Women’s Sports In Trump’s America

The world of sports is not only a great way to stay fit and active but it can be a career for some too, especially the ones gifted with superior athletic abilities. It is also a lucrative industry that is racking in millions (even billions) of dollars not only in sports events and competitions but even in sports apparel, goods, and equipment. Men aren’t the only ones who excel in sports. Women who devote their time and effort in training for a specific sport can also become world-class athletes. There is even a special Olympics for the differently-abled that is also widely practiced now all over the world. Everyone has an interest for sports but only a handful succeeds and gets the coveted gold medal.

If you are an American woman athlete or whatever your nationality is, it is likely you may get discriminated by males or by the industry at large unless you have proven your worth by winning. But today, simply being a woman is an enough ground for discrimination. After all, we live in Trump’s America. And despite clearly winning the election, we are all aware about his penchant for airing his sentiments on Twitter and his other personal biases that are now reflecting on how he is leading the country to the unknown.

Hardly a month seems to go by without high-profile US athletes speaking out on non-sporting causes. Increasingly, the most passionate voices belong to women.

Take the recent basketball game between Seattle Storm and Chicago Sky. The team’s owners organised a pre-game rally in support of Planned Parenthood, the nonprofit that provides reproductive healthcare and whose funding is under perpetual attack from the Republican party and the Trump administration. Several players, including star Seattle forward Breanna Stewart, issued a video backing the event. The Sky centre Imani Boyette skipped warm up to attend.

It’s not that female athletes haven’t stood up for what they believe in before – just look what Venus Williams achieved for equal pay at Wimbledon. But as women’s sport grows in status and popularity, athletes’ activism – fuelled by social media – has taken off.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/29/womens-sport-activism-and-political-protest-planned-parenthood)

Women now have a voice of their own. They can’t easily be silenced by other people and they’ll say whatever they have in mind in various platforms especially in social media that has become a favorite of many these days. The world may have changed but there are still some things that have remained the same and women can feel it (albeit subtly). It is still there. But fierce female athletes won’t let this pass without taking action especially when the government that should have their back fails to do its job.

Serena Williams says all women players "love" Andy Murray as he has "spoken up for women's rights and issues".

Murray's defence of his Wimbledon title came to an end at the hands of America's Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

In his post-match press conference, the 30-year-old was asked for his thoughts on Querrey, who was described by a reporter "as the first American to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since 2009".

However, Murray quickly corrected the questioner. "First male player," he shot back.

Williams, the winner of a record 23 Grand Slam singles titles - 12 of which have come since Andy Roddick was the last US man to make the semi-finals of a Slam at Wimbledon in 2009 - hailed Murray as a great champion of women's sport.

(Via: http://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/10948391/serena-williams-says-andy-murray-speaks-up-for-womens-rights)

Even high-profile women athletes are stepping up and fighting for women’s rights especially in sports and not let any more women be trampled further by domineering males or even of a society that remains to be sexist as ever. And under the leadership of an equally sexist president, the work is not yet over and women athletes have to speak up and fight for their rights because nobody else will do it for them.

For instance, younger and lesser known women athletes will feel motivated knowing that icons like the William sisters got their back. Now more than ever do they need to unite and show the world that they also deserve to be treated equally as their male counterparts and not as a lesser being. Sports are competitive enough but these are even more difficult times, so no amount of complacency is acceptable. Only female athletes understand what they go through, so they should make it clear to leaders the kind of treatment they demand to receive and not just accept whatever is given to them by others.

Women’s Sports In Trump’s America is courtesy of The IPAC Blog

source https://ipaction.org/blog/womens-sports-in-trumps-america/

Homebuilding Slump No More In San Diego

For quite some time now, the country has struggled in rebuilding America’s economy and saying it is more than just shaky until today is not at all far from the truth. Wherever you are in the nation, there is some sort of crisis felt by the people and many homeowners struggle the most in getting their acts together when jobs are closing and basic services aren't always given for free. Homes have become more expensive, which is actually good for existing homeowners but bad for prospective buyers as they can no longer afford to buy one for themselves and their families. And as such, people could not afford to build homes or buy ones because the cost of materials has skyrocketed and human labor does not cost cheap either.

However, it seems that business is picking up in San Diego where the construction of new homes has increased as of late. Other parts of the state and even of the country still suffer from the continued real estate slump but you can see some work in progress going around the San Diego area although not that much but definitely better than nothing. It sparks a ray of hope amidst San Diego locals despite the many factors making home building doubly harder like government barriers, a slowing market for rentals and houses, and land issues.

