North Carolina paves the way with clean car technologies

by Rebecca Wetherbee

Dec. 1, 2008

 

Imagine the soundscape of New York City.  Maybe you’ve never been there, but you can guess what it would be like: horns blaring, breaks squealing, the grunt and exhale of a bus coming to a stop. 

Now imagine another city almost 3,000 miles away on the United States’ west coast. 

Los Angeles is famous for its traffic and you have likely seen the pictures: miles of winding highway bedazzled by thousands of shiny, metal shells.  Heat waves rising from the pavement that blur the image and give it a surreal look, enveloping the city in a hot bubble of smog. 

Every year, new technologies emerge through the smog.  Engineers all over the world are creating vehicles with decreased gasoline dependency, and therefore significantly decreased emissions. 

Electric and hybrid electric vehicles—cars which power themselves partially, or entirely, with electricity rather than gasoline—are gaining commercial popularity.

 

Living and Driving in North Carolina

Maybe you feel vindicated living in North Carolina.  This is the land of Appalachia, of the Outer Banks, of blue skies and vast countryside, not of world-famous traffic and infamous consumerism.  But this state is not immune to the environmental and health damage caused by fuel-burning vehicles.    

In fact, 24 counties in North Carolina do not meet national air-quality standards for ground-level ozone and particulate matter, according to the North Carolina Solar Center. 

“Vehicles are getting cleaner and cleaner each year, but we’re outstripping those benefits because we’re also driving more and more,” said Anne Tazewell, program manager for the NC Solar Center’s clean transportation sector. 

Data collected by Dr. Dennis Grady and Jason Hoyle of the Energy Center of Appalachian State University show that in 2006, North Carolinians drove on average 1,500 miles more than other Americans.    

Exposure to ground-level ozone, particulate matter and fumes from gasoline and diesel fuel can pose serious health risks to the lungs and heart. 

In the 2007 State of the Air report, the American Lung Association states that 36 percent of North Carolina residents are at serious risk for health concerns due to poor air quality.  Additionally, the transportation sector in the U.S. is responsible for more than 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions— the chemical culpable for global warming.  

So what is the solution?  How can North Carolinians clean up the air and still drive to work, taxi the kids, run errands and live their lives in this state? 

 

Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Tazewell, author of the article “Transportation, Energy and the Environment in North Carolina,” said that sales of hybrid cars have increased from just 9,000 in the year 2000 to 350,000 in 2007. 

This popularization is due in part to the fact that hybrid electric car manufacturers are becoming more and more mainstream.  Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Ford, Chevrolet, and several other companies have hybrid cars on the market today. 

Unlike standard fuel-burning vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles harness energy that is usually lost during breaking and coasting.  Regenerative breaking reroutes that energy to the car’s battery, effectively recharging the battery without wall sockets or plugs. 

Many hybrids use less than half the gasoline of their traditional counterparts.  Say, for example, that you drive a Honda Civic with an automatic transmission, and that gas costs $3.50 per gallon.  If you are an average North Carolinian, then you drive about 12,000 miles per year. 

The gas mileage impact calculator at HybridCars.com predicts that if you were to switch to a Honda Civic Hybrid, which is touted as one of the most efficient hybrids, your annual gas consumption would drop from 414 gallons to 285 gallons.  You could save more than $450 at the pump.  You would reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by 31 percent and your nitrogen oxide emissions from 8 pounds to 6 pounds. 

It seems like a no-brainer: hybrid cars save gas, save the environment.  But here’s the problem: a 2009 Honda Civic sedan with an automatic transmission starts at $16,205.  A 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid starts at $23,550.  Many consumers are still having trouble justifying the extra costs. 

For many hybrid car owners, environmental and political factors influenced their decision. 

“The hybrid, you pay a little bit more for it,” said Phillip Lyons, a CFO from Chapel Hill who has been driving a Toyota Prius for the past two years.  “But it makes me feel good knowing I’m in a car that is not wasting resources when I see all these people driving around in these humungous [sports utility vehicles].”  Lyons’ Prius averages about 46 miles per gallon, but starts using gas at speeds higher than 32 mph.  

 

Electric Vehicles

The real struggle for engineers is perfecting the electric car, which does not use any gasoline.  Battery-powered vehicles can be charged with a traditional household outlet of 110 volts, or with the 220 volt outlet used for larger appliances.

While there are few commercial options for electric vehicles, enterprising North Carolinians are converting cars in their own garage. 

Joe Adcock, an engineer from Cary, converted his 1970 Volkswagen Beetle in 2002 for about $5,000.  The conversion took nearly 10 months, and Adcock said he couldn’t have accomplished it without his experience in engineering.   

“It takes someone who has the know-how and the gumption to do it,” he said.  “You really have to know about electricity and how it works and you have to be handy.  It’s not just a plug-and-play kind of thing.” 

The Beetle uses lead-acid batteries, which are significantly less expensive than lithium-ion, and has a range of about 57 miles.  Adcock charges the Beetle for 12 to 13 hours in order to reach full capacity, and says that he spends between 50 and 75 cents per day on electricity.

