A Little Bit of Sunshine!

Like everyone else, I'm pretty tired of the snow.  Between the shoveling, the long commutes and the freezing temperatures - I'm just over it!  Which made it all the more worse this weekend, when Puxatawny Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.  I'm not sure I can make it six more weeks.


As much as I am sick of the snow, there's one place where I won't mind seeing it - Sochi, Russia. That's right - the Winter Olympics begin this week! For those who know me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics. I love the artistry of the opening ceremonies. I get all caught up in the emotional stories of the athletes who have struggled so hard and overcome so many obstacles just to make their Olympic dreams come true. I watch sports I've never even heard of before (like curling) and I always, always cheer for the underdog.

So to bring us a little bit of sunshine this week, I thought I'd go easy on you.  My question this week is, "What is your favorite Olympic sport, and why?"  It's funny because I'm way to uncoordinated to play sports, but I love watching them on television.  My favorite Olympic sports are gymnastics and swimming, but since these are the Winter Olympics, I'm going to go with snowboarding. Their tricks look amazing!  Answers are due no later than Sunday, February 9th, 204.

It Won't Stop

By now, you all have heard about Cody Mark Cousins, who walked into the Electrical Engineering Building at Purdue last week and allegedly shot and stabbed Andrew Bolt, a teaching assistant.  I know it’s selfish of me, but when I first heard the news, I immediately thought of my sister.  My sister went to Purdue.  She had many classes in that same building.  She’s a high school teacher now, and would no doubt put her life on the line to protect her students.  I could not even begin to imagine how our family would recover if she was ever taken from us in such a violent manner.  My heart hurts just thinking about it.

Whenever I blog about an issue that relates to a previous post, I always post the link so you can read my thoughts and your fellow students’ comments.  It was with a heavy heart today that I realized just how many times I have posted about senseless gun violence on this blog: Fort Hood, Virginia Tech, Aurora Colorado, Tucson Arizona, and of course, Newtown Connecticut.  If you’re interested in reading any of these posts, you can use the search word “shooting” in the search bar located at the top of the page.

Each time we have a mass shooting such as this (and there have just been far too many in my opinion), our nation’s political dialogue becomes more focused on our country’s gun laws. Some have felt that we need stricter gun laws to prevent tragedies such as this from happening. According to Senator Dianne Feinstein, “weapons of war don’t belong on our streets”. Colorado Governor, John Hickenlooper, expressed skepticism that tougher gun laws would’ve prevented the Aurora, Colorado tragedy stating, “If there were no assault weapons available – this guy’s going to find something right?” Senator Ron Johnson agrees, “I don’t think society can keep sick, demented, individuals from obtaining any type of weapon to kill people. Somebody who purposely wants to harm another individual is going to find a method to do so”.

I’ll be frank – I’m torn on this issue. I don’t come from a family that owns guns. I don’t think I would want one in my home. That being said, I strongly support the U.S. Constitution and the people’s right to bear arms. I just think there should be better background checks, waiting periods, etc. I think the real problem here is a lack of mental healthcare in this country – which might be a whole other blog. I know I don’t have all the answers, but it’s clear to me that something must be done to stop, (or at least try and stop) this senseless violence.

 So my question to you this week is, “How do you feel about our country’s gun laws? What should the government’s responsibility be, if anything, in preventing crimes like this in the future?” Answers are due no later than Sunday, February 1^st, 2014. My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone affected by senseless violence, especially the community of West Lafayette and Purdue University.

P.S.  The State of the Union is on Tuesday evening!  It's a time for the President to update Congress, the Courts and the American people on well, the state of our union!  Try to catch it if you can!
 

Not For Sale

In 2010, President Obama issues a Presidential Proclamation, declaring January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.  The United Nations defines human trafficking as follows: “Trafficking in persons’ shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”

It may seem like human trafficking is something that happens in foreign countries, like the movie Taken.  While it can and likely does happen everywhere, popular trafficking destinations are Italy, Turkey, Japan, and the United States. That’s right – the United States. Human trafficking is roughly a $32 billion industry, earning more than Google, Starbucks, and Nike combined.  The U.S. State Department estimates of the number of slaves in the world today is 20.9 million.  It’s no wonder why it is believed to be so profitable and prevalent; while a drug can be sold once and then consumed, a person can be sold and abused many times over.  Consider the following:

·       Globally, the average cost of a slave is $90. 

·       According to some estimates, approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19% involves labor exploitation.

·       According to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. More than 70 percent are female and half are children.

·       The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14-year-old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.

·       California harbors 3 of the FBI’s 13 highest child sex trafficking areas on the nation: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.

·       Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year.

