Source #15

TITLE: The Big Money behind Americans for Prosperity 

SUMMARY: This article is a criticism of the national conservative advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity (AFP.) The current agenda  of AFP is to inform the public of the supposed “global warming hysteria” that has seized the government and lobbyists. The AFP argues that claims of global warming are bogus, and that any national efforts to convert to a new energy economy and focus on green sector development will be disastrously expensive for Americans. This article is an investigative piece that exposes who funds the AFP, the internal details of the organizations politics, and the monetary benefits the AFP receives from its conservative supporters for promoting an anti-Stimulus movement. Some of its largest donors include American oil baron Fred C. Koch, ExxonMobile, and many other business and corporate giants who have always lobbied against any type of climate control legislation. 

TOPIC: The political activities promoting deregulation of climate change policies promoted by conservative think tank group, Americans for Prosperity. 

CATEGORY: Citizen (blog) 

WHAT IS IT? A post written by Kevin Grandia for blogging community Desmogblog.com

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: Desmogblog.com, February 26, 2009  

AUTHOR: Kevin Grandia 

LOCATION: http://www.desmogblog.com/big-money-behind-americans-prosperity

ACCESSED: February 26, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* Americans for Prosperity (AFP), Washington D.C.-based conservative advocacy group  
* FreedomWorks, Washington D.C.-based conservative non-profit group
* Koch Family of Foundations, group of American charities associated with oil baron Fred C. Koch  
* Charles G. Koch, CEO and chairman of the board of Koch Industries  
*  Media Transparency Project, independent project that tracks the financial activities and political impacts of American conservative think tanks
* Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, member charity of Koch Family Foundations
* Cato Institute, Washington D.C.-based libertarian think tank
* George Mason University Foundation,  non-profit organization exclusively for George Mason University 
* Koch Industries, private corporation based in Wichita, KS focusing on manufacturing and trade investments
* Forbes, American publishing and media company  
* ExxonMobile, American oil and gas corporation
* ExxonSecrets, Greenpeace research project  
* Tim Phillips, AFP President
* American Council for Capitol Formation (ACCF), conservative research and political advocacy group 
* Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), conservative research and educational institution   
* Nancy Pfotenahuer, President of Independent Women’s Forum 
*  Scaife Family Foundations, organization funding conservative political action 
* Heather R. Riggins, chariman of the Independent Women’s Foundation
* Randolph Foundation, New York-based charity foundation
* Philanthropy Roundtable, private non-partisan educational organization  
* Americans for Tax Reform, interest group focusing on U.S. tax reduction
* Competitive Enterprise Institute,  public policy organization focusing on governmental deregulation of business and commercial interests 
* Frontiers of Freedom, conservative educational and public policy institute
* Reason Foundation, American libertarian non-profit think tank  
* U.S. President Barack Obama  

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: The Desmogblog is an independent project that was established in January of 2006. The mission statement on its website claims it has “become the world’s number one source for accurate, fact based information regarding Global Warming misinformation campaigns.” The project was founded by the Canada-based public relations firm James Hoggan and Associates. The activities and articles by Desmogblog have gained national media attention. Major news resources such as the New York Times and the Huffington Post have published its articles and posts. This online community works closely with established scientists and experts in the field of climate policy to support its claims and mission. The project maintains a blog dedicated to educating the public about climate policy. Financial supporters for the Desmogblog project are the Lefebvre Foundation (dedicated to serving underprivileged youth in the Kansas City area), the Roddick Foundation (family-run progressive activism organization), and the Endwell Foundation (Canada-based environmental sustainability advocacy group.) 

USEFULNESS: The main reason I am using this article as a source note is because I need more collected research on what opponents of the 2009 Stimulus are arguing. This article solely focuses on the internal workings of Americans for Prosperity, a wealthy conservative policy organization based in Washington D.C. Not surprisingly, AFP rallied heavily against the passage of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, claiming the Stimulus would be an expensive economical disaster that middle-class Americans will have to pay for. What the AFP failed to mention during its No Stimulus Rally was that one of its most generous sponsors is the Koch Family Foundation, a collective American charity group established by the oil barons in the Koch Family. The blog post included official documented statistics and reports of the funding and grants AFP has received from dozens of conservative advocacy and education institutions. Reading this article infuriated me, and only confirmed the importance of my Should question: The United States Federal Government should focus on green job and green economy development. If America were to agree with the AFP by not approving the Stimulus package, we would continue to allow the deregulation of energy production, a practice that would continue to hinder the development of an effective green collar economy. This blog proves the conservative stance against the Stimulus exists for the selfish monetary interests of corporate giants. It also listed many links and resources to other conservative policy groups, which will be useful for me in collecting more research for different arguments against my Should question. 

WORKS CITED: 
* American Council for Capital Formation. 

http://www.accf.org/about.php

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Americans for Prosperity. “About AFP.” AFP Blog, 2008.

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/about

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Americans for Prosperity. “AFP Launches Virginia Global Warming Ads.” AFP Blog, 2008. 

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/021009-afp-launches-virginia-ads

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Americans for Prosperity. “AFP State Chapters.” AFP Blog, 2008. 

