Starting in 2005, the Reserve Enlisted Training Corp (RETC) allows children from ages 10 to 18 to learn the army regiments without fear of peer pressure in school. The after school program enforces skills such as marching and drills in a fun environment. Lt. Col. Jack Thomas works with these young children and says he’s amazed at how interested the children are when they come into the program, especially the young girls. In the following video Lt. Col. Thomas and the children explain the best part of the RETC program and what they are preparing to do in the future.
Los Angeles Celebrates Veterans at the Port
On November 10, 2012, thousands of Los Angeles residents came out the the Port of Los Angeles in recognition and celebration of Veterans. The celebration, put on by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and over one hundred and fifty veteran groups in Los Angeles County, included free hot dogs, chips, popcorn and shaved ice as well as a collaboration of music groups for all to enjoy and free tours of the USS Iowa Battleship, that was brought to Los Angeles’ port at the beginning of the summer.
Villaraigosa said, “the celebration was the first, but it certainly will not be the last.”
It’s that time of year again- Halloween Horror Nights 2012
For 19 nights, Universal Studios Hollywood is unleashing classic monsters inside the park to terrify park guests after park hours. Watch an exclusive sneak peak into the new mazes and attractions available to the public for an additional ticket price.
So hurry up and purchase your own halloween horror night ticket for just sixty six dollars. Don’t let an event like this pass you by. Tickets sell out fast.
Coastal Clean Up— Make a Difference
The third Saturday of every month, an organization called Heal The Bay meets at various beaches all along California’s Coast in an effort to make a difference to the landscape and ocean.
The largest Coastal Clean Up was held on Saturday, September 15, 2012 from 10 to noon at the Santa Monica Pier and more than a thousand residents came out to clean up the beaches.
To learn more about how you can do your part in preserving our national beaches for future generations, visit the Local page of Heal The Bay.
If we all get together, we can make a difference.
The Importance of Water
Water.
A human body is made up of over 70 percent of it and thus is one of the most important elements for people.
Photo Infographic courtesy of http://questioShe adds, that water is important for “keeping yourself hydrated and cool”.
Twenty four year old Jovi Hinojosa of Sylmar, Calif. says though soda is refreshing, “on a hot day, it doesn’t give you the same energy that water does. It just makes you tired.”
1450-much-our-bodies-made-water
Accordingto wikihow.com, there are nine steps listed to help one drink more water and be in better health.
The following video explains this process.
Video created by Ervin Ruhe Jr
Courtesy of www.wikihow.com
So what are you waiting for, put that can of soda down and let’s all drink water.
Anonymous Sources: What are the Advantages and Disadvantages?
Anonymous Sources!
They’re in Front Page News Sections, but when should one use them?
According to the Associated Press stylebook, an anonymous source should only be used when the source absolutely insists on remaining “off the record”.
Journalists therefore must follow a “strict set of guidelines” when going this way. Above all the source must be information driven not opinion and must be vital to the news report.
A 2005 report of major front-page news found “13 percent used anonymous sources” as the basis for telling the story.
In response, Los Angeles Resident, Roxana Jimenez says, “If you can find 87 percent of sources that are willing to be sited, than you can find 13 percent, so there’s really no excuse to use anonymous sources, especially when you want your stuff to be credible.”
The truth of the matter is any reporter who uses an anonymous source “must get approval from their news managers” and must explain why the source chose to remain anonymous. (AP Stylebook)
Jimenez says, “The only place she thinks using an anonymous source is acceptable is in tabloids.”
In a post on Facebook, Saharra Kalyesubula from West Hills, Calif., answers the number one reason for using anonymous sources is “to protect the innocent.”
Automatic License Plate Readers: ‘Invasion of Privacy’ or ‘For our protection’?
The recent addition of License Plate Scanners to Law Enforcement cars in roughly 38 States is raising concern amongst residents.
In San Diego, Calif, the cameras have been in use for four months and the Sheriff’s Department Spokeswoman, Jan Caldwell, confirms that the cameras have helped recover a “stolen car within the first ten minutes” of deployment.
But groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa (ACLU) argue that the cameras “represent a potential threat to the privacy of Innocent (people)”.
In California, there are distinct laws regarding invasion of privacy—
- If a person “knowingly enters onto a land of another person without permission.”
- And If they “attempts to capture, in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person, any type of visual image, sound recording, or other physical impression” of person
The scanners are meant to help law enforcement fight crime and terrorism, but in a report from
“ACLU says, their biggest concern is figuring out ‘how long the location and movements of people are being kept on file’ after the pictures are taken by cameras mounted on police cars.In a question posted on Facebook that asked if “License plate scanners should be used to curb crime or if they are an invasion of privacy”, Manuel Vasquez of San Fernando, Calif. answered, “Invasion of Privacy”.
Thus far in Los Angeles County, according to a the July 2012 report in the Police Chief Magazine, there are only “12 cars fully installed with the systems, 8 in the Compton area and 4 in the La Habra Heights area.”
Service Animals: The Results
As concluded from a poll done via Facebook on July 21, 2012, few people know or understand what a service animal is.
When asked what is the most common place to see a service animal, the only response was at hospitals.
In conducting research results using Storify where we looked at social networks and how service animals are used in the disabled community, we found that people tweeted, “I’m pretty sure a live rat is not considered a service animal…” when seen on public transportation. In the same way, Whatdisability.com, posted another survey asking, “Should Miniature Horses be Equally Excepted as Service animals.
The truth is service animals have come a long way from what they started off as. On July 15, 2012, a video narrative showed the journey from the first known service dogs who helped Civil War Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, to the opening of Guide Dogs of America, who has been training and placing dogs with the blind for over sixty years and the recent addition of service cats and monkeys who are being trained to help the paralyzed as well individuals with Autism and Depression.
(Table created by rebecca.savransky)
A question was asked on facebook, “What kind of animal have you seen as a service animal?” These are the results. The number one animal was the dog followed by a cat.
So a followup question can be raised as a result… Are people so oblivious to the disabled community that they don’t recognize different animals in their own community until one comes on the bus and sits down next to them?
Over the next couple of months, it will be this site’s goal to bring a different look into the world of service animals and allow people to see the variety of service animals in their area, through exclusive one on one interviews with individuals who train and use service animals as an aid to their disability. It will also look at how individuals and businesses view allowing different service animals in public places.
So stay tuned and follow the exclusive coverage into this vastly emerging topic.
Service Animals- How noticeable are they to the public?
Over the past months, service animals have been a topic of discussion especially in determining what type of service animals should be aiding the disabled community.
As we’ve previously reported, service animals have long history in the United States beginning with the soldiers in the Civil War. Now there are a wide variety of animals that people claim are aiding the disabled community in many different ways.
Take this survey now and answer the question how many service animals have you seen in your area…
Stay tuned in the months to come, as we further explore all aspects of service animals and determine if a therapy cat can be as affective to a person in need as a Guide Dog…
Service Animals- How Far Have We Come?
A look at how far we’ve gotten with service animals of all sizes that are able to help individuals live independent lives, but how far is too far.
Does size make the difference or do best things come in small packages?
Watch this compilation of videos to see just how many types of service animals are available to the disabled community.