Towson physicians held a press conference Monday morning, to oppose a bill that would permit motorcyclists to not wear helmets.
The doctors unveiled a petition to legislators asking them not to pass the bill. The doctors have gotten nearly 400 signatures so far on the petition and hope to have at least 500 by the time they send it to the legislature. Dr. Sodergreen said the physicians plan to send their petition to the legislature on Monday. The bill is to be considered by the legislature next Wednesday.
The number of serious head injuries caused by motorcycle accidents in Maryland is over 70 percent less now then when the helmet law was adopted 25 years ago, said Dr. Karl Sodergreen. He said that reduction is directly related to passage of the law. Dr. Hector Rivera said a study from last year about health-care costs related to motorcycle riding by the state medical society showed that emergency room costs alone could go up by more than 45 percent if the helmet law is repealed.
Dr. Sodergreen said the physicians plan to send their petition to the legislature on Monday. The bill is to be considered by the legislature next Wednesday.
Doctors from Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Mercy Hospital and Greater Baltimore Medical Center were present at the press conference. In the audience was over 100 nurses, paramedics and other health care workers.
The press conference was held on the front lawn of Memorial Hospital. While it was going on, two ambulances came racing into the parking lot and pulled up to the emergency room doors with victims from a two-vehicle accident. Ironically, one of the victims injured in the accident had been on a motorcycle.
The motorcyclist injured in the accident was 19-year-old Grady Smith of 8213 Peach Street. Smith suffered a broken arm and several broken ribs. In the report from city police, his doctor was quoted as saying Smiths injuries would have been much worse if he had not been wearing a helmet.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Good Blog Posts!
I enjoyed Emily Kunkel's blog because she picked one section of the student body in Towson University to focus on. She talked about how spending money on art supplies increases the funds needed for school. Although it is just focused on art majors, I think a lot of people will be interested in this topic.
I also liked Noelle's blog. This is a subject that I am sure most college students, at Towson, as well as other colleges can relate too. When coming to college you just think of the money spent on tuition, books, and others materials for school itself. A lot of people do not realize how much money they are spending to enjoy their weekends.
I also liked Noelle's blog. This is a subject that I am sure most college students, at Towson, as well as other colleges can relate too. When coming to college you just think of the money spent on tuition, books, and others materials for school itself. A lot of people do not realize how much money they are spending to enjoy their weekends.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
News Story Lede
"Towson University students are being lured by credit card companies, allowed on campus with permission given from the university."
Sunday, February 17, 2008
CREDIT CARD DEBT: The ever continuing dilemma...
Three people that will make good sources for my news story is The Consumer Credit Counseling Service of MD&DE, Terri Hall the Associate Vice President of Campus Life, and a friend of my brothers, Bryce Komoroff.
Bryce is 20 years old, and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is currently a junior at University of Delaware, and is Women’s studies major. At an early age Bryce had always had an interest in traveling, and sightseeing. Her story begins at the age of 18. Bryce had begged her parents to send her to Australia and New Zealand through a teen tour program. Four fights, three sore throats, and two tantrums later, Bryce finally got her wish. Her parents did not want to send young Bryce off to another country with hundreds of dollars in cash, so they decided to get travelers checks.
Bryce did not know what traveler’s checks even were, but she did know that she saw a club on campus offering applications for credit cards. Bryce thought to herself, “Using a credit card would be a lot easier then using these traveler checks, I know nothing about.” Bryce stated, “They made it very easy and appealing to apply for a credit card. I signed a couple of papers, and a few weeks later my credit card was waiting for me in the mail, begging me to use it.”
The next thing you know Bryce is on the other side of the world, credit card in hand and blazing. “I don’t think I even used any of my traveler’s checks,” Bryce states. “I used the credit card pretty much for everything I purchased. Food, clothes, souvenirs, you name it I bought it, and all with my credit card.” Bryce had come back from her trip with memories, experiences, and a $2,000 credit card bill. “I don’t even know how I spent that much, I was only there for two weeks!” Bryce exclaims. Being only 18, Bryce at the time did not even think that a $2,000 bill was a big deal. “My parents had always asked me for the credit card, but I brushed it off.”
Over the next two months, Bryce had used her credit card for every little thing she bought. Gifts, new wardrobes, shoes, and bags, were just some of the purchases she made. By the time Bryce’s parents put a stop to her shopping spree she had already racked up $5,000 in credit card bills. “It never hit me while using the credit card that I actually had to pay it back. It just felt empowering taking out my card and getting what I wanted, without having to hand over any cash,” Bryce says. Over the next week, Bryce’s parents cut up her credit card, and put her to work. “Because I couldn’t pay my bill all at once, in the end I would be paying more then I actually spent, and I don’t even want to get started on my credit. I was never able to pay my bills on time, so when I applied for a loan for school in my name I was turned down several times.”
