First Name: Andrew M
Current Event Posting Number: 4
Topic: Tech
Title of article: Facebook sets $28 to $35 IPO price range
Author: Julianne Peppitone
Publication Name: CNN
Date of Publication: May 3, 2012
Length of Article: 704 words

This spring, one of the most popular companies in the world is going public, Facebook. Whether is be students in South Africa, or teachers in Canada, is seems as though everyone has been lured in by this vastly compatible social networking site. This means, when this site goes public, you'll see a lot of people become very rich very fast. These people are the employees of Facebook who all have stock in the huge company. These people are sometimes referred to as "instant millionaires." Mark Zuckerburg recently announced that the shares will be priced at around $28 to $35 a share. Seeing as the average employee has 40,000 shares, they could have up to $1,400,000 in shares. The company in total has 2.1 billion shares available, valuing Facebook as just under $75 billion. This isn't even to mention the pioneer of it all, Mark Zuckerburg. With the amount of stock he has, his net worth will jump at least $21 billion, putting him on the list of the 10 most wealthy Americans. But mark wont be keeping all of his earnings. With an enormous income, comes enormous taxes that he cannot avoid, and a lot of that money will be given up to the government.
In conclusion, this is a huge event in the tech and business world. When this company goes public, it will make a lot of money for thousands of employees and even more for Zuckerburg. Mark is going to make a lot of money in a very short amount of time, putting him in a list with some of the richest people ever. And he's only 28. This isn't even to mention that this company is growing. More and more people log on everyday, and with more people comes more money. With more money, the shares prices and rice and could ultimately make Facebook one of the superpower companies.

Name: Jill
Posting: 4
Topic: Technology
Title: A Once-Unthinkable Choice for Amputees
Author: Alexis Okeowo
Publication: NY Times, May 14, 2012
Legnth: 680 words

In August 2007 in New York, Ann Kornhouser broke, and then had to remove some of her foot. The prosthetic foot that she was given put her into discomfort, and she was offered a solution. The solution was to remove more of her leg in order to fit a better prosthetic that gives her the option to do a wider range of normal leg activities. The leg Ann has now is life like, with skin like material and toes. Now, people are turning their focus from preserving the most of their limbs. The new importance is taking the right amount of limb to fit one of the new improved legs in order to be able continue normal activities. People are turning to this option because it allows for more prosthetic comfort and more lifelike use. The new prosthetic limbs also have technology such as adjusting heel height. In a similar story in 2003, David Rozelle decided to have nine more inches amputated after having his foot removed. This was in order to be able to fit into a below the knee prosthesis.

The change that is beginning in this part of the health world is a conflicting one. The previous standard of keeping as much body as possible was for obvious reasons, the natural desire to keep the body whole. This is contradicted by the eased life of those benefiting from the new technology. Because many of the people that are put into possibly limb risking situations are usually active, there is no doubt that that crowd of people has interest and use for the unconventional new practice.

First name: Emmanuel
Current Event Posting Number: 4
Title: New York police tout improving crime number to defend frisking policy
Topic: Civil Rights
Author: CNN Wire Staff
Publication: CNN
Date of Publication: May 13, 2012
Length: 798 words


The NYPD (New York Police Department) has a "stop, question, and frisk policy" in which police officers are allowed to stop, search, and question anyone they deem suspicious. While this policy is criticized for racial profiling, NYPD claims it has helped them confiscate guns and lower the murder rate. During the first quarter of 2012, NYPD frisked 10% more people, and was able to confiscate 31% more illicit weapons. Also, the murder rate of New York City plummeted to 21%, which could be the lowest it has ever been since first recordings in 1963. While these statistics are impressive, Donna Lieberman of the Civil Liberties Union calls it "unlawful and racially biased." City councilman Jumaana Williams claims the policy creates distrust between the minority communities and the police. Darius Charney, senior staff attorney for Center for Constitutional Rights call the practice ineffective, unpopular, and un-constitutional.
According to the Departments statistics, 93% of the targets stopped were male, 54% of which were African American, and 33% of which were hispanic. Only 9% of the males were white, and 3% Asian. This hints strong evidence to support that the police are racial profiling when using this practice. The 4th Amendment of the constitution states: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." The frisk policy completely violates the constitution and even if it makes the city safer, freedom is sometimes more important. In fact, upon further research, the amount of African Americans frisked in a year is MORE than the population of African Americans in New York. This practice is completely immoral and should be fought in court.