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/state-chapters

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Americans for Prosperity. “Hot Air Tour.”

http://www.hotairtour.org/

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Americans for Prosperity. “Hot Air Tour: Videos from Dallas.” AFP Blog, 2008. 

http://hotairtour.org/index.php?content=dalvids

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Americans for Prosperity. “Senator James Inhofe Speaks at AFP NoStimulus Rally.” AforP, YouTube.Com. February 6, 2009. 

Accessed February 26, 2009.
* Desmogblog.com. “Americans for Prosperity (AFP.)” No individual author or post date listed.

http://www.desmogblog.com/americans-prosperity-history-research-background-funding

Accessed February 26, 2009. 
* ExxonSecrets.org. “Factsheet: Citizens for a Sound Economy and CSE Educational Foundation, CSE.” No publication date or author listed. 

http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=27

Accessed February 26, 2009.
* ExxonSecrets.org. “Factsheet: American Council for Capitol Formation Center for Policy Research, ACCF.” No publication date or author listed. 

http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=77

Accessed February 26, 2009 

* FreedomWorks: Lower Taxes, Less Government, More Freedom 

http://www.freedomworks.org/

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Forbes.com. “The 400 Richest Americans: #9 Charles Koch.” Forbes: The 400 Richest People in America. September 17, 2008.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/54/400list08_Charles-Koch_Z9KL.html

Accessed February 26, 2009 
* Hoover Institution. 

http://www.hoover.org/about/report/3231131.html

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Independent Women’s Forum. “IWF Announces Exciting New Partnership.” Independent Women’s Forum. October 28, 2003. 

http://web.archive.org/web/20031119043957/http://iwf.org/news/031028a.shtml

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Internet Freedom Coalition. 

http://internetfreedomcoalition.org/about.asp

Accessed February 26, 2009.
* Media Transparency: The Money Behind Conservative Media. “Aggregated Grants from the Charles G. Koch, David H. Koch, and Claude R. Lambe Foundations.” Mediatransparency.org. No date or author listed. 

http://www.mediatransparency.org/kochaggregate.php

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Media Transparency: The Money Behind Conservative Media. “Recipient Grants: Independent Women’s Forum.” Mediatransparency.org. No date or author listed. 

http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=163

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Media Transparency: The Money Behind Conservative Media. “Recipient Grants: Americans for Prosperity Foundation.” Mediatransparency.org. No date or author listed.

http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=8806

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Morgan, Dan. “Think Tanks: Corporations’ Quiet Weapon.” The Washington Post. January 29, 2000. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A46598-2000Jan28

Accessed February 26, 2009
* NoStimulus.Com. “Fight Special Interests that Want to Take Your Money: The Beginning, Not the End.” Americans for Prosperity. 2009. 

http://nostimulus.com/

Accessed February 26, 2009.
* Source Watch: A Project of the Center of Media and Democracy. “Citizens for a Sound Economy.” Source Watch Encyclopedia, January 10, 2008

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Citizens_for_a_Sound_Economy

Accessed February 26, 2009

Source #16

TITLE: Do American Cities Have Enough Room for Green Jobs? 

SUMMARY: Proponents for green job development must consider that in addition to giving green companies the right to exist, they must also consider the resources those companies need in order to be effective. New and developing green companies are going to need more space to operate. Many of the available areas are being sold to retailers and housing development companies. The article argues that recycling is a critical practice for waste reduction and employment in the U.S. According to the article, the recycling sector employs about 1.1 million American citizens, which is comparable to the automotive and truck industry. In order for the green movement to be effective, this blog argues government and state officials must make important decisions about land use so that green businesses are able to have enough room to thrive. 

TOPIC: Better planning needed for effective green job development in America

CATEGORY: Citizen (blog) 

WHAT IS IT? A blog post written on an online blog-style news service 

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: PRWeb Press Release Newswire, February 25, 2009  

AUTHOR: PRWeb Press Release Newswire 

LOCATION: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb2086724.htm

ACCESSED: February 26, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA), collective organization of California-based recycling businesses, companies, & individuals  
* U.S. President Barack Obama
*  Steve Lautze, Green Business Projects Manager with the City of Oakland, CA and past president of the NCRA
* United States Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.A. federal agency focusing on chemical regulation and human health
* National Recycling Coalition, non-profit advocacy group focusing on waste reduction and recycling in the U.S.A.  
* Patty Moore, president of Moore Recycling Associates and a member of the NCRA 

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: The PRWeb Press Release Newswire is an online blogging server. The site boasts that over 400,000 organizations of all sizes and purposes use its services to distribute the latest business and social news to the online public. The service itself also publishes many of its own press releases and news reports. It is a flexible resource for users because PRWeb does not take any responsibility for the content posted on its site- it simply provides the service. PRWeb has its complete disclaimer clearly posted, explaining in detail that readers must contact the authors or the publishers of the posts if they have a problem with the content. The site is a database of business information and news on topics ranging anywhere from marketing campaigns, new business partnerships, and online gaming communities. The main purpose of the site is to provide businesses and organizations a free way to present information to the public to gain recognition. However, PRWeb does have a strict legal policy which users must comply with. This includes giving credit where credit is due, leaving any press releases in their original content, and not making any of the press release material published by PRWeb available to its competition. 

