I have been having a hard time clearly framing my objections to the argument that casinos will improve the state's economy. And thankfully The Vindicator did it for me. I don't like the idea of the state profiting from what is essentially a rigged system. Casinos can be a lot of fun, and most people visit them responsibly and with a modest and predetermined amount of money set aside for that very purpose. But linking casinos to economic prosperity is no better than linking the economy to other industries that prosper on the worst of human nature: prisons, alcohol, etc.
I have no problem with building a casino in Ohio, but changing the state constitution and selling it as a lifeline for economic hardship is not the way to get my vote.
I just love the GOP philosophy that everyone is wrong but them.
Liberals are wrong. Europeans are wrong. Muslims are wrong. Government is wrong. Poor people are wrong. Environmentalists are wrong. Scientists are wrong. Gays and lesbians are wrong. Socialists are wrong.
Now, the most esteemed committee in the world is wrong because they choose someone for the PEACE prize who has done more for U.S. international relations in one year than our previous leadership did in eight. In fact, it was the philosophy of that previous administration that the U.S. didn't need international support or good will. In many ways, this award for Obama should be looked at as an award for the U.S. Its a symbol that were are a leader among peers and are no longer acting like a dictator to inferior nations.
Also, another problem with replacing one large deck with several smaller lots is the time (and gas) it will take to move from lot to lot until you find a space that's open. While YSU says most lots are only 90% filled, I've found that the smaller the lot, the less likely you are to find an open space. It also diminishes a person's chances of waiting until someone vacates a space, as the number of people leaving a 100-200-space lot at any given time is much smaller than the number of people leaving a 1,200-space deck. So I fear the university will find itself with far more traffic and congestion as students and faculty bump around a far wider area.
Actually, the "brown ball" cases are by far the exception. Far more athletes -- including football players -- excel in high school and college than are carried by their skill on the field or court. And many of those who do not perform well in college come from under-performing high schools and probably never would have seen a campus had they not been able to play. The number of cases like that Redskins player are a minuscule minority, and doing away with athletics across the board based on those cases is like shutting down the whole stock market because of a few people like Bernie Madoff.
The idea of passing classes, not grades is a really sound suggestion.
We take it for granted that a group of 10-year-olds may grow at different rates, enter puberty at different times, and develop athletic ability differently (or not at all), yet we expect them all to read and add at the same pace and memorize the same facts and dates at the same rate. The expectation is unreasonable and detrimental to overall cognitive growth. I'd rather my son learn at his own pace than not at all because the class passed him by.
However, I think abolishing athletics would be blatantly unfair to all students below middle-class whose parents can't afford the price of private sports. It's been proven over and over that students who play sports, especially girls, perform better academically, are at less risk for drugs and alcohol abuse, are more likely to attend college, have higher self-esteem, score higher on standardized tests, and are less likely to get into trouble. If anything, extracurricular activities should be mandatory.
The main point though, is that Ohio needs fundamental educational reform that does more than offer a variety of sub-standard options to the students most in need of help.
It's neither fair nor accurate to suggest that by directing some attention to campus aesthetics YSU officials are somehow neglecting academics.
Kilcawley Center was initially built in the 1960s for the same reason it is being renovated today -- to be a centralized gathering spot for students where they can eat, study, meet with friends, etc. Just as every competitive university has a rec center, state-of-the-art computer labs, attractive on-campus housing, and a variety of intramural sports and student organizations, a university is well-served by a functional and attractive student center. Universities are not just a place where students go for class, but where they work, eat, socialize and spend upwards of 50 hours or more a week. For several thousand students, it's where they live.
And considering YSU boasts award-winning and internationally-recognized programs, Rhodes Scholars, Ivy educated professors, and continually growing list of degrees, I don't think it is ignoring its primary function.
Whenever my husband is outside you can always hear him yelling at passing cars to "slow down". We live on Howard St. in Youngstown and since it runs parallel to Market from Midlothian to Pinehurst people see it as a quick short cut (and I do mean quick). We also have a young child and it terrifies us to see people going fast down the street. Many motorists have flipped off my husband or even slowed down to give him a dirty look but not one will stop to say anything in person. We have tried a few avenues for getting a stop sign on the street but have hit a dead end. The person we talked to said there need to be an engineering study and many other test to find out if one is necessary, and of course it all boils down to $$$ (or lack there of). I just wonder how fast a stop sign would go up if some one gets hit (god forbid). Until something is done my husband will continue to shout and hope that some one will listen before it is too late.
