Beginning Research ~ 3

Prey takes over your devices to keep thieves under surveillance

Andy Ihnatko recommends a tool that helps recover lost or stolen electronics called "Prey". Prey is a special kind of spyware that lies dormant and never track a device's legitimate user. But when your hardware is stolen, you can remotely activate Prey and it'll begin to invisibly and regularly report the hardware's location, and the thief's activity, back to you. All you have to do once you find out that your electronic had disappeared is leap onto a web browser, access Prey's web-based control panel, mark the device missing, and tell Prey what kind of information you'd like to receive. Ultimately, you'll have enough information to unequivocally prove where your property is and who has it. If you value the privacy of your data over the recovery of your device, Prey can simply render the device inoperable until it receives your remote password. This will, or course, encourage the thief to stop using your device. Nothing can absolutely ensure that you'll get your property back, but your chances are far better with Prey installed. Prey has one operational weakness however: you need to actually install the software while the device is still in your physical possession. Is pRey safe? Andy Ihnatko is convinced that Prey is about as safe as this kind of tool can be, given that the software is designed to secretly do things and to evade detection. Because it's been scrutinized, potential weaknesses have been identified, opening a controversy about how it works. The concern is not really that Prey could do something to harm your system or your privacy (which technically it could if there was a problem), but that a third party could exploit these weaknesses to attack your system. Therefore, like with almost all technology available, Prey has its own pros and cons open for debate. 

Info found at: www.suntimes.com

Andy Ihnatko

Beginning Research ~ 2

Technology:
The big hammer of SOPA, PIPA will only crush Internet freedom

Andy Ihnatko reflects about the controversy that sprung up about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) through the House of Representatives and the Senate. There is lots of ager targeted at SOPA and PIPA. However, outrage against SOPA and PIPa shouldn't sweep aside the obvious ethical, legal, and monetary problems inherent in content piracy. These Acts are mostly designed to deal with sites that are outside of US jurisdiction. They 'just want the same legal tools for fighting digital piracy as other industries have for physical piracy.' The down side is, that copyright holders could then issue a court order that simply makes the offending foreign website invisible to any user in America. Free-speech sites would no longer be able to continue. No more Wikipedia. No more Google. There are both up sides and down sides to these Acts. Many incidents demonstrate how easily powers like these can be abused to control speech on the Internet. SOPA and PIPA have been making progressively- denser stinks over the past couple months as more and more people have examined it and seen how poorly built and over-reaching they are. If the success of the Internet can be attributed to one basic principle it's this: information should move freely from one place to another without restrictions. Many people believe that SOPA and PIPA, not only are over reacting and restricting freedoms, they are most likely not even realistic. They might be able to help stop piracy to a certain extent, but would never be able to completely prevent it. 

Andy Ihnatko

Beginning Research

Technology:
Texting and the textbook revolution.

Eric Zorn writes about a new textbook revolution in his column. iBooks 2 has created a digital textbook service for the ipad that is going to change school textbook policies all over the US. "The computer giant aims to replace school textbooks -- often unconscionably heavy and usually outdated the minute they're published -- with interactive e-books optimized for the company's iPad tablet." He argues that although printed books are most likely to "survive", textbooks no longer have a chance if on the ipad. Not only would it be extremely convenient, there would no longer be a reason to drag textbooks around and there would be no more worries about how outdated they are. After all, both students and parents alike are against textbooks because of many reasons. Of course, the price of ipads can be troubling, plus the fact that children are likely to loose or break them. However, Zorn has confidence the school districts will somehow find a way around these issues. The true challenge will be dealing with the distractions an ipad brings. So the problem is not going to get children to adjust to tablets, but to pry them away. 

