June 30, 2005
Boys lie about abduction
Boys' abduction rescue was hoax, police say.
This article was about two boys, ages 5 and 9, who lied about a man who tried to abduct the youngest boy and pull him into a wooded area. The older boy stated that he threw a rock at the man to release the youngest boy. It turns out the entire story was made up by the two young boys. A man, whom they described to police, was in the park and arrested and held over night. The police were finally able to discover that the boy's story was made up.
What I would like to know is how these two boys even came up with making up a story like this? What made them decide or even think of this idea? Also, where were the parents? That question was brought up in class. I just don't understand why you would want to make a story up like this and how are the parents of these two boys going to react or punish them?
Sex offenders find anonymity in Minnesota state law
This article begins by telling the story of two sex offenders who were prosecuted for a rape they committed together in 1986. One of the men was released prior to the enactment of a law that identifies these predatory offenders to people who live in the same communities. The whereabouts of that offender is currently unknown.
The story continues by stating that there are approximately 15,000 registered sex offenders in Minnesota, and that only 3,000 of them have been assigned a risk level. Law enforcement identifies level three offenders to their neighbors and at http://www.doc.state.mn.us/level3/Search.asp.
A point is made in the article that was also made in our discussion group. Brian Schlueter, Sheriff of Ottertail County, says “Unless you’ve taken an interest, or unfortunately, been affected by one of these people, I think the general public is ill-informed about how many offenders are out there and how many of them aren’t locked up”. Reflecting this point, one of our group members said that, because he isn’t a typical target for these offenders, he hasn’t thought much about this topic. Unfortunately, the consequences for those who are affected by these offenders are devastating. The gist of this article is the anonymity of offenders released prior to 1997. However, there are many predators living in our communities anonymously today, released before or after 1997, so we all need to be aware of who lives next door.
Doctors reexamine lung cancer arsenal
Extended treatments for lung cancer patients.
Each year in the United States 50,000 people will develop one kind of lung cancer, called non-small-cell lung cancer. In the past, these people would have been treated just by surgical removal of the tumors, but now they’ll be treated with chemotherapy after their surgeries. According to this article, “…69 percent of patients who had surgery and chemotherapy were still alive five years later, as compared to 54 percent who had just surgery”. This difference in the percentage of survivors is huge for cancer patients, as is the time it offers them. For many lung cancer patients, grueling treatments provide less than 5 more months of life. This treatment could mean living long enough to see milestones in the lives of family members for these 50,000 patients.
One question that people often have about theses types of treatment is in the cost/benefit analysis. Surgery can mean removing all or a portion of a lung, and chemotherapy makes patients very sick and weak. Patients wonder if their quality of life will justify undergoing invasive treatments. This new approach alleviates some of that concern in that the chemotherapy lasts for 16 weeks, but the patient could gain years of life after treatment is over.
Time for a Metrowide Police Force
This article discusses the fact that between downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of America, it is possible for you to observe seven different policing agencies. Those seven agencies serve two cities with a total population of $467,790 (2000 Census). Compare that to one police agency serving the entire New York City area with a population of 8 million!
This means we are paying for seven top administrators, seven communications systems, seven procedures manuals, seven payroll departments, etc. etc. etc.
In addition, each suburb surround the Minnapolis area has its own policing agency and systems!
The article suggests, and I agree that we should at least consider this idea, that if we combined the seven agencies into one, or even two, we would save money and actually put more officers on the street protecting and serving the population.
Someone mentioned, I think it was Matt, that there are different laws in Minneapolis and Bloomington and it may be more costly to put one agency into affect and we should leave it as is. I am suggesting, that based on the fact the the MN state government can't figure out our budget and are making cuts left and right (no pun intended!) this idea should at least be considered. I wonder how much it costs to run each of the seven agencies? Couldn't we wiser about this?
I like how the article includes these examples: "do car vandals near 50th and France target cars parked only in the Edina side?" or "if I am a gang member selling drugs in Brooklyn Center do I refuse to sell drugs in Brooklyn Park?" In other words, crime doesn't obey the boundaries, why should the policing agencies?
What does everyone else think about this idea?
June 29, 2005
This is how the Governor spends our money?
The article I selected for Monday was Pawlenty calls for meeting at Camp Ripley. On Sunday Pawlenty announced he would be leaving on Monday to fly to Camp Ripley to work on the looming budget deadline. He believes he can do more work at Camp Ripley. “No staff, no press, no lobbyists”, he said. He invited party leaders to go along with him. He intended to leave on Sunday night but was angered to find that DFL leader Dean Johnson was in Louisville, Kentucky on National Guard business.
The reason I selected this article was to highlight a very hypocritical situation. The state is in a huge budget deficit and the Governor decided to fly to Camp Ripley at the expense of the taxpayers. There are two simple solutions if the Governor does not want to be disturbed by the media. He can simply not take calls or appointments from the media and lobbyists. If he still thinks that isn’t enough he can take a van full of party leaders to Camp Ripley and save a few thousand dollars. It isn’t a ton of money but every bit helps. Unfortunately we ran out of time in class to have a small group discussion on the articles.
Budget problems aren't a walk in the park
Those of us who have been following the on going budget negotiation at the state capital know that it's not a walk in the park for the lawmakers and the governor (Pawlenty). If there is no resolution to the budget problem, it means that there will be no walk in the park beginning July 1. State parks fall into one of those categories of government that will be shutdown.
If there is a possible government shutdown, about 16,ooo state employees could lose their jobs. Hence, the workers are not the only ones who stand the chance of losing income, the state will also be losing more than $800,000 in revenues. Residents and visitors who use the park for camping and other recreations will also suffer a set back.
Like I said in class, politians are not to be trusted. They always allow their interest to exceed the interest of the very people who they claim they are working for.mpr
Level 3 sex offenders
Just an FYI...the wesite for the level 3 offender search is www.doc.state.mn.us/level3/Search.asp.