Jim Bartlett is a mechanical engineer from Cary who has been driving a  1994 Chevrolet U.S. Electricar S-10 pickup for the past year.  The car, which has 1,600 pounds of lead-acid batteries under the hood, has a range of 50 miles and costs about $2.40 to charge. 

“The vehicle is not for the average driver because it needs some care and feeding to keep it going,” Bartlett said.  “But it’s been very reliable since I got it going… it drives like a regular vehicle.” 

The pickup, which is Bartlett’s only car, needs to charge for as much as 24 hours if the batteries are fully drained.  Fortunately, he can charge it in the parking lot at Cisco Systems where he works. 

 

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

 Car manufacturers have a growing interest in vehicles that combine the technology of the traditional hybrid car with the plug-in feature of an electric car. 

Like traditional hybrids, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles use both a battery pack and a fuel-burning engine, but the battery pack can be charged with an outlet rather than with regenerative breaking.  The plug-in technology allows for a greater range on the battery, therefore decreased use of fuel, and supports a lighter battery pack. 

PHEVs will not be commercially available until 2010, but eager hybrid car owners can buy a conversion kit for their cars. 

“Folks that want to do this can order a kit and take a regular Prius, for example, and modify it so it can be plugged in,” said Tazewell.  “But it will void your original warranty.  If you have problems with the hybrid system, Toyota can say they’re not responsible for repairs because the vehicle has been modified.  There’s a little bit of risk.” 

Also, the modification kit can be extremely expensive.  “The minimum cost is an extra $10,000 dollars,” said Lyons.  “And you never recover it.”

 

Advanced Energy, a nonprofit organization based in Raleigh, has already created 15 plug-in hybrid electric school buses that are in use across the country. 

According to Ewan Pritchard, who heads the hybrid program at Advanced Energy, school buses account for 78 percent of the total mileage driven by buses in this state.  The particulate matter emitted by diesel bus engines is a major contributor to the high levels of air pollution in North Carolina.

Fortunately, school buses with hybrid technology have a 95 percent increase in fuel economy for the first 45 miles of their trip and a 40 percent increase after that. 

Of the 15 hybrid buses in the country, one is in Mecklenberg County and one is in Wake County.  But according to  Pritchard, Advanced Energy and its manufacturing partner International Truck and Engine  hope to increase the fleet. 

“We have a goal of getting 100 more purchased within N.C.,” he said.  “And combining that with purchases in the U.S.”   

 

 

Preparing the Infrastructure

Earlier this year, Gov. Mike Easley announced the opening of North Carolina State University’s Advanced Transportation Energy Center.  ATEC, which has formed a partnership with Duke Energy and Progress Energy, will spend the next five years researching, creating and testing a lighter, less expensive lithium-ion battery for use in electric vehicles and PHEVs.

At present, the batteries that power most electric cars only have a range of 50 miles fully charged.  ATEC hopes to create a battery pack that is efficient enough to power a car for 100 miles. 

“The power requirements of those batteries are not there,” said Pritchard, who will become program manager of ATEC in January.  “We cannot get nearly enough power out of them as we would like… Over the next five years we will develop batteries that will have better performance in terms of life, in terms of power and in terms of cost.” 

So if ATEC accomplishes their goal, and if commercialized PHEVs become mainstream after 2010, then how will car owners charge their cars when they’re on the move? 

That’s where Duke Energy and Progress Energy come in.  The companies need to prepare the state for a potential influx of electric vehicle and PHEV drivers.  That includes setting up charging stations across the state, which will consist mostly of parking spaces equipped with a traditional outlet.   

“Our job is to make sure that the electric grid can support all this additional load,” said Scott Sutton, a spokesman for Progress Energy.  “The goal is to keep it simple, safe and convenient. If it’s a hassle for people to charge their vehicles, then they won’t do it.” 

 “We want to make sure that shopping centers have as many plug-in stations available as possible,” said Dave Scanzoni, a spokesman for Duke Energy.  “In homes they already exist.  In apartment buildings they would have to be added.  It won’t happen all at once, but it will grow rather quickly over the next few years.” 

Most importantly, the companies need to create a billing system that will allow them to charge car owners for the energy they use and a standardized software that will account for the energy used during each charge.   

“The big challenge will be coming up with the industry standard,” said Scanzoni.  “There are a lot of competing technologies.” 

There will also have to be a nationwide standard for plugs and outlets.  “We need to make sure that… whether you’re in California, New York, or North Carolina, you know that if you buy a car, you will be able to charge it wherever you go,” said Sutton.    

Soon, charging stations in North Carolina may be as prolific as gas stations.  The positive financial and environmental impact of this conversion could be enormous.  

According to Tazewell, North Carolinians spent almost $12 billion dollars in 2005 on gasoline and diesel fuels ranking it tenth in the country for gasoline expenditures.  Considering how many billions of dollars are pumped into the oil industry, spending a few thousand on a hybrid system hardly seems like a sacrifice. 

Instead, it is an investment in a cleaner, greener North Carolina.  