Info found at: www.chicagotribune.com

Eric Zorn

Columnists Ahoy! ~ Synthesis

From reading some of Dawn Trice's columns, it can be observed that she focuses on community outreach and the positives of society. From the story of the death midwife who worked hard to make life easier for older people, to the abused pit bull who got saved and in return helped her owned through a battle with cancer, and then later reflecting about the founder of WeFarm who made a resolution to help troubled communities grow closer together through organic farming. Often times in the news all we find are negative announcements, yet for the most part Trice chooses the road less traveled by in order highlight the positives. Although we might face obstacles in our lives, she continues to remind us in her columns that you just need to have hope and you will make it through. Roberta Miller and Sweetie Grace, the pit bull, both faced obstacles that would test their limits, but with each other's friendship they both conquered them. "It's a story of how sometimes the obstacles one has to go through to get to the right place can be just plain torture," Miller said. "But then sometimes you can come out on the other side." Both Ana Blechschmidt, the death midwife, and Seneca Kern, the founder of WeFarm, worked to improve people's lives and help them through their own obstacles. Trice focuses on the aspects of community and unity, both conveyed in her columns. She is a columnist who is realistic, yet also finds a "silver lining" in even the most seemingly devastating circumstances. 

Columnists Ahoy! ~ 5

WeFarm America co-founder creates fertile ground for organic gardens, ideas

Dawn Turner Trice talks about Seneca Kern's New Year's resolution to expand WeFarm and push to teach people in urban, often embattled, communities to create gardens so they can eat better. "Seneca Kern is the co-founder of the Chicago-based WeFarm America. His sign off on emails is 'Love and Peas.' It's not corny, it's classic Kern." Through farming he hopes to bring troubled communities closer together and lower the crime rates, while at the same time benefiting the people through healthy lifestyles with organic food. Through inexpensive organic gardening he is making a difference one community at a time. Kern also works as a community outreach coordinator for the  program called Growing Home, a nonprofit that teaches people who have trouble getting employment how to grow organic foods. This organization  helps participants get jobs. He recollects one community he helped that had a drug problem and how it transformed with the addition of a large community garden, everyone learning to share and build connections. This New Year he reminds everyone that even the small things make a difference. 'I just believe in the spirit of the community, and that's all of us bringing to the table what we do best.'

Dawn Turner Trice

Info found at: www.chicagotribune.com

Columnists Ahoy! ~ 4

Sweetie Grace, a pit bull, and her owner pull themselves through adversity

Dawn Turner Trice tells the touching story of the union of an abused pit bull and a breast cancer patient. Together they were able to help each other get though hard times. Sweetie Grace is a pit bull that was harshly abused to the point of losing motion in one leg and having burns that covered 50 percent of her body. Many didn't even believe she would survive when dropped off at the Anti-Cruelty Society by an unidentified person. But she had a effervescent personality and never growled, making her a loving companion and with the help of many doctors she survived against all odds. While Sweetie Grace was getting her leg amputated and her torso straightened out, Roberta Miller was having her own troubles. She had just completed 24 weeks of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation for breast cancer when she adopted Sweetie Grace. Together they made the perfect couple, and though the years have grown closer. Sweetie Grace, is still doing good, and Miller found out that she is cancer free. "It's a story of how sometimes the obstacles one has to go through to get to the right place can be just plain torture," Miller said. "But then sometimes you can come out on the other side."

Dawn Turner Trice

Info found at: www.chicagotribune.com

Columnists Ahoy! ~ 3

Changing exercise habits during the change of life

Menopause study examines ways to encourage women to view exercise as both enjoyable and necessary

For the last 17 years, Rush University Medical Center has been conducting a long-term menopause study called WISH: Women in the Southside Health project.. Researchers discovered that menopause can be one of the causes of increased belly fat and initially increases a women's chances for heart disease and diabetes. So to solve this, they launched a fitness program called WISHFIT to get women exercising. Dawn Trice describes their struggles to find ways to motivate women and encourage them, not to lose weight, but focus on an overall healthier lifestyle. Mary Pat Kull and Donna Cullar are both women participating in the program, each of them attempting to overcome their bad habits. They have tried to exercise in the past, but explain that after a couple months it would slowly come to a stop. However, they have benefitted because of WISHFIT and are now on the road to a better life, healthier and with the reduction of symptoms that naturally come with menopause. 

