Are you ready to have your internet censored?

Freedom of speech online continues to be threatened. The bill has been introduced to congress many times but was yet again put into be looked at.

 The idea behind internet censorship is to control the publishing of information and/or access of information on the internet.  Do we want to allow someone else to tell us what site we can visit, and what we can post? 

 The internet is how our generation communicates. We don’t go sit down and have tea like they used to. Now we get on our cell phones shoot a text or post something to our blog about our daily lives.

We have the ability to post videos as things happen wherever we might be at the time.  It only took minutes when the big quake hit japan before people were on You-tube seeing it first-hand what was really happening.

If this bill passes, it will allow the government to shut down and blacklist websites at its discretion under the guise of hosted pirated material. Ever sing a song on You-tube, that you didn’t write? That will happen no more. Freedom of speech was given to us by the Constitution. Can it be taken away without a fight? 

This is what Nikki Henderson a student here at LBCC had to say, “I feel that it is my right to put what I want on the internet. Its ridicules that they want to sensor what sites I go to or what I put on it. If they are having trouble with kids than don’t let your children on the internet, it’s that simple.”

However, on the other side of the fence, it is a way for the government to help keep our children and ourselves safe. How often do you hear of someone meeting for purchases off craigslist, then you hear something happened?  

The internet allows you to post anything you want about anyone or anything with little to no repercussion.  You can steal something and post it on your facebook or twitter, and no one even thinks a second thought about it if you “didn’t cite your source.”

Yahoo is one of nine Internet companies which publicly oppose the Stop Internet Privacy Act, or SOPA. Yahoo has already canceled its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over SOPA, and Google is threatening to walk too. According to Terri Allen, “I don’t blame them for walking. This is a big deal, and people are not going to allow this to happen.” 

Large web sites like facebook and Google fear the proposals would invite lawsuits and empower law enforcement to shut down their operations if a copyrighted movie or song appeared on their sites without their authorization, according to the Washington Post. 

The fight is about jobs at this point. They don’t care about our Right to Speech. The government is willing to do anything at this point to help develop jobs, even if that means putting your first amendment rights in jeopardy.

Paul Hawkwood, The Teachers Lessons That Stay With You A Lifetime.

If there is one thing you take from Paul Hawkwood's class its Plato’s allegory of the cave.  It’s the one thing most students never forget. Paul Hawkwood, a writing instructor at LBCC, is great about spreading the Philosophy of a famous writer and Greek philosopher Plato, in his work to help understand the need to learn.  Even in writing, Plato’s cave can come in very handy, making you think outside of the box. 

You may have heard his name before; Paul Hawkwood proceeded to help with finding a new system other than Blackboard. He helped test out Angel and Moodle. He is one of the many we can thank for the change.

Paul has worked for LBCC for 27 years. He teaches an abundance of writing classes.The one he loves the most is English 104. He says “it’s a lot of fun, because people can relate to it the most.”  Paul also teaches WR 121, 122, English 207, Asian Literature, African Literature, and non-fiction essay writing.  As you can see he is a very busy professor. 

If you have never heard of Plato’s allegory of the cave, I advise you take one of Mr. Hawkwood’s classes. You will not only learn new ways to write, but you will also learn things that you can apply to everyday life.

                                                                                                                                                    

Interview:

Q&A

Q: Why do you like teaching?

A: I like learning, learning is interesting. I have an Impulse to share my enthusiasm on why things are interesting, how they solve problems or how they help us see the world in more interesting, clearer light. I do that for myself and get excited to help others learn. I have an inborn drive to share, explain and be enthusiastic about ideas that people find interesting. 

Q: what made you come to LBCC?

A: I applied in 1985, and when I came to the school for my interview, I was immediately comfortable with the school and especially the people in the English department.  “I feel very lucky to be in this department.”

Q: What are your classroom challenges?

A:  The main challenge is to see how to help everyone learn. People learn in different ways. Sometimes I’m saying something and students are hearing another, or I’m saying something but it’s not getting across. The challenge is how do I help get students engaged in the material, how do I help them get excited and interesting in it?  Other challenges on my end are keeping up with grading. Also getting students who are under performing to come and talk to me, give me the opportunity to help them out. 

Q: How much time have you spent on your career?

