Clean Cars Program

A big environmental issue effecting Maine today is the quality of the air. Maine has been in an ongoing struggle with protecting the quality of Maine air. A new program that has been adopted by many states is the Clean Cars Program. California is a big state that seems to be using this program to prevent it's air from becoming unhealthy. This program offers opportunities for states to cut tailpipe pollution and other car emissions which is supposed to improve air quality and reduce the effects of global warming. This program issues guidelines and ideas on how to drive and what kinds of cars to purchase. On Maine's LEV4ME website it tells people what they can do to prevent pollution like driving less and combining all errands in one trip. The website also talks about good driving habits and making sure people have their vehicle maintenance up to date. All of these things are major contributors to the pollution that lingers in the air that we breathe. If people begin to pay attention to this program and take advice and give advice to others we may see a huge improvement in our air quality in Maine. 

Links for Maine Clean Cars Program

http://www.environmentmaine.org/newsroom/clean-air-news/clean-air-news/cough-cough-senators-snowe-and-collins-asked-to-oppose-polluters-dirty-air-act#idkfKM5p_6sYzPyqGOk_sp9A

http://www.environmentmaine.org/newsroom/clean-air-news/clean-air-news/downeaster-expansion-to-brunswick-gets-boost#idqPHI3if5A3uotlwlvPuivQ

http://www.environmentmaine.org/newsroom/clean-air-news/clean-air-news/court-strikes-down-bush-administration-mercury-rule#idXrKRPDDIGS8fWcSf9cUAOA
http://www.environmentmaine.org/newsroom/clean-air-news/clean-air-news/new-report-states-lead-nation-in-cleaning-up-air-pollution#idx4j30A9FIZWkFArB120KTg
http://www.environmentmaine.org/in-the-news/clean-air/clean-air/court-strikes-down-fed-emissions-policy#idcTKhxdQYq5_-BoEgouzNEQ

http://www.environmentmaine.org/news-releases/global-warming/global-warming/white-house-follows-maines-lead-on-clean-cars
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/reports/global-warming/global-warming-reports/the-clean-cars-program-how-states-are-driving-cuts-in-global-warming-pollution
http://www.mde.state.md.us/Programs/AirPrograms/Mobile_Sources/Clean%20Cars/index.asp

http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/mobile/cleancar.htm
http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/mobile/dieseltst.htm

http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/lev4me/index.html

Red Sox Vs. Yankees

On Wednesday, April 7th, The Red Sox battled with the New York Yankees on their third game of the season. After a tied game for just about 9 innings, the Yankees ended up taking the win over the Red Sox. The Red Sox have had a rough start to the season so far, despite their win versus the Yankees on opening night. During the opening night, the Red Sox had a five year old fan, Joshua Sacco, recited the"> "miracle- speech," which originated from Herb Brooks, the infamous hockey coach that led his team to win in the 1980 Olympics. The speech had a five year old Joshua slamming the Yankees at Fenway Park  in Boston. Little did they know, three days later, the Yankees would win on their home turf. The Yankees beat the Red Sox 3-1 on that Wednesday night with a full stadium in 89 degree weather, apparently the Red Sox just couldn't take the heat. 

Tragic event: September 11th- Facebook/ Wikipedia

As the world seems to continually advance to new technology, the tragedy's of the past seem to be remembered and relived. One of the most remembered and tragic events that has happened in my life time is the September 11, 2001 attacks on America. The attacks will have occurred nine years ago this coming September. The pain and the memories will always live on from that day in America. It’s easy to find remembrances on Wikipedia and Facebook, even though Facebook had been created about four years after September 11th. Technology is the way people communicate now, through texting, e-mail, and Facebook chats. The information that I recovered on Wikipedia from September 11 is very fact based. On the site it describes the event as a “mass murder,” and does not include the 19 terrorists in the death toll of 2,973 victims. Wikipedia mentions each plane, where they hit and what time. The site also tells how many people used their phones aboard the plane to talk to loved ones. And it also talked about the heroic events that took place on the United Airlines Flight 93 and talked about how the passengers’ rose up against the hijackers and flew the plane into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 

