Sha Report

Exam of investigative report
Today's investigative reporters lack

resources
Chelsea Ide and Kanupriya Vashisht
Special to The Republic
May. 28, 2006 03:30 AM
Newspapers care about investigative stories, but they frequently don’t back that up with
resources that reporters say they need to do in-depth work.
That’s the major finding of a survey conducted last fall by Arizona State University
journalism students. The students were part of an in-depth reporting class assigned to
write about the 30th anniversary of the murder of Don Bolles, an investigative reporter
for The Arizona Republic who covered mob dealings and land fraud in Arizona. It is
widely believed that his murderers wanted to silence him.
The students wanted to know how investigative reporting -- in-depth reporting generally
focused on exposing injustices and abuses of power -- has fared at major U.S. newspapers
since Bolles’ death. Their survey, sent to editors and reporters at the 100 largest
newspapers in the United States, drew 86 responses. All respondents were members of
Investigative Reporters and Editors, the nation’s foremost organization devoted to
investigative reporting. The survey’s margin of error was 11 percent.
Forty-two percent of respondents said their newspapers and senior editors have “a
lot” of interest in investigative reporting. But the survey, backed up by interviews with 31
of the respondents, also revealed that newspapers aren’t offering the resources needed to
tackle investigative stories, particularly when it comes to time away from daily
assignments.
“The reporters themselves are doing a good job, especially with computer-assisted
reporting,” said Jon Marshall, adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Medill
School of Journalism and a freelance reporter. “Unfortunately, the media corporations
aren’t giving the time and resources that they did 20 and 25 years ago.”
Most of the journalists responding to the survey said their papers are more supportive of
investigative reporting now than even 10 years ago, but many said the support is
superficial.
Thirty-seven percent of newspapers had no full-time investigative or projects reporter on

their staffs. The majority had two or fewer, and only 10 newspapers had four or more
investigative or projects reporters working for them.
In addition, 61 percent of the newspapers had no investigative or projects team. Of those,

16 percent had teams in the past, but they have been disbanded. Sixty-two percent of the
newspapers surveyed did not have a single editor specifically charged with working on
investigations.
Time and money
Reporters indicated that there is little travel money, research assistance or training to do
investigative work. While most said they get some time away from daily assignments and
a bit of money to purchase documents or data, it often isn’t enough.
The amount of resources allotted for investigative reporting has been steadily dropping
since 1988, said Doug Pardue, special assignment editor at The Post and Courier in
Charleston, S.C.
“We’re an endangered species,” he said. “The mentality is that all reporters are
investigative reporters, so even if there isn’t a team, we will still get investigative
reporting.”
But often, reporters say, there just isn’t time to do the job justice.
Fernando Diaz, who reports for The Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y., said he
was sent to a seminar on computer-assisted reporting within three weeks of being hired in
September, but he has had little time to implement what he’s learned. He is assigned to
cover five suburban towns – each with a school board and local government. While his
editors encourage him to work on investigative projects, daily demands leave little time
to do so, he said.
Marshall said time is a precious commodity in every newsroom. “The big problem is
getting the time to tackle lengthy reporting projects,” he said. “That, coupled with
government crackdowns on freedom of information, has served to make media
corporations wary of [doing investigative projects].”
James Grimaldi, investigative reporter at The Washington Post, said government secrecy
is a constant roadblock for him.
“Open records laws are not followed as closely as they should be by government
agencies,” he said. Plus, governmental public relations officers push back every
investigative reporter because of a “whole campaign targeted at attacking the journalist
who engages in investigative reporting.”
That brick wall came up right after Sept. 11, 2001, said Max McCoy, investigative writer
for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe. Because reporters refrained from asking the tough questions
during the country’s mourning period, reporters are struggling now to get the access they
used to have, he said.
“So many documents that were open before Sept. 11 are now closed,” McCoy said.
“[Freedom of Information Act] requests are taking much longer now and are also more
likely to be denied.”
The problems really aren’t new, but they may have gotten worse in recent years, said
Stephen Doig, a Pulitzer Prize-winning former reporter who now teaches computer-
assisted reporting at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass
Communication.
“The amount of resources is never enough,” he said. But now “newspapers are dealing
with loss of advertising dollars to the internet and a decline in readership.... They have to
start cutting the budget somewhere.”
Budget cuts are one of the main barriers working journalists said they face in
transforming an interest in investigative reporting into actual stories. Roughly 2,000 jobs
were cut at midsize to large U.S. newspapers last year.
David Boardman, managing editor of The Seattle Times and president of IRE, said he
worries these cuts will hinder the quality as well as the number of investigative projects.
“There is more quality work done today than at most times in the past, but I wonder if it’s
peaked,” he said. “I’m very concerned about that, because there are fewer jobs.
Newsrooms all over America are cutting back.”
Even if newspapers don’t dismiss reporters, Boardman said often the first thing to go is
the training budget, which is crucial to investigative reporters.
“To do good investigative journalism, you need training, and a lot of these are
sophisticated skills that if there’s nobody to teach it, nobody will know how to do it,” he
said.
JoNel Aleccia said she’s felt the tightening of resources for a decade at the Mail Tribune
in Medford, Ore., where she is a senior reporter/editor.
“We would pursue environmental stories if we had the resources available,” she said.
“Resources have gotten tighter from 10 years ago, so it takes more individual gumption.”
Those who are optimistic about investigative reporting use words like “gumption” and
“drive” to make the point that nothing will hold back a really determined reporter.
“It’s not a question of time, it’s a question of mindset,” said Joanne Zipperer, opinion
editor at the Green Bay (Wis.) Press-Gazette. “They [reporters] spend plenty of time on
their stories and it comes out shallow because they aren’t willing to do database reporting
to give it depth.”
Brant Houston, executive director of IRE, said investigative reporters have to be willing
to go it alone, working off the clock and putting in the time and effort to do something
really good.
“In the end, investigative journalism is really done by people who believe in the
importance of the story,” he said. “They work on those stories whether or not they’re
getting paid a lot. Their compensation is the story.”
Exposing government
If interest in investigative reporting is drying up at the nation’s newspapers, IRE isn’t

seeing it. The number of IRE contest entries has been consistent during the last five years.
Newspapers with a circulation of more than 250,000 entered 103 articles in 2000 and 97
in 2004, according to the 2004 IRE contest entry database.
Several newspapers, including the Dallas Morning News, Philadelphia Daily News, San
Francisco Chronicle and The Virginian-Pilot, entered three or more stories in the 2004
contest.
The winner that year was The New York Times with “Death on the Tracks: How Railroads
Sidestep Blame.” The project, written by an investigative team led by Walt Bogdanich,
detailed how railroads systematically avoid their responsibility to safeguard railroad
crossings. The team found that motorists were killed at crossings that the railroads knew
to be dangerous, but they ignored the law requiring them to report fatal accidents to
federal authorities and failed to correct the hazards. The Times also revealed that some
railroads destroyed evidence in an effort to blame fatal accidents on the drivers who had
been killed. The series prompted railroads to correct hazards and led federal authorities to
tighten accident reporting procedures.
Boardman and Doig, both members of the IRE board, say that they’re seeing more
quality investigative journalism like the New York Times’ project – not less.
“In the ‘70s you could probably fit everybody who was really doing quality investigative
journalism into a hotel room, and now we need a full hotel to fit everybody in,”
Boardman said.
Doig said he has observed a growing interest in social science stories, such as the effects
of poverty. “Reporters are tackling the kinds of subjects that government should be
dealing with,” he said. Still, the No. 1 topic for investigative stories is government
malfeasance, said Marshall, who runs News Gems (www.newsgems.blogspot.com), a
daily blog highlighting the best in American journalism.
The ASU survey supports his contention: Respondents said the most common type of
story is government failure (25 percent), followed by criminal justice (12 percent) and
social injustice (11 percent). Don Barlett, investigative editor-at-large for Time magazine,
said that when he started reporting in the 1950s, investigative journalism was confined to
large papers that pursued corrupt politicians and corrupt unions.
Today, it’s more widespread. “All around the country there are medium-sized papers that
doing extraordinary work,” he said.
Make that newspapers both medium and small. Roger Jewell, managing editor of the
Travelers Rest (S.C.) Monitor, said, “In our small town alone, we have corruption at city
hall. Since this is an election year, we are continuing a series of articles concerning the
manipulation of the fiscal year’s budget in order for one person to gain a vehicle at
taxpayers’ expense.”Travelers Rest has a population of just over 4,000.
Other priorities
Zipperer has been at the Press-Gazette for 26 years, and earlier in her career, she helped
form an investigative desk. But, as at a number of other newspapers in the ASU survey,
the investigative team has since been dissolved.
“The trend right now is toward community journalism,” Zipperer said. “Now, we’re
getting to where we have reporters in all the suburbs and have no one doing
investigations.”
It’s the same at California’s Long Beach Press-Telegram. The 100,000-circulation

newspaper focuses on neighborhood and community journalism, such as city council
stories, said Greg Mellen, a neighborhood and general assignment reporter for the paper.
“We’ve done investigative projects in the past, but we have to work the story around
covering regular stories,” he said. “And not many resources are available, making it more
of a stretch.”
Bob Greene, who led the IRE investigation in Phoenix after Bolles’ death and who retired
in 1992 from Newsday, said he’s worried about newspapers putting so many resources
into community, suburban and neighborhood news. He thinks it will ultimately lead to a
decline in investigative reporting.
Investigative stories “take up a lot of space, and the trend of sound bites doesn’t lend
itself to investigative stories,” he said. “More and more people want their news digested
for them, and that will hurt investigative reporting.”
The other trend that worries those who care about investigative reporting has to do with
the increasingly unstable economics of the newspaper business. Readership keeps
dropping, and along with it advertising revenue, which means that newspaper companies
are struggling to keep their investors – and advertisers -- happy.
John Dunbar, who was the chief investigative reporter at The Florida Times Union, said
he was reassigned a few years ago to cover the mayor’s office because his year-long
research on the city’s corrupt building and zoning division threatened to ruffle some
advertisers.
Financial pressures are particularly acute at publicly traded companies, which must report
to stock holders quarterly. The sale and pending breakup of the Knight Ridder newspaper
chain, once the second largest in the country, made that message clear.
“One of the big obstacles for investigative reporting is publicly held companies that are
trying to increase returns with these continuous cutbacks and lack of resources for the
investigative team,” said the Post’s Grimaldi said. “I think re-privatizing the newspaper
industry would be the best thing for it, but I actually think that publicly held companies
are a terrible thing for journalism.”
Dunbar, who is now project manager at the Center for Public Integrity, said most owners
and publishers are pressuring their editors to focus more on the bottom line than on good
journalism. “Large corporations try to get as much return on their dollars, as they can,
and there’s no economic upside to investigative reporting,” he said.
Boardman disagreed. He said he believes that investigative journalism is good business,

