tagged w/ Social Issues
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May 16th marks the 100th anniversary of Studs Terkel’s birth and an occasion to memorialize one of the most prolific writers and cultural critics in the history of Chicago letters. As an author, broadcaster and oral historian, legendary Chicagoan Studs Terkel celebrated the lives of ordinary Americans. Some of Terkel’s many friends and fans are hoping to return the favor with a series of events marking the 100th birthday of a man whose work is a chronicle of the 20th century.
The Studs Terkel Centenary, a group headed up by Terkel’s friends, including Chicago Tribune reporter Rick Kogan, on Saturday will rededicate the Division Street Bridge, which was named after Terkel 20 years ago. On Wednesday, The Newberry Library will host a birthday party featuring guest speakers who will share stories about Studs. Terkel’s friends will ensure that his memory lives on with a day of Studs-only programming on WFMT-FM on his birthday, with performances of passages from Terkel’s 2001 book “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” at Steppenwolf Theatre next week and by phoning in personal anecdotes about Terkel to a hotline set up by Chicago’s Hull House Museum.
This piece includes a number of photographs, an animated short and five documentary short films about the life and works of Studs Terkel.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/the-studs-terkel-centenary-chicago-celebrates-legendary-studs-terkel/May 16th marks the 100th anniversary of Studs Terkel’s birth and an occasion to... more
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When the demolition workers went home each day, former tenants of the housing project scrambled to salvage address plates, bricks from the fallen buildings and even pieces of Liddonfield sidewalk as if they were remnants of the Berlin wall.When the demolition workers went home each day, former tenants of the housing project... more
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True story about a man who felt entitled to play golf in the middle of the project kids' ball game because he paid taxes.True story about a man who felt entitled to play golf in the middle of the project... more
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A very informative and user-friendly presentation on what America really thinks.
The findings fly in the face of the Right’s propaganda campaigns on the issues. The fact is that the country is fundamentally progressive.
Share it with a Conservative next time they insist Liberals are out of touch with the rest of America.
http://veracitystew.com/?p=33538A very informative and user-friendly presentation on what America really thinks.
The... more
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Understanding how our fellow humans think and react to situations is important to our evolution as a society. Dr. Jonathan Haidt, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, believes that all humans share the same basic moral values, however the difference in how we weigh those values is what provides such a divide in our political structure. His book, The Happiness Hypothesis explores this difference and how we may become a better society through understanding each other.
How do you rank each of the morals that Dr. Haidt has listed? Do you agree with his assessment?
Understanding how our fellow humans think and react to situations is important to... more
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Where do Republican Women really stand on the social issues? Instead of having a head-on debate, the conversation seems to be focused on why we shouldn't be having this conversation at all.
http://jordanhillary.com/republican-women-on-the-war-on-women/Where do Republican Women really stand on the social issues? Instead of having a... more
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“It would be immoral to leave these young people with a climate system spiraling out of control.”
by Dan Miller
NASA climate scientist James Hansen gave a talk at the TED conference in Long Beach, CA on February 29th where he laid out the case for taking urgent action to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Dr. Hansen’s talk began by describing his personal journey, originally studying Venus under Prof. James Van Allen and then working at NASA on an instrument to study Venus’ atmosphere. But after being asked to do some calculations of Earth’s greenhouse effect, Dr. Hansen resigned from the Venus mission to work full time studying Earth’s atmosphere “because a planet changing before our eyes is more interesting and important – its changes will affect all humanity.”
Dr. Hansen and some colleagues published a 1981 paper in Science Magazine that concluded that “observed warming of 0.4C in the prior century was consistent with the greenhouse effect of increasing CO2, — that Earth would likely warm in the 1980s, — and warming would exceed the noise level of random weather by the end of the century. We also said that the 21st century would see shifting climate zones, creation of drought prone regions in North America and Asia, erosion of ice sheets, rising sea levels, and opening of the fabled Northwest passage. All of these impacts have since either happened or are now well underway.”
Dr. Hansen went on to explain that, after speaking out for the need for an energy policy that would address climate change, the White House contacted NASA and Dr. Hansen was ordered to not speak to the media without permission. After informing the New York Times about the situation, the censorship was lifted and Dr. Hansen continued to speak out, justifying his actions with the first line of NASA’s Mission Statement’: “To understand and protect the home planet”. But there were consequences… the reference to the home planet was soon struck from NASA’s Mission Statement, never to return.
Dr. Hansen then went on to describe some of the recent science, including a detailed look at the Earth’s energy imbalance that was made possible by data from 3000 “Argo” floats that measure ocean temperature at different depths. Dr. Hansen said that the current imbalance of 0.6 watts/square meter (which does not include the energy already used to cause the current warming of 0.8°C) was equivalent to exploding 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs every day, 365 days per year.
Favorite denier myths such as “it’s the Sun” and “CO2 lags temperature” were addressed by Dr. Hansen and shown to be wrong or irrelevant. He also discussed how amplifying feedbacks in the past took small changes in temperature due to slight changes in the Earth’s orbit and either initiated or ended ice ages. He then said these same amplifying feedbacks will occur today if we do not stop the warming. ”The physics does not change.”
