A crowd of some ten thousand gathered in front of the White House to protest the seventh anniversary of the United States invasion of Iraq.

Many joined the march and urged the president to remove all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. War veterans were a large majority in attendance and spoke candidly of their experiences in the Middle East.

It was also a family affair, and many protesters brought their kids along in hopes of setting a good example.

Eight people were arrested for putting coffins in front of the White House.

People on one Northwest campus got out into the great outdoors for a purpose.

April 6th marked American University’s 17th annual Campus Beautification Day.

The enviornmentally friendly day helps keep AU the only school arboretum in the district.

The event began at 8 am and finished around 11 am. The flowers and trees were planted by various groups of volunteers.

American University has been an arboretum since 2004.

Brooke Army Medical Center flew in from San Antonio, Texas to play against DC’s Walter Reed Medical Center.

Around two hundred people came to American University’s gym to watch the veterans compete in a friendly game of wheelchair basketball, and all proceeds went to Push for America and Wounded Warriors Project.

In a surprising turn of events, Brooke beat Walter Reed fifty to forty-five even though they had fewer players.

Protests, boycotts, and Arizona’s new law helped put Immigration Reform back on the Senate’s agenda.

• By Michael Wargo
• February 18, 2010

Michelle Carlson (left) is an intern at DC’s Univision Bureau.

Michelle Carlson and Gabrielle Gorder covered the State of the Union and have White House press passes. Impressive credentials – especially when you consider that they are interns. The two broadcast journalism students landed the prime positions at the Univision Network’s DC bureau with the help of their professor Carolyn Brown.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Michelle and Gabrielle,” said Brown. “Not only will they improve both Spanish language and broadcast television skills, but this internship will open doors for them in an area of the media that is growing.” 

Gorder and Carlson’s experience has included working with the national and local crews, going out on field reports to conduct interviews, selecting soundbites and selecting b-roll video for TV news spots. 

“The DC branch of Univision is small and everything broadcasts out of Miami,” Carlson says, which is an advantage. “I am able to get hands-on experience and I work alongside the small crew and do the same jobs they do.”  

Both students say the classes they have taken at SOC prepared them to excel at Univision. Carlson notes that an editing project that she did for a course was done exactly the same way as the packages the crew puts together at Univision. “My classes have given me more confidence in the work I do at Univision and I hope the knowledge and experience I gain will help me stand out.” 

Broadcast Journalism II is the class Gorder thinks best prepared her for Univision. “I understand the different elements that go into a newscast, I feel comfortable in the control room, I know why the cameraman is getting certain shots and I know why the lighting is set up a particular way.” 

In some areas, SOC is ahead of the curve. Both Carlson and Gorder said they were surprised that Univsion still edits in a linear fashion, which is tape to tape. Gorder added, “the staff thinks its great that I know how to use Final Cut and Garage Band and that I have a blog. In fact, I promised to teach one of the producers how to use Final Cut.” 

The Univision internship has been a perfect fit for Gorder, who minors in international relations and Spanish and interned last year at Meet the Press. “It touches on all of my interests.” Carlson, whose mother is from Nicaragua, says “My mother made sure I would be bilingual in Spanish,” she said. “I grew up watching Colombian telenovellas as well as watching Univision newscasts.”  

Brown says Spanish-language and bilingual media is the future. “In some big markets in the United States, like Los Angeles, Univision beats out English-language TV-news in ratings,” she said. “We too often think of Spanish language media as different or outside the norm. The reality is, it is now mainstream, and it needs to be incorporated into our teaching and practice of Journalism in every way possible.”

Will the Chilean government ask the United States for Temporary Protected Status after the devastating earthquake?

Can a videogame be the solution to childhood obesity? One research community believes it’s worth investigating

By Michelle Carlson

The Tanita Healthy Weight Community Trust has awarded the Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at Derby University £5,000 to complete a research study on the effects of Wii and childhood obesity.

