Women in the Workplace: Progress Made in 50 Years, but More to be Desired

Women’s roles in the workplace have changed over time, from 1970 to 2010. However, some things have not changed. To this day, gender stereotypes play a role in our culture. Some jobs considered to be reserved for men in 1970, such as computer programmers and electricians, appear to be reserved for men today. These fields have the same number of women working in them in 2010 as they did in 1970. There is still progress to be made.

Sources:

Women in the Workforce: What Changes have We Made? - The Huffington Post

Women in the Workplace: How Gender Demographics Should Inform Public Policy

Gender Inequality and Women in the Workplace - Harvard University

Nashville: Music and Entertainment for Everyone

Nashville is a city offering a variety of experiences for tourists. Whether you’re interested in learning about the history of country music at the Country Music Hall of Fame or attending a concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, there’s something for you.

The places I have chosen to highlight are a mere sampling of what Nashville has to offer in music and entertainment. To see a full list of music and entertainment venues and to learn more, click here to view the nashville.gov Music and Entertainment page.

The Bridgestone Arena

The Bridgestone Arena is the home of the Nashville Predators. However, the arena also has space for music and other types of performances. Concerts featuring genres from country to heavy metal are performed at the Bridgestone Arena every year.

The Country Music Hall of Fame

The Country Music Hall of Fame has a museum with exhibits showing what country music was like in the past and how it has evolved into what it is today. Some of these exhibits are temporary, while others are there permanently. The content of these exhibits ranges from traditional museum display cases containing artifacts to vintage video and sound recordings.

The Schermerhorn Symphony Center

The Schermerhorn Symphony Center has been the home of the Nashville Symphony since 2006. The building is known for its unique design and superior acoustics.

The Schermerhorn Symphony Center also hosts other artists and performers. If you’re in the mood for some good music of all genres, in a building designed to produce the best quality sound, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center is the place.

The Bottom Line

Nashville has a lot to offer in music and entertainment. Whether you want to go to a concert or a hockey game, there’s something for everyone.

Michael Steinberg: Social Security Disability Lawyer Turned Presidential Candidate

The US presidential election is coming up. Before we know it, it will be time to vote for our next president.

Articles Designed to Inform Everyone about Various Candidates

It’s important to know what the various candidates stand for so we can make an informed choice. I will cover all the candidates from both sides of the political aisle, whether they’re the ones we’ve heard about in the news or ones who are not as well-known.

Michael Steinberg for President

To start off this series, I will focus on a lesser-known candidate from the Democratic party, Michael Steinberg. According to Steinberg’s campaign website, his overall goal, if elected, will be to work with Congress to make the government and economic system fair for all Americans, rather than favoring the incredibly wealthy.

Steinberg Scores Points for Not Attacking Other Candidates

Looking at the website, I noticed right away that he does not attack any of the other candidates. I can tell he wants to fight for solutions both parties will support. He specifically states several times on his site he will challenge the other candidates to spell out their plans, but it does not sound as if he will attack them; rather, he wants to do this during the debates if he is chosen in the Democratic primary. I can appreciate this.

Steinberg Hopes to Gain Notoriety Through Google Searches and Social Media

I can also appreciate Steinberg’s honesty on the FAQ section of his website. Even though he knows Hillary Clinton is a more obvious choice for the Democratic nomination, he hopes to gain notoriety by people googling Democratic presidential candidates. This is how he chose the domain name of his website.

Steinberg’s Campaign Focuses on Those Who Need Representation

Based on everything I could find about Michael Steinberg, he seems like a candidate who truly wants the system to be fair for all Americans. As a Social Security disability attorney with 30 years of experience, he has seen how the elderly, disabled and veterans are impacted by fraud and abuse in the system. The focus of his campaign is to bring to light issues he believes have not been addressed and help those who often cannot speak for or help themselves.

Big Business vs. the 99%: Who Will Win?

Seeing a comparison between Michael Steinberg and Scott Smith, another Democratic candidate, gave me some idea of what Steinberg is up against. According to the comparison, Smith is a successful entrepreneur with a lot of business experience. However, it seems as though he has some ideas for solving the problems with our economy that might not be what we need, as they are designed to only help big business make more money. I will cover Scott Smith in an upcoming article, but this shows what Steinberg is up against.

