Saturday, October 11, 2003
In response to #1:
There are so many things that I would like to know about the Patriot Act. First, and probably most importantly, I would like to know exactly how much freedom and power the special government agencies have now. Alot of what I have seen so far is extending the power of agencies like the FBI, NSA, SS, CIA, FISA, etc. This naturally begs the questions, how much did it extend it, and how much of this stuff was happening before the Patriot Act. I would also like to know alot about the history of the different sections, and what other bills had been proposed before this. This is one of those conspiracy theory things. I have a sneaking suspicion that several legislators used this as a means of pushing some pretty nasty bills through congress that ordinarily would not have made it through with some amount of scrutiny. I would also like to know how and why a bill of this magnitude managed to make it from proposal to being passed into law in just over 30 days(something like 37). That seems kind of rediculous.
Other peoples stuff. I am really interested in two of the projects in particular. I am anxious to see how the campaign finance reform works out for all of the candidates. I have always had a mild interest in seeing the regulations on how much money candidates are allowed to get and where it is from and how they can use it. More conspiracy theory stuff. Also I am interested in the No Child Left Behind Act, but for the opposite reason. I am pretty sure that this particular act is doomed to failure for a number of reasons. Of course this is not to say that the HIV/ AIDS awareness issue is not imporant. I think I had a good grasp on it, and expect to be amazed by the amount of money that it is costing me in the end.
There are so many things that I would like to know about the Patriot Act. First, and probably most importantly, I would like to know exactly how much freedom and power the special government agencies have now. Alot of what I have seen so far is extending the power of agencies like the FBI, NSA, SS, CIA, FISA, etc. This naturally begs the questions, how much did it extend it, and how much of this stuff was happening before the Patriot Act. I would also like to know alot about the history of the different sections, and what other bills had been proposed before this. This is one of those conspiracy theory things. I have a sneaking suspicion that several legislators used this as a means of pushing some pretty nasty bills through congress that ordinarily would not have made it through with some amount of scrutiny. I would also like to know how and why a bill of this magnitude managed to make it from proposal to being passed into law in just over 30 days(something like 37). That seems kind of rediculous.
Other peoples stuff. I am really interested in two of the projects in particular. I am anxious to see how the campaign finance reform works out for all of the candidates. I have always had a mild interest in seeing the regulations on how much money candidates are allowed to get and where it is from and how they can use it. More conspiracy theory stuff. Also I am interested in the No Child Left Behind Act, but for the opposite reason. I am pretty sure that this particular act is doomed to failure for a number of reasons. Of course this is not to say that the HIV/ AIDS awareness issue is not imporant. I think I had a good grasp on it, and expect to be amazed by the amount of money that it is costing me in the end.
Thursday, October 09, 2003
i like political zoo, it being a cow-eat-cow world out there and all. But as cute as it is, i guess we need to make sure we can all ably apply amnimals to each topic. That being granted, i think it's awexome.
I'd like to echo kelly's remarks that the money stats are really murky and conflicting. Budgets increase, budgets decrease. They increase and decrease by dollar amounts and by percentages over one year or ten years. Maybe last spring Bush simultaneously approves 13 million and cuts 2.5 million here or there. etc. etc. Basically, following all this money around is like watching a magic trick. I'm also betting the reason is that no one ever planned on this thing going through anyway, which is something else i'd like to look into if there's more time.
As for the other groups, i'm interested in any and all patriot act findings. So far i've heard it was silently ushered in when the bombing thing was still fresh and no one really even bothered to look at what it said before it was approved. I've gotten the impression it puts people on a much tighter leash, but i'd like to know if that's true.
Here's to the Irish candidate that tastes like coffee....
~tripp
I'd like to echo kelly's remarks that the money stats are really murky and conflicting. Budgets increase, budgets decrease. They increase and decrease by dollar amounts and by percentages over one year or ten years. Maybe last spring Bush simultaneously approves 13 million and cuts 2.5 million here or there. etc. etc. Basically, following all this money around is like watching a magic trick. I'm also betting the reason is that no one ever planned on this thing going through anyway, which is something else i'd like to look into if there's more time.