I surely indeed agree with Dianna. Sex offenders should spend the rest of their life in prison. If this happen you send a clear message to those who might be thinking about the same crime. Few years is inadequate for this type of crime.
Pawlenty's K-12 education funding proposal
The article I selected was released May 23, 2005 by the Minnesota Department of Education.
This article outlines Governor Pawlenty's proposal for the FY 2006-2007 K-12 education budget. Under his proposal the pudget will increase a total of 11.4% (4.2% in 2006 and 6.9% in 2007).
There is a more contriversial part of his proposal. In addition to the increase in the per pupal formula, his proposal includes a teacher compensation reform called QComp. Under this plan, "schools that agree to pay their teachers based on performance, not just seniority and credits, will be eligible for additional revenue of $260 per student." Schools who elect to adopt QComp will see a total two-year average state funding increase of 14.75.
I choose this article because I wanted to hear what others had to say about the QComp proposal. I have not yet decided where I stand on the issue. At first I liked the idea of paying teachers based on performance. We all know some teachers are better than others, and that the better teachers are not always the ones with the most seniority. However, there were several questions raised in class that made me rethink my position. The first is the question of how to evaluate the teachers. What are the criteria to decide which teachers have better performance? If test scores are used, teachers may only teach for the test. Someone also stated that unlike most private sector areas, there is no paying customer, so customer traffic and satisfaction cannot be used. I will be looking for more details on QComp to see if any of these questions are addressed.
June 28, 2005
Profits and poodles: the story of a corporate tax loophole
On June 24, 2005, there was an article on the Minnesota Public Radio website entitled “Profits and poodles: the story of a corporate tax loophole.” The article talked about a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling this month that makes it easier for a business to protect income that have operations in foreign counties. This ruling is based on a law that passed in 1988, which said if a business has the bulk of your foreign operations overseas then the State would only tax the business 20 percent on the foreign income. The purpose of this law was to encourage business to broaden to overseas markets by making it cheaper to do so. The issue at hand with the recent court ruling is that it is even more lenient. Under the new ruling, a company could set up PICs or Passive Investment Corporations, which can set up just to avoid taxes and it is legal.
“The Minnesota Camber of Commerce supports a Pawlenty administration proposal to make sure subsidiaries don’t get the tax break unless they have a certain amount of property and payroll abroad.”
I feel that this article is a good example of ethics in business. This issue falls right between being illegal and free will to do what ever. In my opinion I don’t think that anyone with a business should be able to avoid State taxes by making up a fake company in another county. At the same time, though if I owned a business I am sure how I would feel.
Hidden Hazard
Hidden hazard
Star Tribune Paper, June 26, 2005
This article was about meth lab homes. Currently, if a house was formerly used as a meth lab they do not need to tell the people interested in buying the home. They are trying to get a law passed, where people will be notified if the house was used as a meth lab. There are many hazards in a home that was used as a meth lab. Some examples are: sinks, bathtubs, toilets, plumbing, stoves, refrigerators, appliances, walls, ceilings, tile, wood, hard surfaces, carpeting, draperies, heating, venilation system, soil outside, water well and septic tanks are just a few examples. The article stated that a couple moved into their home (which used as a meth home) were there the first night and the husband had chest pains and was brought to the hospital. Also, little children who crawl on the floor can be at severe risk because the chemicals are likely to have spilled on the floor or tracked around the house because it was on the bottem of their shoes.
I think that there needs to be a law to inform people on meth lab homes. People should be notified if there is a meth lab in the neighborhood as well. Good ways to avoid buying a previous meth home is: talk to neighbors, police and look at the house carefully for any signs . Some of these signs to look for could be: burn piles in the yard, strong odors and dark stains in drains.
Does Race Matter in Biomedical Research?
This is an old Forum piece, but I still wanted to post it: In Heart pill for blacks nears FDA approval, Glenn Howatt reports that the FDA is close to approving BiDil®, the first race-based drug for heart failure, which is actually a combination of two drugs, both of which are available in generic form. I attended a conference here at the U last spring, Proposals for the Responsible Use of Racial and Ethnic Categories in Biomedical Research, held at the Law School. I posted about the conference on my blog, and in that post, I describe the crux of the dilemma of whether or not to use racial and ethnic categories in biomedical research:
One thing that wasn't on the 'net when I first posted my notes from the conference but is up now: videos of the presentations! I think it's great that they are making these presentations publicly available. Score one for public understanding of science.Basically the conference's discussion centered on a specific dilemma: Race is, many scientists argue, a biologically meaningless category (though some, including those who have a stake in BiDil, would disagree); therefore, it shouldn't be used as a category in biomedical research. Using it brings associations with biological determinism and perhaps eugenics-tinged value judgments based on racist ideologies. Plus, attributing medical conditions to race ignores a host of other factors, including location; as Morris Foster argued in his talk, participants in studies are often aggregated by race in order to make statistically significant claims, but location plays a critical role in one's health. Isn't it possible, Foster asked, that the people living in one's same town -- whether they're the same race or not -- the people one interacts with on a daily basis, have more of an effect on one's health than people of the same race who live 1000 miles away? (Especially given environmental toxins, epidemics of infectious disease, etc.) Foster supports his arguments with data from a study he's doing on three rural African American communities in Oklahoma and three local tribal communities in Oklahoma.
However, in a racist society with clear disparities in wealth that are closely correlated with race, race can't be dismissed entirely. African Americans and whites do not have equal access to health care (this includes referrals to specialists, health insurance, expensive prescription drugs, etc.), and if you do look at health problems by race, the social context of health and disease is revealed, and as common sense would tell us, there's far more to health than genetics. As Dorothy Roberts argued, reducing health to genetics and looking for a solution in a pill (which not everyone could afford) lets the state off the hook. There are good reasons, from a social responsibility/public policy standpoint, to keep racial and ethnic categories in biomedical research.