Steinberg’s Desire to not Cave to Special Interests Poses Challenges

Although it is too early to know for sure how the election will play out, specifically the primaries, it is clear what we are up against. I appreciate Steinberg’s desire to give people other than special interests representation in government, but this will be quite a challenge, as most politicians are funded by special interests. This is true of either party. However, as someone who is dissatisfied with politics today, it is refreshing to know, going in, one candidate is at least thinking about this problem.

Steinberg Unlikely to Make it to Primary Due to Lack of Notoriety

Since almost no one has heard of Michael Steinberg, it is unlikely he will make it in the Democratic primary. There are many Democrats who have declared candidacy who are not as well-known as Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.

Despite Reality, Everyone Should Know about All Candidates

Even though this is true, it is important to know about all the candidates. Those who are considering voting in the primary should be informed because the result will determine our choices for the general election. As informed citizens, it is our job to pick the candidate who makes promises he has a chance of keeping, no matter what side of the political aisle he may occupy.

Social Networks vs. Traditional Organization: Which is Better for Changing the World?

There have been several revolutionary events in recent history whose success has been attributed to social networks, but would these movements have been successful without them?

Can Social Networks Change the World?

According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted, “high-risk activism” cannot be successful with the “weak ties” of social networks. Instead, he argues that the “strong ties” of relationships with close friends encourage people to take part in this kind of activism.

Civil Rights Movement Successful Because of Close Connections

Gladwell cites the success of the Civil Rights Movement as an example of close friends coming together and making change happen. He explains in great detail some of the violence that those who participated had to endure and argues that these close connections encouraged them to keep fighting, even when they were in very dangerous situations.

Social Networks Take Advantage of Close Connections

Although Gladwell has a point, social networks can take advantage of close connections. Even though people can be Facebook friends with people they barely know, chances are that they're also Facebook friends with their true friends.

Sharing a Cause

If someone wants to talk about a cause, they can do this on Facebook, and if their close friends support it, they can share it with their close friends, and before too long, everyone will be talking about it. This is what made the Civil Rights movement successful. Four friends got together and planned the first sit-in, and this stirred things up. Eventually, other people found out about the cause and wanted to support it by joining in the movement. Social networks can take advantage of both types of connections.

Social Networks Have Heart Factor, Despite Claims

Gladwell argues that “activism that challenges the status quo, that attacks deeply-rooted problems, is not for the faint of heart” and that causes fought for through social networks have no heart factor. After all, little to no effort is required to like a Facebook page or follow someone on Twitter. This may be true, but that doesn’t mean that everyone who likes a Facebook page or follows someone on Twitter is doing so for no reason.

Average People Now Able to Support Important Causes

While there will be some people who focus their efforts on the high-risk aspects of a cause, there will be people who whole-heartedly support it but find their own way of contributing. There will always be people who sign up to support a cause with good intensions but who might not be able to participate in the high-risk aspects of supporting it. However, with social networks, everyone who signs up to support a cause can participate in their own way, even if they only like the Facebook page and share it with their friends.

Social Networks Only Used for Trivial Causes?

Gladwell claims that social networks can only be used for “helping Wall Streeters get cell phones back from teenage girls” and that these same networks cannot be used to change the world. If nothing else, they can get people talking about a cause. If the social network presence of a cause cannot change the world by itself, it will get people talking about it and organizing to challenge the status quo.

Social Networks Play Important Role in Spurring Change

Social networks have a place in initiating social change, despite Gladwell’s claims. They played a role in the revolutions in Egypt and Iran, and they will continue to have influence on social issues in the future. Although Gladwell makes some good points about the weaknesses that these networks can have, this doesn’t mean that social networks have no place in getting people to organize around a cause. They can get people thinking and talking about the cause, and everyone can participate and support it in their own way.

Social Networks and Traditional Organization can Integrate Lunch Counters

There are still “lunch counters that need integrating”, but who says that social networks can’t play a role in the process? Both methods of spurring social change, through strong ties with close friends and through the use of social networks, have strengths by themselves, but a combination of the two can take advantage of both kinds of connections.

Fans of "Hunger Games" Will Love "Mocking Jay Part 1"

If you are a big fan of the “Hunger Games” trilogy, you are going to love the movie “Hunger Games Mocking Jay Part 1.”

Book and Movie are Very Similar

The movie and the book are very similar. Unlike a lot of movies based on books, “Hunger Games Mocking Jay Part 1” only uses details from the book. Some of the minor details that are in the book are left out to keep the movie at a reasonable length, but no details are added as fillers.