Besides the impacts that are already occurring, Dr. Hansen said that if we do not stop the warming, we should expect sea levels to rise this century by 1 to 5 meters (3 to 18 feet), extinction of 20 to 50% of species, and massive droughts later this century. He said that the recent Texas heat wave, Moscow’s heat wave the year before, and the 2003 heat wave in Europe we “exceptional” events that now occur 25 to 50 times more often than just 50 years ago. Therefore, he concluded, we can say with high confidence that these heat waves were “caused” by global warming.
More at the link“It would be immoral to leave these young people with a climate system spiraling... more
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Former public housing resident, Rosemary Reeves, researched the history of her housing project and created a video series covering the more than half a century of its existence. The housing project was unique because it was located in the midst of a middle-class neighborhood, creating social class conflict between the project inhabitants and nearby homeowners.Former public housing resident, Rosemary Reeves, researched the history of her housing... more
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Delivering on his promise of swift action, Gov. Chris Christie this afternoon conditionally vetoed the gay marriage bill and suggested appointing an ombudsman to address complaints of same-sex couples and strengthen New Jersey’s civil union law.
Christie conditionally vetoed the bill six hours after it reached his desk, a day after the state Assembly gave the final legislative approval that he said he would not support.
"I have been just as adamant that same-sex couples in a civil union deserve the very same rights and benefits enjoyed by married couples — as well as the strict enforcement of those rights and benefits,’’ Christie said in a prepared statement.
"Discrimination should not be tolerated and any complaint alleging a violation of a citizen’s right should be investigated and, if appropriate, remedied."
His action was not the outright veto gay marriage proponents had expected, but still equally unwelcome.
"Thousands and thousands of New Jersey families are denied financial security, health security and fundamental equal rights every day because of a failed civil union experiment,’’ said Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald (D-Bergen). "And yet in spite of their second-class citizenship, the governor singlehandedly — through the stroke of his pen — seeks to codify discrimination against them.’’
Christie continued push his suggestion of the gay marriage issue to a referendum in November to allow New Jersey voters to decide. Republicans fell in line with his recommendation; not a single Republican present on Thursday voted for the gay marriage bill.
Two years after voting the bill down, the Senate on Monday passed the measure 24-16, with two Republicans crossing the aisle.
The veto ends legislative action for now. Gay rights activists say they will now work to secure enough votes for an override by the noon Jan. 14, 2014, deadline — the end of this legislative session. They’ll need nearly a dozen more votes in the Assembly and a handful in the Senate.
Democrats say they’re hopeful they’ll reach their goal in 1½ years because they won the Senate over and they convinced nearly a dozen Assembly members in recent weeks to get their victory on Thursday.Delivering on his promise of swift action, Gov. Chris Christie this afternoon... more
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http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16112805
The record suicide rate among farmers in India continues to rise and is threatening the country's stability and future development, according to campaigners.
They are blaming the government's policies for the agrarian crisis and are demanding it takes urgent action.
More than a quarter of a million farmers have killed themselves in the last 16 years in what is the largest recorded wave of suicides in history.
Kishore Tiwari, a campaigner with the Vidharbha Jan Andolan Samiti in Maharashtra state in central India, says cotton farmers have been particularly badly affected.
Many of them have only just moved to growing cash crops - like cotton - in the last few years.
He says the farmers have taken on large debts to buy hybrid seeds, which are often unsuited to the harsh and temperamental Indian climate.
"They are sold these modern seeds and modern chemicals and have to take on large debts to buy them.
"The problem is they need a lot of water which is in short supply and then when the crop is poor and they have to repay the money lenders, they despair and commit suicide."
Mr Tiwari says the suicides are a symptom of a wider crisis in the countryside.
India's has one of the fastest growing economies in the world but its roots are in the countryside and much of it is being left behind.
In a country with aspirations, moving away from a life of subsistence is attractive but it can also be deadly.
Vandana Moohorle is now bringing up her children alone after her husband killed himself by drinking pesticide.
Like many farmers, he had been persuaded to use genetically modified seeds by the possibility of a better harvest. What he wasn't told was that they needed more rain than the region provided.
His wife blames the government and the large agricultural companies for exploiting the rural poor who dream of a better life.
"He was always tense" she said. "He had borrowed a lot of money for pesticides and fertilizers and now I will have to pay back his debts. Debt is the reason for all the suicides around here and it's the people in charge who are responsible for it."
Across rural India there is now widespread despair. The fields are also filling up with widows.
Activists say it is the other side of India's economic success story.
Beyond the headlines of fast growth, most of the country is still poor and is being left behind by a corrupt political class who are preoccupied with their own greed.
They point to the alarming suicide numbers to prove their point.
More than 60% of India's population still depends on the countryside for survival but with unfettered globalisation and little support from the government, the rural classes are badly exposed.
In the face of rising inflation and with no safety net, the ultimate act of desperation is often their only answer to the new world they live in.
