The Granite School District recently blew $52,773 on a product that is supposed to replace books. The district purchased 147 Amazon Kindles at $359 apiece in an effort to cut down on paper costs and the space and energy needed to store books. The Kindle is an electronic reader that allows the user to download content and read on a high-resolution screen.
The Kindle is touted as the answer to literacy problems facing the district. However, the inherent flaw in the district’s logic is its assumption that students will read more books because they are presented in a new format.
Sure, there are perks that come with the Kindle that potentially could be implemented at the U, specifically to reduce textbook fees for students. With textbooks running $100 or more, Kindle titles cost an average of $10 and can easily be shared among several users.
It is disconcerting that the district invested in a technology that is unproven in the marketplace, not to mention that the product can only be utilized by 0.002 percent of its student body, as the district’s Web site reports servicing 68,075 students. Unlike Apple’s iPod, the Kindle does not have a touch screen, intuitive scroll wheel, or clear transitions between chapters and pages. It’s also an expensive product to replace if it gets damaged, stolen or becomes obsolete.
In May, Los Angeles hosted Book Expo America, a trade show for networking and selling within the publishing industry. Industry experts were abuzz debating how technology would change the book market since content could be presented in a paperless format and downloaded to portable reading devices.
It’s fascinating to consider that the book industry could also fall victim to what happened to the music industry in the late ’90s with the development of popular Internet sites that made it easy for listeners (particularly college students) to download popular music for free. Of course, Apple came to the rescue by developing iTunes, giving listeners a legal and affordable platform to purchase songs while music publishers still received compensation. The music industry changed because the Internet hit sales in the traditional music distribution model hard and profits for record companies and artists plummeted.
Perhaps the publishing industry will soon face a similar scenario because of emerging technologies and consumer preferences. There is a lot of potential for the developing format, but we seem to be at a crossroads in terms of aligning the technology with consumer behavior.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.851466
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Many issues in election will affect young voters
Election Day is fewer than two weeks away and Utah is one of several early-voting states. Students and citizens across the state can begin casting their ballots in the presidential race as well as making their opinions count in state and civic propositions and selection of representatives.
A February Rock the Vote poll found that more than half of young adults ages 18 to 29 said the top issue of concern is the economy and job creation, followed closely by health care and education costs.
Today’s young adults are having a hard time making ends meet in a difficult economy. There are 44 million 18-to 29-year-olds eligible to vote in the United States, one-fifth of the electorate. Today’s 18- to 29-year-olds are part of the Millennial Generation, the biggest generation since the baby boomers, according to CompleteCampaigns.com.
Debt and living from paycheck to paycheck is a fact of life for today’s young adults. During the past decade, college, health insurance and housing costs have soared. About two-thirds of college students graduate with debt, with the average graduate owing $20,000.
The Sacred Heart University Polling Institute found that the primary concerns of 18- to 30-year-olds vary. When asked whether they agreed with certain statements, 82 percent reported they are concerned with college affordability, 68 percent said global warming is a real and growing threat, and 65 percent said the U.S. government should provide universal health care.
“Young voters are a potential powerhouse in the 2008 elections,” said Kat Barr, research director for Rock the Vote. “This poll is yet another indicator that candidates who want to win in 2008 must court this large and increasingly active group of voters.”
To make voting easier for students this year, the Associated Students of the University of Utah Government Relations Board has coordinated early voting at the U with booths set up in the Union. As it’s a presidential election year, students are encouraged to vote now more than ever. Programs and policies that are passed in this election will impact life on a day-to-day basis.
A lot of people say the vote of an individual person doesn’t count and won’t make any difference in the election. But, as they say in basketball, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. If you don’t vote at all, your vote really is worth nothing.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.842515
A February Rock the Vote poll found that more than half of young adults ages 18 to 29 said the top issue of concern is the economy and job creation, followed closely by health care and education costs.
Today’s young adults are having a hard time making ends meet in a difficult economy. There are 44 million 18-to 29-year-olds eligible to vote in the United States, one-fifth of the electorate. Today’s 18- to 29-year-olds are part of the Millennial Generation, the biggest generation since the baby boomers, according to CompleteCampaigns.com.
Debt and living from paycheck to paycheck is a fact of life for today’s young adults. During the past decade, college, health insurance and housing costs have soared. About two-thirds of college students graduate with debt, with the average graduate owing $20,000.
The Sacred Heart University Polling Institute found that the primary concerns of 18- to 30-year-olds vary. When asked whether they agreed with certain statements, 82 percent reported they are concerned with college affordability, 68 percent said global warming is a real and growing threat, and 65 percent said the U.S. government should provide universal health care.
