Kari Lomanno's Blog
Posted by Kari Lomanno
As a high school English teacher, I discover incidents of plagiarism every single year. And every year, it breaks my heart. How do you explain to your students that cheating not only hurts the offender but the entire educational process? Students think it's no big deal to buy an essay off the Internet or cut and paste entire passages into their paper.
This cavalier attitude students have about plagiarism speaks to a larger error in thinking that I believe many students share. They think their actions don't matter in the larger scheme of things. They don't believe what they do has a ripple effect on the rest of the world.
This week, students at the University of Alabama got an education on plagiarism and student responsibility from anthropology professor Susan D. Blum of the University of Notre Dame.
What does plagiarism have to do with anthropology, you might ask?
A great deal, according to Blum. She has written a book called My Word!: Plagiarism and College Culture
She told students that they have a responsibility to use the knowledge they discover from others in a respectful way and share their own knowledge with the rest of society.
"Respect your predecessors," Blum said. "But also consider yourself a contributor to knowledge and not just a consumer."
Today's students have been raised to consume. They crave gadgets and snack food and fashion. They have been trained to want things, not substance. Blum reminded them that each paper they write contributes to a larger academic conversation.
"One of the things about academic writing is that it's a conversation," Blum said. "[It's a] a dialogue between the past, you and the future."
It was refreshing to hear that I am not the only one frustrated by the problem of plagiarism in today's educational environment. I hope the students at the University of Alabama got the message.
Thanks to the Click here for the complete article.
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Posted by Kari Lomanno
Posted by Kari Lomanno
The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted on Friday to delay enforcement of certain testing requirements for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Enforcement of the new law was expected to begin on Feb. 10, and many small businesses were in a panic.
The deadline for enforcement has been delayed one year to Feb. 10, 2010. While manufacturers are still expected to comply with the new lead and phthalate limits now, at least they don't have to pay to test and certify that they have complied. (Read more about this in my article.)
I think the CPSC did the right thing in delaying the enforcement of the law. There were just too many questions about how libraries, thrift stores and crafters would be affected. At least now everyone has an extra 12 months to work out the details.
Unfortunately, this delay also carries its own set of problems. If manufacturers are still expected to comply with the law, how can they do this without testing? The whole process is so muddy and confusing, it actually makes the law less potent than its proponents had planned. In the end, I fear that more dangerous products will end up slipping through the cracks simply because manufacturers don't know what exactly is required of them.
Congress needs to take the next 12 months to seriously rewrite the CPSIA in specific, unambiguous language. (I know you're saying "Yeah, right," but a girl can dream!) It needs to specifically address resellers, thrift stores, crafters and consignment shops. It needs to exempt libraries and used booksellers so that children will not have to banned from reading. It needs to focus on products manufactured in China and other foreign countries and not target small, home-based businesses here in America.
In short, we need a new CPSIA. I think we can all agree that it's a good idea, but when something is put together in a panic it never quite works the way it should. The CPSC has given itself some breathing room to allow Congress to take another look at the law. I hope our government does the right thing and makes some positive changes that will truly keep our children safe.
Posted by Kari Lomanno
Here are the latest recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
Mad Dog Recalls Boy's Pajamas Due to Burn Hazard: Kohl's sold about 25,000 of these Tony Hawk Pajamas from September 2008 to October 2008
Fisher-Price Recalls Simplicity’s Rainforest™ Portable Play Yards Due to Fall and Entrapment Hazards: About 200,000 of these portable play yards were sold from January 2007 to January 2009.
Stork Craft Recalls More Than 500,000 Cribs; Mattress Support Bracket Failures Create Risk of Entrapment and Suffocation: More than 500,000 of these cribs were sold at major retailers such as J.C. Penney and Walmart from May 2000 to November 2008.
Infantino Expands Recall of Infant Rattles Due to Choking Hazard: About 131,000 of these lamb and lion baby rattles were sold at Walmart and Babies R Us from May 2007 to September 2008.
Stay tuned for regular recall updates. Thanks for reading.
Posted by Kari Lomanno
