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Monday, April 9, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Coke withdraws from group that backs Stand Your Ground law - Yahoo! News
ORLANDO, Fla./NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co is dropping its membership in a conservative national advocacy group that supports "Stand Your Ground" laws such as the one being used as a defense in the Florida killing of an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin.
The move by the world's biggest soft drink maker comes as corporate America faces increased scrutiny from consumers and shareholder activists over lobbying and political spending.
PepsiCo Inc ended its relationship with the group - the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) - in January.
In a statement on Thursday, Coca-Cola made no direct mention of the controversial self-defense law pushed by ALEC that provides shooters with wide latitude for claiming self defense when they perceive a threat.
"The Coca-Cola Company has elected to discontinue its membership with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)," the statement said.
"Our involvement with ALEC was focused on efforts to oppose discriminatory food and beverage taxes, not on issues that have no direct bearing on our business. We have a long-standing policy of only taking positions on issues that impact our company and industry."
Trayvon Martin, 17, was killed on February 26 in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, 28, a white and Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer who has claimed he acted in self defense and has not been charged with a crime.
At a rally in Sanford on Saturday, civil rights leaders said they were considering economic boycotts of national companies that support "Stand Your Ground" laws.
Coca-Cola and other ALEC member companies were targeted last year by the civil rights group ColorOfChange for their support of ALEC, which is also behind what ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson calls "voter suppression laws" in many states. The laws require voters to show identification.
Since Martin's killing, Robinson said ColorOfChange has let the corporations know that ALEC was behind a push for states to adopt legislation modeled after Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law.
Robinson declined to name which other companies the group is pursuing, saying their strategy is to give corporations a chance to withdraw from ALEC before escalating the issue publicly.
POLITICAL RISK
ALEC's private enterprise board includes executives from companies including Pfizer Inc and Reynolds American, which stood by the group on Thursday along with Procter & Gamble Co, a member company.
"We don't agree with every ALEC position, but we participate in ALEC's healthcare forums because state legislators that are the members in ALEC, they make decisions that impact our business and the country's business every day," said Peter O'Toole, a spokesman for the world's largest drugmaker.
Pfizer reviews its membership in outside organizations regularly, he said.
Reynolds, the maker of Camel cigarettes, said ALEC provides "a valuable forum for sharing of ideas and fostering better understanding of a broad range of both legislative and business issues."
Cigarette-maker Altria Group, which has an employee on the ALEC board, said its involvement is focused on business-related issues.
Exxon Mobil Corp declined to comment as did Diageo Plc, which makes Johnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka.
Late on Thursday, Kraft Foods Inc said in an emailed statement: "We belong to many external groups, including ALEC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes growth and fiscal responsibility.
"ALEC covers numerous issues but our involvement has been strictly limited to discussions about economic growth and development, transportation and tax policy. We did not participate in meetings or conversations related to other issues.
"Our membership in ALEC expires this spring and for a number of reasons, including limited resources, we have made the decision not to renew."
Companies that were not immediately available for comment included Johnson & Johnson, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, United Parcel Service Inc, among others.(http://www.alec.org/about-alec/private-enterprise-board/)
Bruce Freed, president of the Center for Political Accountability in Washington, said he was not surprised that Pepsi and Coke were ahead of the pack in distancing themselves from ALEC, because they could be more vulnerable to a consumer boycott than other companies.
"Companies recognize that political spending poses a risk," said Freed, whose group is also pressing companies to rein in their spending.
ALEC, which describes its mission as to advance the principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty, said it would welcome back Coke if it ever had a change of heart.
"We definitely respect differences of opinion and ideas and whatever people want to do...," said Kaitlyn Buss, spokeswoman for ALEC.
ALEC develops model bills, but one of the group's insiders said it does not actively lobby.
"The legislators often have an idea, a concept or a thought and they go to ALEC to implement that thought," said Victor Schwartz, a Washington lawyer and lobbyist who serves as co-chairman of the ALEC task force on civil justice. He was not speaking as an ALEC spokesman.
