Twitters involvement with disaster relief.

With the advent of social networking becoming an essential part of our daily lives, there is the tendency to dismiss these sites as a distraction for society instead of an aid. This is especially true with Twitter. Initially the site was viewed as frivolous and another example of how society has become obsessed with voyeurism and self promotion. However with Twitters use by people to organize and report news, it has become an invaluable tool for the news media. The Haiti earthquake has shown the effect that Twitter can have in reporting news and helping peoples affected by a disaster.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake Twitter was one of the sources used by television news stations like CNN. It was also essential in trying to get aid sent to the island by highlighting what conditions presently existed and what was needed to help with the relief effort. One of these people who used Twitter to report what was happening in the Haitian capital of Port au Prince was radio host Carel Pedre. He said during an interview with the BBC of his initial reactions after the earthquake; “My first reactions were fear, concern, frustration. Was my family safe? Would my house collapse? Was the world coming to an end? But as it happened I also had the first instinct to get on my phone and Tweet "Am I the only one who felt that?" It is because of other people like Mr.Pedre that Twitter became such an important aid in reporting news from Haiti.

This type of disaster reporting has also lead to the creation of software that will aid in filtering of information during a disaster coming from social networking sites including Twitter. According to the Huffington Post the software called Ushahidi was originally developed after the Kenyan elections in 2007. The software can be used to locate those in need during a crisis situation and send their information to relief agencies to help them. This was used in Haiti by freeing people trapped underneath rubble who had sent Tweets to Ushahidi and whose information was forwarded to the Red Cross on the scene in Haiti.

Lecture at UMaine

On Monday March 22, 2010 The School of Policy & Political Affairs presented a lecture by Matthew P. Hoh entitled “The Necessity for a Political Solution to the War in Afghanistan.” Hoh is a former Marine and State Department official who had served two tours of duty in Iraq and resigned from his post in Afghanistan, citing protest to the current military strategy in Afghanistan. The lecture he presented, instead of being an emotional “call to action” about the current situation, played out as calm and meticulous telling of his ideas and opinions on the current situation in Afghanistan and what needs to be done to change the situation for the better.

The lecture was started by Hoh establishing several initial points about the current situation in Afghanistan. Hoh stated that he felt the military action that began in Afghanistan after the September 11 Terrorist attacks were justified, however there are several misconceptions that people have about what is occurring militarily in the country. First is that the US presence in Afghanistan is occurring simultaneously to a Civil War that has been occurring non stop for the past 35 years. Next is that the Afghans fighting American troops in Afghanistan are not fighting because they view America as an enemy, they are opposing an American military presence because they feel that we are an occupying force adversely affecting their country. And finally is that the Afghan government is so corrupt that in its current state it is still unfit and unable to run the country.

He had three solutions to immediately begin to fix what problems exist for the military in Afghanistan. First would be to announce a ceasefire; this would stop the cycle of violence in the country and help to dispel the notion of the United States as an occupying force. Next would be to unite the divide between the opposing groups in the country and try to prevent the ongoing conflicts between warring ethnic groups. Finally and most importantly would be to reform the current government and have a tribal based government where every group would be heard and not just the groups in the majority.

However despite the frankness and seriousness of the discussion Hoh was very open about his feelings for the current military situation in America. He thanked those in attendance who had participated in the Maine Troop Greeter program, and stated that one of his best memories from his military service was from landing in Bangor after a deployment in Iraq and being greeted by so many caring people.

What statement stood out the most from the talk was during the question and answer potion of the lecture where Hoh was asked what caused his resignation from the state department he stated “I could not longer tell the Mothers and Wives of soldiers dying over there the reason that there child or spouse died in good conscious.”