and therefore will be saved from the stereotypical “cut and burn” of Wall Street.
“Investigative journalism sells papers,” Boardman said. “When we [The Seattle Times]
run an investigative story, our readership goes up by 10 percent and our internet hits
explode.”
Bucking the trend
A handful of journalists responding to the ASU survey said their newspapers are bucking
the trend. Nancy Martinez said she was promoted last year to be an investigative reporter
on the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times’ new investigative reporting desk.
“Investigative reporting has recently been made a priority here,” Martinez said. “I am the
first investigative reporter here in a number of years. This means that despite our
newspaper having a limited staff, I am not responsible for dailies because of the focus on
investigative projects.”
Having time away from daily stories allows Martinez to create large packages for her
stories, she said. One recent project was about a local contractor winning the majority of
bids for city projects. She said she had the time to also write accompanying stories on the
construction business and a profile of the local contractor.
The Joplin Globe makes sure McCoy has all the resources he needs, the investigative
writer said. “They spend a considerable amount of money on my travel and copying and
scanning public records,” he said. The Missouri newspaper also gives him significant
space. He said his last piece was 3,000 words long.
Pardue, of the Post and Courier, said his managing editor allows him to pull reporters
from other desks to help him on projects.
“For a smaller paper, we are still an exception,” Pardue said of the 100,000-circulation
publication. Some larger papers also have increased their commitment to investigative
reporting.
“We have more people dedicated to investigative reporting at The Washington Post than
at any time before,” including during the Watergate era, Grimaldi he said. “We have
people dedicated to investigative reporting on every desk, in addition to stand-alone
[investigative] desks.”
But even at the The Washington Post, there are concerns. “I hate to think about
advertising dollars, but that is a question we have to ask now,” said Dan Keating, one of
the newspaper’s investigative reporters. “Are we still going to have the advertising
dollars to support investigative reporting?
“When I joined newspapers, people used to think they were institutions that will never
change, that will be there forever,” Keating said. “Nobody thinks that any more.”
A shifting future
The future of investigative reporting may not lie in newspapers at all.
Web sites, alternative weeklies and magazines have all shown interest in investigative
stories.
“Alt weeklies are a perfect fit” for investigative stories because they can be more
selective in what news they cover and they have the space to delve into the topics at
length, Northwestern’s Marshall said. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much
investigative work alternative weeklies have been doing,” he said. “Because of the nature
of alt weeklies, they are still more willing to go out on a limb, even with corporate
ownership.”
Doig, of ASU, said reporters at alternative newspapers also are spared the crunch of
writing daily stories. “Most alt weeklies give their writers about a month to do the story,
so they’ve got 52 shots a year to do something great,” he said.
Rosemary Armao, a former executive director at IRE, said she thinks books are “the new
outlet for investigative reporting, taking over from big metro newspapers. “By far the
best investigative reporting on schools and education is in book form,” she said.
The internet portal Yahoo! recently stretched the boundaries of online journalism by
hiring TV correspondent Kevin Sites to travel the world’s war zones for one year. A
veteran of CNN and NBC, Sites has reported from Afghanistan, Kosovo, Colombia and
Iraq. “Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone” debuted online from Somalia last fall.
Marshall said that with more competition, large media corporations need to recognize that
investigative stories can make their newspapers stand apart from others.
“With more media outlets emerging, they’ll need to do investigative stories to be

distinctive,” he said.
Wendell Rawls, Pulitzer Prize-winning director of the International Consortium of

Investigative Journalists at the Center for Public Integrity, couldn’t agree more. The need
for investigative reporting is greater than ever, he said, and those who run media
corporations need to recognize that if they are to survive in any form.
It’s simple, he said. “Investigative reporting is the future.”
Example of field report
Student Field Report Example

(this report is a compilation of the best parts from two field reports, thus it is
longer than usual)
The Analysis of Soil Pits in Wallingford:

A Study of a Differential Glacial History
For: Introduction to Soil Science (FES 530a)
Professors: Tom Siccama and Daniel Vogt
Date: September 26, 1996
Written by: Brown Pit Associates: Alex Finkral, Casey Cordes,

Heng Jui Chang,
Seth Cook, Dee Tortoriello
Table of Contents
Introduction
Geology of Site
Climate of Site
Soil Description
Soil Profile
Soil Classification
Soil Uses
Summary
References
Appendices
Wallingford Site Location

Schematic map of Soccer Field Site with location of soil pits and
transect
Soil Profile
Vegetation of the Wallingford Site
Site Profile
Go back to Soil Science homepage
Introduction
Slightly to the north of Dayton Pond in

Wallingford, Connecticut, just off of Dayton
Hill Road, there is a small park consisting of a
parking lot and two manicured soccer fields
(Appendix A). Although we did have goals,
we had not come to the park to play games.
No, there were soil pits to be dug, something
that we at Brown Pit Associates take quite
seriously.
Fortunately for the soccer teams that

occupied the fields, we were not interested in
the soils beneath the attractive expanse of turf.
We instead blazed a trail away from the fields
through a diverse assortment of meadows,
brush, and woodlands. Only after digging the
pits would we know that the soils beneath this
patchy checkerboard of varying elevation and
moisture are equally diverse.
To highway and road-building engineers,
Wallingford is known statewide for its
crushed rock-producing quarries. To doughnut
enthusiasts, Wallingford is known as the home
to one of seemingly thousands of Dunkin’
Donuts throughout Connecticut. To soil
scientists, the site that we visited is known for
a glacial history that has resulted in
remarkable changes in soil types within a
small area. Table of Contents
Geology of Site
The topography of the area reflects the

physiographic province of Lowland
Connecticut – a tilted bedrock geology of
sedimentary rock interbedded with basaltic
flows and topped by surface horizon of glacial
drift. What makes the site interesting are the
different types of glacial materials present in
each of the four pits, and how each has been
reworked and influences by time, climate,
post-glacial events, and humans since the
deglaciation of the area.
Prior to the glaciation of this part of

Connecticut, the landforms of tilted
sedimentary bedrock and basalt dikes and
flows were created by the collision and
subsequent separation of continents, and by
the erosional, depositional, and volcanic
events of the Triassic period. These events
continue to define the landscape, but have
been further shaped during the period of
Wisconsin glaciation.
The Connecticut lowland is a continental rift

valley that formed approximately 140 million
years ago during the breakup of the ancient
continent Pangea (Raymo, 1989). Erosion
from higher surrounding areas created
sedimentary beds of arkose, siltstone, and
shale. Between these sedimentary horizons are
basaltic lava flows and intrusions (i.e., dikes
and sills). At the end of the Triassic Period,
the whole area tilted eastward as a result of
the uplift of what is now western Connecticut.
This tilting, in combination with erosion and
differential weathering of bedrock, promoted
the exposure of basalt dikes and ridges and, in
areas of more easily weathered materials, the
formation of valleys (Wallingford Surficial
Geology).
In Connecticut, glaciers followed the path of

least resistance such that they moved along
and not across the gross north-south,
topographic features. Glaciers stripped soil
away from the landscape, and carried chunks
of bedrock from ridges into the valleys. When
the last glacier retreated, it deposited a
horizon of till, fresh rock, sand, silts and
gravels over the whole landscape. However, it
did not essentially alter drainage patterns
(Wallingford Surficial Geology). These
remaining materials, the parent sources for the
soil that we witnesses in Wallingford, have
been reworked by soil-forming factors and in
some cases been buried by additional deposits
from alluvial events.
The most common drift material in the area is

till, an unsorted, unstratified sediment
deposited in place by glacial ice. It forms a
fairly continuous horizon of variable thickness
over the bedrock throughout the Wallingford
area. This material is exposed in upland areas
such as at the base of ridge on which we dug a
soil pit (Appendix B, pit 4). The till consists
of sand, silt, and clay particles derived from
sandstone, siltstone, and shale.
Another type of glacial material found in the
area is ice-contact, stratified drift. This
material, consisting of horizons of stones and
pebbles interbedded with lenses of sand and
silt, formed a glacial feature called a kame.
Most often found on the sides of valleys and
valley floors, kames are conical, sandy hills or
ridges formed by the deposition resulting from
changing glacial stream and drainage patterns.
The resulting soil was seen in the sandy hill
pit (pit 2).
Glacial outwash is composed of sorted sands

and gravels that are deposited by glacial
meltwater. This material underlies current and
historic drainage areas and is noticeable in the
fen pit (pit 3) and the upland site’s pit (pit 4).
Since the retreat of the ice sheet, subsequent
erosion and weathering have modified the
effects of the glaciers in some areas more than
others. The most apparent change of this type
is alluvium deposited by flowing water within
the old field. More alluvium is seen in the
naturally sloping drainage area between the
till-covered ridge to the west and the kame to
the east.
Table of Contents
Climate of Site
As mentioned previously, the climate of this

region also shares responsibility for this
ecosystem’s formation. Proximity to the
Atlantic Ocean acts as a moderating influence
on local climatic conditions. Characterized by
cold winters and warm summers, the county’s
average winter temperature is –1.7 Celsius
(C), and the average daily minimum is –6.6 C.
The lowest recorded temperature is –27 C.
The average temperature in summer is 21 C,
and the average daily maximum is 27 C. The
highest recorded temperature is 37.8 C.
The average annual precipitation is 119

centimeters (cm), of which 58 cm usually
occurs in the months of April through
September. There are 22 thunderstorms per
year on average, of which 13 occur in
summer. The average seasonal snowfall is 81
cm, and the largest snowfall on record is 53
cm. Prevailing winds blow from the
southwest, and average windspeeds are
highest in February at 22.5 kilometers per
hour.
Table of Contents
Soil Description
The old field soil pit lay on a peraglacial,

