If you don't spend lots of time at the Poynter Institute's website, you should. Al's Morning Meeting is just one reason -- check him out. I especially like his "Diggin'" posts, because I am a document junkie. As the editor's note on www.poynter.org says:
"Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. We will correct errors and inaccuracies when we become aware of them."
This is just from today -- there are loads on his blog, including tips and sources for covering Obama's decision to fight release of the detainee torture photos, and "Covering the Recession's Effect on Social Security, Medicare." L
Al Tompkins
Story ideas that you can localize and enterprise. Posted by 7:30 a.m. Mon-Fri.
Planting Trees on West, South Sides of Houses Can Cut Energy Costs
Posted by Al Tompkins at 3:31 PM on May. 14, 2009
My old friend Jim Sweeney spotted this and sent it to me for Al's Morning Meeting. The idea, which is about how trees can help lower the cost of summer electric bills, comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology:
"Trees positioned to shade the west and south sides of a house may decrease summertime electric bills by 5 percent on average, according to a recent study of California homes by researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)."
Read on for the study's findings.
CHECK AL's TWITTER FEED for nonstop story ideas throughout the day.
A dozen sites
I'm diggin'
*1. Do jockeys matter in a big horse race like this weekend's Preakness?
*2. Poynter's Steve Myers reports on the health of journalism organizations.
*3. Is the honeybee shortage a myth?
*4. Watch these multimedia projects by college students. They'll give you hope that lots of good things are to come for journalism.
5. Check out the newly released Census of Agriculture, "a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them."
6. The Journalism Center on Children & Families' resource page for journalists covering child sex abuse cases.
*7. The future of fashion electronics is in clothing. Cute Circuit's "Hug Shirt," for instance, lets you "send and feel hugs to and from other Hug Shirt owning friends." There are also jackets with embedded mini-disc players, dresses that sense pollution and body scanners that help design the perfect fitting jeans.
*8. CNET has a resource page tracking the developments of Windows 7, which is to be released this year.
9. This site lets you set up an e-mail address that expires after 15 minutes.
10. Cool widgets from the government that you can use online.
11. The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma offers tips for journalists covering the Swine flu.
12. Subsidy Scope, a searchable database of TARP transactions, links to a list of banks participating in the FDIC's Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program.
All of my Diggin' sites are saved on Poynter's del.icio.us page.
May. 14, 2009
Covering the Recession's Effect on Social Security, Medicare
Posted by Al Tompkins at 6:48 AM on May. 14, 2009
Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare funds said this week that the recession has played hell with their finances and that both programs are heading for insolvency. We can see this problem on the horizon, but are we willing to do something about it?
Social Security will start paying out more than it takes in by 2016 -- a mere seven years from now. The program is now projected to be out of money by 2037, which is four years earlier than last predicted.
Medicare is in "much worse" shape, the trustees said. It is already paying out more than it takes in, and Medicare funds are expected to be gone by 2017, which is two years earlier than the last report forecast.
Trustees said an economic recovery won't fix things. In fact, a recovery is already built in to the bleak outlook.
May. 13, 2009
President Obama Shifts Position on Releasing Military Abuse Photos
Posted by Al Tompkins at 3:06 PM on May. 13, 2009
President Barack Obama promised a new openness in government. But Wednesday, he said he opposes the release of dozens and possibly hundreds of military photos that reportedly show prisoner abuse in facilities other than Abu Ghraib. The photos were taken in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The American Civil Liberties Union fought to have the photos released and this week, the Defense Department agreed to stop fighting the release.
Now, the White House said the president "strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing U.S. forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan."
Read on to find out about the criticisms Obama received earlier this week for going along with the release of the photos.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wednesday, May 13 -- Oregon National Guard soldiers to testify on toxic chemical exposure
State Rep. Chip Shields
May 12th, 2009
MEDIA ADVISORY
Media Contact:
Eamon McCleery
503-986-1443
Kellog, Brown and Root alleged to have "disregarded and downplayed the extreme danger of wholesale site contamination" in Iraq.
HB 3480 would provide funds to Guard members who develop cancer as a result of exposure to hexavalent chromium at facility.
Hearing details:
Date: Wednesday-May 13
Time: 3:00 P.M.
Room: HR 50
Where: State Capitol Building
Salem, Ore. - Representative Chip Shields (D-N/NE Portland) announced today that the House Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rules will hear from several members of the Oregon National Guard on Wednesday, May 13 who were exposed to the toxic industrial compound hexavalent chromium while serving in Iraq.
The soldiers will be testifying in support of House Bill 3480, which would authorize the Oregon Military Department to make payments to members of Oregon National Guard who develop cancer as a result of their exposure to hexavalent chromium.
