Students Ski Free in Colorado

Colorado Ski Country USA offers free lift tickets to fifth grade students and discounted tickets to sixth grade students.



Skiing and snowboarding is a common activity for many Colorado residents. Parents are eager to introduce their children to the 26 ski areas in the state but finances keep some families off the mountains. Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) defers part of that cost with the 5th Grade Passport, a program offering fifth graders three free days at each of the 21 participating Colorado ski resorts.



CSCUSA has provided this opportunity since 1996 and more than 130,000 families have participated in the program. Jodi Ayers and her 6th grade daughter Autumn comprise one such family.



Ayers is an avid skier. She has tried to pass her love of the sport on to her daughter for years. But Autumn hasn’t shown much enthusiasm on the slopes in the past. Ayers credits the 5th Grade Passport with making skiing more enjoyable for her daughter.



“I could easily take Autumn and her friends skiing, and having [those friends] made it more fun for her,” Ayers said.



Ayers explained that the passport allowed Autumn to ski with friends instead of just mom. And the friends pushed each other to improve.
Two first-time skiers from last season are ready for more this year according to Ayers. She enjoyed the chance to introduce newcomers to the sport she loves.



“It was great watching the girls who’ve never skied before improve so dramatically,” Ayers said.



She plans to take advantage of CSCUSA’s 6th Grade Graduate Program this season. The 6th Grade Graduate Passport allows students four days at each of the 21 participating ski areas for $99.00.



“I’m even thinking of getting a sixth grade pass for one of Autumn’s friend, if her parent’s don’t,” Ayers commented. “It’s such a good deal and it’s so good for the kids.”



Students can participate in the 6th grade program even if they do not have a 5th grade pass. CSCUSA sends applications for the 5th Grade Passport and the 6th Grade Graduate Passport to Colorado’s public and private schools by the end of September each year. An online application is also available at the program’s web site https://passport.coloradoski.com/.



Students will receive their passports within two to three weeks of applying. CSCUSA said they have a limited number of passes available, but they try to accommodate all applicants.

Comparing Broadcast News Sources

As a class assignment we were asked to compare a local, national and cable news program.  The following is a list of the stories aired during each broadcast, followed by a summary of my view of broadcast news.

9News 5:00 p.m.  Monday, October 27, 2008

17 stories

 

1.  Early Voting – Half a million people have already voted.  Twenty-two percent of registered voters have already voted. Two sources

2.  Campaign Trail – Followed the candidates to Pennsylvania and Ohio.  Covered both sides equally.

3.  Skinhead plot to kill Obama - Federal agents uncover plot to kill 88 black people and possibly assassinate Barack Obama.  Information from Federal agent.

4.  Fatal accident in Loveland – Woman in motorized wheel chair was hit by a vehicle and later died of her injuries. On site interview.

5. Volatility in market – Dow closed down 203.18 points, most of the drop was in the last ten minutes of trading.  Financial bailouts began.  GM and Chevrolet want bailout help.  Unnamed sources.

6.  Oil down – Oil dropped to $61.($$) (said too fast for me to write the exact amount.)

7.  House sales up – the sale of new homes rose 2.7% in September.

8.  Fed set to drop the interest rate.  Will meet tomorrow and expected to drop rate by half a percent.

9.  Jennifer Hudson’s nephew found – Chicago police confirmed the body in an SUV was that of Hudson’s nephew.  Interview in Chicago.

10.  Senator Stevens convicted of corruption – visuals used.

 

COMMERCIAL BREAK

 

11.  Haunted High School – Boulder High School theater students set up haunted house to raise money for theater department.  Two students and one teacher interviewed.

 

COMMERCIAL BREAK

 

12.  Weather – Warm this week.  Snow in Michigan.  Warm and mild for Halloween.

 

COMMERCIAL BREAK

 

13.  Bronco’s Lead AFC West – without playing team has 2-game lead in division.

14.  Football in general – Colts and Titans will play Monday Night Football.  Mike Singletary sends player to the showers during game saying he’s more valuable there than on the field.

