Newslog #14

Rethinking the Yearbook


If you think about high school yearbooks, you'd probably assume that the "popular" people would make an appearance seven times, whereas the "less popular" people would only be shown once or twice. To avoid this, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in New Jersey is making sure everyone is in their upcoming yearbook the same amount of times. The yearbook committee will try to get every student in the yearbook at least twice; the editor will make a tally of how many times a person has already appeared in the book to make sure they don't go over the limit. But some schools wonder if doing this reflects how much a specific student contributed to the school. In their defense, someone who was class president and captain of the soccer team might only be in two pictures and someone who was not social with other students nor was involved in any extra-curricular activities also might be in two pictures. According to San Diego State University professor Jean Twenge, Scotch Plain-Fanwood's approach has "...no real resemblance to real life."

I believe with Twenge, in which there cannot be the same number of pictures for a student highly involved in school activities and for a student who wasn't involved in any at all. However, I think the editors of the yearbook need to have a fair balance; there can't be seven pictures of one group of people and one picture of another; maybe five and three.

Newslog #13

Court fines hotel owners for refusing gay couple a room
http://www.gadling.com/2011/01/18/court-fines-hotel-owners-for-refusing-gay-couple-a-room/
In 2008, the Chymorvab Hotel in England refused a gay couple, Martyn Hall and Steven Priddy, to spend the night in their building. Owners of the hotel, Peter and Hazelmary Bullfor, claimed that they did this because they are Christian and will not give a room to an unmarried couple. But just recently, an English court sued the hotel and ruled that the Bullfor's discriminated against the couple and that the two men are civil partners with the same rights as married couples. Hall and Preddy received £1800 from the court.

I do not think it was right of the Bullfor's to deny Hall and Preddy a room. The two men were willing to pay and were not causing any harm to the hotel, which in my opinion, are the most important things to look for in customers, not their sexual orientation nor marital status.

Newslog #12

Who Knew?
http://whoknew.news.yahoo.com/?nc&vid=23751722

Many people nowadays find the urge post the most personal information about themselves on the Internet. It was reported last year that a computer can figure out about 8.5% of social security numbers of those born since 1989 thanks to social networking websites. The first three numbers of a person's SSN is from the area code where the SSN was issued, which usually means where the person lives. If a person posts their home town on their social networking page, it is easier for thieves to figure out the person's SSN. The next two numbers refer to where and when the person applied. The last four numbers are supposed to be random, but sometimes it has to do with the person (i.e. part of their birthday). Starting this year, the government is taking even stricter action and are going to make all the numbers issued completely random.

Before watching this video, I never knew how SSNs were made. I assumed that they were 9 random numbers that had nothing to do with any of my information. Currently, I do not have my hometown listed on my Facebook, even though I know all of my friends personally. People should take these precautions to make sure their identity is not stolen.

Newslog #11

Audacity of 'austerity,' 2010 Word of the Year
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101220/ap_on_re_us/us_word_of_the_year
'Austerity" is defined in the New Oxford American Dictionary as, "difficult economic conditions created by government measures to reduce a budget deficit, esp. by reducing public expenditure." This easily relates to 2010, in which many countries, like Greece and the United States, each went through a financial crisis. Unemployment increased worldwide and economies suffered. John Morse, president and publisher of a Springfield, Massachusetts dictionary, said that 'austerity' hit over 250,000 searches on its online website this year, making the word extremely popular. Another reason for this word's popularity is because Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor-at-large, said that the top ten words this year were all related to a news story.


I am not surprised that 'austerity' was the top word of 2010. Although I had never heard of the word before coming across this article, its definition is very appropriate to describe the various economic crises that have occurred around the world this year.

Newslog #10

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Americans Divided on That, Too
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/12/18/merry-christmas-or-happy-holidays-americans-divided-on-that-to/


Should stores greet their customers by saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays?" A poll this year shows how divided Americans are on which phrase is appropriate. Forty-nine percent of those polled said that stores should say "Merry Christmas," while forty-four percent of people said that "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" is appropriate. A Dallas church has developed an online "Grinch List" of stores that don't greet their customers with "Merry Christmas." Also, a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, along with the Religion News Service, made the realization that this debate also splits up Democrats and Republicans; sixty-four percent of Republicans think "Merry Christmas" should be said in stores whereas fifty-eight percent of Democrats believe "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" should be said. Lastly, PRRI/RNS reported that more Americans would watch movies like "It's a Wonderful Life" than go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

In my opinion, those who think that "Merry Christmas" should be said in stores are ignorant. These people are still convinced that America still runs by the church-and-state method. They think that Christmas is the only holiday celebrated during December by Americans, when in reality, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are also celebrated. "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" should be said to customers because that pertains to people of all religions or those who don't observe any religious holidays.

Newslog #9

TV Watching is Bad for Babies' Brains
http://health.yahoo.net/articles/parenting/tv-watching-bad-babies-brains

Studies have shown that babies who watch television are more likely to have delayed cognitive development and language. Statistics show that babies who watched an hour of television per day had developmental scores 1/3 lower at 14 months than babies who barely watched television. Many think this is because parents and babies who watch television waste time that can be spent on talking, playing, and interacting, that are needed for development. Even educational shows, like Sesame Street, were found to have no redeeming factors. Scientists at New York University School of Medicine-Bellevue Hospital Center found that parents whose children watch non-educational television shows don't spend as much time reading or teaching them.

Although watching television doesn't always have much of a positive impact, I don't believe that children should stop watching it completely. Even after the study, I firmly believe that educational shows are beneficial for children. Even if lessons are not on paper, that doesn't mean that they don't help with development.

Newslog #8

Airline Hiring Back 'Overweight' Flight Attendants

http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/12/02/airline-hiring-back-overweight-flight-attendants/

Last year, Air India fired ten women flight attendants due to their weight. They are currently running low on crew members, so the airline offered nine out of the ten women their jobs back. The women would have to meet the airline's stiff requirements that will be based on the person's height and weight if they wanted their jobs back. Air India says that by this time, the crew members have been given plenty of time to lose weight. Under these terms, three women agreed to come back to the airline.

On a side note, in August, Turkish Airlines told twenty-eight of their flight attendants that they have six months to lose weight or else they would be replaced. Thirteen women and five men decided to leave under these conditions.

Air India and Turkish Airlines had no right to fire some of their crew members based on appearance. If overweight people are allowed on planes as passengers, then there is no reason why overweight people cannot be crew members. All that should matter in this case is whether or not a crew member is doing their job properly.