“Young voters are a potential powerhouse in the 2008 elections,” said Kat Barr, research director for Rock the Vote. “This poll is yet another indicator that candidates who want to win in 2008 must court this large and increasingly active group of voters.”
To make voting easier for students this year, the Associated Students of the University of Utah Government Relations Board has coordinated early voting at the U with booths set up in the Union. As it’s a presidential election year, students are encouraged to vote now more than ever. Programs and policies that are passed in this election will impact life on a day-to-day basis.
A lot of people say the vote of an individual person doesn’t count and won’t make any difference in the election. But, as they say in basketball, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. If you don’t vote at all, your vote really is worth nothing.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.842515
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Keep cell phones out of class
There are few things in this world more annoying than sitting in a classroom about 20 minutes into a test when someone’s cell phone goes off. As if the late night of studying and gallons of Dr Pepper aren’t already making you edgy, the silence of concentration, now broken by a pitchy ring tone, can definitely affect not only how well you do on the test, but in extreme terms, whether or not you pass the class.
The U’s cell phone policy is left to the discretion of professors. Most teachers will permit phones in class, but insist that they must be turned off during a lecture.
The State Board of Education in Utah is beginning to crack down even harder on the problem.
Itracks, an online data collection company, polled 1,000 teens across North America in August and found that 38 percent of teens surveyed text message with friends during school hours. Thirty percent of students said they have played games on their phones while at school.
Educators fear students use their cell phones inappropriately, swapping pictures, passing notes, even cheating on tests. The State Board of Education wants to prevent these things by requiring every district in the state to create a cell phone policy by next spring. Although this initiative only applies to K-12 schools across the state, the U would be better off taking a hard stand against cell phones in the classroom.
Unless students are able to control their compulsive texting habits, cell phones should be checked at the classroom door. Professors should tell students at the beginning of the term that if a phone goes off in class, some consequence will follow and then enforce those consequences.
Of course there are emergency situations in which a cell phone is a necessary tool for help and protection, but they are a disruption in classrooms all across the U. It’s time for students across campus to hang up their phones and put their full effort into getting an education instead of entertaining themselves with an electronic gadget.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.778323
The U’s cell phone policy is left to the discretion of professors. Most teachers will permit phones in class, but insist that they must be turned off during a lecture.
The State Board of Education in Utah is beginning to crack down even harder on the problem.
Itracks, an online data collection company, polled 1,000 teens across North America in August and found that 38 percent of teens surveyed text message with friends during school hours. Thirty percent of students said they have played games on their phones while at school.
Educators fear students use their cell phones inappropriately, swapping pictures, passing notes, even cheating on tests. The State Board of Education wants to prevent these things by requiring every district in the state to create a cell phone policy by next spring. Although this initiative only applies to K-12 schools across the state, the U would be better off taking a hard stand against cell phones in the classroom.
Unless students are able to control their compulsive texting habits, cell phones should be checked at the classroom door. Professors should tell students at the beginning of the term that if a phone goes off in class, some consequence will follow and then enforce those consequences.
Of course there are emergency situations in which a cell phone is a necessary tool for help and protection, but they are a disruption in classrooms all across the U. It’s time for students across campus to hang up their phones and put their full effort into getting an education instead of entertaining themselves with an electronic gadget.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.778323
Thursday, October 2, 2008
National crisis has local effect
The financial crisis facing our country is said to be the worst economic situation since the Great Depression. Primarily rooted in bad debt owned by the mortgage industry, increasing fuel and food prices aren’t helping the situation.
People making only minimum wage can budget all they want, but if prices continue to rise there is no way they can survive without acquiring debt.
According to the Wells Fargo consumer price index, the cost of groceries increased 4.9 percent from July to August along the Wasatch Front, compared with only .7 percent nationally. The index also reports that gas prices in Utah were the third highest in the nation in mid-August, prompting Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to order the state to monitor the situation and make sure Utah consumers weren’t being gouged. During the past six months, food prices have jumped 10.2 percent locally, driven mostly by a 11.2 percent hike in Utah fuel costs during that period.
While the government works on a solution for fluctuating prices, there are independent voices offering opinions on the economy’s ups and downs.
Ron Paul said that in the housing market, builders who have overbuilt and have too many houses to sell seek to recoup as much of their money as possible, even if it means lowering prices drastically. Doing so brings the economy back into balance, equalizing supply and demand. This economic adjustment means that there are some winners—in this case, those who can again find affordable housing without the need for creative mortgage products, and some losers—builders and other sectors connected to real estate suffer setbacks.