alluvial floodplain abandoned from
agriculture around 1960 (Appendix E for
location). The soil here was classified as a
sandy-skeletal, mixed, acid mesic Aeric
Haplaquept. There were two distinctive
geologic features to this area: the glacial
outwash sands and gravels which made up the
2C horizon, and post-glacial alluvial
floodplain deposits overlying it, made up of
finer materials such as silt loams and clay silt
loams. Above the coarse sediments of the 2C
horizon were two Bg horizons, which were
gleyed with some mottling due to uneven
drainage. The Bg1 was silty clay loam with
fine roots interspersed, while the Bg2 was a
silt loam with a thick horizon of oxidized iron.
Above that was a silt loam Ap horizon, and
two thin O horizons. The soil ranged from
relatively acidic in the upper horizons to
nearly neutral in the 2C. The vegetation in the
area included sphagnum moss, grasses,
winterberry holly, bayberry, goldenrod,
highbush blueberry, red maple, red cedar, and
white pine.
The sandy hill soil pit was situated on a kame

about 1-2 m higher than the other pits. This
excessively drained, Manchester series soil
was classified as a sandy-skeletal, mixed,
mesic, Typic Udorthent. Its parent material
was glacial till derived from arkosic
sandstone. The very thin O horizon on this
soil was followed by a grassy root mat A
horizon and what appeared to be a plowed
horizon (Ap). Below this were two B horizons
distinguished by their structure: a Bw1 with
subangular blocky loamy sand, and a Bw2
with single grain loamy sand. The C horizon
consisted of medium-grained arkosic sands.
The soil was relatively acidic (pH 4.5) in the
upper horizons, becoming nearly neutral in
the lower horizons. The surrounding
vegetation, limited by the site’s dry, sandy
substrate, consisted of red cedar, black oak,
juniper, and grasses.
The fen soil pit was located in an unusual

ecosystem produced by groundwater seepage
slopes. There were two striking aspects to this
pit. First, no classification could be found for
this very poorly drained soil. Second, it
exhibited a lithologic discontinuity in its
bottom 2B and 2C horizons, which were
produced by glacial deposition rather than
pedogenic processes. These two horizons
were reddish, consisting of sand and gravel in
the 2B, and horizons of silt, sand and gravel in
2C. Above this, the soil resulted from alluvial
deposition. There were three B horizons: Bg1,
Bg2, and Bg3. The Bg3 consisted of gray,
silty sand, while the Bg2 was made up of gray
silty clay. The Bg1 contained a loamy silt,
which was mottled, gray and red in color, and
saturated most of the year. The A horizon was
a dark loamy silt with much root matter. The
thin O horizon was characterized by rapid
decomposition, with some evidence of
earthworm activity. The soil was nearly
neutral in the A horizon, becoming slightly
more basic with depth. the vegetation around
this pit consisted of jewelweed, milkweed,
thistle, sensitive fern, rosebush, willows and
red maple (Appendix D).
Table of Contents
Soil Profile
The upland site was located farthest from the

parking lot on a gently sloping, closed-canopy
woodland composed primarily of mixed
hardwood species, such as red maple and
pepperidge, that are commonly associated
with wetlands. White oak, sugar maple, and
flowering dogwood contributed to the
continuous canopy overhead; we sniped and
parted our way through the highbush
blueberry, greenbrier, and sassafras below.
The hay-scented fern underfoot reminded us
further that this area provided plenty of
moisture for vegetation, in fact too much for
many upland species found in this region.
Similarly, it is water that is largely responsible

for the soil’s development at this site. The
horizons of the soil profile were created as a
result of serial episode of different water
velocities over time. The differential
velocities allowed for the stratification of
sediments as each size class settled
accordingly. The remaining soil forming
factors also had a large influence on the
development of the soil profile as evidenced
in each horizon.
An Oi horizon (Appendix C) was present and
consisted of approximately 1 cm of leaves,
twigs and organic detritus. This horizon was
relatively thin, with little visible signs of
decomposition, which is characteristic of
areas where decomposition is occurring at a
much faster rate than the rate of accumulation.
This mixed hardwood woodland adds
nutrient-rich organic matter to the forest floor
which rapidly decomposed, thus recycling the
nutrients. The slightly acid to neutral pH of
the soil profile would minimize the leaching
of bases from the cation exchange sites of the
soil.
An A horizon was identified from 0-6 cm.

This highly mixed horizon was evidence of
some type of disturbance regime in the past. It
is unlikely that this area was used for
agricultural purposes due to its pit and mound
topography, stoniness, seasonally high water
table and poor drainage patterns. However, it
is possible that grazing occurred here and that
this area is now in the process of
reestablishing the forest chemistry and
processes which were in place prior to the
such activity. Earthworms play a part in this
processes. These soil organisms play a major
role in profile differentiation as is evident
here. Organic matter is mixed with the soil as
the earthworms ingest soil particles and
organic residues pass through their bodies and
enhance the availability of nutrients for
vegetation. Additionally, they aerate and stir
the soil and increase the stability of soil
aggregates.
The A horizon was a blackish silty loam with

granular structure and a pH of 5.5. The
moderate acidity of this horizon is evidence
that decomposition processes are occurring to
a larger degree than found elsewhere in the
profile. A high distribution of fibrous roots
were found throughout the horizon. A distinct
boundary separated this layer from the
proceeding layer and was distinctly noted due
to color, texture and structure changes.
Following this mineral layer, a Bx1 horizon

was identified at a depth of 6-24 cm. It was a
loam with a pH of 6.5, a subangular blocky
structure, and a dark reddish brown color
(5YR 3/4). Woody roots were found
throughout this layer along with a
composition of approximately 5% stones. The
lighter color of this illuvial horizon from the
overlying horizon signified that less organic
matter had been mixed through it.
The next horizon was found at a depth of 24-

40 cm and was differentiated by color and
texture. The Bx2 was a slightly lighter dark
reddish brown (5 YR 4/6) sandy loam with a
blocky structure. The pH was 7.0 and this
stayed constant throughout the remaining
horizons of the soil profile. Although many
fine roots were still visible, it was apparent
that their abundance decreased. The
percentage of stones present remained
approximately constant at 5%. The boundary
between this horizon and the preceding one
was subtle; it was only differentiated by
evidence of gleying.
The Bw2/Bg horizon, identified at a depth of

40-57 cm, displayed characteristics of the
overlying horizon with the exception of
patches of gleyed materials. These patches
were irregular in width and were
discontinuous. Fine roots remained present
although they were much decreased in
quantity. The gleyed soil was olive gray and
was a sandy silt loam. The patches of gleyed
soil indicate that this horizon is intermittently
saturated as the height of the perched water
table varies. Again, the boundary between this
horizon and the next was subtle, evidence that
a gradual transition from one state to the next
is occurring.
A heavily gleyed Bg layer occurred at a depth

of 57-65 cm. This layer was an olive gray
gravelly silt loam with a pH that was constant
7.0. It was slightly irregular in depth with a
distance boundary. The fragipan found
immediately below this horizon created an
impermeable structure and a perched water
table formed over it. The Bg horizon was
subsequently saturated a majority of this time
and this reducing (prolonged wet and
anaerobic conditions) environment resulted in
the distinct coloration observed as iron oxide
coatings and other elements are chemically
reduced. A pronounced horizontal color
banding was observed within this horizon
which corresponds with these chemical
processes.
A fragipan was identified immediately

beneath the gleyed horizon and is geogenic in
origin. The Cx horizon was dark reddish
brown and very sandy and gravelly in texture.
This material was single grained with no
identifiable structure. The hardness of this
subsurface horizon is predominantly due to an
extreme density or compactness of the soil
materials. The horizon is so dense that it is
essentially impermeable to roots and water; if
either of these do penetrate this horizon,
infiltration occurs extremely slowly. In fact,
no roots were found within this horizon.
Essentially, this fragipan has isolated the
bottom stratum from the top. A black
manganese oxide horizon was immediately
below this pan. Finally, clay was found below
the manganese through the use of an auger.
Table of Contents
Soil Classification
Although the soil of the immediate area was

mapped as a Wilbraham and Menlo extremely
stony silt loam association, the soil profile
was determined to more resemble a Ludlow
soil series. The Ludlow soils are usually found
in landscapes with both the Wilbraham and
Menlo series.
Several characteristics differentiated the soil

at the upland site from the mapped
classifications; it was moderately well-drained
and it had a fragipan present at depth. Both
the Wilbraham and Menlo soil series are
poorly drained – the Menlo characterized by
more extreme drainage problems – and have
evidence of mottling much higher in the
profile than that which was found at this site.
Additionally, the parent material present
matches that of the Ludlow series; the soils
formed in compact glacial till which was
derived mainly from Triassic sandstone,
conglomerate, shale and arkose. This arkosic
till may be partly responsible for the slightly
higher pH found at site 4 than would have
been expected.
The Ludlow series consists of coarse-loamy,

mixed mesic Typic Fragiochrepts. As
mentioned above, these soils are moderately
well drained. They occur in concave and
slightly depressional areas of drumlins and
ridges. The slope ranges from 0-15% and is
approximately 5% at this particular site. The
solum of these soils correspond to the depth of
the fragipan. This solum depth usually ranges
from 50-90 cm and this site had a solum depth
of 65 cm.
Table of Contents
Soil Uses
These soils have a seasonally high water table

and a slowly permeable substratum. These
characteristics limit the activities and
development of the site. The stoniness of the
soils is also a limiting factor. There is a poor
potential for housing development, building
foundations and basements, waste disposal
(i.e., septic systems) and for agricultural
purposes. These conditions are conducive to
windthrow, high seedling mortality and a
shallow root zone.
Table of Contents
Summary
Although soil-forming factors provide an

explanation for the differentiation of the soils
found in the area, much of the variation is a
result of glacial and non-glacial events far
preceding the time since soil-forming factors
have acted. The gross topography was
established in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic
eras, principally during the upheaval and
subsidence events of the Triassic period, and
subsequent erosional period of the Cenozoic,
which established general drainage patterns.
Although the Wisconsin glaciation did not

alter major drainage patterns, it did deposit an
uneven layer of deposits of varying character
and type across the landscape. These deposits
have altered the hydrology of the area and in
some cases led to post-glacial events that
caused further deposition in some areas of the
site.
Compacted glacial till at the foot of the ridge

is a prominent feature beneath the surface and
affects the characteristics of the overlying,
resident soil, especially its water relations.
The coarse loamy sand is a result of the
undifferentiated glacial materials deposited
loosely in place. The action of time,
vegetation, and climate have acted on this
material to weather it in place and create the
soil horizons. Some of these horizons appear
to have been further disrupted by human
activities. Deforestation and grazing have
created what appears to be an Ap layer. Since
the end of grazing however, an organic layer
appears to be reforming.
However, the depth of soil development will

forever be impeded by a compact layer of
coarse sand and silts lying just below the
surface. This layer causes the bottom part of
the solum to be more or less constantly
saturated as indicated by the gleyed, reduced
iron coatings on soil pedons. The fragipan
effectively forms a root barrier and isolates
surface layers from subsurface layers, thus
limiting the impact of soil-forming factors to
surficial layers.
While the fragipan is not close to the surface

soil as in other soil types, its presence (less
than 70 cm below the surface) limits the
utility of the site to a red maple community
swamp and public open space. Development
of the site is impossible due to the limited
profile in which to place septic fields and
basements.
Table of Contents
References
Flint, Richard, 1962. Surficial Geology of the

Wallingford Quadrangle.
Raymo, Chet and Maureen Raymo. 1989.