Related: a three-part series in the Washington Post on racial and cultural diversity and mental health:
Registration required, but you should be able to use BugMeNot to bypass it.
June 27, 2005
Cities get more power to seize homes
Star Tribune Washington Bureau
This article was announcing a new, sharply divided Supreme Court ruling that extended the eminent domain powers and is considered a victory for city planners and local officals (5-4 ruling). Clancy mentioned this ruling has been around for some time, but now local governments can condem private property and convert it to a more profitable use -- however that is defined.
Ryan had read the article and had good input and knowledge abou the subject, as he readily knew it was a new Supreme Court ruling. The article further stated that now based on this ruling that every house in the U.S. is for sale, whether you know or want it.
A specific case mentioned in that properties can now be condemned by their local government for 'public purposes' or if the property promises a 'public benefit'. One side of the argument is that you can create better economic development by building racetracks, manufacturing plants, etc. thereby employing more persons in the local area. Again I see this ruling as a warning to working-class middle America as it seems to be focused on this particular group.
Another point made in the article is that those who will benefit most are again, citizens that already have the influence and power in the political arena -- including large corporations and development firms.
A local example included that in 2002 the Minneapolis Community Development Agency (MCDA) threatened to condem a 3-acre site so a privately owned housing development could be built. Rather than have his property condemn,ed the owner gave in and sold his property.
What do you think about this new ruling? And what about the previous ruling that suggested "promoting economic development is a traditional and long accepted function of the government?"
June 26, 2005
Downtown Minneapolis condo trend is booming
Downtown Minneapolis condo trend is booming
On June 16th, 2005 there was an article published on the Minnesota Public Radio website that talked about the growing condo trend in downtown Minneapolis. The article talks about one Texas developer who plans to build 1,000 units near the new proposed Twins stadium site and if the stadium isn’t build they plan on building 3,000 units in the warehouse district. An example of the type of properties being built is the Bookmen Lofts, which from reading the article seem really nice. The Bookmen Lofts have underground parking, a fitness center, high ceilings, track lighting, stainless steel kitchen appliances and plenty of windows. These nice properties come at a cost though; the average price is $400 to $500 per square foot. Even with prices that high the market is still growing strong.
In our group we talked about the issue of affordable housing in Minneapolis. The prices of the condos range from 150k to a couple of million dollars. Those prices may not be affordable to everyone but these condos are being marketed towards young professionals that work in the downtown area. To these individuals they are going to be willing to pay for the convince of living and working in the downtown area.
June 25, 2005
U, Belgium Form Stem Cell Partnership
Last Thursday, June 18, 2005, the University of Minnesota and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium signed a ceremonial agreement to develop joint and collaborating stem cell institutes. The Minnesota Daily article briefly mentioned the general direction of stem cell research, which "will change the whole field of medicine because we're moving to regenerative medicine instead of transplanting new organs." Dr. Marc Boogaerts, vice dean of clinical affairs at the Universtiy of Leuven, commented on the collaboration of the two universities that "exchange of information is of the utmost importance in present day medicine...By talking to people you will gain time, without a doubt."
The group discussion concluded the article with a main concern, what is stem cell research? While this "medical" advancement comes under lots of media attention, how much do we know about it? We wondered if the term "stem cell" inclusively means all studies from to DNA mapping to human cloning.
Cold Weather Rule
Attorney General steps up for those left out in the cold
Attorney General Mike Hatch seeks to impose a five million dollar fine on Center Point Energy, accusing the power company of violating the state’s cold weather rule by leaving over two thousand of its customers without heat last winter. The cold weather rule is designed for those suffering financial hardships to apply for government funds to help them cover their utility bills. People applying for the aid must provide proof of income and/or disability. Once approved, the government covers all or a portion of the consumer’s utilities and the customer agrees to a payment plan. Hatch alleges that for thousands of these customers in need, Center Point took the money and ran.
The cold weather rule is an important law to have in place. For some of the elderly, disabled, or those who have children with medical needs, the peace of mind that comes with knowing that there will be heat or air conditioning, electricity and water is invaluable. One such person featured in this article is Rebekah miller. Rebekah applied and qualified for assistance under the cold weather rule in October of 2004 for her past due bills, but her heat wasn’t turned back on for two months. The pipes in Rebekah’s mobile home froze and she had no running water. She can’t afford to repair the damage, nor can she occupy her home or even sell it, but she still has to make the payments on it. Hatch wants Center Point to reimburse customers for damages caused by their delay in returning heat to cold weather rule customers.
Stadium probably would add value to Twins franchise
A recent story in the Star Tribune (Sunday, June 19 2005) gave an insight into another business deal in the works by Carl Pohlad. He if you didn't know it, is a billionaire who currently owns the Minnesota Twins. Being the nice guy that Carl is, he is willing to put up $125 million dollars of his own money to finance a new stadium for the Twins. However much of this money would be offset by the revenue that would be generated through the naming rights to the stadium. This income could range possibly range from 50-100million dollars. Along with this would come the added value of the twins from having a new stadium built. The twins are currently worth approximately $178 million dollars and this could increase easily by 25%-50% with the addition of a new stadium. Sounds like a win win for Carl. The teams worth more, new stadium, higher revenue.
The question that still needs answering
Where does the other $353 million come from.
Well I think most of us can come up with an answer.
St. Paul park carving out a niche for art
The article I choose was from the June 21, 2005 issue of the StarTribune
This article is about the Aurora Neighborhood Association's quest to recreate an old rundown park. The Association recieved a $350,000 grant from St. Paul's Parks and Recreation Department and with the help of Public Art St. Paul, turned the area into a sculpture park which opened in 1998. Prior to the reopening of the park, it was frequented by drug dealers and prostitutes. Since the park reopened crime rates in the area have fallen, residents have fixed up their properties, and vacanthomes and lots have nearly dissappeared.
The Association is currently trying to secure a $1 million endowment, to ensure they can meet the $20,000 needed each year to care for the park. The association also wants to rotate the artwork in the park on a yearly basis. They hope the success of their work will be used as a model for other cities.
