Leg. Money Tracking

Initiatives
We’ll start with initiatives, the process by which a group of Washington voters can propose a law. Let’s look at spending on initiatives in recent years. How much was spent in each of these years?
2010- $60,683,508.66
2009-

$6,986,958.85

2008-

$9,547,845.16

1. Under ‘Search the database,’ navigate to ‘Committees’ and then ‘Initiatives.’ 2011 is too young -- let’s look at spending in 2010.
    a. How much was been raised for initiatives in 2010?
$61,620,635.33
    b. How much was spent?
$60,683,508.66

3. Each column header allows us to sort the data in different ways. For example, if we click on the ‘Spent,’ we can rank the committees by spending.

   a. Click on ‘Spent.’ (You’ll notice that it shows the money from lowest to highest. We’re interested in big money, so let’s click on the column header again to reorganize most to least.)
        I. Which committee has spent the most money this year?
STOP THE FOOD & BEVERAGE TAX HIKES
        II. Which initiative is the committee opposing?
CIT TO PROTECT OUR ECONOMIC FUTURE
        III. What would the initiative do?
Stop food and beverage tax hikes
        IV. How much have the supporters of this initiative raised? (Hint: Click the column header ‘Ballot’ to group by initiative.)
$16,797,752.50
        V. Who won? Check Google.
STOP THE FOOD & BEVERAGE TAX HIKES


    c. Let’s look closer at the committee that outspent all others. Who funded it? To the left of the committee’s name, click on ‘Details.’
        I. Which individual group has contributed the single largest donation to this committee?]
The American Beverage Association
        II. Where is this group based?
Washington D.C.
        III. When was the last donation from this group sent to Washington state?(Specifically, what’s the date?)
8/26/2010
IV. How many separate contributions did the group make to this committee?
9
V. In total, how much money did it send to the committee in August 2010?
about $17 million.

4. Change the year to 2011. Which committee has raised the most money? State Candidates
            1. How much did Gov. Chris Gregoire received in campaign contributions in 2008?
$13,661,703.15

Washingtonians for Humane Farms

a.  Click on “reports” next to the committee’s name.  Then click on the first C3 form, which tracks donations to the  committee.

b. Which national group gave this committee $150,000?

Humane Society

c. List the treasurer’s phone number.

(206) 325-5013

SB 5621

WHAT WOULD IT DO?

Students who are 14 years of age as of the date of a school board election

are entitled to vote in the district election where they are enrolled.

SPONSORS?
Senator White.

FISCAL NOTES?
Not available.

Exploring our government

SB 5749
1. GET is Washington's 529 prepaid college tuition plan. Families can prepay for their children's college tuition today knowing that the value of their account is guaranteed by the state to keep pace with rising college tuition
2. Since 1998, families have opened more that 119,000 accounts.
3. If the bill passes, the program will now have to pay service and activities fees.

HB 1325
1. Sponsors: Hunt. Dammeier, Darneille, Liias, Carlyle, Roberts, Jinkins, Orwall, Kenney, Hasegawa, McCoy, Fitzgibbon, and Tharinger.
2. This bill would cut the number of school districts in half.
3. 300
4. To implement a comprehensive statewide reorganization initiative to streamline and provide efficiencies in the administration and operation of school districts and educational service districts.
5. $397,963

Editor decision: to publish or not to publish.

I would not publish the story because we do not all have all the facts. All of the information we are dealing with so far has been from a blogger and his unknown source. In order not to lose the credit of the news website, we must dig deeper into this story and get facts that we can back up with evidence. Also, in order to not be bias, we must get information pertinent to this accusation from both sides. This includes the senator himself. The Internet is similar to Wikepedia, anyone can put up information and claim it is true.

Homecoming Lede

The Student Entertainment Board at Washington State University has decided that starting this year, there will no longer be a homecoming queen and king.

Speech Story

 According to Lucy Craft, a CBS news correspondent, Japan has become a pop-culture oasis based on anime and manga.

Craft talked to students about this new wave of pop-culture at 6 p.m. Friday at the Center for Undergraduate Education. Craft has covered social and political trends throughout Asia and is currently based in Tokyo, Japan. “Japan is involved in what is known as the ‘cool Japan’ promotion strategy,” said Craft. She described ‘otaku’ as the Japanese word for ‘nerd.’ Otaku describes people with a deep passion and obsessive interest in anime, manga and video games.