Written in Stone: A Geological History of the
Northeastern United States. The Globe Pequot
Press. Old Saybrook, CT.
Investigative report
Modern tools aid investigative reporting

Sonia Boonchanasukit
Special to The Republic
May. 28, 2006 07:29 AM
Put Don Bolles in a newsroom today and he wouldn't know what to do.
Thirty years ago when Don Bolles was digging up information on land deals and mafia
influence in Arizona, investigative reporting meant chasing down leads in back rooms
and bars, scribbling notes on scraps of paper and stashing them away in files and boxes
…. lots of files and boxes.
In those days, a reporter's rolodex and index cards were his two best friends. Just like
Hollywood portrays, newsrooms were smoky places filled with mostly men hacking
away at typewriters late into the night.
“We would go out and hit the bars,” said Bob Greene, a two-time Pulitzer Prize
winner at Newsday and the leader of the pack on the Arizona Project. “We would go
drinking with politicians, mobsters and crooks to find the circle of people they would
hang out with.”
That – and digging through paper records – were the only way to investigate someone, he
said. “Back then we had to have six volunteers, three unpaid, constantly filing memos
and tens of thousands of index cards -- and this was their full-time job,” he said.
Today, tough investigative reporters like Bolles are more likely to be found at their
computers, creating spread sheets and tracking down records on the Internet in a matter
of minutes.
They use Palm Pilots and mini-PCs, as well as miniature data-storing devices such as the
portable “USB,” or Universal Serial Bus, drivers that allow reporters to collect and save
huge amounts of information that can later be extracted on any computer.
A change for the better
In short, the tools of an investigative reporter have changed considerably since the days
when Bolles was making a name for himself. And the changes, journalists, say, are
mostly for the better.
“Computers are allowing journalists to step up to a different level in their reporting,” said
New York Times reporter Stephen Miller, who is also a board member of Investigative
Reporters and Editors, the nation’s foremost organization for investigative reporting.
Miller said data manipulation and the use of technology-mediated communication are the
two most important advances in the field of investigative reporting. For example, he said
he regularly uses a variety of computer software on his portable laptop to put together
spread sheets and databases to help him analyze information.
For one investigative story, he gathered five year’s worth of data about stolen personal
computers reported to an insurance company. He put the information into a spreadsheet
and discovered that the number of stolen computers had jumped by 800 percent. He was
then able to contact company officials, who told him that employees, whose firms would
provide them with company-owned computers, weren’t as careful about protecting
company equipment from theft as they would be with their personal computers.
Miller said that if it wasn’t for the numbers “jumping out at him” in his database, he
wouldn’t have had a story.
At its simplest, computer-assisted reporting like Miller does consists of using software
such as “Excel” for spreadsheets, “Access” for databases and “Arcview” for mapping to
help them with their research; they are all programs that are readily available, if not
already installed, on every newly bought PC from Best Buy.
“What the computer lets you do is it allows you to tackle stories which you would not be
able to do before,” said Professor Stephen Doig, a former Miami Herald reporter who
now teaches computer assisted reporting at Arizona State University.
Doig worked on a number of investigative reporting projects while he was at the Herald.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, he compiled spreadsheets with data about housing
and damaged property to discover patterns in the city’s building and construction codes.
His findings revealed that the newer the house, the more likely it was damaged because
of weakening building codes in recent years.
Television techniques
It’s not just newspaper reporters who use CAR techniques, however. Television stations
have also gotten in on the act.
“We crunch a lot of our own numbers, which reveals a lot about stories and trends we
weren’t able to get before,” said Mark Lodato, a CBS 5 investigative reporter in Phoenix.
Lodato is especially proud of a 2003 investigate report, “Cops, Strippers and Cash.”
Using the state public records law, Lodato and his team petitioned police departments for
12 months’ worth of expense reports. They were then able to pinpoint how officers spent
money in strip clubs, getting lab dances, or getting massages. Those figures were then
compared to the number of misdemeanor arrests by each officer to reveal how effectively
money was being spent in the field.
In addition to computer technology, television investigative reporters use a range of new

equipment today, Lodato said. Reporters no longer put hidden cameras in special
briefcases to get the right shot; they wear tiny digital, I-pod look-alike cameras around
their necks to shoot high-resolution images.
Basic field cameras that used to weigh as much as a double load of laundry have been
replaced by hi-tech digital recorders that provide superior picture and sound quality.
Many newsrooms have also moved beyond videotape, capturing images instead on tiny
storage devices.
Still, the technological advancements have affected print more than broadcast, journalists
say.
“Newspapers can take more advantage of CAR because they have more staff, time and
resources,” said Chris Hayes, another CBS 5 Investigative reporter. Hayes, who said he
sometimes uses CAR techniques to research stories, said broadcast journalists are
primarily concerned about visual images. Reporters often have time for just “one shot at
what’s going on,” he said, which precludes complex graphs and data analysis.
Old-fashioned reporting
Some journalists aren’t convinced that the new technology has done anything to improve
investigative reporting. They say too many reporters sit at their computer terminals
instead of leaving the office to figure out what’s going on.
“CAR is terrific, but it’s just another tool and that certainly is not the be-all and end-all of
investigative reporting,” Greene said.
Computer analysis and date retrieval needs to go hand-in-hand with on-the-street

reporting, he said. Reporters today are of a “whole new breed,” Greene said. “Back then,
we came from a different age where we would be out there with the people and really be
in the woof and weave of the community,” he said.
Still, he said, he knows he could have done a lot of things “a whole lot faster” if he had
had the tools reporters have today.
Doig agreed that CAR doesn’t replace “time-honored-reporting” methods, but he said it
does allow for a different depth to reporting not possible 30 years ago. The bigger issue is
how far investigative reporting techniques have spread in even the best newsrooms, Doig
and others said.
Ryan Konig, a data-base reporter for the Arizona Republic, said the new techniques are
popular among younger, more computer-savvy, reporters, but many others – especially
editors -- are either intimidated or put off by the technology.
“Editors are not always accustomed to working with software unless they have had the
training,” he said. Training is the key, according to the IRE, which conducts CAR “boot
camps” in newsrooms across the country. From four training sessions in 1995, the
number of training camps has tripled in the span of a decade. The training is aimed at
both reporters and editors, who learn to use spreadsheets and databases to analyze figures
as well as obtain various types of electronic information.
Ethical challenges
The new technology has brought with it a whole new set of ethical challenges for today’s
investigative reporters, journalists say.
Whether it is secretly attaining information, misusing and misinterpreting data or even

posing on the internet as someone you are not, journalists are facing new ethical
dilemmas.
The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, Wash., faced just such a dilemma

recently when it decided to use the internet to investigate James West, the city’s major,
who had been rumored to be soliciting sex with minors on-line. The paper hired a
computer expert to pose as a high school student on gay.com. The “student” developed an
on-line relationship with West, who was subsequently exposed and stepped down from
office.
But creating a phony on-line identity led to criticism that the investigation amounted to
journalistic entrapment.
CBS 5 used a similar technique for a 2004 investigation into internet sex offenders. A
station crew posed as underage girls in a chat room designed to lure male sex offenders.
The crew caught 11 people in a span of 48 hours and had enough evidence to identify 10
of them on-air.
It’s not just on-line where the questions get sticky, however.
It’s easier for print reporters to hide and manipulate their data, said Joseph Russomano,
who teaches media ethics and law at ASU.
The internet has paved a way for both “the real and honest research as well as the bogus
and dishonest,” he said.
When it comes to television, reporters can hide more easily than ever. They use tiny,
portable cameras, powerful zoon lenses and even helicopters to capture images they
could not have gotten before.
Ladato said that using that technology for undercover work is still a tough decision. “I
always ask myself if there are another ways I can get this video without having to go
undercover,” he said.
Hayes said he uses hidden cameras only if a member of the public is able to see the same
thing that the camera captures. Still, he said, “Technology has changed drastically and has
added more challenges to our decisions.”
Russomano agreed that technological developments provide greater opportunities to be

unethical, but, he said, technology itself can’t be blamed for a journalist’s wrongdoing.
Journalists have to weigh whether the good a story might do justifies crossing some
moral or ethical boundary, such as the journalistic obligation to fully identify oneself and
one’s purpose.
“To me, an important issue is not just the conclusion is reached, but how that decision is
made,” he said. In late 2000, the Radio-Television News Directors Association revised its
ethical standards for broadcast reporting because of the new challenges brought on by
technology and the internet, Russomano said.
But codes of ethics in journalism do not carry much weight, he said.
“It’s not like law or medicine where peoples’ licenses can be revoked for unethical
conduct,” he said.
“Journalism has always depended on people of honesty, people who understand that truth
is the ultimate goal but who also accept the idea that there are specific standards in place
in achieving the goal of obtaining the truth and that certain lines are not crossed,” he said.
Progress report
Progress Report Example
To: John Doe