Facebook is where most of the information on September 11th comes from personal experience and memories of that day. Many fan pages have been created to honor the day and remember the victims. Fan pages include, “I remember where I was at 8:46 A.M September 11, 2001,” “Remember September 11,” and one of the most intriguing fan pages called, “September-11-2001.us.” The last fan page I mentioned includes comments, pictures, and quotes by people. One comment came from a man who wrote, “ The terrorists have awakened a sleeping giant; U have only rocked the boat, the tidal wave is on its way and U will be swallowed by our 13 Amendments. GOD BLESS AMERICA.” There are many other quotes just like these on the fan page from people who are angry and hurt. The fans share provoking images that they have either found or captured of the event. Many images show the burning buildings, the firefighters and symbolically, the American flag being raised up above the ruble.

 Clips from David Letterman’s first television show after the attacks are shown on the page. Letterman somberly speaks about the victims and the targeted city of New York and also gives his respect and admiration for the courageous, Mayor Rudolf Giuliani. One of the most meaningful clips on this fan page is one with no sound; the Budweiser Tribute to 9-11. As the clip rolls, you see a team of beautiful horses marching silently through the pure white snow of the country to a silent city. As they emerge into the city, they come upon an empty barren spot, surrounded by big buildings. The horses bow their heads and the image fades.   This tribute to the victims and the city needs no words. As long as technology is here, the world will continue to use these resources during tragedy’s and disasters. 

9-2

[EMILY:] GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US... ON TUESDAY... MARCH TWENTY THIRD... GOLDS GYM HAD THEIR MONTHLY STAFF MEETING...

THE BIG HOT BUTTON ISSUE ON THE MEETINGS AGENDA WAS THE RECENT INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF A GYM MEMBERSHIP...

[TAKE VO]

[CG: MEMBERS WORKING OUT]

ON FEBRUARY FIRST OF THIS YEAR... MEMBERSHIP PRICES INCREASED BY ABOUT EIGHT PERCENT... AS A RESULTS MANY MEMBERS WERE UPSET AT THE INCREASE BECAUSE OF THE ALREADY HIGH COSTS OF A MEMBERSHIP.... THIS ISSUE ULTIMATELY LED TO THE STAFF MEETING... 

[EMILY:] AND THE CONCLUSION AT THE MEETING WAS THAT PRICES OF A MEMBERSHIP WILL CONTINUE TO STAY THE SAME AND NOT BE LOWERED BACK TO THE PRICE BEFORE FEBRUARY FIRST.... ON OTHER NEWS...

[TRT: 32:53]

9-1

At the Gold’s Gym Staff meeting held on Tuesday, March 23, there were many issues that were brought up for discussion by employees. The first issue an employee spoke up about was how a mother left her two children at the gym’s pool. The employee said, “ last week I had a problem with an adult who brought her 3 year old and 15 year old to the pool and then instead of staying with them, she went and worked out.” The manager’s were very upset after hearing about the employees situation and said that they would make signs to put about around the gym to reiterate the policy. The meeting went on, following the agenda and talked about the lost and found, the protein shake complaints and finally the increase of the price of memberships. The increase of the price of a membership is the “hot button” issue for the gym at this point. Many members who have already purchased memberships have called and complained that the prices are too high for them to keep coming to the gym. On February 1, 2010 the gym memberships went up by 8%. The manager explained that because of the economy and also because of the costs to keep the gym up and running, there was no other option. Member’s who have their membership taken out electronically every month will see no difference in price, if their memberships were purchased before February 1. When an employee asked if the price of a membership will be raised again, there was no answer. It is fair to conclude that the economy is very unpredictable just like the prices of many luxury items, which of course includes gym memberships. 

