. At the very least permission from the soldiers family should first be required to release any photograph of a dying or dead soldier. The morality of the issue is this: Does the first amendment make it acceptable for the media to exploit U.S soldiers? Because the images may be newsworthy does it make it okay to print the image of dead loved one with a family and friends in the process of grieving? Soldiers and their families should have a right to privacy, and they will not be able to do so when they are in line at the grocery store and see their dead son on the cover of a magazine. Perhaps I am biased on this situation or maybe I have an incite, either way I have a brother serving his first tour in the Army in Iraq. In the event of an untimely demise I would think it would only be suiting for the Associated Press to obtain permission from the family to use an image of that content. The rights to a persons privacy are very important to the moral fiber of this country, we all exercise our right to it and when our rights to privacy are being altered we all lash out at the imposer. So again I ask, is it moral for journalist to make money off of ones honorable sacrifice?


References:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20090226/index.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2141549/associated_press_to_dead_soldiers_family.html?cat=9

My Goals in this Course

In this class I would like to learn about the journalism profession and how to write properly for the mass media. I am also interested in learning the proper procedures and ethical guidelines involved in the field of journalism. I am not yet sure if I want to be a journalist but I am interested in learning more and acquiring the writing skills to do so.