From: Mary Smith
Date: March 21, 1998
Progress Report for Analyzing the Costs for a Parent to Work Outside the Home Versus for
Subject:
One Parent Staying Home to Care for the Child(ren)
Introduction
This report describes the progress I have made in preparing my report that analyzes the
costs for a parent to work outside the home compared to those of one parent staying home
to care for the child(ren). I will discuss my activities from March 1 through March 21,
1998. Listed below are brief descriptions of the audience, scope, and purpose of my
report.
Audience
My cost analysis research will target the following audience: married couples who have
one or more child(ren) under age five, who are expecting their first child, or who are
planning to have a child (or children).
Scope
I will focus my analysis on the costs incurred by the woman because she is usually the
parent who opts to stay home to care for the children. I will also describe alternative work
situations that employees can explore with their employers. I will not address issues
concerning which parent will give up his or her career to care for the children or how
beneficial it is for the children to have a parent home.
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to give parents a realistic view of the costs associated with
working outside the home. Armed with this information, these parents will be able to
determine how much income they will actually realize after deducting these expenses.
Additionally, by learning about alternative work arrangements, parents can be fully
informed to make their personal work and child-care decisions.
Work Completed
Listed on page 2 is the work I have completed so far. I have organized this section by task
as outlined in the project schedule of the planning proposal.
Prepare proposal:
Prepared and delivered planning proposal to John Doe.
Design/conduct survey:
Designed, constructed and pretested questionnaire.
Distributed survey to COMM 393 students via e-mail message; 15 percent of the
respondents returned the survey, and I anticipate that the remaining respondents will
reply by March 26.
Conduct interviews:
Sent inquiry letters to the following individuals:
• Marta Perez, Director of Human Relations, Montgomery County

Government
• Rebecca Delaney, COMM 393 student and telecommuter
Compiled list of local commercial daycare providers in the Washington, D.C.

metropolitan area.
Work in Progress
Listed below are the assignments I am working on now. I have organized this section by
task as outlined in the project schedule of the planning proposal.
Tabulating results of survey as responses arrive.
Conduct interviews:
Interviewing by telephone local commercial daycare centers to determine their fees for
infant and toddler child care.
Conduct library research:

Locating and reviewing publications of interest through Internet and online library
searches.
Organize information:
Evaluating and organizing information as it arrives.
Work Remaining
Listed on page 3 are the assignments I still need to complete. I have organized this
section by task as outlined in the project schedule of the planning proposal.
Finish tabulating results of survey.
Conduct interviews:
Interview alternate sources if I do not receive responses to the inquiry letters I sent.
Finish interviewing local commercial daycare centers.
Finish publication review.
Finish organizing report information.
Prepare report:
Write, edit, submit for review, and revise draft of report.
Prepare final version of report.
Final Report Deadline: April 12, 1998
Appraisal
Successes
In general, my project is running smoothly. I have been able to locate several sources that
contain valuable supporting information for my report. For example, I received an e-mail
message that described a telecommuting conference to be held in May. I went to the
conference organizer's Web site and was able to locate valuable statistical information
and the name of a telecommuting expert who wrote a book about the subject.
Although I have not received all the survey responses, the COMM 393 students who have
replied have given me excellent, usable information. In addition, I am receiving positive
feedback from them about the survey structure, and many students have expressed an
interest in my topic.
Complications
A reliable source informed me that I may not receive a timely response to my inquiry
letter addressed to the Director of Human Resources for Montgomery County. If this
delay occurs, I have located an employee of the Montgomery County Police Department
who is willing to talk to me about their job-sharing program. This personal interview will
be an acceptable substitute.
Because I had several projects due concurrently, I have been unable to completely follow
the original project schedule I outlined in my planning proposal. I had to make
adjustments in the following categories as listed below:
I started the survey process six days later than I originally stated. I increased the time to
conduct the survey from three days to one week to give my respondents more time to
answer the questions. I also increased the time to tabulate the surveys from one day to
nine days because I am recording responses as I receive them.
Conduct interviews:
Although I began the interview process according to my original schedule, I added an

extra week to complete the interviews. Since I interviewed some of my sources by
inquiry letter, I needed the additional time to await their responses.
I started my research according to my original schedule, but I added five extra days to
locate and review the publications. I sent for some information via the Internet, but I will
receive it via postal mail.
The delay in the project starting time required that I organize my information as I receive
it. As a result, I only need one day, instead of the original four days, to finish organizing
the material.
Prepare report:
I reduced my initial draft writing by one day because I believe I will need only three
days, instead of four, to write the first draft of my report. This change will also put me
back on schedule and allow me to finish the report by the April 12 deadline.
Table 1 on page 5 graphically represents my revised project schedule. Shaded boxes

indicate dates that I revised from my original schedule.
Conclusion
Although I started my research for the final project later than I had anticipated, I have
been able to adjust my schedule so that I can complete the final report on time.
Additionally, I expect to stay within my estimated budget.
Table 1: Comparison of Original Project Schedule to Revised Project Schedule*
Progress
Progress Reports
Due date: Tuesday, November 11th
Presentations due before class; see schedule.
For this assignment, you and your partner will be presenting a 15-minute progress report
to the entire class. The subject of this progress report will be the topic you chose for your
earlier proposals. In this progress report, you will be informing the class how much work
you have done so far on your final report—due during our final exam period and on the
same subject as your proposal—and how much work remains to be done before this final
due date. A timeline for finishing work on this final report would be helpful.
Before you give your presentation, we will be covering in class several aspects of giving
informal work presentations like the one you'll be presenting in this class.
In addition to the PowerPoint presentation, you should also bring at least 12 hand-out
copies of your presentation slides for students to share. To save paper, use the print
options in PowerPoint to print 3-slides-per-page handout sheets.
File size
During our in-class PowerPoint workshop, we will discuss the need to integrate both text
and visuals to convey your ideas to an audience. Depending on how many graphic images
you use, the total file size for these PowerPoint presentations will become quite large and
require some way for you to transport your files. If you don't own one already, I would
suggest buying one of the popular USB Flash drives with at least 500 MBs of storage
space.
One way to reduce the amount of storage space needed for your final presentation is to
make sure the graphic images you use have a resolution of 72 dpi or less (dpi stands for
dots per inch). This is the highest resolution that a computer monitor can project, and
since you will be making these reports using PowerPoint, that is the highest resolution
you need.
Graphic images
Since most of you aren't graphic artists, you will need to use clip art or Web images to
give your presentations visual appeal. PowerPoint comes with a host of clip art, but since
these are used quite often, I would encourage you to explore alternative sources of
images. A good source of images is the web itself. Many of the popular search engines on
the Web have techniques for locating certain graphic images. For example, the Google
search engine allows you to search for images on just about any subject.
However, you should avoid excessive and gratuitous use of visual images in your
presentation. Make sure the images reinforce the concepts you are discussing. A good
rule of thumb is to have a graphic image on every third slide to maintain audience
interest, but make sure the image relates to the points being made. Remember, you can
also use graphs and charts from other Microsoft programs, such as Word and Excel, to
make certain points during your presentation. If you need to make reference to a Web
site, we will also have access to the Internet during the presentations.
Organization
The organization of your presentation should follow the general format of a generic
report, including a summary of your talk at the beginning and a conclusion at the end.
What you do in the middle is entirely up to you, but you should make sure your
presentation follows a logical outline that conveys your progress and future plans to the
audience.
Criteria for evaluation

As I mentioned in class last week, the criteria on which you will be evaluated consists of
mainly two components—how well you have organized and visually displayed your
progress report within the PowerPoint environment, and how well you present this
information to the audience. Presentation criteria include such things as making eye
contact with your audience, maintaining interest in the subject matter, and effectively
navigating the PowerPoint environment.
This assignment counts for 15% of your semester grade, so make sure you spend time
putting together a logically organized and visually appealing presentation.
If you have any questions, please let me know in class or by email.
Type of incident report
2008/08/18
Student assault: Fifth formers disciplined
Email to friend Print article
SEREMBAN: Disciplinary action has been taken against five female students who were captured on
video allegedly assaulting a fellow student in a school in Tampin.
Video showing the Form Five students beating up another girl was believed to have been secretly recorded
on a handphone sometime in May, and was distributed to several students in the school.
State Education director Abdullah Mohamad said an investigation was launched into the assault of the 13-
year-old and the students' parents have been informed.
"The school has taken action against the students. However, we have yet to establish who provoked the
attack and how the fight occurred.
"We have discussed punishment with their parents, but my department is still deliberating whether any
action will be taken against the school itself.
"This is because the school failed to report the matter to us immediately," he said yesterday.
Abdullah added that cases of bullying in schools should be reported to the department immediately.
"Once we receive a report from a school, our officers will conduct an investigation within seven days," he
said, adding that despite the incident, cases of bullying were under control in the state.
He also advised staff and teachers to be watchful of students' behaviour to avoid a similar incident.
The recording first came to light when a parent was sent the video showing the group, including a male
student, "attacking" the victim.
2008/11/05
SMS leads to rape charges
BESUT: A text message from a youth to a 16-year-old's mother led to the discovery that he had raped
the girl several times.
The housewife confronted her daughter and found out that the last incident had taken place near a padi field
in Kampung Selinsing on Oct 12.
The girl, who told her mother that the 18-year-old had raped her several times in the past, lodged a report at
the Jertih police station.
Police said the SMS had stated that the youth had seen the girl's naked body. It is not known why the youth
sent the message to the girl's mother.
State CID deputy chief Superintendent Khairi Ahrasa said the girl claimed that the last incident occurred
after she had visited a friend's house at the village.
He said the victim claimed the suspect stopped her while she was riding her motorcycle and raped her.
2008/11/19
Architect killed in crash
KUALA LUMPUR: A 30-year-old architect was killed in an accident involving a sand lorry near Rumah
Bakti in Jalan Hulu Kelang yesterday.
In the 2.40pm incident, the victim, identified as Mohd Azhadi Ahmad, died on the spot due to head and body
injuries.
Ampang Jaya district chief ACP Abd Jalil Hassan said Azhadi was
riding his motorcycle home when the lorry crashed into him.
"Initial investigations revealed that the lorry and the motorcycle were plying the same lane from Zoo Negara
towards Kampung Pasir."
He said the driver had swayed to the left side of the lane and hit Azhadi. The lorry driver had lodged a police
report.
Nov 14, 2008
Tiger attack at zoo

