Moldy Tomato? No Thanks.

Today's business section was a cover to cover read for me. In particular I would have to say would be the story titled "Hidden Ingredient: The Sweetener",

We all have some knowledge that there are bribes going on in the business world, it is all about who you know after all. But I had no idea that the people handling our food every day are actually not paying attention to what goes on the shelves if looking the other way means an extra thick lining for their pockets.

How do these people sleep at night? Knowing that people could be seriously harmed from the moldy and sometimes chemical-filled goods and not stopping production or packaging methods- it's disgusting.

I don't know who is more guilty- corporate buyers or the food corporations executives?

Man Saved by 17-year-old Refugee

At 6 a.m. this morning James Laboke, 17, found 80-year-old Francois Truffaut unconscious in his car on top of the Amtrak train tracks in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

The Amtrak train has a Downeaster route which goes from Portland, Maine to Boston. During the summer there is an Old Orchard Beach stop added. The stop times begin at 6:10 a.m.

Laboke, a Sudanes refugee who has lived in Old Orchard for the past three years, knew of the train schedule and ran 100 yards to the police station to report the incident. He then went to work at Eezy Breezy restaurant where his boss, Charles Champaigne, upon learning of the incident said “It doesn’t surprise me at all. That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He’s just a great kid.”

Captain Janet Paradiso of the local police department was first to arrive on the scene and made the split second decision to take her cruiser full speed into Truffaut’s vehicle, getting him safely across with thirty seconds before the train came through.

The conductor, Shirley Temple, was at a loss of what to do upon seeing Truffaut on the tracks. “It takes a good mile for the breaks to bring this train to a full stop. Plus if I were to hit the brakes hard I could have endangered the passengers on board.I'm just glad it all worked out.”

Truffaut was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center where he remains in stable condition. According to the police report he is a diabetic and may have received his insulin shot before the incident which could have resulted in him becoming unconscious.

Man Found Unconscious on Train Tracks

Francois Truffaut, an 80-year-old Canadian tourist, was found unconscious behind the wheel of his car that was stalled on the train tracks in Old Orchard Beach, Maine at 6 a.m.
An Amtrak train runs through Old Orchard Beach every morning at 6:10 a.m at an average speed of 40 miles per hour.
James Laboke, 17, found Truffaut and ran 100 yards to the police station to inform them of the incident.
Captain Janet Paradiso of the town police force was almost a mile away from the scene when she heard the news come over her police radio. Arriving with five minutes until the Amtrak was scheduled to come through town Captain Paradiso drove her police cruiser full speed into Truffaut's car, pushing it safely off the tracks. "I knew there was no time. I had to do something." Records show that thirty seconds after the car was off the tracks, the train came through town.
Francois Truffaut was taken to the Southern Maine Medical Center where he remains in stable condition. He revealed that he was a diabetic and does not remember anything leading up to or the incident itself.
According to the police, Truffaut could have had an insulin shot before reaching the train tracks which may have caused him to become unconscious.

Bad Teachers Finally Have Consequences for Their Actions

On the front page today there was an article about the Bloomberg administration's effort to get rid of the teachers who have proven themselves to be incompetent.
This article caught my eye because I've never heard of such a thing. Growing up and still now as I am in my final years of college, the teachers and professors have always seemed highly protected and it would take nothing short of an army to get them fired.
Last semester I had a horrible professor, he had no intention of teaching his subject, but rather teaching his way and if you did things differently or looked at something differently he decided to fail you.
I would say there are many teachers out there that shouldn't be, that have lost sight of what education should truly be about-sharing information and enlightening students, enabling them to go out into the world educated in many areas. They are more concerned with their tenure then the minds they are shaping.
So I support this move in NY and I think others should take notice. After all any type of change in this world has to start with education and if we have incompetent people at the core of our schools then we will go nowhere.

Banks Losing Power

Today's business section had an interesting article on the new laws concerning overdraft fees and the extent of the banks power in such situations.
The article states that last year alone the banks made a profit of almost $40 billion dollars from overdraft fees. More than half of which was from debit card purchases and A.T.M withdrawals. Because debit cards have become the majority's main method of payment this source of profit is huge for the banks.
However, new laws are limiting such power and profit and now banks must have their customers choose the overdraft option in order to keep the fee income high. Banks have since taken it upon themselves to send threatening letters to customers, making it appear that they will lose major privileges if they don't choose the overdraft payment option.
Honestly I think it is time the banks face the facts: they need to adapt with the times. They should be partnering up with their customers not taking away from their lives even more. These aggressive emails and letters only expose the disgusting, animal-like money and power hungry executive pigs for what they are.

Finally Someone With Power Using it For Good

On the front page today the article "Obama To Seek Federal Power Over Insurers" was about one of the best things to read and made my day. Obama wants to propose giving the federal government the power to stop insurance companies from increasing the rates.
Could this be an indication of the reforms to come concerning health care? Will the current main players have to step aside? Imagine health care that works for the people and not against them...

Feb. 18th paper: Do You Even Need to Leave Your Car?

