Posting #3
Danielle L.
Topic: Health
Author: Nicholas Bakalar
Publication name: Teenage Birth Rates Continue to Drop
Date of publication:  April 16, 2012
Word Count: 686


Main Idea:
In recent years the teenage birth rate has continued to drop steadily according to the National Center
for Health Statistics. According to the article from 2009 to 2010 the rates of teenage births dropped 9% which is
equal to 34.9 per 1000. This is lowest rate ever reported in 65 years. This is linked to the data from the surveys
conducted by the CDC. Which says that since 1991 the percentage of teens whio has ever had sex has decreased
by 15%, and the percent of teens using condoms has increased by 32%. Dr. John Santelli a professor of clinical 
population and family health at Columbia university stated that "In the 90's, it was the big increase in condom use;
most recently id looks like it's an increase in the use of oral contraceptives, the and perhaps even the IUD". From 
this said by Dr. Santelli it's clear that there is an amazing drop in the birth rates of teenagers. In 16 states the rates
of teenage pregnancy percentage dropped by at least 20%. Dr. Brady. E. Hamilton, a statistician with the NCHS 
stated that, "You have the fact that teens are the focus of public policies and programs specifically designed to 
reduce births in that age group, so the general decline plus the programs have combined to have the effect."

Conclusion:

In Conclusion within the last 10 years teenage birth rates have continued to fall at a constant rate. Help from

sources such as sex education teaching teens about safe sex, like using condoms and birth control have definitely 

helped. Overall researchers have figured that with help from contraceptives and other factors the rate of teen

births have dropped dramatically since the 90's.

I Have Seen the Future (and It's Made of Glass)

Barbara
Posting #3
Topic: Technology
Author: Mike Elgan
Publication Name: ComputerWorld
Date of Publication: April 27, 2012
2 pages

Main Idea:

As a world now ruled by technology, humans have been introducing new innovations and ideas that seem almost impossible. This time, it's the use of glass for future gadgets like glasses that act as a computer, iPhones made of glass, and more. Hundreds of companies are working towards taking a part in this 'glass revolution' a couple of them being Google and Apple. There are already several major advances made towards showing glass as a new, innovative material but here I'll list three of my favorites.

• Google's project glass was introduced on the Charlie Rose Program, publicly performed for the first time. Google's Sebastian Thrun came in wearing glasses that use glass and mirrors to project a computer display onto one of the user's eye. This creates an illusion that information is 'floating' in the air or staring at a hologram. By the help of wireless connectivity and artificial intelligence you can search the web, send messages by voice, and even take pictures by simply blinking. An example of the pictures taken by the google glasses is here, where Thrun took a picture of Charlie Rose. 
• Microsoft's vision is not yet tangible, but as they're trying to get up with the fast pace of Apple, Facebook, and Google they are also gathering ideas on how they can be part of the glass revolution. Microsoft envisions augmented taxicab windows, wall size displays, and computer displays on everyday items like kitchen counters; all made of glass. One of their first steps is creating transparent computer displays, a video of a prototype can be found here.
• MIT creates glass that isn't shiny and doesn't produce glare when in the light; making things easier to read on the computer or the phone that uses glass. The university accomplished this by making a surface pattern with nano-scale cone glass. It's called multifunctional glass and it's very clear without any glare reflection. 

Conclusion:

I'm always amazed by the fast pace the creation of new technologies has reached, I watched old movies that depict what they thought the 2000's would be like and I would always laugh. But suddenly, the creation of spaceships, holograms, and portable mobile devices are actually happening. We're becoming a fast paced and intelligent race but what is the cost of all of this on planet Earth? Can our home compete with our pollution, population, and innovations? Although seeing our lives change in front our eyes is amazing, it also scares me.

