PLN28

The article " Woman Hit by Drunk Driver Identified" by the Denver Post, discusses the on going problem of drunk driving. On December 6, Nicole King was crossing the Walnut street when she was hit and killed by a drunk driver. The driver would later be identified as Micheal Bartczak. During the trial it was found that Bartczak had a number of different previous charges from other incidents. The tickets he had received ranged from following to closely to vehicular homicide. This unruly situation continues to demonstrate the carelessness and stupidity of people under the influence of alcohol. It is a proven fact that more DUI's are charged around the holidays. Police are now starting to crack down on driving while intoxicated more than ever. People should have control and have plans in case they get drunk to get home, like a taxi or a ride with someone else. We hear about it in the news and on commercials but yet it still is a growing factor. People should be responsible and now when to stop.

PLN27

The article "5 Boulder Students OD on Prescription Drugs" talks the growing problem with high school students bringing their parents' persciption drugs to school. Last Wednesday, a female student at Justice High School brought her mother's pain medication to share with a friend. As more students learned about the availability of the pain medication,more students became involved. Authorities were notified when officials at the high school learned that 5 students had possibly overdosed and were throwing up. All 5 students were taken to Boulder Community Hospital and released to their parents later that afternoon. All of the students were expected to make full recoveries.This quandary continues to demonstrates the continuing problem of presciption drugs abuse in our schools. With police cracking down on illegal drugs such as, marijuana and cocaine, students are turning to their parents' medicine cabinets. Students know they do not have to get marijuana or any other illegal drugs in order to get high. Parents need to prevent the availability of their presciption drugs at home. Justice High School offers a program called At Risk Youth. This program is designed to help kids deal with addictions and alienation problems. Schools everywhere should have programs like this in place, so at risk teenagers have another resource for help. Also it just might prevent situations things like the one at Justice High School from happening. Next time the students may not be so lucky.

PLN26

The article "These Folks Take Poaching Seriously" tells the story of a poaching crime that made its way to a larger level. John Davidson, Jeremiah Tyson, and David Park were charged with 49 crimes resulting in a 22000 dollar fine and and a life time suspension of their hunting license. In 2008 Department of Wildlife officer Mike Swaro got a call from a concerned citizen. He would later find out that this would be the biggest investigation of his career. It started off as just a poaching case, but then it evolved into a investigation concerning more than 20 DOW officers. Once the investigation was over investigators confiscated about 25 sets of antlers, 3 big game skins, a trophy elk, 78 packages of meat, and 6 hunting rifles. The men were also fined 22000 dollars. The penalty in Colorado for poaching can be as light as a ticket or license suspension to jail time and hefty fines. In other words the state of Colorado does not take poaching lightly. Crimes like this happen all the time in Colorado and it is up to us to stop them . If they continue in the future then the species will eventually die off and there will be no more hunting. Hunting is a great recreational sport that can be shared with anyone. It has always been an American pass time and can bring allot of people together as a family. To allow this great privilege to be passed on through the next generations we need to conserve the outdoors as much as we can, for someday it night not be around.

PLN25

The article "Six Teens Hurt in Crash Near Rifle", talks about 6 teenagers speeding on I-70 when the driver, Juan Moreno-Zavala, age 17, lost control of the car, went through a deer fence and became air born. Two of the passengers ages 15 and 16 were able to go home with minor injuries, but the other 4 passengers were airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. Police believe the only two people wearing their seat belts were the 16 and 15 yr olds. As tragic as this was, I was not surprise to learn the passengers wearing their seat belts were able to walk away from the accident. Two years ago, a women under the influence of drugs, ran a red light, broadsiding my mom's explorer. Her Explorer rolled once, coming to rest on the adjacent sidewalk. My mom suffered minor injuries as was able to come home from the hospital later that night because she was wearing her seat belt. This story is another reminder of how important wearing a seat belt is.

