Interesting News from Elsewhere

Boxing Day edition:

• The movie It’s Complicated got an R-rating for a scene of marijuana use, which is raising controversy around the MPAA (see: This Film is Not Yet Rated for more about the problems with MPAA ratings).
• Raw Story.com reports that bloggers have noticed a trend in the number of enemies killed in air strikes. American military technology is so precise, it kills exactly thirty each time.
• The Obama Administration is going to get the opportunity to reform the Defense Department through the QDR next year. Fivethirtyeight.com will be covering this and we at La Flog will likely be covering their coverage.
• The Left and Right are coming together to demand the resignation of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
• There is an interesting set of questions from former Assistant Secretary for the US Department of Homeland Security, Stewart Baker, about the failed terrorist attack over Detroit.

Hope your holidays were nice and continue to be so!

Finally, Obama does something right

It was (purposely) obscured by a much larger bill, but President Obama managed to implement one of the key public health reforms of the last decade. David Obey of Wisconsin helped remove the provision banning federal funds for needle exchange from the FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The Clinton Administration’s drug czar Barry McCaffey convinced Clinton not to lift the ban in the late 1990s, despite the enormous benefit to public health, because it would undermine the War on Drugs. It is nice to see that while the President has failed on many of his commitments to change, he finally made a progressive move that isn’t tempered by a handout to corporate interests.

Many Health and Human Service Secretaries and Surgeons General have touted the benefits of needle-exchange programs. And they are used with success in cities outside the United States as well as state and locally supported programs in the US. With Obama’s record thus far, choosing politicking over progressing, I didn’t think this would actually get through. Some Republicans did criticize the move stating that clean needles promotes drug use, but Obey, with Obama’s help, managed to lift the ban without falling prey to a weak argument. I’m impressed.

Interesting News from Elsewhere

I hope you all finish your finals without mental breakdowns and have a wonderful holiday break! We’ll still be posting over break so check back. If you’re interested in writing something during your new found free time, email me at sjfredericks at wisc dot edu

• NPR did a really interesting piece Monday morning about a medicine that can stop a stroke if taken within a certain time frame. The medicine isn’t perfect, but the story itself is incredibly interesting. It always amazes me what science can do. I recommend listening to the audio version. They did some really good editing on the story.
• Google is doing  some serious self-promotion with this piece, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re right. Real time updates on energy usage would be an excellent way to curb energy use. I once heard the issue framed this way: You don’t go to the grocery store, buy the food you need each time and then at the end of the month, get a bill for what you consumed. Energy is one of the only things that you have to pay for, without knowing exactly how much it will cost, beforehand.
• Paul Krugman analyzes why we shouldn’t reduce minimum wage to create jobs. My first thought upon reading that was: Is the problem right now really that there aren’t enough really low paying jobs? But Krugman actually explains (using economics) why it isn’t a good idea.
• Volokh Conspiracy has another awesome guest blogger. Harvey Silverglate is blogging about the findings in his new book Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent. The first installment gives a bit of overview, focusing on financial fraud, wherein Silverglate discusses the unjust nature of unclear or inaccessible laws.

Gay Marriage and New Jersey

You likely heard the Republicans claim huge wins in the November gubernatorial elections, because Republican candidates beat Democratic candidates in two states – Virginia and New Jersey. In New Jersey, the big Republican win is leading to some really interesting politics.

You see, despite electing a Republican governor, New Jersey (or at least some parts of it, probably the ones closest to New York*) wants to get gay marriage legislation passed and outgoing governor Jon Corzine wants to sign it. But Jon Corzine is unemployed come January 19, 2010 and will be replaced by a fat Republican**, who also happens to dislike same-sex marriage***. It is now December 15, politicians are looking forward to their notoriously long holiday vacations, except in New Jersey, where there is a mad scramble to get same-sex marriage legislation on Jon Corzine’s desk pronto, like by 11:59am January 19 at the absolute latest (It takes less than a minute to sign your name right?). The vote was suspended last week, because “The public needs another opportunity to engage legislators on this issue,” said state Senator Loretta Weinberg, a sponsor, in a statement. It should be interesting to watch this play out. I just hope we see some action on it in January, rather than it dying here.

Some opponents are arguing that gay marriage should be put to the voters, who have defeated every gay marriage bill presented to them (31 in total according to that article). While it would be nice, in a democracy such as ours, to – you know – let voters make decisions, there are a couple areas in which we really cannot trust voters to act in the best interest of the nation. This is a time when the courts (see: Iowa) need to step it up and make this country just. I mean, would you really have trusted Mississippi voters to enact civil rights legislation?