Concerned Citizen in Sanford

Sanford-Despite the town councils ongoing move towards a Pay-As-You-Throw solid waste disposal policy, some town residents feel that there are more questions that need to be answered. These questions involve mainly; how will the town enforce the illegal dumping of garbage, and how whether or not the plan will increase recycling and reduce the cost of shipping garbage to The Maine Energy Recycling Corporation. The current plan in place will hopefully reduce not only the cost the town pays to send waste to MERC but increase the amount of recycling that occurs. He plan calls for the purchase of specially designated garbage bags which can be purchased in local stores. The plan call for the cost of the Pay-As-You-Throw bags will cost $1.25 for the 15 gallon bag and $2.00 for the 33 gallon bag.

Sanford resident Timothy Morrissey of Mt Hope Road had several opinions on the issue. He felt that there is no real way for the town to enforce the illegal dumping of garbage and that this measure has the potential to cause more problems than solutions. “Unless a person leaves a copy of their mailing address or telephone number in their garbage there is no real way to discover and punish the person dumping their garbage.” He went on to say that investigations of such illegal dumping by local law enforcement would simply be a waste of the town’s time and resources.

However Mr. Morrissey’s main concern was whether or not the new policy would really change the current solid waste situation in the town. Most of this concern stemmed from the cost of the waste disposal bags and whether or not it will address the recycling problem in Sanford. “I think that unfortunately that those can pay for the bags will fill them with whatever they want, while only a small amount of citizens will take the time to actually sort out their recyclables.” Mr. Morrissey went on to say though that he felt the plan to increase the recycling pick up from biweekly to once a week will help this potential problem.

Concern over new garbage proposal causes stink

Sanford - Some Sanford residents are concerned over a new trash collecting program. The proposed Pay-As-You-Throw program would hopefully reduce solid waste sent to the Maine Energy Recycling Corporation or MERC. However that has not prevented town residents from voicing their opinions against the program. Most residents feel that it would simply become another cost added to their already tight budgets.

The plan if implemented now would involve residents purchasing either specially marked 15 or 33 gallon garbage bags at local stores and placing solid waste in only those bags on the side of the road for garbage removal each week. Solid waste not contained in one of these bags would not be picked up for disposal. Along with the curbside pickup, all solid waste brought to the town transfer station would need to be contained in one of these specially purchased bags. The costs of these bags would be $1.25 for the 15 gallon bag and $2 for the 33 gallon bag.

Recycling and reducing waste is the main priority with the adoption of the Pay-As-You-Go program. Sanford’s recycling rate is around 10 percent, however the goal is to increase this number to 40 percent. Also with the implementation of the new system, the current recycling pickup schedule would go from once every two weeks to weekly. As of now Sanford sends 7,990 tons of waste to the Maine Energy Recycling Corporation. However according to the proposal this number could be reduced significantly to 5,300 tons. This is important as the town has a Guaranteed Annual Tonnage or GAD deal with MERC in which the town pays for the disposal of 10,000 tons of waste. If there is a reduction of the current number sent to MERC there could be a adjusting of the rate to match the towns new lower solid waste output.

Despite these news ideas there has been a backlash against the proposal. Concerns range from the new cost of the bags to how the town will deal with residents who illegally dump their waste. The Sanford town council has tried to address these concerns by stating that there will be measures in place to deal with illegal waste disposal. Also they amended the town’s solid waste ordinance to include that the cost of the Pay-As-You-Go bags will not increase for two years after the implementation of the program.

The Roots to play at UMaine

For release February 19:

Orono ME- After several months of student petitioning the University of Maine Student government is pleased to announce that on March 20 critically acclaimed Hip Hop group The Roots will perform at the UMaine Field House. The concert can be traced to a Facebook group created by student Andrew Downey called “Bring The Roots to UMaine.” The Facebook group eventually gained over 2,000 followers and led to creation of this on campus concert event.

With the success of the “Bring The Roots to UMaine” facebook group several other groups have been started to make local groups and artists the opening acts for the show. Maine rapper Spose and local band Grant Street Orchestra are just a few of the many groups trying to gain local and student support. However at this time no announcement has been made as to who will be the opening act for the show.