USEFULNESS: This article informed me about another issue relating to green job development, which is the issue of available resources-mostly land- green businesses need in order to develop and thrive. Previous to reading this article, I did not even consider that green businesses probably do need more than a legal right to exist in order to be successful. The main support source the article focuses on, Steve Lautze, former president of the Northern California Recycling Association, explained that green businesses and the allocation of resources for their use must be planned just as thoroughly as any other social project, such as waste management and repairing city roads. Although it is a great thing that most of the nation would like to focus on cultivating a green economy, this article is key to explaining that it is also of paramount importance to provide enough resources and governmental planning to meet that demand. 

WORKS CITED: 
* Northern California Recycling Associaiton. “NCRA Video Project.” No post date listed. 

http://www.ncrarecycles.org/video/video2.html

Accessed February 26, 2009
* Northen California Recycling Association. “Point of Return.” Greenplanet Films. October 16, 2007. 

Accessed February 26, 2009
* PRWeb Press Release Newswire.

http://www.prweb.com/

Accessed February 26, 2009

Source #17

TITLE: Obama’s Cap and Trade Energy Plan May Cost over 1 Trillion and up to 4 Million Jobs 

SUMMARY: This article categorizes Obama’s 2009 Stimulus Package as a “cap-and-trade” policy. It argues the package could be detrimental to the American economy because it costs too much. The entry argues Europe’s economy should be a warning and an example to America, arguing that even with a focus on green jobs, many European employers in the green sector are still forced to fire workers as a direct result of a cap-and-trade policy.  Energy prices and production will increase, and coal production costs alone will increase anywhere between 161% and 413%. This article also claims the Stimulus could potentially cause up to four million job losses (an unemployment rate of about 2.7%.) 

TOPIC: 2009 Stimulus Package is bad for America 

CATEGORY: Citizen (Blog) 

WHAT IS IT? An online blog entry archived at ConservativeXpress.blogspot.com

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: The Conservative Xpress, February 22, 2009 

AUTHOR: The ConservativeXpress

LOCATION: http://conservativexpress.blogspot.com/2009/02/obamas-cap-and-trade-energy-plan-may.html

ACCESSED: February 24, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
*  U.S. President Barack Obama 
* The New York Times, largest metropolitan newspaper in the U.S.A. 
* U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. federal department in charge of energy and nuclear policy 
* Wayne Winegarden, economist and partner of Adruin, Laffer, & Moore Firm  
* U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, federal agency focusing on chemical, health, and environmental regulations  

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: This is a blog by and for American conservatives (hence the witty name.) The motto of ConservativeXpress.com is “Dedicated to America. Self-evident Freedoms Provided by Our Founding Fathers and The Constitution. Personal Freedom and Liberty. Strong National Defense. Fiscal Responsibility. Limited Government. Free Market Enterprise. Freedom of Speech. Say No to The Fairness Doctrine. Support The Bill of Rights. Energy Independance.” The current agenda for this online community is to “track the CRAPulus” bill of 2009. It is also trying to raise lobbying funds via a very obvious and attention-grabbing “DONATE” yellow button  on the right side of the screen, conveniently located under the words “Support our Fight; Free our Republic.” Private contributions from individuals online is the site’s funding source. The targeted audience for ConservativeXpress are individuals (preferably conservative), who are not happy with Obama’s being elected as U.S. President, and who are enrage about the 2009 Stimulus Package. Its main goal is to raise awareness of the Stimulus, and how it could make the American economy worse than it already is. Anyone can join this online community and post his or her comments and input, free of charge. 

USEFULNESS: Although my display of ignorance in completing this blog entry will be slightly embarrassing; I must be honest and admit that reading this article forced me to look up “emissions trading” on Wikipedia.Org- obviously  I am not an economics guru. The article argues against the 2009 Stimulus package, because it claims the Package would increase energy production costs, which will then lead to higher unemployment rates around America because companies will try to pay the rising energy costs by firing workers. The article sites Europe’s emissions trading policy as a failed example the U.S.A. should learn from. One great thing about reading this article was was learning about the conservative argument against the stimulus. However, the major problem I had with this article was the statistics. Although I am glad it cited a few of them from different sources, there seemed to be a problem with each of the sources. For example, one of the sources is the professional opinion of a single expert, which is used as the only reference to merit many of the author’s claims. Many of the statistics also seemed sketchy, as they site a wide range of numbers (“…Cap-and-trade proposal, will increase the cost of coal for power generation by between 161% and 413%.) This is too big a discrepency for me to take this stat seriously. Ultimately, although the numbers and expert opinions in this source appeared a little too skeptical to me, I am glad I was able to learn the conservative argument against emissions trading. President Obama made it clear that he intended to establish business caps and green incentives, so I would like to learn more about this particular area of the Stimulus. 

