Jacob Troxell
Editor-in-Chief The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Wicomico County, Maryland from 10 p.m. this evening until 4 p.m. Thursday. The winter storm would be the second in as many weeks to sweep across the Eastern Shore and deliver multiple inches of snow. Snow accumulations are expected to reach three to six inches, with temperatures in the mid to upper 20s and winds reaching 15 to 20 MPH. The heaviest snowfall will occur early Thursday morning, tapering off in the late morning or early afternoon hours. The National Weather Service urges people to only travel in case of an emergency, as the storm will make travel dangerous. BY MELODI GAUS
Staff Writer Team Vegetarian, Team Vegan or Team Carnivore. About five percent of the United States population considers themselves to be vegetarian or vegan and markets cater increasingly more to a vegan marketplace as compared to years past. While this does not represent a large percent of the population, the numbers of vegetarians and vegans in America are increasing. People who are vegetarian or vegan have mentioned two main reasons for why they choose their lifestyle: health and ethics. I decided to do some research as to how both a meat-eating and a non-meat eating lifestyle compared on four different factors: health, environment, animal rights and welfare and slaughterhouse workers’ welfare. In the health department, information seems to point out that both a vegetarian and carnivore’s diet can be healthy. Meat contains B vitamins and iron, which helps improve metabolism. Iron can also be found in tofu and many minerals can be found in eggs, nuts and seeds. Looking at it from an environmental perspective, beef has a high cost on the environment. When cows digest plants methane, a greenhouse gas, is produced so with a high-demand, comes a high-supply thus damaging the environment. Plants, in general, produce less greenhouse gas emissions than animals do, even though some plants, such as strawberries can produce a large number of greenhouse gases. However, not every piece of meat has an equal impact on the environment but depends on how the animal was raised. Focusing on animal rights and welfare in modern agriculture, factory farming is a problem. Animals are confined inside of a slaughterhouse from harvesting when they are a few weeks old until slaughter. Animals do not see sunlight or get to breathe fresh air and because the animals are crowded together so closely to mass-produce meat, they grow aggressive. Farmers de-beak chicks and perform tail docks on cows, so animals will not fight with each other. Pigs spend the entirety of their four-year lifespan on a concrete floor in crates so small they cannot move. Therefore, vegetarianism and veganism both seem to be the friendlier of the choices in this aspect. Regarding the actual people doing the job of producing the food, workers are paid very little and a lot of times slaughterhouses utilize undocumented immigrants from South America. The meat industry preys on these immigrants in their home countries, where they place advertisements. On top of this workers get sick at their jobs because of the many health risks and are advised by their physicians to leave work. Due to the low pay, many workers cannot afford to leave work or to pay for the medicine that could become necessary with these illnesses. The bottom line is people are omnivores, which means we can choose to eat meat or plants, or both. However, a person should try to eat less meat, or only eat meat from places one trusts because of the irrational scale of cruelty. To attempt this you can do meatless Monday where you elect not to eat meat only one day a week or you might even try cutting out one kind of meat at a time. If you must eat meat, get it from the farmer’s market or Chipotle, which has higher standards from its suppliers than a lot of other places. There is a right team when choosing to be on Team Vegetarian, Team Vegan or Team Carnivore. Each have their own respective qualities, but just be careful when deciding where and how you get your food. By JUSTIN MCCLURE Copy Editor @_JustinMcClure_ Salisbury has been spared of an onslaught of severe winter weather that normally accompanies Maryland in the chilly months of the year – but not this time. As a winter storm loomed in the Midwest, it seemed that a sizeable accumulation of snow was imminent for the lower Eastern Shore region. On Feb. 15 at 3 p.m., the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia issued a winter storm watch for Wicomico County which was in effect from Monday evening through Tuesday morning. A wind chill advisory also remained in effect until 10 a.m. Monday morning as 25 to 35 mph winds were expected. At 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 16, the National Weather Service upgraded the winter storm watch to a warning. The watch previously meant that conditions were favorable for a winter weather event but with a warning, the threat of winter weather became imminent. Meteorologists