Math Tools for Journalists

Abridged version chapters 5-8

 

Polls and surveys represent public opinion regarding a specific topic or question.  Consumer surveys, for instance, help companies evaluate consumer reactions to their products.  Political polls can help predict the results of elections based on the political leanings of a randomly selected group of voters. 

However, poll and survey results can be skewed.  When reporting the results of a poll or survey, it is important to know:

1.      Who conducted the poll

2.      Who paid for the poll

3.      The wording and order of the questions

4.      The size of the sample group

5.      The method for selecting the sample group

6.      The margin of error

7.      The potential effect that news events might have had on poll results

All of these factors might affect the validity of the poll and its results. 

Because pollsters usually cannot interview an entire population, they have to select a random sample of people that is large and diverse enough to represent the population in question.  There are several methods for collecting samples.

·         The U.S. Census, for example, is a population sample because every American is supposed to participate.   

·         Cluster sampling involves one area or region.

·         Multistage sampling involves selecting a geographic area, then random sub-groups, then individual blocks within the sub-group, then an even smaller block.

·         Systematic random sampling involves sampling incremental numbers of people in a population.

·         Quota sampling selects people within a specific demographic. 

·         Probability sampling involves selecting random people through probability methods, like drawing from a hat

Margin of error, which is expressed with a percentage, represents the accuracy of a poll.  The more people polled, the smaller the margin of error will be. 

Confidence level is a percentage that represents how sure pollsters are that their results are accurate, or that their results can be replicated with a different sample. 

Reporting the margin of error and the confidence level allows readers to understand the accuracy and significance of the poll results. 

The 2000 U.S. Census had a return rate of 67 percent.  Census results include unadjusted figures as well as adjusted figures, which make up for missing data. 

Z scores: a “standard score” shows how much a figure differs from the average figure in its group.  This is also known as standard deviation. 

T scores: used with small samples, usually of 100 people or fewer. 

To determine a Z score:

z score = (raw score – mean) / standard deviation

 

When reporting business news, it becomes even more important to understand numbers.  Most corporations report their earnings quarterly, or four times per year.  They also have more extensive annual reports.  The Internal Revenue Service reviews annual reports to determine tax obligations. 

P&L- profit and loss statements simply show whether or not a company is making money. 

When reporting on profit and loss statements, it is important to remember that most of these statements are expressed in the thousands or millions.  Amounts which are subtracted will appear in parentheses.  It is less meaningful just to report a company’s numbers—it is more meaningful to report whether their numbers have risen or fallen over time. 

FASB- the Financial Accounting Standards Board had set rules and guidelines for financial accounting and the correct way to report financial information.  The Statements of Financial Accounting Standards are available at www.fasb.org.

EBITDA- Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.  Also called “operational cash flow.” 

To determine gross margin:

gross margin = selling price – cost of goods sold

To determine gross profit:

gross profit = gross margin x number of items sold

To determine net profit:

net profit = gross margin- overhead

 

A balance sheet outlines a company’s assets, liabilities and equity.  Assets should be equal to the liabilities and equity.

A ratio analysis represents a company’s financial standing, operating efficiency and market value.  It compares the company to others in the same field, and examines trends.  When reporting ratio analysis, it is important to mention the industry standard so that readers can understand how the company compares to others like it. 

Current ratio measures a company’s ability to pay its liabilities.

            To determine current ratio:

            current ratio = current assets / current liabilities

Quick ratio measures a company’s ability to pay for liabilities with easily accessible cash. 

            To determine quick ratio:

            quick ratio = cash / current liabilities

Debit-to-asset ratio measures all of a company’s assets against all of the liabilities.

            To determine debit-to-asset ratio:

            d-t-a ratio = total debt / total assets

Debt-to-equity ratio compares what is owed to a company and what the company owns.

            To determine d-t-e ratio:

            d-t-e ratio = total debt / equity

To determine return on assets:

            return on assets = net income / total assets

To determine return on equity:

            return on equity = net income / equity

To determine price-earnings ratio:

            price-earnings = market price(share) / earnings(share)

 

Stocks allow private individuals to be owners of a small portion of a corporation.  For consumers, buying stocks are an investment.  For corporations, selling stocks is a way to make money.  Mutual funds allow people to buy stocks in a variety of related corporations. 

Corporations and the government can make money by selling bonds, which is a low-risk investment that earns interest.  A corporation’s credit rating can indicate the strength of the bond.

            To determine current yield:

            current yield = (interest rate x face value) / price

            To determine bond cost:

            bond cost (interest) = amount x rate x years

           

Market indexes indicate market conditions by tracking the prices of certain groups of stocks.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ are two of the biggest indexes, as well as the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is the total value of a share of 30 select stocks divided by the divisor, which accounts for stock dividends. 

 NASDAQ, or National Association of Securities Dealers Automate Quotations, reports on the trading of more than 5,000 domestic stocks and bonds.

Property taxes are the largest source of income for local governments.  The government assesses how much money it needs, and then divides that amount across local property owners to determine the property tax rate. 