In our group discussion Debbie said that this should be used as an example for other neighborhoods. I asked what the city's involvment should be in these matters because neighborhoods may not be able to do it on their own. This group was able to do this with the help of St. Paul Park & Rec. Would they have been able to do the same thing without the help of the city? Would other neighborhoods be able to do similar things without the help of the City?
Credit Card Security
The story I selected for class was Mastercard scare reveals flaws in system from the KSTP.com website. However, this article was not original to KSTP. The original article was written by the Assoicated Press. The article is a follow up to the announcement by MasterCard on June 17th that 40 million credit card accounts were exposed to fraud due to a hack of CardSystems’s database. CardSystems is a third-party credit card payment processing service. Of the 40 million accounts, 13 million were MasterCard and 22 million were Visa-branded card accounts. This is one of the latest and largest high-profile security breaches in recent months. During our group discussion we all shared stories of the problems we or others we knew had regarding stolen identities or credit card fraud. Debbie shared her story about how she is still trying to sort through the problems related to credit card fraud. We also talked a lot about the “phishing” scams that we constantly receive in our inbox. It seems like everyone gets the same ones! Our top scam was a phishing scam from eBay that it seems like everyone with an eBay account has received at some point. When I was reading a bit more about this story and others related to it I found a neat section of CNN.com called Mission: Security.
June 24, 2005
Grant for Nursing Program
12 US nursing school received a grant from the department of labor. The grant is worth $ 12 million total, and 230 universities in the country applied for it, but the University of Minnesota was not one of the applicants. Each year, 1,1000 qualified nursing school applicants are turned away nationwide, because of a significant shortage in nusring school faculties since 2000. This trend would result in a 20 percent shortage in the number of nurses that is needed for the country's health system by 2010, according to the American Medical Association. Three factors contribute to the shortage in nursing faculty members, explained Joanne Disch, interim dean of the U's Nursing School and director of the leadership center. First of all, most nursing schools do not have enough teaching faculties to accomodate the explosion of people interested in pursuing the career; nurses make more money in a clinical setting than teaching; and finally, the average faculty members are in their 50's and will be retiring in the next 10 years. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, one of the recipients of the grant, plans to use the money to shorten the training period for nurse educators by 18 months to 24 months, and would also make it easier for people with associate degree in nursing or balchelor's degrees in other fields to get their master's in nursing.
This article caught my attention after hearing much about the brutal process of applying for nursing schools. After all, the reason of rejection is not that you are not good enough, but the schools simply cannot attract enough people into teaching. Our group talked about the social impact of nursing faculty shortage. The country has been generously investing in culturally expensive researches, such as the NASA, so as the U's attempt to becoming one of the most prestigious research insititute; yet, we are ignoring the basic need for the country's health system.
Get well soon.... That'll be 5 bucks
The decision by United Hospital to start charging 5 dollars fee for the delivery of flower is a serious issue not only for florists, but it should also be an issue of concern for everbody in the state.
United Hospital officials send letters out to florists requesting a $5 fee for the arrangements of flower deliver each month at the hospital. The hospital officials said the new fee will serve as a compensation for volunteers who supervise and deliver the flower to the patient room. According to the hospital, each month about 600 flowers are arrange and deliver to the patient room which is costly for them.
On the part of local florists, they said they will pass onto the customers the extra cost. Some local florists officials said that any thing that deter people from sending flower to love ones in hospital will be troubling because studies have shown positively that flowers can have an impact on people.
Another point that was brought forth by the hospital authority is that many of their paid employees do take responsibility in making sure that flowers are deliver by volunteers. One official said for many years they have absorbed the cost and now it's time for paid back in order to run that department. The official went on to say that when flowers get lost, they replace them and also they get to finish the job of local florists by making the final delivery to the patient room.
startribune
Identify theft is crossing state lines
Star Tribune
Published June 19, 2005
By: Chris Welsch
This article is about identity theft, not only the typical use to make fraudulent charges or withdrawals, but identity theft is now being associated with other crimes - from drug dealing or large scale fraud. The charges leave the innocent person's name on the arrest warrant and you can be stopped at any time, almost anywhere, finding you're in a position to prove your innocence. You are guilty of this crime until you can prove otherwise!
Currently there are at least one million people in this position. The article states that 9.9 million American s had been a victim of identity theft in 2002, four percent associated with more serious problems -- crimes had been commited in their names.... 400,000 people per year.
Ohio, Virginia and California have created a special program called the "passport" program for residents who are identity theft victims, able to prove their innocence readily. Minnesota does not have such a program.
In our group discussion, Shannon felt like this was like a lottery or a case of bad luck and didn't think we could do much about it until it happens to us. Ryan discussed how the thieves are now more like middle men -- selling the stolen information very quickly, thus making it almost impossible to find the thief.
Based on the increased sophistication of of these thieves and of the criminal databases, I think Minnesota should research the idea and programs other states have put into effect. How would you like to be detained by a customs agent finding yourself in a predicament where you would have to prove your innocence before being let go .....
June 22, 2005
Minnesota town struggles as its school and hospital close.
Starbuck is a small Minnesota town struggling after being hit in one month with the closure of an elementary school and a hospital. With a population of only 1400, the residents are worrying about the future of their town.
Due ta a poor funding from the state and a declining enrollment at the school cost a situation for a closure. Therefore, students have to take a half an hour bus ride to Glenwood a near by town for classes.
For the hospital, it closure is due to an economy hardships on both the customers and the hospital. The residents of Starbuck have worried for many years about losing their hospital. Eventhough it was the smallest in the state with one bed only but however; it provided the best service for its customers.
On a positive note for Starbuck is her fine location which is off the shore of lake Minnewaska. The lake is the 13th largest in Minnesota. The leaders of Starbuck are hoping that its recreational haven could be use to draw more tourists. Also there are plans to appeal to retirees who're looking for a reasonable price lake home.