Bryce now, being a little smarter with her credit card purchases, learned a valuable lesson the hard way. She currently only has one credit card, and knows the consequences if her spending got out of hand. “I have a job, and a bank account, and that makes it a little easier to manage my money. I always keep track of what I am spending, so I can actually see in paper what I am spending my money on.” When asked if she had any advice for students in the same situation she replied, “Don’t be stupid, because you will be paying in the end, and it will be much more then you want to be.”
The main point of my news story will be about colleges, and universities pushing credit cards on students, and letting organizations come on campus and try to lure students in to applying for credit cards.
Bryce is 20 years old, and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is currently a junior at University of Delaware, and is Women’s studies major. At an early age Bryce had always had an interest in traveling, and sightseeing. Her story begins at the age of 18. Bryce had begged her parents to send her to Australia and New Zealand through a teen tour program. Four fights, three sore throats, and two tantrums later, Bryce finally got her wish. Her parents did not want to send young Bryce off to another country with hundreds of dollars in cash, so they decided to get travelers checks.
Bryce did not know what traveler’s checks even were, but she did know that she saw a club on campus offering applications for credit cards. Bryce thought to herself, “Using a credit card would be a lot easier then using these traveler checks, I know nothing about.” Bryce stated, “They made it very easy and appealing to apply for a credit card. I signed a couple of papers, and a few weeks later my credit card was waiting for me in the mail, begging me to use it.”
The next thing you know Bryce is on the other side of the world, credit card in hand and blazing. “I don’t think I even used any of my traveler’s checks,” Bryce states. “I used the credit card pretty much for everything I purchased. Food, clothes, souvenirs, you name it I bought it, and all with my credit card.” Bryce had come back from her trip with memories, experiences, and a $2,000 credit card bill. “I don’t even know how I spent that much, I was only there for two weeks!” Bryce exclaims. Being only 18, Bryce at the time did not even think that a $2,000 bill was a big deal. “My parents had always asked me for the credit card, but I brushed it off.”
Over the next two months, Bryce had used her credit card for every little thing she bought. Gifts, new wardrobes, shoes, and bags, were just some of the purchases she made. By the time Bryce’s parents put a stop to her shopping spree she had already racked up $5,000 in credit card bills. “It never hit me while using the credit card that I actually had to pay it back. It just felt empowering taking out my card and getting what I wanted, without having to hand over any cash,” Bryce says. Over the next week, Bryce’s parents cut up her credit card, and put her to work. “Because I couldn’t pay my bill all at once, in the end I would be paying more then I actually spent, and I don’t even want to get started on my credit. I was never able to pay my bills on time, so when I applied for a loan for school in my name I was turned down several times.”
Bryce now, being a little smarter with her credit card purchases, learned a valuable lesson the hard way. She currently only has one credit card, and knows the consequences if her spending got out of hand. “I have a job, and a bank account, and that makes it a little easier to manage my money. I always keep track of what I am spending, so I can actually see in paper what I am spending my money on.” When asked if she had any advice for students in the same situation she replied, “Don’t be stupid, because you will be paying in the end, and it will be much more then you want to be.”
The main point of my news story will be about colleges, and universities pushing credit cards on students, and letting organizations come on campus and try to lure students in to applying for credit cards.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Student Credit Card Debt, a Rising Crisis
It’s not enough these days that college consumes most our lives, but now it is also consuming our wallets. Credit card companies have made it incredibly easy for college students to obtain a credit card. According to BankRate.com, “the average credit card debt owed by college students is about $2,700, with close to a quarter of students owing more than $3,000. About 10 percent owed more than $7,000! That's not even including student loans.” "There are more money issues for today's students than in any other generation before them," says Todd Romer, executive director of Young Money Magazine.
Tuition and room and board are only some of what college students have to pay for, during their college years. At our own Towson University Store, “textbook sales have risen 9.96 percent over the last year, an increase of over $260,000. For the 12-month period that ended Jan. 31, textbook sales accounted for approximately 94 percent of the University Store's revenue and totaled just under $2.88 million", according to the Towerlight. Our textbook totals usually come out to over $200 depending on how many classes you are taking, and how many books each class requires. I know I am not carrying around $200 in cash with me, so obviosuly my hand goes into my wallet and out comes the plastic.
