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SEIU & ACORN: Guilt by Association

By Mark Naccarato | October 13, 2009 |

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has become a favorite target of the extreme right wing. As SEIU becomes a more significant force for change in this country, we are going to continue to be hit by the same extreme right-wing attack machine that is trying to block healthcare reform and regulatory reform – the change this country needs to help working families and to rebuild the middle class.

The radical right in this country wants nothing more than to make SEIU, grassroots community groups, and any individual who fights against the status quo their next casualty. They are seeking to silence the voices of those men and women who suffered the most under 8 years of extreme right-wing policies, and to smear anyone who stands up for those men and women. Right now, there are daily attacks from conservative radio and TV pundits on us for our work on healthcare, labor rights, immigration, and our working relationship with community and progressive organizations – most recently ACORN.

«Read the rest of this article»

Unreasonable hatred in American politics

September 29, 2009 |

Samuel P. Huntington

In his landmark study of the cultural and civilizational origins of conflict and war, the late social scientist Samuel P. Huntington concluded boldly that “It is human to hate.” He viewed this as an ineradicable feature of our basic human nature.

Hatred, as anyone who follows national politics in this country knows, shows no signs of going away soon. Much of it is directed against the president, though senators and representatives (and, less frequently, federal judges) are also targets of hate from time to time.

Earlier this month, President Jimmy Carter stated that “the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he’s African American.” Not surprisingly, his comments angered many and led to accusations of playing the so-called “race card” to denigrate those (presumably white) Americans who are fiercely opposed to Pres. Obama’s policy goals in health care, the economy, and other issue areas. «Read the rest of this article»

If you want it done right: Do It Yourself

By Julie Suzanne Capouch | September 29, 2009 |

Does he really know what he's doing?

I”m a former HGTV junkie. I used to sit and watch hours of it, and I absorbed more interior decorating, real estate, and DIY than I could possibly use in a lifetime. I would probably still be that way, but my current occupations as mommy, taxi, nurse, teacher, finance manager, counselor, cook, maid, and of course, writer, do not leave much of an opportunity for television.

But if there was one thing I learned from my HGTV education, it’s that preparation is key when doing any type of project. I’ve put this principle into practive with every job I have done and have always had great results. Whether it is painting a bookshelf or completely gutting a bathroom, you have to start out the right way.

I wish someone had told that to the handyman I hired a couple of weeks ago to paint my kitchen buffet. As the  DIY mommy, I prefer to do things myself, but for this particular project I was pressed for time and wanted it done before my husband returned from a business trip. So, I found two local “experienced” handymen who came complete with referrals to tackle the simple task of painting a hutch along with a few other small things around my house. Sounds great, right?

Not really. «Read the rest of this article»

Breakfast is the meal children can least likely skip without consequences

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | September 27, 2009 |

It’s no secret that breakfast may be the most important meal of the day—especially for anyone attending school—child or adult.

Here are a few of the consequences of not eating breakfast:

• Greater fatigue and sleepiness in the mid-morning hours
• Greater propensity towards weight gain because you tend to eat more junk food later and don’t get the nutritional requirements from two meals
• Reduced alertness and poor concentration resulting in poorer academic performance
• Greater hyperactivity and more disruptive classroom behavior
• Higher rate of irritability and anxiety
• Reduced memory
• Increased chance of becoming diabetic, having high cholesterol or high blood pressure

Need I say more? The case for eating breakfast is well-documented by many studies. «Read the rest of this article»

Radio Talk Show Hosts Vs. Common Sense – Alexander Hamilton

By Blayne Clements | September 22, 2009 |

Last week a radio political talk show host said the following (as always I am paraphrasing):

“The federal government is too big. Our founding fathers would be appalled at the size and scope of our current federal government. Even Alexander Hamilton (a Federalist), who preferred a strong central government would be appalled that the federal government is considering banning texting while driving – that should be a state rights issue, like speed limits.”