The investment firm Walden Asset Management in Boston gave a tally of a dozen large companies earlier this week that recently agreed to make new disclosures around their lobbying efforts, including: Coke, General Electric Co and Johnson & Johnson.
In a letter to ColorOfChange dated January 25, 2012, PepsiCo told Robinson the company had decided to drop its decade-long membership in ALEC after its membership expired.
"We review all organizations in which we have membership each year to assure they serve a critical purpose for PepsiCo and its priorities," Paul Boykas, vice president of public policy and government affairs said in the letter.
Robinson said Coca-Cola made its decision on Wednesday after ColorOfChange posted a Web page criticizing Coca-Cola's continued support of ALEC. Robinson said the Web page was up for eight hours before ColorOfChange removed it based on Coca-Cola's change of heart.
(Reporting by Barbara Liston in Orlando and Martinne Geller in New York; additional reporting by David Ingram in Washington, Ross Kerber in Boston and Lewis Krauskopf and Matt Daily in New York; editing by Maureen Bavdek and Andre Grenon)
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Thursday, April 5, 2012
"Too Pretty" Columnist Samantha Brick Ridiculed - Yahoo!
Going through life as a "tall, slim, blonde" woman is harder than it looks, according to British columnist Samantha Brick, who has become the focus of criticism and ridicule for writing that her life as a beautiful woman has been especially difficult.
Brick, 41, published a column in the Daily Mail on Tuesday entitled, "'There are downsides to looking this pretty': Why women hate me for being beautiful."
Brick bemoaned having to go through life as a beautiful woman, constantly receiving free champagne and wine from suitors, flirting with male bosses, and angering female friends and co-workers with her looks.
"While I'm no Elle Macpherson," Brick wrote, "I'm tall, slim, blonde and, so I'm often told, a good-looking woman. I know how lucky I am. But there are downsides to being pretty, the main one being that other women hate me for no other reason than my lovely looks."
By Wednesday morning, Brick had become the center of a Twitter campaign aiming to take her down a few notches for her perceived vanity. Twitter users created the tongue-in-cheek hashtag #samanthabrickfacts to make jokes about Brick's alleged beauty.
"James Blunt wrote "You're beautiful" after he briefly caught sight of Samantha Brick in a crowded place. #samanthabrickfacts," Tony Cowards wrote on the site.
"Samantha Brick was originally cast in title role in Pretty Woman but Richard Gere vetoed it because she was too pretty," a user named Susan Cullen said Wednesday.
The Daily Mail's website, where the column was published, received more than 3,000 comments in response to Brick's essay, many of which called into question whether Brick was as pretty as she declared. The column was accompanied by seven photos of the alleged British beauty, and anecdotes of occasions when Brick was hated by other women for her looks.
Brick, who was not able to reached for comment, recalls in the column posing next to a male friend for a photograph on his birthday, at the suggesting of the photographer.
"Another woman I barely knew pushed me out of the way, shouting it wasn't fair on all the other women if I was dominating the snap. I was devastated and burst into tears," she said.
Brick's article raised ire with many women for her early accusation in the column that any woman feeling angry at Brick was just jealous.
"If you're a woman reading this, I'd hazard that you've already formed your own opinion about me and it won't be very flattering. For while many doors have been opened (literally) as a result of my looks, just as many have been metaphorically slammed in my face and usually by my own sex," she writes.
Brick ponders her relationships with women, noting that she has never been asked to be a bridesmaid at a friend's wedding, often gets snubbed by female neighbors and acquaintances in social situations, and is targeted by married women who think Brick is trying to steal their husbands.
"I'm not smug and I'm no flirt, yet over the years I've been dropped by countless friends who felt threatened if I was merely in the presence of their other halves. If their partners dared to actually talk to me, a sudden chill would descend on the room," Brick said.
