Portsmouth, NH – The School Board proposed a new policy that a rule be instituted requiring students with disciplinary problems to attend a special Saturday morning session to reduce the number of in house suspensions.
School Board member Tim Steele made a motion to approve the new policy to reduce the number of students caught smoking during the school day, which automatically results in an in house suspension. Students are not allowed to make up work during an in house suspension, and the new program would mean students would miss no class time. Some parents who attended this meeting were outraged by the proposal.
“I work six days a week - including Saturday morning – and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday,” said Peggy Bacon, a parent. “I know my son isn’t perfect…and the parents are going to have to pay for it in high taxes as well as ruined Saturdays,” she said.
Some students who attended the meeting were also annoyed by the idea, including the ones who have never previously served an in house suspension.
“In twelve years of school I’ve never served a detention and I don’t intend to. But I don’t like this idea, and I think it’s just being done to make life easier for the faculty so they don’t have to deal with detentions during the week,” said high school senior Lisa Gallagher.
After about thirty minutes of discussion, the board voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to table the issue until its next meeting.
The superintendent of schools also delivered an administrative report detailing the School Department’s efforts to push forward with a $21 million budget for the next school year.
Superintendent Nathan Greenberg indicated that the budget represents an increase of 5.5% over the current year’s spending. He reported to have formed a special citizens committee to review how other communities fund education with tax dollars.
The School Board also heard several committee reports, which included one from the rental committee about advertising the rental of school rooms and buildings in the classified section of the newspaper. Also, the maintenance committee reported that graffiti artists had attacked the back wall of the Middle School. Lastly, the athletic committee proposed guidelines for fundraising by Booster Clubs, which will be discussed at a later date.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m. The next one will be held on March 7, 2009.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Is the New York Times Biased?
In recent weeks, the New York Times has been accused by its readers to be favoring the Republican Party. This accusation, however, is false. The Times has remained neutral and has published an equal amount of stories regarding both political parties.
In Thursday’s issue of the New York Times, there were negative articles published about both parties. In the article on page A16 titled: Obama Chides Biden Over Remark About a World Crisis Testing His Presidency, the Times reveals a negative comment about Obama made by his running mate Joe Biden. He told reporters that if Obama was elected, the world’s leaders would test his mettle as a young president, and that he is not ready for this position. This article let readers into the unknown problems of the Democratic campaign.
Adjacent to that article was a negative story published about John McCain titled: McCain Is Faltering Among Hispanic Voters. At the start of the election, McCain was favored by the majority of the Hispanic population. As time went on, however, the Hispanic population of our country is no longer favoring McCain because his campaign never made an effort to ensure their votes. The article is in no way positive, and makes McCain look as though he doesn’t care about receiving support from Hispanic voters.
In Friday’s issue of the New York Times, there was a story published about both Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. The article on page A16 titled: From Little-Noticed College Student to Star Politician, talks about Palin’s life prior to her candidacy for V.P. The article allows the reader to know the real Sarah Palin, not just the political part of her life.
To the right of her story was an article titled: In a Father’s Tough Life, Principles and Examples To Live By for Biden. This article introduced the reader into the life of Joe Biden, and talked a lot about his relationship with his father. The article took a positive angle that shed light onto Biden that the public was unfamiliar with.
The New York Times is neutral when it comes to the presidential election. This evidence supports the idea that the paper is balanced, and in no way biased towards either political party.
In Thursday’s issue of the New York Times, there were negative articles published about both parties. In the article on page A16 titled: Obama Chides Biden Over Remark About a World Crisis Testing His Presidency, the Times reveals a negative comment about Obama made by his running mate Joe Biden. He told reporters that if Obama was elected, the world’s leaders would test his mettle as a young president, and that he is not ready for this position. This article let readers into the unknown problems of the Democratic campaign.
Adjacent to that article was a negative story published about John McCain titled: McCain Is Faltering Among Hispanic Voters. At the start of the election, McCain was favored by the majority of the Hispanic population. As time went on, however, the Hispanic population of our country is no longer favoring McCain because his campaign never made an effort to ensure their votes. The article is in no way positive, and makes McCain look as though he doesn’t care about receiving support from Hispanic voters.
In Friday’s issue of the New York Times, there was a story published about both Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. The article on page A16 titled: From Little-Noticed College Student to Star Politician, talks about Palin’s life prior to her candidacy for V.P. The article allows the reader to know the real Sarah Palin, not just the political part of her life.
To the right of her story was an article titled: In a Father’s Tough Life, Principles and Examples To Live By for Biden. This article introduced the reader into the life of Joe Biden, and talked a lot about his relationship with his father. The article took a positive angle that shed light onto Biden that the public was unfamiliar with.
