Category: Not applicable

FOIA and Privatization of Government

FOIA and Privatization of Government
A democracy works best when the people have all the information that security of the nation permits. With these words, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) into law. This law may seem straight forward, but has been severely complicated since the 1990s due to the growing trend of privatization of government. Many are worried that privatization of services such as military operations, homeland security, the prison system, and interstate railroad operations will diminish the effect of FOIA.

Here is an example from a local government agency:
I (your professor) spent a good deal of time as Deputy Chief of New York States largest all-volunteer EMS agency. This NYS non-profit corporationhas an exclusive contract with the town it serves to provide emergency medical care to a specific jurisdiction. Unlike a fire district (which is a public entity and subject to FOIA) my EMS agency is not subject to FOIA.

In 2005, Newsdaywrote a series of feature articles discussing fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption (FWAC) in the volunteer fire and EMS services. Most of this investigative reporting was a result of information received via FOIA/FOIL requests. Newsdaydid a very good job in helping to reduce FWAC in fire departments and public EMS agencies. However, my EMS agency, unFOIA/FOIL-able, always refused to turn over financial information, and was completely shielded from the financial investigations of Newsday.

The assignment:
Your first task is to research the issue of FOIA and the privatization of government. There has been a lot published on this topic since the mid-1990s. Try to find some examples similar to the EMS agency. Once you have some good reference materials, address the following issues (at a minimum):

Should private corporations be subject to FOIA requests if they utilize public funding? What are the arguments for and against this? If yes, to what degree?
Should there be differences between privatization of traditional governmental services (law enforcement, the prison system, transportation) and private corporations using public funding for non-traditional services (providing day care to the children of government employees, meals-on-wheels)?
Try to find examples of FWAC in private corporations and non-profits that were not subject to FOIA, but may have been prevented by FOIA based investigations.
If FOIA/FOIL legislation cannot force private corporations to respond to requests for information, is there anything that could be done by the contracting government agency to mitigate this?
If you have any personal experiences with this issue, please feel free to share.
<Dont forget to cite sources where appropriate and provide links to appropriate documents and websites.>

July 16, 2022 / by

Ethical use of AI

After reading the chapter attached and 2 articles:
1)https://www.vice.com/en/article/88apnv/underpaid-workers-are-being-forced-to-train-biased-ai-on-mechanical-turk

2)https://slate.com/technology/2021/04/scatterlab-lee-luda-chatbot-kakaotalk-ai-privacy.html

What concerns do you have regarding the ethical use of AI? How could you address these concerns if you were to implement AI in your business?

September 3, 2021 / by

Geography of Inequality

On Omi and Winant and Duster (you might also want to reference Conley from earlier):

You can pick ONE.
1)  What is similar in these authors’ discussions of race and ethnicity?  What is different?

2) In what ways is race ‘real’, and in what ways is it ‘not’, according to these authors?

I’ve attached the example.

February 17, 2021 / by

M8.2 Discussion: Oral Communication – Final Project Presentation GECC

M8.2 Discussion: Oral Communication – Final Project Presentation GECC

At the end of last week, you submitted the culmination of 7 weeks of thinking, research, and writing. You should be proud of what youve accomplished! This week, youll get the chance to share your Final Project with your peers in a short “elevator pitch” video presentation.

An elevator pitch is a very short synopsis of your topic, something that could convince an audience during an elevator ride. To create one, youll need to think about the most important points of your argument to get across to your audience, and remember that your audience has not done the same amount of reading on your topic as you have over the last 7 weeks, so youll need to make sure your explanations make sense to a non-expert.

Begin by reading page 8.10 in your webtext and looking back at your final project and reflecting on its most important points.

Discussion Instructions
Initial post: Then, by Thursday of Module 8, create a 2-minute video clip (and a text transcript) that addresses the following:

Convince the audience of your thesis argument for your final project in a short elevator pitch. To do this youll need to introduce your topic and thesis statement, then articulate the main arguments in support of it in a way that non-experts can understand.
Then, reflect on the research process in this course what was the most important thing you learned through the last 7 weeks of research and writing and how do you plan to apply it in your future coursework and beyond?
NOTE: You will need to include a transcript or closed captions with your video in order to make it accessible for people with hearing disabilities. The easiest way to do this is to write out a script in advance and attach this to your post as a transcript. Use the Audio Script Writing Guide for help creating a script.

