Final

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRjk9PWgiLU&feature=youtu.be

 

To see the actual package Ed made for News 7 click here: 
http://campus.lyndonstate.edu/news7/archives/archive.html

and select Thursday December 12th News Cast and the story's called VT AED Problems

Cold Prevention

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1065768

The common  head cold is known to leave you with symptoms such as a cough, a sore or itchy throat, a low-grade fever, fatigue, congestion, slight body aches, a mild headache, and watery eyes, but is it possible for the cold to be altering the way we think and learn?
 

“Feelings of malaise, low mood and muddled thinking go hand-in-hand with having a cold and may be due to changes deep inside the brain instead of the cold symptoms themselves.” says a study in Brain, Behavior and Immunity. According to the research the common cold is found to have an affect on an individuals level of attention. It also shows that the common cold affects behavior and cognitive function.
 

A study where scientists compared mental functioning before and after head colds in 189 men and women from the U.K. explains how having a cold can result in reduced alertness, psycho-motor slowing, slower encoding of new information and slower memory speed.
 

The research done proves that the common cold is affecting our brains ability to learn, so is it acceptable for a student to miss school or an employee to miss work because of this?

Recently students from Lyndon State College were asked to provide their opinions, if the common cold has had an effect on their overall academic performance.
 

“I think I should miss school because I'm sick PERIOD, why go to class feeling like that? Especially knowing that others could catch what I had” said Marcus Bessette a freshman at Lyndon State College.

Marcus was asked if he felt that the cold was affecting his ability to learn, “The Brown House (an on-campus health facility) doesn’t usually give excused absent notes for the common cold…but because I felt like I would be unable to learn and participate I just didn’t go. Now I’m suffering in my classes and could be looking at a failing grade.”
 

Lyndon State College is one of many schools where having the common cold doesn’t serve as an acceptable excuse to miss class. However, due to the research it is now obvious that a student should be allowed an excused absence and a chance to at least make up the missed work.
 

Allowing this accommodation would give many students relief. However, every school has its slackers that would take advantage of and abuse this suggested new accommodation.

Despite the common cold being enough to affect your brains ability to learn, there still is next to nothing that a school or institution can do to accommodate the needs of everyone.
 

The best way to ensure that you don’t miss any classes is to steer clear of the common cold and  to know the ways in which can prevent it.

Gun Safety

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1060456

 

            The gun laws in Vermont are some of the most lax in the entire United States of America. For example a 16 year old resident of Vermont can legally purchase a pistol and carry it concealed with no permit; but can't attend an R-rated movie alone, or join the military.

           

            This is a very controversial topic, since most people think tougher gun laws in Vermont would help prevent murders and accidents involving guns. If you compare Vermont's gun law's to some other States in the U.S they are like night and day.  For instance in Chicago, Illinois a civilian cannot carry a handgun at all. This is usually a rule of thumb in cities that have densely populated areas. Whereas in Vermont there is not that many densely populated areas. But in January 2013, the city of Burlington, Vermont is banning semi-automatic assault weapons along with large capacity magazines within the city.

             It doesn't make a difference if you are a resident or non-resident of Vermont; both have the equal right to carry according to Vermont law. However in Vermont you cannot carry a fully loaded rifle or shotgun in your car, but you can carry a loaded handgun. The reason behind this is because a handgun is better suited for self-defense purposes. While carrying a loaded shotgun or rifle is considered a poaching violation since hunting is so big in Vermont and you see many animals while driving along the road. Another restriction is that you cannot have a silencer or suppressor on your gun if you are not a part of Vermont police, or unless you own a class III federal firearms license (which are hard to obtain.)

Since there are few restrictions, Vermont gun supporters feel comfortable using the term “Vermont Carry,” to describe the state's rather easy going gun law. Many Vermonters believe hunting and protecting yourself is a right that should not be taken away. Although, right now the gun laws are not as restrictive as most States, there are Vermonter’s out there who are consistently trying to add new restrictions to the law.

