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My dad has been the hugest Saints fan since I can remember.  Something else I can remember is how bad of a record they had and he still was their number one fan.  As much as he was teased about loving the Saints he kept the hope alive and now he can finally say that he proved everyone wrong.  The Saints won Superbowl XLIV and became America’s team.  But now that they have hit rock bottom (again), the question of team loyalty arises.

            Saints head coach, Sean Payton, is in big trouble.  Supposedly the coach had dealings with something known as bounty gate.  This is basically where a coach is involved in paying players to hurt other players. Payton is suspended for 10 months and has already received offers to occupy his free time.  He is the first head coach to be suspended by the league for any matter at all.  Payton was accused of trying to cover up a system of extra cash out to players.  This was a shock to fans as well as the players. “: “I am speechless. Sean Payton is a great man, coach, and mentor. … I need to hear an explanation for this punishment, said popular New Orleans Saints Player Drew Brees. 

            There are a few options for who will stand in for Payton.  One is defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who has NFL head coaching experience with the Rams. The other candidate is offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., who has no experience as head coach.

            Many believe this punishment is too steep, but Roger Goodell, head commissioner, is standing by his decision.  Sean Payton released a statement saying, “”I share and fully support the league’s concerns and goals on player safety. It is, and should be paramount,” Payton said in the statement. “Respecting our great game and the NFL shield is extremely important”. 

            These thing will have a great impact on Saints nation.  My dad, as well as all other fans, are planning to stand by their favorite team throughout this terrible incident.  Now that’s team spirit!

 

Sources

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/deep-posts-sean-payton-fox-144605051.html

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d827d6643/article/report-suspension-will-set-saints-coach-payton-back-58m

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7718136/sean-payton-new-orleans-saints-banned-one-year-bounties

MC 4033

Mapp

Information gathering and evaluation exercise #1

 

Instructions: Provide answers for the questions below using information found online. For each question, provide the source of your information (web site or portal) and evaluate your level of trust for each source using a simple 1-10 scale, with 1 being the lowest (no trust) and 10 being the highest (total trust). NOTE: When choosing information from between different sites, list the source you would trust most.

 

DUE: Post questions and answers on your blog by 8 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20. You will bring a hard copy to class to give to me on Thursday, March 22..

 

 

1. 1.       What is the top-grossing movie of all-time? Adjusted for inflation, what is the top-grossing movie of all time?

 

The top-grossing movie of all-time is Avatar (http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/… Rating of 8).  Adjusted for inflation, Gone With the Wind is the top grossing movie of all-time.  (http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm …Rating of 8)

 

1. 2.      Which recording artist or band has the most platinum records? Which recording artist or band has the most No. 1 hit singles?

 

Elvis Presley has the most platinum records.  (http://5facts.org/2011/08/08/5-artists-with-the-most-platinum-albums/  Rating of 4)  Michael Jackson has the most number 1 hit singles. (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666386/katy-perry-billboard-singles.jhtml Rating of 9)

 

1. 3.      What are the names of every president in the history of The University of Louisiana at Monroe? What years did each president serve?

 

The names of every president and the years they served are as follows:

• ·         Dr. Clyde Cornelius Colvert, 1931-1944
• ·         Dr. William Rodney Cline, 1944-1950
• ·         Mr. Lewis Cecil Slater, 1950-1958
• ·         Dr. George T.  Walker, 1958,1975
• ·         Dr. Dwight D. Vines, 1976-1991
• ·         Mr. Lawson L. Swearingen, Jr. 1991-2001
• ·         Dr. James Cofer, Sr. 2002-2010
• ·         Dr. Nick Bruno, 2010-Present

(http://www.ulm.edu/thebayou/thebayou.pdf Rating 10)

 

 

1. 4.      Which two teams played in the first Super Bowl? What was the score? Where was it played? Who were the opposing coaches?

The two teams which played in the first Super Bowl was the NFL Green Bay Packers and the AFL Kansas City Chiefs.  The score was 35-10 and the Packers won.  It was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  The opposing coaches were Vince  Lombardi and Hank Stram.   (http://www.historyoffootball.net/first_super_bowl.html Rating 9)

 

1. 5.      What are the top 5 most-watched Super Bowls in television history? What are the top 5 most-watched TV broadcasts (single episode)  in television history? How many of them are Super Bowl broadcasts?