Pop-culture consists of Pokémon, Sailor Moon and Hello Kitty. Japan has generated a ‘creative industries promotions office’ whose goal is to turn Japan into a pop-culture paradise and market it around the world.

Anime and manga made its mark in Japan after World War II. Japan was hungry for western culture, especially in the comic books brought over by soldiers that contained animated cartoons from Walt Disney. Osamu Tezuka was the ‘god’ of anime and manga as he pioneered the Japanese style of cartoons. He drew comics similar to sketches of frames for a film. “We have a comic culture here, but over there they have different aspects of a comic culture,” said Joshua Hardy an Asian Studies major.

Akihabara, Japan, is well known as a nerd paradise. The area is filled with stores that sell the hottest new games, costumes, and manga. “Akihabara is the one place in town for geeks to hang out, they don’t have to dress well or even take a bath!” said Craft jokingly. There are Mai cafes where girls greet the customers by saying “welcome master” and serve comfort food such as macaroni and cheese. Akihabara is so popular, the name is used in a famous music group called AKB48: 48 girls who sing, dance, and explore the fantasy world of nerds.

Not all Japanese are fans of the nerd culture. In the 1980s there was a serial killer known as the ‘otaku murderer’ who was a pedophile obsessed with anime. There are 2-D Otaku who prefer romance with cartoon characters rather then humans. This phenomenon has created concerns among the Japanese culture. More and more young people are not getting married and having kids. Many Japanese believe this 2-D trend is to blame.

Japan is extremely sensitive to what other countries around the world think of them.  They are very interested in making friends and influencing people. Joseph Nye, a professor of international relations, calls this concept ‘soft-power’ or the countries ability to attract others through cooperation and attraction. “I never thought of Japan using their culture to deal with politics,” said Kaho Tsang, a WSU student. “I thought it was just pop culture, like how we view football in America.”

Craft hopes that Japan will use this cool image to move on to more important issues facing their country such as immigration reform and tackling the greenhouse gas matter. “What if Japan could reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2020 like they promised?” said Craft. “Now that would be really cool. That will make Japan really cool.”

3 questions for Lucy Craft:

1.     How did Japan go from big and scary like Godzilla, to cute and small like Hello Kitty?

2.     Have there been anymore major hate-crimes against otaku in Japan?

3.     Why are the young Japanese no longer interested in studying abroad?

Contact Information and Speech Story Outline

Contact Information:

Joshua Hardy: joshua.hardy@email.wsu.edu

Kaho Tsang: masterkaho1@gmail.com

Lucy Craft: lucy.craft@gmail.com

Speech Story Outline:

What happened?

·      Lucy Craft: “Anime Cool and Manga Chic: How and Why Japan Became a Pop-culture Oasis” Feb. 11 6:00 p.m. in CUE bulding.

·      Craft covers the pop-culture in Japan as well as how that impacts the politics and the Japanese image.

How did it happen?

·      Background on Lucy Craft.

·      Explanation of ‘cool Japan’ promotion strategy.

·      Definition of ‘otaku’

·      Introduction of anime and manga in Japan.

·      Insight on Akihabara, Japan.

·      Internal dispute on ‘otaku’ culture.

·      Japan’s image and influence.

Reaction?

·      Students were surprised to see coloration between politics and anime/manga.

·      Lucy Craft hopes this ‘cool image’ will help Japan move on to help the issues facing their country.

Two Leads, One Story

At the Los Angeles Times, editors had a choice between two ledes. Read each version and select one.

Which do you choose?

I liked story version #1.

Why?

I chose this story version because the openning sentence really caught my attention and helped to create a connection with the vicitims.

Do both versions have the same impact?

I think the first version had a more emotional impact whereas version number two hit hard in the beginning with the raw facts.

How does the emphasis change from version 1 to version 2?

Version #1 did not really get the news out fast enough so there was more emphasis on her story rather than the overall impact of the defective tires.

Is more important to first hear the story of McKinney or to receive the overview?

It depends on who is reporting the story.

Story Version No. 1

On the day Christy McKinney turned 21, she was running an errand with her 7-month-old son, Conner, in her Ford Explorer when the tread on her left rear tire peeled loose, causing her car to sail off an embankment on Interstate 40 near Alma, Ark.