PLN24

The article "Balloon Boy Hoax Parents Plead Guilty", tells the story of the Heene family, AKA, the balloon boy's family, who set up the balloon boy hoax. On Oct. 15 the family called 911, alleging that their 6 year old son, Falcon, was on board their weather balloon which had accidentally taken off from their backyard. Police, Nationak Guard, and other rescue units tracked the weather balloon along Eastern Colorado. Authorities went as far as to delay flights departing from DIA, fearing the balloon could interfere with the flight of an arline. Both local and national news stations interupted normalafternoon TV shows to show live coverage of the drama. Once the weather balloon finally landed and Falcon was not in it,thoughts of concern changed to fear over the possibility of the little boy had fallen out of the balloon during flight. It was later discovered that this sensation story was a hoax masterminded by the Heene's as a ploy to get media attention eventually leading to a reality show for the family. On Dec. 23 it both parents will be sentenced to the consequences of the crime. Both parents face the possibilty of jail time. The Heene's will also be ordered to pay for the costs incurred by authorites during the hoax. This story had all Americans glued to there TV, praying for Falcon's safe return. The Heene's attorney, David Lane,stated that the strictness of the charges reflected the anger of all Americans when they learned the story was a hoax. Overall this was a socially inappropriate act involving authorities from FAA to the local sheriff's department and it never should of happened. Leading the public to believe a child's life was in danger crossed the line of common decency. It also demonstrated how far people will go just to get attention and their spotlight on TV.

PLN23

The article Lit Cigarette Sparked Centennial House Fire tells the story of a family who's home was damaged during a fire on Wednesday. The family was having their home worked on by contractors when one of the workers did not properly distinquish his lit cigarette. The worker threw his cigarette in the rain gutter. Later, a gust of wind carried the lit cigerette up to the shake shingle roof. Most of the roof and attic were destroyed, as the fire fighters had to tear down dry wall in order to distinquished the fire. Fire fighters believe it will cost $115,000 in order to repair the fire damage, and take months before the family can safely move back into their home. For now, the Red Cross has found the family of five and their two dogs temporary housing. This is just another cruel example of how cigarettes can be extremely dangerous, especially if not distinguished in the right manner. This is only one of many fires caused by cigarettes every year in Colorado.

PLN22

The article "Put Forth our Best Writing Selves" By Douglas Hesse, discusses the point that today's people are writing more than ever, but we need to start writing about more serous topics so we can show our best writing selves.

PLN14

The article Rigor Redefined Tony Wagner talks about his journey trying to find what business look for when they hire employees. He explained that today's students need to know seven crucial survival rules. First the students need to now how to problem solve. That way they can make solve there companies problems and improve its products. A student should always be able to ask good and appropriate questions. Next Mr. Wagner said that students need leadership and team work skills. The CEO of Siemens told us that teamwork is no longer about working well with the people in your building, but works well with every one across the world. Next Mr. Wagner explained that students need is adaptability. He explained that allot of today's jobs will not exist in the future so students need to be able to adapt to the newer jobs. The next skill is the skill is initiative entrepanuearism. This means that you always try to fix the problem, even though it might be very difficult. Next h said that students need to be good communicators both orally and by writing. This sates that students need to be able to communicate the information that the get. Students should also be able to analyze the information. Now days employees need to be able to manage and process allot information, so this skill is critical to jobs in the future. The last step is for students to be creative and use there imagination. People who learn to ask good appropriate questions have succeeded in today's society. Schools every wear are trying to teach these steps. In order to make our future great, students need to be able to grasp and excel at these steps. Students with these skills will be successful in the future.

PLN19

The article Boulder High Schoolers Mix it Up over Marijuana Deal Gone Bad tells the story of some Boulder High School students attempting to make a deal to sell marijuana. It started on Saturday when the dealers arranged to meet the students in the parking lot of Monarch High School. During the drug deal, the dealers put one of the students in a choke hold demanding money. The dealer released his choke hold once he received the money from the students. On the following Tuesday at the high school, the students who purchased the marijuana confronted the dealers demanding their money back or they would go to the police. This lead to a physical fight breaking out between the two groups. The Louisville police and Sheriff deputies responded. After the police investigation, the dealers were charged with 2nd Degree Kidnapping, Robbery and 3rd Degree Assault. If this inst an example of why you should say no to drugs that I don't know what is. These people put themselves in harms way just to get high. That's the stupidity of some people.