WORKS CITED: 
* Calmes, Jackie. “Obama Planning to Slash Deficit, Despite Stimulus Spending.” The New York Times, February 21, 2009.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/us/politics/22budget.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Energy Information Administration. “Energy Market and Economic Impacts of S. 2191, the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007.” April 2008 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/s2191/execsummary.html

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Energy Information Administration. “Energy Market and Economic Impacts of S. 2191, the Lieberman-Warner Climate 
Security Act of 2007 ” April 2008. 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/s2191/pdf/tbles3.pdf

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Kaminsky, Ross. “Potential Costs to America from Cap-and-Trade.” HumanEvents.com. May 21, 2008. 

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26621

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Lieberman, Ben. “Beware of Cap and Trade Climate Bills.” The Heritage Foundation Leadership for America. December 6,
2007. 

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm1723.cfm

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Mufson, Steven. “Europe’s Problems Color U.S. Plans to Curb Carbon Gases.” The Washington Post. April 9, 2007. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/08/AR2007040800758_pf.html

Accessed February 24, 2009
* The New York Times. “Global Warming.” February 25, 2009 (U.S. Eastern Time) 

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html

Accessed February 24, 2009 (U.S. Pacific Time)

Source #18

TITLE: Will Green Jobs Become the New Greenwash? 

SUMMARY: This article argues that the new cry for green jobs is a nation-wide mania. The author argues the movement has yet to define itself. It raises reader skepticism by arguing that Americans do not even know the definition of a “green” job, and that the phrase “green economy” is being horribly overused by the government, activists, and politicians. Author Joel Makower argues that one of the biggest problems is that there is not a clear distinction between what is a “created” green job and what is a “retained” green job, therefore making any system of measuring the improvement of the economy futile. Makower coins the term “greenwash” to describe the state of disarray in the environmental activist community. For example, many words and terms (“environmental friendly,” “non-toxic,” etc.) used in marketing and advertising do not have legal definitions- a scary reality. 

TOPIC: “Green job” terminology is futile 

CATEGORY: Institutional Non-Profit 

WHAT IS IT? An article written for the online media organization, WorldChanging.com

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: WorldChanging.com, February 23, 2009 

AUTHOR: Joel Makower 

LOCATION: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009461.html

ACCESSED: February 24, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* U.S. President Barack Obama
* U.S. Congress
*  State of Green Business Forum, measures the environmental impacts of the growing green economy 
* Commonwealth Club of California, non-profit educational organization based in Northern California  
* United Steel Workers, largest industrial labor union in North America
* Communications Workers of America, largest communications and media union in the U.S.A.
* Service Employees International Union, collective labor union for occupations in the U.S.A., Canada, and Puerto Rico
* Sierra Club, environmental activist group  
* Apollo Alliance, project organized by the Institute for America’s Future  
* Center for American Progress, liberal political research and advocacy organization
* Political Economy Research Institute, research institute for human and ecological well-being  
* United States Conference of Mayors, non-partisan organization of mayors of USA cities with populations of 300,000 or more
* Global Insight, world’s largest economics organization  
* American Solar Energy Society, U.S.A. section of the International Solar Energy Society
*  Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, non-profit public policy think tank focusing on technology and innovation
* United Nations Environmental Programme, environmental organization that assists developing countries
* U.S. Federal Trade Commission, independent agency focusing on consumer protection

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: WorldChanging is an independent, non-profit international media organization founded in 2004. It does not claim to be liberal or conservative, democratic or republican, etc. According to its website, their targeted audience is “readers who are ready to change the world” via intellectual activity and a humanitarian philosophy. The organization focuses on topics of social and public interest, such as renewable energy, refugee camps, public and economical transportation, and other progressive issues. The organization is based out of Seattle, WA., and relies on reporting from its independent journalists based in many different countries around the world. WorldChanging is funded by private, tax deductible contributions from its readers and supporters. 

USEFULNESS: This is one of the articles I would love to refer to when discussing opponents of a federal green job agenda. Joel Makower makes very powerful arguments regarding the futile “green” terminology used by American society. One of the strongest arguments against any federal green job initiative is that the term “green job” is not even legally defined. In the midst of this research project, I began to ask myself more and more, “what exactly is a green job?” When I found this article, it explained my quandary. Reading this has forced me to seriously consider any counter arguments against my Should question (“Should the United States Federal Government focus on green job development and an environmentally aware economy?”) This article also listed another resource I could use in a completely different source note entry.  

WORKS CITED: 
* Atkinson, Robert., Castro, Daniel., Ezell, Stephen. “The Digital Road to Recovery: A Stimulus Plan to Create Jobs, Boost Productivity and Revitalize America.” The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. January 7, 2009.

http://www.itif.org/index.php?id=212

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Federal Trade Commission. “Part 260- Guides for Use of Environmental Marketing Claims.” No publication date listed. 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Commonwealth Club of California, Audio Podcast from January 2009 meeting. 

http://audio.commonwealthclub.org/audio/podcast/cc_20090126_inforum_greenjobspanel.mp3

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Event Compression Group. “The Green Jobs Opportunity.” GreenBiz.com. 

http://greenbiz.com/stateofgreenbusinessforum/video/GreenJobsOpportunity

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Global Insight. “U.S. Metro Economies: Current and Potential Green Jobs in the U.S. Economy.” October 2008. 

