1. This is a wild read. Is MA headed down this road? Could our love of organic turn to panic? I love the lead and the way the writer maintains objectivity. What do you like about the piece? What do you think of the topic?
2. Even the NYT struggles with maintaining objectivity. What can we learn from them?
3. A fun read about the process of all-nighters our fair legislators pull. Is there an MA story like this? What about the culture of one-up-manship when it comes to who slept less last night?
4. A solid opinion piece about the budget crisis in California and who's to blame and who isn't. What MA angle could be taken on this topic? Any merit to looking at our own budget and where the money goes?
13 comments:
Bake-Sales Banned: This article was compelling, as I had never fully realized the extent of unhealthy bake-sales. Bloomberg's emphasis on public health and education is significant in that few mayors before him payed such close attention to the vigor of his people. Rather, most have harnessed their energy towards the passing or banning of disputed laws, with a non-centralized view on fixing public health. I was astonished to read that nearly 40 percent of New York City's elementary and middle school students are overweight or obese. I am still a bit skeptical as to how strictly these new regulations will be enforced, even after officials' promises to monitor them more closely. While bake-sales, as illustrated in the article, are incredibly effective in student fundraising, it is apparent that healthier foods are needed in the city (and country's) school systems.
Crackdown on Bake Sales: I thought this journalist did a really good job of presenting the facts of a very debatable topic, objectively. The problem with the effort to make kids healthier by banning bake sales is that the children don't understand why it's happening and aren't educated that well on truly healthy food. Here at MA, most of us are fully aware that healthy doesn't mean fat/sugar-free, but that it is really going back to foods rather than food products and processed food. We also know that treats like brownies and cookies are fine in moderation, it's the crap like chips and crackers and high fructose corn-syrup juices that are harmful.
It's good that Bloomberg is making an effort to limit childhood obesity, but there has to be education from a young age. Also, schools will have to find a new way to raise money, especially in this recession. If not bake sales, how else? I think the key to this is food education in schools and reform of the FDA.
Olivia is O. Lloyd, btw.
1. Bake-Sales:
This article is one close to my heart. I remember in middle school, 8th grade I believe, when we were told that we could no longer hold bake sales as a way of fundraising. If I remember correctly we were restricted to two bake sales per year and therefore the students were no longer entitled to organizing that kind of fundraising. The bake sales that we were allowed to have would be organized by the parent association for the causes that they found to be most important. I remember being an angry 13 year old for two reasons. 1. I wanted my fudge brownies and peanut butter bars and 2. As students, with little to no personal income, we did not have the means to organize other fundraisers.
I think this article is well written because it clearly demonstrates the impact on students health that the school has based on the treats provided on campus. It also recognizes that this is not the final solution to child obesity and that there are many ways to still get your yum-yums, even during school hours and on school campus.
More than anything, this article makes me appreciate our food here at MA. I wonder how those who are currently outraged about the amount of cheesy pasta would react if we took out our food service and just installed a couple of vending machines...
2. The New York Times Bias:
This article illuminated a new aspect of reporting news without a bias for me. I have tried to be conscious about the language I use and using sources and facts from every side of an issue when I write. I have not, however, thought about what articles we choose to cover as an aspect of it.
I believe that the Voice struggles in the same way the NYT does. I think it is incredibly important to have an objective news source that covers all issues whether they are popular with the majority of the readers or not.
I think it is important to realize that in the end, by not reporting about certain issues, a source is only hurting itself. When the readers do not feel fully informed, like those from this article, the source of news then becomes less credible. It scares me to think that we are living in a place and reading sources that shelter us and only inform us about certain issues and furthermore issues that we agree with. This very small scale news censorship whether purposeful or not is something that I think all of us should look out for!
I am not sure which I find more disturbing: the fact that New York school bake sales have been banned, or that the education system can create such a specific and controlling set of rules - surrounding something as innocent as a bake sale.
This reminds me of an in-class assignment from two years ago, a "Pro-Cupcake" or "No-Cupcake" debate. Yes, bake sales promote the consumption of sugary and fatty treats. But what is more innocent than baking cookies to sell your friends to raise money for new uniforms, clubs, and charities?
I think schools have the right to limit what foods can be purchased or acquired directly through the school, like in vending machines and cafeterias. However, it is unreasonable to regulate what foods students bring to school themselves - and that includes treats for bake sales.
At MA we try our best to be sustainable, but there will always be a love for the incredibly synthetic conglomerate-produced candy found in faculty offices all around school. Our EcoCouncil tote bags are organic and natural, but no one seems to mind the average cotton used in most of the Spirit Wear products. Though the recent Purell removal scandal proves students aren't afraid to take a stand for natural products, I do not think MA's love of organic has turned to panic - yet.
Sarah Strand
The WSJ article on legislation all-nighters was quite the enjoyable read, but brought up I point I have pondered multiple times before. Politicians and doctors, who can both make or break us, make their most crucial decisions without sleep. I understand it makes it easier to get things done, but I can't help but wonder if the sleep deprived can get things done right. I am not sure what alternative methods exist to the all-nighters, but there must be another way that guarantees things get done.
