Blog Group 6: Chicago School Draws Scrutiny Over Student Fines

For the sixth & final blog, our group has decided to post an article about a Chicago charter school that fines students upon receiving a detention. Although this system is efficient, according to school officials, it has sparked a heated debate in regards to whether or not this disciplinary system is truly helping students. Additionally, the fairness of this system has been called into question. What are the possible advantages or disadvantages of this type of disciplinary system? In your personal opinion, do you think this system is appropriate for a public school? Why or why not? 

Chicago School Draws Scrutiny Over Student Fines

By Tammy Webber, Associated Press 2/20/12

CHICAGO (AP) — A sense of order and decorum prevails at Noble Street College Prep as students move quickly through a hallway adorned with banners from dozens of colleges. Everyone wears a school polo shirt neatly tucked into khaki trousers. There's plenty of chatter but no jostling, no cellphones and no dawdling.

The reason, administrators say, is that students have learned there is a price to pay — literally — for breaking even the smallest rules.

Noble Network of Charter Schools charges students at its 10 Chicago high schools $5 for detentions stemming from infractions that include chewing gum and having untied shoelaces. Last school year it collected almost $190,000 in discipline "fees" from detentions and behavior classes — a policy drawing fire from some parents, advocacy groups and education experts.

Officials at the rapidly expanding network, heralded by Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a model for the city, say the fees offset the cost of running the detention program and help keep small problems from becoming big ones. Critics say Noble is nickel-and-diming its mostly low-income students over insignificant, made-up infractions that force out kids administrators don't want.

"We think this just goes over the line ... fining someone for having their shoelaces untied (or) a button unbuttoned goes to harassment, not discipline," said Julie Woestehoff, executive director of the Chicago advocacy group Parents United for Responsible Education, which staged protests last week over the policy after Woestehoff said she was approached by an upset parent

Students at Noble schools receive demerits for various infractions — four for having a cellphone or one for untied shoelaces. Four demerits within a two-week period earn them a detention and $5 fine. Students who get 12 detentions in a year must attend a summer behavior class that costs $140.

Superintendent Michael Milkie said the policy teaches the kids — overwhelmingly poor, minority and often hoping to be the first in their families to attend college — to follow rules and produces in a structured learning environment. He points to the network's average ACT score of 20.3, which is higher than at the city's other non-selective public schools, and says more than 90 percent of Noble graduates enroll in college.

While fights can be an almost daily occurrence in some urban high schools, Milkie says there's only about one a year on each Noble campus.

By "sweating the small stuff ... we don't have issues with the big stuff," he said.

Milkie said the fines also help defray the cost of administering after-school detention and the salary of the network's dean of discipline, which otherwise would divert money intended for education.

But Donna Moore said the district is manufacturing problems that lead to unproductive badgering of students, including her 16-year-old son, who had to repeat ninth grade at Noble's Gary Comer College Prep after racking up 33 detentions and several suspensions.

"It was nothing egregious, but just that the little things added up: a shirt unbuttoned, shoes not tied, not tracking the teacher with his eyes," said Moore, adding that her son has an attention disorder. "It's not normal to treat a young adult as a 2-year-old ... kids internalize that."

Woestehoff and Moore said some families have removed their children from Noble schools because they couldn't keep paying the fees, though Moore said her biggest complaint is the infractions. Milkie said Noble sets up payment plans and on rare occasions waives the fees, and students never would be held back a grade solely because they couldn't pay.

Even so, Matthew Mayer, a professor in the graduate school of education at Rutgers University, said a monetary fine is "highly inappropriate" because it likely has no bearing on students' academic performance and disproportionately hurts poor families.

"It's almost medieval in nature. It's a form a financial torture, for lack of a better term," Mayer said.

Emanuel defended the school, saying it gets "incredible" results and parents don't have to send their children there. Charter schools are exempt from most district policies.

Parent Tammy O'Neal said her two daughters are excelling at Noble's Muchin College Prep, and only one ever got detention, for not wearing a belt.

