The conversation about the
president's "guest-worker" program should get interesting today. Late last week, Senate
majority leader
Bill Frist threatened to introduce legislation that
does
not include
President Bush's plan. Today is the day that the
Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to come up with an alternate plan, according to The Associated Press.
The Washington Post provides some background for the Senate debate this week. The Post reminds you what the program is all about:
Guest-worker
proposals would allow businesses to offer special work visas to illegal
immigrants already in the country if they can show that U.S.
workers will not take the positions. The visas would last for up to six
years under the leading Senate proposals, but senators are divided over
whether workers would have to return to their home countries for a year
before qualifying for a renewal.
Here's a link to more stories about the "guest worker" proposal and the controversies about it.
Lead in Jewelry Claims Life, Forces Recall
I have written about
lead in cheap costume jewelry several times over the years in Al's
Morning Meeting. Now, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is
announcing another big recall of lead-containing jewelry, after a young
child died from lead poisoning.
Here are the three most recent CPSC recalls:
- Reebok Recalls Bracelet Linked to Child's Lead-Poisoning Death:
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Reebok International Ltd., of Canton, Mass.,
is voluntarily recalling about 300,000 Reebok Heart-Shaped Charm
Bracelets. The recalled jewelry contains high levels of lead, posing a
risk of lead poisoning and adverse health effects to young children.
- Dollar Tree Stores Inc. Toy Jewelry Recalled for Lead Poisoning Hazard to Children:
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Dollar Tree Distribution Inc., of Chesapeake, Va.,
is voluntarily recalling about 580,000 Dollar Tree Mood Necklace and
Ring, Glow-in-the Dark Necklace and Ring, and UV Necklace and Rings.
The recalled jewelry contains high levels of lead, posing a serious
risk of lead poisoning and adverse health effects to young children.
- Lead Poisoning Hazard Prompts Recall of Metal Charm Bracelets: In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Oriental Trading Company Inc., of Omaha, Neb.,
is voluntarily recalling about 25,000 Beaded Photo Charm Bracelets. The
recalled metal charm bracelets contain high levels of accessible lead,
posing a serious risk of lead poisoning to young children. Lead
poisoning in children is associated with behavioral problems, learning
disabilities, hearing problems and growth retardation.
WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, which has been a leader in reporting this story, says:
A
4-year-old from Minneapolis died last month after he swallowed a charm
on a bracelet that contained dangerous amounts of lead.
Reebok
is now recalling more than 300,000 pieces of jewelry. The
silver-colored bracelets, bearing heart-shaped charms engraved with the
"Reebok" name, were given away from May 2004 through March with the
purchase of children's shoes in major shoe stores across the country.
The bracelets contain high levels of lead, the Consumer Product Safety
Commission said.
The death of Jarnell Brown, 4, is the first
one health officials can directly attribute to lead in jewelry. Brown
died Feb. 22 of acute lead poisoning.
On Thursday, Brown's
mother, Juanna Graham, held a photo of her son, one of the only
memories she has left. The mother of six never imagined the shoes she
bought for herself could carry such a price.
"You wouldn't dream in a million years that something you have on a shoe and walk around with can come off," Graham said.
Graham never knew her son had swallowed the trinket that came with the shoes. Doctors diagnosed Brown's symptoms as the flu.
"He was laying around a lot," Graham said. "He didn't want to play, he didn't want to eat. He was throwing up."
Days
later, the family learned the boy had lead poisoning. Investigators
believe the charm he swallowed poisoned him and killed him.
Dr.
Harry Hull, with the Minnesota Department of Health, said deaths from
lead poisoning are rare, but finding lead in costume jewelry is not.
Here is a collection of stories my friend, WCCO consumer reporter Terri Gruca, has covered on lead in jewelry:
Information on previous recalls:
And here are some links where you can find information on prevention and treatment of lead poisoning in children:
Supreme Court & Guantánamo Transcripts
The Radio-Television News Directors Association announced that tomorrow, the U.S.