15.  Rockies – looking to trade Matt Holliday.  Pitcher Luis Vizcaino arrested in Tampa for a DUI.

16.  Phillies/Ray – Game 5 tonight.  Local pizza shop owner John Keelis will give away pizzas if Rays win World Series.

 

COMMERCIAL BREAK

17.  Texas Beach Ball – Carnival Cruise lines dropped world’s largest beach ball on street in Dallas as a promotion.

 

END OF BROADCAST.

 

 

NBC Nightly News 5:30 p.m.  Monday, October 27, 2008

11 Stories

1.  Eight Day to go – Half of election votes might be in already, polls are favoring Obama, and both candidates are in Pa.  Obama is speaking of hope and unity.  Said to be unveiling his “closing argument” speech. 

2.  McCain is trying to separate himself fro President Bush and Obama, saying we “need a new direction.  Palin separating herself from the clothing issue.  She says it’s her handlers, not her.

3.  Ted Stevens found guilty of corruption for concealed gifts.  The senator is up for re-election and is the longest serving Republican in the Senate.  He is the fourth senator to be convicted while in office.  What happens next will depend on what happens on Election Day.

4. Big Bonuses for Wall Street Executives – many firms are putting aside large sums of money to pay end of year bonuses to executives.  Bloomberg estimates Goldman Sachs execs could receive $210,000.

5.  Dow was up and down – ended losing 200 points in the last 10 minutes of the day.

6.  Gas is averaging $2.67 nationwide – one dollar less than last month.  Also, sale of handguns is up 10 percent.  Often happens during economically unstable times.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

7.  Jennifer Hudson Tragedy – nephew found dead according to a statement by Chicago Police.  Hudson’s mother and brother were found Friday.  Thought it could be a domestic situation involving William Balfour.  Residents of the south side of Chicago say it represents the increase of violence in the area.  There have been more killings than any other large city, even New York and Los Angeles, which are both larger.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

8.  Latino Voters – swing vote.  Could make the difference in key states like Colo., Nev., and N.M.

9.  Cost of treating diabetes – the cost has doubled since 2001.  Is now at $12.5 billion.

10.  Author Tony Hillerman died.  1925 – 2008.  Known for his mystery novels and Navajo stories.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

11.  Arthritis, fighting the pain – Joint replacement is on the rise and costing more as population ages.  Osteoarthritis is costing Medicare $25,000-$50,000.

END OF BROADCAST

 

CNN Newsroom 9 a.m. Saturday, November 1, 2008

13 stories

1.  Final Saturday – candidates on the trail.

2.  Obama’s Aunt in country illegally.  Considered an administration issue.  CNN could not independently confirm.

3.  Obama in Henderson, Nev.  600,000 have voted early, 51 percent democrats.  Nevada has the highest foreclosure rate in the country.

4.  McCain in Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Looking to sway conservative democrats in Virginia who voted for Clinton over Obama.

5.  Early voting from Florida – lines are very long, but limited polling places are open.  Interview with a father and young daughter.  Came today to make sure he could vote.

6.  Gay rights are issue on California ballot.  Same-sex marriage issue is causing heated debate.

7.  Weather – a look at weather at the polls. 

COMMERCIAL BREAK

8.  Immigration – ignored as an issue on campaign, but Mexican troops crossed border near Yuma, Ariz.  They said they became disoriented while on patrol.

9.  Fight for the Hispanic Vote – will raise issue of immigration in Spanish language ads only.  Both candidates are using Spanish language television and radio to address issues they think are important to Hispanic voters, and might not be popular among non-Spanish speakers.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

10.  Minnesota Senate race – Norm Colman vs. Al Franken.  Colman is fighting to keep his seat and help prevent Democrats from reaching 60 seats in the Senate.  The independent candidate could be a factor in the race.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

11.  Congolese refugee camps in need of food and water.  An estimated one million people have been displaced by conflict.