Technology is such a fast developing industry I can barely keep up. After reading "Television That Streams, Even if Traffic Doesn't" I began to wonder if futuristic views such as the Jetsons are not that far off.
Qualcomm, the same company that is trying to push cell phones as the next tool for students, has a subscription service called Flo TV which they are trying to get into cars so families can watch broadcast TV anywhere and anytime.
I personally think this is ridiculous..we are in the car to drive, maybe listen to music and talk...not lay back and watch our favorite shows. While I am impressed with the advancements in the technology industry, I think a lot of the advancements are so unnecessary and take away from people communicating one on one rather than through text or email.

Feb. 17th paper: The Environment Discussion- Overdone or in a Serious Need to be Revisited?

The article titled "Overpopulation and Climate Change" I have to be honest was not my first pick or even my second. My reason being mainly that the discussion I feel like has been run into the ground and there are so few changes that have been made to counteract the many threats and dangers presented to the general public by environmentalists.
The article states that in 1970 the world population was almost 3.7 billion people and today it has grown to almost 6.9 billion and still growing. Obviously if are planet is in serious trouble, adding more people to pollute the air and use more resources is the last thing the world needs. But I was frustrated with this article because it doesn't offer any solution so maybe it was just written to bring attention to such an issue. However, if that is the case, as a reader that leaves me feeling more stranded than anything and as one person out of those 6.9 billion as if I cannot do much.
The writer talks of education as the key, pushing environment-friendly programs but gives no specifics...I guess I need more information to jump on this bandwagon.

Tuesday Feb. 16th Paper: Cell Phones Are the New Teacher?

The article that caught my eye the most today was on the idea being pushed in which cell phones will be the new teacher in class rooms.
Research was done by a company called Qualcomm ,who makes cell phone chips, to draw a connection between kids learning more with subjects like math and cell phones.
Many people are angry, saying this takes away from the basics of education which have been around since the beginning. However, I see this idea as a long time coming, a natural progression in a way. Think about it: we already use computers in schools and they have proven to be very beneficial in many areas such as research and creating widely used formats for papers.
Like the article says, kids are on their cell phones almost 24/7 and thus combining their like of the tool they will be using and valuable information, learning could even come off as fun..imagine that.
Something to think about.

How Do We Know?

Today I was reading the story in the times entitled "Secret Joint Rade Captures Taliban's Top Commander" and I thought to myself how do we know any of this is true?

The story looks at the capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, allegedly the one of the top Taliban leaders. I say allegedly because this war that has been going on for eight years with very little or no evidence of what the Bush administration claimed and it seems convenient when someone is captured. I feel as though every time something like this is reported the person is a "top official" or "very dangerous" but who really knows if these people are the reason why our troops are over there.

Supposedly his capture could be the missing piece of the puzzle and give American forces enough to tackle the Taliban but what if this guy is nothing, what if he is actually low level in the Taliban, a distraction. Or what if the government made everything up to cover their tracks..things to think about.

The Taliban is no doubt a dangerous group because of their incessant need to kill or kill themselves, to spread hate and harm anyone who stands in their way. So for everyone's sake I truly hope this guy is all that American forces are saying he is and that an end is possibly in sight.

A.I.G. -is Their Greed Exceeding Their Business Savy?

The article in the Times today entitled "A.I.G. Will Use a Grading System for Bonuses" struck me first for the fact that "A.I.G" and "bonuses" were in the same line.
Just so I'm clear - is this not the same company who asked the Federal Reserve for a $40 billion loan? Yes, this request was not met...for that amount. Instead they got a $85 million loan...no chump change in my book.
So excuse me if I think that they are in no shape to be giving out bonuses of any kind or receive any credit for "changing their system" and how they give out bonuses. They have over 100,000 employees around the globe- those bonuses start to add up no matter the size.
In exchange for the loan they received the government took over 80% of the stock which means we the American people are more closely connected to the BMW's,Mercedes and mcmansions of some A.I.G executives and employees than we may have thought.
So yes the bonuses are now given out depending on how hard it thought the individual is working but they are still being given out when the company is in DEBT. That hurdle should be tackled before anything else

Near Fatal Car Accident: One Teen Airlifted, Another in Stable Condition

Late Monday evening a young teen aged driver flipped his car on Mile Hill Road in Belmont, Massachusetts.
The road, all dirt as well as no street lights, is known to be treacherous if a driver is not paying attention or is going at excessive speeds. Jamie Peterson, 17, had a lead foot at nine o'clock Monday evening according to a resident of Mile Hill Road who witnessed the crash. "I've never seen a car going so fast on this road. It's a dirt road, and it's really easy to lose control."
Another driver on the road, Tom Carroll Jr. also 17, told police that one minute he was driving behind Peterson's car and the next they were flipped on their roof. This happened after Peterson increased his speed around a sharp corner, sending himself and his two female passengers into an embankment before ultimately flipping the car. Carroll also revealed to police that upon looking beneath the vehicle he saw at least three empty beer cans but this remains speculation at this point.
The rescue operation took a total of forty-five minutes to get the two passengers out of the vehicle who were trapped inside. The driver, Jamie Peterson, managed to get out of the totaled Mustang on his own. The passengers were then taken to Memorial hospital in Belmont where one remains in stable condition. The other had to be airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in the city of Boston for further treatment. Her condition as well as her identity is still unknown.
Interestingly enough on December 24,1998 there was a horrible and fatal accident in the exact same spot where two individuals were killed. The combination of no lights, pavement and sharp corners provide treacherous conditions for any driver, never mind one that may or may not have been under the influence.