http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/GreenJobsReport.pdf

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Good Jobs Green Jobs National Conference. February 4-6, 2009. 

http://www.greenjobsconference.org/site/c.rvI3IiNWJqE/b.4950285/k.BE91/Home.htm

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Lurie, Neal. “ASES Green Collar Jobs Report Forecasts 37 Million Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in the U.S. by 2030.” American Solar Energy Society. No publication date listed. 

http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=465&Itemid=58

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Makower, Joel. “How Bad is Greenwashing, Really?” GreenBiz.com. July 6, 2008. 

http://makower.typepad.com/joel_makower/2008/07/how-bad-is-gree.html

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Makower, Joel. “Strategies for the Green Economy.” McGraw-Hill. December 1, 2008.

http://www.makower.com/book.html

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Nicolow, Jim. “Greenwashing is a Gateway Drug.” American Public Media. April 5, 2008. 

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/sustainability/greenwash/2008/04/greenwashing_is_a_gateway_drug.html

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Podesta, John. “Green Recovery: A New Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy.” Center for American Progress. September 9, 2008. 

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/09/green_recovery.html

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Schneider, Keith. “Clean Energy is Foundation of Proposed Stimulus.” Apollo News Service, January 15, 2009.

http://apolloalliance.org/new-apollo-program/clean-energy-serves-as-foundation-for-proposed-reinvestment-bill/

Accessed February 24, 2009

Reflection on Audio Slideshow Assignment

     Our latest big project for our Gateway Course was to make a photo and audio slideshow of the subject we used for our “Day in the Life of” assignment. My subject is my co-worker, Waylon. 
     It was relatively easy for me to find the focal point of my slideshow. Waylon has the unusual job as a bench jeweler, which he has been practicing for almost five years. I wanted my project to focus primarily on Waylon’s job as a jeweler, and some of the custom and repair work he has done. Not many people know how intricately detailed and precise you must be to work in the jewelry industry.
     There were a few things that worked while I was putting this project together. It was convenient for me to photograph Waylon not only because I work with him, but also because I had access to viewing and photographing a lot of the jewelry work he has done. He made his wife’s wedding band, and also the ring the love of my life purchased for me in 2008. At home, Waylon also has a lot of ring waxes he is working on completing before he takes them to the shop to be cast. I was able to take pictures of these, as well as Justine’s ring (Waylon’s wife), and my ring. The fact that I now posses my own digital camera alleviated a lot of stress this project could have caused. The audio interview went okay. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from our first audio project was to NOT interrupt your interviewee, and I think I did a great job of heeding that advice for this project. It made editing a lot easier, and less time-consuming. 
     Although there were things that went well while I was working on this assignment, I did face many, many challenges. The first and most disastrous problem was that I needed more pictures of Waylon’s daily routine in order to make the audio track match the slideshow. I set up a day and time to come over a second time to Waylon’s house to photograph more pictures of he and his wife. However, they both contracted a viral throat infection before I could accomplish that. I was not able to go back and get more pictures. This caused a lot of trouble for me when I was trying to put my slideshow together. The audio interview was longer than all the available pictures I had. In a state of panic, I was forced to crop three or four of my existing pictures and recycle them. Even though I did this, the last section of my audio track still did not match the pictures. There was almost nothing I could do to compensate for the lack of pictures. Another thing that was very frustrating was opening my pictures on the SoundSlides program, which we were using for this project. For some reason, the Mac computers in the media lab did NOT want to upload my photos, even though they were all  in the correct jpeg. format. I had to seek out one of the student technicians in the journalism school to help me solve this problem. It took him about ten minutes to figure out what was wrong. I am very grateful to him for fixing it, but the entire process was such a headache. It was also difficult for me to find time to make it to the media lab on campus in order to edit and complete this project. Since I also have a part-time job off of campus, it was nearly impossible for me to use the editing labs without coming into conflict with any of the scheduled courses that use the labs for class. I did not have the opportunity to access the editing lab until the very last minute- about an hour before the project’s deadline. Since time was a constraint, I honestly feel like my project is not my best and brightest work, which I sincerely wanted it to be. In conclusion, my subject(s) getting sick, my lack of photographs, and the difficulty of accessing the editing labs accumulated to make the completion of this project very stressful. 
     With that said, there are a few things I wish I could have done differently, but I don’t see what could have possibly been done to avoid the problems (for example, it wasn’t my fault my subjects got sick.) Without a doubt, I would take more pictures of my subject’s evening routine. This was the section where my slideshow was the most lacking. I did not have any pictures of Waylon and Justine preparing dinner, watching  a movie, or returning home from work; all of which he mentioned in his audio interview. I would also take more pictures of Waylon interacting with customers during his work hours. So ultimately, the major change I would make is taking many more pictures. 
     There are a few tips I have in conclusion of this project:

1. Take as many pictures as possible
2. Test the audio input before recording an interview 
3. Make sure you have a variety of pictures of your subject(s) in different environments
4. Plan ahead of time
5. Learn the SoundSlide or the appropriate program you will be using for your project as thoroughly