A: been working for LBCC for 27 years. Did undergraduate school for 2 ½ years.  And collage for 5 years, because I had 2 majors and a minor. I have Religion Major, English Major, and a Minor in music.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I like to do photography, bicycle, run and cook.  I listen to a lot of audio books on my commute from Eugene to Albany.  I am the tech support person for mac computers for my friends and family. I enjoy learning how technology supports us in being creative, and productive, and understanding the world. It’s a great tool for exploring the world. 

Q: If you had a choice to sit down with a writer of your choice who would it be and why? 

A: Raymond Carver, He seems to convey a lot of passion in his writing.  He doesn’t do hallmark kind of writing. It’s enjoyable.  I would also like to sit down with Shakespeare but he would have to learn to explain in different English.

At A Glance______

Who: Paul Hawkwood

Where: NSH-201

Education: Masters in English with a specialty in Composition and Rhetoric, Degree in Religion.

Things to do during a long drive: Listen to audio books.

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Forum 6

Name:   I have two LBCC teachers in mind…
Claim to fame: Teacher/Writer
Source 1:  The teacher himself.
Source 2: Fellow employees
Source 3: Student
Question 1: What was the best place you ever worked?

Question 2:  Why do you like teaching?

Question 3: What are your hobbies outside of Teaching?

Question 4: What made you come to LBCC?

Question 5: If you could meet one Celebrity, who would it be?

 

TOPIC 2: EDNA BUCHANAN -- Now that you’ve read “Sex, Drugs, Missing, Justice”:

My favorite anecdote is from the chapter “Sex”.  “Roxcy is one of a kind.” “She is not promoting herself for public office, writing a book, or fueling a career. She fought for equal pay, though she did not enter the workplace. She fought for day-care, though she remained at home to raise her own children.” This woman in my eyes is amazing. In all the chapters she really stood out for me. Not just because she fights for women but because she does it out of the pure fact of helping out. No self-gaining.

My favorite quote for these chapters had to do with the dog incident. “I didn’t want to embarrass him. But hell, Jeanie Rivera could have been any of us—looking for love.”

This stood out for me because it is totally true. It could be anyone and she saw that. It wasn’t just about looking for a criminal; it was also about making sure that everything was done correctly. Too many people flake at their jobs.  

Something I have learned from Edna about writing a story is making sure you have all the truth not just some. And something Edna does is generally caring about what she does… It’s not just another job, its real people with real lives.

Everything is Going Electronic, Even Smoking!

Have you heard of the smokeless cigarette?  If you’re trying to cut back on costs of smoking, this can be helpful. Maybe you want to quit and don’t know quite how to cut back and actually quit.  The Electronic Cigarette is a smokeless device that uses E-liquid (e-juice).  It can help you cut back and quit that habit.

The electronic cigarette feels like you are smoking a real cigarette, but a few things are different. You’re not; you are only taking in nicotine which is all your body is really wanting from your traditional cigarette.  

A traditional cigarette is full of tobacco, tar, carbon monoxide, ash, and tons of other things you don’t think about going into your body as you take a drag off that cigarette. 

The e-cigarette is made up of a nicotine cartridge, an atomization chamber and a smart chip with a lithium battery. This allows you to look and feel like you are really smoking, when you’re not.

Jeremy Jenness a student here at LBCC said,  " The e-cigarettes are wonderful because you can smoke them anywhere you can eat or drink. I'm glad that LBCC doesn't really have a policy about them."

 

The e-cigarette has many options for flavors or concoctions of juices. You can get your regular, Camel flavor or Marlboro, or maybe even 7 leaf tobacco.   You can make your own, or you can try some that someone else has made.   A few popular places to buy juices are Ms T's Bakery, Johnson Creek. 

Smoking the e-cigarette is much cheaper than buying a traditional pack of cigarettes.  One 5ML bottle of juice is equivalent to 3 packs of Cigarettes.  You can purchase a bottle of e-juice for about $4.00 on some sites such as freedom smoker.

LBCC has no current policy on the electronic cigarette; the policy is on tobacco products, cigarettes, and chew.

 According to Marcene Olsen, the Manager for safety and loss prevention, it is at the teacher’s discretion. If they feel that it is distracting other students then the teacher can request you put it away.  In Olsen’s opinion, “Don’t assume people are smoking; ask questions before assuming.”