I wonder how many would-be Campbell students are enrolled in other districts through open enrollment or who go to charter schools or even private schools. Do parents of top performing students in Campbell take their kids out of the district at the same rate as in Youngstown, thus leaving the district with a higher proportion of under-performing and delinquent students. I think this is a very serious problem in Youngstown that is one of many serious causes of the district's performance.
That greatest generation of white, European immigrants was not hobbled by Jim Crow laws and segregation in the early- and mid-20th century when they were busy building this country. They were able to attend the better schools and enroll in colleges, to move into suburbs and earn promotions -- unlike their black counterparts. Remember George Wallace standing on the steps of the University of Alabama refusing to allow TWO black students to enter? Many blacks could not even attend the universities their tax dollars supported -- and the leaders of those state agreed. Furthermore, Wallace served as governor until 1987, which shows how much support he had for his segregationist opinions.
White European immigrants built this country because no one else was allowed to. Period.
White immigrants had to endure poverty for one generation. For more than 100 years, blacks have seen generation after generation face the same hatred, discrimination and poverty. As a result of that discrimination, more white children today have parents who have college degrees, live in wealthier areas, and earn more money.
Yes, there needs to be more emphasis on personal responsibility in order to stop the cycle of poverty in many parts of the black community, and both Bill Cosby and President Obama are right to call for stressing education and family stability. But I pity the person who is so myopic as to believe the white race is without responsibility for the racial inequities that exist in this country today.
Posted on October 12 at 11:18 a.m.
I have been having a hard time clearly framing my objections to the argument that casinos will improve the state's economy. And thankfully The Vindicator did it for me. I don't like the idea of the state profiting from what is essentially a rigged system. Casinos can be a lot of fun, and most people visit them responsibly and with a modest and predetermined amount of money set aside for that very purpose. But linking casinos to economic prosperity is no better than linking the economy to other industries that prosper on the worst of human nature: prisons, alcohol, etc.
I have no problem with building a casino in Ohio, but changing the state constitution and selling it as a lifeline for economic hardship is not the way to get my vote.
Posted on October 9 at 9:37 a.m.
I just love the GOP philosophy that everyone is wrong but them.
Liberals are wrong.
Europeans are wrong.
Muslims are wrong.
Government is wrong.
Poor people are wrong.
Environmentalists are wrong.
Scientists are wrong.
Gays and lesbians are wrong.
Socialists are wrong.
Now, the most esteemed committee in the world is wrong because they choose someone for the PEACE prize who has done more for U.S. international relations in one year than our previous leadership did in eight. In fact, it was the philosophy of that previous administration that the U.S. didn't need international support or good will. In many ways, this award for Obama should be looked at as an award for the U.S. Its a symbol that were are a leader among peers and are no longer acting like a dictator to inferior nations.
Posted on October 8 at 4:38 p.m.
Also, another problem with replacing one large deck with several smaller lots is the time (and gas) it will take to move from lot to lot until you find a space that's open. While YSU says most lots are only 90% filled, I've found that the smaller the lot, the less likely you are to find an open space. It also diminishes a person's chances of waiting until someone vacates a space, as the number of people leaving a 100-200-space lot at any given time is much smaller than the number of people leaving a 1,200-space deck. So I fear the university will find itself with far more traffic and congestion as students and faculty bump around a far wider area.
Posted on September 28 at 6:18 p.m.
Actually, the "brown ball" cases are by far the exception. Far more athletes -- including football players -- excel in high school and college than are carried by their skill on the field or court. And many of those who do not perform well in college come from under-performing high schools and probably never would have seen a campus had they not been able to play. The number of cases like that Redskins player are a minuscule minority, and doing away with athletics across the board based on those cases is like shutting down the whole stock market because of a few people like Bernie Madoff.
