Proposition 76 deserves our resounding no vote on Nov. 8. To begin with, Proposition 76 is asking voters to approve an amendment to the Constitution of the State of California. While all ballot propositions merit our close attention, we should pay particularly close attention to those proposing amendments to the Constitution. Secondly, the legislative analysts have outlined what the effects of Proposition 76 are likely to be. Not only are these effects potentially dangerous for the fundamental state programs, but… Read more

I am always saddened and disappointed when university students, who are now passed the obligatory age of education, get upset about being “forced” to do things in their college classes (i.e. participate in peace or war projects, support anti- or pro-war demonstrations, do community volunteer work, attend guest lectures on/off campus, etc.). Certainly, students have every “right” to express their concerns and engage actively in their education. It’s even more discouraging when parents call in and complain about how college… Read more

As a former classroom teacher in K-12 schools and a parent of children who attended public schools, I realize how critical it is to staff our urban classrooms with “good teachers.” As an assistant CSUN professor diligently working toward tenure, I recognize the difficulty in obtaining a semblance of job security while negotiating a process that has absolutely nothing to do with my ability to teach and connect with my students; assess my “real” contributions to the CSUN community; whether… Read more

Student teaching is indeed a worthwhile experience. In student teaching one encounters many interesting people. There are many very well qualified adults both at the university campus and the campus at which I am in the classroom. That is Fairfax High School of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The students are the people that count in the education profession. My field is secondary education. I am in the single-subject Spanish program. Last semester I taught one Spanish class at… Read more

In the wake of the London terrorist bombings on July 7, 2005, the United Kingdom has been working to enact new anti-terrorism laws and policies that would allow suspected terrorists to be detained for up to 90 days without being charged and would allow for the deportation of foreigners that “glorify” or incite acts of terrorism, on the grounds that their behavior poses a threat to national security. It seems Amnesty International objects to this law. According to their press… Read more

The fact is, there are many people in the world who will take advantage of something like music or performing and use it for their own sinister purpose. Arts and culture is something that carries with it a patina of goodness and purity, but it can be misused, and it’s our job to see if somebody is trying to do that.” – Stuart Patt, State Department spokesperson, Dec. 31, 2002 I feel compelled to join the growing chorus of conservative… Read more

It is difficult to become part of a group in which you agree with wholly on every issue they stand on. It is a part of being human. Although I have disagreed with some, never have I been disappointed with any of the groups that I am a part of until recently. PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is a fairly well known animal rights group. They have fought against huge corporations such as Revlon, Petco, Kentucky… Read more

One of the reasons I started to consider the alternative to dating known as phone line dating was because I was not successful at meeting women in general places. They gave me many excuses, such as they were too busy, working a lot and the most common is they were just getting out of a long term relationship. So after countless times of hearing these excuses, a friend told me about a phone chat line he had success with in… Read more

Sitting in our own backyard is the key to solving the health care issue of our nation. Northridge’s student health care is supreme in its execution and lawmakers should look at us to model how to fix the problem of the lack of decent health care that many of us face. The rise of the cost of health care for individuals has gone up significantly, so many low-income families find it difficult to have preventive care. Not only is the… Read more