"If a kid is prone to getting in trouble and not taking school seriously, then (the fines are) a steep slope," she said. "But why don't you tell your kid to straighten up?"

Chadie Morris, 16, a sophomore at Noble Street College Prep, carries a 3.8 grade-point average at Noble Street College Prep, but figures she has paid $45 already this year for such things as talking in class.

"Sometimes it can be about the littlest things and you can still get demerits," she said. "Demerits are horrible; detentions are horrible."

But the aspiring lawyer, who struggled with absences until her adviser and principal persuaded her to come back, looks forward to attending a one-week summer college program.

Other charter school operators in Chicago and elsewhere said they don't fine students but respect Noble's academic success and its right to adopt its own discipline policy.

Tim King, CEO of Urban Prep Academies, which operates three high schools for boys in some of Chicago's toughest and poorest neighborhoods, said he believes "very firmly in a more therapeutic or restorative approach vs. punitive toward student conduct."

Every student in Urban Prep's first two graduating classes was accepted to a college or university.

At Knowledge is Power Program, a network of 109 charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, middle school students are rewarded for good behavior with a weekly incentive "paycheck" — fake money that can be redeemed at the school store or used to defray the cost of field trip, spokesman Steve Mancini said. The system is phased out by high school because it's no longer needed.

Milkie, though, doesn't plan to change a thing.

"It's a beautiful system," he said. "I don't want to brag, but it is. It's why the kids are so successful."

In this photo taken Feb. 16, 2012, Noble Street College Prep CEO Mike Milke talks with student Gabriela Cervantes during school in Chicago. The school has drawn scrutiny some parents and advocacy groups for its policy of charging students $5 for detentions stemming from infractions that can include chewing gum and having untied shoelaces. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

In this photo taken Feb. 16, 2012, Noble Street College Prep principal William Olsen and students Chadie Morris, left, and Khadijah Hallmon walk through the hall of their school in Chicago. The school has drawn scrutiny some parents and advocacy groups for its policy of charging students $5 for detentions stemming from infractions that can include chewing gum and having untied shoelaces. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

In this photo taken Feb. 16, 2012, Noble Street College Prep students Khadijah Hallmon, left, and Chadie Morris pose in the hall of their school in Chicago. The school has a policy of charging students $5 for detentions stemming from infractions that can include chewing gum and having untied shoelaces. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Here's a link to the article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hq-GakXpeysk_4GGa8MILM1SNl1A?docId=16ae6dbff026418fa1d79e53fc96f6ad&index=1

Iran to reveal new nuke achievements

Iran’s president announced that the country would soon reveal a new nuclear achievement. The West fears Iran is attempting to create atomic weapons. However, Iran claims that their focus is only for peaceful purposes (i.e. energy production). What do you think Iran will announce? If it is a nuclear weapon, what action should the United States/World take?

By NASSER KARIMI | Associated Press – Sat, Feb 11, 2012

 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gestures as he deliver his speech at an Iranian President rally mark the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that toppled the country's pro-Western monarchy and brought Islamic clerics to power, Tehran, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. Ahmadinejad says Iran will soon reveal "very big new nuclear achievements." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran will soon unveil "big new" nuclear achievements, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday while reiterating Tehran's readiness to revive talks with the West over the country's controversial nuclear program.

Ahmadinejad spoke at a rally in Tehran as tens of thousands of Iranians marked the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that toppled the pro-Western monarchy and brought Islamic clerics to power.

Ahmadinejad did not elaborate on the upcoming announcement but insisted Iran would never give up its uranium enrichment, a process that makes material for reactors as well as weapons.

The West suspects Iran's nuclear program is aimed at producing atomic weapons, a charge Tehran denies, insisting it's geared for peaceful purposes only, such as energy production.

Four rounds of U.N. sanctions and recent tough financial penalties by the U.S. and the European Union have failed to get Iran to halt aspects of its atomic work that could provide a possible pathway to weapons production.

"Within the next few days the world will witness the inauguration of several big new achievements in the nuclear field," Ahmadinejad told the crowd in Tehran's famous Azadi, or Freedom, square.