I think Starbuck problem needs serious attention in order to save the town.
Source: www.mpr.org
Government shutdown: A dire picture
Government shutdown: A dire picture
This article explained services that would be shut downed if the government does not reach an agreement. One service they talked about was highway construction. The article stated that "175 major highway construction projects would be suspended." Also, thousands of employees could be laid off. The Stillwater lift bridge would have to left up so boats can still get through and that would leave 12,000 vehicles to find a new route because they could not use the bridge. They did say that they would work to maintain services in healthy and safety. Also, 88 rest areas would be closed and safety inspections on gas pipelines would be limited. Also, people would not be able to get new driver licenses and about 48,000 cards go through a month. These are just some of the things stated.
Our group had two different views going. One was that it is wrong to do this just to scare people. Like people who would be laid off, that is not a joking matter, ecspecially if you have a family to feed. The other view was that maybe it is necessary to scare people so then hopefully it will push for an agreement to happen. We also were wondering who was coming up with what would be closing and staying open because we thought that they should be spending their time on coming up with an agreement, rather than figuring out something that hasn't happened and can be prevented from happening as well.
Student loan rates set to make highest one-year increase
June 15, 2005 Issue of The Minnesota Daily
Student loan rates set to make highest one-year increase
In the recent issue of The Minnesota Daily, there was an interesting article that affects me and my of my fellow students that have financed their college educations. The article talked about how the Federal Government is going to raise interest rates on July 1st. This is not a new practice but the interest rate has never been raised so drastically. Currently the interest rate is 2.77 percent when you are in school and 3.37 percent once you are out of school and the six-month grace period is over. After July 1st the rate will jump to 4.7 percent when you are in school and to 5.3 percent when you get done. Just for an example say that you had $20,000 in student loans and you plan to pay the loan back in 10 years. With the increased interest rate, the loan would cost you $33,939 with monthly payments of $215 a month. At the current interest rate loan would cost you $31,971 with monthly payments of $210. By consolidating now, you could save yourself $2000. That is a pretty good deal.
I our group my fellow group members were either unaware that the interest rates were rising or did not know exactly how to go about getting their loans consolidated. If you follow this link, you can find out some more information but you better hurry up July 1st is rapidly approaching.
Toxic Traces
The article I selected for class on Monday June 20th was Toxic Traces from Minnesota Public Radio. This article was one out of a series MPR written about 3M and contaminated drinking water from their manufacturing of perfluoro chemicals that are used in Scotchgaurd and Teflon. This particular article was more a “primer” for the scientific background on the chemical and how it was developed. The article stated that these chemicals that 3M makes do not break down in the environment at all. In 2000 3M announced it would phase out the manufacturing of Scotchgaurd as a part of a voluntary responsible environmental management. Since the 1970a 3M had been doing internal monitoring and studies of the effects of these chemicals. 3M maintains the chemicals are safe but have found an ever-increasing amount of places where the chemicals have showed up. For example, one study found the chemicals in bald eagles in the Great Lakes region, river otters in the Northwest, turtles in the Southeast, polar bears in Alaska, and fish in the Pacific Ocean. The EPA had done a rat study with the chemicals and described the death of the rat pups as “unusual”. Wow, isn’t that comforting? One scientist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency did a small study in 2002 to confirm the spread of the chemicals in the environment but later was rejected for funding studies to trace them back the 3M plant in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Since 2000, the chemicals have shown up in drinking water in Cottage Grove and in Oakdale.
The group brought up a lot of interesting points about this article. Shannon said that he used to use Scotchgaurd on everything and spray it down in his basement. Hopefully he won’t be growing any extra arms anytime soon! Most of our group discussion was clarifying facts that were stated in the article. Since 3M was the only company to manufacture these chemicals until 2000, it is kind of scary to think how wide spread they are in the world that they can be found in fish in the Pacific Ocean. Hopefully this will lead to more environmental study of other chemicals used in industry in the future.
June 21, 2005
Human trafficking
Young women from all over the world are lured to away from home with promises of freedom and enough money to support themselves and send home to their families. But hundreds of thousands of them get just the opposite. Instead of freedom and money they endure slavery and sexual abuse. The story of just one of these women is found in the Minnesota Women’s Press, June 15th issue, in an article entitled "Human trafficking isn't somebody else's problem anymore".
Like so many others, Salima was promised a job and a good life in America. She spoke no English and knew no one in this country, except for her captors. One of them got her pregnant after abusing her. Now she moves form shelter to shelter in fear of being found by her captors and losing her child.
This kind of slavery occurs all over the world. I was surprised to find, however, that the Twin Cities is deemed a “high intensity human trafficking region” by the U.S. Department of Justice.
I was also surprised to read that as of August 1, “…it will be a felony…to knowingly destroy, conceal, remove, confiscate, or possess any passport or immigration documents of another person to prevent his or her liberty…” Why so late? It seems to me that this kind of law has applied to the mail in one’s mailbox for a very long time, and slavery isn’t such a new concept, either. Until our immigration laws catch up with the flow of immigrants, I’m afraid there will be many more Salimas.
GOING GREEN
Article Title
"Housing developers looking for a competitive edge are going green"
Printed In
Star Tribune Sunday, June 20, 2005 Money and Business By Jim Buchta
Everyday at work I deal with Electronics and Appliances that are Energy Star Rated. Energy Star rated Electronics and Appliances are units that use under a specific amount of that is determined by the government. Recently I read the article cited above and it talked about how developers are using Energy Star rated appliances and other ecofriendly options to gain an edge over the competition. The article goes over several different ways that developers are accomplishing this. These include programmable thermostats, Energy Star appliances, recycled cabinets, low flow faucets, energy efficient lighting, steel countertops, bamboo flooring, and recycled sheetrock.
I found these new solutions interesting but at the same time became discouraged as I read the article further. The article said that many people are unwilling to pay any extra money to purchase the items mentioned and that in most cases buyers would rather spend the extra money on exotic wood floors, and larger living spaces than for less visible improvements.