*Just kidding. New York doesn’t want anything to do with gay marriage.
**I don’t write the rhetoric, I just spout it.
*** He’s not the worst of the worst in term of this policy, since he does support civil unions.

Interesting News From Elsewhere

Finals make everything more difficult, including posting here. I hope you guys are all doing well and getting everything done!

• Robert Reich blogged about how the loss of the public option and the policies proposed to replace it are going to do nothing.
• Not to push you too much, but charitable giving is way down this year and even in places where it isn’t, need has still gone way up. Charity Navigator does a bunch of top ten lists if you’re having trouble deciding who to donate to.
• Rep. Grayson pointed out at the time that defunding ACORN was unconstitutional. Now courts have agreed.
• A gay rights group in Iowa is requesting “The Family” member and Republican senator Chuck Grassley help end a Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill. According to the Iowa Independent:

If the law were passed, gays and lesbians convicted of having gay sex would be sentenced to life in prison. People who test positive for HIV would be executed, as would anyone who has homosexual sex more than once.

Let it snow?

When I moved here from Kentucky, I had no idea what to expect for winter. I was used to a small snowfall that would melt before the next one came (if another ever did). My first winter in Madison, there was a record snowfall of more than 100 inches. With the right attitude and things to do, Madison can be a great place to be in the winter.

Here are a few tips for getting through the winter—and enjoying it:

• Go outside. When it’s cold and the snow is piling up, this may seem counterintuitive. But fresh air, natural light, and exercise are key to surviving winter in Wisconsin. Madison offers tons of outdoor activities in winter, including ice skating, sledding, and my personal favorite, cross country skiing. Elver Park has ski rentals, sledding, ice skating, and lights for night skiing. REI has ski and snowshoe rentals. The Madison Nordic Ski Club offers tons of resources for skiers, including reports on conditions for all the cross country trails in the area and free lessons from time to time. The Wisconsin DNR also offers candlelight hike and ski outings on Saturday nights.
• Invest in good gear. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but a few pieces will really make a difference. Avoid cotton and pick things that are waterproof, will dry quickly, or both. Get some good gloves, a warm coat, and boots with tread on the bottom. If you have a dog, check out Yak Trax or something similar to get around safely on slick sidewalks.
• On those negative wind chill days, find a sunny window to sit by and keep your supply of Vitamin D up. It’s a great way to fend off the winter blues and boost your immune system. One of my favorite spots is Ground Zero Coffee on Willy Street.
• Last but not least, keep in touch. The cold weather and early sunsets make it tempting to stay home and load up on comfort foods. Share the cocoa and casserole with friends and winter will be far more bearable.

Interesting News from Elsewhere

Fridays are no fun without links.

• Nate Silver created the Soccer Power Index for the World Cup. Go Ghana!
• Media Matters has media analysis of Climategate.
• Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island chastised other Senators complaining about the length of the healthcare bill, stating “it has fewer words than a Harry Potter novel!”
• The CDC reports that the swine flu is now in less than 25 states.
• Better unemployment numbers are nice, but those who have been unemployed for awhile are not fairing as well as the newly unemployed.

Image from: The 50 Best Protest Signs of 2009

LSSA Minutes 12.01.09

LSSA Minutes, 2009-2010 Board

12/1/09

7:00 pm

Memorial Union

1.Committee updates:

-Volunteer:  Finished up the Thanksgiving drive.  Filled the backseat of Becky’s car.  Woot!  Plans to adopt a family for the holidays are still ongoing.  Going to do a breakfast with the Dane Co. Farmer’s Market next semester.  Book sales coming up next semester as well.

-Program Liaison: Met with Heinrich to discuss curriculum changes and she’ll be hosting a brownbag early next semester so students can ask questions.  Dec 17^th is the next faculty meeting.

-Fundraising:  We can go to Five Guys in late January, so we’ll follow up with them in early January.

-Social:  Open House was two weeks ago.  Good turnout from faculty and staff.  We may have an end of the semester party on Dec. 19^th.  A Christmas sweater and cookie party!

-Alumni coordinator:  Invites for next semester’s February alumni reception need to be addressed.  Next Wednesday at 4 PM in the La Follette Lounge.  Pizza and other food/beverage items will be provided.

-Secretary: No report.