Supreme Court will allow the release of audio transcripts of oral
arguments in the case of a prisoner being held in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
RTNDA announced:
The Court will release the audio recording shortly after the conclusion of the oral arguments in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld [PDF],
scheduled on Tuesday, March 28, at 11 a.m. The case challenges the
constitutionality of military commissions trying suspected terrorists.
It also argues that the tribunals are unlawful under the Geneva
Convention. The case was brought by Salim Ahmed Hamdan, who was Osama
bin Laden's driver and is being held at Guantánamo.
"We are very pleased that for the first time under Chief Justice John
Roberts the Court will be releasing an audio recording on an expedited
basis," says Barbara Cochran, RTNDA president, "Still, we look forward
to the day when all Supreme Court arguments are available to the public
through radio and television coverage. Just as the public is given
meaningful access to an overwhelming number of state courts through
audiovisual coverage, it should be given meaningful access to the
arguments made before the nation's highest court, many of which involve
profound social, political and legal issues."
ABC News will be handling distribution of the audio. Playback of the
audio will be provided as soon as possible following the conclusion of
the oral argument. The recording will be played in its entirety one
time only. Contact ABC News at (202) 222-7600 for more information.
Podcasting Profs
MacNewsWorld zeroes in on how colleges are using podcasts to reach students.
The story reports that profs noticed that students often are so busy scribbling
notes that they do not really listen to or interact with them. But, the theory goes, if they knew that
they could listen to the lecture over and over after the fact, students would engage in
the classroom conversation.
The story says:
Students are listening to class podcasts in
the car, at the gym and often more than once, they say. Critics,
meanwhile, say it merely spoon-feeds a generation that has grown
dependent on entertainment-driven gadgets at the expense of reasoning,
creativity and problem solving.
Some faculty also fear students won't go to
class if they know they can rely on recorded lectures. During
conversations with faculty elsewhere, Gaugler emphasizes that they
should "approach podcasting as a way of interacting more with students,
not avoiding them.
The (South Florida) Sun-Sentinel reports:
Broward Community College students soon may be able to get their education "on demand."
The school is
experimenting with podcasting, a new digital technology that allows
students to download lectures and other course material for listening
on the go.
"Often a student will
miss a class and ask, 'What did I miss?'" said speech professor Robert
Buford, who is leading the effort at BCC. "Well, it's a 1 1/2-hour
class. You can't put that in an e-mail. But you can with a podcast."
BCC has ordered new
equipment to meet the demand for audio and video recording and digital
storage. Buford recently began conducting workshops to train interested
faculty and estimates more will begin podcasting in the fall.
I am not sure this is a trend yet, but it seems to be catching on.
Here is a blog that is tracking podcasting profs. The blogger mentions podcasts from Stanford, Vanderbilt, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and more. Duke handed out iPods to 1,600 freshmen in 2004, loaded with orientation materials. MacNews says Duke currently offers 47 podcast classes.
I am surprised at how some smaller schools, like Folsom Lake College (California) and University of California, Davis offer so many podcasts.
Software companies and college-prep companies are getting pretty serious about this movement toward classroom podcasting.
The Kansas City (Mo.) Star even found a podcasting middle-school teacher.
The MacNewsWorld story says:
At Arizona State University,
President Michael M. Crow has begun podcasting a few times a month, in
addition to the blog -- or "Web log," another rapidly increasing
technological phenomenon -- he already posts online addressing student concerns.
Crow's first podcast, for instance, dealt
with the prospect of a 3.5 percent tuition increase for the fall
semester. He also introduced the "student office hours" initiative, in
which he will periodically meet with small groups to talk about what's
on their minds.
Podcasting News
If you need to stay on top of what is happening in the podcasting world, here is a site to consider. And here is another site I like.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a
compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a
variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When
the information comes directly from another source, it will be
attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is
fact-checked, but depends upon the accuracy and integrity of the
original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.