As for the other groups, i'm interested in any and all patriot act findings. So far i've heard it was silently ushered in when the bombing thing was still fresh and no one really even bothered to look at what it said before it was approved. I've gotten the impression it puts people on a much tighter leash, but i'd like to know if that's true.
Here's to the Irish candidate that tastes like coffee....
~tripp
As far as my topic is concerned, I am still curious about the actual amount of funding each state receives (total, per child, etc) and how much is actually required to put the mandates of NCLB into practice. Our group has researched this topic repeatedly and has been unable to find specific figures. Many of the statistics found have been generalized or combined with other acts and programs instead of specifying amounts NCLB. I would also like to find a definitive answer as to what, if any, progress has been made. Although we have found a lot of statistics, it is difficult to read too far into any of them. Not to mention that for every statistic favoring the act, an equally important opposing statistic can be found.
Concerning the other groups, I think the AIDS/HIV research interests me most. I would like to know what steps are being taken to find a cure and the direction research is going. Is progress being made? Is there hope of anything that will revolutionize treatment in the near future? I look forward to seeing what that group comes up with.
Concerning the other groups, I think the AIDS/HIV research interests me most. I would like to know what steps are being taken to find a cure and the direction research is going. Is progress being made? Is there hope of anything that will revolutionize treatment in the near future? I look forward to seeing what that group comes up with.
I still think that the zoo idea has possibilities. I looked, and as of yet there is no www.politicalzoo.com. This is an easy url, and also intimates the idea that the topics we are covering are complex and convoluted. To be terribly cliche, it's a jungle out there, and many college students probably feel intimidated by the wealth of information concerning each topic. If we followed through with this metaphor, of which there are many ways we can tie it in, it also lends itself to very clear organization. If we make the navigation easy, make the site appealing graphically, and can also convey our information, then I think we can draw and keep viewers to our site. As long as we keep it professional enough, it won't fall into the trap of being too biased or dumbed down. I fear that the beer metaphor, while entertaining, could lead us down the wrong path. At least I think that this should be a topic open to discussion, especially as each of us is just starting to form the basis for our webpage.
There is still a lot I don't know about my topic and everyone else's. First off, in my own, I have no clue about the legislative side and the court cases involved in all that. Jessica and I have been working on the candidates, as we have no expertise in the legislative issues, so Paul and Brandon have been covering that. I think it will be interesting when we have finished our research and bring it all together to find out how the two will fit together; we've already brainstormed on a bunch of ways that the two might overlap and we can link them together, especially in a web setting.
As far as the other topics go, I'm really interested in the Patriot Act. I know less than nothing about that topic to begin with, and that group is so quiet that we haven't heard much about it yet. I feel that I must at least be educated about a topic before I can be pessimistic about it, so I look forward to learning more, especially as the topic seems so pressing and controversial. As far as the other two, I know just enough about them to be angry about our current situations concerning each, but I still think it will be fascinating to learn what each group uncovers in their research that is not reported regularly on the news.
As far as the other topics go, I'm really interested in the Patriot Act. I know less than nothing about that topic to begin with, and that group is so quiet that we haven't heard much about it yet. I feel that I must at least be educated about a topic before I can be pessimistic about it, so I look forward to learning more, especially as the topic seems so pressing and controversial. As far as the other two, I know just enough about them to be angry about our current situations concerning each, but I still think it will be fascinating to learn what each group uncovers in their research that is not reported regularly on the news.
Greetings,
Sorry about the tardiness of prompts this week. After our web primer on Tuesday, I didn't have any pressing matters for you to discuss but I knew we would have things that needed our attention after Thursday. There will be one group and one individual blog post for this week, but you can (should) also probably discuss some of the other ideas (the beer metaphor, the zoo metaphor) that you started talking about today.
#1 I would like each of you to identify some things (2 minimum) that you yourself don't understand (and would like to) with respect to your topic and at least one thing that you would like to understand about a topic that another group is investigating. (Some things I heard today included the amount of money per child or per school in the NCLB act, the scientifically accepted origin of aids etc. The purpose, here is to identify those things that would be well suited to the "explaining something complex to a college audience" goal of the project.)