As for the MA side, I think we could definitely write a likely humorous, but poignant read on all-nighters and minimal hours of sleep. I think the ultimate event to cover would be the sophomore museum project - I'm sure the average time students go to bed the night before is well into the wee hours of the morning; I know that was the latest I have ever stayed up for school (4:30am). Just this past week a student fainted in class after only getting 3 hours of sleep, and I've known many who have taken the silent study room to be a sleeping room. I know most of the problem is students who sign up for too much and time manage poorly, but it is certainly worth reminding students how detrimental sleep loss can be to your health.
Sarah Strand
Bake sales: I thought this was a sad example of how the government overreacts about things as small as bake sales. Although having bake sales with unhealthy food may keep kids healthier while the schools can control it, banning it will only encourage kids to crave the sweets and become unhealthy once they are making their own decisions about food. Also, if banning bake sales is keeping kids from raising money and getting the things that they need for enriching extracurricular activities, then I think that the officials behind this ban have their priorities wrong. This topic is very easy to have an opinion about, but I think that the journalist did a good job of keeping his opinion out of the piece..
I thoroughly enjoyed the article on the budget crisis in California. The budget crisis and its history is difficult to understand but I think the article did a great job of, as we talked about in class a few weeks ago, placing day to day events in greater context. In particular, the closing line is powerful and thought provoking; a great way to end this opinion piece. I think the Voice would definitely benefit from doing a piece on the budget crisis. I think there is not a lot of understanding among the students of what is happening so an easy to read, information based article would help bring awareness to the community of how the crisis affects our lives and the education system in California.
Bake sales- As annoying as MA's constant campaign to be the hippie-est school in america can sometimes be, I think we have it right when it comes to health awareness. I think being conscious of what is and isn't healthy and giving students the option of a salad bar and other healthy alternatives is better than an all-out crackdown on sugar. With the rate of 40% of overweight students in New York I can see that sometimes this hands-off approach might not always work, but even having parents take an active role in monitoring their children's health is better than New York's plan. I think MA is safe from something like this as long as students continue to make good choices.
Objectivity:
I'm afraid for the news industry. Particularly over the past week I've seen more and more stories about the news hit the news. Stories about the Obama Administration supposedly suppressing Fox News, stories about how news companies cover what they want to cover, and stories about how the news industry is going to collapse have been all over NPR and have been all the buzz in my classes and around town. The issue about the connection of the Times not reporting to the best of its ability on Acorn has revealed what the problem seems to be for the news industry: the deteriorating economic situation and divisive nature of current political debate have pushed news further away from being the voice of the people and closer to the fray of warring politicians, political groups, and subjective writing. It's clear that Times and other floundering news organizations have got to find some way (likely through a new system of getting news and boosting revenues) to distance themselves from these problems by removing themselves from the gutter and once more becoming the reliable source they were.
Bake Sales Banned:
I recognize that our country had a serious problem with obesity, but banning bake sales at schools is not a solution. In fact, it is downright ridiculous. This rule is an infringement on personal choice. It communicates that students––even high school students, some of which are legally adults––cannot make choices for themselves. Banning bake sales is not going to encourage students to eat fewer sweets if they desire to do so. Instead, the students will simply eat that food outside of school. Furthermore, schools need bake sales now, more than ever, due to the cuts in school funding for organizations, sports, and clubs. The purpose of school is to educate students in the skills they need to function in the world, not to control every aspect of their lives––especially not their eating habits. I don’t understand why administrators are making rules that prohibit a fun event that occurs only occasionally, especially when the school board has more important things to worry about right now, like cuts on educational programs, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, and student performance.
Statehouse All-Nighters:
First, do no harm. This is the oath that one must swear in order to become a physician. This oath should apply to legislators, as well. Many times legislators are so focused on just doing something, and quickly, that they end up doing harm. Statehouse all-nighters are an example of this mentality. Legislators should not rush making laws that will affect millions of people. Not only do the legislators become sleep-deprived, but many hours of the all-nighters are wasted with activities like singing, playing cards, listening to music, napping, and twittering. Adults are supposed to get a certain amount of sleep, and studies have shown that one loses an IQ point for every hour of sleep one does not get. Do we really want legislators, who make the laws that affect every aspect of our lives, functioning below their best capacity? To make a comparison, imagine that your history teacher has assigned an important paper that accounts for a large percentage of your grade. You wait to start the paper until the night before it is due and stay up all night mostly facebooking. You are not going to get much done, but what you do get done will certainly not be your best work. To make matters worse, you will be tired, and will not do your best work, for the next few days. So if legislators are aware of the detrimental effects of all-nighters, why do they persist in engaging in this behavior? Many legislators are trying to create the impression that they are accomplishing something during the all-nighters for the purpose of getting reelected.
Objectivity:
The New York Times piece on objectivity really hit home with me. Whether I'm writing journalism pieces or a scientific paper, it is always hard for me to keep my bias out of my writing. However, the importance of doing so is extremely large. The only way that newspapers can be of real importance to the world is if they do their best to report the cold, hard facts without any spin. It is in this way that readers can stay informed and thus make their own decisions.
To some extent, I think it is impossible for writers to keep their own personal opinion out of their pieces. Here and there, one will always find word choices that suggest a favoring towards one side or another. I think this is true even more so in the voice, because of how inexperienced we are as writers. Yet at the same time, I think that that is one of the largest things that we need to work on as individuals at the Voice. Even if we are only a small school newspaper, we are still responsible for representing the MA community.
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