Last fall Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo was in the news because he openly, strongly supports marriage equality for same sex couples and said that if a player in the NFL or any sport happened to be gay, they should not have to fear coming out.  Ayanbadejo argued that whether someone is gay or straight does not affect how they play the game.  Following his support for gay rights, a Maryland congressman named Emmett C. Burns Jr. wrote a letter to the Baltimore Ravens asking they take action against their employee “inhibit such expressions” and they he should be ordered to “cease and desist such injurious actions.”

Following this, another NFL player, Viking punter Chris Kluwe wrote a scathing op-ed in support of both Ayanbadejo’s rights of free speech as well as gay marriage.  Much of Kluwe’s letter is expletive laden, however the tone is as follows,

“As I suspect you have not read the Constitution, I would like to remind you that the very first, the VERY FIRST Amendment in this founding document deals with the freedom of speech, particularly the abridgment of said freedom…”  he goes on to criticize Burns for using his position as an elected official to intimidate people from using their Constitutional rights.

Earlier this week, San Francisco 49ers player Chris Culliver said he would not welcome a gay teammate saying, “We don’t have any gay guys on the team.  They gotta get up outta here if they do.  Can’t be with sweet stuff.”  He also said that if a player was gay he should keep it to himself and, “Come out 10 years later after that.”

The 49ers quickly released a statement saying the team did not support his comments and that he was in no way a spokesman for the team or its views.

Thoughts? 

The week leading up to the Super Bowl can be exhausting for players and coaches.  Not only are they preparing for the biggest game of their lives, but there is an almost constant barrage of media attention including sound bites, television interviews, and of course the circus of Media Day.  Each year, Media Day offers at least one “did he really just say that?” moment.  This year is no different… enter Ravens Quarterback Joe Flacco.

When asked about the NFL’s decision to begin having the big game in cold weather climates, referring specifically to next year’s Super Bowl taking place outdoors in New York City, Flacco said the decision was “retarded.”  Flacco quickly backtracked on his word choice, however the damage has been done.

The awareness group “R-Word.org” quickly responded on their website saying they could not condone Flacco’s word choice; they claim that it is this ignorant usage of the word which gives it the power to offend.  R-Word.org is the group who launched the “spread the word to end the word campaign” – an event which has recently reached Pilgrim High School.

Here is Flacco’s full comment:

“Yeah, I think it’s retarded.  I probably should not say that.  I think it’s stupid.  If you want a Super Bowl, put a retractable dome on your stadium.  Then you can get one.  Other than that I don’t really like the idea.  I don’t think people would react very well to it, or be glad to play anybody in that kind of weather.”

Please follow the link below to learn more about the power this word has and how to combat its insensitive and damaging use. 

www.r-word.org

I also invite you to take the following pledge in reference to the "R" word... 

"I pledge and support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities."

Since its founding in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has been devoted to providing a “program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness.”  Also since its founding in 1910 the Boy Scouts of America has excluded gay membership either as scouts or as scout leaders.  The organization is now considering leaving such decisions up to the sponsors of local troops instead of issuing the nationwide mandate.

This decision marks another potential milestone for gay rights in the United States following a surge of support for same-sex marriage and an end of the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

Not everyone is happy about the change.  “Southern Baptist leaders, who consider homosexuality a sin, were furious about the possible change” and threatened to remove support of the organization.  Such a move could be detrimental to the Scouts as Southern Baptists are among the largest membership and sponsor groups of the Scouts.

Locally, Issues of same-sex equality have been a topic of great discussion recently as last week the Rhode Island Senate passed a same-sex marriage bill.  That bill will go to the House either in the Spring or early Summer.  Currently Rhode Island is the only New England State which has not legalized same-sex marriage.

Thoughts? 

As lawmakers and educators struggle to find ways to improve academic performance across the nation, Tamar Lewin of the New York Times reports that colleges and universities that compete in Division I athletics spend about six times as much money on sports as they do on academics.  In fact between 2005-2010 as spending cuts hit major universities nationwide, institutions were forced to decrease academic spending but still increased their spending on major athletic programs.