Sigonee
Current Event Posting #3
Topic: Leaders (State vs. Federal)
Title of article: Supreme Court signals it's OK with parts of Arizona's immigration law
Author: unknown
Publication name: U.S. News on msnbc.com
Date of Publication: April 25, 2012
Length of article: 885 words

Main Idea:
The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed, on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, that it is ready to uphold one of the most controversial parts of Arizona's immigration law: a requirement that police officers check the immigration status of people they think are in the country illegally.  Justice Anthony Kennedy claims that the flood of illegal immigrants has caused "social and economic disruption."  Arizona also appeared to have a tougher time defending two other provisions of the law that now blocked: making it a state crime to have no federal immigration papers and making it a state crime for and illegal immigrant to look for work.  The four conservative justices, John Roberts, Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, and Samuel Alito believe Arizona's measure is "an effort to help you enforce federal law." The Obama administration argues that only the federal government, not states, has the right to set immigration laws; it says that Arizona cannot impose immigration laws that conflict with federal laws.  However, the two provisions are, currently, neither a federal crime.  Former Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce, has described the unabated flow of illegal aliens into the country as one of the "greatest threats to our nation."   

Conclusion:
In conclusion, it seems as though the controversy over illegal immigrants is not a fight between the immigrants and the law, but rather that it has developed into a conflict between the state and federal government.  They both have difference in opinion to advocate the law; the state government (of Arizona) blames the federal government for not wanting to know who's illegal in the United States and who is not.  Many conservatives in the state government, like Senator Sen. Russell Pearce, feel the issue of immigration is a national crisis, chosen to be ignored.

Posting #3

Laura

Thinking in Three Dimensions

Huffington Post

By Zoe P. Strassfield

Word Count: 1188

Published April 16 2012

Main Idea

Going to space is much more complicated that it may seem for humans. For example, our bodies are not adapted to live in zero G and therefore when humans are in space they are required to do a 1 hour workout every day so that their body does not deteriorate because it lacks the constant pounding of gravity. Even with these daily workouts people still come back with decreased muscle mass and bones that have gotten smaller because they are not used as much. The person running this seminar the author wrote about talked also about the problems of making controls and switches easy for pilots to use. There is also the concern that humans are only used to living in two dimensions while in space there are three and it is most likely easier at times to simply soar through the air instead of climbing along the walls. To help teach pilots how to live in zero G with three dimensions is to look at the way apes live in their large metal cages and how they do not stay on the ground but travel up and down and all the way around.

Conclusion

Humans have to exercise to remain healthy when they go to remain healthy. Authorities have to limit the amount of switches to make it simpler for pilots to move and control the ship once they are in space. The pilots also need to learn how to move in three dimensions as apes move and become comfortable with a lack of gravity.

Why A Picture Is Worth $1 Billion

Caroine Duffy
Posting 3
Topic: Technology 

Author: Bianca Bosker

Publication Huffington Post

Date of Publication: April 13, 2012

Length of article: 1 page

         Facebook just recently purchased Instagram for a large sum of money... 1 Billion dollars. Why one may ask would Facebook bother with buying a photo sharing app? Well Facebook wanted something that Instagram has very well established sharing photos amonst friends. Instagram has perfected the art of sharing photos from phones as it is very easy to just snap a photo of a building or some flowers. The app designed specifically for phones has helped aid us in the picture status update. Most American's are becoming more addicted to the beautiful moment status update, No risk of typo or thought just in the moment. Facebook relized that what we have in our pockets is what is easy to use and what most people want. There is a lot of backlash of people saying this is maily a "hipster app" but that is also the kind of talk that was going around when twitter first launched. So therefore the dreaminess quality of the app and photos gives it something that is rarely seen on facebook the "look at this" not "look at me."

Conclusion:
Instagram promotes the "wish you were here" kind of images and keeps it happy and promotes well being and they seem to have been able to put a price on that kind of vibe that it gives off. This investement will add value to the company and also help it evolve.

The Unchecked Charging Power of the Prosecutor
Jasper Ko
Politics
Radley Balko
Huffington Post
4/13/12

        George Zimmerman has just been charged with 2nd degree murder by Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey. This charge has won praise for the many supporters of Trayvon Martin in the very highly publicized case of his murder. However, the author Radley Balko, believes that this is a case of the prosecutor being given too much power. In 22 states there must be a grand jury indictment before any charges are made, but in the rest of the states, the prosecutor is able to charge someone with anything without any checks or balances. Sometimes a ridiculous charge may be overturned, but otherwise the charge is determined by the prosecutor alone. In addition, the prosecutor is protected by complete immunity, so they may not be sued. In turn, many of those that are charged may not be able to find sufficient defense to overturn these accusations, as it is quite expensive to higher an apt lawyer when one is charged with a severe crime.
     I believe that even though prosecutors seem to possess a little too much charging power, they won't be able to get a conviction if it is too ridiculous. If they charge someone with a much more severe crime than deserving, the chances of them reaching a conviction is much lower, because they need sufficient evidence to prove the accusations. I think that all states should require a grand jury indictment first, but a prosecutor is professionally, if not morally, obligated to reach a reasonable charge.