Property taxes are measured in mills, or 1/10 of a cent.  Property taxes are intended to be based on the value of the property within the current market.  Different types of property (residential, commercial, agricultural, etc.) are taxed differently.  Often, more than one government body receives the money from property taxes.

            To determine mill levy=    

            mill levy = taxes to be collected by the government body / assessed valuation of all property in the taxing district

Appraisal value is based on:

·         The property’s use

·         The property’s characteristics (location, square footage, age, quality, amenities, etc.)

·         Current market conditions

·         A visual inspection of the property by appraisers

To determine assessed value:

assessed value = appraisal value x rate

To determine tax:

tax owed = tax rate x (assessed value of the property / $100)

 

1.      Gross Profit:

A woman sells 30 frozen bananas for 50 cents each.

50 cents x 30 = $15.00 gross profit

2.      Current yield on a bond:

A man paid $1,500 for a $2,000 bond with an interest rate of 5 percent.

(.05 x 2000) / 1500 = 6.6 percent current yield

3.      Property Tax

A home in Nashville has an assessed value of $25,000 and pays a tax rate of 7.5 mills. 

7.5  x ($25,000 / $100) = $1,875 in taxes owed

Tweets on Twitter

Twitter equals twaddle, and I just don’t have the patience!! 

 

Twitter is an apt name for the new micro-blogging Web site, whose name sounds to me like a combination of the words “trivial chatter.”  It reminds me of the cutesy terms for meaningless talk, like “gibber-jabber,” “twaddle,” “prattle” and “babble.”  And, in many cases, that’s all Twitter-users do. 

The micro-blogs themselves are referred to as “tweets,” a word that connotes something short and sweet, as the blogs are meant to be, but also often meaningless.  Who can discern the purpose of a bird’s idle chatter, either?   

The site, which has only existed since spring 2006, has attracted more than 5 million users.  The micro-bloggers, who can only write notes that are 140 characters or less, join for a variety of reasons and with diverse agendas, many political. 

In fact, Barack Obama has been tweeting about his thoughts and activities throughout the campaign (not surprisingly, he’s been quiet since the morning after the election.)  Web sites like Politico.com posted a twitter feed during the presidential and vice presidential debates in which political experts responded to the candidates’ comments and behavior.

Corporations use Twitter to keep customers abreast of company news, but also to promote products and services and hopefully receive customer feedback.  Universities use Twitter to distribute information to students and faculty.  Even the American Red Cross tweets to get minute-by-minute updates from areas affected by natural disaster. 

Used this way, micro-blogging is an effective medium for delivering succinct and meaningful bits of information.  It’s a bit like text messaging, but on a wider scale.  But, the majority of the time, this isn’t how the technology is used. 

“Some people use it just to inform their friends about what they are doing minute-by-minute,” said Janna Anderson, director of a research project called Imagining the Internet.  “For instance writing things like, ‘I just voted for Obama, and now I’m headed over to Starbucks to get my free cup of Election Day coffee.’”  Often, the tweets are even less informative than that. 

The Twitter homepage displays the 20 most recent tweets and the time that they were posted—always within seconds of the moment that you open the page. 

People are tweeting tirelessly as I write this.  The homepage is lined with the brief and wondrous thoughts of 20 Internet addicts, many of whom are tweeting from foreign countries.  “Using the computer at work,” says one.  No kidding.

“On Travel Channels Website!!!” says another. 

“I freakin HATE gnats!!!!!!”

“Eating Gimme Jimmy’s cookies, a local delicacy.”  Who really cares what you snack on? 

After sifting through the irrelevant information for several minutes, I stumbled across something valuable:  apparently Hillary Clinton has agreed to serve as Secretary of State.  This is, of course, very interesting information.  And, admittedly, I did learn it by hanging out on Twitter. 

However, had I been cruising news Web sites rather than writing this blog, I would have gotten that information 52 minutes ago when the Associated Press confirmed it. 

“I signed up for Twitter because a lot of my family members were doing it,” said David East, a junior studying strategic communications.  “But they always talked about mundane things all day, like what they were eating and watching on TV and stuff, and I got bored really fast of looking at it.” 

So, I guess my question is, if the Internet is instantaneous by nature, then why do we need a site like Twitter, which demands that information be so short that it is almost always shallow?  Does sifting through riffraff justify the occasional nuggets of information distributed by potentially inaccurate sources? 

I don’t have to read a list of insipid commentary made by my friends, family and colleagues to hear about breaking news, so why would I?  

How the law helps and hurts journalists

It’s interesting to notice the dichotomy of laws that exist for the purpose of journalism and communication.  For instance, there are laws which protect journalists from having to reveal a source or reveal information they have gathered, yet there are also laws that disallow the government from doing the same thing.

State shield laws give working journalists immunity from contempt charges if they refuse to reveal their sources of information.  However, there are no federal shield laws, so journalists are at the mercy of the particular state government under which they’re working, and the laws vary from state to state.

 

Outdated shield laws can cause problems for certain journalists, for instance in the case of Price v. Time.  In 2002, a reporter for Sports Illustrated, Don Yeager, wrote an article about University of Alabama football coach Mike Price.  According to Yeager’s article, Mike Price employed prostitutes while on a team trip to Florida.