In an attempt to justify their viewpoints both conservative and progressive talk show hosts commonly claim a ideological lineage back to the founding fathers. The hope is to connect their line of thinking to the line of thinking that birthed this great country. I have always been particularly interested in the attempt to link the current conservative philosophy with that of the Federalist. And the most famous federalist is Alexander Hamilton. «Read the rest of this article»

Attention span can lead to success or failure in school

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | September 21, 2009 |

Attention span is the length of time a person can devote to an activity before their mind wanders.

A child daydreaming in school

Psychologists vary on what they believe the “average” attention span of a child may be. Some assert that the child’s age plus two minutes is the average. That means most kindergarteners (most are five years old) have a seven-minute attention span.

Others insist that the age of the child multiplied by three to five minutes is the average. These folks think that a six-year-old, or average first grader, can concentrate for 18 to 30 minutes. Few of these people have taught first grade.

Sales experts plan on a seven-minute attention span for an executive to listen to a sales presentation. Some college professors plan on a 20-minute attention span for their adult students.

Some researchers have determined that attention span is decreasing because most people watch seven- to eight-minute television shows that then switch to commercials. Others claim that our children have shorter attention spans depending on the amount of television or video games they play each day.

Whatever the attention span, the amount of learning is dependent on the ability to concentrate. «Read the rest of this article»

Are large maximum class size laws giving your child a fair chance?

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | September 13, 2009 |

According to the National Education Association, research shows that the ideal number of students in a class is 13 to 17. In Tennessee, class sizes are allowed as follows (data from the Tennessee Department of Education Web site): Kindergarten through third grade: average 20; maximum 25; fourth through sixth grade: average 25; maximum 30. This may appear to be reasonable to some politicians, educators and parents. Teachers will tell you that maximum class loads reduce the one critical need of every student: individual attention.

«Read the rest of this article»

Hope vs Fear & Ignorance: Which will win?

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | September 7, 2009 |

Our society is at war with itself. The downturn in the economy has brought great fears to many citizens. People who focus on their fears have little chance of seeing a solution. Fear is a paralyzing emotion. Mix that with ignorance of some basic facts that are misconstrued by devious politicians seeking their own aggrandizement and you get demonstrations that defy logic.

With citizens in all walks of life losing their jobs and needing hope, some officials more concerned about grandstanding they hope will lead themselves to higher political office than to addressing the suffering of the people who elected them.

When people need hope, more money in their pockets, possibility of new jobs opening up for which they are qualified, we are unfortunately faced with some politicians who are more interested in spreading lies than in solving problems.

Yes, we all have to support our government through taxes. Yes, we need to be as frugal as possible with public money. Yes, we need to cut pork out of all budgets—federal, state, local or personal.

But first we need to bail ourselves out of the mess we’re in. «Read the rest of this article»

A Bill Moyers commentary on health care

September 6, 2009 |

Emmy-winning veteran public affairs journalist Bill Moyers hosts Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. The show airs locally on WNPT channel 8 on Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. The weekly series is aimed at enriching the conversation of and about democracy by featuring fresh and original voices, perspectives that reflect a diversity of insight and experience. Each one-hour broadcast features analysis of current issues and interviews with prominent figures from the worlds of politics, arts and letters, religion, science and the media.

He recently did this video essay on the Health Care debate.

Choosing a career based on salary can be tricky

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | September 6, 2009 |

Charlie Chaplin is a cog in the machine in the 1936 movie Modern Times.

One of the fun experiences I have is researching odd facts on the Internet. I recently looked at some statistics on the “top 10 jobs in America.” Here are a few bits of information I learned:

Lists vary on the top two jobs. Some say Surgeon and others say Anesthesiologist. Salaries for each range from roughly $175,000 to $185,000 on average. (Note: This means that some of these people make much more and some make much less.) At least one list stated that Investment Bankers were second. The most common list of the top 10 highest paying jobs follows. «Read the rest of this article»

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