Identifying Local Opportunities - Miami Herald
- During tax season,
you’re at greater risk of identity theft
Description: Around this time of year (tax season), people must
be extra cautious with the mail in their mailboxes. Identity theft experts warn
people that they should not leave mail in their mailboxes for long periods of
time because it might get stolen. Identity theft experts recommend shredding
old mail, purchasing a secured locked mailbox or get a post office box to
prevent others from accessing your mail.
Description of problem and who has it: The main problem in
the story is that during tax season identity theft is more common and typically
occurs from stealing mail out of mailboxes. The person who would have this
problem the most are home owners with traditional mailboxes without locks on
the sides of the street. People can come as they please and take mail out of
the mailboxes.
- More birth defects
reported in states with local spread of Zika, including Florida
Description: Zika is a virus that is typically spread
through the bite of infected mosquito, more specifically the Aedes aegypti
species. South Florida and other states in the US had a 21% increase in birth
defects that were potentially linked to Zika. Doctors are not sure if the birth
defects are related to the Zika virus though because they do not have
laboratory evidence of the mothers being tested for Zika.
Description of problem and who has it: The main problem in
this story is the lack of testing for the Zika virus among men and women. If
proper testing was done before women get pregnant or while pregnant, birth defects
can most likely be prevented.
- Simple tips for
whether (or not) your dog needs frequent baths
Description: People are not sure whether they should give
their dogs baths frequently. Some dogs might not need baths when compared to
others based on their breeds. In terms of the shampoos discussed, dogs should
not be bathed with human based shampoo since it is very acidic. Flea and tick
shampoo is also a waste of money since it only works for a short period of
time.
Description of problem and who has it: The main problem I see
in this article is how owners are unsure when to bathe their dogs. A lot of
owners become nose blind to their dog’s smell (including myself). Because of
this, owners dog’s might seem to not smell when they actually do.
- Video shows gates
down as bicyclist tries to beat Brightline train and is fatally struck
Description: Since the opening of the Brightline train (Jan 13,
2018), 2 people have been fatally struck by the train. The first person was
crossing the train tracks as the train came and the second person road through
the gates on his bike when he was struck. He was heading to his shift at Troy’s
Barbeque.
Description of problem and who has it: The main problem is
how the area surrounding the train tracks don’t have enough signs to deter
crossing when the gates are down. The person who would typically have this
problem are pedestrians on bicycles or walking. In addition, I feel they should
add more coverage around the tracks just to add more safety for people crossing.
- He retired after a
ticket quota scandal. But he was on the payroll for 5 more months
Description: Mike Thomas retired from the Florida Highway
Patrol after he asked troops to meet a 2 ticket per hour quota. It is illegal
to put quotas on tickets. Stated in the article, state troopers starting salaries
are 34k a year and there has been a decline in citations written for motorists
recently.
Description of problem and who has it: The main problem I
noticed from the article is that state trooper’s salaries are very low. The turnover
rate has gotten higher for state troopers because of the low starting salary. This is probably the main reason Mike Thomas implemented
a ticker quota since there were less state troopers out on the road. The people
mainly affected by this issue are the state troopers and the motorists. The
motorists are affected in a positive way since they are not getting as many
speeding tickets, but the state troopers are affected negatively since they are
getting paid poorly.
I really enjoyed your blog about local opportunities. The stories that you choose were intriguing and definitely fell in line with the assignment. I think the most interesting story I read about out of the five was the one of the the police officer who put out a ticket quota for his coworkers. All in all, your assignment was a success to me and I think that you did a great job!
ReplyDeleteYour post about local opportunities from the Miami Herald was excellent and very interesting. My favorite article you posted was about how identity theft rises during tax season. This is a real problem that faces many people during this season and it is important for them to be aware of the situation. Overall, you did a really good job on this assignment!
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteThese are cool articles that you found, and your summaries on them were spot on. I actually ended up reading the full articles with a few of them. I think your evaluation of those who have the problems are true, for example the article about the birth defects and how it effects the women in an unfortunate way. Good job!