Super Tuesday profiles

The Census Bureau has compiled a snaptshot of the states invovled in Super Tuesday.

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2008/2008elections.html

If you are looking for background information on voting or other demographic information about these states, this is the place to start.

Dan Kubiske

Student governemnt cuts newspaper funds

The Montclair student governemnt has cut the funds for the campus newspaper in a dispute between the paper and the student government.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/nyregion/29montclair.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=journalism&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Sate of the Union Speech in Tag Cloud

Here is a link to a Tag Cloud of the 2008 State of the Union.

http://www.jasongriffey.net/wp/2008/01/29/2008-state-of-the-union-as-tag-cloud/

I have always liked the tag cloud charts. They show just how often particular words are used in speeches and documents.

Notice how infrequently words such as schools, family and economy were used.

Dan Kubiske

Some stories write themselves

Women get bra price equality
Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:22am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Forty years after feminists threatened to burn their bras, British women have won another battle in the fight for equality.

Asda, Britain's second-biggest food retailer and owned by U.S. giant Wal-Mart, says it will no longer charge women more for bigger bras in its George fashion range.

"We're putting an end once and for all to one of the last prejudices -- that of the bigger-busted woman," said brand director Fiona Lambert in a statement.

"From now on, all bras at George will be exactly the same price from A cup through to F cup."

Looking for story hooks

Talk about putting things together:

2008 is the year of the presidential election, the summer Olympics and the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition.

What more could one want?

Thanks to the 21st Amendment (repeal of Prohibition) we can now have drinking games to celebrate the Olympics and drown our sorrows (or celebrate) when the election returns come in.

Keeping up with euphemisms

Has anyone heard of this yet?

Southern racists adopt "Canadian" as a euphemism for "black"
Posted: 27 Jan 2008 02:14 AM CST

The Canadian National Post looks on with mild horror as American linguists report on the growing trend in the American south to use "Canadian" as a masking euphemism for black people, so that white racists can say socially inappropriate things without tipping listeners off about the cancer in their souls.

Last August, a blogger in Cincinnati going by the name CincyBlurg reported that a black friend from the southeastern U.S. had recently discovered that she was being called a Canadian. "She told me a story of when she was working in a shop in the South and she overheard some of her customers complaining that they were always waited on by a Canadian at that place. She didn't understand what they were talking about and assumed they must be talking about someone else," the blogger wrote.


"After this happened several times with different patrons, she mentioned it to one of her co-workers. He told her that ‘Canadian' was the new derogatory term that racist Southerners were using to describe persons they would have previously referred to [with the N-word.]"
A similar case in Kansas City was reported last year on a Listserv, or electronic mailing list, used by linguistics experts. A University of Kansas linguist said that a waitress friend reported that "fellow workers used to use a name for inner-city families that were known to not leave a tip: Canadians. ‘Hey, we have a table of Canadians.... They're all yours.' "

Today in history -- A legend is named

Thanks to History.com we celebrate today the appointment of a new commander of the Army of the Potomac.

What is not mentioned is the story that "Fighting Joe" was also upset that it was difficult to assemble his troops because they were frequently visiting the various brothels spread around town. He reportedly ordered all the brothels to set up shop in the 14th-15th Street area between F and Eye Street. (Conveniently enough, this was also the area where most of the newspapers were located.)

The prostitutes, now gathered in one area, were known as Hookers' Brigade (some say Division) and later shortened to just hookers.

January 26, 1863
Joseph Hooker takes over the Army of the Potomac

General Joseph Hooker assumes command of the Army of the Potomac following Ambrose Burnside's disastrous tenure.

Hooker was a West Point graduate and a veteran of the Seminole War and the Mexican War, and he had served in the American West in the 1850s. When the Civil War erupted, Hooker was named brigadier general in the Army of the Potomac. He quickly rose to division commander, and he distinguished himself during the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. He also continued to build his reputation as a hard drinker and womanizer. He earned the nickname "Fighting Joe," and received command of the First Corps in time for the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862. His corps played a major role in the Battle of Antietam in September, and when Burnside failed as commander, Hooker had his chance.