#2 (Group post) Using the standards that were decided upon in class, I would like each group to come up with a draft of their "splash" page (your "front" page) and their "data" page. In other words, we need to start actually seeing what the groups have in mind. Don't worry about putting any content in yet or even any specific pictures. Just give folks an idea of how you see your page looking. When you have it up (in your www folder) post the url to the blog along with any feedback questions that you would like people to consider.
Have a great weekend and don't do too much "research" on the beer metaphor. :-)
--T. F.
Sorry about the tardiness of prompts this week. After our web primer on Tuesday, I didn't have any pressing matters for you to discuss but I knew we would have things that needed our attention after Thursday. There will be one group and one individual blog post for this week, but you can (should) also probably discuss some of the other ideas (the beer metaphor, the zoo metaphor) that you started talking about today.
#1 I would like each of you to identify some things (2 minimum) that you yourself don't understand (and would like to) with respect to your topic and at least one thing that you would like to understand about a topic that another group is investigating. (Some things I heard today included the amount of money per child or per school in the NCLB act, the scientifically accepted origin of aids etc. The purpose, here is to identify those things that would be well suited to the "explaining something complex to a college audience" goal of the project.)
#2 (Group post) Using the standards that were decided upon in class, I would like each group to come up with a draft of their "splash" page (your "front" page) and their "data" page. In other words, we need to start actually seeing what the groups have in mind. Don't worry about putting any content in yet or even any specific pictures. Just give folks an idea of how you see your page looking. When you have it up (in your www folder) post the url to the blog along with any feedback questions that you would like people to consider.
Have a great weekend and don't do too much "research" on the beer metaphor. :-)
--T. F.
Monday, October 06, 2003
www.tlc.com
I really like this website for 2 reasons. I like the bar at the top of the page that we can use for links to each individual page. I also like that on the bar at the side of the page, you can click on a specific topic and it expands to show key points within that topic. I think this would be really helpful for people who go to the site looking for one key point. I also think that this site has some eye catching aspects, but they are not overwhelming to look at. I dont think this site should be too flashy because we want our viewers to take our website seriously. This site is a good example because it is easy to navigate and visually pleasing, but not over the top. I think our site should be clean, patriotic, and distinguished looking.
I really like this website for 2 reasons. I like the bar at the top of the page that we can use for links to each individual page. I also like that on the bar at the side of the page, you can click on a specific topic and it expands to show key points within that topic. I think this would be really helpful for people who go to the site looking for one key point. I also think that this site has some eye catching aspects, but they are not overwhelming to look at. I dont think this site should be too flashy because we want our viewers to take our website seriously. This site is a good example because it is easy to navigate and visually pleasing, but not over the top. I think our site should be clean, patriotic, and distinguished looking.
Hi Dr. Yancey, welcome to our blog. I'm in the group discussing AIDS/HIV issues in the election. Our group is focusing on current AIDS statistics, research and treatment funding, government AID for treatment, pharmaceutical companies that own patents for the drugs, and the presidential candidates plans for these issues. The concerns I have are similar to those of everyone else. My main concern is with the flow of the website. I think it is going to be hard to communicate with each other and agree on the best way to present our information to the public. I think it might be hard to make all of these topics flow together if we don't communicate with each other. Each group is going to need to contribute equally and also be able to compromise their visions for the project if they don't match those of the other groups. Hopefully with you and Dr. Fishman guiding us through these blogs and in class we will be able to smooth any of these problems that we may face along the way.
Once again, welcome to our class blog and we are excited to have your input as we go forth in our class project. In relations to others in the class, I am responding to this blog rather late, so many of my concerns have been addressed. Furthermore, after having read other class members' blogs, I am sure that you are pretty well informed about the task that have ahead of us. I don't want to be redundant, as there are already a lot of blogs for you to read, but my concerns are similar to those in the class. Although I think that the blog is a good step on communicating with one another outside of class, I wonder if we are using it to its full extent. In other words, I want to make sure that we aren't just doing it because it is required. I think that the blog system is a good idea, but I do not feel as though we are using it to its full advantage. I think that I will wait until you give us feedback on these blogs before I simply reiterate that I have the similar concerns of my classmates. I look forward to hearing your ideas! Once again, thanks for your help!