A Side of Radiation With that CT Scan?

How could all of this be happening in a nation that claims to be the cream of the crop, the place to be for cutting edge anything and the land of opportunity?
From a lack of proper care in hospitals to the point where people are dying to some of our CT machines "deliver[ing] the radiation equivalent of 400 chest X-rays" we seem to have a missing link.
These stories particularly caught my eye because of the ongoing health care debate and the governments continued insistence that we not only have the best facilities but they are available to all. If that was the case, why are people dying in hospitals due to negligence on the part of doctors and nurses? Why are machines which are intended to detect abnormalities and save lives actually harming patients more than anything else? And why are we the tax payers paying for it?!

Is Uncle Sam Going About Things the Right Way?

Today's paper seemed to fill the void I felt from yesterday's... the story which the New York Times has been following consistently, the Americans accused of kidnapping Haitian children, really stuck with me.
In it, the journalist Ian Urbina writes that the U.S. "was airlifting 15 injured children aboard private flights to the United States each day" but now because of the Americans who were captured it is very difficult to evacuate any children, and he writes that only three children are airlifted per day.
I have been on the edge about this story ever since it broke, because while I understand that these ten Americans had the intention of helping children out of a horrible tragedy, at the same time they went in not knowing if these children were actually orphans and could have caused additional feelings of misplacement for them. In addition, it is so classic for outsiders to come into a situation that they have no personal connection with and think they can fix everything, solve everything. It is my understanding from news reports both in publications and on the news itself that the Americans are from a church group and have no understanding of the culture in Haiti, the lives that these children were leading beforehand and thus it is hard for me to believe that they could have done more good than harm if they were not caught.
I think the culture barrier here makes this tragedy really difficult to effectively communicate and that in many cases the people of Haiti should be asked what they need rather than just throwing supplies at them or taking children off the street. In other words, more background work needs to be done so everyone gets the most out of the relief efforts and situations like with this American group do not keep happening.
The more mistakes made, the more relief efforts are hindered such as with the airlifting of the children who are in serious need of medical attention which the hospitals in Haiti are incapable of giving due to shortage of supplies and space.
If Americans are going in to help, let's do this right, respect the culture and traditions in place and listen to what is truly needed by each individual.

Monday, February 8,2010

The New York Times today I found to be a collection of very heavy and complex stories..and if I am being perfectly honest...depressing to no end. From the front page story "A Well-Written War, Told in the First Person" where a soldier found poetry to be his only true outlet to the international page where I read Iran was not only not stopping their nuclear plan but increasing their supply of uranium..my head was spinning.
There was one positive story- the Super Bowl win for the Saints- certainly an amazing victory for a team whose members lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. However, despite that being the case, it was the last thing I wanted to see on the front page..after all, it is just a game.
There are horrible things happening abroad and throughout this country and those are the things I want to stay informed about, even though they undoubtedly will be hard to swallow most of the time. Our government is on the cusp of some major changes and we are all holding our breath to see whether those changes are going to be good or bad in the long run and I'm scared for the future of this country,the world and MY future. Today's paper did not give me any peace of mind concerning that...

A Housing Monopoly- Are Students Destined for the Short End of the Stick?

Independence comes with a steep price tag for UNH students looking to rent an apartment close to campus and the real estate companies controlling the market are making it close to impossible for the average college kid to afford even the smallest square footage.
Within the town of Durham two companies, University Apartments and Varsity Place have bought up a mass amount of property all within a five mile range surrounding the University of New Hampshire’s campus. Although these properties offer the convenience of a short walk or bike ride and an even shorter drive, the square footage being offered is far from ideal and nowhere near worth the money being shelled out for it.
Each company offers one to four bedroom units with the typical contract including heat and at least one parking spot. The leases are usually for one year, August to August, and according to some current renters with each company the pricing is around $600-700/month/person/three bedroom and the pricing goes up from there the fewer the amount of people that live in the unit. In addition utilities such as electricity can add up over the course of that year lease, leaving many to sacrifice convenience for more affordable housing.
Ally Swin, a junior paying her own way through school, says it came down to her text books or rent payment when looking to sign a contract with one of the two major companies. “ I don’t think it’s fair that I had to make a choice, so I went to a private home owner instead where I pay $475/month with no more than a fifteen minute walk to school.”
Swin used the website durhamlandlordassociation.com/availablelistings.htm where there are private listings of great options for students on a budget, “Why pay more for less? Get smart and save”.