Across the nation schools spend about $38,000 per year on their athletes and only about $11,000 on the general student population.  Now there is even discussion that colleges may actually start paying their athletes in addition to providing scholarships.  With such an emphasis on sports by the very institutions which are professed to be centers of learning, it is little wonder that academics have become an afterthought to students who are looking at selecting a school.

Instead of restructuring the entire education system in order to raise test scores, perhaps nationally the focus should turn away from a total sport centered college experience and actually begin to be centered on academics. 

Sports can be part of the academic experience, and should be… however academics should be the centerpiece of that that academic experience.

Thoughts?

Across the country, lawmakers are trying to figure out the best way to protect citizens from the type of violence seen last month in Newtown.  Some favor tougher gun laws, some seek to go as far as the repeal the Second Amendment, and others are focusing their efforts on mental illness.

Yesterday, New York became the first state since the Newtown shooting to pass new legislation concerning guns and mental illness.  While there are new restrictions on the types of guns New Yorkers may purchase, one of the largest changes is in the reporting of potentially mentally ill patients to authorities by therapists and psychiatrists.

According to the new law, any person suspected of having suicidal or violent potential is to be reported to local authorities, who will then be required to search for and confiscate any firearm the individual has access to. 

Opinion in the mental health care industry is mixed.

According to Dr. Paul S. Appelbaum of Columbia University, this new law will require mental health professionals to report a much higher percentage of people… even people who really pose no danger. 

Conservative or liberal, republican or democrat, most lawmakers agree that something needs to be done in order to keep these powerful weapons out of the hands of dangerous people – the disagreement however is in the best way to accomplish this. 

What is needed is for members of local and national legislative bodies to actually work together in the creation of an effective system which limits the access dangerous people have to firearms. 

Thoughts?

This past Wednesday, voters of the National Baseball Hall of Fame rejected all eligibale players who played their career during the steroid era of Major League Baseball.  Players like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, once thought to be sure fire first ballot inductees to the shrine in Cooperstown, New York, fell far short of the support needed to get in.  In order to be elected to the Hall of Fame, a player’s name needs to appear on 75% of the ballots cast by the sports writers who vote for induction, Clemens and Bonds received only about 37%.

The steroid era in baseball began during the late 1980’s and lasted roughly to 2005 when baseball began to conduct more testing and giving out harsh punishments for those who fail drug tests.  Some of the game’s most famous stars have tested positive, admitted to, or have been suspected of taking performance enhancing drugs.  Some of these names in addition to Bonds and Clemens include Jose Canseco, Andy Pettite, Raphael Palmero, Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramierz, and Mark McGwire.

Current members of the Hall of Fame are backing the shut out claiming that if you cheated in order to be one of the best, then you are not one of the best and do not deserve to be enshrined with the best.  And as always whenever the subject of the Hall of Fame comes up, the name of Pete Rose is mentioned, perhaps the best player in history to not be in the Hall of Fame.  In the entire course of baseball history, no player has more hits than Pete Rose; yet Mr. Rose is banned for life from Baseball after it was discovered he gambled on games in which was a player and a manager.

On Thursday it was announced by major league baseball that they are taking their testing procedure’s even farther.  While they had been conducted urine tests in order to search for performance enhancing drugs, these tests could not find HGH (Human Growth Hormone) – the only thing that can detect this drug is a blood test.  Baseball’s commissioner has announced that starting this season players are subject to unannounced, random blood testing.  Clearly baseball is trying to clean itself up.

As your parents and teachers tell you to stop playing those violent video games and spend more time on your studies, new research from the University of Rochester and the University of Geneva argues that by playing these Halo / Call of Duty style games you are doing just that… helping your studies by advancing your intellectual growth and increasing your ability to learn.

In the January 2013 edition of “Scientific American Mind” it reported that numerous studies show that these first person simulation games have potent neurological effects; they “retune connectivity across and within different brain areas”… what does that mean?  It means that gamers “learn to learn.” Playing such games apparently gives the ability to the gamer to apply learning to broader tasks... this is called ‘transfer’… and it is the holy grail of education!

But don’t go running home to tell your parents you need to play hours of Call of Duty to help you pass history… the drawbacks to playing such games are significant.  Studies show that a rise in game addition is having serious effects on students and adults.  In addition, while there has been no study proving that violent games cause violent behavior, there is an increase in aggression during and directly after the playing of these intense, high impact games.  Other side effects include children losing the ability to communicate normally in society… (overuse of social medias has similar consequences).