Price sued Sports Illustrated’s parent company Time, Inc., for libel.  In order to prove the validity of the article, Yeager was asked to reveal which prostitutes he used as sources. 

In Alabama, the shield statute Ala. Code § 12-21-142 gives protection to “newspaper, radio broadcasting station or television station.”  The statute does not give any mention of magazines, which, for the purposes of this case, were considered patently different from newspapers.

Surely magazine journalists should have the same protection as newspaper journalists—their jobs are hardly different, and one is not necessarily more professional or more respectable than the other.  But until state governments choose to rewrite laws that have fallen behind the times, journalists must be familiar with the specifics of their own state’s shield laws.  They must understand that loopholes of that nature could let them slip through the cracks.

The government has other ways of surpassing shield laws, even when a state’s statute should protect a journalist.  Because there are no federal shield laws, there is nothing that prevents the federal government from issuing subpoenas that force journalists to reveal information.

In 2006, Josh Wolf, a video blogger in California, taped footage of riots in which several police cars were damaged.  The California state government wanted Wolf to turn over his tapes so they could persecute the rioters, but knew that state shield laws would protect his right to withhold information.

The state government realized that some federal money had been spent on the police cars, and for that reason alone they could make a federal case.  Because there are no federal shield laws, Wolf’s tapes were subpoenaed.

Wolf refused to give his tapes to the government and was jailed for a total of 226 days—the longest a journalist has ever been jailed for refusing to reveal sources.

 

The relationship between journalists and the government is give and take.  Whether a journalist wants to withhold information from the government, or access information that the government wants to withhold, they need to be completely familiar with federal and state laws.

Sunshine laws are meant to serve journalists by increasing government transparency.  Like shield laws, laws promoting open government vary state by state. Journalists must familiarize themselves with federal laws such as the Government in Sunshine Act and the Freedom of Information Act, as well as their state laws regarding government meetings and public records.

Alamance County voters reflect on past elections

by Rebecca Wetherbee

Nov. 4, 2008

 

The polls in Alamance County, N.C., were relatively quiet this Election Day.  Residents of Gibsonville, Elon and Burlington trickled in and out of the polls from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to cast their ballots.  To the uninformed, it would be a dreary sight.  But according to a poll worker at Burlington No. 6, nearly 800 people voted early at that location. 

The voters who did show up on Election Day were dedicated and mostly eager to reminisce.  Roy Harris, who was volunteering at Burlington No. 6, voted for the first time in 1949 when he turned 21.  “I wanted to finally participate,” he said, and he has been an active voter ever since. 

Marianne Roarick, who also worked at Burlington No. 6, voted and worked at the polls for the first time in 1952 during the race between Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. 

The Eisenhower election was the first for Peggy Smith, as well.  Though she’s been voting for many years now, she said this year’s race is one of the most exciting in which she has participated.  “I’ve never seen one this big,” she said.   

T. Frank Bennett, a poll worker at the West Boone location, agreed.  “I think this is one of the more important elections that’s taken place within the past 20, 25 years or so,” he said.

Rhonda Talley, who voted at North Boone, cannot remember her first election but knows that “this one, by far, has the most hype.” 

Bill Gailey, also at North Boone, thinks “all [elections] have serious ramifications.”  He voted for the first time in the 1956 race between Eisenhower and Stevenson.   

Sondra Aheron, a poll worker at Burlington No. 6, cited Kennedy’s election as one of the most thrilling.  “That was a new beginning, a new time for us.” 

Jane Beck, who voted for the first time in 1960, recalled that the Truman/Dewey election was memorable for her even as a child.  “That was the one where we went to bed thinking it was Dewey, and when we woke up it was Truman.” 

At the West Boone location, Steve Harrison electioneered for the Democratic ticket.  “I voted for the first time in 1980,” he said, “back when I was a misinformed Republican.”  Though he skipped voting during his years in the army, he has been politically active for most of his adult life, and now writes for the liberal blog site BlueNC. 

LaRue Southern, who stood with Harrison outside West Boone, voted for the first time in the 1970s to please her brother.  “He would twist your arm,” she said.  But she was glad he convinced her to participate.  “That’s my privilege.  That’s why I’ve been here since 6:30 in the morning.” 

Husband and wife Lisa and David Coble, who voted at the West Boone location, influence each other to stay active.  “We always vote together,” Mrs. Coble said.  They voted for the first time in the 1992 race between George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. 

For Ken Washington, pressure to get active was mostly internal.  He went to the polls for the first time in 1988 when George H.W. Bush won against Michael Dukakis.  “I was getting older and thought I should be more responsible,” he said. 

The 1992 race was the first for Diogenes Hatzisavvas.  “I became a U.S. citizen in 1988,” he said, “so it was my first opportunity to vote.” 

Though at least five people questioned could not remember their first election, their continued participation remains most important.  For the rest of the poll workers and voters who braved the rain this Election Day, casting their ballot is a routine that hardly gets old. 