Zoo beefs up safety steps
By Jessica Lim , Diana Othman , Kimberly Spykerman

THE Singapore Zoo has stepped up patrols around animal enclosures and will take extra security measures after a cleaner
was killed by two white tigers on Thursday afternoon.
It will be installing warning activation buttons for public to push in an emergency, and asking its zookeepers and staff to
report erratic and abnormal behaviour in animals, as well as staff and visitors.
These extra measures were taken a day after a Malaysian contract worker was mauled to death by the big cats after he
jumped into the tiger enclosure, watched by a horrified crowd.
The Singapore Zoo, which is investigating the incident, said it is committed to ensuring the safety and well being of all
visitors, employees and the animals.
The 32-year-old cleaner from Sarawak, Mr Nordin Montong, had behaved erratically shortly before the tiger attack and
was seen shouting and flinging items about. He later vaulted a low wall and landed in a moat in the enclosure, four metres
below.
Carrying a yellow pail and a broom, he then crossed the 1.75m-deep moat, walked up a rocky ledge near where three
white tigers were and began provoking them by swinging the broom.
One of the tigers then swiped at Mr Nordin, to the horror of the gawking, petrified crowd at the enclosure. Some had
thought it was part of the zoo show, until the huge cats started sinking their teeth into the back of the cleaner's neck and
tossing him around repeatedly like a ragdoll.
They mauled him with their huge paws for a good two minutes, as the crowd screamed with fright.
Blood could be seen oozing from Mr Nordin's back. The cleaner struggled and thrashed his legs about and became still
about five minutes later.
More than a dozen zoo keepers who came to Mr Nordin's rescue and managed to distract the big cats and shoo them back
into their den, were given two-hour counselling by a psychiatrist later on Thursday to help them overcome the trauma.
The three white tigers also appeared to be "stressed out" by the incident, said M Biswajit Guha, assistant director of the
Zoo on Friday.
"Their ears are perked up and their breathing is quicker than normal," he told The Straits Times.
'We are trying to keep their routine as normal as possible to help settle them.'
The tigers are being kept inside their den, behind the enclosure and away from the curious onlookers hoping to take a
look at the scene of Thursday's fatal attack. The tiger are likely to be let into the enclosure on Monday.
Zoo officials said the tigers have never had human contact, at least since they have been in Singapore. They are fed raw
meat every day.
As a precautionary measure, the zoo has temporarily closed the White Tiger exhibit.
Meanwhile, the contractor who employed the cleaner said on Friday it will pay for the cleaner's embalming and
transportation to send his body back to his hometown in Kuching.
Undertaker Roland Tay who is handling the body, told The Straits Times he would donate the payment from the contractor
to Mr Nordin's family. He said the body would be flown to Sarawak on Saturday afternoon.
Zookeepers interviewed by The Straits Times on Friday said Mr Nordin looked troubled on Thursday morning and was not
his "normal friendly" self.
Mr Hamzah Isa, 24, a keeper who has worked in the Mandai zoo for nearly three years, said he was shocked when he
heard about the tiger attack.
But he said he did not notice any change in the victim's behaviour when he reported for work on Thursday morning.
'He is a quiet man who kept mostly to himself,' he said.
A fellow cleaner, Mr Clement Ijau, 27, also from Sarawak, who lives in the same workers' quarters as Mr Nordin in
Serangoon, said he looked upset early on Thursday and ignored the other workers in the quarters. He said Mr Nordin, said
to be unmarried, had spoken about missing his parents back home.
Read also:
Cleaner killed by tiger
'I thought it was a show'
Investigative report
2008/11/16
ROY GOH: Turning the tide for the Kadazandusun community

By : Roy Goh
IN a good month, rubber tapper Daverino Wais earns up to RM700.
The Kadazandusun tapper takes a cut from the sale of rubber sheets and scrap from trees grown on land
owned by others at Kampung Peniang in Telipok, Kota Kinabalu.
The father of two, who is in his 30s, leads a simple but hard life. His hopes are for his children to get a
proper education and enjoy a better life.
According to a report from the Statistics Department, Daverino heads one of 29,300 Kadazandusun
households which earns below RM1,000 a month. These figures were revealed Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister's Department Datuk S.K. Devamany in Parliament.
The report was based on the department's Household Investigative Study conducted nationwide.
Compared with other communities in the country, the Kadazandusuns have the highest concentration of
households in that bracket, making up about four per cent, or 800,000, of Malaysia's population of about 26
million.
Daverino's lifestyle is typical of many households in the Kadazandusun community still living in poverty,
partly because of their nomadic habits, level of education and lack of opportunities.
He is from remote Kampung Bongkud in Ranau, about 160km from the state capital. He decided to move
out to find a better living about a year ago. By leaving the comforts of his home village, where food was
readily available if he worked on the family plot, caught fish from a nearby river and occasionally trapped
animals for meat, Daverino risked losing the perks.
"But I earn more money here. In the kampung, I could only earn about RM200 per month by selling jungle
produce or doing odd jobs, such as making fishing nets or working for companies in the area.
"Here, my earning depends on the amount of effort I put in," said Daverino.
But he added that the situation had become bad since the price of rubber dipped last month.
Things got worse last weekend when a rubber tree crashed on the hut he is renting.
Daverino and his family survived the accident, but the crunch is setting in as he had to repair the damage.
As a result, he lost out on more than a week's income.
Help came from friends and relatives, but Devarino now relishes the thought of returning to his village where
life is less complicated.
Kadazandusun Chamber of Commerce and Industry adviser Datuk Ajit Galun believes that the community's
contentment with the easygoing lifestyle, particularly in the rural areas, is the cause of its failure to move to a
higher-income bracket.
"Historically, maybe, opportunities were hard to come by their way. Hence, the reason they are stuck in the
'comfort zone'.
"These days, however, with improved infrastructure and education, they can compete with others.
"We still lag behind others, but I am sure if given the right support from within the community, especially from
those who have achieved a certain degree of success, we can overcome these hindrances.
"I believe the Kadazandusuns have a lot to offer but only if they stay put. Their biggest asset is their land
and I am sure if they try hard enough, things will improve," he said.
Indigenous People Network of Malaysia president Adrian Lasimbang said he was not surprised by the
figures, but noted that it appeared to be the result of a study that specifically focused on their financial
earning.
"I don't think the study includes the community's well-being, economically. In rural areas, despite having little
money, most Kadazandusun households have a place to live and food to eat.
"If these are evaluated together with their financial income, I believe the figures could be different."
He said the department's findings could be an obstacle to the government's poverty eradication
programmes.
"Should the government introduce a programme to plant oil palm on a big scale, for instance, it will not
necessarily work as the people will lose out on food production, their traditions or even their confidence as
independent communities in rural areas.
"They may change their lifestyles and earn more money, but that does that guarantee them a better life,"
Lasimbang said.
2008/09/21
NewsFocus: Malaysian who loved his wildlife
Frilled dragons (left), native to New Guinea and Australia, turned up in the US with
Malaysian paperwork; the star tortoise is a protected species under the Wildlife Act.
An American-penned hardcover details how Malaysian Anson Wong, dubbed 'the most important
person in the international reptile business', was nabbed in Mexico and also his alleged links with
Malaysian officials, writes ELIZABETH JOHN.
IT'S a story of crime, wildlife smuggling and money.
It stars flamboyant characters dripping with gold chains, driving luxury vehicles and politicians -- the
smugglers who are as slippery as the rare reptiles they traffic across the globe for sums of money that
beggar belief.
But what is so fascinating about The Lizard King or relevant here is the capture of one Malaysian reptile
smuggler and his vast reach and influence.
Key agencies linked to the smuggler are the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and the
Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
Perhilitan enforces the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (Cites) through checks, permits and quotas for the wildlife trade.
Customs controls what goods enter and exit at major entry points in the country.
Both agencies have responded to the links drawn between them and the smuggler in this recently published
work of non-fiction by American lawyer and writer, Bryan Christy.
The 240-page hardcover that went on sale in Malaysia last month is dominated by the story of a cat-and-
mouse chase.
It is the story of the Van Nostrands -- once the primary supplier of reptiles to pet stores and zoos around the
world -- and the determined special agent Chip Bepler, of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who tries to nab
them.
The father-son team of Ray and Mike Van Nostrand ran Strictly Reptiles and were known as the most
notorious reptile smugglers in the United States.
At its height, the company occupied a 10,000 square-foot warehouse in Hollywood overflowing with a
menagerie of reptiles.
It boasted a frog room, arachnid room, python rooms, a locked venomous room and even walk-in freezers in
which dead snakes and spiders were kept for voodoo rituals.
With specimens like giant Aldabra tortoises priced at US$22,500 (RM78,000) a pair, the money was good.
But the real thrill lay in collecting the rare, the unique and the hardly-ever-seen.
One of the Van Nostrands' many suppliers was Malaysian wildlife trader Anson Wong.
The book describes Wong as "the most important person in the international reptile business" and "reptile
smuggling's crown jewel".
The chapter "Fortress Malay-sia" tells of Wong's dealings with an undercover agent that leads to his arrest in
Mexico City in 1998.
Wong was extradited to the US and in 2001, was sentenced in a US federal court in San Francisco to 71
months in prison for trafficking in rare and endangered wildlife.
It was dubbed one of the largest cases of illegal trade ever prosecuted in the US.
Drawing from legal documents, official investigation reports and interviews, Christy describes how Wong had
laundered protected star tortoises by the hundreds though Malaysia and the Middle East.
Frilled dragons, native to New Guinea and Australia, turned up at the Miami International Airport
accompanied by Malaysian paperwork.
Wong boasts about working things out with a high-level government official.
Christy also describes the awe of one human courier when he was received at the Penang airport and
driven to Wong's office by a high-ranking Customs official.
And the book is peppered with Perhilitan officers.
Wong also boasted about bribing Cites officials to falsify permit details.
Perhilitan officers would sign a permit allowing the trade of a protected animal under the terms of the
convention.
The convention ensures that international trade in wild plants and animals does not threaten their survival.
Quotes from recorded telephone conversations and from faxes and emails between Wong and the US agent
who posed as a wildlife importer, tell how the former took advantage of loopholes in the law.
He would arrange for a fall guy to get arrested with smuggled wildlife and then buy the confiscated animals
that are auctioned off by authorities, legally, under the law. All the while knowing he would be safe. As one
quote reads: "I could sell a panda and nothing. As long as I'm here, I'm safe."
Obsessed with meaner, hotter creatures
AS a second-grader, Bryan Christy brought a king snake to school for show-and-tell. "Kids gathered,
naturally; teachers from other grades poked their heads into the classroom, older boys stopped me in the
hallway; The principal called me to his office so he could look inside my pillowcase.
"I don't think I ever recovered from the celebrity I achieved simply for holding what other people were afraid
of, what they had been taught was wrong," Christy writes in his book The Lizard King.
It seemed like reptiles were always treated as nature's outlaws and for this one-time lawyer and Fulbright
scholar, a crime story about reptiles seemed like the perfect vehicle to tell a reptile story and make it
interesting even for people who didn't like them.
This is what he achieved in The Lizard King -- opened a small but rare window into the world of reptile
smuggling where a childhood fondness for creepy crawlies morphs into an adult obsession for bigger,
meaner, rarer and hotter creatures.
And when he discovered the ingenuity of Mike Van Norstrand, a king of that wild universe, and the incredible
effort of agent Chip Bepler, who strove to stop him, Christy knew he had a reptile thriller.
"When I found out how their relationship ended, I wanted to write a book to honour that story," he said.
So Christy sought out Van Nostrand, slowly befriending him and finally persuading him to open up about
himself, his world and legal troubles.
Then one day, Van Nostrand instructed his lawyer to turn over six years' worth of legal files to Christy.
"As a lawyer, getting access to a criminal's files was an incredible gift.
"I got the files late in my work so it was also an additional way to confirm that all my facts were right."
It took Christy four years of research and three months of writing to realise The Lizard King.
Dozens of official sources and countless meetings with every major character who played a part in the real-
life version of the story added to the workload.
The response, he said, had been good in the conservation and wildlife trade communities.
That's no surprise when a book tells of turtles stuffed into suitcases and snakes smuggled in trousers, while
painting a very human picture of crafty smugglers -- with insights into their childhood, families and
obsessions.
The book isn't meant to judge.
"There are high walls between these two worlds. Midway into this book I realised I might be able to build a
window.
"It made me realise the book might be important as well as entertaining and led me to ground it in history
people might not know."
But the writer still thinks that illegal trafficking is a horrendous crime.
"There is not a country in the world that adequately polices illegal wildlife trade.
"By definition illegal trade is cross-border and there are no adequate resources or manpower devoted to it.
"Wildlife crime is crime and source countries and consumer countries need to treat it that way."
The Malay Mail report on July 16, 2001 on Anson Wong's arrest.
A work of fiction, says Wildlife Department
IT'S all fiction -- that's the response from the National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) to some of
the startling revelations in The Lizard King.
In a faxed response to the New Sunday Times, the department said it did not confer any immunity or special
treatment to anyone in the wildlife trade and questioned the author's motives.
"Where the Wildlife and National Parks Department is concerned, this book is simply fiction.
"There is no reference or citation, thus its reliability and integrity is questionable," the fax read.
In the end notes, author Bryan Christy did list his sources.
The book was based on thousands of pages of telephone transcripts and investigative reports from the US
Fish and Wildlife Service.
In response to our questions, Christy said conversations in quotations were taken verbatim from recorded
telephone conversations.
Christy added he had access to agents across the country and had assistance from enforcement agencies
in the Netherlands who helped in the US investigations.
Lead investigator Chip Bepler's personal notes were made available to Christy and the US attorney's office
in Miami made its prosecutors available throughout South Florida where much of the story is based.
Christy said he met most of the major characters, including Anson Wong whom he interviewed last year. He
described Wong as "very gracious".
Perhilitan said Wong carried out his business legally and in compliance with domestic laws.
"The key person (Wong) mentioned in the said book has been compounded and dealt with under the
Protection of Wildlife Act 1972," the department said.
In a follow-up telephone conversation, a Perhilitan officer clarified that this was for previous offences and not
the case which led to Wong's arrest in 1998.
On the disposal of confiscated animals, the department said it had been carried out in compliance with
procedures.
On Malaysia being a conduit for the illegal wildlife trade, the department said: "Due to the strategic location
surrounded by rich biodiversity countries, Malaysia is the best target used as transit point to smuggle
animals ever since the illicit wildlife flourishing (sic)."
Meanwhile, the Customs Department said it would investigate the incident implicating one of its officers.
In an email response, head of the public relations unit, Hamzah Ahamad, assured that if at all true, it was an
isolated case.
Progress report
2008/09/21
Schools need support staff
KUALA TERENGGANU: More support please.
Teachers nationwide want more support staff as they feel bogged down with clerical work such as helping
out with registration.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail said he was informed of this during a meeting with 25
teachers' associations.
"It has affected the teachers' performance. They need a lot more support despite the Public Service
Department having recently provided about 8,000 support staff for this purpose.
"We can't expect teachers to maintain computer rooms and other labs. They need technical assistance."
He added that claims for support staff showed that teachers were concerned about the welfare of students
and wanted to focus more on them.
He was speaking after distributing bubur lambuk near the Tok Ku mosque here yesterday.
There are about 10,000 schools nationwide.
Razali hoped the Education Ministry's human resource department would speed up the intake of support
staff.
In Johor Baru, Razali said teachers should not let themselves be affected by the political issues in the
country.
"The teaching profession is a noble profession and teachers should be professional," he said after attending
a meeting on education management.
Razali said there had not been any report of teachers being involved in politics so far.
"As teachers, we have a huge task in developing the younger generation. I do not want teachers to be
disrupted by the political goings-on in the country."
Razali said if a teacher was found to be involved in political activities, he or she could face suspension or be
sacked.
"They should keep themselves busy monitoring the progress of their students. Teachers don't need to be
involved in politics or become political analysts at the expense of their work."
Razali said the ministry had put in a lot of effort to meet the country's academic development needs, such as
increasing the ratio of teachers per class. "We have increased the ratio to 17 teachers for every 10 classes."
2008/10/21
AIRCRAFT PURCHASE: Go for quality in helicopters