Researchers also argue that it is not the shooting and violence which is beneficial to cognitive development, but the problem solving, multi-layered story lines, the first person point of view, and the multiple streams of rapid information combined with quick decision making.  Thus game developers can make games which fit all these things, while not being overly violent.

Thoughts?

On Monday of this past week, rangers at Tsavo East National Park in Kenya discovered the carcasses of eleven elephants recently killed by poachers.  This is just the latest incident in what is becoming a very common event not only in Kenya, but in all areas in which the African Elephant calls home.  

The reason for the poaching, which is illegal by international law, is for the tusks of these animals, which can sell in China for as much as $1,000 a pound.  The poachers hunting these animals are well trained, well armed, well financed militia units who are hunting the animals in order to finance their political, terrorist, or militia groups.  These tusks are sold to a middle-man, then make their way to the far East.  Those protecting the animals located in these large national parks, are well intentioned conservationists and scientists who often have no military training and are simply outmatched when confronted by poaching groups.  Last year dozens of rangers were murdered while trying to stop groups of poachers from killing elephants.

According to the Kenyan authorities, 350 elephants were poached last year; however many feel that this number represents just a fraction of the true number.

Besides the African Elephant, poachers are also targeting rhinoceroses in southern Africa.  The rhino horns which weigh about ten pounds can sell for as much as $30,000 on the black market.  These animals are even more rare than the elephant, and the real tragedy of the murder of these creatures is that rhino horns will grow back if the horns are cut from above the base, and if done properly, causes no pain to the animal.

Wildlife advocates worry that if something is not done to stop the well armed poaching armies, both species of animals will very quickly reach extinction.

Last August, two Stanford University professors launched a company called “Coursera” which offered free college courses online.  In just four months the site had drawn in a million users –  a faster launching than either Facebook or Twitter.

Last month, according to the New York Times, the enrollment past two million, and 70,000 students a week sign up for over 200 different courses.  The faculty of Coursera consists of professors from 33 elite universities from around the country.

The classes are free for students, and are taught by accredited professors from recognized universities.  Many traditional colleges around the country have recently began developing their online course offerings to attract students from around the globe, however this program from Coursera is the first to offer free classes, and while students cannot earn a full degree from Coursera, they can get a head start on essential skills and greatly increase their preparedness for college. 

Coursera has just started to charge licensing fees for universities in order for them to access the website and offer classes, however that expense is not passed along to the students.  The benefit to the college is that even though they pay for usage of the Coursera’s services, they allow students to experience their school and staff in the hopes that the student will ultimately choose to attend their university full time.

With the rising cost of higher education, it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to pay for college without grants or large loans; loans which put young graduates into massive debt before they even receive their diploma.  Coursear may be the future of higher education… a higher education made available to the masses by people who genuinely care about access to quality education for all.

Thoughts? 

In an article published in the New York Times, reporter Michael D. Shear discussed the decline of the Republican Party and what it needs to do in order to reach the young and minority voting populations… something it simply did not do in this past presidential election. 

The fact of the matter is that the party has lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections, and the party now must deal with the reality of an increasingly younger and multi-ethnic voting population who are collectively skeptical of Republican positions on social issues.  Newt Gingrich, a former Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, and one of the strongest critics of same sex marriage, recently argued that the party is going to have to compromise on some of these social issues if they want to attract younger voters who agree with the fiscal policies of the party. He went on to state that it is clear the nation’s view of same sex marriage is rapidly reaching mass acceptance and if the Republican Party leaders do not stop “walking around and pretending it doesn't exist” they are in danger of making the party irrelevant.

The recent fight in congress concerning the budget battle shows the divide in the party, and in the strongest example of a divided front, current Speaker of the House John A. Boehner was narrowly reelected to that position as several in his own party did not vote for him, or abstained from voting all together after the speaker attempted to block a vote granting funds to Hurricane Sandy victims, an action which caused Republican Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie to publicly attack Boehner – the face of the Republican party.

So… as the Republican Party struggles to reach younger voters, what would you recommend they do to attract that younger vote?