It did note however that there are many more options as time progresses and that many of these options are being more reasonably priced. Lastly the article noted that there needs to a better way to measure how each builder is meeting the energy codes. The question is whether or not you are builiding an energy efficient home when you are barely meeting the energy guidline codes set forth by Minnesota. You would however be breaking the law if you didn't meet the code.
Best quote in article, Colleen Carey "It's like saying we want more fuel efficient cars, but we buy SUVs."
Notes from Class, First Three Days
Sorry for the tardiness in uploading these! I'm starting with the first day of class; these are photographs of the whiteboard from the first day, 13 June:
What makes a leader effective?
What makes a leader effective? (2)
What makes a group successful?
And the second day, 15 June:
And, finally, the notes from yesterday's class, as a .doc file (right click, "save target as" to download):
Symbolic convergence theory, miscellaneous activity, topic for journal entry
Shutdown talk picks up
Mark Brunswick and Conrad Defiebre
Star Tribune
Published June 16, 2005
This article appealed to me as a state government shutdown, in my opinion, should not be needed and the threat of a shutdown should not be used as a scare tactic. Also, it will effect the taxpayers, consumers, state employees (virtually everyone).
The article discusses what government services will be shut down as of July 1, what mandatory services would continue, and steps that some are taking to try and either extend the July 1 deadline or divert the partial shutdown. Attorney General Mike Hatch filed court papers asking a court to decide which functions are essential and the hearing is scheduled for June 29. The agencies that have not been funded and would be affected include human services and health, among others.
If the shutdown extends beyond July 14, 15,700 state employees would be defined as noncritical and laid off; if the state were forced to pay out sick leave, vacation time etc. it would cost the state an additional $380 million. Now that makes sense to me to add millions more of a payout to a budget that cannot even be approved or balanced.
Now all of this because a group of individuals cannot work together and come to compromises for the people of Minnesota? What do we pay the politicians to do? There are also individuals and political parties blaming each other and suggesting the possible shutdown is a good political strategy. I don't know what you (my classmates) think about this article and the idea there may be a partial government shutdown.
I worry about the human services and health sectors losing out even more, not to mention some aid to cities and counties and some school districts that would also be affected. What do you think about the possible shutdown?
June 20, 2005
Beef processors
Minnesota, Wisconsin beef processors to merge
This article is from the Star Tribune, June 16 paper. It explains how two beef processing companies are merging together to hopefully strengthen against their competition. The companies merging together are Rosen Meat Group (Minnesota) and American Foods Group, Inc. (Wisconsin). The new location will be located in Minnesota near Rosen's Long Prairie packing plant and will be called American Foods Group. One of the owners stated, "Together as one company, we can offer a wide variety of products and services to our customers and provide more growth opportunities for our employees and their communities." They are also hoping because the beef industry has been suffereing for a while that this will help prevent layoffs for their employees and hopefully create opportunities to move up in the company. They also want to do this before the Canadian border and international markets open up.
Our group discussed this and we thought that it was a good idea that they are combining and that it will help strengthen their market. We also talked about how we would rather buy from a market that is local or in the United States rather than in an international country. We also would prefer to buy locally because then you have a better chance to know how the animals are treated.
June 18, 2005
Wal-Mart Wants Your Job
On 03/17/04 the City Pages included an article entitled "Wal-Mart Wants Your Job." The article was written by Paul Demko and can be found by clicking on the link below.
Be prepared for the article to be a little bit lengthy. It is a full 7 pages long but you should find the article to be quite interesting and well worth your time. It may even give you a new perspective and thought on big business.
City Pages (Wal-Mart Wants Your Job)
I am simply going to give a brief overview of the article and cite a few specific examples contained in the article.
The article starts out by setting a rather happy picture of the grand opening of a new Wal-Mart store. It talks of the great deals available on Chips Ahoy cookies and Angel Soft toilet paper. Paul tells of the contributions Wal-Mart is making for the community in the amount $24,000. The article then takes a dramatic turn and talks of the not so glorious aspects of the retailer. Much of the article deals with the new urban expansion of the retailer and the negative aspects it may have on the surrounding businesses. Not only that, it also discusses whether or not Wal-Mart is treating its employees properly. Much of the information comes from talks with Labor unions. These unions feel that Wal-Mart offers low wages, and a union busting demeanor. It is an article that makes you think, and I believe that is what sets apart articles that are good and bad.
Here are a few quick excerpts taken from the article
“The contributions total $24,000-or roughly the amount Wal-Mart takes in every three seconds.”
“There are roughly 3,500 Wal-Mart stores across the country-more than twice as many as those of its closest competitor, Target Corporation-with new stores launching at a rate of nearly one per day.”
“Wal-Mart is now responsible for 2.3 percent of the country’s gross national product, a figure approaching the dominance of U.S. Steel during World War I and General Motors in the 1950’s.”
“It’s estimated that 80 percent of the company’s products are now manufactured in China, accounting for one-eighth of the U.S.’s trade with the country. In the last three years, the U.S. has lost more than 2.8 million manufacturing jobs.”
Now I am not one that thinks Wal-Mart is a retailer that is going to be the demise of the American people. I do however; feel that many of the tactics Wal-Mart is using are entirely unethical and uncalled for. It can be cited that mom and pop stores go out of business due to mismanagement and other such factors which many times I will totally agree with. However, it can also be cited that many mom and pop stores go out of business because they are not willing to pay there employees less than they are worth or treat others like dirt to turn a profit.
There was an excellent report on dateline on 06/17/05 on the garment market in Bangladesh. In the report one of the people interviewed made about 17 cents an hour. They brought the worker to the U.S. found the pants she sewed and they were about $12.50.
Where did they find the pants? Wal-Mart. Sounds fair doesn’t. What if the products you made somewhere else sold for that type of markup?