were forecasting eight to 12 inches of snow for Salisbury. Snow showers were expected to reach the area around 7 p.m. Monday night but the heaviest of the snowfall would occur between the hours of 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Due to the threat of snow, at 3 p.m. on Feb. 16 Salisbury University Police sent out a notice that classes and activities after 5 p.m. would be canceled. All students were asked to move their cars from all university parking lots, as well. Despite this, Blackwell Library remained open until 6 p.m., IT labs and the Help Desk remained open until 9 p.m., Commons, Gull's Nest and Cool Beans stayed open until 8 p.m., the University Fitness Club closed at 10:30 p.m. and Maggs Physical Activity Center stayed open until 11 p.m. As a result of heavy snowfall, Salisbury University closed on Tuesday, Feb. 17, as well with essential operations remaining open. Blackwell Library opened from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dining Services opened until 7:30 p.m., Cool Beans operated from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Gull's Nest remained closed. In addition to that, IT labs and the Help Desk opened from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., GUC from 8 a.m. to midnight and Maggs and UFC opened at 10 a.m. and operated as scheduled. Forecasters urged people to be wary of potentially hazardous weather conditions as the storm reduced visibility and resulted in snow-covered roads and highways due to the cold temperatures. People were also encouraged to take precautionary action against the onset of frostbite and hypothermia. Salisbury University Police announced that all campus operations will resume on Feb. 18. at 10 a.m. By Reed Shelton
@ReedAShelton United States President Barack Obama has put forward a plan to open a stretch of Atlantic waters along the East Coast to leasing by oil and natural gas companies, a move criticized by environmental activists and former Maryland Governor and fellow Democratic Party member Martin O’Malley. The plan proposed on Jan. 27 includes multiple lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, on the Alaskan Coast and along a stretch of the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Georgia. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has called the plan a safe and responsible development that would both support American jobs and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. “This is a balanced proposal that would make available nearly 80 percent of the undiscovered technically recoverable resources,” Jewell said. However, adjunct lecturer in Salisbury University’s environmental studies program Bill Nelson sees an inherent risk in opening new areas to oil and natural gas companies, citing potential human error as the deciding factor. "We've seen what happened in the Gulf with Deepwater Horizon and with Exxon Valdez before that, so to my mind if we allow drilling off the coast we're going to have to deal with significant spills,” Nelson said. “It's not a matter of technology being better or safer, it's going to happen. It's not if, but when. No matter what, people always make mistakes.” Read the full article in the 2/24/15 print edition of The Flyer By Samuel Stevens @SamuelJ_Stevens Salisbury University’s new learning management system (LMS), Instructure’s Canvas, was launched this semester for use by some instructors and students in order to slowly integrate the system. “I’m glad we’re switching to (Canvas). At first I didn’t like it, but now I like Canvas better,” freshman Rachael Pierson said. Education professor Seth Endicott also said he finds the system useful as an instructor. “The new system is fantastic,” he said. “It is much easier to navigate and more user friendly than our prior system.” The system has not totally replaced Blackboard MyClasses for all courses, as Blackboard’s contract with SU does not expire until June of this year. The new system has many features that MyClasses lacks, streamlining learning for both instructors and students. Canvas allows for professors to easily link documents and videos to their class website, and it also has a "Pages" feature for both students and instructors to add new content. This new LMS was selected for the university over four competitors after evaluation by students and faculty from all departments, as well as by members of SU’s Instructional Design and Delivery team in 2014. The systems were evaluated on layout, communication features and embedded content in a point-based system. Ease of manipulating content files such as assignments, grading and the capability to share work and collaborate were also important factors in selecting the new LMS. “I recommend Canvas for all professors to use,” Endicott said. “It is easier to use than Blackboard if you are willing to learn in. And if you are willing to learn it, it will not take long to get used to Canvas. It will become your best friend.” |
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