Many of those who commented disagreed with Brick's assessment, writing "Can we get a serving of humble pie with a side order of reality check over here please?" and "Oh get over yourself dear. You are NOT THAT pretty, just average. : VERY average. I think you've lost female friends because you're a conceited delusional prat. Is this a belated April Fool's story DM?"
Brick, however, notes that she is now looking forward to the time when age will finally fade her beauty, so that she can "blend into the background" in her life.
"I can't wait for the wrinkles and the grey hair," she writes.
But following her inflammatory column, Brick's name and face may be more recognizable than ever before.
"April 3rd will now by known as international Samantha Brick day! #SamanthaBrickFacts," Twitter user @Rossildinio.
Added another: "Disney have renamed their film 'Samantha Brick & the Beast.' #samanthabrickfacts. "
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Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Wisconsin Wife, 80, Lands Plane for Dying Pilot Husband - Yahoo!
A frail 80-year-old Wisconsin woman spent a harrowing 90 minutes learning how to handle a Cessna plane and then land it after her husband, who had been piloting the plane, collapsed while at the controls.
Helen Collins successfully landed the plane as it was running out of gas and an engine sputtering.
She is expected to be released from the hospital today with minor injuries after her bumpy landing Monday night at Sturgeon Bay. Despite the miracle landing, Helen Collins' husband John, 81, did not survive.
Her son, Richard Collins, recounted the ordeal today, punctuated with tears of grief for his father and chuckles of relief for his mom.
"I can't even tell her how to run a computer, let alone land a plane," Richard Collins, 55, told ABCNews.com. "It was a very trying time. I thought I was going to lose them both."
John and Helen Collins were flying from Florida to Wisconsin on Monday. John had not been feeling well on Thursday and the couple's son James Collins, also a pilot, wanted to meet them in Rome, Ga., where they were stopping, to fly the rest of the way.
"He wasn't right. You could tell something was wrong. He said he had a sore neck," Richard Collins told ABCNews.com today. But John Collins said he would fly himself.
"He had called me on the phone and asked me where I was," Richard Collins said. "I said I was at the airport waiting for him and he said he'd be there in 20 minutes. The next thing I knew, I saw the plane fly over the airport."
About six miles from Sturgeon Bay, Wis., something had gone wrong.
Helen Collins had called 911 to say that "her husband, the pilot of the aircraft, was having some sort of medical emergency and was unresponsive in the aircraft," according to a Door County Sheriff's Office report.
She was going to have to land the plane.
Collins said his mother had flown in the past, even flying solo, but she had never flown the two-engine Cessna and she had not piloted in about 30 years.
Richard Collins worked with the Cherryland Airport to send out the family's other plane with a pilot to shadow his mother and help her land. Another pilot was communicating with her from the ground.
"Robert [Vuksanovic, the pilot in the second plane] got in the air and was flying just off Helen's wing and was consulting her via radio," according to the report. "The two aircrafts did several fly-by type maneuvers as practice runs."
"The sheriff said she was amazingly calm and alert and level-headed," Richard Collins said of his mother who he described as "about as frail as frail can be" after having undergone two open-heart surgeries in the past several years.
Collins recalled his mother saying to everyone instructing her, "Don't you guys have faith in me? I can do this." But moments before landing, she said, "I don't think I can do this."
After circling for an hour-and-a-half, she was able to land the plane.
Keith Kasbohm, director of Cherryland Airport near Sturgeon Bay, told the Associated Press, "She was on her last attempt to get lined up with the runway. She reported one engine was sputtering on that last attempt to land. We were all watching and knew she had to do it."
"She bounced pretty hard," Richard Collins said. "When she bounced, the plane tilted forward and the landing gear broke."
Both Helen and John Collins were taken to the hospital where John Collins was pronounced dead. His son believes he had a heart attack. His mother has a crushed vertebra, but is expected to go home today.
When Richard Collins spoke to his mother, she described what had happened in the plane.