-Ashley Krajewski
-Ashley Krajewski
Hello Dr. Yancey and welcome to our blog! I am with the No Child Left Behind group for the project and we are just trying to inform the public about this act, which affects so many people here since it's an education act. As far as my concerns about the project, it seems as if everybody has pretty much expressed them. I guess we tend to think alike when it comes to what we're worried about. The biggest concern is with communication because with so many people, it seems hard to coordinate everybody to have just one set goal for the project. However, I think that so far we are doing well. I guess it will be hard to tell how well we are doing until we actually get down to the crunch in the last couple weeks of class. I like Paul's idea about having an online forum so that we can communicate easily, but I think that this format is a little hard to read (Blogger, that is). This blog may get to crowded and unorganized too. If there was some way we could have a separate way to post just about our progress without answering prompts, it might help with the communication. Just some thoughts. Again, welcome to our blog Dr. Yancey.
Sunday, October 05, 2003
Dr. Yancey,
Welcome to our blog! Hopefully you won't be overwhelmed by the number and length of our posts... honors students tend to be wordy, and this class is no exception. *grins*. Anyways, it looks like the other posts have fairly thoroughly covered the nature of our project, so I thought I'd just add a word or two about what I see to be the greatest obstacle to completing this project successfully. That obstacle, as I see it, is communication... both between group members, and between the groups themselves. As time-starved students, it is hard for us to set aside time to physically meet with one another. Though we try to do this on a regular basis (at least, my group does), once or twice a week may not prove sufficient once we really begin to delve into the research for the project. I see the Blog as holding potential to serve as a conduit for quick and efficient communication between groups, but currently it is only being used to post "required" comments. As beneficial as those comments may prove, I'm not sure that we are all getting enough out of one another's posts. Do you have any suggestions about how we could use this online forum to communicate our progress to one another? Do you think such a medium could adequately supplement actual physical meetings?
Welcome to our blog! Hopefully you won't be overwhelmed by the number and length of our posts... honors students tend to be wordy, and this class is no exception. *grins*. Anyways, it looks like the other posts have fairly thoroughly covered the nature of our project, so I thought I'd just add a word or two about what I see to be the greatest obstacle to completing this project successfully. That obstacle, as I see it, is communication... both between group members, and between the groups themselves. As time-starved students, it is hard for us to set aside time to physically meet with one another. Though we try to do this on a regular basis (at least, my group does), once or twice a week may not prove sufficient once we really begin to delve into the research for the project. I see the Blog as holding potential to serve as a conduit for quick and efficient communication between groups, but currently it is only being used to post "required" comments. As beneficial as those comments may prove, I'm not sure that we are all getting enough out of one another's posts. Do you have any suggestions about how we could use this online forum to communicate our progress to one another? Do you think such a medium could adequately supplement actual physical meetings?
CNN.com
One of my favorite sites, I thought CNN.com would serve to show us a few ideas regarding how to lay out our site. For instance, I like the way the site centers around the "main page story," showcasing a photograph, a short blurb, and a link to the full story. Likewise, I think our site should be visually centered around our four main topics, including an icon (or representative photograph), short summary, and link to the individual sub-page. Additionally, I like how the main topic menu (on the left-hand side of the page) is clearly set off from the rest of the page through the use of the color blue to contrast with the white background of everything else. In much the same way, if we provide some sort of candidate index link or something equivalent, I think we should be sure to clearly delineate that menu from the rest of the page. Naturally, our page won't be nearly as cluttered... I hope!