Many of these attempts are not successful partly because of where Vermont stands on the overall record of gun related deaths per 100 thousand. Only 9.6 Vermonters out of 100,000 will suffer a gun related death every year. However, the reason that there is such a big controversy over Gun Laws is shown in the statistics. On the top of the list is Washington D.C. with 31.2 per 100,000 and right after that is Alaska with 20 per 100,000. Here is the difference, Washington D.C. has some of the toughest and most restrictive gun laws in the U.S. but Alaska with the second highest death rate has some of the weakest and least restrictive gun laws in the U.S.

With all the competing statistics and research that have been done there still is no one better solution than the other when it comes to gun laws. This is why each state decides what is best for their citizens.

Hockey Sound slide Show

The Lyndon State Club Hockey team has already faced some unexpected adversities early on in the season. The first thing that the team had to overcome was the lack of proper ice at the “Fenton Chester Arena,” the team lost a week of on ice practice due to the ice being too soft. The ice also had suffered holes and cracks during some of the practices and we had to set up cones around the affected areas to prevent people skating on concrete. The second thing was the lack of the player’s conditioning, combined with a weeklong break before the preseason games verse Castleton. This left the Hornet’s at a great disadvantage because the Castleton Spartan’s had a team made up of mostly seniors who had been practicing and have already played in two games this season. In addition to all these disadvantages the Hornets have a younger team this year due to the seven new freshman in the lineup. Although some of the freshman are good players individually they still need time to build team chemistry as well as get used to the level of play. On top of everything the team also just recently lost their Captain and lead scorer Tim Patten last year. The Hornet’s practiced every day Saturday through Thursday the week after break (before the two preseason games Friday and Saturday against Castleton, which don’t count towards anything). To make up for the lack of ice time the rink has offered all members of the team free stick and puck ice sessions for two weeks strait. Though not everyone goes to these since they have classes at the scheduled times; some players who have some free time take advantage of the free ice time to work on their weaknesses such as their shot and stick handling. Unfortunately the Hornet’s lost both preseason games against Castleton. But as a result the Hornets have learned a lot about themselves through the two losses. The team now knows where they need to strengthen their game as well as how to carry themselves better in a game situation. After another whole week of practice the Hornet’s face the Coast Guard Academy this Friday at home which counts for a regular season game.

LSC Hockey Season Preparation and Opener (synopsis)

Hockey season is finally here, and since we are both on the schools team this means we will be at practice for the next two nights leading up to our first exhibition match: LSC Hornets versus the Castleton Spartans. We'll both be at practice and the game; we have decided to take a few pictures leading up to this Friday for the slideshow images. We will take a few pictures of the game as well. As far as an audio piece for the slide, we were thinking that we could ask a specific player about their experience leading up to the game. However, we’re also thinking that if an interview with our coach Jonathan Davis is possible we would preferably interview him instead of a player. Our main objective is to shape our interview into a story of what it took to prepare for the game and the challenges that might have been faced along the way. Our intended audience for the project is a variety of different people; it can be any one who enjoys playing hockey or simply someone who enjoys the game. The youth hockey players of our generation are also part of our audience. It can give the representation that Hockey isn't about just making it to the pros but how it is something that be enjoyed at even a club level. Also, it relays a vital message that anyone could gain from; to work hard and dedicate yourself to the goals you’re trying to accomplish. In this circumstance the dedication and effort put in to being prepared to face Castleton. Kevin and I will be sharing responsibilities throughout the coarse of the project.

News Link Critique

The News 7 News Link website is a very informative site. It offers written news articles as well as videos to convey the news in the simplest most effective manner. It covers a rather broad area, including Around the North East Kingdom (Vermont, and New Hampshire). The site also has local Weather, Sports and special coverage. In conclusion, the site is both informative and convenient to use due to the site's pure simplicity, which translates into being very user friendly.

Alex Shea's big day

My partner Kevin and I are going to be interviewing film maker Alex Shea about his most recent snowboard film "The Weekend," which premiered last Saturday at the outing club in Lyndonville, VT. This was a big day for Shea since the film was sponsored by snowboard outer wear company "FACE". The company "FACE" was started by Shea's good friend and LSC alumni Steve Mahon. The film features both ski and snowboard riders from the group known as the "VILLEBILLIES". During this interview not only will we be talking to Shea about the creation of this film from start to finish, but also we'll be learning a little about Shea himself and what got him into independent film making.