Dawn Turner Trice

Info found at: www.chicagotribune.com

Columnists Ahoy! ~ 2

Death midwife also assists at the end of life

Death doula listens to final wishes, brings peace to the dying

Dawn Trice tells the story of, not a regular midwife who assists in pregnancy and the bringing of new life, but of a death midwife who takes it into her hands to help the elders who don't wish to spend their last moment in a hospital. Ana Blechschmidt's job is to make the environment as peaceful as possible and assist the elder in what they wish, but is not responsible for administrating medicine. Although this may seem odd to some, it is actually just a return to how things used to be handled in the past. The practice of someone taking care of the older members of the family dates back to long before the Civil War, where similar situations sprung up. In our modern world, too many people tend to isolate themselves when the life of a loved one is ending. The idea of taking care of our elders and allowing them to pass on their wisdom is a sense of community our culture has lost. Trice's purpose it most likely to reflect on how our society has taken a wrong turn when they stopped taking care of old loved ones because they have become too individualistic. 

Dawn Turner Trice

Who Owns The Sources? ~ 5

- The Death Penalty -
(MY opinion)

What gives people the right to end the life of another? After all my research on the subject, I have decided that although it is against my morals to kill another human being, I do believe that the death penalty should be available for extreme circumstances. It should only be used against the cases with mass murderers and serial killers, and those types of extreme circumstances. However, it should not be used in any other case because there can always be mistakes made and all life is precious. Of course, there is always the debate about what cases deserve such punishment, but that is a while different issue. It is my opinion that the death penalty is over used in todays society and many are over using their power to kill. Lots of innocent people suffer the death penalty for crimes they very committed, but hopefully if it is used only for mass murders then this will occur less often. Mass murders and serial killers don't deserve to be rewarded by a life in jail where they are feed and taken care of. It is for them only that this punishment should be used.

Who Owns The Sources? ~ 4

- The Death Penalty -
(in support of)


According to Wesley Lowe capital punishment is a perfectly valid solution to dispose of deadly criminals. He argues that the fewer executions there are, the more murders there are. 

During the temporary suspension on capital punishment from 1972-1976, researchers gathered murder statistics across the country. In 1960, there were 56 executions in the USA and 9,140 murders. By 1964, when there were only 15 executions, the number of murders had risen to 9,250. In 1969, there were no executions and 14,590 murders, and 1975, after six more years without executions, 20,510 murders occurred rising to 23,040 in 1980 after only two executions since 1976. In summary, between 1965 and 1980, the number of annual murders in the United States skyrocketed from 9,960 to 23,040, a 131 percent increase. He also makes the point that a life sentence in jail is just not good enough anymore because of escapes, and different laws in states. Lowe believes that a

s long as the murderer lives, there is always a chance, no matter how small, that he will strike again. He also argues that race doesn't play a part in capital punishment because "m

urder has no color, class, or IQ. A murderer is a murderer." He finishes off by saying confidently, "

While I believe that prompt and consistent executions would have a deterrent effect, there remains one great virtue, even for infrequent executions. The recidivism rate for capital punishment is zero. No executed murderer has ever killed again. You can't say that about those sentenced to prison, even if you are an abolitionist."

The graph above drawn by the Bureau of Criminal Justice gives a general overview of the murder rate compared to the number of executions that had taken place in the US up to the year 2000

Information found at: www.wesleylowe.com

Who Owns The Sources? ~ 3

- Death Penalty- 
(In support of) 
The voices of the murders are heard much more often than that of the victims that died. But it is many people's belief that the murders deserved to die for their heinous crimes. They believe that we must think first of the 1,895 murdered victims instead of the 1,000 that committed these crimes and have died because of them. Jurors, when faced with the decision of what to do to these criminals, they make the right choice to give them the consequence of death. "With a yearly average of 15,000 murders, the fact that we are reaching 1,000 executions in only a little more than 30 years is proof that capital punishment has been reserved for the worst of the worst." The death of a murder is no tragedy, for they can no longer commit the same crime and end even more lives. The death penalty has saved more lives than it has ended, and therefore should be kept in use. 


