Be a follower, Microsoft!

Two days ago, Google ceased censoring its search results in China. Although the possibility of this happening has been around for a while, with China pleading Google to comply with its strict internet policy, it is a monumental event in a country where censorship is a part of daily life. China's strict policy involves censoring search results that aren't favorable to the government. Up till now, no company has disobeyed China's demands, choosing to go along with China even at the loss of human rights.

In addition, Congress today praised Google's decision in a hearing today, saying the decision to stop censorship "was the right decision". But they didn't stop there. Representative Chris Smith, a republican from New Jersey, said that "They [Microsoft] need to get on the right side of human rights rather than enabling tyranny, which they're doing right now." Is Smith right that Microsoft is "enabling tryanny"? Or are they simply following the status quo is a country where censorship has been the norm for many years? In addition, is it smart for the U.S. government to take such a strong stance on the issue? Regardless of whether its right or wrong, is it worth possibly jeopardizing our foreign relations with the biggest country in the world? 

Safety v Entertainment

At the recent General Manager meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, all the National Hockey League GMs got together to discuss pressing issues pertaining to the NHL. One of the main topics discussed was that of dangerous hits to the head. One of the main reasons this was such a talked about topic was because of the recent hit on Boston Bruins Center Marc Savard, who has a grade 2 concussion and will likely be out the rest of the season. As fun as watching bone-crushing hits can be, is it worth the potential for injury? And its not like this is just an issue for hockey, either. In baseball, pitchers throw hard baseballs in excess of 90 mph. Although it provides excellent entertainment, watching someone get hit in the face and crumple to the ground is a truly horrifying thing to watch. In nascar, drivers drive at ridiculously high speeds in order to entertain the public. But when does the risk for gut-wrenching crashes outweigh the fun of the race? Although Nascar has recently taken precautions to help prevent crashes, just last week Brad Keselowski was flipped during the race, creating a serious safety hazard for the racers and the fans. Although it is obvious that sports need risk to be entertaining, just when does that risk cross the line? When does it become too dangerous to risk? And are leagues doing enough to prevent serious injury for their athletes and participants. As Sam noted in her blog, Melted Crayons, without danger, sports wouldn't be near as exciting. But at what point does that danger step over the line?

A Dominance of Epic Proportions

A few weeks ago in class, we talked about the treatment of women's sports compared to men's sports. One of the examples of a women's sport which wasn't getting as much attention as it should was NCAA Women's Basketball, where the University of Connecticut women have reeled off a record seventy one wins in a row. For some perspective, the Washington Capitals recently made big news by winning fourteen consecutive hockey games, their franchise record and the longest win streak of the season for any team. If you multiply that streak by 5 .... you still don't have the amazing streak the UConn women have accomplished. And yet, unless you follow NCAA Women's basketball, you probably haven't heard about the streak more than a few times in passing. The only reason the UConn Huskies' streak has recently been more publicized on ESPN and Sportscenter is because the Huskies just broke the old NCAA basketball record of 70 wins set by ... the UConn women's team from 2001-03! If that isn't enough to get noticed, what is? It's not like the Huskies don't play good teams. In fact, they schedule as many top 5 opponents as possible, only to destroy them as convincingly as if they were a High School team. In addition, they have arguably the two best players in the country, in Tina Charles (pictured) and Maya Moore. By being so completely dominant (and basically assuring themselves of a national championship), have the UConn Huskies Women's team actually hurt the popularity of their sport? Or is it just that women's sports won't be as popular as men's sports for the foreseeable future, even in the face of a dominant team such as the Huskies?

A Diverse Curriculum

              Today in class, we talked about the value of classes in the arts, such as dance and orchestra, as opposed to the value of technical classes such as math and science. The general consensus was that both groups of classes are very important to the development of students in many different ways. However, our educational system in the united states clearly values the technical classes, where a definite test and grade be given afterwards, and which better prepare you for your future career, supposedly.

             This made me think of the colleges I am looking at, and what type of classes they focus upon. As I blogged about in my earlier blog about diversity in colleges, I have started looking at colleges, and thinking about what trends appeal to me. One of the most important things to me in a college was its value on a liberal arts education. But as I thought about this ideal, I realized that I didn't really have any reasoning to back me up on my preferences. Its not like taking a class in Ancient Roman history would help prepare me for an engineering major. But yet, a liberal arts education still appealed greatly to me. But why?
             I believe that the reason I value the well-rounded education a liberal arts college would give me relates a lot to my life goals. As I commented on the An American Studies blog run by Mr. Bolos and Mr. O'Connor, my "green light", or goal, is to be able to escape the North Shore bubble I live in and experience all the diversity and treasures the rest of the world has to offer. By having an education at a Liberal Arts oriented university, I would be able to experience a lot more diversity in my education than focusing on a primarily technical course load. What are some other reasons for valuing a Liberal Arts education, or more specifically, what are some reasons for valuing arts classes such as music?