“There is a lot of discussion that video games are bad for your health and we hope this research will determine if playing on this equipment could actually have physical benefits for children,” said Michael Duncan the Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at Derby University, in an interview with PhysOrg News.

Childhood Obesity and Video Games

The good old outdoors was a commodity many people took advantage of when they were children.

“Some of my best memories were from playing games outside,” said junior Siobhan Kane, who still plays intramural basketball and is a certified EMT. “I mean I wouldn’t have half these scars if it wasn’t for tag, hide and seek, or capture the flag.”

Now with all the technology available, many children have become accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle; opting to play video or computer games rather than playing outside.

According to the new physical activity recommendation presented by the government in Oct. of 2008, children should participate in one hour or more of moderate or vigorous aerobic physical activity a day, at least three days a week.

“Though Wii does get the blood flowing, I do not think that it counts as a ‘moderate or vigorous’ activity,” said senior Anne Marie Person who is majoring in Health Promotion. “I think maybe the affect that it does have is getting kids off their butts and on their feet. Then once they are up maybe they will want to go outside and play a real game of baseball or tennis.”

Wii is new type of video game created by Nintendo that allows children to physically control the game through their movements. There is a console that retrieves the players’ motions which in turn simulates the player’s command. For example, a gamer can use the remote to play tennis, boxing, bowling, or golf.

“I just played the Wii all Thanksgiving Break with my nieces and nephews and I was surprised when I began to sweat,” said Person. “I think it is a fun proactive game for people of all ages to play.”

What is Tanita?

Tanita, also known as the Tanita Healthy Weight Community Trust, is the company currently funding Dr. Duncan. Tanita’s goal is to prevent obesity through scientific study and was created because of the continual rise in obese people globally. The organization gives out 6 to 8 grants a year, and the term of each grant is 10 months, beginning the day the subsidy is awarded.

According to their website, the Tanita Healthy Weight Community Trust is a non-profit, public fund whose goal is to educate and “combat obesity worldwide.” They were established in 1994 by Tanita in cooperation with the government of Japan.

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The Study

Dr. Duncan said the study will take place over a six week period at a local area elementary school. He plans on dividing the children into two groups. The one group will play Wii for 30-minutes during their lunch period, while the other group will participate in regular sports. All the participants will be connected to heart-monitor which tracks the heart rate and amount of calories burned. Duncan hopes to provide Tanita with his results in the next year.

Childhood Obesity

While some analysts say that inactivity and the progression of technological gadgets are the reasons for the increase in childhood obesity, Dr. Robert Karch says that childhood obesity has been around for thirty some years.

“Childhood obesity is not new; it’s just getting a lot of recent attention,” said the chair of American University’s Department of Health and Fitness Dr. Karch. “It is an emerging derivative from the 1960s when schools began cutting curriculum in order to incorporate more mathematic and science courses.” Karch believes other contributing factors are from the increasing urbanization and fast food restaurants. He believes more attention is being focused on the issue of childhood obesity because of the available tools now able to diagnose diseases faster.

“We weren’t looking for it before in kids, we only focused on adults,” said Karch. “The world has also come to realize the phenomenal cost, both financial cost and human cost, that obesity causes. It’s an issue because it’s a controllable variable.”

The Pros and Cons of Virtual Activity

Dr. Karch is a supporter of the technological advancements taking over our world as long it is used properly. Karch says that this generation of children has shifted towards more technology based entertainment versus the traditional physically active games.

“We can’t be in denial of this generation of kid’s interest in technology,” said Karch. “It’s not as fashionable to play outside, so finding ways to get people physically active through technology is a very positive progression.”

Karch says a big positive of virtual gamming is that the player is able to be active in a controlled environment without the fear of public failure.

Strive Fitness Equipment has even begun targeting the younger generation with “Kidz Smart Circuits.” They call it Smart Strength Technology and say it provides a total-body workout in 30-minutes or less.

