PLN25

In the article "Larimer County experiences spike in suicides" by The Associated Press in the Denver Post says that Fort Collins has set a record for the most suicides in a year. As of last week, Larimer County has experienced 53 suicides which translate into 20.4 per 100,000 residents. The national average for 100,000 residents is 11. They believe this is because of the economy.

Larimer County is north between Denver and Wyoming. There is a lot of farms but there is also a lot of livestock operations in the county. This matters to the world because the economy seems to be bad everywhere. It's not the only reason people commit suicide but seems to be the main reason when the economy is down. It matters to education greatly because people need to learn how to deal with themselves and others when things aren't going well. This matters to me because it makes me realize that there are people out there who are less fortunate than I am.

This reminds me of a story I read last week about the German National goalkeeper, Robert Enke who also committed suicide. He committed suicide because his two year old daughter, Lara died of a rare heart condition and he couldn't handle the loss. Obviously the economy had nothing to do with this.

PLN24

In the article "Action needed' on Internet bullying" by Jim Reed in the BBC News, he states that teenagers need to be more responsible with the use of the Internet and companies need to act quicker when inappropriate material is posted. Young people need to understand that the consequences of bullying over the Internet are no different then doing it in person. Of the approximately 3,000 student that were surveyed nearly two thirds of them said they were bullied at some point in time over their cell phone or computer. Tim, a thirteen year old who was interviewed, says that it is easier for people to bully on-line because they are not looking at the person face to face. Bethan, a friend a Tim's, believes that some people when they get in front of a computer turn into a totally different person. They say whatever they want and don't have to feel guilty about it.

This matters to the world because as long as this kind of technology is available for anyone to use, it is going to be misused. It matters to education because people need to be taught on how to use a computer appropriately. I feel that because of Mrs. Smith's English class, I have become more aware of problems or issues surrounding computer usage. Companies need to be more on top of this problem and take action if they can before it becomes a bigger problem.

PLN23

In the article "Passengers on plane that hit birds expected in Denver Today" by The Denver Post, it explains that a Frontier plane that was taking off from Kansas City hit a flock of birds and damaged a engine which resulted in them immediately returning to the airport. There were 120 passengers on the plane and there were no injuries involved in this incident.

Obviously this doesn't matter to education in the least. However this matters to the world and to me. This matters to anywhere in the world where there is an airport. Birds represent a very serious problem when it comes to airplanes. They fly or get sucked into the jet engines and endanger everyone on board. Airports spend hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly to make sure this doesn't happen. They hire people who specifically take care of flocks of birds near airport land. This matters to me because I have been and will continue to fly with my soccer teams. There is enough to worry about when you fly without worrying about hitting the damn birds.

PLN22

In the article "Put forth our best writing selves" by Douglas Hesse, the point that he is getting at is even though we are writing more than ever and sharing our writings with more people than ever, it is not good enough because we need to sit down and write some more serious things every now and then.

PLN21

I just read "Boulder girl to help orangutans in Borneo" by Magdalena Wegrzyn in the Longmont Times-Call. It's about a girl, Kristen Nordham, who has been donating money to the Orangutan Foundation International since she was in fourth grade. She has adopted an orangutan named Irvine and the only thing keeping her alive is Kristen money. The article states that is costs $75 to adopt an orangutan for a year. Kristen has been donating all of the money that she raises to this orangutan foundation. The entire orangutan population is decreasing greatly. Orangutans are decreasing because of more lowland rain forests are being cut down to make room for palm oil plantations or destroyed by illegal loggers and by forest fires Now there are only an estimated 7,300 orangutans left in the world!

This matters to the world because a lot of species in the world are becoming more and more endangered. Most of them are becoming endangered because of things we are doing, like destroying their habitats. This doesn't matter to education directly, but people need to be aware of things that are going on in the world, not just in their own backyard. This matters to me because as I get older I see more things going on in the world that should be important to people. I wish I had the money to adopt a monkey!

PLN20

I read a blog, "Back-to-School Night: America's Annual Torture Convention" posted by Gary. In this posting Gary goes into how bad back to school nights have become. The teachers are terrible public speakers and nobody really cares about their gum or notebook policies. He goes on to make fun of different teachers and their personalities. While he sits in each class all he wants to know is how his kid can sit in such an uncomfortable seat for the next 180 days. He gives a few quotes from other parents that are hysterical.

This matters to education because nobody really cares about back to school night. Teachers think it is a complete waste of time now that everything about their class is posted on their own website. I know this is true because my dad is a teacher. Parents don't really care about back to school night either. However, they are afraid that if they don't go they will miss something important. They don't want to feel that they are not supporting their child. I know this is true because my mom told me so. How do you feel about back to school night Mrs. Smith?

PLN19

In the article "Two lost Boulder hikers rescued" in The Denver Post, two Boulder hikers wandered off the trail that they were following. They could not find their way back to the trail because snow was covering it and they had to call 9-1-1 to be rescued by the Boulder Fire Department.

Unfortunately, this is becoming too common here in Colorado. People are having to be rescued from hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, etc. Most of these people are either unprepared for where they are going or are in areas that are off limits. It costs a lot of money to get together a rescue party no matter how big or small it is. Many counties are considering making these people pay for all or some of the rescue fees.

This matters to the people who live in Colorado because they are the ones that end up paying for the rescues. Maybe if people know they have to pay, they will think twice before they act. This matters to me because me and my Dad go on runs in the foothills and sometimes we see the idiots or see traces of stuff off trail that show that some people are not being responsible. Me and my Dad are never irresponsible.