Source #19

TITLE: IER’s Bold Stimulus Plan: A Roadmap to Improving the Economy and Creating Jobs, All at No Cost to the Taxpayer

SUMMARY: This article is a summary of the Institute for Energy Research’s (IER) green economy proposal, an alternative to the proposed stimulus package by the Obama administration. IER argues that the 2009 stimulus forces taxpayers to pay for alternative energy development that is too flawed and too costly. The article claims that the most important way to make sure the green sector flourishes is to make the energy production prices affordable, an issue the stimulus does not address. IER claims to provide an alternative plan to meet energy efficiency demands “without costing the taxpayer a dime.”  IER also wants to reverse the federal Clean Air Act of, which it says has little impact on lowering national carbon emissions. This article also argues for the use of coal as an alternative energy source, a practice President Obama has always been openly against. IER is pro tax cuts, pro direct payments to individuals, and pro domestic drilling on US properties, arguing that these measures will reap the fastest benefits on the deteriorating economy. 

TOPIC: An alternative plan to the Obama Stimulus of 2009, proposed by the Institute for Energy Research 

CATEGORY: Academic Research 

WHAT IS IT? An online article written by the organization that argues against the Stimulus.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: Institute for Energy Research, January 27, 2009  

AUTHOR: None listed 

LOCATION:  http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/2009/01/27/ier-offers-economic-stimulus-plan-urges-president-obama-to-adopt-historic-change/

ACCESSED: February 22, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* Obama Administration
* President Barack Obama
*  Angela Merkel, German Chancellor 
*  Environmental Protection Agency, an agency of the United States Federal Government 
* Congressional Budget Office, federal agency responsible for federal government budget analysis & calculations 
* Energy Information Administration, independent statistical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy  
* Dow Jones Newswires, financial news organization owned by Dow Jones and NewsCorp.
* Peter Morton, member of the Wilderness Society  

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: The Institute for Energy Research is a non-profit organization based solely on researching and analyzing the energy economy of the United States. The organization is funded by tax-deductible contributions of private individuals, corporations, and foundations who support its mission (IER.Com.) Surprisingly and almost disgustingly, one of the institute’s key donors is Exxon Mobile. IER was founded in 1989, and is a public foundation based out of Houston, TX. It claims the best way for the American economy to survive is to promote free market energy economy and environmental policy (Wikipedia.Org.) 

USEFULNESS: This article enlightened me about the arguments against the proposed Stimulus of the Obama Administration. It sites various resources to qualify the IER’s argument that the best thing for the USA to do is drill on domestic property. This includes the ANWR area by Alaska, and the large area in the state of Utah that the federal government recently ruled as off-limits to drilling and other energy exploration attempts. This article provided statistics, over a dozen cited resources, and the opinions of professionals in the energy sector. Although I personally disagreed with the IER’s proposals, I found this article extremely useful because it lists what opponents of the Stimulus are arguing. 

WORKS CITED: 
* AFP. “Merkel to Defend German Jobs against Climate Deal.” December 8, 2008. 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g4WO_672V3miIHKWLT32C99ui-2g

Accessed February 22, 2009
* American Energy Alliance. “AEA Comments on EPA’s Flawed Greenhouse Gas Regulation Scheme.” No publication author or date listed. 

http://www.americanenergyalliance.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=136&Itemid=52

Accessed February 22, 2009 
* Campbell, Karen. PhD., and Kreutzer, David. PhD. “CO2-Emission Cuts: The Economic Costs of the EPA’s ANPR Regulations.” The Heritage Foundation Leadership for America. October 29, 2008. 

http://www.heritage.org/research/energyandenvironment/cda08-10.cfm

Accessed February 22, 2009
* Delahunt, Bill. 10th District of Massachusetts. U.S. House of Representatives. 

http://www.house.gov/delahunt/

Accessed February 22, 2009
* Energy Information Administration. “Electric Power Monthly with Data for November 2008 .” February 2009.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html

Accessed February 22, 2009 
* Energy Information Administration. “U.S. Energy Consumption by Energy Source.” May 2007. 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/table1.html

Accessed February 22, 2009  
* Etchart, Patrick, and Quimby, Frank. “Interior’s Minerals Management Service Disburses Record $23.4 Billion in FY 2008: State Share from Energy Production Hits New High of $2.59 Billion.” U.S. Department of the Interior News. November 20, 2008. 

http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/pressDOI1120.htm

Accessed February 22, 2009
* Institute for Energy Research. “ANWR’s 1002 Area.” No author or publication date listed. 

http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/anwr/

Accessed February 22, 2009
* Institute for Energy Research. “Oil Shale.” No author or publication date listed. 

http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/oil-shale/

Accessed February 22, 2009
* Kutner, Jeremy. “The Abundant Fossil Fuel You’ve Never Heard of.” Christian Science Monitor, December 3, 2008. 

http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/12/03/the-abundant-fossil-fuel-you’ve-never-heard-of/

Accessed February 22, 2009
* Macalister, Terry. “Russia, Iran and Qatar announce cartel that will control 60% of world’s gas supplies.” The Guardian, October 22, 2008. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/22/gas-russia-gazprom-iran-qatar

Accessed February 22, 2009
* Reuters, Thomas. “UPDATE 1-Stimulus bill falls short of Obama goal-CBO report.” Reuters UK. January 27, 2009. 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKN2650866620090127?pageNumber=2

Accessed February 22, 2009
*  YouTube.Com. “Shock VIDEO Unearthed Obama Says He will Bankrupt Coal Industry.” Posted by PolySciGeek. November 2, 2008. 

