Well, here's what's on my mind...

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Boulder High School

I found this article in the Star-Telegram concerning two men that walked in to Boulder High School in Colorado on May 10, 2007 wearing camouglage and one in a ski mask before school hours. Police searched the high school room by room but found no leads. Further investigation is being done by the Boulder Police Department. The article spoke of how in detail the Police checked all the rooms in the high-school as well as on the rooftop and even utility-access tunnels under the building. The article also included how The University of Colorado alerted their students but classes were held like normal.
(http://www.star-telegram.com/190/story/97190.html) <---Star-Telegram Article

The article had a website to refer to which is the Boulder High School website...(http://schools.bvsd.org/boulderhigh/default.aspx)
I surprised to see how little attention the website gave to this situation especially after the high-demand for security in our schools. On the website it has at the top of the screen a red box that says "Important Announcement" from the principal. It surprised me how small it was on the website. On the other hand, there was a link from the website to an attachement that was a letter from the Principal. Now, that letter was so heartfelt that even I felt touched! The Principal did a great job making it very personable instead of just 'cold facts.' At the beginning, he began to say how apoligetic he was about the even that occurred. The Principal even went into future plans to prevent a situation like this from occurring again. From now on the Principal said the doors for the school will be locked until school is in session (after 7 a.m.) Also, only two entrances of the school will be opened and their will be staff at the doors monitoring.

I also found it surprising that the Boulder School District did NOT have anything on their website concerning the incident that had just occurred. Although, there is about midway down the web page a link concerning safety and that with "events across the country... school security is the forefront of people's minds lately. BVSD has solid policies and practices in place to ensure our students and staff are safe." I find it humorous how that in their 'solid policies and practices' they do not mention what happened at Boulder High School and prevention actions that will be taken for the future not just there but at all BVSD schools.
http://www.bvsd.org/default.aspx <---Boulder School District Website

Friday, May 11, 2007

Media Kit -- WaterWays 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact:
Pod Yallapragada, (214) 499-8630
Py0018@unt.edu
Christen Sanford, (214) 802-1232
Ces0152@unt.edu


ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., SPEAKS AT SECOND BIENNIAL WATERWAYS 2007 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

Kennedy Jr., and Friends on a Mission to Raise Awareness of a Deathly, Growing Problem

DENTON, Tx. – March 10, 2007 – Scientists, philosophers, politicians, artists, mangers and specialists throughout the University of North Texas have come together to address a serious problem that our world is facing by holding the second biennial 2007 WaterWays conference. Conferences will be held from March 13-15 featuring guest speakers such as world-renowned environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and honorary research professor Dr. Ramaswamy R. Iyer as well as others. Their mission is to raise the alarm of water basin issues, particularly the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin. .

WaterWays seeks to offer a new way of recognizing the connection between humans, natural ecosystems, and water. WaterWays is sponsored by the Philosophy of Water Issues and discusses issues of: water-scarcity, quality and quantity of reserves, restoration of riparian areas, and cultural perceptions of water. This program looks to advance dialogue across the national and international boundaries.

Events occurring on campus for WaterWays include a luncheon at the Environmental Science building as well as a panel discussion lead by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., live music by Trio Montuno during the reception, and photography exhibits conducted by Donith Doherty and George Alfred James .

All events are free and open to the public, students and faculty. This opportunity gives everyone from all fields and backgrounds to collaborate for a global environmental concern that quite possibly could impact the amount of time we have left on Earth. Encouraging alertness can ensure that this does not happen and better our future.

About WaterWays 2007 Conference
WaterWays is sponsored by UNT. The Philosophy of Water Issues was made possible when it was launched September 2003 by UNT Philosophy Professor and Program Director Irene J. Klaver, and by a grant given from the Dixon Foundation located in Dallas. Its growing success reflects continual support from the UNT Department of Philosophy.

For more information about WaterWays 2007 and the upcoming events, visit the Web site at www.unt.edu or call (940) 565-2266.

Grassroots or Astroturf?

The Rainforest Action Network (RAN) appears to be a grassroots organization due to the fact the organization is made up of 36 members on staff, located in Califronia and Japan. Some of their volunteers for this grand organization includes: scientists, teachers, students and parents...generally anybody who is concerned environmentally! Their motto is to sustain that the world can be created and that aggressive action must be taken in order to secure the world for our future children. With their annual budget approximately more than $3 million. RAN has included several corporations participating including some popular businesses like Home Depot and Boise to change their practices. Overall, they fight for environmental issues by using grassroots technique.

Some sites I used as a reference:
http://ran.org/who_we_are/
http://ran.org/who_we_are/our_mission_history/

Bios on Speakers of WaterWays 2007

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a graduate of Harvard University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He also later attended Pace University School of Law, where he was awarded a Masters Degree in Environmental Law. Kennedy Jr., has also made a name for himself in the environmental world. Mr. Kennedy serves as Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper as well as President of Waterkeeper Alliance, a grassroots organization that dedicates to preserving and protecting the waters. Not only has Mr. Kennedy made a significant impact nationally but internationally as well where he assisted some projects in Latin America and Canada. Kennedy Jr., is credited for his leading fight to protect New York City's water supply. He was named Time Magazine's "Heroes for the Planet" for his success in helping Riverkeeper, an advocacy group that support the Hudson River ecosystem and challenges polluters, to resore the Hudson River.

Ramaswamy R. Iyer received his B.A Honors and an M.A in Bombay in 1948. He also received a Post-graduate Diploma in Economics and Social Administration in London School of Economics and was awarded mark of distinction. Iyer held several civil service positions in many Government Offices and Ministries that led to the position of Secretary to the Government of India. He was also a member of a Committee on the Pricing of Irrigation Water set by the Planning Commission. Mr. Iyer has become an Honorary Research Professor in the Water Resources, Public Enterprises, Public Administration and Governance Issues.

Lead for WaterWays 2007

University of North Texas is holding their second biennial Water Conference called Waterways 2007. This project gives many of UNT's departments including the Arts, Science, Philosophy and Politicale Science, and opportunity to collaborate together and raise awareness about water issues. Of particular concern for this year's conference is the rise of alarm of water basin issues, specifically the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin. Conferences will be held from March 13-15 featuring speeches from Robert F. Kennedy and Natarajan Ishwaran as well as others. WaterWays 2007 sexxions are free and welcome to the open public.