The sport-utility vehicle rolled over twice. Conner was ejected from his baby seat, suffering cuts and bruises to his face. He was the lucky one. His mother was thrown from the vehicle--even though she was wearing her seatbelt, according to her attorney--and landed on the highway's grassy shoulder. McKinney and her son were rushed to a hospital in nearby Fort Smith, where doctors declared her a quadriplegic.

The toll from defective Firestone tires mounted on Ford Explorers has largely been measured by the 101 deaths compiled so far by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But as investigators delve into about 400 injury cases, story after horrific story emerges, some involving people who have become paraplegics or quadriplegics.

These victims will have to cope with the fact that their life expectancies have been shortened as they face the prospect of raising enough money--sometimes millions of dollars--to pay looming medical bills. The costs also include an emotional toll, changing the lives of these victims' families who must now grapple with caring for their loved ones.

In McKinney's case, her mother, Sheri, was recently forced to give up her job, leave her own 13-year-old son behind, and borrow money from friends and relatives so that she could watch over Christy, who has been transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Story Version No. 2

The toll from defective Firestone tires mounted on Ford Explorers has largely been measured by the 101 deaths counted so far, but as investigators delve into about 400 injury cases they are finding horrific tragedies that have left some victims paraplegics or quadriplegics.

These victims will have to cope with shortened life expectancies as they face the prospect of raising enough money--sometimes millions of dollars--to pay looming medical bills. The costs also include an emotional toll, changing the lives of these victims' families who must now grapple with caring for their loved ones.

The number of people left paralyzed in these crashes is also bringing fresh attention to the tendency of some vehicles' roofs to cave in during rollover accidents, which can cause fatal or crippling head and neck injuries. Consumer safety advocates have criticized the auto makers for not strengthening roofs and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for not toughening the roof-crush standard.

A close look at some of these tragedies, alongside an analysis of government crash data, shows that in many cases the human cost was raised by occupants simply not wearing their seat belts. But in others, the violence of the crash--and the damage to the vehicle--was so extreme that wearing a seat belt was not enough to save passengers or drivers from death or crippling injuries.

Consider the case of Christy McKinney.

On the day she turned 21, McKinney was running an errand with her 7-month-old son, Conner, in her Ford Explorer when the tread on her left rear tire peeled loose, causing her car to sail off an embankment on Interstate 40 near Alma, Ark.

The sport-utility vehicle rolled over twice. Conner was ejected from his baby seat, suffering cuts and bruises to his face. He was the lucky one. His mother was thrown from the vehicle--even though she was wearing her seatbelt, according to her attorney--and landed on the highway's grassy shoulder. McKinney and her son were rushed to a hospital in nearby Fort Smith, where doctors declared her a quadriplegic.

Paraphrase Exercise

According to award-winning journalist Jonathan Fabulist, some of his best stories are completely false. He admitted to fabricating parts of his autobiography but believes the truth should not stand in the way of a good story .

Peer Edit redux

1. Washington State provided a subsidy of over $2000 for in state students.
-Washington state provided a subsidy of more than $2,000 for in-state students.

2. “The 13.5 million is the tip of a larger iceberg,” Coordinator of Arts and Culture, Jerry McCollum, said.
-"The $13.5 million is the tip of a larger iceberg," said Jerry McCollum, Coordinator of Arts and Culture.

3. “What I know if the system is broken right now, we can’t live in a world with 14% tuition increases,” President Floyd said.
-"What I know is if the system is broken right now, we can't live in a world with 14 percent tuition increases," said Floyd.

4. The Co-President’s announced a club to meet more people that are interested in hiking.
-The co-presidents announced a club to meet more people who are interested in hiking.

5. Williams said, “There are still new things to say with art music, it’s hard to stop and listen, but when you do it can be an extremely pleasant surprise.”
-"There are still new things to say with art music," said Williams. "It's hard to stop and listen, but when you do, it can be an extremely pleasant surprise."

6. In Sept. 2010, the wine tasting endorsement will be available to stores, according to Jane Westman, Culinary Coordinator for Metropolitan Market.
-Accodring to Jane Westman, Culinary Coordinator for Metropolitan Market, the wine-tasting endorsement will be available to stores by September of 2011.