"She said that Dad became unconscious and took off his seatbelt to breathe better," Richard Collins said. His father lay down in the plane and his mother saw him "turning gray."
"She felt his hand and she knew," Richard Collins said as his voice cracked. "Everybody is so proud of her."
John Collins was the president and CEO of the family business, C&S Manufacturing, in Sturgeon Bay and had 50 employees. He began flying planes in the 1980s and frequently volunteered his services for Angel Flight, a group that helps transport patients in need to the hospitals they need to get to.
"My dad is the kind of guy that will help anybody. He's very generous and never turned anybody away," Richard Collins said. "He was like a father to anybody he knew. You couldn't find a better person. He's a better person than me. He's been a pillar in the community, my mom too."
Last week, the family spent time in Florida, relaxing by the ocean and eating out together.
Richard Collins remembered a conversation he heard his parents having in Florida last week while he was in his room going to bed.
"He says, 'Helen, I'm really lucky to have you.' And she said, 'No, I'm lucky to have you.' He said, 'No, I'm luckier to have you,'" Collins said through laughter and tears. "They were very tight."
Also Read
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Toddler's Tragic Washing Machine Accident Sends Warning to Parents | Parenting - Yahoo! Shine
An Oregon family is devastated after a tragic accident took the life of their toddler. Tiffany Hebb was doing laundry, while her 21-month-old Ollie kept her company. When she left the room briefly, he crawled into the washing machine and drowned.A frantic Hebb found her son minutes later trapped in the water-filled basin and tried desperately to resuscitate him. After suffering severe brain damage, he died the following day in the hospital.
"It was the worst day of my life," the grieving mother told a local Fox affiliate through tears. Now Tiffany and her husband Chris are on a mission to educate parents about the dangers of the seemingly innocuous household appliance.
"I want to make mothers and fathers aware that it's a possibility," she said.
Read more: Toddler's trauma highlights laundry room dangers
Between 2005 and 2009, two children under the age of five lost their lives in laundry room accidents, according to a report by the Consumer Product Safety Commision. In a 2003 review, two deaths and an estimated 500 other injuries to children were attributed to washing machine-related accidents. Most kids were between the ages of 1 and 2, and fell victim to a range of injuries including fractures, amputations and even drowning.Some of potential washing machine hazards, according to the report:
- Drowning after getting locked inside the machine
- Injuries jumping or falling off the top of the machine
- Heated water from the machine causing burns
- Getting limbs caught in the motorized spinning basin
The biggest problem when the CPSC conducted their review back in 2003, is still a problem now: lack of education. The report at the time acknowledged that more public education is needed so parents can prevent these kinds of injuries. Ever the vigilant mother, Hebb spent the first year of her son's life guarding him from every household danger she was warned about. She said she never expected the washer would be the biggest threat.Despite improved safety functions on automatic washing machines, the best prevention from injury is keeping kids far away from the laundry room altogether. (Even if the washing machine is avoided, the scalding hot dryer can be just as dangerous.) Unfortunately many parents aren't aware of the risks.
More ways to child-proof your home
"Believe it or not, a small child can drown in as little as an inch or two of water," warns Home Safety Council's Mary Kay Appy in a safety video featured on Good Housekeeping. "They're top heavy -- their head goes into the bucket but they don't have the upper body strength to pull themselves out."
Appy encourages parents to invest in washers and dryers with built-in child safety locks. Another safety measure: install locks or child safety knobs to the laundry room door. A little extra child-proofing could save a life.
Related:
Two accidents reveal laundry room dangers
Baby-proofing tips and tricks
Is it safe to leave your toddler to shower?
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Monday, April 2, 2012
JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
JOLT is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December. While JOLT seeks to publish works in a timely manner, space considerations and editorial decisions may delay the publication of a manuscript.
TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS
Research Papers : Papers that are concerned with the learning impact of various approaches to online learning and teaching. They discuss the literature related to the approach employed and include a measure of the learning impact of the approach employed.
