A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD JANUARY 14 - JANUARY 21
UNIVERSITY NEWS BUREAU (215) 204-7476 Fax: (215) 204-4403 [email protected]
TIME + WARNER+ AOL = CONVERGENCE -- The AOL-Time Warner deal will mean greater convenience for consumers but it will also blur the lines between information and advertisement, says Concetta Stewart, dean of Temple's School of Communications and Theater and an authority on new media and global telecommunication.
"A student taking a Web-based class can with a click go directly to a bookstore to order his textbooks. If an e magazine travel article leads a reader through hot links to a vacation or entertainment destination, that posh resort may be owned by the media conglomerate publishing the story."
Expect a continuing consolidation of publishing, broadcasting and entertainment giants with the new added dimension of interactive communication, she predicts. "We're used to thinking of different means of communication as distinct channels--we use the telephone for voice conversations, the TV for viewing mass media events. As we move toward a ubiquitous, integrated communication environment, particularly with improved wireless technology, it will converge to the point where the device itself will be irrelevant." Reach Dean Stewart through the News Bureau, 215-204-7476.
RATING 'ZERO TOLERANCE' -- While post-Columbine "zero tolerance" policies adopted by school districts are supposed to make parents feel that schools are free of weapons and danger, Temple school psychologist Irwin Hyman says the policies actually send kids the message that schools aren't the safe, nurturing places they should be.
That became more evident recently when two Pennsylvania boys, ages six and 12, faced disciplinary action after bringing nail clippers and a utility knife to school, says Hyman, author of the book Dangerous Schools and a nationally recognized expert on school violence.
"'Zero tolerance' doesn't fit into what educators think about education," says Hyman. "Kids make mistakes. Educators expect that and they're supposed to be there to help them through them. Schools have traditionally tried to provide nurturing environments for children."
But 'zero tolerance' mandates, says Hyman, are "police tactics," black-and-white policies which don't take into account individual incidents and circumstances. Reach Dr. Hyman through the News Bureau.
TRAGEDY PLAGUED FLYERS MAY STILL MAKE RUN AT CUP -- It's hard to say how the Flyers, a team that has already had to deal with the tragic news that coach Roger Nielsen has cancer, will respond to the news of Lauren Hart's lymphoma, but chances are it will bring the team closer together and may make them play better, says Temple sports psychologist Michael Sachs.
"Often times when a situation like this happens a team rallies together," says Sachs. "They see someone battling a fatal illness
and it makes them think, 'Maybe I should be trying a little harder when I'm out there.' At the same time it brings the players back to reality and lets them realize that it's only a game they're playing."
However Sachs points out that there are significant differences between what the Flyers are going through and what players on the Charlotte Hornets, will have to deal with after guard Bobby Phills was killed in a car accident this week.
"In the case of the Hornets there's more of a chance for the team to go into a slump. There's more of a physical element there. The Flyers will still see Nielsen and Lauren Hart everyday, but Phills is gone forever. That type of loss can be very difficult to deal with emotionally and the team has the more pragmatic concerns of having lost a key player." Reach Dr. Sachs through the News Bureau.
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January 14, 2000
VISIT THE NEWS BUREAU's WEB SITE: http://www.temple.edu/news_bureau/
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