I feel like we don’t hear nearly enough about this issue.  Hundreds of young girls were trafficked into Indianapolis the year we hosted the Super Bowl.  Without a doubt, it happens each year, in each new Super Bowl city.  Yet the news focus remains primarily on the game, the halftime performer and of course, the commercials.  So my question to you this week is, “What did you know about this issue?  Why do you think it’s not a higher priority on the news and what do you think can be done to help and raise awareness?”  Answers are due no later than Sunday, January 26^th, 2014.

 

 

 

Choose Your Own Adventure!

I hope you all enjoyed our extra long break, and survived our big winter storm.  It's always hard coming back to school after break. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and being surrounded by all the crazy, creative evergy that is all of you. That being said, it's still hard to get back into the grind. So for our first blog post, I'll go easy on you.

This week we started our study of the Constitution and the freedoms that make us uniquely American. You can order your own free copy of the United States Constitution from: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm

Normally, our first blog post has something to do with the freedoms you value most and whether or not you are proud to call yourself an American. This quarter, I would like to start with something different. A good portion of this class will be spent discussing current events and political issues that affect our everyday lives. For this post, I would like you to tell me at least one issue that you are interested in studying. To help you out, you can look over the blog posts that we've had in the past several years to get an idea of the type of things we've covered. Many of the topics are pretty controversial and I do my best to not censor the information available to you.

So my question to you this week is, "What is one issue that you are interested in studying in this class?" Answers are due no later than Sunday, January 19th, 2014. I'm looking forward to a great quarter!

Your Thoughts and Feedback Are Appreciated!

Another quarter has almost passed.  When we started out together, it still felt like summer.  Now there is no doubt - winter is here! It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you this quarter and I hope that you stay in touch, and continue to post on the blog whenever you want.

With that being said, my final question to you is, “What did you like or dislike about the class?  What could I do to make the class better?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, December 11th, 2013.  After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter.

I hope all of your have a peaceful and blessed holiday season full of good food, good friends and family and good rest!

Giving Thanks!

It's been a weird quarter.  From having a sub one week (thank you, Tim!) to having class on Halloween, and now missing another week due to Thanksgiving, I feel like it has been a crazy quarter.  Don't gt me wrong - I enjoy missing class every now and then as much as you do, but as an instructor, it always makes it hard to catch up.

Now, I have made it clear in class that Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. I don't like the way schools fictionalize a story that sounds good, while ignoring the sad facts about how we really treated Native Americans in this country. That being said, I have learned to treat Thanksgiving as a reminder of all the things I am thankful for.

This year, as always, I am thankful for my faith, my family and my friends. I was blessed this year to travel on my first mission trip and it brought me a lot further along in my walk with God.  I'm healthy and generally happy, and I am surrounded by people who love me. I have two jobs that I really enjoy, and two great classes this quarter.  Yes - when all is said and done, I have it pretty good.  I hope I never lose sight of that, and always continue to be thankful for what I have.

So, in honor of the holiday my question to you this week will be an easy one. "What are you thankful for this holiday season?" Answers are due no later than Thursday, November 28th, 2013. Please note that there WILL be a new post while we are on break - so make sure to check the blog after the holiday, but before you return to class.  I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday full of good food, good friends and good conversation! Enjoy your break!

Imported From Detroit

Last week, I traveled to Detroit for work.  It may sound weird to some, but I love visiting Detroit. Yes, I know, Detroit isn’t usually on people’s list of top vacation spots, but I love it all the same. I love driving across the bridges, eating in Greektown, visiting the Museum of Modern Art and hanging out at Belle Island. Whether you call it the “Motor City,” “Motown,” or just the “D,” there’s no doubt that Detroit is a classic American city full of culture, diversity and fun.

Which makes it all the more sad to realize that no city in the country has been harder hit by the recession than Detroit. Home to the top three American automakers, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, Detroit was once seen as a thriving metropolis where people could go to find good jobs. Today, Detroit’s official unemployment rate is slightly below 30% and some figures quote it actually closer to 50%. To put that in perspective; the national unemployment rate is 8.3%. American car companies, that once dominated the auto industry, now are often seen as having inferior quality and reliability compared to their Japanese counterparts.

Some say American car companies are struggling because of their focus on SUV’s. When gas prices started to rise, Americans began looking for smaller, compact cars, which are often foreign. Others say American companies missed the boat when it came to developing green cars with better emissions. We can no longer sell most American cars abroad, because we don’t meet the rest of the world’s fuel efficiency standards. Finally, some say American car companies just mis-managed their funds, giving corporate executives large bonuses, while ignoring their plants, technology and workers.

So my question to you this week is, “What do you think of American cars? Are they inferior to foreign ones? What do you think can be done to strengthen the American auto industry?” You must answer all questions to earn full credit. Answers are due no later than Wednesday, November 20th, 2013.  

P.S.  Monday was Veteran's Day!  To all those who have served our country - thank you!!  You are true American heroes!