Accident on Interstate 80, Friday Feb. 24

February 24th, 2012. Tractor-trailor accident around 44th mile-marker. Truck ran off into the median.

A Boozer's Tour of Slippery Rock

Is Affirmative Action a negative reaction?

Affirmative Action seems to be an issue that most people tip-toe around in public debate. Given the history of affirmative action, few people would deny that there was a time in our nation's history that such a policy was necessary.

As we progress as a society, the question occasionally arises of whether Affirmative Action is still necessary today. As we weigh the pros and cons of Affirmative Action, certain questions must be addressed. Has the policy helped us progress toward a more fair and equitable society? Are minorities still at a significant disadvantage? Do racial preferences actually combat racism, or do they only reinforce existing racial prejudices?

John McWhorter, a linguistics professor who describes himself as a liberal Democrat, argued in an NPR debate that Affirmative Action continues to perpetuate a culture of victimization among African Americans. He also argues that diversity has not been shown to lead to a higher quality education.

Other research suggests that the arguments against affirmative action are myths and the the current policy must remain in effect to ensure equality in education and hiring.

One thing is for certain, topics concerning race relations come with a significant amount of emotional baggage. I believe that in determining the future of Affirmative Action, it will be necessary for both sides to set aside emotional appeals and let the bare facts speak for themselves.

Finding Felisa

Finding information on the internet can be a challenge. When there are so many voices, they can't all be reliable. Wikipedia is commonly criticized as an unreliable source, since it is created by the subscribers themselves. However, I find that Wikipedia can be a valuable resource when used properly.

Every fact stated in a Wikipedia article should be followed by a citation number. If there is no citation, there is a good chance the information is unconfirmed. Clicking on the citation number will direct you to the end of the article where the sources are listed. From there, you can click on links leading to the source material and evaluate the credibility of the sources themselves.

Recently, I set out to find information on Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon.

Felisa is a microbial geobiologist and biogeochemist. So far, I know that she's a smart, sexy lady with several complicated titles following her name. So how do I go about finding out more? I may want to know what she's published, what she's most famous for, and if she'd like to go out to dinner with me.

Following the Wikipedia trail, I found Felisa's official website, which lists her credentials and various publications. I also found that she is a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard. Yet another source link led me to a New York Times article covering a controversy over Felisa's research. 

Apparently, Dr. Wolfe-Simon name was made public by her research involving the possibility of a bacterium capable of substituting arsenic for phosphorus in its DNA. Phosphorus is now deemed one of the components essential for life. If a life-form is found able to substitute something else for phosphorus, this would have implications on the possibility for discovering life elsewhere in the universe. It is precisely this type of speculation that pushed Dr. Wolfe-Simon into the public sphere. If such a discovery were made, it would most certainly be groundbreaking. Unfortunately, in the midst of all the hype, many criticisms were made about the "sloppy science" done in the research process. 

After the controversy blew over, the public has heard very little from Felisa. If I had the chance to interview her, I'd probably ask for a response to the criticisms of her research and what direction her research had gone between then and now. And then, I might ask her if she'd like to have dinner with me.