The general first had to deal with the sagging morale of the army. He reorganized his command and instituted a badge system, where each division had their own unique insignia. This helped to build unit pride and identity, and Hooker led a reenergized army into Virginia in April 1862. Hooker's appointment was part of Lincoln's frustrating process of finding a winning general in the east. After Irwin McDowell, George McClellan, John Pope, McClellan again, and then Burnside, Lincoln hoped Hooker could defeat Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It was a tall order, though, and Hooker was not up to the challenge. In May 1863, Hooker clashed with Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville, and the Union army suffered a decisive and stunning defeat. Lincoln's search for an effective commander continued, and he eventually replaced Hooker with George Meade.

Story ideas: Cops and students

Here's a story idea you can localize from Al Tompkin's weekday feature on the Poynter Online site (http://poynter.org/).

This is a great blog to check out for story ideas you can localize.Note all the resources the blog item links to.

Steve Klein

http://poynter.org/column.asp?id=2

Cops Step Over the Line in Student Arrests

The St. Petersburg Times searched records to learn that when police enter schools and question kids about crimes, the officers often do not issue Miranda warnings or even call parents until they haul the kids off to jail:

Florida police frequently skirt state and federal laws, or violate them outright, when questioning children at school, a St. Petersburg Times investigation has found.

Often police question juvenile suspects first, and leave the Miranda warning for later. In some cases they question kids at school and take them to jail without notifying the principal. Or they interrogate them as suspects before trying to notify their parents, in violation of state law.

Even when police don't cut legal corners, experts say the push to station officers in most middle and high schools has brought a raft of unintended consequences: blurred roles, unclear legal authority and a sharp increase in school arrests for minor infractions that could be handled out of court.

Principals, the last line of defense for kids jeopardized by police misconduct, rarely challenge resource officers or other police who enter school to interrogate students.

And children are saddled with criminal records that can follow them for a lifetime.

"They won't be able to get a job, they won't be able to go to college," said Judge Robert Evans of the 9th Judicial Circuit. "They're screwed for life." Resources to Localize this StoryThe National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) has issued "assessments" of juvenile justice systems in 16 states. The group says:

The assessments provide comprehensive examinations of the systemic and institutional barriers that prevent lawyers from providing adequate legal services to indigent children within a particular state legal system. In addition to gathering general data and information about the structure of the juvenile indigent defense system, assessments examine issues related to the timing of appointment of counsel, the frequency with which children waive their right to counsel and under what conditions they do so, resource allocation, attorney compensation, supervision and training, and access to investigators, experts, social workers and support staff. Assessments also highlight promising approaches and innovative practices within the state and offer recommendations to improve weak areas.

Assessments are available for:
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Mississippi
Montana
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
Virginia
Washington

The group has a publication called "Why It's Important to Know Your Rights: A Guide to Young People's Rights in Juvenile Delinquency Court." [PDF; similar information is posted here]

Getting stories others seem to miss

Below is a link to get reports on the impact exports have on each state:
http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/index.html

The Virginia page URL is:
http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/virginia.html

Some quick stats:

• About 15 percent of all manufacturing jobs in Virginia depend on exports
• Almost 4,500 companies export goods from Virginia
• A bit more than 3,700 of those companies have fewer than 500 employees.
• Foreign investment in Virginia was responsible for 4.5 percent of the state’s total private-industry employment in 2005

Of Virginia's 30 top markets, exports to Portugal grew the fastest over the 2002-2006 period, increasing from $35 million to $202 million (up 484 percent). Other fast-growing major markets included Singapore (up 456 percent), India (up 181 percent), China (up 156 percent), and Colombia (up 128 percent).

So I ask:

• Where are the stories about the Portuguese, Singapore and Colombian economies and societies?
• What changed in these countries (and the others) that prompted more purchases from Virginia?
• Or what changed in Virginia exports that led to more sales to these countries?

Super (Bowl) Story Ideas and Tips

Jan. 22, 2008
Special Edition

Super Bowl XLII will be played Feb. 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. To commemorate this occasion, the Census Bureau has compiled a collection of facts examining the demographics of the host area, as well as the cities represented by the contenders, in this year’s edition of our nation’s most celebrated sporting event.

New York (Giants)
Unless otherwise indicated, the data come from the 2006 American Community Survey.

