Census info

1. What’s the population of Washington state?

    a. What's the percent change since 2000? 13.1%

    b. Go back to the main page. Now look at 'Washington' under the 'Area Profile with QuickFacts.'

            1. In terms of percent increase, which has grown faster in the past decade -- Washington or the U.S.?

            2. What's the median household income in Washington as of 2008?

            3. What's the national median income?

            4. Let's look at ethnicity: Identify one way in which Washington's population differs from the U.S. population.

2. Now look at Whitman County.

    a. What's the population?

    b. What was the percent increase from 2000 to 2009? 4.8%

    c. In 2000, what percent of the population had a bachelor’s degree? What was the percent statewide? 44%, statewide: 27.7%

    d. Median household income?

    e. Persons below poverty in 2008?

3. Let's go deeper. Near the top of the page, click on 'Browse data sets for Whitman County.' You'll find a slew of entry points into the U.S. Census Bureau database. This is a great area if you're interested in finding a particular fact (how much federal $ came into the county last year), as well as if you're just browsing, looking for a little light reading.

Click on the 'Building Permits 2009.'

a. Find the annual total construction costs for building permits for Pullman from 2004 to 2009. Report it for each individual year.

b. Write a lede based on the trend you see in this information.

c. Let's explore other public data online. Type "google public data" into your search engine. Click on "explore the data," and then Unemployment in the U.S.

    1. Click on "By State," and then "Unemployment Rate." What's the current U.S. unemployment rate?

    2. List the month and year for the highest national unemployment rate in the last 60 years.

    3. Now limit the data for Washington state. What's the current state unemployment rate? Has the unemployment rate increased or decreased since January 2010?

    4. This is application is part of Google Labs. As such, it has some quirks. Click on the "+" sign next to Washington to open up more options, then click on Counties, and Whitman County. What's the most recent unemployment rate? What was the rate in August 2000?

    Note: If the data doesn't appear, click "clear selections" at the bottom of the page.

    5. Now find your home county, even if it's not in Washington state (provided it is in the U.S.!) What's the current unemployment rate in your home county?

d. Let's explore some of the data here on campus by checking in with the Washington Center for Real Estate Research (http://www.wcrer.wsu.edu/). Click on the 2010 Q2 housing report.

    1. What's the percent change in the number of building permits issued during the past year? What does that tell us about the housing situation in Whitman County?

    2. What was the median resale home price? How much did it change in the past year? How much did prices decline statewide?

    3. Write a lede based on one of these pieces of information.

4. Return to the Census homepage (http://www.census.gov/). The Census is spewing out data this year. Let's look at the most recent reports. Under "Newsroom," click on "Releases."

                             1. Click on the Oct. 22 tip sheet. Scroll down to the Recently Released data. Click on the American Community Survey.

                             2. Scroll down the page and click on the food stamp program. What's the percent increase in food stamp use from 2008 to 2009 in Washington state? Nationally?

                             3. Scan the page for two other recently released reports that might interest you. List one fact from each of the two reports you choose.

II. Federal grants and insurance

Who needs government? Well, Whitman County certainly received some federal help last year. But we want to know how much.

But fumbling through this site can be cumbersome. Plus, the Census Bureau isn't the only government site with information on Whitman County. If only there were an easier way to search all these sites at once (ah, but there is!)

Go to Google/unclesam is a powerful tool that let’s us search all “.gov” Web sites. Go to the search bar and type  “whitman county federal funds.”

a. Click on the first link. Is this website operated by the state or federal government?

                             1. Click or search for 'Consolidated Federal Funds Report.' At the top of the page, click on 'Online Query System.'

                             2.  Under ‘Available Data,’ choose 2009 and Geography (Federal data almost always lags a year behind). Click ‘Submit.’

     3. On the next page, choose ‘Washington’ and ‘Yes’ on County. We want ‘All Fund Types.’

                             4. On the next page, choose Whitman County.

                    a.  How much did Whitman County farmers receive in Crop Insurance? (Hint: Scroll to the bottom of the page?

                    b.  Tracking grants can also help us identify news stories. How much did Whitman County receive in grants (block, formula, project, etc.)?

                                c.  Name three of the grants.

             b. Return to the Whitman County page. (If you can't find it, return to Google/UncleSam and search for "Whitman County OFM.")