Pine Tree Landfill

The Pine Tree Landfill

by: Emily Robson

The Pine Tree Landfill sits at 358 Emerson Mill Road in Hampden, Maine and has sat there for more than 35 years. The Landfill was once started by a man named Tom Sawyer back in 1974 for the disposal of solid waste for Hampden residences. The landfill at this time had specific guidelines as to what types of waste were allowed to be dropped off to sit on this spot in Hampden. But in 1996, Casella Waste bought the small landfill in Hampden and expanded the landfill. Casella brought waste from all over Maine and out of State and deposited the waste on 358 Emerson Mill Road. The last waste deposit that was left at the Hampden location happened on December 31, 2009. Even though the waste deposits have ceased, there are problems that will remain and problems that will appear for the small town of 6,000 residence. “The Closure Project” is expected to take place in the first six months of 2010. The project’s goal is to effectively shut down the site. The company is planning on installing gas lines to eliminate odors that seep through-out the town, this process includes digging up waste that was brought to Maine years ago. Although the Pine Tree Landfill is in the shut down process it doesn’t mean that waste will cease to be brought to Maine. The sister Landfill to Pine Tree sits in Old Town, Maine and is called the “Juniper Ridge Landfill.” The effects of living around a landfill are unknown, the chemicals they use to fight against the odors have not yet shown any side effects. If the waste were to meet any town water or to seep into farming soil this would be a different story. Many neighbors to the landfill have received benefits from the Casella Waste Company, such as a continuous supply of bottled water and annual property tax rebates. Casella currently tests offsite for environmental damage but once the facility completely closes down these benefits will disappear as well.  When interviewing a woman who lives in a neighborhood about 5 miles away from the Pine Tree Landfill, she said that she was “thrilled that the landfill was closing.” She also went on to mention that she felt like “trash mountain” was an enormous eye sore for the town. When asked if she could ever smell the Landfill, she said, “ I often smell the Trash mountain in my neighborhood. It smells of a foul odor and often smells like chemicals. She is unsure if there are any health risks that come along with living in a town with a massive landfill. “I’m sure we will find out soon enough,” she added as the interview ended.  It is said on the Casella Waste website that, Casella is working with local and state governments to design and construct “environmentally sound landfill deposal facilities.” It also says that Casella is responsible for “managing over 3 million tons of waste each year.”  Reading through the Casella website it seems that the company insists that landfills will certainly not disappear and that their company can provide environmental friendly waste systems. On the company’s landfill locator, it shows ten active landfill sites in New England.With landfills surrounding the New England area, the landfills may be a bigger problem than the two currently in the state of Maine. 

With the “Closure Project” underway for the Pine Tree Landfill, there is only one thing the residence of Hampden can do. And that is to wait and see what the effects have on the environment, to their neighbors and to themselves. 

HAIR BROADCAST

[EMILY]: WELCOME TO THE EMILY ROBSON SHOW... ON FEBRUARY TWENTY FIRST AT TWO O CLOCK THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE WILL BE PRESENTING THE MUSICAL HAIR. 

[CG]: CLIP OF MUSICAL IN ACTION

[TAKE VO:] THE MUSICAL CONTAINS NUDE ACTORS IN ADULT SITUATIONS ALONG WITH SOME STRONG LANGUAGE... THE UNIVERSITY WELCOMES MATURE AUDIENCES TO SEE THE PLAY. 

[CG]: EMILY LIVE

[EMILY:] GENERAL ADMISSION FOR THIS PLAY IS TWELVE DOLLARS... IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT TICKETS ARE PURCHASED BEFORE HAND AT THE UNIVERSITY BOX OFFICE... FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO PURCHASE TICKETS PLEASE CALL ((ONE EIGHT HUNDRED... SIX...TWO...TWO...T...I...X...X)

[TRT: 00:24]

Hair Musical

Hair Musical

Release Date- Immediately February 19, 2010

For more information please contact: Emily Robson 1-800-TIXX

On February 21, at two o'clock the University will be presenting the musical: Hair. The musical contains nude actors in adult situations along with strong language. The University welcomes mature audiences to see this magnificent play. General admission will be twelve dollars but the University students can see this play free with his/her own MaineCard. Please purchase these tickets in advance at the CCA Box Office. And enjoy the show!