 

Math Tools for Journalists

Abridged Version Chapters 1-4

Newspapers are wrought with numbers: statistics, fiscal amounts, sports scores and more.  When writing an article with numbers, a reporter must use his common sense.  He must ask himself, Does this statistic make sense?  Does this amount of money seem too large, or too small?  Use the same scrutiny when analyzing numerical data that one would with any other information.   As always, reporters should consult their Associated Press Style Guide if they are unsure of how to represent Arabic or Roman numerals, and fractions and percentages in their writing.

When a reporter has to use math in his article that is unfamiliar to the average reader, it is helpful if he compares the numbers to something more tangible or understandable.
Even if a reporter is not using numerals in his article, he still must be careful with the way he represents amounts with his words.  He must be sure that he correctly uses terms such as “less/fewer than,” “more/most,” “farther/further,” and so on.
When working with percentages, the reporter must know a number of formulas.

To determine percent increase or decrease:
Percent increase/decrease = (new figure – old figure) / old figure
*In order to determine the percentage from your result, you must move the decimal point two places to the right.

For instance:
1.    In Atlanta in 2005, 608 people were diagnosed with HIV.  The governor instituted an AIDS awareness program, and in 2008 422 people were diagnosed with HIV.
608 – 422 = 186 ;  186 / 608 = .3059 or 30.6% decrease in the instance of HIV diagnoses in Atlanta between 2005 and 2008.

To determine a percentage of a whole:
Percentage of a whole = subgroup / whole group
For instance:
2.    There are 30 members on the yearbook staff.  Twenty of the members are female.

20 / 30 = .667 or 66.7% of the yearbook staff members are female.

To determine simple interest:
Interest = principal x rate (as a decimal) x time (in years)
For instance:
3.    Lindsay put $100 in a savings account with 3.5 % interest for two years.

100 x .035 x 2 = 7 or $7 in interest over two years.

To determine compounding interest:
A = monthly payment
P = original loan amount
R = interest rate as a decimal and divided by 12
N = total number of months

A = [P x (1 + R)to the power of N x R] / [(1 + R)to the power of N – 1]

When working with statistics, reporters must remember that they can be easily manipulated.  Be sure that readers understand who produced each statistic you report.

Mean- commonly referred to as the “average,” it is the sum of all figures in a group divided by the number of figures in the group.

Median- the midpoint in a group of numbers arranged from lowest to highest.

Mode- the number which occurs most frequently in one group of figures.

Percentile- represents the percentages which fall above or below the target percentage.

Standard deviation- represents how much a group of figures deviate from the norm.

Probability- a ratio which determines the likelihood that something will or will not occur.

Unemployment statistics, which are delivered monthly by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, represent the portion of Americans who are unemployed and actively seeking work.

To determine the Unemployment Rate:

Unemployment rate = (unemployed / labor force) x 100

The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures U.S. inflation with a tool called the Consumer Price Index every month in order to track price increases in industries such as food and beverage, recreation, transportation, apparel and housing.

To determine the monthly U.S. inflation rate:

Monthly inflation rate = (Current CPI – Prior Month CPI) / Prior Month CPI x 100

To determine the annual U.S. inflation rate:

A= Annual Inflation Rate
B= Current Month CPI
C= CPI from the same month in previous year

A = (B – C) / C x 100

The Gross Domestic Product measures quarterly the value of all the goods and services produced in the U.S. economy.

To determine GDP:

C = Consumer spending on goods and services
I = investment spending
G = Government spending
NX = net exports (exports minus imports)

GDP = C + I + G + NX

Trade balance compares the number of goods and services the United States imports versus the number they export.

To determine trade balance:

Trade Balance = Exports – Imports

On the Issues: Where the potential VPs stand

by Rebecca Wetherbee

Pendulum Online

 

Sarah Palin: 

Courtesy of the Alaskan gubernatorial Web site

Background: 
• Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, on Feb. 11, 1964
• Graduated from the University of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1987
• Became first female governor of Alaska in 2006
• Started work on $40 billion natural gas pipeline, which will become the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history
• Started Adoption Awareness month in November 2007

Abortion/Stem Cell Research:
• Is pro-life, even in instances of rape  
• Believes upholding Roe v. Wade should be the responsibility of the states
• Opposes stem cell research

Economy: 
• Believes predatory lenders are responsible for the subprime lending meltdown
• Is skeptical of the efficacy of the $700 billion bailout

Education: 
• Prioritizes increased pay for teachers
• Does not oppose teaching evolution in science classes
• Supports increasing need-based aid by as much as $20 million for Alaskan college students

Energy: 
• Supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Emphasizes accessing domestic reserves of oil and natural gas throughout the country

Environment: 
• Does not believe climate change is entirely manmade
• Supports advancing clean coal technology and capping carbon emissions

Health Care: 
• Supports giving families a $5,000 tax credit to buy their own health care
• Supports free-market competition among health insurance companies to keep costs down

Iraq War: 
• Does not support retreat from Iraq
• Believes last year’s surge of troops was effective

Joe Biden: 

