To anyone who comes across my page...

This blog was an assignment for my AP Government and Politics class in the spring of 2014. We had to complete a current event every week before Friday at midnight. My class was full of losers and hardly anyone did theirs, but this was one assignment and a class that I really enjoyed. Happy scrolling!

Wilmington? Conservative? What?

One of my good friends has an internship in Washington DC this summer writing for The Daily Caller. She wrote this article.

http://dailycaller.com/2014/05/21/uncw-planning-to-appeal-ruling-in-favor-of-conservative-professor/

For the past seven years, Mike Adams, a UNC Wilmington Professor, has been battling the school and the law. He was accused of teaching his conservative views and was denied a promotion because of it. Adams felt that this was a violation of his freedom of speech and took it to court. The court ruled in Adams’ favor, ordering The University of North Carolina at Wilmington to pay Adams $50,000 in back pay, as well as his legal fees, which have added up to over $1 million in the time this case has taken place. UNC Wilmington appealed this ruling against the wishes of a few news corporations. Adams says this could be a bluff, and feels that his case will only gain strength with more time in court.

 Again, if this doesn’t scream government, I don’t know what does. Adams was shot down for preaching his political views and was brought into court for it. This was legal because even though Adams’ rights as a citizen guarantee him free speech, the promotion should have been decided on factors other than political views. If Adams’ truly wasn’t the best person for the new position he doesn’t have any grounds to be in court. Because of all the paperwork and red tape associated with court, the case took forever to be heard and have a ruling and resulted in a large bill that UNC Wilmington now has to pay. UNC Wilmington appealed, so the case could be heard again. Even if they lose the appeal, this case could potentially go to the Supreme Court. UNCW’s task now is to prove they didn’t violate Adams’ rights.

I think this case is unique in its conservativeness. So often we hear about liberals being loud in their views. However, I’m not surprised that this became an issue since college campuses do tend to be more liberal overall. I’m with Adams on this one. I believe that he was wrongly denied a promotion because he held views different from those who were giving promotions, and I’m sure that this is not the first time that this has happened. I hope that if the appeal is accepted the ruling is kept. This case not only stands for Adams, but for all of the others who were in his position. Conservative or Liberal, black or blue, people have the right to be successful if they’re good at what they do.

“It’s about malice. That’s the game.”

Teacher Tenure Back in Play

I think it’s crazy that I have friends with students and real jobs; one of them posted this to facebook the other day. It gives me perspective. Though I’m not looking to go into education any more, these things could potentially affect my life in a few years.

http://wunc.org/post/judge-law-repealing-teacher-tenure-unconstitutional

A North Carolina law proposed in 2013 sparked much controversy in the education community. It did away with teacher tenure, required school districts to offer-one year contracts to teachers, and offered the top twenty-five percent of teachers a small annual pay raise. The law was declared unconstitutional on Friday by a North Carolina superior court judge who argued that it is unlawful to take away teacher tenure because it violated the constitutional protection of contracts.

Opponents of the law point out that it did not provide a standard to choose the top twenty-five percent of teachers. The work that teachers do is different depending on the subject and grade level taught, and there is not real way to measure effective or ineffective teachers. Meanwhile, advocates of the law point out its ability to weed out inefficient teachers.

If this doesn’t scream government, I don’t know what does. It might not be the Supreme Court, but this is still judicial review at the state level. In declaring this law unconstitutional, Judge Robert Hobgood summarized a lot of things that we value in North Carolina and in the United States. Contracts are wonderful tools, and they are to be honored. Additionally, many aspects of education are regulated by the government but this can’t be one of them.

I could say it a thousand times: teachers deserve much more than what they’re given. It takes a truly special soul to sit in a classroom with children for eight hours a day, explain the simplest concepts over and over, grade papers, keep their sanity, and even excel at what they do. I’m sure we’ve all been in rooms where the adult in charge couldn’t do these things and we know how awful it is.

Teachers do much more than teach. They coach sports teams. They direct musicals and band concerts. They act as tutors, therapists, and guidance counselors. The scope of their actions is unprecedented for they are the ones that help raise our children, our future. For some students, teachers become like family. For others, their actions seem greater because they are not family; they are not obligated to do what they do. Teachers could have chosen any other profession, yet they stick with what has become an increasingly challenging career. I say challenging not only because of the snarky students, but because it seems the working environment has deteriorated in the past couple of years, particularly in North Carolina. This law was not helping, and I’m glad it was struck down.