Accessed February 22, 2009

Source #20

SUMMARY: This article claims there is a large global trend towards green economic development. For example, Japan’s government is offering zero-interest loans to green companies. The new stimulus package would follow that trend by focusing on growing the green sector in America. Key areas of career and economic development will be renewable energy technology installation (solar panels, building weatherization, etc.) Part of the debate is deciding how much money should go towards economic repairs and how much toward new construction. The American Stimulus will also increase business loan guarantees for green equipment by three years. However, even though the global community is demanding a focus on developing green economies; many jobs from countries who are trying to go in that direction will be lost due to companies’ shipping manufacturing jobs overseas. 

TOPIC: Green job development as a means of enriching the economy as shown by other countries

CATEGORY: Academic Research 

WHAT IS IT? An online academic article written for the World Watch Institute’s online webpage. 

TITLE: Countries Turn to Green Jobs for Economic Growth 

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: World Watch Institute, February 9, 2009 

AUTHOR: Ben Block 

LOCATION: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6006

ACCESSED: February 18, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* U.S. Congress
* Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme
*  U.S. President Barack Obama 
*  Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator 
* Joel Bluestein, Senior Vice President of ICF International  
* REPP, U.S. research group Renewable Energy Policy Project
* George Sterzinger, executive director of REPP 
*  Christine Real de Azua, spokeswoman for American Wind Energy Association 
* Arthouros Zervos, chairman of Global Wind Energy Council 
*  Sierra Club, environmental awareness club 
* Larry Cohen, president of Communications Workers of America  

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: The World Watch Institute is an international organization dedicated to taking a scientific and research-based approach to solving and analyzing global problems. The key members of this organization are world leaders and executive decision-making characters. The institute is based in Washington D.C. and is funded by  its networking partners in America and in dozens of other countries. The World Watch Institute has been an influential environmental player since its establishment in 1974. The Institute makes its research available in more than 20 language, and in print and online media. 

USEFULNESS: This article was AWESOME. First of all, I was absolutely ecstatic that I found another Academic Research source (thank you Google Alerts!) I had been stuck on finding Academic Research sources for more than a week. Second, this article rocked because it gave specific example of other countries who are turning towards developing a greener economy. Also, this article finally answered some questions on how the USA is going to develop green jobs, rather than only why- an issue I had just bitched about in my previous post. And, as if things couldn’t get better with the discovery of this article, there was a link within it that directed me to yet another academic source. Bingo! So I guess there is research on this issue- I only had to dig deeper to find it.  

WORKS CITED: 
* American Win Energy Association. 

http://www.awea.org/

Accessed February 18, 2009 
* Bluestein, Dr. Joel and Grayson, William. “Carbon Footprint Analysis of Economic Recovery Package.” February 4, 2009. 

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/reports4/ghg-impact-of-the-economic-sti

Accessed February 18, 2009
* Communications Workers of America. 

http://www.cwa-union.org/

Accessed February 18, 2009
* Global Wind Energy Council 

http://www.gwec.net/

Accessed February 18, 2009 
* Good Jobs First. “High Road or Low Road? Job Quality in the New Green Economy.” February 3, 2009.

http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/pdf/gjfgreenjobsrpt.pdf

Accessed February 18, 2009 
* ICF International. 

http://www.icfi.com/

Accessed February 18, 2009 
* International Labour Organization 

http://www.ilo.org/global/lang–en/index.htm

Accessed February 18, 2009
* Johnson, Brad. “The Nelson-Collins War on Green Jobs.” The Wonk Room, February 6, 2009. 

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/02/06/nelson-collins-green/

Accessed February 18, 2009
* Meet the Press with David Gregory. Transcript for February 8, 2009 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29083534/

Accessed February 18, 2009
* Renewable Energy Policy Project 

http://www.repp.org/

Accessed February 18, 2009 
* Renner, Michael. “Green Jobs: Working for People and the Environment.” WorldWatch Report: Green Jobs. 2008 

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5925

Accessed February 18, 2009. 
* United Nations Enviroment Programme

http://www.unep.org/

Accessed February 18, 2009

Source #21

TITLE: Browner: Green Job Jeopordized by Slow Stimulus Process

SUMMARY: This article argues that in the wake of the 2009 Stimulus, the key to creating as many green jobs as possible will be how quickly the federal government will distribute the money. It also argues that many companies across the USA are eager to hire employees for green jobs. Carol Browner, White House climate change and energy director and the interviewee the article is focused on, argues that the stimulus will also allow many smaller companies access to the monetary capitol they need to build their businesses. 