Courtesy of Joe Biden's senatorial Web site

Background: 
• Born in Scranton, Pa., on Nov. 20, 1942
• Graduated from the University of Delaware with degrees in history and political science in 1965 and from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1968
• Elected as U.S. senator from Delaware in 1972
• Passed College Affordability and Creating Chances for Educational Success for Students Act in 2007

Abortion/Stem Cell Research: 
• Does not support overturning Roe v. Wade
• Does not support federal funding for abortion
• Does not support partial-birth abortion
• Supports federal funding for stem cell research

Economy: 
• Emphasizes growing middle class
• Disagrees with widespread deregulation
• Believes funds should be redistributed from the military to other government programs such as education and health care

Education: 
• Prioritizes increased pay for teachers and smaller class sizes
• Supports increased tax credits for college students
• Believes in either eliminating or overhauling No Child Left Behind

Energy: 
• Voted to ban drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Believes the standards for automobile mileage should be increased
• Supports increased usage of flex-fuel automobiles

Environment: 
• Believes climate change is manmade
• Supports advancing clean coal technology and capping carbon emissions
• Hopes to create jobs by building more sources for wind and solar power

Health Care:
• Supports universal health coverage, especially full coverage for children
• Repeatedly voted to decrease costs of prescription drugs and to let Medicare cover prescription drug costs  

Iraq War: 
• Supports Obama’s plan to withdraw troops on a timeline of about 18 months
• Does not believe last year’s surge of troops was effective

Palin Campaign at Elon University

Palin fans gather on Elon University's Latham Field

A woman buys a McCain/Palin button

 

 

Vendors surrounded the baseball field

 

Rodney Hall stands next to his painting of Sarah Palin

 

Discarded signs at the end of the rally

Parsing Palin

Palin Makes campaign stop at Elon University, subjects speech to scrutiny

by Rebecca Wetherbee

Oct. 16, 2008

Sarah Palin at Elon University, Courtesy of The Pendulum

As Election Day draws near, Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin starts to get serious. In the previous months, she has developed a reputation as a real folksy, backwoods woman—thanks in part to the “real world” rhetoric for which she’s become famous. But at Palin’s campaign stop Thursday at Elon University, she only indulged in one “You betcha!”

It is no surprise that Palin is watching her words—she has attracted a good deal of criticism regarding her diction, word choice and grammar since she started campaigning.

Her speeches and interviews are peppered with colloquialisms like “you betcha,” “doggone,” “darn right” and gerunds with dropped Gs. She punctuates points with playful winks. It is as if embracing the American vernacular equates to embracing all American ideals, like the hard-earned success of Joe Six-pack and Joe the Plumber, the characters meant to represent average Americans.

Reaching the Common Folk

She is developing a rhetorical style that is unprecedented by the candidates of recent years, and its effectiveness has mixed reviews. “It’s plowing some new ground,” said Michael Strickland, a lecturer in English at Elon University. “It’s not just the language, it’s a method of rhetorical delivery—body language, facial expressions…You’ve got all the eye winks and the shoulder wags. That’s a very endearing thing.”

“A great deal of Palin’s speech focuses on maintaining and reinforcing an ethos that links her to the ‘common folk’ and represents the antithesis of what Obama has been constructed as: the slick intellectual,” said Tim Peeples, the associate dean of the Elon College of Arts and Sciences. “The winks, the references to ‘Joe Six-pack,’ the ‘you betcha’s’—these are all rhetorical ways of re-creating that ethos.”

So how well do her techniques fair with the average voter? “It makes her sound more like us,” said Amy Scott, a business owner who attended the Elon rally. “She’s not [like us], but it’s the closest we’ve had in a while.”

Relatability, however, is not a characteristic every voter desires. “They try to make her sound more like a local and an everyday person,” said Patrick Lane, a junior at Elon University. “It’s cutesy and I think it sounds contrived. I don’t want my politicians to be everyday people; I want them to be better.”

Friend or Faux?

But most of Palin’s followers believe that her speech is authentic and more than just a technique. “She’s purely herself,” said Annette Beeler, a broker. “I don’t think she puts on.”

David Chandler, a furniture designer, agreed. “She’s honest in herself,” he said. “She’s comfortable in her skin.”

“Some of [the rhetoric] is, of course, is amplified by her handlers to appeal to the much larger base that she’s going for right now,” said Strickland.

“I think it’s appropriate for her audience,” said Kelley Shannon, a vendor at the rally. “She’s playing to her audience, but all politicians do that.”

A number of the rally’s attendees were thankful for Palin’s natural ability to deliver a speech, especially since her party’s opponent, Barack Obama, is known for his eloquence and articulation. “When you have someone as mainstream as Barack Obama, and McCain isn’t a very good speaker, it’s nice to have someone who can speak to real people, to the middle class,” said Justin Loy, a nuclear inspector.

Amanda Duberman, a sophomore at Elon well known for her participation in College Democrats, acknowledged Palin’s positive influence on the McCain campaign. “She’s trying the whole folksy thing,” she said. “McCain’s having a hard time shoring up the base, and she does that with Joe Six-pack and all that.”