“We deserve to be respected”

Media Madness!

I wanted my blog link this week to be from BuzzFeed, because who doesn’t love BuzzFeed?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jtes/new-york-times-executive-editor-jill-abramson-to-step-down

Much to my surprise, the website has much more than articles about Mean Girls and emojis and quizzes that tell you which type of unicorn you are. There’s a whole column of “Big Stories” that have to do with real life. But just in case BuzzFeed isn’t a credible enough source, here’s the same article Washington Post style:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/05/14/jill-abramson-unexpectedly-out-at-new-york-times/?tid=ts_carousel

Jill Abramson, former editor of the New York Times, stepped down unexpectedly Wednesday afternoon. She says she has “loved [her] run at The Times” but does not plan to continue her involvement in the paper in any capacity after her departure. The reasons for her decision are not entirely clear. Abramson was the Times’ first female editor. Her successor, Dean Baquet, will be the paper’s first African-American Editor.

Senior Editors of the Paper were told about Abramson’s departure Wednesday afternoon, and many of them will be sad to see her go. The news even took many of the reporters at the Times by surprise.  Still, Arthur Sulzberger Jr, the publisher of the Times, looks forward to the work that Baquet will accomplish while he is with them.

In our Government class we’ve talked about the effects of the media on politics. They decide which stories will be heard by the people and the point of view from which to report. The sources where citizens acquire information greatly affect how they think about what is in the news, and a good number of people look to the New York Times. As Baquet acknowledged in his remarks to the newsroom, the newspaper can expose a bad cop and, in doing so, free two people from jail. They capture grief and show inexplicable joy in the same issue. Newspapers print breaking stories, book reviews, photography, crossword puzzles, and comics. In doing so, they have a huge impact on everyone who came into contact with their papers. Abramson has (or used to have) a huge impact on what would be printed within the pages of that paper. This is pretty big news.

Personally, I’m getting that “Devil Wears Prada” vibe. Something just isn’t right within the company. One person leaves and another takes their spot. Things go on, but it just isn’t the same. What (if anything) was wrong? We may never know. The Times is probably just as good at keeping things out of the news as it is at printing the stories it does want heard. I am glad to see Jill Abramson doing what she wants to do. I’m sure plenty were heartbroken and wanted her to stay, but she’s doing what she knows is best for her life. In the end, she is in control. Jill Abramson is a product of so much more than just the place where she works.

“Passion for Journalism”

Also, in case you were wondering, I wasn’t kidding about the Unicorn thing. I’m a Rainbow Unicorn, and everybody wants me at their parties. Y’all can be jealous, or you can take the quiz here (http://www.buzzfeed.com/keelyflaherty/what-kind-of-unicorn-are-you) and find out what you are too!

Ivy League vs. Podunk U

It might be a little late for this year’s seniors to be making the choice, but for everyone else…

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/85355

A recent Gallup-Purdue Index Report surveyed almost 30,000 college graduates and found some surprising results.  Rather than measuring job placements, this poll attempted to measure the relationship between college experiences and overall life satisfaction after graduation. Overall satisfaction and well-being was measured in a number of ways including

·         Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals

·         Social: having strong and supportive relationships in your life

·         Financial: effectively managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security

·         Community: the sense of engagement you have with the areas where you live, liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community

·         Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis

These aspects were all given a “thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering” rating by each participant in the survey.  

The results of the survey found that the cost and prestige of the university really didn’t matter when it came to overall life satisfaction. The key to satisfaction was engagement and support during college. Those who were involved and received the attention they needed during college were significantly more well-off afterwards. “When it comes to finding the secret to success, it’s not ‘where you go,’ it’s ‘how you do it’ that makes all the difference.”

I love this survey. Can I say that again? I LOVE this survey. In America we put so much pressure on having the right name. What we wear, what we eat, where we live, where we work, and where we go to school. Everyone may have heard of PennState, UGA, or Duke, but if the community college down the street is the right decision for you, go for it. In the fall, I told one of my teachers that I was thinking about going to Appalachian State. She told me to forget it because she thought I belong in the research triangle. I resented that. It was probably the only time I didn’t listen to what she told me, and in the end I decided to go to App. When I get into the workforce, will everyone have heard of (or know how to correctly pronounce) Appalachian State? Probably not, and that’s okay. I’m sure by the end of my four years I’ll have plenty of stories to tell about how wonderful it was. (By the way, it’s App-uh-LATCH-un, not App-a-LAY-shun. I will correct you.)