By : RIDZUAN ZULKIFLI, Ampang, Selangor
I REFER to your news report "Govt to probe Eurocopter deal" (NST, Oct 16).
Datuk Zahar Hashim, chairman of Mentari Services, a company representing a Russian helicopter firm,
claims there were discrepancies in the tender process which led to French-German aviation firm Eurocopter
winning the bid to supply the Royal Malaysian Air Force with 12 Cougar EC725 long-range tactical transport
helicopters to replace the Nuri helicopters. The new Cougars will cost RM2.3 billion.
As a military aviation enthusiast, I have been following the progress of the government's intention to replace
the ageing Nuris with great interest, hoping that the Defence Ministry would make a good choice for RMAF's
long-term use.
I was happy when the government announced the decision to buy the Cougars, outbidding three short-listed
contenders: the American-made Sikorsky S92; the EH-101 (AW-101) Merlin of British-Italian firm Agusta
Westland; and Russia's Mil Mi-17 Hip manufactured by Kazan Helicopters.
I had always anticipated that it was going to be the Cougar, Sikorsky or the Merlin, based on RMAF's
requirement for a long-range versatile helicopter with high capability for troop transportation and combat
search and rescue.
The Mil Mi-17, on the other hand, is more popular among Eastern-bloc nations, with slightly older technology
and fewer options to be fitted with state-of-the-art avionics and electronic warfare systems.
To me, Zahar's letter containing the allegations is a classic case of sour grapes.
Zahar also claims that the government could have saved RM1.5 billion by opting for one of the other
helicopters instead of the Cougar.
One report quoted him as saying that the government could have bought 30 units of the Mil Mi-17 for the
amount paid for the 12 Cougars.
This is a clear-cut case of quantity versus quality.
Although I welcome the move by the Anti-Corruption Agency and other agencies to probe the Eurocopter
deal, I hope the investigations would be done professionally and objectively with inputs and feedback from
those who are experts in military aviation -- the RMAF especially must play a pivotal role in defending their
selection of the Cougars during the inquiry.
When it comes to selecting the Nuri replacements, there should be no compromise for quality and safety.
The business of defending our country's sovereignty via land, sea or air is no joke. It comes with a price.
The last thing we want is Malaysia once again being the laughing stock for poor selection of defence
equipment and arms.
As a taxpayer myself, I want my money to be spent on good defence equipment. I don't want my money to
be associated with mediocre defence technology.
Field report
2008/11/01
'Missing' student safe and sound
KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry has found that only one Malaysian, sponsored by a
government-linked company, studying in Australia had "gone missing".
In a statement released yesterday, the ministry's media and corporate communications unit said the student,
Norzarifah Kamarauzaman, had decided to quit her studies as she was no longer interested in the field she
had taken up.
It said Norzarifah had been studying at Curtin University in Perth for 31/2 years and needed only another six
months to complete her degree in Geology.
"She contacted the Malaysian consulate in Perth to explain that she had not "disappeared" and was, in fact,
safe," said the statement.
The unit was responding to a report in the New Straits Times yesterday that seven students in Australia
sponsored by the GLC had pulled a vanishing act.
Umno Youth social welfare secretariat chairman Datuk Abdul Rahman Azeez Abdul Rahim had told the NST
that he had found this out when the parents of these students voiced their fears.
He said the wing had contacted Wisma Putra, Interpol and the Malaysian students club in Australia for
assistance and was prepared to fly the parents of these students to Australia to coax them to continue their
studies.
Bernama reports that Abdul Rahman Azeez will send a team to Australia to bring Norzarifah home.
He said his secretariat had "received an indication" about her whereabouts from the university's students
and lecturers.
"We need at least a week to settle matters such as travel documents and some technical aspects."
He said he had discussed the matter with Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Idris Haron before
informing Wisma Putra.
Field report
2008/09/10
Clinical-waste disposal: Take action against culprits