Posted on September 28 at 10:58 a.m.
The idea of passing classes, not grades is a really sound suggestion.
We take it for granted that a group of 10-year-olds may grow at different rates, enter puberty at different times, and develop athletic ability differently (or not at all), yet we expect them all to read and add at the same pace and memorize the same facts and dates at the same rate. The expectation is unreasonable and detrimental to overall cognitive growth. I'd rather my son learn at his own pace than not at all because the class passed him by.
However, I think abolishing athletics would be blatantly unfair to all students below middle-class whose parents can't afford the price of private sports. It's been proven over and over that students who play sports, especially girls, perform better academically, are at less risk for drugs and alcohol abuse, are more likely to attend college, have higher self-esteem, score higher on standardized tests, and are less likely to get into trouble. If anything, extracurricular activities should be mandatory.
The main point though, is that Ohio needs fundamental educational reform that does more than offer a variety of sub-standard options to the students most in need of help.
Posted on September 25 at 10:35 p.m.
Nobody except the 14,000 students who registered this fall.
Posted on September 25 at 10:26 a.m.
It's neither fair nor accurate to suggest that by directing some attention to campus aesthetics YSU officials are somehow neglecting academics.
Kilcawley Center was initially built in the 1960s for the same reason it is being renovated today -- to be a centralized gathering spot for students where they can eat, study, meet with friends, etc. Just as every competitive university has a rec center, state-of-the-art computer labs, attractive on-campus housing, and a variety of intramural sports and student organizations, a university is well-served by a functional and attractive student center. Universities are not just a place where students go for class, but where they work, eat, socialize and spend upwards of 50 hours or more a week. For several thousand students, it's where they live.
And considering YSU boasts award-winning and internationally-recognized programs, Rhodes Scholars, Ivy educated professors, and continually growing list of degrees, I don't think it is ignoring its primary function.
Posted on September 11 at 12:50 a.m.
Whenever my husband is outside you can always hear him yelling at passing cars to "slow down". We live on Howard St. in Youngstown and since it runs parallel to Market from Midlothian to Pinehurst people see it as a quick short cut (and I do mean quick). We also have a young child and it terrifies us to see people going fast down the street. Many motorists have flipped off my husband or even slowed down to give him a dirty look but not one will stop to say anything in person. We have tried a few avenues for getting a stop sign on the street but have hit a dead end. The person we talked to said there need to be an engineering study and many other test to find out if one is necessary, and of course it all boils down to $$$ (or lack there of). I just wonder how fast a stop sign would go up if some one gets hit (god forbid). Until something is done my husband will continue to shout and hope that some one will listen before it is too late.
Posted on September 5 at 3:11 p.m.
I wonder how many would-be Campbell students are enrolled in other districts through open enrollment or who go to charter schools or even private schools. Do parents of top performing students in Campbell take their kids out of the district at the same rate as in Youngstown, thus leaving the district with a higher proportion of under-performing and delinquent students. I think this is a very serious problem in Youngstown that is one of many serious causes of the district's performance.
Posted on August 31 at 10:02 p.m.
That greatest generation of white, European immigrants was not hobbled by Jim Crow laws and segregation in the early- and mid-20th century when they were busy building this country. They were able to attend the better schools and enroll in colleges, to move into suburbs and earn promotions -- unlike their black counterparts. Remember George Wallace standing on the steps of the University of Alabama refusing to allow TWO black students to enter? Many blacks could not even attend the universities their tax dollars supported -- and the leaders of those state agreed. Furthermore, Wallace served as governor until 1987, which shows how much support he had for his segregationist opinions.
White European immigrants built this country because no one else was allowed to. Period.
White immigrants had to endure poverty for one generation. For more than 100 years, blacks have seen generation after generation face the same hatred, discrimination and poverty. As a result of that discrimination, more white children today have parents who have college degrees, live in wealthier areas, and earn more money.
Yes, there needs to be more emphasis on personal responsibility in order to stop the cycle of poverty in many parts of the black community, and both Bill Cosby and President Obama are right to call for stressing education and family stability. But I pity the person who is so myopic as to believe the white race is without responsibility for the racial inequities that exist in this country today.