Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Family dinners work some kind of magic | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times
Family dinners work some kind of magic | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times
Researchers from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that teens who have family dinners fewer than three times a week -- compared with those who have family dinners five or more times a week -- were much more likely to use drugs and alcohol and have less academic success. Teens who say they have family dinners but that there are distractions at the table also have higher rates of substance abuse that teens who have frequent family dinners without interruptions.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tax Myths » Contexts
Tax Myths » Contexts
One way to think about this is in terms of economic competitiveness. In recent years the World Economic Forum has scored most of the world’s countries on a competitiveness index that aims to assess the quality of nine components of a nation’s economy: public and private institutions, infrastructure, macro-economic policy, health and primary education, higher education and training, market efficiency, technological readiness, business sophistication, and innovation. The scores range from a low of 1 to a high of 7.
taxes1As the chart (right) suggests, as of 2007, the most recent year with available data, there’s no association across the world’s affluent countries between the level of taxation—the share of economic output (gross domestic product, or GDP) that passes through the government as taxes– and competitiveness.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity — What We Do — Weight Bias & Stigma
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity — What We Do — Weight Bias & Stigma
Despite increased attention to the obesity epidemic, little has been done to stop the bias and discrimination that obese children and adults face every day. The social consequences of obesity include discrimination in employment, barriers in education, biased attitudes from health care professionals, stereotypes in the media, and stigma in interpersonal relationships. All these factors reduce quality of life for vast numbers of overweight and obese people and have both immediate and long-term consequences for their emotional and physical health.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Editorial - A Long Way Down - NYTimes.com
Editorial - A Long Way Down - NYTimes.com
The Census Bureau reported last week that the nation’s poverty rate rose to 13.2 percent in 2008, the highest level since 1997 and a significant increase from 12.5 percent in 2007. That means that some 40 million people in this country are living below the poverty line, defined as an income of $22,205 for a family of four.
The middle class also took a major hit. Median household income fell in 2008 to $50,300 from $52,200 in 2007. That is the steepest year-to-year drop since the government began keeping track four decades ago; adjusted for inflation, median income was lower in 2008 than in 1998 and every year since then.
Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Looks and Bias - New York Times
Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Looks and Bias - New York Times
The mass eviction battered the self-esteem of many of the former sorority members, and some withdrew from classes in depression. There have been student protests, outraged letters from alumni and parents, and a faculty petition calling the sorority’s action unethical.
Ousted sorority sues DePauw University - USATODAY.com
Ousted sorority sues DePauw University - USATODAY.com
The controversy spread nationally after The New York Times ran a story Feb. 25 that said the sorority had a reputation on campus for being "socially awkward" and that those who were asked to leave included every woman who was overweight and the chapter's only black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The story also said those asked to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
How Class Works in Popular Conception, February, 2007
A Century of Difference
See Table 6 on page 30.
Class goes with musical taste and leisure pursuits in most rich countries (Katz-Gerro 2002).
For Americans, hunting, fishing, going to auto races, and listening to country music were workingclass
pursuits and preferences; classical music was a middle- and upper-class preference. The
differences in the first half of this decade were modest – all these things were done or preferred by
less than half of all classes – but statistically significant.
See Table 6 on page 30.
Class goes with musical taste and leisure pursuits in most rich countries (Katz-Gerro 2002).
For Americans, hunting, fishing, going to auto races, and listening to country music were workingclass
pursuits and preferences; classical music was a middle- and upper-class preference. The
differences in the first half of this decade were modest – all these things were done or preferred by
less than half of all classes – but statistically significant.
Social class in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Social class in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Parental views are the perhaps most essential factor in determining the socialization process which shapes new members of society.[5] The values and standards used in child rearing are commonly closely related to the parent's occupational status.[2] Parents from the professional class tend to raise their children to become curious independent thinkers, while working class parents raise their children to have a more communal perspective with a strong respect for authority.[2] Middle class parents tend to emphasize internal standards and values while working class parents emphasize external values.[2] Sociologist Dennis Gilbert uses a list of values identified by Melvin Kohn to be typical of the professional middle and working class. Middle class parents values for their children and themselves included: "Consideration of Others, Self-Control, Curiosity, Happiness, Honesty, Tolerance of Nonconformity, Open to Innovation... Self-Direction." This contrasted with surveyed working class individuals, who reported: "Manners, Obedience... Neatness, Cleanliness, Strong Punishment of Deviant Behavior, Stock to Old Ways, People not Trustworthy... Strict Leadership" as values for themselves and their children. There is a strong correlation between these values and the occupational activities of the respondents. The job characteristics of middle class respondents included: "Work Independently, Varied Tasks, Work with People or Data," versus working class parents of reported "Close Supervision and Repetitive Work..."[2]
“ Not once in a professional middle-class home did I see a young boy shake his father's hand in a well-taught manly gesture... Not once did I hear a middle-class parent scornfully-or even sympathetically-call a crying boy a sissy or in any way reprimand him for his tears... even as young as six or seven, the working class boys seemed more emotionally controlled-more like miniature men-than those in the middle-class families. ”
—Sociologist Lillian Rubin in Gilbert, 1998
Gender roles are also viewed differently by those in the higher and lower social classes. Middle class individuals, who were more open towards "nonconformity" and emphasized individual self-direction as well as critical thinking, were also less stringent in their application of gender roles. Working class individuals, on the other hand, emphasized gender roles. While working class people have more and more assimilated to middle class culture regarding their view and application of gender roles, differences remain. Professional class people are more likely to have an egalitarian distribution of work in their household with both spouses being equals in heterosexual marriages. According to Dennis Gilbert, "College life, generally a prologue to upper-middle class careers, delays marriage and encourages informal, relatively egalitarian association between men and women."[2][18]
Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace
Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace
Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Chosen People
Scenario: A small plane has crashed on a deserted island. A rescue helicopter has come to pick up survivors. There is room for only five passengers and the pilot. A major hurricane is coming. There is not time for another rescue attempt before it hits. It is very likely that whoever stays behind will die. You must decide who stays and who goes. The survivors are:
1. A bartender, married with six children
2. A six-month old child
3. An exotic dancer, age 24
4. A lawyer with two children
5. A scientist who is developing a generator to store power and increase its effectiveness
6. A high school basketball star from a poor neighborhood looking to get a college scholarship
7. A single college professor who suffers from bouts of dementia, but can control it with medication
8. A priest, age 65
9. A shoeshiner with five children
10. A police officer, single, age 30
Who did you choose and why?
1. A bartender, married with six children
2. A six-month old child
3. An exotic dancer, age 24
4. A lawyer with two children
5. A scientist who is developing a generator to store power and increase its effectiveness
6. A high school basketball star from a poor neighborhood looking to get a college scholarship
7. A single college professor who suffers from bouts of dementia, but can control it with medication
8. A priest, age 65
9. A shoeshiner with five children
10. A police officer, single, age 30
Who did you choose and why?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
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