Iran has said it is forced to manufacture nuclear fuel rods, which provide fuel for reactors, on its own since international sanctions ban it from buying them on foreign markets. In January, Iran said it had produced its first such fuel rod.

Apart from progress on the rods, the upcoming announcement could pertain to Iran's underground enrichment facility at Fordo or upgraded centrifuges, which are expected to be installed at the facility in the central town of Natanz. Iran has also said it would inaugurate the Russian-built nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr in 2012.

Iran's unchecked pursuit of the nuclear program scuttled negotiations a year ago but Iranian officials last month proposed a return to the talks with the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany.

"Iran is ready for talks within the framework of equality and justice," Ahmadinejad repeated on said Saturday but warned that Tehran "will never enter talks if enemies behave arrogantly."

In the past, Iran has angered Western officials by appearing to buy time through opening talks and weighing proposals even while pressing ahead with the nuclear program.

Washington recently levied new penalties aimed at limiting Iran's ability to sell oil, which accounts for 80 percent of its foreign revenue, while the European Union adopted its own toughest measures yet on Iran, including an oil embargo and freeze of the country's central bank assets.

Israel is worried Iran could be on the brink of an atomic bomb and many Israeli officials believe sanctions only give Tehran time to move its nuclear program underground, out of reach of Israeli military strikes. The U.S. and its allies argue that Israel should hold off on any military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities to allow more time for sanctions to work.

Before Ahmadinejad spoke Saturday, visiting Hamas prime minister from Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, also addressed the crowd, congratulating Iranians on the 1979 anniversary and vowing that his militant Palestinian group would never recognize Iran's and Hamas' archenemy, Israel.

Also at the Tehran rally, Iran displayed a real-size model of the U.S. drone RQ-170 Sentinel, captured by Iran in December near the border with Afghanistan. Iran has touted the drone's capture as one of its successes against the West.

The state TV called the drone is a "symbol of power" of the Iranian armed forces "against the global arrogance" of the U.S.

The report broadcast footage of other rallies around Iran, saying millions participated in the anniversary celebrations, many under heavy snowfall.

Egyptian Soccer Protest

For this weeks Blog Post our group has chosen an article about the riot that erupted from a protest at the end of an Egyptian soccer game last week. This protest took the lives of many innocent bystanders and left the stadium in ruins. So we are asking you to respond to this question for the week "is a sporting event the right place to begin a protest with so many people in these close confines?"

 

Egypt soccer match brawl leaves at least 73 dead

An Egyptian soccer match between two longtime rivals — the Port Said team and the Ahly of Cairo — turns deadly when hooligans supporting the winning team attack opposing players and fans.

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Players for Cairo's Ahly soccer club run for safety after rioting… (Ahmed Hassan / Associated Press)