7. He died from a massive heart attack in Sept. 1996.
-He died of a a heart attack in September 1996.

8. In fact, the club even has their own audio engineer.
-The club has its own audio-engineer.

9. When it blasted off, the shock of excitement from the noise of the cannon added to the emotion of the game.
-The shock from the noise of the cannon added to the excitement and emotion of the game.

Shorten the following sentences.
 
1. It is evident that sleep becomes less of a priority for many students.
-Sleep becomes less of a priority for many students.
 
2. In fact, there is a new workout routine that is sweeping the country.
-A new workout routine is sweeping the country.

Five Interview Tips from Mike Wallace

1. Mention specific details brought up from previous relevant interviews and quote them. Attribute!

2. Refrain from asking yes/no questions. Ask open-ended questions. Choose order of questions.

3. Research the issue being discussed during the interview

4. Tell what you know and let your interviewer doing majority of the talking.

5. Be specific with the questions to get the information you need.

Why does Clemens talk with Wallace? What are the reasons for any source to talk?

-The source wants to clear his/her name
-The source wants to explain or deny an allegation brought on by the press/media.
-Wallace was not conducting an accusatory interview.

Peer Edit

1. Treasurer Alex J. A. Fortune says he thinks California will be the first state to legalize cannabis use.
- California will be the first state to legalize cannabis use, said Treasurer Alex J. A. Fortune.

2. Public Works Director, Mark Workman said, the ordinance went into affect on January 19, 2011.
-Public Works Director Mark Workman said the ordinance went into effect on Jan. 19.

3. Needless to say, the last 3 years have resulted in drastic cuts to the WSU’s budget.
-The last three years have resulted in drastic cuts to WSU's budget.

4. Senator Will Jones criticized the timing of the 5% increase in parking rates.
-Sen. Will Jones criticized the timing of the 5 percent in parking rates.

5. 21 businesses replied.
-Twenty-one businesses replied.

6. The all day event will allow the group the chance to plan it’s agenda for the year.
-The all-day event will allow the group the chance to plan its agenda for the year.

7. Parsons said “I think it would have been cool to do something like that as a freshman, I know my parents would have loved it”
-"I think it would have been cool to do something like that a freshman," Parsons said. "I know my parents would have loved it."

8. Just over 10 thousand fans piled into Beasly Coliseum in Pullman, Wash. to watch the Cougars take on the Huskies.
- More than ten thousand fans piled into Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash., to watch the Cougars take on the Huskies.

9. Entertainment, drink specials and giveaways welcomed back the 21 and over crowd.
- Entertainment, drink specials, and giveaways welcomed back the 21-and-over crowd.

10. “Turn your passion for social justice into action.” Said Marguerite Medina, UI GSA Co-Chair.
-"Turn your passion for social justice into action," said Marguerite Medina, co-chair of UI GSA.

11. The legislation initiative was filed Wednesday January 26. The proposed initiative would legalize marijuana for Wash. residents 18 years or older.
-The proposed initiative would legalize marijuana for Washington residents 18 years or older was filed Jan. 26.

12. Mark Workman, Public Works Director, said police distributed twenty-nine parking infractions last Veterans day.
-Public Works Director Mark Workman said police distributed 29 parking infractions last Veteran's Day.

Define the following acronyms. If you are unsure, guess.

EIS-?
SAAC
WSURF
UI GSA- University of Idaho Gay Straight Alliance
IEW
NORML
BSU-Black Student Union
GIESORC
VIBES-Visionaries Iinspiring Black Empowered Students
DOLA

Speech Ledes

1. District 9 Sen. Mark Schoesler mentioned that higher education will always be at risk for budget cuts based on the 14 percent increase on tuition at WSU.

2.  Due to the increase in global temperature and human activity, the status and population of amphibians may face a drastic decline, said Andrew Storfer, an associate professor at the WSU School of Biological Sciences.

Two well-done ledes.

21.    At the Pullman City Council meeting Tuesday night, the executive director of the Washington State University Research Foundation (WSURF) explained how newly applied principles have helped raise $300 million in federal money for research.


15. Washington State University Parking and Transportation requested approval of a three year parking rate increase at Wednesday’s Associated Students of Washington State University Senate meeting.