Case Studies: These highlight a particular online instructional setting in which online resources were used to address a particular challenge. They present a discussion of the challenge from current literature, what was done to solve or explore it, and the results of the project. They often offer suggestions for others interested in addressing similar challenges.
Concept Papers: Papers that present new concepts in online teaching and learning. They offer a discussion of the literature related to the concept along with a discussion of the major issues for future research needed to validate the concept.Position Papers: Papers that describe a problem or issue in online teaching and offer a suggested solution or direction. The position is supported with both a logical argument and a review of the pertinent literature.
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS:
- All manuscripts must be submitted to the JOLT Editors ( jolteditor@merlot.org ) in electronic format on or before the stated deadline.
- Manuscripts must be submitted using Microsoft Word and should not exceed 6,000 words, excluding abstract and references.
- Manuscripts must be written in English, double-spaced, including quotations and references, and employ a 12-point Arial (sans serif) font
- Headers, footers, footnotes and end-notes must NOT be employed.
- Use of personal pronouns ("I", "we", "our", etc.) is strongly discouraged in all but Position Papers and Instructional Design Notes. Use third-person (e.g., "the author" instead of “I”) or passive voice (e.g. “data were collected” instead of “we collected data”) whenever possible.
- All manuscripts must include a brief but informative abstract. It should not exceed 200 words and should describe the scope of the work and the main findings. References to the literature should not be included.
- A set of 5-10 keywords should follow the abstract to assist in indexing the article. These should not duplicate words appearing in the title and should be listed in order of importance.
- A separate cover page must be included with all submissions that includes:
a) the type of paper (Research Paper, Case Study, PositionPaper, etc.),
b) the full name, affiliation, and e-mail address of each author and
c) the author designated as the contact person.
- Authors' names or other identifying information should not appear on any of the manuscript pages.
- Where appropriate, the following suggested format is recommended:
Title
Abstract followed by 5-10 keywords
Main text (Introduction, Literature Survey, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions)
Acknowledgments
References
Appendices- Articles may include graphics and hyperlinks to online multimedia objects or other online materials, where the latter are indicated and linked using the hyperlink tool provided in MS Word. Authors should ensure that all links are active at the time of submission. All graphics must be placed at the appropriate location in the manuscript.
- All tables must be generated using the Table function in Word. All tables and graphic figures must be placed at the appropriate locations in the paper. In general no more than 10 tables and/or 6 figures should be included in a paper. Exceptions require approval by the JOLT editors.
- The following spellings should be used in all manuscripts submitted: online, website, homepage, Internet, Web, URL, e-mail, e-journal, HTML, PDF, download, screenshot, freeware, and CD-ROM.
- Citations and references should be prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 6th Edition, 2009. An excellent online tutorial of APA style elements can be found at: http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx
- Before publication, authors will be asked to confirm that the submitted article is original material, has not been published elsewhere, and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere.
- Once the Editors determine that the manuscript is appropriate for the journal, the manuscript is sent through a double-blind peer review by two reviewers selected by the Editors. Names of reviewers will not be released to authors, nor will reviewers know the identities of authors whose work they review. The reviews occur in a timely manner by members of the JOLT peer review panel, using specific review criteria developed by the JOLT Editorial Board. Review panel recommendations include acceptance of the manuscript as submitted, acceptance of the manuscript with prescribed changes, or rejection of the manuscript. Final publication decisions will be made by the Editors, taking into account the recommendations of the reviewers. Authors will be notified of the Editors’ publication decisions and will be provided copies of the reviewers' comments.
- Once an article has been accepted for publication, authors will be expected to submit a revised version of the article, including any recommended changes, in a timely manner.
- Authors should note that all articles published in JOLT will be copyrighted using a Creative Commons "Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike" license. This license allows the authors to retain the copyright, but also allows others to copy, distribute, and display the copyrighted work, and derivative works based upon it, under certain specified conditions. Details regarding this license and its conditions can be found at the Creative Commons web site: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ .
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