October 13, 2009
There’s just too much information in the world, and not all of it gets in the news.
I wrote an article for Tuesday’s Spartan Daily about a campus rally in support for an oil severance tax that would fund California’s public higher education.
It covered a counter-protest that happened at the rally, and it talked about the bill itself, but I had far more information than I had time and space to include.
So I’m going to take a nontraditional route for a reporter: I’m going to use this newfangled Internet contraption to expand on a story already in print.
First, the bill. If you didn’t know already, AB 656 is a bill that would tax oil companies 9.9 percent to extract oil in California, and it would give that money to state-funded colleges and universities, according to the bill.
Keep reading →
October 12, 2009
The news about the budget cuts just keeps pouring in. Here’s another news roundup on how other California State University campuses are handling the budget cuts this week:
Humboldt State
County on furlough: Budget cuts at HSU reverberate throughout local economy (Eureka Times-Standard, Oct. 12)
The Eureka Times-Standard reported that about $8.6 million was instantly sapped from the local economy because of furloughs. The CSU is Humboldt County’s second largest employer.
Fresno State
Students voice concern with planned walkout (The Collegian, Oct. 12)
The Fresno chapter of Students for Quality Education is planning a campuswide walkout on Oct. 21 to protest rising fees and budget cuts.
Keep reading →
October 11, 2009
NASA’s crash-landed space rockets upon the moon’s surface have caused a stir in the media.
Did they really violate any space laws?
Will the project succeed?
According to a Christian Science Monitor article, “The two collisions combined would have the same effect on the moon that dropping an eyelash in the aisle would have on the speed and direction of a Boeing 747.”
My initial question was where the private company received permission to create a heavy impact upon a celestial being so heavily involved in mythology across the world.
I found it disrespectful to bomb the moon, especially when so many cultures hold the moon in such high regard. It has a high symbolic regard that should not be neglected or forgotten.
Keep reading →
October 7, 2009
It’s time to bring out the pumpkins and skeletons because Halloween is coming!
If you’re a movie buff like me, then you are in for a treat this dreary October.
The movie that has everyone sitting on the edge of their seats is “Paranormal Activity.” Though it was only released in selected cities, the buzz for the “Mockumentary” is spreading fast.
The official Web site has already reached more than 50,000 hits. Once the Web site gets 100,000 hits the movie will open worldwide.
The film is about a couple that moves into house, but then they start experiencing supernatural incidents. Most of the supernatural incidents happen at night.
Keep reading →
October 4, 2009
Sex, lies and money.
These words would never have come to mind before when thinking of the ex-popular TLC show, “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”
Now, it’s all that comes to mind whenever the Gosselins are brought up in news media outlets. Those three words are what have divided their family.
This week, TLC announced that Jon was to be removed from the show’s title, and it would now be known simply as “Kate Plus 8.”
Keep reading →
September 30, 2009
It’s easy to remember how the budget cuts affect everything at SJSU this year. Classes are canceled for furlough days, shops are closed when you were hankering for that Jamba Juice and outdated school equipment is pieced together with duct tape rather than tossed into the dumpster.
But the seismic shocks of California’s budget crisis are felt on all public universities in the state. It’s easy to forget that if you aren’t there.
So here’s a sampling of news stories from four other CSU campuses that better illustrate how SJSU is not alone.
If you use Delicious.com to bookmark Web sites, use the tag “csubudget” to label any news item you find on how the budget cuts are affecting higher education in this crumbling state.
Keep reading →
September 28, 2009
According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, grilled chicken poses just as much of a threat as cigarettes.
Apparently, carcinogens are a byproduct of grilling chicken and are linked to breast cancer and colon cancer. Reader’s Digest says that wherever there is smoke, there is basically a potential risk for cancer.
To warn consumers, the group is suing Kentucky Fried Chicken and demanding that they post a notice in their restaurants similar to that of the Surgeon General’s warning on a cigarette box — a requirement that is upheld by Proposition 65.
Did I mention that the PCRM promotes a vegetarian diet?
Keep reading →