Each year we pay more and more for our textbooks. Why? The publishers of the textbooks come out with specialized books with CDs and special packets that cost you way more then just the book alone. Who needs any of those “special” materials anyway? If I am having trouble I would rather go to free tutoring then pay an extra $30 for a CD’s help. The publishers also come out with newer and newer editions every year. One kid in my Physical Geography class paid .50 cents for the fourth edition of our Geography book, while I paid $85 for my sixth edition. The only difference between the two, was mine had newer topics and a prettier cover, definitely not worth the $84.50 extra.
“The percentage of undergraduate college students with a credit card jumped from 67% in 1998 to 78% last year, according to the Nellie Mae study. And many of them are filling their wallets with cards. Last year, 32% said they had four or more cards, up from 27% two years earlier", according to USA Today.I know I personally first received a credit card in the 7th grade because I was traveling abroad, however I still have that same card today, along with 4 others. Sometimes people do not realize that using a credit card does not mean you do not have to pay for it. You certainly have to pay, and if you’re late with your payment, your $25 new top has become your new $50 top. I know many times I have used my debit card, to find that the $20 I spent I did not have in my account, so because there was no $20, they charged me an extra $32. In the past my credit card bills equaled to about $5,000, (my parents are still paying it off.)
College students have a lot more to worry about then paying bills, that’s what being an adult is for.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
JOURNALISM 2.0
The blog I chose as a “good example” of blogging is The Moment. This blog is part of New York Time’s, T Magazine. The Moment is a good example, because the authors not only write information based on what he/she is interested in, but answers readers questions as part of this blog. The Moment also includes interviews, as well “guest bloggers.” The titles of each headline give you a preview of what the blog will be about. I found this helpful because if you see something in the headline that does not necessarily interest you, you can skip over it. The Moment contains many pictures, which helps you, visualize what he/she is talking about. The blog is a lot about fashion, so you can only describe an outfit or accessory so much, but including a picture lets you actually see what the author is describing. Included in the blog, are links to past articles, and links dealing with the same topic. This gives you access to more information.
Blogging differs then other types of newswriting because newspapers usually convey a “we talk, you listen” attitude, while blogs are supposed to be conversational. At the end of each blog that I chose, there is a link for readers to make comments, whether they agree, disagree, or would just like to add information. Because the readers can make comments they become contributors.
The only blog I write and read currently is for the MCOM 255 class. If I had more time I probably would start up a blog, but I feel that I would start it, and not write another entry, until I remembered I had a blog, 2 weeks later. I do not read any blog’s probably because I thought they would only be on topics that I was not interested in. As I searched for one that exemplified a good blog, I started to see ones that I could definitely see myself reading. The topics ranged from fashion, to cooking, to sports and much more.
Blogs that would appeal to college students, probably would include information about careers, technology, and activities to do in the city they are going to school in. School only makes up so much of your actual college experience, that blogs on what is happening around the college would certainly interest me as a student. Blogs dealing with careers that students are majoring in, could give insight into the job without actually being hired. Students are constantly buying computers, Ipods, cell-phones, and much more, so being kept up to date is important.
Journalists, as well as public relations professionals could utilize blogs for the jobs without a doubt. Journalists can receive information from readers they necessarily may have not been able to receive from the resources at their job. Readers can also comment on what interests them, and what they would like to see in either the blog, or the newspaper. Public relations professionals can get their clients name out in the open with just the click of a mouse. They can give publicity in their own blogs, for events, projects, or anything else they are trying to get out in the open.
Blogging differs then other types of newswriting because newspapers usually convey a “we talk, you listen” attitude, while blogs are supposed to be conversational. At the end of each blog that I chose, there is a link for readers to make comments, whether they agree, disagree, or would just like to add information. Because the readers can make comments they become contributors.
The only blog I write and read currently is for the MCOM 255 class. If I had more time I probably would start up a blog, but I feel that I would start it, and not write another entry, until I remembered I had a blog, 2 weeks later. I do not read any blog’s probably because I thought they would only be on topics that I was not interested in. As I searched for one that exemplified a good blog, I started to see ones that I could definitely see myself reading. The topics ranged from fashion, to cooking, to sports and much more.
Blogs that would appeal to college students, probably would include information about careers, technology, and activities to do in the city they are going to school in. School only makes up so much of your actual college experience, that blogs on what is happening around the college would certainly interest me as a student. Blogs dealing with careers that students are majoring in, could give insight into the job without actually being hired. Students are constantly buying computers, Ipods, cell-phones, and much more, so being kept up to date is important.
Journalists, as well as public relations professionals could utilize blogs for the jobs without a doubt. Journalists can receive information from readers they necessarily may have not been able to receive from the resources at their job. Readers can also comment on what interests them, and what they would like to see in either the blog, or the newspaper. Public relations professionals can get their clients name out in the open with just the click of a mouse. They can give publicity in their own blogs, for events, projects, or anything else they are trying to get out in the open.
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