12.  Guns found in the Hudson murder case.  (Just brief mention – barely a story)

13.  Security breach involving new passports.  Most of the passports involved were from the Washington, D.C. area. 

END OF BROADCAST – START REPEAT OF STORIES

 

SUMMARY

This is a very interesting time to compare local, national and cable news programs given the upcoming election.  Nationally the election dominates everything to the point where I wasn’t sure if I was watching a news program or special election report on CNN.  If they hadn’t aired the last three stories, I would have felt completely mislead by the title of the program, CNN Newsroom, due to the lack of news. 

 

We know the presidential election is days away; do we really need to follow every step the candidates take between now and then?  I say no.  There has to be something else worth knowing about.  Especially when you consider how many people have already voted, (half a million in Denver, 600,000 in Henderson, Nev. according to the reports summarized above) it seems unnecessary to spend entire newscasts on the actions of the candidates.

 

I was lucky enough to time it so I watched a local and a national program back to back.  This made for a very fascinating.  The two programs basically covered the same stories, with the local news adding a couple local stories, weather and sports.  The major difference seemed to be that the local coverage tried to cram more into the 30 minutes than the national news program. 

 

NBC Nightly News covered fewer main stories and allowed more time to cover each story.  They also seemed to present more sources for their stories.  The local news seemed to be in such a hurry to get from one story to the next that it rarely sited sources or aired interviews that provided more information.  In the one news story CNN covered early in the broadcast regarding Obama’s aunt, they did admit to not being able to independently confirm information received from the Associated Press.

 

I think that all three sources of broadcast news act a bit like fast food restaurants.  The serve up stories in small, easy to digest packages.  The stories may or may not have sources and substance, but they satisfy our need to be informed.

 

 And just like we would go to a fast food restaurant for an easy snack, we turn to broadcast news because want to get something that will satisfy our immediate needs.  It seems that as consumers we don’t care about substance, just give us something palatable, and give it to us now.  And the news stations are happy to comply. 

 

Broadcast news fits the way most people live.  It provides enough substance to keep people informed, but does not overwhelm.  It’s fast-paced, easy to understand and serves a purpose.

Harvard Implicity Tests

I found the Harvard Implicity Tests stressful. I don't know if it really reflects my feelings or views. I was too busy trying to remember which button to push to think about what the pictures represented. I was thinking right hand or left hand - not race, weight, religion etc.

I think that the tests are an interesting concept, but I'm not sure if they're accurate or just eye-opening. I think that it's very difficult to admit to stereotypes and prejudices in today's society. We want to believe that we have moved beyond this kind of judgment, but I think that it is human nature to classify and categorize. We need to know where we fit into a group, so we try to define the group. I think the problem is when those classifications prevent us from understanding the value of a person that we have a problem.

A New Economic Plan

The following is my attempt at a class assignment to rewrite a print story for broadcast.

Stimulus Package
10/20

(Shot of White House) Reporter VO:
President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke both announced that they would now be in favor of a new economic stimulus package, an idea they both previously opposed. In a prepared statement before the house budget committee Bernanke expressed his new perspective.

Video of Bernanke Quote:
“With the economy likely to be weak for several quarters, and with some risk of a protracted slowdown, consideration of a fiscal package by the Congress at this juncture seems appropriate.”

(Shot of bank or consumer spending) Reporter VO:
Bernanke also suggested that there might be another cut of the prime interest rate, which is currently at 1.5-percent. The hope is this will help loosen up the credit market, allowing an increase in business and consumer spending.

(Transition to Shot of U.S. Capitol Building) Reporter VO:
House speaker Nancy Pelosi also spoke in favor of an economic plan that she says could be as large as 150-billion dollars.