This relates to government in a number of ways. Everyone is entitled a “sound, basic education” from public school, but this only gets a person so far. It’s nearly impossible to find a solid, well-paying job without a college degree in today’s world. Many of our government officials went to ivy league schools, and they’re successful, but going to a big-name school doesn’t guarantee success. In our country you have to be willing and able to work for what you want. We have also learned about the work that goes into Gallup Polls to make sure they truly reflect the thoughts and opinions of the population. For example, having a large, unbiased (diverse) sample size is key. 

“Life in college matters for life after college.”

When Schools Lead to Sex

This is disgusting.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/30/montana-teacher-1-month-rape-sentence-overturned-378854592/

Stacey Dean Rambold was accused and convicted of raping a fourteen-year-old student. He served one month in prison for his crime, but could be heading back. A Montana Supreme Court ruled today that his sentence was too short. This new decision means that Rambold will have to serve at least two years in prison.

At the time of the rape, Mr. Rambold was a forty-seven-year-old teacher at Billings Senior High School.  Cherice Moralez was a student at that school. After the event, Moralez committed suicide. Though the defense argues that she may have had something to do with the events, the legal age of consent in Montana is sixteen; Moralez was well under that age. Her death took away the prosecution’s main witness, so the trial was carred out as a deferred-prosecution agreement. Rambold was required to register as a sex offender and was to remain on probation until 2028. In addition, he had to attend a sex-offender treatment program but was later kicked out for not disclosing sexual relationships and visiting child relatives. What’s worse, the defense is still trying to pin some of the blame on Moralez, as if she acted much older than she was and wanted to have relations with her teacher.

The prosecution will consult with attorneys and the victim’s family before deciding how much time they will seek to keep Rambold behind bars. It will be a minimum of 30 days before the case is re-assigned and brought before a new judge.

Did I mention that this is disgusting? It’s a sad, sad world we live in where sexual desires rule our lives and destroy the lives of others. This child had so much in front of her: a whole life of experiences to look forward to. This one experience made it all too much to bear, and now she’s gone. As this trial wears on I can only imagine what her family and friends are going through, constantly reminded of what happened four years ago. And chances are, the trial is going to wear on, because that’s how our government works. To get anything heard or passed or justified people have to fill out paperwork and go to meetings and be assigned court dates and the list goes on and on. Right now the case is in the Montana State Supreme Court. We’ll see how far this one goes.

“Horrible Crime”

Mama, it looks scary out there.

There used to be a time when you could climb a mountain and see for miles. Though that might not be the case anymore, at least America isn’t to this point yet:

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140422-would-you-work-here

Pollution in India has been bad for years and is constantly getting worse. Today, it’s to the point where the smog on any given day can weigh down the city. People’s eyes water and chests constrict because of the particles in the air. Delhi, India’s capital, was once best explored on foot. Today residents would rather hop in the car and go for a short drive than walk the streets. This creates a Catch-22 situation; the cars contribute to the pollution, and the pollution makes more people take their cars. The poor air quality is also weighing on doctors as they face more patients with respiratory illnesses. Children are particularly at risk.

Despite the implementation of the Euro IV emission standards in 2010, the volume of vehicles traveling the city continues to contribute to the pollution in India. Car pollution is not the only problem, though. Many citizens of the country will burn their trash to stay warm, emitting even more smoke into the air. The government of Delhi has implemented laws requiring Compressed Natural Gas for all public vehicles and has created a bus system that continues to expand. Even so, it seems there is no easy solution to this dusty, dirty problem.

Even if you don’t click on the article, I want you to see these:

 

 This is a terrible situation. In Delhi, it’s not violence or starvation that’s killing people; it’s the air. This is why, in the United States, we have agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Natural Resources. Without the environment around us, we all would be dead. There would be no clean water to drink or bathe in; no sunlight would reach the plants of the food we depend on. As much as the American people complain about the bureaucracy—how much money they spend and how inefficient they are—America might have problems like this if not for them.

Personally, I want to cry for the children of India who don’t have the choice to go outside, to run around, and to just be kids. Whenever I babysit, it’s always my goal to get the kids to go play outside for a little while. This is sometimes a growing challenge, but I know it would be different if they could not go outside. However, that day may be coming soon. Air does not discriminate, and slow as it may be, sooner or later the air of India will reach the United States, and will probably bring particles with it. Pollution is a world-wide program. More countries should be as proactive as the United States at preserving the beautiful Earth we inhabit.

“It’s too polluted outside”