By : S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS for Consumers Association of Penang
The Auditor-General’s report reveals that clinical waste such as syringes and
needles are disposed of improperly at hospitals and clinics.
THE Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is disturbed at the findings in the Auditor-General's
Report 2007 on the appalling methods used to dispose of clinical waste at hospitals and clinics.
Clinical waste can be described as any waste which consists wholly or partly of human or animal tissue,
blood or other bodily fluids and excretions. It can also include drugs or other pharmaceutical products,
swabs or dressings, and syringes, needles or other sharp instruments.
This waste can be generated as a result of medical procedures such as collection of blood for transfusions
and also in the field of medical research or teaching.
Clinical waste is regarded as potentially hazardous to any person

coming into contact with it, unless it is suitably treated. Under the Environment Quality Act 1974, clinical
waste in listed under Scheduled Waste and must be stored, handled and disposed of according to
prescribed procedures.
Among the findings revealed in the report were of clinical waste contained and dumped in drums labelled
"domestic waste" taken for disposal from hospital grounds using ambulances, passenger vans and
commercial vehicles and handled by ordinary hospital personnel rather than trained staff.
In addition, needles and other sharp objects were not separated from the main waste pile nor disposed
using "sharps" containers, as is the requirement for all hospitals and clinics.
At one public hospital, it was found that the designated yellow drums used for collecting clinical waste were
badly maintained and almost never washed. On the rare occasions when they were cleaned, wrong
methods were employed.
Irregularities were also detected when it came to awarding concession contracts for the disposal of clinical
waste. Among the culprits identified were Putrajaya Hospital, Selayang Hospital and the National Blood
Bank.
The official website of the Engineering Division of the Ministry of Health contains the following:
"The hazard disposal of waste arising from hospital and healthcare establishments throughout Malaysia has
been the cause of much public and official concern for several years. To take stock of this situation, the
scope of the programmes is to develop a policy and guidelines for the handling, transportation and disposal
of these from hospitals and healthcare establishments.
"In addition to these, the scope also includes training of hospital personnel in the development of action
plans for the segregation, handling and transportation within the hospital of hospital waste from the point of
generation to the point of collection at the central storage facility and the issuing of the manifest systems
which will trace the movement of hospital waste from the time it was generated to the time it was disposed
of."
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment should explain why clinical
waste is still being handled and disposed of in a manner contrary to regulations.
The government should inform the public on the legal action that will be taken against offenders who have
flouted the law in the handling of hazardous clinical waste.
Field Reports – These are the reports that study the field. Field reports can be either
generated by faculty members and assigned to the students group or initiated
independently by students. Field reports can be a final product and the presentation of the
field study that has been done in natural setting.
Progress Reports – Reports that state facts and present the tracing of the development
that have occurred during some period of time or since the last report. Progress reports
are made constantly or for some period of time. The good example of progress reports
can be financial or annual reports of the company’s performance.
Reports are much harder task than a simple research paper. Preparing the report consumes
a lot of time and effort. To shorten the time necessary for preparation, evaluation and
analysis, professors usually assign the report writing to small group of students where
each is responsible for some peace of work and participation in the discussions. The roles
are determined by students independently. Each student has some abilities and skills as
well spheres in which he/she is more competent. When the group is formed each person
occupies a fitting place. Working in groups is easier than working by yourself. You have
fewer responsibilities, you don't need to come to know the particulars of subject in which
you aren't really good, you have a leader in your team who coordinates the work and
assigns tasks, and as the result you save your time and receive a good grade. But what if
you need to write the whole report by yourself and need it to be the successful report?
And what if you will need someone's help for accomplishing it and receiving a good
grade?
Progress Report Example #12
To: June Pulliam

From: Group #3 (Phillips, Morvant, Borne, Fink, Scallan)
Date: 24 March 2004
Subject: Progress Towards a Pamphlet for Big Snake Lake
Designing a Pamphlet for Big Snake Lake
Big Snake Lake has many amenities that prove that it is the best lake resort in Florida.
Unfortunately, Big Snake Lake is a diamond in the rough because there is no official
pamphlet to provide to potential customers or visitors of the area. Group #3 has decided
to create a pamphlet to make known this alluring area. This pamphlet will consist of a
variety of information that will help people get a better idea of Big Snake Lake. This
information includes lodging on Big Snake Lake, activities and recreation, and dining and
entertainment. This pamphlet will also offer different vacation packages that will assist
potential customers to choose the best package for them. We feel this pamphlet will
increase the visitors of Big Snake Lake, which in turn will economically benefit the
whole area.
Completed Progress for the Big Snake Lake Pamphlet
Group #3 has met during class time since the initial proposal to discuss the specific duties
and progress from each group member. Each group member was given an area to
highlight for the creation of the pamphlet. The different areas are as follows:
• Kimberly Morvant Map of Big Snake Lake as well as the weather of the area
• Patrick Phillips The many different activities of Big Snake Lake
• Vincent Scallan Dining and entertainment around the area
• Dennis Fink Lodging on Big Snake Lake
• David Borne Vacation packages for Big Snake Lake
Kimberly Morvant has several pictures of Big Snake Lake that show every aspect of the
scenery. These pictures will be used throughout the pamphlet. Kimberly also has a map
of Big Snake Lake that shows the square acreage of the lake and the surrounding area.
Patrick Phillips has a completed description of the activities of Big Snake Lake as well as
its surrounding area. The activities describe fun on the water, such as sailing, kayaking,
canoeing, water skiing, and snorkeling. Hiking, biking, and golfing are also described in
the activities section of the pamphlet. This section goes into great detail of the many
activities of Big Snake Lake.
Vincent Scallan has provided the dining of the surrounding area of Big Snake Lake. This
section has many varieties of restaurants and there respective distances from Big Snake
Lake.
Dennis Fink has the many cabins that are offered on Big Snake Lake. These cabins are
offered as a rental or buying option. Dennis has completed the rental section, detailing
the different cabins and its amenities. The cabins offered for rent are for couples,
families, or a survival cabin, which has very basic amenities.
David Borne has completed all of the vacation packages for Big Snake Lake. These
packages include the romance package, serenity package, and sportsman package.
Present and future undertakings for Big Snake Lake pamphlet
Currently, every member of Group #3 is finalizing their respective part of the pamphlet.
Vincent Scallan will complete the entertainment section to go along with his dining
section of the pamphlet. The entertainment section will include the areas movie theater,
pubs, cafés, as well as promote Big Snake Lake's entertainment cabin. Big Snake Lake's
entertainment cabin will provide activities for children, to give a break to the parents.
Dennis Fink will complete real estate buying options offered for vacant cabins on Big
Snake Lake. David Borne will complete a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to offer an easily
viewable vacation package price list. Some members of Group #3 will coordinate
together for the finalization of specific areas of the Big Snake Lake pamphlet:
• Patrick Phillips and Vincent Scallan will locate activity, dining and entertainment
areas for Kimberly Morvant to map on the Big Snake Lake map.
• David Borne and Dennis Fink will combine certain cabins with vacation packages
The introduction and conclusion of the Big Snake Lake pamphlet will be written after
every specific group member assignment is completed. This is to ensure that the
introduction and conclusion are not missing any relevant information about Big Snake
Lake and its surrounding area.
The final written part of the Big Snake Lake pamphlet will be the table of contents.
Dennis Fink will write the table of contents. Kimberly Morvant will edit the pamphlet,
and provide the final edited pamphlet to the remaining group members.
The Big Snake Lake Pamphlet will be submitted to June Pulliam on March 30, 2004 for
review. The finalized pamphlet will be submitted on March 31, 2004 and will be
presented on April 14, 2004.

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Exam of investigative report

Today's investigative reporters lack

Thirty-seven percent of newspapers had no full-time investigative or projects reporter on

In addition, 61 percent of the newspapers had no investigative or projects team. Of those,

Time and money

If interest in investigative reporting is drying up at the nation’s newspapers, IRE isn’t

It’s the same at California’s Long Beach Press-Telegram. The 100,000-circulation

Boardman disagreed. He said he believes that investigative journalism is good business,

Bucking the trend

The future of investigative reporting may not lie in newspapers at all.

“With more media outlets emerging, they’ll need to do investigative stories to be

Wendell Rawls, Pulitzer Prize-winning director of the International Consortium of

It’s simple, he said. “Investigative reporting is the future.”

Example of field report

Student Field Report Example

The Analysis of Soil Pits in Wallingford:

For: Introduction to Soil Science (FES 530a)

Professors: Tom Siccama and Daniel Vogt

Date: September 26, 1996

Written by: Brown Pit Associates: Alex Finkral, Casey Cordes,

Wallingford Site Location

Go back to Soil Science homepage

Slightly to the north of Dayton Pond in

Fortunately for the soccer teams that

The topography of the area reflects the

Prior to the glaciation of this part of

The Connecticut lowland is a continental rift

In Connecticut, glaciers followed the path of

The most common drift material in the area is

Glacial outwash is composed of sorted sands

As mentioned previously, the climate of this

The average annual precipitation is 119

The old field soil pit lay on a peraglacial,

The sandy hill soil pit was situated on a kame

The fen soil pit was located in an unusual

The upland site was located farthest from the

Similarly, it is water that is largely responsible

An A horizon was identified from 0-6 cm.

The A horizon was a blackish silty loam with

Following this mineral layer, a Bx1 horizon

The next horizon was found at a depth of 24-

The Bw2/Bg horizon, identified at a depth of

A heavily gleyed Bg layer occurred at a depth

A fragipan was identified immediately

Although the soil of the immediate area was

Several characteristics differentiated the soil

The Ludlow series consists of coarse-loamy,

These soils have a seasonally high water table

Although soil-forming factors provide an

Although the Wisconsin glaciation did not

Compacted glacial till at the foot of the ridge

However, the depth of soil development will

While the fragipan is not close to the surface

Flint, Richard, 1962. Surficial Geology of the

Raymo, Chet and Maureen Raymo. 1989.

Modern tools aid investigative reporting

A change for the better

In addition to computer technology, television investigative reporters use a range of new

Computer analysis and date retrieval needs to go hand-in-hand with on-the-street

Whether it is secretly attaining information, misusing and misinterpreting data or even

The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, Wash., faced just such a dilemma

Russomano agreed that technological developments provide greater opportunities to be

But codes of ethics in journalism do not carry much weight, he said.