Video of Pelosi Quote:
“I call upon President Bush and Congressional Republicans to once again heed Chairman Bernanke’s advice and as they did in January, work with the Democrats in congress to enact a targeted, timely and fiscally responsible economic recovery and job creation package.”

(Shot of homes for sale/repossessions) Reporter:
All of the action of policy makers in Washington does not seem to be easing the concerns of most Americans. According to an Associated Press Yahoo News poll of likely voters one-third of Americans are concerned about loosing their jobs. Half of those polled are afraid they won’t be able to continue paying their credit cards and mortgages. And with unemployment rates predicted to reach seven-point-five-percent or higher next year, relief can’t come soon enough for many Americans.
End

Boulder vs. Chicago Crime Rate

This story is a class assignment (#8) comparing Boulder, CO with the city of my birth - Chicago, IL.

Chicago reported 128,000 property related crimes in 2007 – an average of more that one burglary, theft, auto theft or arson for each of the estimated 101,000 residents of Boulder which reported only 2,450 similar crimes.

 

Violent crimes were also more prevalent among the 2.8 million residents of Chicago. The Chicago Police Department Annual Report listed 34,895 violent crimes in 2007, including 442 murders. The City of Boulder reported only one murder during the year for a total of 219 violent crimes.

 

The discrepancy in the numbers could be attributed to the size and composition of the cities.  The city of Chicago is a large urban area covering over 230 square miles. Boulder is a university town covering 25.3 square miles. 

 

The Lincoln Park area of Chicago, which is home to DePaul University’s main campus, is a closer comparison to Boulder. The Lincoln Park area population of 64,000 is comprised of students, families and young professional with an approximate median family income of $85,000, similar to Boulder’s median family income of $89,000. 

 

During 2007 the Lincoln Park area reported 3,961 crimes. Violent crimes account for 296 reports, only one of which was a murder.

Assignment #7 page 117 sentences

The following is an assignment from page 117 of the Rich textbook for my class.

a. She felt bad about missing the school board meeting, but her editor fired her regardless.

b. We will join together in prayer and fly the flags at half-staff for the students who died in the shooting.

c. It is all right if you miss class for a job interview. You can make up the test tomorrow.

d. We will divide the workload among three students.

e. The St. Joseph Board of Commissioners plans to submit a proposal for a bond issue to pay for road improvements. They are hoping the election committee will reach a consensus to put the issue on the ballot.

f. I know you are eager to get this job, but each applicant will have a chance to discuss his or her strengths and weaknesses with the personnel director.

g. Based on your writing skills, it looks like you could be a good journalist.

h. Each of the students will receive a plaque with his or her diploma at graduation.

i. She was embarrassed that she fewer than five answers correct on the quiz.

j. After the boss read the report, he gave it to Jim and me to rewrite. He said it is due back by Monday.

Revision of First Attempt at a News Story

This is the revised version of the first story assignment based on the comments I received in class.  I hope the corrections are an improvement.

A study published in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that right-handed people are outliving their left-handed counterparts.

 

The study, conducted by Professor Diane Halpern of California State University at San Bernardino and researcher Stanly Coren of the University of British Columbia, focused on determining why there were fewer left-handed people than right-handed people among the older population. 

 

The death certificates of 987 people from two Southern California counties were studied and revealed that right-handed people are outliving left-handed people by an average of nine years.  Right-handed people are living to an average age of 75, while left-handed people are only living to an average age of 66.

 

A possible reason for this discrepancy is that left-handed people are four times more likely to die from auto related injuries and six times more likely to die from an accident in general according to the study.

 

“The results are striking in their magnitude,” Halpern said.

 

But Halpern warns that the results of this study should be interpreted cautiously and not used to predict a person’s lifespan. The study focused on the cause of death for each subject and did not account for the individual’s fitness level. 

 

“It’s important that mothers of left-handed children not be alarmed and not try to change which hand a child uses,” Halpern said.  “There are many, many old left-handed people.”