Each quarter my last blog post is always a request to my students asking for their thoughts and feedback about the class. However, this quarter, I would be remiss if I didn't devote a portion of the blog to the earthquake and tsunami disaster that struck Japan on March 11th, 2011. The pictures from the news reports have showed utter horror and devastation. Currently the death toll is 4,000, but officials expect it to rise dramatically once the cleanup effort begins. The nuclear power plant that was damaged in the explosion is still at imminent risk of a meltdown that would lead to the worst nuclear catastrophe the world has seen since Chernobyl in 1986. I plan to blog at a later date on the risks on nuclear power. For now, my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this disaster. If you would like to make a donation, please go to http://www.redcross.org/.
On that sad note, I will say it has been a pleasure having you all in class this quarter. I enjoy hearing your opinions and getting to know you. I wish all of you much success in the future and hope you stay in touch. Feel free to continue to check the blog and post whenever you want. For our last blog post, I would like to know "What did you like or dislike about the class? What could I do to make it better?" Answers are due no later than Tuesday, March 22, 2010. After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter. For all of you who will be graduating shortly - congratulations! For everyone else - Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Erin Go Bragh!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised!
Last week, the White House released a report showing the despite having better education than they did decades ago, women still lag behind men on several economic indicators. The number of men and women in the labor force is almost equal, however at all levels of education, women still earn about 75% of what their male counterparts earn for the same work. As an educated women myself, who works two jobs, this makes me angry – and it motivates me to work that much harder.
Artists and designers aren’t immune from it either. According to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, “women are making enormous progress, but still lag behind their male colleagues economically, especially in fields such as photography, design and architecture. The pay gap tends to be larger for non-performing art occupations, when women earn just 72% of what men earn. To put that into perspective, in 2005 the average income of women artists was $27,000 which was $14,700 less than the average income of men artists!
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women are 60% more likely then men to earn a bachelor’s degree by the time they are twenty-three. We are more educated and working more than ever before, yet the disparity between pay is still there. So my question to you this week is “Why do you think this gap exists, and what do you think we could do to change it?” Really think about it! Answers are due no later than Tuesday, March 15th, 2011.
Artists and designers aren’t immune from it either. According to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, “women are making enormous progress, but still lag behind their male colleagues economically, especially in fields such as photography, design and architecture. The pay gap tends to be larger for non-performing art occupations, when women earn just 72% of what men earn. To put that into perspective, in 2005 the average income of women artists was $27,000 which was $14,700 less than the average income of men artists!
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women are 60% more likely then men to earn a bachelor’s degree by the time they are twenty-three. We are more educated and working more than ever before, yet the disparity between pay is still there. So my question to you this week is “Why do you think this gap exists, and what do you think we could do to change it?” Really think about it! Answers are due no later than Tuesday, March 15th, 2011.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
One Nation Under God, With Liberty and Justice for All
In a previous quarter I had a student who did their final project on churches that protest at military funerals. Since then, I have been keeping a close eye on the issue as it has developed. Today, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment protects fundamentalist church members who mount anti-gay protests outside of military funerals, despite the pain they cause.
Matthew Snyder died in Iraq in 2006. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed his funeral in their quest to draw attention to their view that American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are God’s punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality. Holding signs which stated “Thank God for dead soldiers,” “God hates the U.S.A.” and “Thank God for 9/11” protesters picketed his funeral, taking care to obey police orders and stay 1,000 feet off of the property where the funeral was being held. Snyder’s father eventually filed a lawsuit against the church, accusing them of inflicting emotional distress. Forty-eight states agreed with Snyder stating the church members are practicing “psychological terrorism”. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts stated, “Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow – and – as it did here – inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker”.
I have to say, I thought this was a hard case. Personally, I can’t see how someone would intentionally cause a family so much pain, especially a family that has given their son in sacrifice of our country. That being said, I have to agree with the court’s decision. Even though I don’t like it, I’m not for censoring anyone’s speech. That is a slippery slope to start down and once you are on that course, there is no telling what might start getting censored. Free speech protects everyone, not just the speech we agree with. However, my heart goes out to the Snyder’s and all those who have lost loved ones in sacrifice for our country.
So, I’d like to know what you think. “Do you think the Supreme Court got it right, or wrong? Who should decide what speech is acceptable and what is not?” Answers are due no later than Tuesday, March 8th, 2011.
Matthew Snyder died in Iraq in 2006. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed his funeral in their quest to draw attention to their view that American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are God’s punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality. Holding signs which stated “Thank God for dead soldiers,” “God hates the U.S.A.” and “Thank God for 9/11” protesters picketed his funeral, taking care to obey police orders and stay 1,000 feet off of the property where the funeral was being held. Snyder’s father eventually filed a lawsuit against the church, accusing them of inflicting emotional distress. Forty-eight states agreed with Snyder stating the church members are practicing “psychological terrorism”. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts stated, “Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow – and – as it did here – inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker”.
I have to say, I thought this was a hard case. Personally, I can’t see how someone would intentionally cause a family so much pain, especially a family that has given their son in sacrifice of our country. That being said, I have to agree with the court’s decision. Even though I don’t like it, I’m not for censoring anyone’s speech. That is a slippery slope to start down and once you are on that course, there is no telling what might start getting censored. Free speech protects everyone, not just the speech we agree with. However, my heart goes out to the Snyder’s and all those who have lost loved ones in sacrifice for our country.
So, I’d like to know what you think. “Do you think the Supreme Court got it right, or wrong? Who should decide what speech is acceptable and what is not?” Answers are due no later than Tuesday, March 8th, 2011.
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