Details Well-Represented

Many of the details from the book are represented well in the movie. Here are a few examples: The conditions Katniss gives in exchange for accepting the role of Mocking Jay The destruction of District Twelve Katniss’s reaction to the destruction Peeta’s plea to the districts to agree to a ceasefire Peeta’s reaction to the tracker jacker venom.

As I watched the movie, I was amazed by how well these were represented. Seeing Katniss’s reaction to the destruction of her home district almost made me cry. I thought the book was disturbing enough, but seeing Katniss struggle with her feelings in that way made it seem more real.

I could say the same thing about all of these examples. The way they were represented in the movie made the situation seem more real.

Audio Description Excellent, Though Some Details Left Out

As a blind viewer, I have to say that the audio description track is excellent. Even though a few details are left out, what is described makes the movie easy to follow.

Most of the visual details that are left out are minor, things that would be nice to know. For example, when Katniss is being shown her new bow and arrows, the describer does not say which arrows do what. I assume that those details are left out because, later, Katniss only uses the explosive arrows to shoot down the planes in District Eight. Even though minor details like this are left out of the description, it is still helpful.

Related Link: What Gone Girl Can Teach You About Your Marriage

Movie is Very Highly Recommended

Overall, I would highly recommend this movie. As a “Hunger Games” fan, I appreciate the way the details are represented. I look forward to seeing Part 2!

Another Rainy Day in Murfreesboro

It is another rainy day here at MTSU. Since I can't go outside to enjoy the weather, I am using this time effectively to catch up on school work while enjoying an awesome frappuccino from Starbucks. 

Amendment 1 Passes, Leading to Potentially Troubling Consequences

Now that Amendment 1 has passed, I am troubled by the potential impact on the rights of women in Tennessee. I expressed my concerns before the election on my personal blog. When I went to my polling place to vote in November 2014, there were the routine races for governor, state Senate, and House of Representatives. Then, there were various proposed amendments to the state constitution. It would be the first amendment, Amendment 1, that would grab my attention, even before I heard about it on the news. Everyone was talking about it. There was good reason for this. Amendment 1 essentially would give the Tennessee legislature the right to regulate abortion in ways that have been deemed uncomstitutional in the past. In 2000, the state Supreme Court ruled that this type of legislation was unconstitutional. The first time I heard about the amendment was at a faith and fellowship meeting. When I asked one of my friends afterwards, he explained it to me and said it was an important piece of legislation. I knew from the moment I first heard about it what my vote would be: No. Unfortunately, Amendment 1 passed. No matter what side of the debate you may be on, similar legislation in other states has led to some troubling results. Women in these states, who have no intention of ending their pregnancies, are being negatively impacted. If a woman has a miscarriage or stillbirth, chances are that if she is living in one of these states that she will be arrested and charged with fetal homicide, regardless of her situation. For me, when it comes to these issues, it’s not about being pro-life or pro-choice. You should do what you feel is right for your situation. The type of legislation that Amendment 1 will allow to be passed will deny women the right to do this. Looking at the language of the amendment and the reasoning behind the “Yes on 1” campaign, it would seem that this is simply an attempt to protect the valuable resource of innocent human life from the sinful act of abortion. However, this attempt to legislate morality will potentially go wrong in ways that impact everyone. Attempting to legislate morality when it comes to abortion can make a situation that is already tough to face even worse. Depending on the language of the legislation passed, a woman and her family may not be able to make these decisions based on their circumstances. For a woman who has no intention of ending her pregnancy, Amendment 1 also has the potential to cause problems. If she has complications that cause her pregnancy to be terminated, it may be determined that she has had an abortion, and she may be arrested and jailed for something she could not control. Perhaps a bigger issue is whether this type of legislation crosses the boundary between church and state. It seems that this type of legislation is influenced by the Catholic church and other Christian organizations. When I attended church one Sunday before the election, the priest read a letter from the bishop, encouraging everyone to vote for Amendment 1 and explaining all the reasons why. I felt very uncomfortable about this, not only because I disagreed with everything that was said, but because I thought church and state were too closely tied to one another. It’s one thing when a religion establishes rules and regulations as pillars for its beliefs; however, it’s quite another when the government attempts to legislate morality. Yes, we need laws that say that we shouldn’t steal or drive drunk, but when it comes to deeply personal issues, like abortion, the government should remain neutral. No matter where you may stand on the debate about abortion, one thing is clear. Amendment 1 has the potential to do some serious damage to the rights of women in Tennessee if action is not taken.