The government doesn’t like this, however, and undertakes measures to keep prices artificially inflated. The bailout of Fannie and Freddie, the purchase of AIG and the Treasury’s failed multi-hundred billion dollar plan all have one thing in common: They seek to prevent the liquidation of bad debt and worthless assets at market prices, and instead try to prop up those markets and keep those assets trading at prices far in excess of what any buyer would be willing to pay. This throws the economy out of balance.
A Forbes.com article by Matt Woolsey published Sept. 23 supports the notion that a multi-billion dollar bailout proposal can be given back to the people. The nation’s bridges need $180 billion in repairs, rail infrastructure needs $185 billion in maintenance, or $150 billion would provide every American with private health insurance.
As for AIG and every other company that operates on bad debt, we should liquidate them. Sell off their good parts and let the private sector bargain hunters cut them up and clean them up. By using trillions of dollars of taxpayer money to purchase illusory short-term security, the federal government is actually ensuring even greater instability in the financial system in the long term. This definitely won’t help gas and grocery prices in Utah or anywhere else in the nation stabilize anytime soon.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.758041
People making only minimum wage can budget all they want, but if prices continue to rise there is no way they can survive without acquiring debt.
According to the Wells Fargo consumer price index, the cost of groceries increased 4.9 percent from July to August along the Wasatch Front, compared with only .7 percent nationally. The index also reports that gas prices in Utah were the third highest in the nation in mid-August, prompting Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to order the state to monitor the situation and make sure Utah consumers weren’t being gouged. During the past six months, food prices have jumped 10.2 percent locally, driven mostly by a 11.2 percent hike in Utah fuel costs during that period.
While the government works on a solution for fluctuating prices, there are independent voices offering opinions on the economy’s ups and downs.
Ron Paul said that in the housing market, builders who have overbuilt and have too many houses to sell seek to recoup as much of their money as possible, even if it means lowering prices drastically. Doing so brings the economy back into balance, equalizing supply and demand. This economic adjustment means that there are some winners—in this case, those who can again find affordable housing without the need for creative mortgage products, and some losers—builders and other sectors connected to real estate suffer setbacks.
The government doesn’t like this, however, and undertakes measures to keep prices artificially inflated. The bailout of Fannie and Freddie, the purchase of AIG and the Treasury’s failed multi-hundred billion dollar plan all have one thing in common: They seek to prevent the liquidation of bad debt and worthless assets at market prices, and instead try to prop up those markets and keep those assets trading at prices far in excess of what any buyer would be willing to pay. This throws the economy out of balance.
A Forbes.com article by Matt Woolsey published Sept. 23 supports the notion that a multi-billion dollar bailout proposal can be given back to the people. The nation’s bridges need $180 billion in repairs, rail infrastructure needs $185 billion in maintenance, or $150 billion would provide every American with private health insurance.
As for AIG and every other company that operates on bad debt, we should liquidate them. Sell off their good parts and let the private sector bargain hunters cut them up and clean them up. By using trillions of dollars of taxpayer money to purchase illusory short-term security, the federal government is actually ensuring even greater instability in the financial system in the long term. This definitely won’t help gas and grocery prices in Utah or anywhere else in the nation stabilize anytime soon.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.758041
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Celebrity fixation a sad commentary
America has a love-hate relationship with celebrities. We’re quick to buy the magazines and tune in to the entertainment news channel with an unquenchable fascination with the lives of the rich and famous, but we’re just as fast to criticize and alienate famous people, invade their privacy or go to great lengths to idolize them.
Most people know that in Vegas, your chance of seeing an Elvis impersonator is pretty good. Little Legends, a stage show near Planet Hollywood, features little people who dress up like Elvis, Cher, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears.
Not even Utah is immune to the celebrity craze. Earlier this month, Gary Coleman and his wife were bowling in Payson. A fan started snapping pictures of the “Diff’rent Strokes” star after being asked not to. The day ended in a personal injury lawsuit against Coleman when he allegedly hit the fan with his truck. This is the stuff that sells millions of magazines while simultaneously destroys reputations.
Even Murray High School’s David Archuleta is getting in on the action. Our homegrown “American Idol” runner-up is now the main draw and star of a corn field in Lehi. His torso has been designed and cut into Thanksgiving Point’s corn maze for the 2008 season.
“Though we considered featuring Barack Obama and John McCain in our maze design this year, we chose to honor a Utahn who did our state proud and gathered more than 40 million votes while competing in the finale of American Idol,” said Brett Herbst, Archuleta’s corn maze creator. “That’s actually more votes than either presidential candidate received in the primary election, and we felt like David’s accomplishment was something we wanted to honor in the best and biggest way we could.”