The downfall is much of these games and equipment are expensive commodities. The Kidz Smart Circuits are sold individually and run for a couple hundred dollars. A Wii will cost the buyer $329.95 for just one controller and console, and for those who wish to interact with multiple players other remotes can be purchased for $40 each. You can then add to your shopping cart the Wii Fit for an extra $189.99 or the DreamGear Wii 5-in-1 Fitness Bundle for $60.

Karch says the expensive prices may deter people from buying the virtual games. The Wii also only allows for the maximum of four people to play at a time, which makes the virtual game socially restrictive and less interactive.

Weight-Loss

Chief Operating Officer of L&T Health and Fitness, Allison Flatly attributes childhood obesity to kids spending less time exercising, and more time in front of the TV, computer, or video-game console. She is currently working with children to get them more active. Flatly says the research being done on the topic can only bring about improvement for our ‘larger’ growing community, but doesn’t think the videogames will be solution to the problem.

“According to a study done by the American Council on Exercise, ‘Wii workouts’ definitely burn calories; which is a lot better than sitting on the couch watching TV or playing a non-active video game,” said Flatly. “But as for Wii changing the obesity rate, I don’t think it compares to traditional physical activity.”

284 Dressage Court, West Chester, PA, 19382

Mobile 610.357.3660

Email  michelletcarlson@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE

Production Assistant- UNIVISION, Washington, DC 2010

• Worked with correspondents in the production of daily news pieces covering the White House, Congress, and other Federal Agencies

• Conducted interviews, logged tapes, researched information and video

• Assisted in editing of the stories

Contributor- District Wire News, Washington, DC 2008-present

• Co-Anchored and produced 10-minute weekly newscasts.

•Wrote, shot and edited own report packages on National Security, politics, and Washington, DC events featured on student news website www. Districtwirenews.com and YouTube

Contributor- District Wire Radio News, Washington, DC 2009

• Produced, wrote, and anchored Podcasts for international distribution on iTunes

Communications Intern-Law Media Group, Washington, DC, 2008

• Supported senior staff on media related activities such as event planning and media monitoring

•Translated key advertising pieces from English to Spanish for various campaigns

•Researched and collated press lists to developed targeted clients list and community organizations

•Drafted media advisories and press releases for government entities on a bi-weekly basis

•Pitched newsworthy information to national print journalists; briefed them on events or client issues

Assistant to Regional Shareholder – Greenberg Traurig Law Firm, Washington, DC, 2006-2007

• Researched information pertinent to high-profile confidential cases

• Contributed bullet points and briefing material for leaders meeting with reporters at FOX 5 and CNN;

researched and summarized various types of litigation

• Provided liaison services between Sayed Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim and 14 United States delegates

EDUCATION

American University, School of Communication, Washington, DC, May 2010

Bachelor of Arts, Broadcast Journalism

Double Minor- French and International Relations

GPA 3.65/4.0 – Deans List- 6 semesters (Sept. 2006- Dec. 2009)

La Sorbonne, Course de la Civilization Française, Paris, France, February- June 2009

•Studied French Civilization and Culture, French Cinema, Grammar and Phonetics in French

•Studied Abroad in an immersion progam and lived with a homestay family who only spoke French

GPA 3.94/4.0

LANGUAGES

•Bilingual in Spanish

•Fluent in French

SKILLS

•Proficient in Final Cut Pro,iNews, ENPS, Garage Band, Audacity, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

ACTIVITIES

President and Founder-Spanish Club

•Recruited members and drafted papers for foundation

• Arranged and assisted with completion of Spanish Children’s Association’s First Communion

Philanthropy Chair & Assistant Recruitment- Alpha Chi Omega, Washington, DC 2007- 2009

• Organized and planned multiple fundraisers raising up to $1,140 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

• Helped raise awareness and funds for Domestic Violence at American University’s Wellness Fair