PLN18

The article Hungary Dog Finds Hunters tells the story of 3 hunters that were elk hunting in White River National Forest and how they found a mother dog and her 6 pups. The hunters were eating dinner when they heard a dog barking. They assumed it was just some other hunters with dogs. Later that night the dog came into there camp sight looking for food. They gave her some food and then she ran back into the woods. Since they were a long way form any homes and roads they thought that the dog was abandoned. The mother dog returned to the camp the next night. They followed her into the woods where she lead them to her den. Inside the den was 6 puppies. The hunters immediately took the dogs home. They later found out that they saved the dogs just in time. While the puppies were healthy the mother dog aka Remi was starved and very dehydrated. Since the mother dog was found in the wild they cannot determine if it was abandoned or if it was born a stray. This story shows us that anything can happen and that even in this world today there are still animals that are in neglect.

PLN17

The article Teen Arrested in Weld Shooting After Dispute Over Pit bull discuss a confrontation between neighbors on a Weld County property. It started when the pit bull owned by Botello Gonzalez started harassing neighbor's cows and chickens. Tensions simmered between the neighbors until the shooting happened at 9:30 last night. It resulted in a dead man and a wounded woman. This incident posts a problem to the Colorado community because pit bulls are illegal in most of the state. The fact that it was the type of breed that committed this act, there will most likely be bigger consequences for the suspects. It will also start an debate on whether pit bulls should be illegal in the whole state. This will probably open up some old wounds for allot of people in who have owned or own pit bulls in Colorado.

PLN11

The article 20/20 Vision by Karl Fisch discuss a future filled with technology. The story begins with children starting their 1st year of education in the year 2007. During the next thirteen years, dramatic technological changes take place directly influencing education, politics and world policy.
Arapahoe High School is chronicled throughout the story beginning with the introduction of laptops in the classroom. From there, "The 1oo Dollar Laptop Project" begins to distribute laptops to unprivileged kids across the world. As more and more students acquire laptops, laptops become more than just a luxury, but a school requirement. Teachers begin to use web cams in the class room, so lessons can be documented. From there, companies wanting to be successful, strive for better technology that eventually leads to resolving some of the world problems. Google, the leader in this technology, become more powerful force, buying other companies like Ford and Apple. In turn Google's technology influence the work force by making more efficient computers like the Imagine and the Eyemagine. Another example of thier work force is the G Car, a car that could provide 1200 miles on a single charge.Another example is that google opened Google U a school that had no tuition fee and offered a 9th through 12th grade education. Finally in 2018 President Obama announced that we are no longer dependent on foreign fuels. For the first time the carbon admission levels were lower than the year before.

http//thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/11/2020-vision.html

PLN16

The article Keensberg Sanctuary Hopes to Save Cancun Tigers reveals a last ditch effort to save a group of Siberian tigers living in horrible conditions in Cancun, Mexico. The tigers were originally show animals on display at a restaurant in Cancun. After a devastating hurricane in 2005, the restaurant was in ruins and the tigers were left to live in the remains of the restaurant. Over the years, the tigers living conditions had deteriorated and the life of the tigers are in jeopardy. Animal rights organizations have made several attempts rescue the tigers, but each attempted has been stopped by the Mexican government. Presently, Mexico has no laws protecting endangered animals. Pat Craig, the founder of Keensburg Sanctuary, and his team of lawyers are working with the Mexican government in an effort to obtain the tigers. The government has yet to confirmed a deal and time is running out for the tigers. This is animal cruelty in its worst form The animals conditions should have not gotten this bad. If they were properly cared for this would not need to happen.