First Name: Angela
Current Event Posting Number: 4
Topic: Education
Title of article: Why We Need a Longer School Day
Author: Eric Schwarz
Publication Name: The Huffington Post: The Blog
Date of Publication: May 11, 2012
Length of Article: 1,067 words, 2 pages

                 On May 10, 2012, the National Center on Time and Learning and the Ford Foundation announced the launch of the "Time to Succeed" Coalition, a group dedicated to more time in school. Eric Schwarz, founder of Citizen Schools, along with several others such as Dave Levin of KIPP and the American Federation of Teachers, added his name as a signatory. Why would he do such a thing? Because he believes that by elongating the length of school, students who are disadvantaged by poverty will be able to have access to quality educational opportunities that boost academic achievement to get them excited about learning. The reason Schwarz founded this nonprofit education organization was because he wanted to do more with the time that students didn't spend in school. The achievement gap between low and high-income students is 30 to 40% higher than it was a generation ago. Schwarz hopes to even out the playing field because students in middle and upper class families are getting extra tutoring, taking music lessons, attending science clubs, and students of lower class who are unable to afford these opportunities do not get the same experiences. As Carol Johnson, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools and cosignatory of "Time to Succeed" put its, she imagines that every student is running a race where high school graduation is the "finish line". This means that it is a fair race with "same running gear" and "enthusiastic supporters on the sidelines". But the truth is that some kids get a boost from the parents, or "fancy running shoes" (tutoring maybe, or study books) to get that extra push, leaving students who might need these things to catch up and finish on time.
               Citizen Schools has built a partnership with schools in eight states to significantly increase learning by at least 30%. The last thing they want to do is make the additional time a mediocre extension of the learning day. Therefore, their "second shift" of trained educators and volunteers give additional academic support and engaging learning opportunities with professionals from a variety of fields. They have seen that learning time "done right" can erase and even reverse opportunities and achievement gaps. Many schools that have implemented this longer day, such as Clarence Edwards Middle School in boston, and Dever-McCormack School in Boston are already experiencing an elimination of the achievement gap for students in math and erased 80% of the state gap on literacy and science standardized tests. 

Bionic Suit Enables Paralyzed Women to Run Marathon

Sean                                                                                       Current Event Posting Number: 4
Topic: Technology
Title of Article: Claire Lomas, Paralyzed Woman, Finishes London Marathon In Bionic Suit
Publication Name: Huffinton Post                                                                  
Author: Melanie Phillips
Date of Publication: May 14th, 2012
Length of Article: 411 words


In an incredible display of determination, Clare Lomas, a 32 year old paralyzed mother was able to complete a full marathon last week. Thanks to tremendous strides in spinal technology Clare Lomas was given this amazing opportunity. Despite the fact that Clare Lomas is paralyzed from the neck down, she was able to complete this 26.2 miles marathon in just sixteen days. This feat was made possible by a newly created bionic suit that is paving the way for paralyzed victims gaining back their mobility. This 75,000 dollar bionic suit allows the user to walk by detecting shifts in their balance, and then moves the users feet accordingly. Clare Lomas was the first to use this bionic suit in such a profound way, and she is certainly setting an example for all who suffer from spinal cord injuries.


In conclusion clare Jones raised more than 100,000 dollars for spinal cord research. Her practical use of the bionic suit has also inspired many others to follow in her footsteps. As advancements in spinal cord technology reaches new heights, paralyzed victims have gained a new sense of optimism. 