Public Displays of Deflection

Even though she makes speeches with confidence and poise, critics still accuse her of faltering when forced to make unscripted responses. Palin faced an enormous amount of criticism after her interviews with Charlie Gibson on ABC’s World News Tonight, Sean Hannity on Fox New’s Hannity & Colmes and Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News.

When put on the spot, Palin produced what some critics call “word salads,” or sentences which were completely grammatically incorrect, left thoughts unfinished and revealed little true meaning.

In fact, Tina Fey, a Palin look-alike and comedienne on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, inspired wild laughter from the studio audience after repeating, almost verbatim, Palin’s responses during her interview with Couric.

 

Kitty Burns Florey, an author and guest writer for Slate.com, decided to analyze Palin’s “word salads” in the most objective way possible: she diagrammed them. This excerpt is from the Couric interview:

“It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where—where do they go?”

The diagram of that sentence is relatively neat, but Florey’s design is much more convoluted when it represents how Palin avoids sharing her opinion of the Bush Doctrine during the Gibson interview:

“I know that John McCain will do that and I, as his vice president, families we are blessed with that vote of the American people and are elected to serve and are sworn in on January 20, that will be our top priority is to defend the American people.”

 

“To me, it’s not English,” said Florey in her blog, “Diagramming Sarah.” “It’s a collection of words strung together to elicit a reaction, floating ands and prepositional phrases (‘with that vote of the American people’) be damned.”

After breaking a sweat just trying to analyze Palin’s grammar, Florey is skeptical of Palin’s potential. “Do we really want to be led by someone who, when asked a straightforward question, flails around like an undergraduate who stayed up all night boozing instead of studying for the exam?” she asked.

Strickland, a careful observer of grammar in his own right, comes to Palin’s defense. “I’m not so sure there’s a direct correlation between intelligence and being able to speak articulately,” he said. “I do think it’s an important political skill. But it’s a skill and there’s practice involved.”

Strickland believes that Palin’s days in pageantry may be to blame.  Participants are trained to respond to questions without hesitation even if their responses cannot compete with the eloquence of a carefully crafted speech.

So, if a real, down-home candidate is what voters want, then they should look no further than Sarah Palin. And if linguists and grammarians are lacking in water cooler talk, then the McCain/Palin ticket should satisfy them, too.

N.C.-based Wachovia bought by Wells Fargo

by Rebecca Wetherbee

Oct. 15, 2008

Citigroup Inc. withdrew from negotiations with Wells Fargo & Co. Thursday night over the acquisition of Charlotte-based Wachovia Corp., which has been struggling as a result of the country’s economic crisis.  The New York City-based Citigroup announced its plan to purchase Wachovia on Sept. 29 for $2 billion, or the equivalent of $1 per share.  Citigroup would have absorbed nearly $42 billion in losses as a result of the merger, but the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation would have been responsible for picking up the slack, absorbing a remaining $270 billion dollars on Citigroup’s behalf.

Within days after Citigroup announced their plan for acquisition, Wells Fargo presented a better deal, offering to buy Wachovia for $15 billion, or $7 per share, leaving no additional costs to the FDIC.  The deal was confirmed Thursday night, though Wachovia’s price tag was lowered to $11.7 billion. 

Representatives for Citigroup say that Wachovia defied an exclusivity agreement with Citigroup by discussing merger possibilities with another bank.  Currently, Citigroup plans to take Wells Fargo/Wachovia to New York Supreme Court and seek $60 billion dollars in damages for Wachovia’s withdrawal from the deal.

This is not the first time the banks have been to court—Citigroup took the banks to New York Supreme Court on Oct. 4 in hopes of stopping further negotiations.  As a result, the Federal Reserve urged the two banks to settle matters privately and barred Wells Fargo and Wachovia from making any decisions until Oct. 6. 

Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf made a statement late Thursday assuring Wachovia employees that large-scale layoffs are not a part of their acquisition plan.  “We know this has been a time of great uncertainty for Wachovia team members and many of its customers as their company has gone through a very painful and challenging time,” he said.  “We want to assure them we’ll do everything we can to make the integration of our operations as smooth as possible. An important measure of success for this integration will be our ability to retain as many of the talented Wachovia team members as possible.” 

His statement comes as a relief after the past several months when many Wachovia employees were laid-off as a result of Wachovia’s crumbling financial standing.  Analysts believe that Wachovia’s acquisition of Golden West Financial Corp., a California-based franchise that provided adjustable-rate mortgages, played a large part in weakening Wachovia’s mortgage portfolio.  But for employees who have already lost their jobs, Stumpf’s response came too late. 

“My sister lives in Charlotte and she’s having a fit because a lot of her friends have lost their jobs,” said Meredith Larkin, a junior, who proves that North Carolinians are feeling the sting. 

As of yet, it is unclear what other effects may result from the merger, but Wells Fargo is doing its best to keep Wachovia’s infrastructure intact.  Because the two banks are headquartered on opposite coasts, there is little geographic overlap between their branches, meaning that most of the remaining job losses will occur at a corporate level rather than a local one.   

The Wells-Wachovia franchise will become the nation’s third-largest banking firm, rivaling Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase & Co.