New home construction in San Diego County has picked up slightly but is still substantially down from the same time last year.

Building permits for all types of homes — condos, apartments and single-family homes — were down by 3 percent in the second quarter of 2017 compared to the second quarter in 2016, said a Real Estate Research Council report released Tuesday.

It is an improvement from the first three months that showed a 37 percent drop in residential permits, but not enough to make up for a slow start. In the first six months of 2017, the county has issued 17.5 percent fewer permits than the same time last year.

A lack of new homes pushes up prices because of fierce competition for a limited number of houses and condos. While higher home values are good for owners in most cases, it can make homeownership out of reach for many potential buyers.

(Via: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/real-estate/sd-fi-building-permits-second-quarter-20170830-story.html)

The pattern will likely continue in the increasing requests for building permits especially for locals who do not mind going out of their way to commute each day to work and school from their new homes farther from the city noise. There are even new legislations on its way to hopefully address the housing problems that have been plaguing the entire state of California over the years as most people can’t afford to pay for housing.

“It’s really important now because we have a shortage of housing,” he said of the permits. “Rents are skyrocketing, single-family homes are skyrocketing. It’s just really expensive to live in San Diego and that’s hurting businesses because they are having a hard time attracting workers, and they need to pay them more so that increases labor costs.”

Gin also said building permits are a good leading indicator of the economy because so many jobs are affected, including real estate agents, construction workers and other people in the real estate industry. And new homeowners spend money on furniture and remodeling materials.

In June, there were 538 permits for single-family homes and more than 1,500 permits for multi-family (apartments and condos), said the U.S. Census Building Permits Survey.

(Via: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/real-estate/sd-fi-building-permits-usd-20170728-story.html)

The number of building permits issued by a local government is a good indicator in the field of real estate. If only a handful applies for such a permit, it means there aren’t enough homes to provide shelter to people thereby triggering a domino effect that will increase the cost of rent or prices of most homes. While the figures were better than ever in the first half of the year, industry experts can only tell for sure whether things have changed for good in San Diego if the numbers have picked up by the year’s end.

The following blog post Homebuilding Slump No More In San Diego is available on IPAction.org Blog

source https://ipaction.org/blog/homebuilding-slump-no-more-in-san-diego/

A Big Blow For Religion

Religion is at the very core of society – organized religion that is. It is even as powerful as the state. The church is even exempted by the state to pay taxes because of the separation of the powers of the two and the extent of the influence they have to society. Morality is still a big issue in our modern world, though. Some people can be so uptight when it comes to their religious beliefs and they would even give up their lives when necessary. That’s the case of religious extremists that eventually become terrorists. It’s probably the problem with the world today. Religion has been taken in the wrong context and interpreted however you like aside from being used to manipulate people to hurt others.

No wonder that even atheists openly attack organized religion in today’s world when it fails to uphold a strong sense of morality among the people and prevent the endless violence and persecution that sows hate and divisiveness among the people. If the church really wants to make a difference in this world, they can do so because they have the resources and the power to make a positive change in other people’s lives. But no, they don’t always act righteously. With all the money and assets of most churches, they can afford to save the homeless people from living on the streets and they can feed the hungry but they don’t and that is a problem most of us are noticing quite increasingly now.

Though the specific sect is never identified – the iconography and the late medieval time period suggest a generic Catholicism – the Church is the source of much of the misery depicted in the show, and is directly responsible for the inciting incident. When Castlevania opens, Dracula is a recluse living in voluntary exile. The skeletons on his front lawn indicate that he is still dangerous, but he does not present an imminent threat to the rest of Wallachia. His demon army is an outpouring of vengeful grief, summoned only after an unnamed Bishop accuses Dracula’s human wife, Lisa, of witchcraft and burns her at the stake for her alleged crimes.

In truth, the execution is the first hint at the show’s brazen anti-religiosity. Lisa is not a witch, but a compassionate doctor practicing modern medicine while attempting to kickstart the enlightenment. Unfortunately, the Church has established itself as the final authority on all matters both worldly and divine, and therefore tries to expunge chemistry, curiosity and anything else that would challenge its intellectual hegemony. The Church is portrayed as a political body that prioritizes fealty over service, rejecting anything that would benefit its citizens if it contradicts the existing dogma.