February 01, 2012|By Jeffrey Fleishman and Amro Hassan, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Cairo — An Egyptian soccer match between two longtime rivals descended into a violent echo of the bloodiest days of last year's revolution as hooligans supporting the winning team stormed the field, attacking opposing players and fans in clashes that reportedly killed at least 73 people.
The fighting on the pitch quickly took on broader political overtones. The Muslim Brotherhood, which controls nearly half of the new parliament, laid blame for the bloodshed on thugs connected to toppled President Hosni Mubarak who are plotting to destabilize the country.
The clashes broke out in the town of Port Said after that city's team won a rare victory over the visiting Ahly, a powerhouse club from Cairo. Port Said supporters swarmed the field immediately after the game. Ahly players and fans ran for cover beneath the stadium and into locker rooms as chaos spread.
PHOTOS: Dozens killed in soccer riot
The locker room "looks like a morgue," said Ahmed Nagui, an Ahly coach.
The bloodshed stunned a nation that has been enduring protests and violence since last year's revolution overthrew Mubarak. There have been sharp animosities between the two teams — Port Said fans attacked an Ahly bus last year. But nothing suggested the level of hostilities that erupted Wednesday night, another sign of how combustible Egypt is as it unsteadily attempts to move toward democracy.
"The events in Port Said are planned and are a message from the remnants of the former regime," Essam Erian, a member of parliament with the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, said in a statement.
Security officials feared the riot could provoke retaliation by die-hard Ahly fans, known as Ultras. The group, a mix of university students, workers and democracy advocates, helped defend Tahrir Square against Mubarak loyalists last February, and was involved in the attack on the Israeli Embassy in Cairo in September. Its members also have been on the front lines in the recent deadly clashes between antigovernment protesters and riot police and soldiers.
Ultras, a catchphrase for supporters of many clubs, have become an ingrained, if erratic, phenomenon in the antigovernment protest movement against the police and the ruling military council. Many regard themselves as protectors of civil liberties who will not hesitate to hurl stones and Molotov cocktails at police, as they did in clashes in November and December that killed scores of people.
It is uncertain how they will respond to the soccer melee. Ahly fans have announced a march on the Interior Ministry in Cairo for Thursday. The ministry, barricaded by concrete and barbed wire, is the despised touchstone of the corrupt Mubarak regime and a symbol for many activists of the revolution's failure to force the military from power.
Smoke colored by the light of flares clung to the spectator stands in Port Said's stadium as millions of bewildered Egyptians watched the nation's newest wrinkle of deadly unrest unfold on television. Police appeared both overwhelmed and unwilling to respond, often watching while frantic fans raced past them. One player said the scene looked like a war.
"There are 11 deaths at my hospital. Two other hospitals include 25 deaths. Three fans have also died in the stadium," Hassan Esnawy, the manager of Port Said's Amiry hospital, said in a televised interview. "Some died of stampede, and others died of suffocation."
Egyptian TV later quoted medical authorities as saying at least 73 people had been killed. Some were beaten, but the Health Ministry reported that most appeared to have died of suffocation, head trauma and stampede-related injuries. TV footage showed fans clashing with knives and other weapons. More than 1,000 people were injured.
Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the nation's military ruler, dispatched military planes to Port Said to pick up Ahly players and fans and return them to Cairo. The Egyptian parliament called for an emergency session Thursday.
Indications that the situation was unusually volatile came when Port Said fans threw fireworks at Ahly players before the match. Hooligans tried unsuccessfully to rush the field during halftime, but there were no confrontations during 90 minutes of play. Moments after the game, which Port Said won 3 to 1, hooligans sprinted across the field to attack Ahly players and fans.
Two Ahly players were injured, and the team quickly blamed police for not preventing the onslaught.
"The security forces left us, they did not protect us. One fan has just died in the dressing room in front of me," veteran Ahly player Mohamed Abou-Treika yelled while speaking on the phone to a TV channel. "To hell with football if the situation is like this…. Are people's lives that cheap?"
Another Ahly player, Mohamed Baraket, said: "People have died, we are seeing corpses now. There are no security forces or army personnel to protect us."

Summary of Group 3 Blog

            Scientists have debated for years whether or not there is water on the red planet, Mars.  They have determined that it is possible for water to have existed on the planet because they have discovered brines, highly concentrated salt water deposits. This poses the question if Mars now or has ever before been able to sustain life. Could these brines suggest that life could have existed on Mars just as the Earth today? Or is this just another misconception?

Group 3-NASA Spacecraft Data Suggest Water Flowing on Mars

GROUP3-----

NASA Spacecraft Data Suggest Water Flowing on Mars

August 04, 2011

PASADENA, Calif. -- Observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed possible flowing water during the warmest months on Mars.

"NASA's Mars Exploration Program keeps bringing us closer to determining whether the Red Planet could harbor life in some form," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, "and it reaffirms Mars as an important future destination for human exploration."

Dark, finger-like features appear and extend down some Martian slopes during late spring through summer, fade in winter, and return during the next spring. Repeated observations have tracked the seasonal changes in these recurring features on several steep slopes in the middle latitudes of Mars' southern hemisphere.

"The best explanation for these observations so far is the flow of briny water," said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, Tucson. McEwen is the principal investigator for the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and lead author of a report about the recurring flows published in Thursday's edition of the journal Science.