One of my favorite sites, I thought CNN.com would serve to show us a few ideas regarding how to lay out our site. For instance, I like the way the site centers around the "main page story," showcasing a photograph, a short blurb, and a link to the full story. Likewise, I think our site should be visually centered around our four main topics, including an icon (or representative photograph), short summary, and link to the individual sub-page. Additionally, I like how the main topic menu (on the left-hand side of the page) is clearly set off from the rest of the page through the use of the color blue to contrast with the white background of everything else. In much the same way, if we provide some sort of candidate index link or something equivalent, I think we should be sure to clearly delineate that menu from the rest of the page. Naturally, our page won't be nearly as cluttered... I hope!
I just remembered that the late ieatcrayons.com (what the internet would look like if it was in crayon (TM)) had a great feature. No matter where you went, there was a little bar at the top you could click on to get back to the ieatcrayons homepage, even if you clicked a link to another site. It might be hard to set up, but you didn't feel like you were swinging on vines whenever you decided to check out a link. It also had cows disguised as trees. (hint hint)
As for apathy, i'm not above just scaring everyone. "Vote wisely, or be ruled by... THIS!" and then show a movie poster for the Terminator, complete with the standard Really Big Gun and all that jazz.
It's funny because it's true.
love and crumpets,
As for apathy, i'm not above just scaring everyone. "Vote wisely, or be ruled by... THIS!" and then show a movie poster for the Terminator, complete with the standard Really Big Gun and all that jazz.
It's funny because it's true.
love and crumpets,
Dr. Yancy,
Welcome to our modest attempt at coherence. I see from the ealier posts that you are well informed as to the overall goal of our project and the steps that we are taking to accomplish these goals. One of the biggest concerns that I personally have, and we have shared in class on a couple of different occasions is centered on how we break the apathy of the general student and find a creative and interesting way that will draw them to the website in the first place. And once we have them there, how do we design the website in such a way that they don't immediately run away screaming when they see politics being involved. I can't really expect that you will have all the answers, but any insight into a desirable direction for us to go would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome to our modest attempt at coherence. I see from the ealier posts that you are well informed as to the overall goal of our project and the steps that we are taking to accomplish these goals. One of the biggest concerns that I personally have, and we have shared in class on a couple of different occasions is centered on how we break the apathy of the general student and find a creative and interesting way that will draw them to the website in the first place. And once we have them there, how do we design the website in such a way that they don't immediately run away screaming when they see politics being involved. I can't really expect that you will have all the answers, but any insight into a desirable direction for us to go would be greatly appreciated.
www.gentoo.org
I kinda like the way this website is layed out. I think it is too too cluttered on the left and right hand sides, but I like the way there is a consistent header with links to pertinent portions of the website. These are steadfast and allow somewhat easier navigation of the website when you are looking for disparate pieces of information on a particular subject or subjects. I also like the color scheme of the website, it is a little lighter and somewhat more soothing. Also, it has animated toons on it. Nothing can be too imposing on a website that hosts penquins.
I kinda like the way this website is layed out. I think it is too too cluttered on the left and right hand sides, but I like the way there is a consistent header with links to pertinent portions of the website. These are steadfast and allow somewhat easier navigation of the website when you are looking for disparate pieces of information on a particular subject or subjects. I also like the color scheme of the website, it is a little lighter and somewhat more soothing. Also, it has animated toons on it. Nothing can be too imposing on a website that hosts penquins.
Hello Dr. Yancy,
It seems you have been pretty caught up as to what we have been doing and what our ultimate goals for this project are, so I will discuss what some of the upcoming steps we have are. Right now we are in the process of finalizing group timelines and contracts within our small groups that detail exactly what will be expected from each individual participant. The next major thing we have due will be our progress reports, we have two of those one oral and one visual (we must make a poster detailing what we have done so far). This means of course that the main thing most people are focusing on right now is the individual reserach that must be completed, because of course in order for our group leaders to give progress reports we as groups must make progress. The one thing that I was wondering about is the same beth, is all this writing on the blog really been that constructive? While I do find it interesting to read what others have put I don't really feel like the blog has helped me to understand the project anymore, so I am interested to hear what you think. Also I think we would all love to have as many objective opinions as possible on our webpage and any ideas on how to make it more integrative would be great.