                1. Click on "Criminal Justice." Click on the Databook for 1990 to 2008.

                2. Click on the data for Whitman County.

                3. How many murders are recorded in Whitman County since 1990?

                4. How many rapes were recorded last year?

                5. Look at the number of Adult Arrests -- how many arrest for rape last year?

                6. Why is there a difference between the Crime Index and the Adult Arrests?

Show don't tell

One of the photos I chose was the second photo. It showed the entire town almost completely covered in water. It basically summed up the devastation to the main city as well as the residential area caused by all the flooding. You can see bridges coming in and out of the water, and freeways that simply just end into the water.

The second picture I chose was the shot of the thousands of people trying to get onto the bus going to Houston's Astrodome. You can see just a sea of people with exhausted and frustrated looks on their faces. Also you can see those carrying what remains from their personal possessions. It also looks like people are yelling at eachother and pushing forward.

"Thousands of people push forward in the unruly line waiting for a bus to Houston's astrodome. A desperate attempt to get out of town results in a chaotic eruption of tense frustration from the core of the crowd."

Edit your peers

Edit Your Peers

Our writing continues to improve. But let’s eliminate these stubborn errors.

1. According to opensecrets.org Sen. Patty Murray had raised nearly $11.8 million.

Senator Patty Murray raised $11,781,217, according to the website opensecrets.org.

2.  “I am for state taxes,” said Alexa Mays, Junior Broadcast Production major, “They pay for everything from firefighters to the legislature.”

"I am for state taxes," said Alexa Mays, junior broadcast production major, "They pay for everything from firefighters to the legislature"

3. Wes Smith, Principle at Pullman High School, said the state run liquor stores have a monopoly on sales.

The state-run liquor stores have a monopoly on sales, said Wes Smith, Pullman High School principal.

4. The President of the Washington Restaurant Association, Kevin Wilson, said, “I’m a big fan of the initiative, it is all about the little guy trying to get bigger.”

"I'm a big fan of the initiative," Kevin Wilson, the President of the Washington Restaurant Association said," it is all about the little guy trying to get bigger."

5. 70 percent of the revenue would fund public education beginning November 14, 2011.

Beginning Nov. 14, 2011, 70 percent of the revenue would fund public education.

6. Last month, United States army officials asked congress to clarify it’s policy on gays in the military.

U.S. Army officials asked congress to clarify its policy on gays in the military last month.

7. Washington State marks up hard alcohol 51.9%.

Washington state marks up hard alcohol by almost 52 percent.

8. Many WSU students travel sixteen miles roundtrip to Moscow, Id., to purchase cheaper alcohol.

Many WSU students travel 16 miles roundtrip to Moscow, Idaho, to purchase cheaper alcohol.

9. Jennifer Sessions, a Senior Spanish major, posted flyers in support of I-1098.

Jennifer Sessions, senior Spanish major, posted fliers in support of I-1098.

10. Bobson said “I think it would have been cool to do something like that as a freshman, I know my parents would have loved it”

"I think it would have been cool to do something like that as a freshman, Bobson said. "I know my parents would have loved it."

Two possible trends to write about

1. 58% of Washington's homeless children are white, 28% are hispanic, and 10% are black.
- I think this is an interesting trend to write about because I don't think it is necessarily known or assumed. I think it is something that we don't necessarily consider. Also this is not exactly how homelessness is portrayed in the media. Usually minorities are depicted as homeless or heading that way on the media.

2. A full time worker earning minimum wage ($8.07 per hour) in washington would need to work close to 80 hours per week for 52 weeks a year in order to afford a 2-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent.
- I think that this is an interesting trend to write about because usually this is not something we think about when thinking about homelessness. We most often perceive homeless people as people who don't try to get work or can't because of lack of education or disability. We don't usually consider how expensive it actually to live in even the least luxurious of places. This is a devastating trend that should be reported on, exposing extremely high living expenses.

Article questions on The New Gold Mine...

1. The author of The New Gold Mine: Your Personal Information and Tracking Data Online enriched the story by recording how her subject was so initially surprised when told of the information attached to her "code". That gives the reader a sense of how it can effect everyone. How if you were told how much information you gave up online you would probably react similarly, which makes the story easier to relate to.
2. The author says that online tracking is not new. That it has been around for decades, it has just recently gotten more intricate. When the author quotes David Moore he brings up a interesting point concerning the advertising world and how this form of data tracking advertising is gaining popularity and success. "When an ad is targeted properly, it ceases to be an ad, it becomes important information," he says. This suggests that advertisers goal is for their ad to become "important information" to the perfect audience. So this form of advertising is certainly becoming a trend for advertisers to stay in business. 