Some campuses around the state of Oregon have banned the e-cigarette because of the confusion it sets out there on campus policies.
The e-cigarette is one of those fad type products. It gets popular for some time, and then fades out.  Smokers on campus mostly have heard of the cigarette, but say they don't really want to try it.

Edna Buchanan on the Charlie Rose Show

Edna  Buchanan had a great interview about her new book, "Act of betrayal". She explains to Mr.Rose about her history as a crime reporter as well as a novelist. Missing some of the aspects of crime reporting she likes that she can pick up and write her book when she wants. 

• Became a piece of the furniture, always there they expected her to just always there. 
• Chose her characters in her books based on what she wants to be. Edna feels that she is person that takes notes not actions, the girl in her book is a woman of action. 
• Edna feels act of betrayal is the best book she has ever written.

"There is no better creature than a good cop, no worse scum of the earth than a bad cop. On the same day they can be the same cop, they are only human."

"A good reporter on the police beat can be a victims best friend, putting it in the news paper works sometimes you feel like wonder woman or superman to the rescue."

Britt Montero is a wonderful character that she looks forward to doing many more books on.

Have you heard of the E-cigarette?

Three questions I want to ask.

• Have you ever tried an e-cig? If yes did you like it? 
• Do you know the benefits of the e-cig?
• how much do you think it costs compared to a pack of smokes?

Many people have heard of the e-cigarette but have never tried it...

E-learning with E-books

Would life be easier, if we had all our textbooks on an e-reader/computer?  There are many different E-readers;   the Nook, the Kindle, iPhone, or just your regular laptop.   Anyone who has a smart phone can get their books on their phones, if it is downloaded for your Nook/Kindle.  It’s the new way of learning

  I don’t know anyone that would not want a cheaper way to buy books,   and with the added benefit of not carrying around 30 pounds in your backpack.

Advantages of an E-book:

• It's lighter to carry;
• Less expensive; 
• More compact, you can have all your books on one computer instead of carrying 6 or 7 books;
• You can still highlight any important information;
• Look up words quickly you are unsure of the meaning;
• Weight on anyone's back is terrible; less weight less back problems. 

Class	Regular Book	E-book
Writing 227	$106.00	$46.00
Psychology 201	$140.40	$65.25
Geology	$104.00	$33.10

Every college student is trying to save money anywhere they can, and this is a great way to keep a few more bucks in your pocket for the things you really need.

There are a few tradeoffs for using an e-book, if you happen to fail your class or end up having to re-take it the next term you will have to purchase your e-book again as e-books are only good for 180 days.

Not all titles are available this year through LBCC bookstore, but there is a variety.  Barns and Nobel and other bookstores also have the option to get e-books.

Things to think about, the e-book's that LBCC offer are not compatible with the Nook or Kindle.  If purchasing from our LBCC book store the e-book can only be used on your laptop or desktop. Most books it's about a 50% savings. That could be hundreds of dollars for a full time student.

When going around asking students what they thought about it, Liz Jones said; “I think the e-books are a great idea, they are keeping up with the times. I love that they are so much cheaper” Keeping up with the times is right. A generation or two ago they never would have dreamed about having their school books on a computer.

 Jessica Dawson, who is duel enrolled with OSU, says “I tried the e-book one term.  I found it much more difficult to get myself to sit down at a computer than to pick up a book. I will never buy and e-book again.”

Some people may see this as a bad thing, offering our books online. It takes a little more self-discipline to sit down and read from your computer or e-reader. 

 

The Disadvantages of books on an e-reader/laptop:

• If your battery is low or dies;
• Computer breaks;
• Having to pay for the book twice if your computer loses it;
• Will power to go to the computer or pick up the e-reader;
• The e-book is only valid for 180 days, if you don't pass a class you will have to buy it again. 

 Kylie Sehrer tells us this, “The e-book can be a good thing if they are interactive part of the curriculum, however if it’s just plain text it’s harder to sit and read.   On some books you can do the exercises at the back of the chapter and get immediate feedback, which is helpful. “  

There are a few other places that you can "rent" books from as well like Chegg.com, and Amazon. It is still much cheaper to rent books then to buy them from the LBCC bookstore.

I guess we are just left with what do we prefer? Will e-books be a one hit wonder, or will they continue to keep up with the times?

 

My First News story

MY first story is about e-readers and students.