Some aspects of the observations still puzzle researchers, but flows of liquid brine fit the features' characteristics better than alternate hypotheses. Saltiness lowers the freezing temperature of water. Sites with active flows get warm enough, even in the shallow subsurface, to sustain liquid water that is about as salty as Earth's oceans, while pure water would freeze at the observed temperatures.

"These dark lineations are different from other types of features on Martian slopes," said Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project Scientist Richard Zurek of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Repeated observations show they extend ever farther downhill with time during the warm season."

The features imaged are only about 0.5 to 5 yards or meters wide, with lengths up to hundreds of yards. The width is much narrower than previously reported gullies on Martian slopes. However, some of those locations display more than 1,000 individual flows. Also, while gullies are abundant on cold, pole-facing slopes, these dark flows are on warmer, equator-facing slopes.

The images show flows lengthen and darken on rocky equator-facing slopes from late spring to early fall. The seasonality, latitude distribution and brightness changes suggest a volatile material is involved, but there is no direct detection of one. The settings are too warm for carbon-dioxide frost and, at some sites, too cold for pure water. This suggests the action of brines, which have lower freezing points. Salt deposits over much of Mars indicate brines were abundant in Mars' past. These recent observations suggest brines still may form near the surface today in limited times and places.

When researchers checked flow-marked slopes with the orbiter's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), no sign of water appeared. The features may quickly dry on the surface or could be shallow subsurface flows.

"The flows are not dark because of being wet," McEwen said. "They are dark for some other reason."

A flow initiated by briny water could rearrange grains or change surface roughness in a way that darkens the appearance. How the features brighten again when temperatures drop is harder to explain.

"It's a mystery now, but I think it's a solvable mystery with further observations and laboratory experiments," McEwen said.

These results are the closest scientists have come to finding evidence of liquid water on the planet's surface today. Frozen water, however has been detected near the surface in many middle to high-latitude regions. Fresh-looking gullies suggest slope movements in geologically recent times, perhaps aided by water. Purported droplets of brine also appeared on struts of the Phoenix Mars Lander. If further study of the recurring dark flows supports evidence of brines, these could be the first known Martian locations with liquid water.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory operates HiRISE. The camera was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., provided and operates CRISM. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

For more information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mro andhttp://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/ .

Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

Steve Cole 202-358-0918
NASA Headquarters, Washington
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

Daniel Stolte 520-626-4402
University of Arizona, Tucson
stolte@email.arizona.edu

2011-242

Group 2 - Joe Paterno

Joe Paterno's Legacy Should Reflect Both His Victories & Mistakes
Posted by Maressa Brown on January 22, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Comments (65)
Likes (17)
False reports of Joe Paterno's death were swirling last night, but this morning, the former Penn State football coach's family confirmed his passing from complications related to lung cancer. In the statement, they say Paterno "died as he lived ... fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been."
Although we could see it coming -- especially given all the stress 85-year-old Paterno had been under in the past few months -- this is certainly a serious blow to Penn State fans and fans of college football everywhere. Of course, many people respected Paterno for his life's work and want to honor and pay tribute to his achievements. Still, the coach's death shouldn't mean the man gets to become a saint overnight.
You know what I'm talking about, because it happens all the time! Celebrity or public figure lives a charmed life, is beloved by many, but makes some questionable judgment calls (aka screws up royally) ... But when they die, sometimes, it's like reality gets distorted in a flash. Suddenly, that poor judgment or serious misstep is brushed under the rug, and we end up putting the deceased idol on a pedestal. Even if we were distraught by the guy's actions only a couple of months ago, his death triggers slews of sappy "RIP JoePa" status updates on Facebook. It's all sorts of wrong, because passing away shouldn't get anyone "off the hook" from the life they lead or the mistakes they made.
How Joe Paterno handled the Jerry Sandusky scandal should alter his legacy as a famous, beloved, winning football coach known for his integrity. Not that he should be remembered as villain or only for his failure to prevent Sandusky from allegedly molesting young boys, but let's just be honest, real, and fair with his legacy. Let's remember JoePa as a three-dimensional human being who had grand accomplishments ... as well as a huge unforgettable, unforgivable slip-up. It's fine if he goes down as "the greatest football coach in the history of the game" ... as long as we don't forget that he was also a flawed man.
Summary: People mourn the death of Joe Paterno because, as we all know, Joe Pa had a huge impact on sports fans all over America. This article is emphasizing the controversy of how public figures should be remembered considering their accomplishments and mistakes.
How do you think Joe Paterno should be remembered?
What should be the main focus after a person's passing: the good or bad aspects of their life?
(Group Members: Rachel Dorrian, Hallie Keselman, Sam Thompson, Alyssa Winner)

