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New View
Saving Grace
Submitted by Julie on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 12:30
It only takes one viewing of MTV’s “Cribs” to see how extravagantly some of our rich and famous live: ten cars, twenty-room mansions, indoor basketball courts. When there is practically no limit to how much you can spend, you would think it would be more difficult to come up with new things to buy. When daydreaming about winning the lottery, as seemingly all more modest living people do, I can’t even think of more than a few key things to purchase. Who (besides a professional driver) needs ten cars? When you have all the money in the world, when does spending become greed?
Education for Global Change
Submitted by Natalie on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 12:30
When I saw the headline, “Divorced Before Puberty,” I assumed it would link to some kind of tabloid piece on a too-young married couple who were already divorced, commenting on something like the high divorce rate or teen pregnancy rate in America. Instead, I found an opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof, telling the story of a brave young girl in Yemen who was forced to marry a 30-year-old man when she was only 10. The girl was forced to drop out of school and suffered sexual and physical abuse at the hands of her husband. Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. The girl took a taxi to see a judge, divorced her husband, made her way to America and penned a best-selling memoir. At age 12, she is supporting her family and is a beacon of hope and inspiration for other child-brides in Yemen.
Time for a Train Trip!
Submitted by Chloe on Thu, 03/04/2010 - 12:30
A bullet train that connects Los Angeles and San Francisco? Now, that is good news, especially for me who has to take the expensive plane every time I want to go down to L.A. from the Bay Area and vice versa. So, I ask myself, “What can possibly go wrong with such a wonderful idea?” Oh, but things can go very wrong when money comes into the picture. The initial construction figure of $33.6 billion for the bullet train has now risen to $42.6 billion. The project currently needs a $12 billion funding from the private sector investor, and a cash flow from the federal government in order to pay back the private sector’s investments. With the government budget in tight constraint, the railway planners are thinking of increasing the one-way fare of the train from $55 to $115 to attract more investors. But people will not be willing to pay such a high price, especially when they were hoping that the trains would be cheaper alternative to planes. Even for me who loves trains, I would take a plane that only costs about $120 round-trip during the off seasons.
The Captivity Question
Submitted by Julie on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 12:30
Whale Wars, Academy Award nominee “The Cove,” the infamous “save the Whales” campaign. For three decades, several organizations have been espousing whale conservation. The recent tragic death of marine animal trainer, Dawn Brancheau, has only added fuel to the fire for both sides of the issue. “The Cove” director, Louis Psihoyos, notes whales have never attacked humans in the wild.
Walmart Goes Green?
Submitted by Natalie on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 12:30
Is the notoriously environmentally and socially unconscious megastore Walmart turning over a new leaf? The company announced plans on Thursday for some hefty emissions cuts from their supply chain by 2015. But is Walmart making this move out of consideration for their impact on the environment, or are they simply getting ready for “a world in which energy will only get more expensive,” as Walmart president Michael Duke stated in a web cast?