It seems you have been pretty caught up as to what we have been doing and what our ultimate goals for this project are, so I will discuss what some of the upcoming steps we have are. Right now we are in the process of finalizing group timelines and contracts within our small groups that detail exactly what will be expected from each individual participant. The next major thing we have due will be our progress reports, we have two of those one oral and one visual (we must make a poster detailing what we have done so far). This means of course that the main thing most people are focusing on right now is the individual reserach that must be completed, because of course in order for our group leaders to give progress reports we as groups must make progress. The one thing that I was wondering about is the same beth, is all this writing on the blog really been that constructive? While I do find it interesting to read what others have put I don't really feel like the blog has helped me to understand the project anymore, so I am interested to hear what you think. Also I think we would all love to have as many objective opinions as possible on our webpage and any ideas on how to make it more integrative would be great.
www.thoughtworks.com
I like this website because I find it incredibly easy to navigate. Having different buttons to get to each place on the site right on top makes it easier for the navigator to get where he or she wants go on the website instead having to search through several pages to find the link they want. I also like that each page is very simply laid out, not too busy but eye pleasing and I like the theme of having a worker's picture on each page, we could perhaps use this idea having cadidates pictures. I also like the calendar to the side of each page i think that may be something we could incorporate as well because as the election gets nearer there will be information the may need to be added to or projects to make them up to date. This would be an easy way to keep it up to date without intergerally changing each group's website. I also like that the header stays consistent as you navigate the website.
I like this website because I find it incredibly easy to navigate. Having different buttons to get to each place on the site right on top makes it easier for the navigator to get where he or she wants go on the website instead having to search through several pages to find the link they want. I also like that each page is very simply laid out, not too busy but eye pleasing and I like the theme of having a worker's picture on each page, we could perhaps use this idea having cadidates pictures. I also like the calendar to the side of each page i think that may be something we could incorporate as well because as the election gets nearer there will be information the may need to be added to or projects to make them up to date. This would be an easy way to keep it up to date without intergerally changing each group's website. I also like that the header stays consistent as you navigate the website.
Welcome Dr. Yancey! By now you know well enough what our project is about. I'm sure if you read back over the past few weeks, you've noticed our different topics and the issues that we are facing with trying to collaborate on such disparate topics. We are still very early in the whole process, but we are making good progress and have laid out plans as individual groups and as a class. I think that we would benefit a lot from some of your input on this. We have been using the blog for weeks now, but I am interested in knowing how constructive you think our posts have been. Also, what can we reflect on to make this process as productive as possible? We'd really appreciate your help!
www.peacecenter.org
When searching for a website to emulate, I was kind of at a loss. The first thing I tried to look for was something that was focused mainly on conveying information. The Peace Center website is nice because the main page is small, simple, striking, and very easy to navigate. When you get to the upcoming shows portion, there is a short synopsis for every show, with a link to the show's website for more information. There is also a search engine on the side where you can look for tickets in many different ways. I think it would be good for us to include a search on our site where you could search under different criteria, such as by party, candidate, or so forth. Throughout each of the pages the layout remains the same, and no one page is overburdened with images or text. Each lower page is also split into other smaller pages, so though it may be a text-heavy page, it does not drag on and on. Overall I found it extremely easy to navigate and find all the information I could possibly want. However, I still think that our website will be difficult to fashion after another, since its intent is different from most that people are suggesting.
When searching for a website to emulate, I was kind of at a loss. The first thing I tried to look for was something that was focused mainly on conveying information. The Peace Center website is nice because the main page is small, simple, striking, and very easy to navigate. When you get to the upcoming shows portion, there is a short synopsis for every show, with a link to the show's website for more information. There is also a search engine on the side where you can look for tickets in many different ways. I think it would be good for us to include a search on our site where you could search under different criteria, such as by party, candidate, or so forth. Throughout each of the pages the layout remains the same, and no one page is overburdened with images or text. Each lower page is also split into other smaller pages, so though it may be a text-heavy page, it does not drag on and on. Overall I found it extremely easy to navigate and find all the information I could possibly want. However, I still think that our website will be difficult to fashion after another, since its intent is different from most that people are suggesting.