"This bill is about standing up for our soldiers and their families," said Rep Shields. "Passing this bill is a very modest recognition of their pain and sacrifice."
In 2003, Oregon and Indiana Guard Members were assigned to protect Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) employees who were rebuilding a water treatment plant outside of Basra, Iraq. Soldiers reportedly saw large amounts of an orange-colored dust that contained hexavalent chromium on the ground and covering the pipes in the water treatment plant. Exposure to small amounts of hexavalent chromium has shown a high increase the risk of leukemia as well as lung, stomach, brain, renal, bladder and bone cancers. Three Oregon National Guard members who were exposed have already contracted cancer.
A group of Indiana Guard Members began a lawsuit against KBR in February of last year claiming the contractor "disregarded and downplayed" the seriousness of the contamination.
May 12th, 2009
MEDIA ADVISORY
Media Contact:
Eamon McCleery
503-986-1443
Kellog, Brown and Root alleged to have "disregarded and downplayed the extreme danger of wholesale site contamination" in Iraq.
HB 3480 would provide funds to Guard members who develop cancer as a result of exposure to hexavalent chromium at facility.
Hearing details:
Date: Wednesday-May 13
Time: 3:00 P.M.
Room: HR 50
Where: State Capitol Building
Salem, Ore. - Representative Chip Shields (D-N/NE Portland) announced today that the House Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rules will hear from several members of the Oregon National Guard on Wednesday, May 13 who were exposed to the toxic industrial compound hexavalent chromium while serving in Iraq.
The soldiers will be testifying in support of House Bill 3480, which would authorize the Oregon Military Department to make payments to members of Oregon National Guard who develop cancer as a result of their exposure to hexavalent chromium.
"This bill is about standing up for our soldiers and their families," said Rep Shields. "Passing this bill is a very modest recognition of their pain and sacrifice."
In 2003, Oregon and Indiana Guard Members were assigned to protect Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) employees who were rebuilding a water treatment plant outside of Basra, Iraq. Soldiers reportedly saw large amounts of an orange-colored dust that contained hexavalent chromium on the ground and covering the pipes in the water treatment plant. Exposure to small amounts of hexavalent chromium has shown a high increase the risk of leukemia as well as lung, stomach, brain, renal, bladder and bone cancers. Three Oregon National Guard members who were exposed have already contracted cancer.
A group of Indiana Guard Members began a lawsuit against KBR in February of last year claiming the contractor "disregarded and downplayed" the seriousness of the contamination.
Monday, May 11, 2009
"Not Surprising": U.S. Soldier Kills Five Others in Iraq
PM Monday, May 11, 2009
From the Institute for Public Accuracy - Interviews Available
The New York Times is reporting: "The United States military said Monday that five American soldiers had been shot to death by a fellow soldier who opened fire on them at one of the biggest American bases in Baghdad, and that the suspected shooter was in custody."
AARON GLANTZ, aaronfglantz@yahoo.com, http://aaronglantz.com, http://newtimesslo.com/cover/2010/the-long-road-home
Glantz is a Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism at the Carter Center and author of the book, "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans."
He said today: "This Columbine-style shooting in Iraq is shocking, but unfortunately is not surprising. For eight years now, the Army has stood by silently as more and more American soldiers have taken their own lives under the strain of repeated deployments, an acute lack of mental health services, and a back-door draft. It was only a matter of time before a stressed-out soldier pointed his gun at comrades rather than himself.
"In January, the Army reported more active-duty soldiers had committed suicide than died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. The Army's suicide rate for 2008 (128) was the highest in 28 years."
From the Institute for Public Accuracy - Interviews Available
The New York Times is reporting: "The United States military said Monday that five American soldiers had been shot to death by a fellow soldier who opened fire on them at one of the biggest American bases in Baghdad, and that the suspected shooter was in custody."
AARON GLANTZ, aaronfglantz@yahoo.com, http://aaronglantz.com, http://newtimesslo.com/cover/2010/the-long-road-home
Glantz is a Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism at the Carter Center and author of the book, "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans."
He said today: "This Columbine-style shooting in Iraq is shocking, but unfortunately is not surprising. For eight years now, the Army has stood by silently as more and more American soldiers have taken their own lives under the strain of repeated deployments, an acute lack of mental health services, and a back-door draft. It was only a matter of time before a stressed-out soldier pointed his gun at comrades rather than himself.
"In January, the Army reported more active-duty soldiers had committed suicide than died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. The Army's suicide rate for 2008 (128) was the highest in 28 years."
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