PLN15

The article Our Goggley Advice to Students by Peter Drucker talks the importance of constant learning will be in our future success. An example of this occured with the engineers at Google. They needed to design a spell check software to work with their search engine. The Google Engineers could have used the same design set up with other search engines. However, they took their design one step futher with creative thinking. Their creative thinking came up with the ability to offer spelling suggestions that are not in the dictionary. Team work also played an important role. Google realized that a well designed solution requires many ideas. This type of of broad thinking is only possible with learning taking place at school but in one's life.

PLN 13

The article Keyboard vs. Pen By the NSBA talks about how today's generation has adapted to using keyboards instead of pen and paper. A recent study at the University of Washington found that kids write better, longer and at faster pace when using pen.This presents a interesting quandary. The study suggests that the old school method of writing with a pen is still as important as mastering the computer keyboard.

PLN12

In the article New York Man Fined $12,090 in Elk Killing talks about a trophy elk killed out of season by a poacher in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. On September 27th, Thomas Post was hunting in Glenwood Springs on private property when he ran across the elk and shot it. It was not yet rifle season, so it was an illegal kill. Mr. Post was charged with Hunting with an Improper License and Unlawful Possession of Wildlife. Poaching, usually done during mating season, is illegal because it interferes with the animal's chance to breed. Hunting is a privilege and can be taken away. Poaching can be stop by reporting illegal hunters and forcing the laws and consequences. This will ensure the welfare of the animals and the recreational sport of hunting.

PLN10

In the article Vail Women Fends off Bear With a Pillow by Vail Daily the writer talks about a bear that broke into a women's house in Vail. In the middle of the night, the women awoke to a noise thinking it was her dog. The women rolled over and realized there was a female bear in her bedroom. In a panic the women grabbed a pillow from her bed and threw it at the bear. The women's son was also in the house and he ran to his mother just as the bear attempting to flee. The bear then charged at the son. The son sprinted up the stairs and was able to called police. Later, the local authories found the female bear with her three cubs. Unfortunately, the female bear and one cub was shot because it was considered to be a threat to society.The other two cubs were relocated. This story reminds us that as civilation continues to invade a the habitat of bears the bears will be focred to confront the public in their search for food. Over time bears will eventually lose their fear of humans which is more likely to lead to bear attacks. If we minimize the need for bears to visit urban areas this will practicely resolved the problem. The public must realize the importance of following the rules. Living with wildlife requires everyone to be cautious of the animals and respect the animal's home. If we do this then we wont have to worry about problems about this as much.

PLN9

In the article Woman Attacked By Bull Elk by Dan Boniface talks about a 47 year old woman, resident of Evergreen, that was attacked by a bull elk. The woman was leaving her home when she saw a herd of elk on her property. She immediately noticed the bull elk and began to feel nervous. She picked up her cell phone and called her husband. During the phone call, the elk attacked. Her husband rushed home and found his wife with moderate injuries from this attack.The Division of Wildlife reports elk attacks are extremely rare. It is mating season for the elk which could have been the cause for the attack. The elk probably felt threatened and was defending its territory. During mating season bull elk are very aggressive. People need to use caution this time of year when they see elk. People are advised to stay far away from these creatures and look from a far.

PLN8

The video A Vision Of Students Today by Micheal Wesch talks about today's technology and how it effects our life and our educational system. Almost 50 years ago the education system was criticized for its rigid structure and teaching methods. This resulted in the students lacking the ability to think for themselves and unprepared to handle the world's problems. Today, students have the benefit of technology. But has that technology improved their ability to think and resolve problems? It appears students are using today's technology for gains in their personal lives rather than learning. Students bring laptops to class but fail to use them to complete their class work. The average students spend more time on their cell phones and online than studying. As students we are unprepared for college and therefore not prepared for the future. If today's students don't learn how to problem solve and think with their minds then we will be stuck with the same problems for long time. If we teach our students to problem solve then the future will be a better place for everyone.