Gingrich Accuses Fox News of Bias

Matt Vistnes
Posting 3
Topic: Politics

Author: Jeremy W. Peters

Publication Name: NY Times

Date of Publication: April 12, 2012

Length of article: 2 pages

On Wednesday, Newt Gringrich lashed out at Fox News when it shifted its political coverage to Mitt Romney's benefit, which he claims to have "doomed his flagging campaign." In response to this, Fox News struck back at Gringrich, calling him bitter, showing tenacity and alacrity to match the former House speaker.

Gringrich, a former Fox news commentator, accused Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of the network's parent company News Corporation, of influencing the story behind their backs. "I assume its because Murdoch at some point said, 'I want Romney,' and so 'fair and balanced' became Romney,' said Gringrich. "And there's no question that Fox had a lot to do with stopping my campaign because such a high percentage of our base watches Fox." He goes on further to say that "CNN is less biased than Fox this year," and that they are "more likely to get neutral coverage from CNN." He believes that Fox will distort the story, and that this is just a fact.

On the other hand, Fox denies these accusations, saying that Gringrich is merely "auditioning for a windfall of a gig at CNN," and that he's bitter over the termination of his contributor contract. This claim is supported by the evidence that Rick Santorum, who had also accused the network of favoring other presidential candidates, also had a contract with Fox News closed just last year. Therefore it makes sense that Gringrich could have ulterior motives. However, Gringrich speaks some truth. The Pew Research Center, which researches the amount of attention that presidential candidates get from the media, found that Mitt Romney is the most covered candidate on multiple news stations. It was found that Romney has been in 66% of the news stories about the campaigns. Rick Santorum was covered about 33%, and Gringrich was about 1% of the coverage. Since the incident, Gringrich has appeared three times on Fox, and has not shown any signs of a grudge towards the network.

Conclusion:

Newt Gringrich is accusing Fox News of bias against him, because they are covering more of Mitt Romney's campaign. Fox has denied these accusations, saying that Gringrich is bitter at the loss of his contract with Fox and is now trying to get even with them. This is supported by the fact that Rick Santorum's contract was terminated last year, and he was taking shots at Fox as well, saying that the network was "favoring other candidates." However, this is contradicted by the fact that the Pew Research Center has found that Romney and Santorum have dominated the news coverage, with Gringrich being a mere 1% of the fuss. Oddly enough, Gringrich shows no signs of animosity towards Fox News at this point.

Current Events Posting #3

Current Events Posting #3
Title: USC Students Killed: Carjacking Attempt gone Wrong
Author: Greg Risling
Date: April 12th, 2012

Summary  Both victims had traveled from Beijing last spring like many international students had before them, eager to earn their master's degree in electrical engineering at the University of Southern California yet somewhat wary of what life in Los Angeles would provide.  Investigators said the attack on Wednesday might have been part of a robbery or attempted carjacking, but other possibilities have not been discounted.
No arrests have been made, and police were looking at video surveillance tapes taken from cameras in the neighborhood to see whether the footage contains any new evidence. Police have not yet released a description of the gunman who fled on foot.
A press conference has been set for Friday when authorities plan to announce a $125,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
The shooting garnered attention half a world away as China's state television repeatedly played a report from Los Angeles with one of its reporters examining the crime scene. Speculation swirled on China's social media sites, saying the two students were from affluent families because of the BMW that some media outlets reported as being newly purchased.

I heard about this from my father, who happened to be in Beijing this week.  He says that many of his friends don't feel very sympathetic to the students because they believe that they were showing off their affluence by driving a brand new BMW.  In a society that believes in modesty and humbleness, I can see where the view is coming from, but nevertheless these are still two deaths and the murderer needs to be apprehended. 

Conclusion:  I am surprised that no one has even heard about it.  Just because the victims were Asian doesn't mean that they deserve any less attention than a white girl.  This directly correlates with the learning exercise we did today, and further goes to show the prejudice that publishers have in displaying certain types of press.