It is a sobering fact but on average one farmer now commits suicide in India every 30 minutes.
And campaigners say the problem will only get worse without direct intervention from the government in the form of subsidies and agricultural educational programmes.http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16112805
The record suicide rate among... more
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Watch this video and travel back in time to Liddonfield Housing Project's heyday, before the wrecking ball.Watch this video and travel back in time to Liddonfield Housing Project's heyday,... more
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Now that this is starting to draw media attention, I wonder if this will change their decision.Now that this is starting to draw media attention, I wonder if this will change their... more
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Nearly 19,000 questions were submitted on YouTube for Thursday's Google and Fox News Republican Primary debate in Florida. More than 100,000 votes were cast to help determine the questions...We took those 19,000 questions, which were asked among nine varying categories, and analyzed the words people used when expressing their perspectives
http://veracitystew.com/2011/09/23/gop-debate-word-clouds-speak-volumes-image/Nearly 19,000 questions were submitted on YouTube for Thursday's Google and Fox... more
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A simple video to share the song This Is The Hill by Matthew Ryan. Ryan has appeared on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien; and has had songs on shows like House, One Tree Hill and The Unit. On 'This is the Hill' Matthew Ryan implores people to engage and take an active role in democracy in these days when corporate interests and philosophical divides are arguably overlooking the citizenry that is the muscle and heart of its nation.
for more information please visit www.matthewryanonline.com
Here's the video for This is the Hill:
http://youtu.be/d90-rUq2gpo
Here are the lyrics….
This is the Hill
Just go about your business
Just go about your lives
In a fog of constant car chase
Under gray metal skies
While there's a bomb in the heartland
And then there's trouble on the coast
And there's a very clean boot
On everyone's throat
The banks, the cons, the pirates
The inconceivable greed
While workers fade and howl like phantoms
And farmland turns to dust and weed
I was born in Pennsylvania
By the gas fires and river bank
My grandfather died of emphysema
In World War Two, he drove a tank
And I remember how his blue eyes
Got narrow as he spoke
And he said, "I'll take the enemies we knew any day,
Over the enemies you'll know"
And I remember at one time thinking
That the hearts of men are good
And if we should be overcome by darkness
We'll do exactly what we should
But then there was 9/11
And then there was Shock and Awe
And that ruthless empire up on Wall Street
Made peasants of us all
But it was nothing new
It had been building for a while
Sometimes I just sit and wonder
What happened to the president's smile?
Yeah I'm militant about the future
And I'm militant about hope
And I'm militant about reason
But these things are endangered you know?
And I'm passionate about us
And I'm passionate about them
And I'm passionate about education
and the human rights of all men
And I believe in glowing cities
An open window in every room
And I believe in brotherhood
So I believe in you
Well there's a growing hum of chaos
People dying where they sleep
With a flash of light in the dead of night
That's no fair fight
You can try to rationalize
But that's not war
And it's certainly not peace
Huh? huh?
This is the hill
This is the stand
This is the last hill
So never again
So never again
(copyright plastic violin BMI 2011)A simple video to share the song This Is The Hill by Matthew Ryan. Ryan has appeared... more
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On a lazy Sunday afternoon, when I looked back on my life in retrospection, I asked a question to thy self- what is the most precious thing that I’ve in my whole life? Without any hesitation, my inner voice echoed with the most important word of my life- “Education”. Yes, I've no doubt whatsoever that “Education” is the most important and reliable thing that I've gained in my whole life.
Today in the world of materialistic emotions I feel, I just can’t even rely on money because it can also come to an end one day, but I know I’m well educated to make money and it’s my education, which has made me self dependent. Deep inside I know I will only walk with huge confidence in the so called human jungle because I’m well educated to handle every situation and I’m equally equipped to survive here. It is because of my education today that I'm so certain that I just can’t be simply lost in this crowded world and that I’m good enough to tackle everything with ease.
I'm sure Darwin was right, it is all about the survival of the fittest, but things have changed since the Darwin's time and it is no more just the survival against the climatic catastrophe or the predator-pray dynamics rather a new taxonomy of survival has evolved with new words such as- Money, Education, Success etc. Though, at first all such words seem to be different, but they are very interdependent just as Darwin's theory of evolution has emphasized on the phenomena of interdependence. Anyway, I'm not going to talk about science, but I've something more important than it to discuss at the moment.
Read Complete post at the link-
http://www.iblog4acause.com/2011/06/awaaz-do-lets-raise-our-voices.htmlOn a lazy Sunday afternoon, when I looked back on my life in retrospection, I asked a... more
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Diary of a girl who lived in public housing. Part 10 - On the Road to Delinquency
http://www.publichousingstories.com/2011/06/liddonfielders-public-housing-diary_27.html
We lived only six blocks from the housing project where we once dwelled, but it may as well have been miles away. “Don’t go anywhere near that place,” Mom told me, “Nothing good can come of it.”
“Don’t you ever think about the people we left behind?” I asked her, “They used to be our friends.”Diary of a girl who lived in public housing. Part 10 - On the Road to Delinquency... more
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