Corn maze coordinators said curious maze-goers will spend an average of one hour trying to run around David’s head (while possibly looking for a shortcut through his nose or eyeball), as they look for the 12-acre labyrinth’s exit.
It’s a sad truth that America is more inclined to vote for entertainment on a television show than to vote in a presidential election. Sure, we need entertainment to occasionally distract us from the difficult issues of the day, but as in the case of the corn maze, people go to bizarre lengths to idolize celebrities and be entertained.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/celebrity_fixation_a_sad_commentary
Most people know that in Vegas, your chance of seeing an Elvis impersonator is pretty good. Little Legends, a stage show near Planet Hollywood, features little people who dress up like Elvis, Cher, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears.
Not even Utah is immune to the celebrity craze. Earlier this month, Gary Coleman and his wife were bowling in Payson. A fan started snapping pictures of the “Diff’rent Strokes” star after being asked not to. The day ended in a personal injury lawsuit against Coleman when he allegedly hit the fan with his truck. This is the stuff that sells millions of magazines while simultaneously destroys reputations.
Even Murray High School’s David Archuleta is getting in on the action. Our homegrown “American Idol” runner-up is now the main draw and star of a corn field in Lehi. His torso has been designed and cut into Thanksgiving Point’s corn maze for the 2008 season.
“Though we considered featuring Barack Obama and John McCain in our maze design this year, we chose to honor a Utahn who did our state proud and gathered more than 40 million votes while competing in the finale of American Idol,” said Brett Herbst, Archuleta’s corn maze creator. “That’s actually more votes than either presidential candidate received in the primary election, and we felt like David’s accomplishment was something we wanted to honor in the best and biggest way we could.”
Corn maze coordinators said curious maze-goers will spend an average of one hour trying to run around David’s head (while possibly looking for a shortcut through his nose or eyeball), as they look for the 12-acre labyrinth’s exit.
It’s a sad truth that America is more inclined to vote for entertainment on a television show than to vote in a presidential election. Sure, we need entertainment to occasionally distract us from the difficult issues of the day, but as in the case of the corn maze, people go to bizarre lengths to idolize celebrities and be entertained.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/celebrity_fixation_a_sad_commentary
Thursday, September 18, 2008
U, USU rivalry about the money
For the past 116 years Utah State has touted its football games with the U as being one of the state’s premier rivalry games. After the Utes’ 58-10 blowout last week, the “rivalry” claim is erroneous as the Aggies were handed their 11th straight loss, with an average margin of 25 points spanning those games. It’s obvious that on the field USU is not up to par with the U, yet it continues plugging the rivalry claim because of the money that a lot of hype can bring.
USU spokesman Zach Fisher couldn’t confirm how much money the Aggies made Saturday, but he opposed the idea that the game was pitched as a rivalry in an effort to make more money. He instead referred to the fact these teams have been playing each other since 1892.
“Of course we want it to be a rivalry again,” Aggies running back Curtis Marsh Jr. said. “I think all we have to do is beat them once. If we can do that, at least once, everything will come back.”
That won’t happen. It’s not a rivalry when the total score for the Utes’ last three trips to Logan is 154-16. According to The Utah Statesman, even USU head coach Brent Guy said it was about the money. He would not name a starter for Saturday’s game because, “people will buy a ticket and come see their starters. We will announce the starter as soon as we get the football. So you better get a ticket and come see.”
The Aggies hosted the Utes in the brand-new 25,000-seat Romney Stadium, but only 19,061 fans showed up in person for the game. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that USU paid the U $50,000 to play (Michigan paid the U $800,000). This expense was most likely offset by the higher admission price, as USU charges $15 to 20 more per ticket for games against the U.
It’s sad that USU claims it stands rival to the U in an attempt to fill empty seats and the U goes along with it.
An NCAA study released last spring revealed that only 16 of the 119 programs in the bowl subdivision (formerly Division I) turned a net profit over the 2004-2006 period. The study noted that while total revenues rose by 25.5 percent during that span, expenses increased 23 percent.
Despite a 3-0 record and BCS ranking, U athletics director Chris Hill told The Salt Lake Tribune the Utes expect to gross a profit of only $868,598.87 this season. While a BCS ranking allows teams to play in lucrative bowl games and grants national television exposure, it doesn’t ensure a team’s long-term profitability. According to a 2005 CNNMoney.com article, the Fiesta Bowl paid $30.5 million to Utah and opponent University of Pittsburgh. The teams split the money with the other schools in their conferences, leaving the Utes with a net profit of around $2 million.