Obama Prepares to Campaign Against Romney (post #3)

Topic: Leaders
Article: For Obama, going positive may be more difficult this time
Source: NYtimes.com
Author: Richard W. Stevenson
Published on April 13, 2012
Length: 3 pages

Main Ideas:
Since he is almost certain that he will be campaigning against Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election, Obama has started working on a strategy. Obama plans to portray Romney as a wealthy elitist whose policies are likely to lead to Social Darwinism. However, most successful campaigns are almost always built on positive foundations, such as Obama's hope and change plan from 2008. This year, Obama wants to use the themes of fairness and security in his campaign, but even that is risky because his policies have not cone over well with the American public for a long time. Other elements of Obama's strategy include countering Conservative criticism and avoiding talking about the things he failed to do during his term in the White house. Both Obama and Romney have difficult campaigns ahead of them, and Obama's new strategies could potentially help him be reelected.

Conclusions:
Campaigning has always been about how a candidate's words can convince people to vote for them, so it will be fascinating how Obama and Romney try to portray themselves. Throughout the campaign, Obama and Romney will not only be trying to make themselves look good, but each other look bad. However, most people will be disgusted if one of the candidates outright insults the other, so Obama and Romney will have to be subtle if they want to win the election. Obama has even more of a challenge than Romney because he has to defend himself from Romney and at the same time, try to paint his time in the White house so far in a more positive light.

Current Event Blog Posting #3

Kimberly
Leaders
Collision Over Roles of Women Sets off Combative Debate Along the TrailBy: Michael D. Sheer and Susan SaulnyThe New York TimesPublished: April 12, 20122 page




Hilary Rosen, a strategist with some ties to President Obama apologized Thursday afternoon for saying that Mrs. Romney had "never worked a day in her life." Caused conflict between who age old question Stay-at-Home Mom vs. Working mother, and the difficulties each job presents. Mrs. Romney's position in this case, lead to a prominent position in Mr. Romney's campaign trail for the independent women population, which he had been struggling with before. Rosen's ties with Obama, her comments had pushed voters to sympathize for Mrs. Romney, and introduce the issues of work, home economics, and family balancing into their campaigns. Hilary Rosen's defense for her comment brought up issues of the suffering economy, and the women that struggle day in and day out to support their children without even the choice to stay at home. Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman for Romney replied, "Not only was this Obama confidante wrong to attack a mother who chooses to stay home; so many women have lost their jobs under the Obama economy, they don't even have that choice." Rosen's apologized to all of those who may have been offended, but her comment lead to Obama's distancing her from all contact with him. 

When did Facebook become so uncool?

Miko M
Period C
Posting Number 3
Topic: Technology
Author: John D. Sutte
Publication: CNN
Date of Publication: April 12, 2012
1 Page

The social media giant that is valued at $100 billion is not as hip as it used to be. Critics were quick to say that Facebook's purchase of the rights to the quickly growing photo app called Instagram was not their best move. Many users have deleted their photos off of Instagram because they did not want their pictures on Facebook. A poll that came out right before the purchase of Instagram displayed that 28% of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Facebook (Apple had 2 times that number and Google had nearly 3 times that.) With the number of critics increasing, more and more bad things are being written about Facebook. Everyday this company expands farther and farther but as it gets larger, questions start to form. Google is used as an example of this. When Google was young, it was just an ad free search engine that people adored, but as popularity grew, expansion was necessary and the need/want for money kicked in, and now one is spammed with ads. This one day may be Facebook.

Conclusion
Even though 28% of the population in America looks down on Facebook, the majority still has its back along with the rest of the world. But with the Instagram backlash, those numbers may be seeing a difference. The cool underground app has just been ruined by the big social media monster.