Non-Scientific Math
Say you make $10.00 per hour
The pants you make would sell for $735.29
NO Benefits/Healthcare
Unethical Research Practices
I choose an article from the June 15, 2003 article in the Minnesota Daily titled Study Examines Researchers' Practices
In a survey of 3,200 researchers roughly one-third admitted to engaging in questionable research practices within the last three years. 15.5% of researchers surveyed admitted to changing the design, methodology or results of a study in response to pressure from a funding source. 6% admitted to failing to present data that contradicted one's own previous research, and 0.3% admitted to falsifying or "cooking" research data.
Brian Martinson of HealthPartners Research Foundation believes that the large amount of unethical research practices is due to increased compitetion for funding. He says, "in many ways, researchers are being asked to get more money to support their research while universities are receiving less from the State Legislatures." Martinson also believes that the increased commercialization of scientific research has led to some researchers using unethical practices.
Our group had a good discussion about the article. We were concerned about the implications of the unethical research. Shannon asked about the implications of unethical research in the medical field, and Matt brought-up concearns about unethical research in perscription drugs. Deborah asked the group what we thought could be done to solve the problem, and the group thought that there was nothing that could be done.
I choose this article because I thought it was interesting. Also, because this is a research university, I wondered how many researchers here had used unethical research practices.
June 17, 2005
First Somali Med school grad from U of M
Unfortunately the article I chose isn’t about a controversial issue, but rather a human interest story, so it doesn’t invite a lot of discussion. However, there are some important points to be made about the University’s first Somali medical school graduate, not the least of which is to commend his tenacity.
Mohamed Ibrahim worked full time as an RN to support his wife and kids while he went to medical school. That sounds pretty tiring to me, but I speculate that to Ibrahim it was a piece of cake after surviving the violence in his homeland and the arduous journey to America.
I imagine another Somalian will soon graduate from the University’s medical school, after having endured an equally treacherous beginning. I was surprised to read that Ibrahim is the first Somali graduate from the U’s medical school. As stated in the article, “He was also attracted to the Twin Cities because of the large Somali population…” (MN Daily, June 8 2005). The Twin Cities does have one of the largest Somali populations in the country, which makes one wonder why only one Somalian has graduated from medical school here. Our group speculated that part of the reason could be because of the Somali culture itself. Somali women don’t traditionally earn college degrees, which excludes a large portion of the Twin Cities’ Somali population from attending college, let alone medical school.
There are, of course, other obstacles, but Mohamed Ibrahim seems to have found a way around them.
How Much is Too Much?
A giant development in sleepy Hiawatha sparks new debate on the city's rapid grows
This article addressed the issue of land development and the impact that it has on the neighborhoods that affected by it. The focus of this article is on Paul Klodt, who is a big real-estate developer in the Twin Cities area. Paul plans to turn a former factory at 44th and Snelling Avenue in the Hiawatha neighborhood into a 245-unit apartment building. The reason for selecting this site is that the proposed building will be within walking distance to the 46th Street LRT station.
People that live in the Hiawatha neighborhood are against the project because they feel that it will cause parking and traffic issues in their now quite neighborhood. Many residents feel that neighborhood planning has taken a backseat when it comes to new construction projects. Currently, as long and the developer gets proper permits and acquires the building site they can build whatever they want. Many residents feel that this is unfair and they should have some say in new developments.
In our group discussion, we all agreed that building a 245 unit building is going to cause parking and traffic problems. One possible solution that we came up with was to have Paul Klodt build a special parking ramp for the building. Since, the building is near the LTR and many people work Downtown traffic problems may not be as sever as the residents of the Hiawatha neighborhood fear. I feel that the people of the neighborhood should have some say in what happens to their neighborhood but at the same time, I do not think that they have the right to put up a bunch of bureaucracy just to block construction.
Local Somali man waits in limbo for deportation.
Keyse Jama is a local Somali man who was involved in a fought with three men from different clans in Somali. It all happen in June of 1999 in a parking lot in Waseca. According to police reports, he stabbed these men, one in the head, the others in the shoulder and arm. He pleaded guilty to third degree assault. He has been in jail for years. The U.S. government said his crime has qualify him for deportation. The government wants to deport him but his home country(Somali) wouldn't accept him. Right now there is no diplomatic relationship between the two countries because Somali lack a functioning government. Therefore, he remains in jail until his case can be decided.
Looking at the complexity of this case it was little more difficult for my group to come up with a thoughtful decisions. But there were questions asked as to why his home country couldn't accept him since infact he is not a U.S. citizen. www.mpr.com
Flag at Half-staff
State's Flags At Half-staff A Whole Lot
Flags flying at half-staff always catch people's eyes, especially when that had happened 17 times since the beginning of the year. The tradition of lowering the flag to honor the dead started at the 17th century on the British ships. In the US, the president and state governors are the only authorized personal to give official orders to lower the flag, according to the point person on flag etiquette Mike Buss. In recent years, the act was mostly used to honor presidents, high-ranking government officers, war dead, public figures, and world leaders. In August 2004, a new bill was passed that mandates lowering the flags at the Capitol complex any time a Minnesota service person or public safety officer dies in the line of duty. Since January, Gov. Pawlenty directed the lowering the flag to half mast 15 times, while President Bush ordered it for the tsunami victims and the pope.
I agree with my group members who have already posted that the discussion was great. Everyone has something to offer.
Lowering the flag to half-staff to show a nation in mourning seems appropriate, but I would like to know that is for. I am also a big fan of of the August bill. Since most people do not fight wars out of hatred to other countries but for their patriotism, i assume, it would be the government's obligation to acknowledge their sacrifice. I have no interest whatsoever in hearing news about the war, but seeing the flag being lowered week after week really do whet my anti-war ego.
The article also talked about the Packers flying the flag at half-staff for Reggie White's death, and a police department lowering its US flag for a police dog. Come on, does that require national attention?!