(Via: https://www.polygon.com/tv/2017/7/29/16062578/netflix-castlevania-religion-corruption-warren-ellis)

Even TV shows and movies subtly attack the church for failing to do its moral obligation of looking after its people and helping them lead moral and righteous lives. We don’t need to be perfect, we just need to be compassionate enough to help one another and put an end to all the violence. These shows actually have a point. They just show the reality many of us are too afraid to talk about out of fear of being persecuted and judged wrongly.

Religious people "cling" to certain beliefs in the face of evidence because those views are closely tied to their moral compasses, new studies have suggested.

Dogmatic individuals hold confidently to their faith even when contradicted by experts because those beliefs have "emotional resonance," researchers said.

In contrast, militant atheists struggle to see anything positive about religion because their brains are dominated by analytical thinking, scientists found.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio interviewed 900 religious and non-religious people in two studies examining personality characteristics that drive dogmatism.

(Via: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/religious-people-beliefs-cling-contradict-evidence-facts-moral-compass-research-athiests-analytical-a7863446.html)

There are many times when religious individuals and the church have openly attacked others that question their beliefs and practices. No matter how legit the argument is, they choose to ignore and stand up for what they believe in even if they know it in their hearts that they are wrong. If the church truly symbolizes the house of God, they won’t just busy themselves in making themselves rich while the rest of humanity suffers. It’s no wonder why many people are starting to realize that religion isn’t their ticket to heaven when it can barely make itself useful in this world.

The following blog article A Big Blow For Religion is courtesy of IPacBlog

source https://ipaction.org/blog/a-big-blow-for-religion/

The Fight Against Climate Change

The planet is warming up at a scale never seen or experienced before. Changes are taking place at a rapid rate and they are not always a good one. The planet is definitely our home but it does not mean we are always safe from all the (raging) elements. There are times when natural weather systems act up and we end up on the losing end.  The truth is, human activities have triggered climate change. If you want proof, just simply take a look at the world around you. If you live in big cities, pollution is a common issue and there are fewer trees and plants as well as the land is utilized as residential, commercial, or even agricultural spaces. Even in rural areas, forests are going bald as illegal logging and mining are thriving more than ever.

While global warming and climate change have already arrived, it does not mean we can’t slow it down for our own sake (and safety). People die when Mother Nature runs amuck and properties get destroyed too not to mention our natural resources are fast depleting and they happen to be non-renewable too. It is easy to feel discouraged upon seeing the extent of the problem but that does not mean we should not do anything about it at all. Even in our own little ways, we can fight climate change by changing the way we live our lives one day at a time.

The greatest impact individuals can have in fighting climate change is to have one fewer child, according to a new study that identifies the most effective ways people can cut their carbon emissions.

The next best actions are selling your car, avoiding long flights, and eating a vegetarian diet. These reduce emissions many times more than common green activities, such as recycling, using low energy light bulbs or drying washing on a line. However, the high impact actions are rarely mentioned in government advice and school textbooks, researchers found.

Carbon emissions must fall to two tonnes of CO2 per person by 2050 to avoid severe global warming, but in the US and Australia emissions are currently 16 tonnes per person and in the UK seven tonnes. “That’s obviously a really big change and we wanted to show that individuals have an opportunity to be a part of that,” said Kimberly Nicholas, at Lund University in Sweden and one of the research team.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/12/want-to-fight-climate-change-have-fewer-children)

The higher the population of the planet is, the more mouths there are that need feeding and the higher the demand as well for the world’s resources. Aside from that, more people generate more trash and the pollution level likewise increases most especially that of carbon emission. It actually makes sense to limit the world’s population and impose a one-child policy similar to what China has enforced years ago. Perhaps by limiting the number of children, a couple can have, climate change will not progress as swiftly as it does now.

“The Asia-Pacific is leading the way when it comes to building construction but energy efficiency standards are not keeping pace,” explained Dr. Jyuung-Shiauu Chern, lead shepherd of the Apec Energy Working Group. “Overall, we’re most concerned about increasing demand for cooling linked to rising temperatures.”

“We are taking new steps in Apec to help our member economies optimize local building codes needed to phase in more energy efficient projects. Improving these codes will ultimately reduce energy costs for residents and businesses while tackling emissions to fight climate change,” Dr. Chern said in a statement issued by Apec.

Energy consumption in buildings in developed economies is in many cases inefficient and wasteful due to continued use of outdated technologies and standards. Adding to concerns is the fact that building projects in developing economies are following suit.