Trying to Find a Measure for How Well Collges Do

Justine
Posting #3
Education
Title: Trying to Find a Measure for How Well Collges Do
Author: Richard Perez-Pena
Publication: The New York Times
Date: 4-7-12
Length: 2 pages

Every since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, elementary, middle and high schools have all been taking standardized tests, and having the results made public, in order for the people to know how well the school is doing. Well, now people want the same for colleges. This is a tricky business because all the colleges have different standards for incoming students, but in January, the New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability, a coalition of higher education groups, released a paper advocating for gathering "evidence of student learning". One way to do this would be standardize tests that tested problem solving, analytically thinking and working collaboratively. Many people, though, like Alice P. Gast, president of Lehigh University, say that there is no really to test such things. There has already been much backing of the standardized test, from Texas making college standardized test scores public in 2004, to books about the questionable quality of American colleges. The most important boost, though, was in 2004 when Margaret Spellings, the education secretary at the time, released findings that strongly backed and demanded pubic standardized test scores to be made public for all colleges. Although the tests haven't been mandated by the government, the issue has become more of a hot topic. Currently there are a few different test systems. The Voluntary System of Accountability has three tests that they ask colleges to take and then for the colleges to post the scores on their website. Another group, the National Survey of Student Engagement, measures factors that are a good indirect way to assess actual learning. Both of these systems, though, do not have nearly enough participating colleges for any real data to be collected , or the schools do not publish the scores every year, if at all.

Conclusion:
Standardized tests for colleges would allow for the public to measure the actual effectiveness of colleges much better. Currently there are a few options for tests, but the scores are often not made public and not every college uses them. Measuring the effectiveness of a college is also difficult because they have different academic standards for their incoming freshman. Many people do not think there is a good way to measure such things as critical thinking and collaborative ability, which are two things that college really improve in students. If the government were to make such test mandatory, there would need to be a lot of work on the tests themselves and on what the outcomes would mean. 

 

CUSV Unmanned Vessel Could Soon Be Working For Navy

Leigh
Technology
CUSV Unmanned Vessel Could Soon Be Working For Navy
Author: Alan Sayre
Huffington Post
Date of Publication: 4/12/12
Length: 300 words

Main Ideas:
Textron Inc. a company that had designed unmanned helicopters to go in to Afghanistan has now come out with a new idea. The idea is to now have unmanned vessels for the United States Navy to operate. The boat is 39 feet long and can reach up to 28 knots on the water. This vessel can be operated from a large Navy station on land, sea or air from 10 to 12 miles away. If they need to control if from farther away they may switch it to a satellite control system from a range of 1,200 miles away. By operating a boat from a distance it takes out the danger of harming the soldiers in the navy. This will greatly increase the survival rate of our women and men in the Navy.The company Textron is based in New Orleans. The boats are tested in Textron Marine and Land System shipyard in New Orleans. The boat trials began in 2009.

Conclusion:
I believe that this will be an amazing idea. Having members of the Navy operating boats from far away takes out the huge danger of risking their lives. The thing i don't like about this idea is that it takes out the feeling of battle. I don't know if the soldiers would feel how it feels to be in war since they will not physically be there.

Shift Work and Sleep Deprivation Linked With Obesity and Diabetes

Emma
blog posting #3
topic: Health
Title: Shift Work, Sleep Deprivation, Linked with Obesity and Diabetes, Study Finds
Publication: Huffington Post
Author: Amanda L. Chan
Date: 4/11/12
1 page long

    Recently, researchers from Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston did a controlled study to see the effect of sleep deprivation and sleeping at abnormal times on people. They conducted the study with 21 people over the course of six weeks and during that time researchers controlled the diet, activities, and sleep of the subjects. During the beginning of the study each person was getting ten hours of sleep a night and as the study progressed each person was allowed only 5.6 hours with everyone going to sleep at different times in the day. Researchers found that the subjects who did not get enough sleep or were sleeping at odd times during the day had a decreased metabolic rate during the study and were having a worsened ability to secreat insilin seen by higher bloodsugar levles than the average person after they ate. When the data was extrapolated researchers found that these changes seen during the study could lead to a weight gain of ten pounds per year. The findings of the study show the link between unhealthy sleep patterns and obesity and diabetes.
    To Conclude, the study done in Boston shows that people who have to work shifts and therefor sleep at abnormal times, as well as people who deprive themselves of necessary sleep have a higher risk for obesity and diabetes. Though the study was small, it was more long term than many other studies and lead to this conclusion about the link between sleep and health.
 