Jessica Currier

Jessica Currier is a freshman at the University of Maine who recently changed her major from Journalism to Human nutrition and dietetics. So far Jessica has only had two classes in the nutrition so far as a result of her changing her major so late. Jessica wanted to change majors and said, “I didn’t want to be limited to three states for fashion journalism and the hours are really hard and I didn’t want to be worried about getting a job. Also nutrition has about 100% job placement right now from the University of Maine.” Jessica explained that there are many different paths that she could chose from in this degree like working at a hospital, having your own clinic or being a personal dietician. With this degree she plans to be a registered dietician and work for a big gym, like Golds Gym. When asked about certain “fad diets” Jessica said that “the Atkins diet does not help because once you start eating carbohydrates again you will gain back the weight.” Jessica herself is a semi-vegetarian and only eats chicken and turkey once in a while. Looking ahead, Jessica is due to graduate in four years and then after that she must apply for a one year internship. Jessica is very excited about changing her major and believes that she made the right decision. 

Today Show newscast

Today Show (February 5 2010) 

The Today Show begins at 7:00 A.M, 7 days a week. The anchor of the show talks while their top stories appear as images this is usually called a (voice over.) The format of the show is very conversational. The anchor's talk about each other, they talk to each other, they joke around with each other and they also greet each other on the show. The conversational format continues as the anchors go outside of the studio building and greet their outside audience. The Today Show is draws in their audience by talking literally to the viewers by saying, " YOU may want to pay close attention to..." and " coming up on our cooking segment we will cook up some delicious SuperBowl appetizers that YOU may want to try..." The anchors also talk in mostly active voice except for when they talk about murders or deaths, in this case they talk in passive voice. Another thing to note in the broadcast is that the show takes quotes from sources and has them appear on full screen with a voice over of an anchor who reads the quote. Having the quote appear on screen is a good thing to have for the audience so that he/she can read the quote as it is being read. Having the quote typed out on full screen appeals to an audience who are either visual learners and to those who like to see a physical quote. When the anchors are doing interviews and the camera is on the person being interviewed, their name appears on the lower thirds or bottom part of the screen. As names appear on the lower thirds so do places like "Clackamas County, OR." If I was in charge of editing and copying before air I probably would not have changed anything. I like the format of the morning show being very conversational but If this had been an evening or nightly news show I would have made the format be in more print writing. 

Are You Turning Your Boyfriend Into A Girlie Man?

Are You Turning Your Boyfriend Into A Girlie Man? - Molly Triffin, Cosmopolitan Feb. 2010

The humorous, yet very realistic article written by Molly Triffin, a Cosmopolitan magazine editor explains how girlfriends accidentally turn their man into a feminina. Molly Triffin cleverly gets to the bottom of how and why boyfriends are being turned into their girlfriends "best friend." You may think what is wrong with that? Aren't we all supposed to marry our best friend? But there are problems that exist when your boyfriend becomes your best friend. That problem is: he also becomes another one of your 'girlfriends.' Girlfriends do many things together like group exercise classes, eating at healthy hot spots instead of the local pizzarea, and going to the salon for pedicures. Molly Triffin explains how women can be accidentally accused of 'chick-ifying'their manly men. In turn, women don't get everything they want they get just another girlfriend. Molly Triffin goes on to give pointers on how to keep their men, simply men. Some of her ideas include having a pizza night together, going to take a snowboarding lesson, having him teach you how to play his favorite video games and cook a steak dinner together. Molly Triffin's portrayal of this subconscious catastrophe are accurate in many ways. She also identified many sources of outside information. The article was so interesting that it was just about impossible to put the magazine down. Triffin took one side the argument defending her statement that girlfriends are turning their boyfriends into chicks! Although Triffin is an excellent writer she put her personal opinions into the article. The article was also brief and focused, about two and a half pages.

Welcome to my blog that I have made for CMJ 236. I'm really not sure what to write on here, but I will tell you a little bit about myself. Currently, I am majoring in journalism but I will probably be switching to mass communication. I also love to teach group exercise and I am now teaching classes at the rec center on fridays. So come work out with me sometime! : )