TOPIC: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009

CATEGORY: Business Institutional 

WHAT IS IT? An online news, arts, & entertainment website 

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: The Huffington Post, February 9, 2009 

AUTHOR: Hebert, Josef

LOCATION: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/09/browner-green-jobs-jeopar_n_165406.html

ACCESSED: February 17, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* Carol Browner, White House energy & climate director
* Associated Press, American news agency
* U.S. House
* U.S. Senate

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: The Huffington Post is a liberal news service. The main issues the service focuses on are business, politics, entertainment, and the green movement. It is a fairly new news service, as it was just started in May of 2009. It is reported, however, that within the first year of its establishment the Huffington Post had a gained a considerable amount of popularity. In 2006 the private capital USA group, Softbank Capital, invested $5 million in the Huffington Post. Softbank is a company member of The National Venture Capital Association, one of the leading trade associations in USA.  (wikipedia.org)

USEFULNESS: Once again, I was glad to find yet another article that was pro-Stimulus, but I was also dissapointed because I seem to be getting stuck at this point in my research. All the recent news for green job development relates to the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, but I cannot find anything else. There are a lot of career-building sites devoted to finding green jobs, but there seems to be a large amount of existing research & development information lacking on this subject. I am convinced either way that the United States Federal Government should focus on green job development, but it would be nice to figure out how, instead of only why. 

In-Class Social Issue Interview

INTERVIEWEE: Stephanie M. Reyes

DATE: February 17, 2009 

TOPIC: No Child Left Behind Act

WHY IS SHE DOING THIS ISSUE? Stephanie chose this topic because she already knew a little bit about it, and she was interested in learning more. Also, she is a minority, and she knew NCLB deals with and affects minorities. She often wonders why she was lucky enough to “suceed” in school, but a lot of other minorities are not. 

SHOULD QUESTION: Should Obama reform No Child Left Behind? 

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE: My interviewee declined to answer this question, saying she was told at this point to keep her opinions confidential.  

SOURCES & SUPPORT: 
1. A transcript from NBC’s Morning Show: Talks about the complexity of NCLB. Different states have different standards and ways of enforcing the Act. There is no national unity in public education.
 - I interpret this article to mean that there may be danger in having every state implement federal standards any which way they seem fit.
2. A Newswire Publication: This article is about technology in schools. Currently, students are required to be evaluated on their information on technology, since that is they way the world is moving towards. This is in accordance with te federal act ATTAIN.
 - I don’t think it should be required for students to be evaluated on their technological information, because a lot of students do not have anough money to have access to thechnology outside of campus.
3. The Oregonian: This article talks about how certain kids who are entering kindergarten did not have the advantage to attend preschool, because their parents could not afford to send them. These students are already at a disadvantage, because they are far behind their classmates who already learned how to read in preschool programs. This article talks about the importance of leveling the playing field by giving all children equal access to preschool education.
 - I think the topic of preschool education is extremely important, because if not all students are at the same learning level when they enter school, then the public school system becomes fragmented and ineffective.

Source #22

SUMMARY: This article talks about the current green collar market in California, and how many of the citizens who are applying for them do not posses the math and science skills needed for the market. The article argues the key to combating this problem is to increase K-12 programs that train in math and science. Education is the key to the future of America’s green sector. 

TOPIC: Green Job development and training 

CATEGORY: Institutional (Business)

WHAT IS IT? An online version of an article written for the East Bay Business Times, listed on the San Francisco Business Times’ website. 

TITLE: Understanding Green Job Market Tough, but Education is Key

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: East Bay Business Times, August 14, 2008  

AUTHOR: Michael Fitzhugh 

LOCATION: http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2008/08/11/daily53.html

ACCESSED: February 13, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* Jerry McNerney, CA Congressman
* Tri-Valley Business Council, organization advocating fair business
* Cal State East Bay Community College
* Bonnie Graybill, Deputy Director with the California Development Department
* California State Labor Market Information Division, career and employment development organization
* Heather Benner, Project Manager for Chevron Energy Solutions 
* Matt Hansen, member of Pacific Gas and Electric Company
* Andrew McIlroy, Acting Director of Sandia National Laboratories   

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: The San Francisco Business Times is owned by the newspaper chain American City Business Journals. The headquarters are in North Carolina, and their 41 publication reach about four million readers weekly. All publications relate to business news. American City Business Journals also covers sports business (NASCAR) and sports news. They also own Sports News Radio. (wikipedia.org) 

USEFULNESS: Although I’ve been focusing on the importance of green job development in the USA, reading this article made me realize I’ve been subconsciously ignoring a critical aspect: education. I know there is a national deficit in math and scientific training in education. This is a threat to the future of the green sector. The article also lists California-based companies who are focused on training and advocating the advance of math and science training for the sake of the green job development. 

WORKS CITED: 
* Chevron Energy Solution

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/related_content.html?topic=Chevron%20Energy%20Solutions

Accessed February 13, 2009 
* Pacific Gas and Electric Company

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/related_content.html?topic=Pacific%20Gas%20and%20Electric%20Co

Accessed February 13, 2009 
* Sandia National Laboratories

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/related_content.html?topic=Sandia%20National%20Laboratories

Accessed February 13, 2009