The Roots are a Grammy award winning Hip Hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania started in 1991. Their combination of instrumental performances combined with rap lyrics have earned them a worldwide following. To date the group has released twelve albums and have worked with artists such as Nas, Common, and Jay-Z. They are renowned for their live performances and were even named “One of the twenty greatest live acts in the world” by Rolling Stone magazine. The group has also appeared in such media as the film Dave Chappelle’s Block Party and television show Yo Gabba Gabba. They can currently be seen as the house band on the television show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through Umainetix.com. The tickets are priced $15 dollars for students and $20 dollars for the general public. The show will be held March 20 at 7pm in the UMaine Field House.

Profile

The hollow ringing of ping pong balls grazing solo cups echoed through an ordinary student apartment. The phrase “We’re all gentlemen here. Aren’t we?” as a reminder from one pong team to another to adjust a cup or fix some other rules infraction. As I found myself standing at the end of the table I looked around and experienced a moment of complete ease. “We’re all gentlemen, right?” The comment from the opposite end of the table brought my attention to the moment at hand, in particular one of my opponents at the end of the table. There stood Timothy Labrie in all his charismatic glory.

You may be reading this and thinking, “This is a story about a college kid.” Well in theory you are correct, however Tim Labrie is no average college student. His appearance may be unassuming appearance does not lend itself to the unforgettable personality he possesses. Simply bringing up his name among friends will undoubtedly cause instantaneous smirks and chuckles. Among his group his friends the stories attached to him are the stuff of legend. From creating a chant at a middle school basketball game so offensive it resulted in countless calls to the Acton Middle School’s principal’s office from “concerned parents.” To finding the end of a rainbow in a Hannaford’s shopping lot.

These are just a sampling of the stories that are attached to him, but his appeal goes far beyond that. Those who know him personally are aware that his sense of humor is an ever present part of him. Tim always see’s the humor in life and never passes up an opportunity to make use of any comedic situation. From the juvenile fart joke, to the ability to crack up a group of people with a dumb smile during the most awkward of silences.

So as I look back at him across the table acknowledging his question “Am I a gentleman?” with a smirk and a knowing nod I realize one thing. A sense of humor is a great personality trait, and the ability to bring this sense of humor into all aspects of ones life is what makes Tim such an unforgettable character.

Television Newscasts

When presenting the news especially in a format such as television, there is a priority on the clearness and organization through which you present each piece of information. There is no time to bury the leads in your story and it is essential that what is written can be easily communicated to the audience by the newscaster. There is a necessity to be clear and concise in the order that you initially present the information. The introduction to each story should include an initial hook that will gain the audiences attention easily. The easiest way to do that is to include phrases that will instantly gain that audience attention. In the first sentence of each story there was a use of phrases such as “meth lab,” “domestic abuse,” and “budget cuts.” These quick phrases immediately catch the viewer’s attention and allow them to gain the initial attention necessary to present the full story.

What was also noticeable when watching the news was the organization that each news story seemed to have. There were the introductory sentences that used phrase to gain the audiences attention. Then that sentence was expanded upon with such information as what occurred, who was involved, and what were the consequences or after affects of these occurrences. Stories involving criminal activity were always spoken about in the past tense, while stories involving government programs were always in the present. However there was often a change in tense used by the newscaster to talk about past crimes and upcoming criminal investigations, along with other news stories requiring this change in tense. This is necessary in that the news needs to be conveyed as an ongoing series of events to the viewer. The newscasters are not simply reporting the news; they are conveying a story and trying to keep the viewers involved.

The difference between print and televised news coverage is that there needs to be and immediate hook to draw in the viewer’s attention with televised news coverage. Despite the being a competitiveness to print journalism, television is even more competitive. Viewers only have to change a channel in order to switch from one program to another, and with well over 300 cable channels available the choices are many. That is why televised news seems to use the “If it bleeds, it leads” mantra of news reporting more than print journalists. The more sensational a story, the more likely a viewer is to pay attention to the new station.