In my opinion this new advanced bionic suit is a miracle for those that are suffering from spinal cord injuries. It is truly groundbreaking research, that will soon take away the depression of those unable to complete even the simplest tasks. It is inspiring and heartwarming to see paralyzed victims who have never been able to walk before, finally being able to physically play with their children, and complete tasks that they never before thought possible. 

Zanna

Current Event Posting # 4

Topic: Health

Title of Article:  Say what? ‘Flesh-eating bacteria’ explained

Author: doesn’t say

Publication Name: CNN

Date of Published: May 14, 2012

Length of Article: 353 words

Recently there has been a case with a woman who contracted flesh-eating bacteria while zip lining. The bacteria is called “ necrotizing fascilitis”, the specific type that Aimee Copeland caught is called “aeromonas hydrophila. It is found in most fresh water or brackish water environments, according to the Food and drug administration.  Stomach and intestinal or intestinal problems is common if swallowed by swimmers. Aeromonas hydrophila can also enter the body through an open wound, as happened in the Copeland case. When it goes through an open wound, the bacteria reproduces and gives off toxins that destroy skin and soft tissue. Doctors have found that if it is detected early, only skin or fat may need to be removed, but if the infection is detected later, amputation may be necessary to top the spreading of the rapidly reproducing bacteria. Dr. William Schaffner, who is president of the National Foundation for infectious Diseases says that when Areomonas hydrophila enters through an open wound, early diagnosis is difficult.

Patients should pay close attention to pain coming from a closed wound, as well as redness and draining. The FDA says the frequency of Areomonas hydropilia infections is unknown, because researchers only recently started collecting data about it.

            

F.D.A. Advisory Panel Backs Preventive Use of H.I.V. Drug

Helen W.
Current Event Posing # 4Topic: HealthTitle of Article:  F.D.A. Advisory Panel Backs Preventive Use of H.I.V. DrugAuthor: Denise Grady 
Publication Name: New York Times
Date of Published: May 10, 2012
Length of Article: 1220 words/2 pages


An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended last Thursday that a drug which had already been approved to treat AIDS should now also be used to prevent HIV infections in healthy people, who may be exposed to the virus.The FDA is the government agency whose approval is needed to sell any drug or medicine in the U.S. The recommendation is by a panel of doctors and scientists advising the FDA; the FDA normally follows the advice of its advisory panels.This decision was based on various studies, one of which first found a risk reduction of only 44% in 2,499 gay men, but a closer examination showed that many of them had not taken the drug every day; among those who took it correctly, the risk reduction was about 90%. Considering that there are about 50,000 new HIV infections in the U.S. alone, the need for any preventative measures is obvious. The drug recommended is the antiviral Truvada, which since its initial approval in 2004 has been used to treat people with HIV infection. In the treatment of HIV, Truvada is always used in combination with other drugs, to assure that no HIV strain evolves which is resistant to Truvada. The new approval would cover the use of the one-pill-a-day drug for the prevention of AIDS in people possibly exposed to the HIV virus. People who plan to take Truvada by itself for prevention need to be tested beforehand to assure they do not have an active HIV infection, where use of a single drug might led to HIV strains resistant to it. Panel members did express concern over the possibility of
evolution of drug-resistant HIV, and some members voted against or abstained from approval.-- Other critics, such as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, pointed out that the availability of a prevention drug might give people a false sense of security and make them neglect other preventative measures, such as condoms. On the other hand, any additional layer of protection against the spread of AIDS is certainly a good thing. Truvada is a product of Gilead Sciences, in Foster City, CA. It is one of the best-selling HIV drugs, with sales of $758.3 million in the first quarter of this year (about 3 billion/year!). A yearly dose costs about $14,000. The new approval would certainly increase its sales.--

This new approval would be the first one for a drug use for the prevention of AIDS (as opposed to its treatment). Having another method to contain the AIDS epidemic is certainly welcome. However this drug is certainly not perfect. Like other AIDS prevention methods, it relies on its users carfully following the instructions, here for the pre-use test and taking the drug daily, and continuing in the use of other preventative measures, such as condoms. Also the high price of the drug might make its adoption difficult for most people who might benefit from it.