PLN7

In the article Two Bear Cubs Wait For Momma In Bolder Backyard Tree by Laure Snider talks about a female bear and her cubs finding there way into a urban neighborhood. The bears first were seen in a Boulder backyard, climbing a large cottonwood tree. The bears roamed around the area climbing into different trees. Since it was too dangerous to tranquilize the bears, local authorities could only hope that the bears would leave by themselves. This is a very dangerous problem to both the animals and humans because once bears start to visit the city, they realize that there is more food. Despite warnings, people will often leave food outside for the bears. When this happens the bears no longer fear humans and bear attacks are more likely to happen. Once a bear attacks, the bear must be euthanized. To ensure the safety of the people, we need to take these steps. First, we need to secure our garbage so the bears have nothing to eat. Next, we need to make it harder for the bears to enter the city. Last, if you see one of these animals in the city, keep all pets inside and call the authorities. The citizens of Boulder got lucky when the bear saw the humans, they ran away. The bears were still scared of humans. Since the first sighting, the bears have continued to be seen in and around the city. All citizens need to take away the need for the bears to come into the city. If we do these steps then we can enjoy our neighborhoods, and the bears can enjoy theirs.

PLN 6

The Denver Post article First Equine-Rabies Diagnosed in El Paso County talks about the first horse to get rabies in Colorado in 25 years. It is believed the horse contracted the disease from a rabid skunk. So far this year there have been 6 confirmed cases of rabid skunks. El Paso County has not had a infected animal since 1970. This is a potenial problem to all domestic animals because once an animal is infected with rabies, it is fatal. The Colorado Health Department is concerned that rabies may be making a comeback in Colorado. Bats are the number 1 carrier of rabies in Colorado, with 60 confirmed cases a year. We need to watch our contact with wild animals. We can prevent rabies by getting our domestic animals vaccinated and to limit contact with wild animals as it is difficult to tell which animals have the disease. If the necessary steps are taken, we can ensure that our domestic and well loved animals will be safe from this deadly disease.

PLN5

The video Did You Know by Carl Fish talks about how the world is evolving into a more modernized place.The video Machines Are Using Us by Micheal Wesch talks about something a very similar concept.Machines Are Using Us talks about how the typing and using the computer is easier than bocks and writing. Both of these video express two very good points. The world is changing and so is technology. If we use this technology then we will be prepared for the future. We can be prepared for the future by using the technology we have now.If we do this then we can all have successful futures.

PLN4

The video "Machines Are Using Us" by Micheal Wesch talks about the more computerized world. The world is constantly trying to become more modernized. The video compares typing words to writing them.Using the computer makes researching and browsing and writing allot more faster and easier.I think this video showing a very important concept. The worlds technology is advancing and with that we have to be prepared for it. We can do this by using computers more and more.If we do then we can become part of the future.

PLN3

In the article Coming To a Classroom Near You by Admin it talks about showing cartoons in the class room. The article tells about Admins trip to a elementary school that embraced the pricipal. In public schools you cant show the video without consent of the publisher. I think that is a dumb rule because they make movies for people to view, and students should get a brake sometimes. At the end of the article the principal apologized and talked to the teacher.

PLN2

According to the article "Women raise bar at colleges" by Tamar Lewin , the majority of students of girls is greater guys . There girls getting better grades then guys. This is a problem because colleges are accepting more guys without looking at there qualifications. This causes an even bigger problem because we are already falling behind in our education. Places like china have allot more honor student then w do. With the uprise of girl graduates i think colleges need to open there eyes in the next 8 years we could have a girl president. I think we need to set higher standards for guys so getting in to college is a challenge and a privilege not and luck of the draw type of thing. We need to get the number o guy graduates even with the girls.

PLN1

Today I watched a video about the world by Carl Fish the video opened my eyes to the changing world . We are solving problems that haven't yet happened, using technology that havent been invented yet. The world is more and more becoming a more technological place. If my space were a country it would be the 5Th largest. In a lot of countries education is a big part of there culture. China and India have more honor students than any where else.High school kids like me are already being prepared for jobs that haven't been created. That means that I will be able to learn a new job in the future.