-Treasurer:  We’ve been paid back in some office supplies now.  Balance of $1900 in the bank.  Have about a $50 profit on the t-shirts now.  PAA Award presentation

-Graduation coordinators:  Met with Carolyn to discuss graduation speakers.  She drafted a letter to Charlene Barshefsky who was the US Trade Representative during the Clinton Administration.  She’s a UW grad and her daughter is graduating from undergrad this year.  We sent the letter last week and are waiting to hear back.  Still waiting on price estimate from Jonny.

-First year rep:  No report.

-Vice President: Working on the fundraising coordinator election.

-President:  Prospective student days are coming up and we’ll be assisting with those as necessary.

2. Conference reimbursement approval:  Lilly Shields submitted a request and request was approved unanimously.

3. Sweatshirts:  Spoke with Underground Printing.  If we get them a template by Thursday and finalize by Friday, we can get sweatshirts ordered, made and delivered by the end of the semester.  Dark gray with red printing and the “motion W” over the heart.  “La Follette School of Public Affairs” also in red on the back.  Probably will be sold for $30.  Sweatshirt and a mug for $35, sweatshirt and a t-shirt for $40, sweatshirt, t-shirt and a mug for $45.

4. 12/8 lunch roundtable event:  Immigration topic.  We’ll buy food.  From noon to 1 PM.

5. Fundraising chair brainstorm:  No nominations for fundraising at this point.  This is a pretty difficult position to fill generally.  Board members will be splitting the responsibility, but Becky agreed to handle some informal coordinating until we have someone nominated for the position.  Major fundraising upcoming includes silent auction, Five Guys fundraiser, and spelling bee.

6. Open comment: Fun event probably in early January.  Also, will be sending a survey out about LSSA activities.

7. Next meeting:  Next semester TBD.

Segregation in US Schools

Project Censored released their Top 25 Censored Stories for 2010 list. There is always a story or two that my left leaning, media junkie self managed not to come across during the year.

This year, there was only one: “US Schools are More Segregated Today then in the 1950s.” I’d heard the stat but dismissed it as incorrect or unreliable despite never making any attempts to determine its accuracy. Looks like I was wrong to do so.

The Civil Rights Project at UCLA found that 2 in 5 black or Latino students go to “intensely segregated schools.” The student also found that great deal of the segregation occurs in Western states, not the South. In California, “half of blacks and Asians attend segregated schools, as do one quarter of Latino and Native American students.” The problem stems from minorities moving into suburban communities which had very small minority populations in the civil rights era. These schools/districts thus do not have desegregation orders. The segregation problem extends to rural communities. These communities, which in the past housed the most fervent racists, have a vast majority of rural white students attending schools that are made mostly or entirely of white students.

The problem is not just that the schools are lacking diversity. The students who attend rural or minority populated schools often fair far worse than their peers in other schools. They are usually lower income populations and do not get as much attention from college recruiters (and probably more attention from military recruiters). The teachers tend to be lower paid and of lower quality and student services tend to be worse.

We have failed as a nation to support our children – unless they are upper middle class white kids – despite court orders to do so.

Between segregating our schools and denying rights to homosexuals, we – as a nation – are utterly failing to provide a decent existence for large portions of our population. Much like gay rights, the lack of support for minority students seems to stem from a nostalgia for the good ole days when it, as David Cross says, “stay(ed) white out later.”  It is disturbing that the only attributes you need to be successful in the US are ones you’re born with (straight, white, and wealthy). As evidenced by the failure of Brown v. Board of Education, you cannot compel people to do the right thing through legal actions. I am holding out hope that shame still has some pull.

Interesting News From Elsewhere

• James Hamilton and Paul Krugman are having a discussion about the deficit. As an avid reader of Krugman’s NYT blog and Econbrowser, it is really interesting to see the exchange.
• I know we all have it rough, but the recession is especially hard on food banks this year. It is post-Thanksgiving now, but maybe for Christmas, you can give a bit more to charity*.
• There is a massacre occurring in the Philippines right now and the government fears further clan retaliation.
• Michael O’Hare has a really good post over at The Reality-Based Community about paying for higher education.
• Mark Kleiman agreed with Gov Rick Perry regarding a specific application of the death penalty. I found Kleiman’s (and Perry’s) logic pretty flawed. And while I don’t lose sleep over every injustice, blowing one off because it isn’t enough of an injustice is pretty terrible, especially when the injustice cost another human begin their life.

*You can give to anyone, but I’m just recommending Feeding America

Image by Nicola Lopez who has an exhibition currently at the Chazen Museum of Art.