Coastguard begged Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino to return to ship after crash, recording shows

Reuters Jan 17, 2012 – 8:15 AM ET | Last Updated: Jan 17, 2012 11:55 AM ET

ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images

Rescuers place explosive charges on the emerged side of the cruise liner Costa Concordia prior to entering on January 17, 2012. The Costa Concordia grounded in front of the harbour of Isola del Giglio after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. Rescuers searched for 29 people still unaccounted for from the wreck of a luxury liner off the coast as the arrested captain faced a hearing with investigators.

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Update: Rescue workers found five bodies on Tuesday in the submerged part of the Italian cruise liner that capsized off Italy’s west coast, bringing the death toll to 11.

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The Italian coastguard pleaded in vain for the captain of the capsized Italian cruise ship the Costa Concordia to return on board to oversee the evacuation but he refused, according to what a leading Italian newspaper said was a recording of the conversation.
Corriere della Sera put the tape, which it said was recorded by the coast guard, on its website.
It conforms with reports that have leaked out in the past few days since the Costa Concordia hit a rock on Friday night. Six people were killed and 29 are still missing.
Captain Francesco Schettino is in jail, accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship, and was due to appear before magistrates for questioning on Tuesday morning.
The recording says in part:
Coastguard to captain (who has already left the ship):
“There are people who are coming down the ladder on the bow. Go back in the opposite direction, get back on the ship, and tell me how many people there are and what they have on board.
“Tell me if there are children, women and what type of help they need. And you tell me the number of each of these categories. Is that clear?!
“Listen Schettino, perhaps you have saved yourself from the sea but I will make you look very bad. I will make you pay for this. Dammit, go back on board!”
Captain to Coastguard: “Please ….”
Coastguard to captain: “There is no please about it. Go back on board. Assure me you are going back on board!”

Laura Lezza/Getty Images

The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio, on January 17, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy.

RESCUE EFFORTS
Rescue squads used controlled explosions on Tuesday to enter the stricken Italian cruise liner in the increasingly despairing hunt for survivors as authorities almost doubled their estimate of the number missing on the huge vessel to 29 people.
The Costa Concordia’s owners accused their captain of causing Friday’s disaster by veering the ship too close to shore, where it hit a rock, in a bravura “salute” to residents of a Tuscan island off Italy’s Mediterranean coast.

Related

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• From Titanic to Costa Concordia sinking, a history of peacetime sea disasters

The three explosions were carried out early on Tuesday morning to allow firefighters and scuba divers to enter and leave parts of the ship that they had not yet been able to search.
“Now we will have better access to the gathering points on the ship, where it seems there might be more chance of finding someone, dead or alive,” said firefighters’ spokesman Luca Cari.”
“They will take micro-cameras in there, and we will be simultaneously looking at the few remaining dry areas and also the wet areas,” he said.
The weather improved slightly from Monday but seas were still choppy.
The giant cruise liner slid a little on Monday, threatening to plunge 2,300 tonnes of fuel below the Mediterranean waters of the surrounding nature reserve.
The slippage forced rescuers to suspend efforts to find anyone still alive after three days in the capsized hull, resting on a jagged slope outside the picturesque harbor on the island of Giglio. Six bodies have been found. Most of the 4,200 passengers and crew survived, despite hours of chaos.