Affirmative Action ban upheld in California

Thomas
Current Event Post #3
Topic: Education
Title of Article: Court upholds California affirmative action ban
Author: Christina Hoag
Publication: Associated Press
Date: 4/2/12
Words: 668

      On Monday the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California's affirmative action ban, passed by voters in 1996 as Proposition 209. This marks the second time that the 9th Court of Appeals has defended the law. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of affirmative action in 2003, motivating activists to continue their fight against the ban. "We think the decision is wrong," said Detroit attorney George B. Washington, who is representing the groups opposing the ban in the latest challenge, filed in January 2010. Since the decision was determined by a panel of three judges, Washington has asked the full appellate court to review the ruling in hopes of a different outcome. 
     Ralph Kasarda of the Pacific Legal Foundation, who argued in favor of the ban, is not surprised by the court's decision. "The bottom line from both decisions by the 9th Circuit — today's and the ruling 15 years ago — is that California voters have every right to prohibit government from color-coding people and playing favorites based on individuals' sex or skin color," Kasarda said in a statement. 
     The year following the adoption of the ban, acceptance of black, Latino and Native American students dropped by as much as fifty percent, according to the plaintiffs. Maria Belman, a history major at UC Berkeley, says the lack of diversity has created an unfriendly environment for minorities. 
     So far, five other states have also banned affirmative action in college admissions. They include Michigan, Arizona, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Washington.

Conclusion:

    The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld California's legislation banning affirmative action   in college admissions, despite the Supreme Court's decision in 2003 to legalize the practice. There are strong voices on both sides of the issue.  Activists declare they they will continue their mission to have the ban repealed, and proponents vow to stand by the law that they say prevents colleges from discriminating against applicants. 


Opinion:

For me, affirmative action is a very difficult topic. Though America is the land of opportunity, the rights of minorities have long been disrespected. It seems they deserve a chance given their position in today's society. On the other hand, playing with affirmative action is like playing with a loaded dice; the game is not fair. A majority is a majority, but each person in that majority is their own minority. If colleges start judging applicants based on physical characteristics, the system loses its legitimacy. Either way, I am glad I do not have to make the decision.

Boston Professor Uses Frequent Feedback From Class as Teaching Aide

Julia
Posting #3
Topic: Education
Title of Article: Feedback from Students Becomes a Campus Staple, but Some Go Further
Author: Tamar Lewin
Publication Name: NY Times
Date of Publication: March 28, 2012
Length of Article: 1,162 words

MAIN IDEAS:

     Muhammad Zaman, a Boston University biomedical engineering professor, passes out anonymous evaluations every other Monday to his students and asks them to rate him and the course on a scale of 1 to 5.  The survey also asks other questions such as, "How can the professor improve your learning of the material?" "Has he improved his teaching since his last evaluation?"  Zaman then collects the results from the surveys and presents them in a graph, then emails his class about any changes he plans to make according to their comments.  He then starts the following class by discussing the feedback and any changes.  

     Zaman acknowledges that "A lot of college teaching is not very good, and everybody knows it".  He also states that the traditional evaluations at the end of the courses (which most teachers do) does not benefit the evaluator, so he finds it would be more helpful to do frequent evaluations throughout the course.  When Zaman first started the evaluations, he was averaging 3's on the 5 point scale, but he has since improved and is now averaging 4's and 5's.  This is proof of how the frequent evaluations have positively impacted Zaman's style of teaching, and how the evaluations have also improved Zaman's ability to help his students.

     Zaman is not the only teacher using a frequent feedback loop to improve his teaching.  At Columbia University's Teacher College, professor Lee Knefelkamp passes out index cards to her pupils every other week, asking on one side "What's working for you?" and on the other, "Of what are you needful?"  Dr. Knelfelkamp also says that the feedback is very helpful as it can help colleagues catch things they overlooked, hear from shy students and spur students to reflect on their learning.

CONCLUSION:

     It seems that routine evaluations, especially in colleges, are helping professors like Zaman better tailor their teaching methods to the class's needs.  This in turn results in a more helpful environment and hopefully better grades for the students.  It also allows professors to accurately do their job - to really teach students and make sure that they are learning the material.  It's a win-win situation either way, the students' learning needs are met, and the professors have the satisfaction of knowing that they are doing a good job (and the benefit of knowing that the students like them).

OPINION:

     I think it is clever of Zaman to realize that end-of-course evaluations don't really do much to help the class.  Also, it's great that even tho he has tenure, he continues to try and improve his teaching in order to help more students.  I also like how he graphs the survey results instead of keeping them to himself and shows the class what he plans to do to improve.