NOTE: Read the resources below for help with creating your video (or if a video is not possible an audio file) If you experience trouble uploading your video file to Canvas directly because of a slow internet connection, read option 4 in the Tips document below.

You will not be able to see posts written by your classmates until you create your initial post.

Replies:  Then, from Friday through Sunday of Module 8, reply to your classmates videos with text replies. Comment on their elevator pitch and self-reflection. Comment on specific aspects of your peers oral communication skills what did they do well? How did they communicate their points effectively? How have they improved since Module 6? Please be sure to reply to at least two of your peers’ posts. 

Resources:

Tips for Creating a Video (also includes alternate audio-only information)
Audio Script Writing Guide

February 17, 2021 / by

Research

We will focus on some of the ethical issues brought up in the Ted talks we watched last week for this discussion post. First, look through the summaries that some of the other students wrote about the talks. Identify at least three ethical issues from different videos or the research they discuss. Describe each of the three ethical issues to begin your post. Then, focus on one of these issues and discuss how we might alter our research methods to solve this ethical issue.

https://www.ted.com/talks/laurel_braitman_depressed_dogs_cats_with_ocd_what_animal_madness_means_for_us_humans

https://www.ted.com/talks/keolu_fox_why_genetic_research_must_be_more_diverse

https://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_genova_what_you_can_do_to_prevent_alzheimer_s/transcript

https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_the_psychology_of_evil/transcript

February 15, 2021 / by

Judaism

Judaism is characterized as a religion of doing, and faith is seen in actions toward others. Review the 10 Commandments, the Eightfold Path of Buddhism, the Confucian Virtues, and the 12 Vows of Jainism.

Do you see a similar or different understanding of action and faith in these religions as in Judaism?

February 15, 2021 / by

Statistics

It is a 6 question project. I have 3 in question. Numbers 3-5.

3) I have no idea what he means underneath question 3 to be able to contruct the plot.
4) We have covered A-F, but not G-I
5) Cant do 5 without 4 being done. So this one too.

February 15, 2021 / by

Film history reading and response

Answer all the questions from the book which I provide and dont copy the sentences from the book. Also, use simple word in the sentence is ok because I am not a native speaker. Dont plagiarism from the internet or this assignment will not be accepted by teacher.

February 15, 2021 / by

Peer Review of Introduction

In this discussion board, you will begin writing your argument essay due at the end of Unit 7 by submitting the introduction to your essay. The introduction is the opening of your essay. You want to hook the reader from the first paragraph of your essay. In order to do that, you will need to pay attention to the first sentence you use in your essay. You want to engage the readers with that sentence. Your next sentences will briefly explain your essay topics. Finally, end the introduction with a thesis statement that reveals your argument as well as your topics.
Here is a sample introduction on cyberbullying in high school to give you an idea of how an introduction should be organized:
Cyberbullying through online platforms, such as Twitter, has become a growing problem that needs to be strongly addressed in public high schools around the country. Why, one might ask, is cyberbullying such an important issue? Cyberbullying is the act of bullying someone online. Often, that bullying may include sending messages that harass and intimidate another person through a medium that can mask the persons identity. This type of behavior is not acceptable anywhere, but particularly within the school system because it promotes a negative educational culture and also can be harmful to the person being bullied. High schools need to implement specific programs surrounding the topic of cyberbullying that provide education on the subject, intervention for those being bullied or doing the bullying, and severe consequences for acts of cyberbullying.

February 15, 2021 / by

Any topic (writer’s choice)

1.Jasmine agrees to purchase 1,500 tons of recycled glass from Louie, the price to be determined at the time of delivery. Is such an agreement enforceable? Compare the common law with Article 2 of the UCC.
2. Briefly discuss how an offer can be accepted. Include in your answer the application of the mirror image rule.
3. Shirley is an actress under contract with Twentieth Century. Shirley agreed to perform the lead role in a musical to be filmed in Hollywood by Twentieth Century. At the last minute, Twentieth Century decided to scrap the musical and assigned its rights in Shirley to MGM. MGM was planning to film a western in Australia requiring Shirley to spend six months filming in Australia. Can Shirley successfully prevent this assignment?

4. Define and compare the terms vagueness and ambiguity.

February 15, 2021 / by
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