Initiatives 1100 and 1105 story

Many people are still unsure about the alcohol initiatives.

A wide spectrum of opinions suggests that the state is still generally undecided about Initiatives 1100 and 1105.

While these two initiatives seem similar, much of the voter confusion can be attributed to their differences.

I-1100 would mean the closing of state liquor stores, and less power given to the Liquor Control Board to tax and regulate licensing, according to the 2010 General Election Voter’s Guide. Also under this initiative, any “general liquor retailer’s license” would allow the sale of wine, beer and hard alcohol, eliminating the middleman distributor.

I-1105 would change the Liquor Control Board’s powers as well, but keeping the middleman distributor. They would issue a “spirits distributor license” allowing a sale to anyone holding that license, according to the voter’s guide.

Naturally the main appealing factor of I-1100 to Washington State students in the small town of Pullman is the drop in cost for consumers, because of the removal of the high tax.

“I think that it should be passed because it would lower the taxes on alcohol making it much cheaper,” said Lauren Reed, Junior Biology Major.

The state marks up hard liquor by 51 percent in addition to imposing the highest liquor taxes in the nation, according to Craig Groshart from the Bellevue Reporter.

“WSU students would care because we’re all going to school paying a lot of money so having alcohol available to people over 21 would be cheaper and more accessible,” said Reed, although admitted she was not sure if this would be totally positive.

Even within the wine industry, potentially greatly affected by these initiatives, there are differences in opinion.

“There are two kinds of producer; medium-to-large, and small-to-medium,” said Roger Gamache, of Gamache Vintners. “Small wineries feel they may get gobbled up, but it may be good for the big guys, depending on if you are open to the competition.”

Competition would result from the initiative removing state restrictions that prevented discounted prices, negotiated payment schedules and so forth according to Mike Veseth from the Wine Economist.

“We ‘self distribute’ in Washington state and being forced to go through a wholesaler would be very detrimental too us,” said Cathy Betz of Betz Family Winery. “We would lose control on where our wines are sold.  We also appreciate the safeguards that 1100 would remove.”

More than anything, it’s the overall confusion of the initiatives that is the problem says Gamache.

“I’m not a big initiative fan, it is all about the big guy trying to get bigger, generally this means the amount of producers will get smaller, said Gamache. ““I think these initiatives are poorly written, they are confusing and they cross over each other.”

Although relatively new to the wine industry, Washington State it is now the second largest wine producer in the nation, according to the Washington Wine commission. It is amongst a minority of states with state controlled liquor sales.

Sources:

Lauren Reed (in-person interview): 509-860-7362

Roger Gamache: 509-539-0295 roger@gamachevintners.com

Cathy Betz: 425-861-9823 Cathy@betzfamilywinery.com

“Washington Wine.” Washington Wine Commission. http://www.washingtonwine.org/washington-wine/

“I-1100 and I-1105.” 2010 General Election Voters’ guide.

http://wei.secstate.wa.gov/osos/en/PreviousElections/2010/general/Pages/OVG_20101102.aspx

Craig Groshart.“Liquor initiatives: 'Yes' on I-1100, 'No' on I-1105” Bellevue Reporter. 4.Oct. 2010. http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/bel/opinion/104984984.html

Mike Veseth. “Economic effects of alcohol initiatives.” The Wine Economist. 12 Oct. 2010. http://wineeconomist.com/2010/10/

Outline

I. Explanation of both initiatives

      - Differences between I-1100 and I-1105

      - Student perspective

II. Different impact on small and large wineries

      - Costco’s influence

      - Small wineries perspective

III. Confusion of initiatives

      - Winery’s frustration with initiative

      - Biggest problem

Math quiz

1. Last year, your business spent $83,000 for computer upgrades. This year, it will spend 5 percent less. How much will it spend this year?
$78,850

2. The AP Style quiz was taken by 177 students. Twenty-three failed. What percent passed?
87.1%

3. A college’s budget increases from $100 million to $120 million. What's the percent increase?
20%
(New Value - Original Value)/Original Value
4. a. Times are tough on College Hill. Your pizza budget has been cut from $200 to $150. What was the percent decrease?
25%

    b. Bonus! You win $50 in a local pageant. Your pizza budget just jumped from $150 to $200. What was the percent increase?
33.3%