The top 5 most-watched Super Bowls in television history are:

1.New Orleans Saints v. Indianapolis

2.Pittsburg v. Arizona

3.NY Giants v. New England

4.Dallas v. Pittsburg

5. Indianapolis v. Chicago

(http://www.unathleticmag.com/2010/11/15/the-5-most-watched-superbowls-of-all-time/ Rating 7)

The top 5 most-watched TV broadcast (single episode) in television history are:

1.Super Bowl XLIV (New Orleans Saints v. Indianapolis)

2. M*A*S*H series finale: “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen”

3.Dallas episode: “Who Done It?” aka “Who Shot J.R.?”

4. O.J. Simpson murder case

5. Roots Part VIII (finale)

(http://www.enotes.com/topic/List_of_most-watched_television_broadcasts Rating 9)

Of the top 5, only one of them are a Superbowl Broadcast.

 

 

1. 6.      What are the names of the Senators of Louisiana? What political parties do they belong to? Are they pro-choice or pro-life? How long have each been in office as state senators? What are their office telephone numbers in Washington D.C. and in your district of Louisiana?

 

• ·         Mary Landrieu: Democrat, pro-life, 16 years, Telephone # in Washington D. C. : (202) 224- 5824, District telephone #: (504) 589- 2427 (http://landrieu.senate.gov/  Rating 10)
• ·         David Vitter: Republican, pro-life, 7 years, Washington office phone # (202) 224-4623, District phone # (504) 589-2607 (http://www.davidvitter.com/site/c.ktJUJ7MNIuE/b.5131285/k.BE82/Home.htm Rate 10)

 

1. 7.      What is the current price of oil (per barrel) {Use the WTI price index, not the Brent figure}?  What is oil projected to cost per barrel in one year, according to WTI index?

 

The current price of oil is 107.9 and it is projected to cost 123 in one year.

 

1. 8.      How much would a $924 guitar bought in America cost in England?

 

The guitar would be 698.54 Euros. (http://money.cnn.com/data/currencies/ Rating 10)

 

1. 9.      Teachers in your area take a government-mandated salary cut of $2,346. If the current average salary for teachers in your area is $47,800, how much of a percentage decrease is this salary cut?

This is a 5% decrease.  ((http://www.crazysquirrel.com/finance/percent-increase-calculator.jspx Rating 7)

 

1. 10.  What is the largest airline company in the United States? In the world?

 

AirTrain Airways is the largest airline company in the US. (http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Airlines/airlines_north_america.htm Rating 8).  Southwest Airlines is the largest in the world. (

http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Southwest_Airlines_Company_%28LUV%29 Rating 5)

 

1. 11.  The United States government took a large stake in ownership in General Motors a few years ago when the car company was on the verge of going bankrupt. How much (percentage-wise) of GM did the U.S. take over? Has GM repaid the loan? If so, how much did GM pay back? If not, how much does it still owe, and to whom does it owe it?

 

The U.S. took over 33% of GM. GM has paid the loan back.

(http://www.autosavant.com/2011/04/19/u-s-government-will-sell-its-gm-shares-this-year-another-wistful-dream-is-dead/ rate 7)

 

 

1. 12.  Were crystal meth lab seizures up or down in 2011? If so, by how much? What were the top 5 states in terms of meth-lab seizures?

 

Seizures were up by 8.3 percent.  Top 5 states were Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.

(Source: http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/addiction/missouri-leads-nation-in-methamphetamine-lab-busts Rating of 9)

 

 

 

 

1. 13.  At what blood alcohol level are you considered legally drunk in Louisiana? If a female who weighs 145 pounds drinks four shots of tequila in two hours, what would her blood alcohol level be?

 

If your blood alcohol level is .08, your are legally drunk.  Her blood alcohol level would be .04.

(http://www.edgarsnyder.com/drunk-driving/driving-alcohol-laws/louisiana-drunk-driving-laws.html Rate 7)

 

 

 

1. 14.  Name at least three Native American Indian tribes that are still living in Louisiana today.

 

• ·         The Alabama Tribe
• ·         The Koasati Tribe
• ·         The Ofo Tribe

(http://www.native-languages.org/louisiana.htm Rating 6)

 

1. 15.  Access a copy of the April 25, 1865 issue of the Shreveport News. In the description of Lincoln’s assassination (which happened on April 14), what does Mrs. Lincoln do immediately after her husband slumps forward? Attach a pdf printout of the newspaper to your assignment.

 

Mrs. Lincoln immediately starts to scream.  (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/lincoln.htm) Rating of 7

 

 

 

1. 16.  What was the population of the United States in 1990? What was it in the latest census? What is the percentage increase/decrease in this number?