1st
Where New York ranked on the list of the nation’s most populous cities. New York’s estimated population on July 1, 2006, was 8.3 million. New York gained 36,728 people from July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2006. The city has been the nation’s most populous city ever since the first census in 1790.
(The Giants actually play in suburban East Rutherford, N.J., which had an estimated July 1, 2006, population of 8,931.)
Sources: Population estimates
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010315.html
and historical census reports
http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html>

32%
Percentage of New York’s residents 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2006; 79 percent had at least graduated from high school. The respective national figures were 27 percent and 84 percent.

39 minutes
Average amount of time it took New York’s residents to get to work. Twenty-four percent of the city’s workers drove to work alone, 6 percent carpooled and 54 percent took public transportation. Nationally, it took workers an average of 25 minutes to get to work.

48%
Percentage of New York’s residents 5 and older who spoke a language other than English at home. The national average was 20 percent.

$46,480
Median household income for New York. The national median was $48,451.

$496,400
Median home value of owner-occupied homes in New York. The national median was $185,200.

Boston (New England Patriots)
Unless otherwise indicated, the data come from the 2006 American Community Survey.

23rd
Where Boston ranked on the list of the nation’s most populous cities. Boston’s estimated population on July 1, 2006, was 595,698. Boston’s population declined by 940 people between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006.
(The Patriots actually play in suburban Foxborough, Mass., which had an estimated July 1, 2006, population of 16,274.)
Source: Population estimates
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010315.html

42%
Percentage of Boston’s residents 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2006; 84 percent had at least graduated from high school. The respective national figures were 27 percent and 84 percent.

27.7 minutes
Average amount of time it took Boston’s residents to get to work. Thirty-nine percent of the city’s workers drove to work alone, 9 percent carpooled and 32 percent took public transportation. Nationally, it took workers an average of 25 minutes to get to work.

35%
Percentage of Boston’s residents 5 and older who spoke a language other than English at home. The national average was 20 percent.

$47,974
Median household income for Boston. This is not significantly different from the national median of $48,451.

$432,800
Median value of owner-occupied homes in Boston. The national median was $185,200.

Glendale, Ariz. (host city) and vicinity
Unless otherwise indicated, the data come from the 2006 American Community Survey.

16th
Where Arizona ranked on the list of the nation’s most populous states. Arizona’s estimated population on July 1, 2007, was 6.3 million. It was the nation’s second-fastest growing state between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007.
Source: Population estimates
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/011109.html

13th
Rank of Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz., among metro areas with respect to population size. The Phoenix metro area had an estimated population of 4 million on July 1, 2006, up by 787,000 since Census 2000 — the fourth largest numerical increase in the nation. Its rate of growth during the period (24 percent) ranked 10th nationally.
Source: Population estimates
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/009865.html

246,531
Population of Glendale on July 1, 2006. Glendale’s population climbed by 3,387 between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006. Glendale is now the 72nd most populous city in the nation.
Source: Population estimates
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010315.html

36,228
Population of Glendale in the 1970 census.
Source: Historical census reports http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/hiscendata.html

26%
Percentage of Arizona’s residents 25 or older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2006; this compares with 27 percent in the Phoenix metro area and 19 percent in Glendale. The respective national figure was 27 percent.

25 minutes
Average amount of time it took Arizona’s residents to get to work. Seventy-five percent of the state’s workers drove to work alone. In the Phoenix metro area, it took an average of 26.6 minutes and 75 percent drove to work solo. In Glendale, the respective figures were 26.5 minutes and 71 percent. Nationally, they were 25 minutes and 76 percent.

28%
Percentage of Arizona’s residents 5 or older who spoke a language other than English at home. The Phoenix metro area had an identical percentage, while Glendale was at 32 percent. The national average was 20 percent.

$47,265
Median household income for Arizona. In the Phoenix metro area, the median was $51,862, and in Glendale, it was $48,455. The national median was $48,451. (Glendale was not significantly different from the national median.)

$236,500
Median value of owner-occupied homes in Arizona. The respective medians in the Phoenix metro area and Glendale were $266,300 and $243,900. The national median was $185,200.

Notes:

• The average amount of time it took residents to get to work was not significantly different between Glendale and Boston, nor Glendale and the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area.
• The percentage of workers who drove to work alone was not significantly different between Arizona and the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area.
• The percentage of people 5 or older who spoke a language other than English at home was not significantly different between Boston and Glendale.
• The median household income was not significantly different between Boston and Glendale. In addition, Boston was not significantly different from New York or Arizona. Glendale was also not significantly different from New York or Arizona.
  "Special Editions" of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Facts for Features are issued to provide background information for lesser known observances, anniversaries of historic events and other timely topics in the news.
  

Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information
Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or e-mail: pio@census.gov.

Resource to learn from the past

To understand events of today you must often look to the past.

Today (1/22) is the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

There is already a lot of copy and airtime being devoted to the case -- specifically to the demonstrations on both sides of the issue.

Sometimes it is helpful to go back to the beginning and look at the actual decision.

Thanks to Oyez.com and the US Supreme Court, we can now listen to the oral arguments and read the court decision.

Here is the link: http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1971/1971_70_18/

And you don't even have to fully understand all the legal terms. Just listen to what the lawyers have to say and the questions from the justices.

Diagramming a vital document

Not that we are requiring our students to diagram sentences any more -- although every now and then I think the nuns did have it right -- here is an intersting exercise in breaking down the first sentence of a vital document.


Thanks to Boing Boing for bringing this to my attention.

GMU SPJ Going to Gunston Hall

Would appreciate it if you could announce this to your students.

The George Mason University chapter of the SPJ is going to Gunston Hall Sunday, Feb. 10.

Gunston Hall is the home of (surprise) George Mason.

Mason wrote the Virginia Bill of Rights, which served as Madison's blueprint for the U.S. Bill of Rights.

The tour begins at 11 a.m. Tickets are $7 (group tour rate).Gunston Hall is in Mason Neck, VA.

If you are interested in going, contact trip coordinator Lindsey Kelleher at Madseason21122@aol.com or lkelleh1@gmu.edu.

We are organizing a carpool out of the Fairfax Mason campus.

New OpenCongress function

OpenCongress.org has a new feature to help track bills in Congress. Called My OpenCongress. The watchdog site says the new feature allows registered users (it's free) to build a personal profile on OpenCongress of the bills and people you want to track, network with other users, comment and vote on bills, and more.

This could be a useful tool for student journalists looking for a different angle on stories.

Connections mean a lot -- And they can lead to different stories

The following is from Dominican Today, an English language web site that summarizes the main news in the Dominican Republic.

Besides looking at the issues raised in this article, think also about what would happen if the Dominican economy does not grow and improve. Where do you think all the Dominicans looking for work will go? Certainly not neighboring Haiti.

They will go where they already have friends and relatives to help them get settled.

Factoid: There are an estimated 8.5 million Dominicans in the world. The Dominican Republic has 6 million of that population. One million are in the United States. And about 800,000 of that 1 million are in the New York City area.

Threat of recession on U.S. economy also endangers Dominican finances

SANTO DOMINGO.- The threat of recession which according to international organisms and analysts affects the United States economy also endangers Dominican finances.

Dominican trade and balances of payment’s great dependency on the U.S. economy implies a potentially high risk, in the event financial upheavals materialize, sparked by the impact of rising oil prices, in real estate and the financial crisis of defaulted mortgage payments.

The Dominican economy’s most dynamic sectors, such as tourism, remittances and the free zones, have a link as high as more than 80 percent with the United States. As services, they are highly vulnerability in times of reduced spending, one of the direct consequences in a recession. A fourth sector, which could also bee affected and has great impact on the balance of payments and internally to generate exports, is that of foreign investment. Though somewhat cyclical, the United States is the main provider of foreign capital, in free zones as well as directly.

As the expression that “if the U.S. economy sneezes Dominican catches a cold,” recession or deceleration can affect Dominican Republic, at least in the flow of remittances from relatives abroad, the country’s second largest source of currency. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (I.D.B.) the country receives 77 percent of remittances from the U.S.

As noted by the expression “if the U.S. economy sneezes Dominican catches a cold,” recession or deceleration can affect Dominican Republic, at least in the flow of remittances from relatives abroad, the country’s second largest source of currency. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (I.D.B.) the country receives 77 percent of remittances from the U.S.

In 2007 Dominicans received US$2.99 billion from relatives abroad, a relative increase of 9 percent compared with the previous year.

Public Diplomacy and the Pentagon

The Pentagon has an office of public diplomacy. (Yes, the Penatagon has a diplomacy office.)

The magazine Government Executive recently published an interview with the head of that office.

The interview is an interesting look inside an office few know exists.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0108/011008kp1.htm

Might be a useful office for government and media classes or for the PR section of the 303 classes.