5. Last year, your property tax bill was $1,152. This year, it rose to $1,275. What’s the percent increase?
10.6%
6. Research funding at WSU increased 40 percent this year to $218 million. What was the funding last year?
$155,000,000
7. Joe Smith wants to build a 2,500-square-foot house for him. The builder tells him it will cost $112 a square foot to build. How much will the house cost?
$280,000

8. Desperate for revenue, the government decides to increase the tax on beer. The tax was 5 percent. But now it's jumped to 6 percent.

     a. What’s the percent increase?
20%
     b. What’s the percentage increase?
1%

9. Let’s say someone wants to establish a University District. To gain support, he/she needs to establish that safety is a problem in the area. So, Pullman had 183 assaults last year. Spokane had 502. Spokane has 200,000 people. Pullman has 25,000. How do we compare those two numbers? Is the average person more likely to be assaulted in Spokane or Pullman? (Again, not real figures.)
Pullman: 0.0073 x 1000 = 7.3
Spokane: 0.0025 x 1000 = 2.51

10. Five houses sold in your neighborhood for the following prices: $225,000;  $207,000; $3.2 million; $129,000; $192,000.

     a. What’s the mean price?
$6,550,600
     b. What’s the median?
$207,000

To publish or not to publish

I wouldn't publish this story because there isn't adequate proof that the accusation is warranted. The reporter has a unanimous source which could be reliable or not. But I would press the reporter to look further into the issue and look for a source that maybe would be willing to give their name. That way if this accusation is true, it would look more legitimate in print, and defend the publication and the reporter from law suits. A story this huge, one that could ruin the reputation of the senator very easily, should not be printed if there is even a chance that it is false.

oxford comma

 

Correct the following sentences. If the sentence is already correct, write “correct.”

1. He looked through the door, but he did not see anyone inside the church.

2. "We could wait to see if anyone else comes, or we could go back home," she said.

3. Reed, a graduate of Washington State University, was elected Secretary of State in 2000.

4. The organization paid the speaker $1,000, but its officers were unable to attend the event.

5. According to Washington state law, bars will become smoke-free on Feb. 15.

6. He saw Karen and they had coffee.

7. The bales are then sold to a processing center in Tacoma, Wash., which ships them to Moscow, Idaho.

8. It was raining so we stayed home.

9. Later he phoned again.

correct

10. This will end up effecting consumers, she said.

11. He introduced the speaker to Floyd, Moos and Wulff.

Appositions, hyperbatons and non-restrictive relative clauses: We don't need to remember the names of these grammar tools. But let's look at how they can help us form shorter descriptive phrases. In other words, squish these two sentences into one.

1. Sam Reed spoke at the Honors College on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Reed is a graduate of Washington State University.
Sam Reed, Washington State University graduate, spoke at the Honors College on Wednesday, Sept. 22.

2. The concert will be held on Friday night. The concert is part of WSU's Homecoming Weekend.
The concert, part of WSU's Homecoming Weekend, will be held Friday night.

3. President Elson S. Floyd promised he would lobby legislators in Olympia. Floyd is frustrated by cuts to higher education.
President Elson S. Floyd, frustrated by cuts to higher education, promised he would lobby legislators in Olympia.

Initiative questions

1.$44,952,015.27
2.$15,306,285.58
3. STOP THE FOOD & BEVERAGE TAX HIKES
4.CIT TO PROTECT OUR ECONOMIC FUTURE
5.
6. $14,448,077.83
7.
8.AMERICAN BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION
9. National
10. From 5/27/10-8/26/10
11. 8
12. 11.2 million
13. Jack B Korsten, Daniel A Kraft, Janet M Valley, Mark A Baldwin, Frank W Byles
14. 0.00127 %
15.  In-Kind contributions are non-cash contributions, so donating services that save the committee money. (e.g. offering free advertising promoting a cause, wedding present is photography of the wedding, volunteering time to help at promotional functions)
16. 11.2 million?
17.

Questions

1. How did you initially get into journalism?

2. Why did you choose politics as your specialty?

3. How do you separate your personal opinion from your reporting?

Income tax

I think that people who earn more should be taxed more. If it is the other way around, we are furthering the income gap between the wealthy and the poor.