 

The population was 248,709,873 in 1990.  The latest census has us at 312.8 and a percentage increase of 0.7. (http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2011/12/30/us-population-2012-nearly-313-million-people Rating 9)

 

 

 

1. 17.  How many persons per square mile are there in Louisiana? How many persons per square mile are there in Alabama? How many persons per square mile are there in Texas? List them in order of magnitude, from greatest to least.

 

There are 9.84 persons per square mile in Louisiana

 

 

1. 18.  According to the Presidential approval tracker (Gallup poll), which U.S. president – George W. Bush, Barack Obama or Ronald Reagan — had the highest approval rating 689 days into his presidency? Who had the second-highest rating?

 

Reagan had the highest approval rating, Obama had the second highest.  ((http://www.gallup.com/poll/124922/Presidential-Approval-Center.aspx Rating of 8))

 

1. 19.  On Dec. 16, 1984, when did the sun rise and when did it set over the city of New Orleans, La.?

 

The sun rose at 6:49 and set at 5:02. (http://www.wunderground.com/history/airportfrompws/KNEW/1984/12/16/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA Rating of 8)

 

1. 20.  Where did Louisiana rank in the list of Top 10 Energy Producers of 2008?

 

Louisiana ranked number 3. (http://ftp.eia.doe.gov/state/  Rating 9)

I am definitely NOT a basketball fan.  In fact I can’t even think of many actual players.  But now there is one particular player that is ever so popular; Jeremy Lin.  I don’t know anything at all about statistics in basketball but what I do know is that Lin has an exceptional history with basketball.  A Harvard graduate with NO offers and now look at him!  Not only is he the first player in the NBA to be of Chinese decent, he is also breaking countless records.  His career started off a little weak, but it did not take long for the “linsanity” to begin.

After being assigned to the D-League  multiple times, his sudden rise to glory is a bit shocking in my eyes.  He is now on the starting lineup for the New York Knicks!  Lin got his big break on the court after doing a great job in the first quarter, prompting teammate Carmelo Anthony to suggest he play a lot more.

Despite the fact that everyone see’s how great a player Lin is, there has been suggestions that his slow start may be a racial issue.  No matter what race we may be, there are always stereotypes that people expect us to fall into.  I am one to say that I do not like being stereotyped and I try my hardest to convince people not to place me or other people in categories based off what you may THINK a particular race is prone to do.

In this day, it is easy for us to believe that atrocities of the past can never repeat themselves.  But the truth is they are just as prevalent, if not more, than ever before.  The fact that these things are not happening in our own country may prevent us from having knowledge about these situations.  Is it okay to ignore things that may not directly effect your country?  Do you believe that every problem in the world has some type of effect on every human being?

Joseph Kony has been terrorizing for years now, and people are finally starting to realize that something has to be done to stop him.  Ahmaad Solmone, a Senior Mass Communications major from Hammond, La said, “I did a video about Joseph Kony back in high school and that was about 8 years ago.  I’m happy my peers are finally starting to see how important this is.  Hopefully there will be a great result from this!”

Kony is based in North Uganda. He uses youth as soldiers and sex slaves.  There have also been stories of his brutal treatment.  It has been said that he removed the eyeball of a young man that looked at him without permission.  His tactics are said to be similar to that of a cult.

Kony 2012 is spreading across the United States.  Students here at the University of Louisiana at Monroe are even making efforts to end this.  Aisling Carberry-Shaha, a Freshman Elementary Education major from Deridder, Louisiana is a strong advocate for the matter.  “I have been involved with Invisible Children since high school and I am so happy ULM is taking part of this.  So many people believe we shouldn’t worry about this since its not dealing with us.  Kony is on top of the world’s most wanted list, why wouldn’t we start with him?”  Carberry-Shaha, along with many other ULM students, are working on starting a student organization geared towards the capture of Kony, entitled ULM Invisible Children.

Some people believe the Kony 2012 act is being blown out of proportion.  As usual, people believe we should have nothing to do with it.  “When people can point out Uganda, then they can care!” says Nick McCullough, a sophomore Pre-Nursing major from Minden, La.  It may be true that some of Kony’s biggest atrocities happened in the past, but does that mean they should be ignored?

Joseph Kony is gaining more and more popularity, and that may be what causes him to be captured.  This is the exact goal of Kony 2012.  Ryan Prince, a Biology Education Junior of Sibley, La said “At first I didn’t understand what it had to do with us.  I get it now though.  It’s about us all coming together and being a caring and selfless nation.  It’s about helping innocent children who can not help themselves.”

 

Sources

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/the-controversy-over-kony-2012/2012/03/10/gIQAzc6M3R_blog.html