Info found at: www.prodeathpenalty.com

Who Owns The Sources? ~ 2

- Death Penalty - 
The death penalty is considered unconstitutional, and in fact, the juvenile death penalty has already been abolished for this very reason. "The age of 18 is the point where society draws the line for many purposes between childhood and adulthood. It is, we conclude, the age at which the line for death eligibility ought to rest," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy, who voted along with Justices David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and John Paul Stevens in favor of the ban. So some wonder why the death penalty for those older than 18 is not abolished for being unconstitutional as well. The question of whether capital punishment should be used against people who commit horrible crimes is still argued. 


Info found at: www.pbs.org

Who Owns The Sources?

- The Death Penalty-
The death penalty has been a heated debate for years. The case of Troy Davis is thought to prove how unjust and cruel the death penalty really is. Troy Davis was executed in Georgia despite serious suspicions that he was wrongly accused of killing a police officer. Not only that, but it is strongly believed that the death penalty violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment. And this penalty is defiantly unusual because the United States is the only western industrialized nation that engages in this punishment. Capital punishment is a denial of civil liberties and is therefore inconsistent with the fundamental values of our democratic system.

Info found at: http://www.aclu.org/capital-punishment

Columnists Ahoy!

What Price Life?
By: Muareen Dowd

Summary:

There are many debates about whether the government overreacted or not with evacuating so many people during Irene. Some believe that the government was just making up for their underreactions to a blizzard, where they didn't evacuate enough. However, it is concluded that saving lives was the most important thing. Unfortunately with situations like Katrina, they choose not to use their strong, centralized executive power to save people even though millions of dollars were spend in other places, such as trying to impose democracy on Iraq and Afghanistan. It is still argued whether the government should even have a part in these situations, considering the choices they have been making.

Information found at: www.nytimes.com

- Maureen Dowd -
winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, became a  New York Times Op-Ed columnist in 1995 after having served as a correspondent in the paper's Washington bureau since 1986. 

News You Can Use 3

Hurricane Irene

"Billy Stinson comforts his daughter Erin Stinson as they sit on the steps where their cottage once stood on August 28, 2011 in Nags Head, N.C. The cottage, built in 1903 and destroyed by Hurricane Irene, was one of the first vacation cottages built on Albemarle Sound in Nags Head. Stinson has owned the home, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, since 1963. 'We were pretending, just for a moment, that the cottage was still behind us and we were just sitting there watching the sunset,' said Erin afterward."

• The light is shining on the staircase that is what is left of those people's home, possibly signifying that there is hope for them even though things are bad. 
• There is nothing around them except water, portraying the feeling of despair. 
• It is foggy, but a city can be seen on the horizon, displaying that not all hope is lost. However, the distance to the city also displays the long journey to recovery; that it will take a long time for things to finally get back to normal for this family. 

Picture found at: www.boston.com

News You Can Use 2

A hole is found in the Endangered Species Act where wolves and other animals are not protected in some states.
Idaho and Montana now allow the hunting of grey wolves because in their opinion the wolf population has recovered enough.
Ranchers blame wolves for the loss of livestock and the lessening deer population, and are convinced that they have the right to hunt wolves down.
There is fear that the wolf population is again in danger of over hunting.


Information found at: www.nytimes.com

News You Can Use

Summary:

On September 9th, Matthew Degner, a 14 year-old boy is found dead in his yard. It is believed he died from an illness called bronchopneumonia. After some investigating, it is discovered that his house contains more than 200 animals including: more than 100 cats, almost as many birds, a raccoon, a fruit bat, two dogs, and even several kinkajous (raccoon like creatures). The mother of Matthew and four other children is being held at a police station while her remaining children are treated for illness. It is unknown whether the illnesses were caused by the overpopulation of diseased animals cramped in their household, or even the fact the children have been kept contained in the house for the past couple years. Thankfully the children are in good care and most of the animals were successfully rescued, now residing at an animal shelter in Chicago Ridge.

Information found at: www.chicagotribune.com 

Some of the 100 cats found caged in their house