REUTERS/Guardia Costiera/Handout

A part of the Costa Concordia cruise ship is seen underwater after it ran aground off the west coast of Italy, at Giglio island in this photo released on January 16, 2012.

An Italian coastguard official told Reuters late on Monday that the number of people missing had been revised up to 29 — 25 passengers and four members of staff — from 16, showing how much uncertainty still surrounded the disaster.
Another maritime official said later that 10 Germans were thought to be among the missing passengers.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

The Costa Concordia's final hours.

The 114,500-tonne ship, one of the biggest passenger vessels ever to be wrecked, foundered after striking a rock just as dinner was being served on Friday night. It quickly rolled on its side, revealing a long gouge below the waterline.
Cari said there were still small movements of the vessel but they were not considered dangerous. Searches were suspended overnight before resuming on Tuesday morning.
Another senior firefighter, Luciano Roncalli, told Reuters that all the unsubmerged areas of the liner had been searched, indicating there was faint hope of finding more survivors in the flooded and upturned maze of luxurious state rooms and tennis courts, bars and spas now submerged beneath the sea.
Environment Minister Corrado Clini said he would declare a state of emergency because of the risk that the ship’s fuel would leak into the pristine Tuscan Archipelago National Park. No fuel spillage has been detected so far, he said on Italian television on Monday evening.
Clini said on Tuesday morning he had given the salvage company until Wednesday to come up with a plan to remove the fuel and 10 days with a plan to remove the ship.
Should rougher seas dislodge the wreck and cause it to sink or break up, that could scupper any hopes for the owners, a unit of Florida’s Carnival Corp., of salvaging a liner which cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build just six years ago.
“SALUTE” TO SHORE
Investigators say the ship was much too close to the shore and its owners, Costa Cruises, said the captain had carried out the rash manoeuvre to “make a bow” to people on Giglio island, who included a retired Italian admiral.
Schettino denies charges of manslaughter.
“You don’t have to be a Nobel prize winner to understand that a ship of that size should stay far from the coast,” Clini, the environment minister, said on television on Tuesday morning.
His lawyer issued a statement saying the skipper was “broken up, troubled and saddened by the loss of life.” But he believed he had saved many lives by carrying out a difficult emergency maneuver with anchors after the accident, which turned the ship closer to the shore.
The father of the ship’s head waiter told Reuters that his son had telephoned him before the accident to say the crew would salute him by blowing the ship’s whistle as they passed close by Giglio, where both the waiter, Antonello Tievoli, and his 82-year-old father Giuseppe live.

Laura Lezza/Getty Images

A hole in the ship created by micro explosions allows divers in to search the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia off the shore of the island of Giglio, on January 17, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy.

Costa Cruises chief executive Pier Luigi Foschi on Monday blamed errors by Schettino for the disaster. He told a news conference the company would provide its captain with any assistance he required. “But we need to acknowledge the facts and we cannot deny human error,” he added.
Foschi said company vessels were forbidden to come closer than 500 metres to the Giglio coast. Investigators say the liner, designed as a floating pleasure palace for over 3,000 customers, was about 150 metres offshore when it hit the rocks that tore a long gouge in its thousand-foot hull.
Schettino denies being too close to the coast and says the rock he hit was not marked on charts.
The calm weather which since Friday has aided the search of the wreck, by some estimates the biggest passenger vessel ever to founder, took a turn for the worse on Monday with rougher seas and a light drizzle falling. Forecasters said it would get worse.
The ship is resting in about 20 metres of water but could go down by as much as 130 metres if it shifts free from the rocks.
Carnival Corp, the ship’s Miami-based parent company, said it estimated the impact on its 2012 earnings for loss of use alone to be around US$90-million. Its share price closed down around 16 percent on the London market.
With files from Antonio Denti and Gavin Jones
© Thomson Reuters 2012

Posted in: News, World Tags: Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino

This is an article about the Italian cruise ship that sunk near the island of Giglio off the west coast of Italy. The argument in question is whether or not the captain of the ship should be punished for abandoning the ship before all of the crew and passengers were evacuated. What do you think they should do with him?