Higher-Education Bill Provision
The article I selected was from the June 8th, 2005 Daily.
When the higher-education bill was signed at the end of May, many deaf students had easier access to higer education at the University and other state colleges and universities. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who receive state or federal Pell grants are entitled to full tuition and fees coverage at the University. The article also reported that blind students have been eligible for tuition waivers at the University since the 1930s.
We had a good start to our group discussion. Everyone went around and discussed his/her article. It was interesting that during the group discussion one of the first things Debbie asked was, “Did you select it because it made you mad?” It was interesting that the group could almost see how I felt about the article after I had just finished summarizing it. While on the outset I was initially upset about the article I thought about it more and realized after we were discussing the article in our group why I felt that way. I am not opposed in any way to equal access to higher education by anyone. If this was a blanket-coverage provision that offers free tuition to any deaf student it would be a different story but this applies only to students who are already in financial need. One of the things during our group discussion that I was extremely pleased with was that everyone contributed! We didn’t have anyone who sat back and was quiet and only offered a few words. Everyone had plenty to say!
June 16, 2005
Grocery Store Wars
I don't know if any of you besides Dianna are interested in agriculture, but I thought you might want to watch Store Wars, a flash movie about organic farming along the same lines as the anti-factory farming The Meatrix.
I've heard the argument made that organic farming is a kind of self-indulgent, irresponsible luxury, though -- that the United States has so much wealth and arable land that we can use a lot of it for organic crops, which as you probably know have a lesser yield than crops with pesticides/herbicides -- and we should use the land instead to maximize yield and feed as many people as possible, even if the foods aren't organic.
Maybe I'll ask an agricultural scientist about it sometime.
Export process causes debate
A proposed law would require some students to apply for export licenses
This article focuses on a report issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce about current security measures related to the transferring of technology to foreign nations. A proposed law would require foreign students from certain countries to have to apply for perhaps hundreds of export licenses just to use the same equipment, computer software and any other technology used by both the military and civilians (read 'anything') while studying at a U.S. college or university.
The point that really got to me was the Minnesota State Department can put this law into effect without congressional approval at any time! The article also seems to focus negatively on one group -- foreign students -- who already have a tough time coming to the U.S. to study, not only the costs involved but many other roadblocks associate with travel and their culture.
Our small group was very interactive and we all agreed that this is a very extreme measure and is not fair. If there is a problem with one person, that person should be scrutinized, not an entire country or countries. We all thought the idea was ridiculous and would definitely decrease the number of international students enrolling at the University. All this at a time that the U of MN wants to be one of the top three research institutions. It would be to our competitive advantage to recruit and retain the best and brightest students regardless of their homeland. If foreign students are already allowed into the U.S. they should have the same rights as other college students related to the technology needed to pursue their education.
I wonder how well known this proposed law is to the general public and the university community at-large, or is a government unit trying to get the law passed quietly and quickly to then boast that further measures have been taken to keep the American citizens safe...
June 15, 2005
Speed limits enforced in Minnesota
“Metro area speed enforcement crackdown launched”
This article explained how agencies are going to become stricter with speed limits on the road. The article stated that most agencies allow motorists to go about 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. If they were over this, they usually pulled them over. They have decided to become stricter now with speeding because statistics shows that summer is the most dangerous time for accidents when it comes to speeding. “From 1999 to 2003, illegal or unsafe speed contributed to 875 deaths on Minnesota roads, costing the state an estimated $891 million, according to the department of public safety” (Associated Press). There is currently about 42 states that will not pull vehicles over if they are under 10 miles per hour that is posted.
Our group had a great discussion. We talked about how many of us go over the posted speed limit. We also discussed how it may upset some people about the stricter law, but those who have lost someone due to a speeding driver would feel different. One thing we talked about is how people speed up at stop light to make the light before it turns red. Now, at some lights they have signs posted and when the signs start to flash lights, then that means you will not have time to make it through the light.
June 13, 2005
Minnesota's Proposed Dream Act
According to a recent story in the Minnesota Daily, the state legislature proposed a bundle of higher education reforms. Not all the reform measures are covered in this article; instead, it focuses on the Dream Act, which would allow students who have lived in Minnesota for at least three years and who have graduated from a high school in Minnesota to attend public universities in Minnesota, pay the in-state rate on tuition, and be eligible for financial aid.
First off, I'm not sure just from this story in the Daily what exactly the law says; I tend to be a skeptical reader, so I'm not willing to say for sure whether or not the author's representation of it is accurate. If it is, though, apparently people who oppose the Dream Act do so on the grounds that it presents a conflict of interest with federal immigration law, which, as Pawlenty's press secretary said, "'prohibits states from treating noncitizens different from citizens of other states.'"
But State Senator Sandra Pappas disagrees that that the two are incompatible, and she says -- and this is why I brought the article to class -- “'These kids have played by the rules, they’ve studied hard, they’ve gotten good grades and they have a right to an education.'” It's a classic public ethics issue. One side argues that the students have a right to an education (and by implication, that the government should assist by making it easier on them financially). The other side argues that it's unfair to students from surrounding states who are U.S. citizens. One group's rights are in conflict with another group's. Also, notice the name of the act: the Dream Act. The authors of the proposed law chose it deliberately; it evokes "the American Dream," plus it sounds pretty bad to be anti-Dream, doesn't it?
In class, several people mentioned that there are reciprocity agreements that provide tuition breaks for students from some states, which surely ought to factor into any decision made about the Dream Act. Any other thoughts about the Dream Act? Please leave comments under this post if you have them!
June 10, 2005
Course Syllabus
The syllabus for the course is available online as well as in print. The online version has plenty of external links to resources the University offers as well as University policies.
June 09, 2005
Welcome to Rhetoric 3266!
This weblog is intended to be a discussion space for us and a repository for the articles we bring to class and the comments on them. People outside the class can and probably will read our entries too, so we'll need to write for audiences who are interested in small group communication and/or local issues and events in Minnesota.