(Via: http://business.inquirer.net/234028/designing-fight-climate-change)

It is everybody’s business to protect the environment. It is not just the government’s responsibility. After all, we all breathe the same air and live on the only planet that proves to be hospitable to human life. Are we seriously not going to take any action into salvaging what little is there left of the planet Earth if only for the sole purpose of the perpetuity of our kind? It’s true that climate change is a global issue and a difficult one to address at that but nothing is impossible if we all unite and help in the fight against climate change starting today.

The Fight Against Climate Change was originally seen on IPAction.org Blog

source https://ipaction.org/blog/the-fight-against-climate-change/

What It Takes To Be A Good Teacher

Teaching is perhaps the noblest of all professions. Whatever your career is, there are teachers that educate everyone about all the essentials to help us function at our best in whatever job we land after graduating. They’re the ones who teach us what we know of from an early age (aside from our parents) and help us better understand the various complexities of life. But not everyone is born to teach, it takes a real passion for teaching and the genuine desire to impart your knowledge to young minds hungry for new knowledge and skills.

You are perhaps wondering then what it takes to become a good teacher (if not the best)? And whether we like to admit it or not, teachers are instrumental in a student’s success or failure. But let’s face it that teachers alone aren’t the only ones who contribute to the child’s learning. The school itself, the rest of the faculty, the instructional materials, and the rest of the things that you can see within the four corners of the classroom and the school all influence a child’s education. But let us not ignore the fact either that teachers are at forefront of education and that they facilitate all aspect of a student’s learning from learning their ABCs until their post-graduate studies.

The key to successful education is to attract good teachers. We can try to do so by raising teachers’ salaries (as commonly advocated). But this strategy also seems to fail, partly because higher incomes go to both good teachers and bad, giving bad teachers as much incentive as good ones to become and remain teachers.

If not larger salaries, how about more rigorous screening? Every state requires that teachers be certified. Why not, then, just set higher certification standards for teachers so that we get better ones? This too sounds plainly right: just as we require doctors and lawyers to undergo specialized training and to pass examinations to qualify to practice, shouldn’t we make teachers do the same?

No. On the contrary. For two reasons. First, more stringent certification standards do little to keep out bad teachers. Second, such standards deter excellent prospects from entering teaching.

(Via: https://www.forbes.com/sites/omribenshahar/2017/07/21/teacher-certification-makes-public-school-education-worse-not-better/#3671e2b2730f)

Your personal and economic success relies greatly on a good and quality education. That is the reality of life. The US also gives importance to education since many American students now are performing poorly than students in other progressive countries on various tests. The teachers themselves lack the training, skills, and qualities of becoming a good and effective teacher. Many teachers actually prove they have mastery of the subjects they teach but lacking in their ability to aid and inspire students to learn whatever they need to succeed in later life and not simply pass the subject.

For all the noise, infighting and litigation over teacher evaluations and tenure, California currently has no definition for what a good teacher — or a bad one — looks like.

As one way to measure equity, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires that states report on whether disadvantaged students have a higher proportion of ineffective, out-of-field and inexperienced teachers than do their peers. But to report on that metric, the state needs to define, concretely, what an "ineffective" teacher looks like.

In materials prepared for Wednesday's meeting, the State Board of Education has proposed defining ineffective teachers as those who are improperly assigned or don't have full credentials. This language that mirrors the Local Control Funding Formula law, as well as a proposal from the California Teachers Assn. union. The definition would not include any measure of student performance, an omission that is drawing criticism from some.

(Via: http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-essential-education-updates-southern-california-officials-proposed-1499818285-htmlstory.html)

It is quite alarming how the state of American education is deteriorating as modern life advances. Claims of under-qualified and ineffective teachers are everywhere and it is the students that eventually lose as they miss out on a chance to learn from the best. While the curriculum and the methodologies matter greatly, it is still the teacher’s delivery of the lessons that make a difference on how a student learn what they are supposed to know.

Making learning a fun activity helps a lot as students grasp classes better if they enjoy and learn at the same time. There is still room for improvement for teachers and they should not rest in enhancing what they already know because the times are changing and they must update themselves on what works in today’s world without sacrificing age-old principles that have shaped the world of education for the longest time.

The post What It Takes To Be A Good Teacher was first seen on IPacBlog

source https://ipaction.org/blog/what-it-takes-to-be-a-good-teacher/