For 2010, the Utes have elected to let USU keep its $50,000 as they’ll skip the trip to Logan and instead play Notre Dame. It’s just as well. It’s not like we’re missing out on the rivalry element or excitement. It’s about time the U looked out for its own interests.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/u%252C_usu_rivalry_about_the_money
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Credit a trap for students
Credit cards—they’re easy to get, they’re fun to use, and they can get you into a whole mess of trouble if you’re not careful. More than 1.5 million college-age students in the United States are expected to drop out of college in 2008 because of money issues, says Bill Pratt, author of Extra Credit: The 7 Things Every College Student Needs to Know About Credit, Debt & Cash. He says academic failure comes in a distant second, representing 6 percent of all students.
According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Services, the average student leaves college with a credit card debt of between $8,000 and $10,000 (student loans not included). Credit-card debt hit more than $600 billion this year—almost half of that amount is owed by college-age students or new graduates.
Especially near the Union, you’ll see credit card marketers pitching low interest rates, free water bottles, candy and T-shirts to any student who signs up for a credit card. Although college tabling marketers get a lot of attention, only 18 percent of student credit cards are issued this way. The largest percentage of student cards (35 percent) is opened through direct mail.
Some people blame the industry for making it too easy for students to obtain credit cards. However, rather than assign blame, college students need to be informed, read the fine print and take responsibility for their decisions.
It isn’t the credit card company’s fault you decided life wasn’t complete until you overspent your budget on a PlayStation 3 and “Rock Band” game set. It’s an issue of education and self-restraint—the ability to delay gratification and wanting in exchange for things that are more important.
Credit cards are convenient and a way to establish a good credit rating. Yet, for many it is far too tempting to charge for items that you don’t have the cash to cover. Don’t exceed your credit limit and make certain you have the money before you charge. At a rate of 18 percent interest, it will take 25 years of minimum payments to pay off a $8,000 loan, and will ultimately cost $24,000. Paying off credit debt as it comes due is your best investment.
Michael Panzer, a financial investing guru, highlights last summer’s subprime meltdown, which involved about $900 billion in now-suspect securitized debt, reckless lending and consumers who buckled under the weight of loans they couldn’t afford.
Today, the United States is looking at more than $915 billion in credit card debt (an uncannily similar figure) that, like the housing industry, could blow up on our nation’s leading financial institutions. This is how a recession happens.
If you can’t figure out how to budget your finances, take a class in money management or talk with a financial adviser at your bank. Debt you can’t afford doesn’t just hurt you, it hurts our economy as people live off borrowed money without doing anything to repay it or create wealth and value.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/credit_a_trap_for_students
According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Services, the average student leaves college with a credit card debt of between $8,000 and $10,000 (student loans not included). Credit-card debt hit more than $600 billion this year—almost half of that amount is owed by college-age students or new graduates.
Especially near the Union, you’ll see credit card marketers pitching low interest rates, free water bottles, candy and T-shirts to any student who signs up for a credit card. Although college tabling marketers get a lot of attention, only 18 percent of student credit cards are issued this way. The largest percentage of student cards (35 percent) is opened through direct mail.
Some people blame the industry for making it too easy for students to obtain credit cards. However, rather than assign blame, college students need to be informed, read the fine print and take responsibility for their decisions.
It isn’t the credit card company’s fault you decided life wasn’t complete until you overspent your budget on a PlayStation 3 and “Rock Band” game set. It’s an issue of education and self-restraint—the ability to delay gratification and wanting in exchange for things that are more important.
Credit cards are convenient and a way to establish a good credit rating. Yet, for many it is far too tempting to charge for items that you don’t have the cash to cover. Don’t exceed your credit limit and make certain you have the money before you charge. At a rate of 18 percent interest, it will take 25 years of minimum payments to pay off a $8,000 loan, and will ultimately cost $24,000. Paying off credit debt as it comes due is your best investment.
Michael Panzer, a financial investing guru, highlights last summer’s subprime meltdown, which involved about $900 billion in now-suspect securitized debt, reckless lending and consumers who buckled under the weight of loans they couldn’t afford.
Today, the United States is looking at more than $915 billion in credit card debt (an uncannily similar figure) that, like the housing industry, could blow up on our nation’s leading financial institutions. This is how a recession happens.
If you can’t figure out how to budget your finances, take a class in money management or talk with a financial adviser at your bank. Debt you can’t afford doesn’t just hurt you, it hurts our economy as people live off borrowed money without doing anything to repay it or create wealth and value.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/credit_a_trap_for_students
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