The New York Times is neutral when it comes to the presidential election. This evidence supports the idea that the paper is balanced, and in no way biased towards either political party.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Rare Spotted Leopard Missing from the Durham Zoo
Fluffy, a 10-year-old Romanian spotted leopard escaped from the Durham Zoo late Tuesday night and is still nowhere to be found.
When the zoo opened at 7:30 a.m. the following morning, zoo keepers immediately noticed Fluffy was missing. Her cage door was shut and did not appear to have been tampered with, and the fencing was unbroken. How she escaped without damaging her cage is a mystery.
Police rushed to the zoo, while the visitors were being hurried out. Within minutes of their arrival, police officers were everywhere with guns drawn and ready to fire. If possible, Fluffy will be shot with a tranquilizer gun but if necessary, she will be killed.
“We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went. She may have left the area and she could be walking around Durham at this point. We just don’t know,” said director of the zoo Gerry Durrell, during a press conference.
There is a lot of concern because of the residential neighborhood and elementary school that surround the zoo. Experts are urging the public to get slowly to the ground and lay still if they encounter the leopard. She will only attack if she senses fear, and be especially careful to avoid eye contact.
“If these cats are cornered – or encountered on a dark night – their defense is to kill, and to kill quickly,” said Kitty Smith, the zoo’s chief biologist. “Fluffy is one of five spotted leopards left in the world, and we hope to bring her back safely,” she said.
The New Hampshire State Police and the state wildlife department are involved in the search for Fluffy. In addition, the National Guard will be supplying five helicopters with infrared sensors. The zoo is doing everything in its power to find the leopard before anyone gets hurt.
Witnesses are questioning the story the zoo is telling. One visitor, who witnessed everything, had a different story to tell that contradicted the one given by the director of the zoo.
“Everything seemed normal until I got to the cage, then I knew something was wrong right away. I told the guard and he said ‘Mind your own business.’ I waited and a half hour later I told them again, and this time they checked the house,” said James Petronkis, a frequent visitor of the zoo. “Then all hell broke loose,” he said.
When the zoo opened at 7:30 a.m. the following morning, zoo keepers immediately noticed Fluffy was missing. Her cage door was shut and did not appear to have been tampered with, and the fencing was unbroken. How she escaped without damaging her cage is a mystery.
Police rushed to the zoo, while the visitors were being hurried out. Within minutes of their arrival, police officers were everywhere with guns drawn and ready to fire. If possible, Fluffy will be shot with a tranquilizer gun but if necessary, she will be killed.
“We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went. She may have left the area and she could be walking around Durham at this point. We just don’t know,” said director of the zoo Gerry Durrell, during a press conference.
There is a lot of concern because of the residential neighborhood and elementary school that surround the zoo. Experts are urging the public to get slowly to the ground and lay still if they encounter the leopard. She will only attack if she senses fear, and be especially careful to avoid eye contact.
“If these cats are cornered – or encountered on a dark night – their defense is to kill, and to kill quickly,” said Kitty Smith, the zoo’s chief biologist. “Fluffy is one of five spotted leopards left in the world, and we hope to bring her back safely,” she said.
The New Hampshire State Police and the state wildlife department are involved in the search for Fluffy. In addition, the National Guard will be supplying five helicopters with infrared sensors. The zoo is doing everything in its power to find the leopard before anyone gets hurt.
Witnesses are questioning the story the zoo is telling. One visitor, who witnessed everything, had a different story to tell that contradicted the one given by the director of the zoo.
“Everything seemed normal until I got to the cage, then I knew something was wrong right away. I told the guard and he said ‘Mind your own business.’ I waited and a half hour later I told them again, and this time they checked the house,” said James Petronkis, a frequent visitor of the zoo. “Then all hell broke loose,” he said.
Alternative Energy
Alternative energy, like solar and wind, are facing challenges because of the drop in oil and gas prices. Shares of alternative energy companies have fallen even more than the rest of the stock market this past month. All these financial issues are making it more difficult to invest in renewable energy projects. There is great concern that if oil prices keep dropping, people will be less likely to buy expensive renewable energy.
Both Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain are promising alternative energy sources to try and stop global warming. Obama is proposing creating about five million new jobs in the field of renewable energy to triple the country's electricity supplied by renewable energy.
McCain has been running advertisements promoting the use of wind turbine farms, which are currently the most popular and advanced form of alternative energy.
However, with all the financial issues, renewable energy projects are not at the top of the country's list of problems to be solved.
Both Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain are promising alternative energy sources to try and stop global warming. Obama is proposing creating about five million new jobs in the field of renewable energy to triple the country's electricity supplied by renewable energy.
McCain has been running advertisements promoting the use of wind turbine farms, which are currently the most popular and advanced form of alternative energy.
However, with all the financial issues, renewable energy projects are not at the top of the country's list of problems to be solved.
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