The CalTV Project

Straight from Cal Day 2006

Administrator — Sat, 06 May 2006 23:45:05 +0000

Here is an excerpt from the Cal Day 2006 website (berkeley.edu/calday):

UC Berkeley is an exciting place every day — a center of new ideas, research discoveries, thrilling sports, dazzling performances. But Cal Day is like no other here on campus. Spend it in Cal’s classrooms and labs, museums and performance halls, libraries and arenas. Take in all that Berkeley has to offer, and see why Cal is the world’s premier public university. Welcome to Cal Day — we’re proud to show you around!

Robert J. Birgeneau
Chancellor

Protesters of stricter immigration laws jeopardize their own

Administrator — Sat, 06 May 2006 23:10:18 +0000

As Congress debates the legislation that calls for harsher punishment of illegal immigrants, citizens and non-citizens alike are participating in organized protests—and getting punished for it. Hundreds of protestors have been fired for missing work to speak out against the bill that would make illegal immigration a felony and increase border security, among other measures. Although some employees have been reinstated by questioning the legality of a layoff, business owners complain that employee absence—especially when it happens in the masses—simply disrupt the company’s ability to serve customers. But what exactly is the difference between an absence for illness and one for protest? Politics? Is it fair to lay off workers for exercising their right to protest and, most of all, should the workers even risk their jobs by fighting against the immigration reform bill?

Should Religious Adoption Organizations Allow Gays to Adopt

Administrator — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 00:25:37 +0000

A Catholic charity organization in Boston shuts down its adoption services because of a state law allowing gays and lesbians to adopt children. Currently, the governor of Massachusetts is planning to file a bill that would allow religious organizations to be exempt from this law. Should the government create such a law that impedes the Church’s teachings and would it be right to only exempt religious institutions from following this law?

Links
KHON2>

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta Rallies Students for ‘Fit Nation’

Administrator — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 16:59:44 +0000

CNN’s senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta brought his “Fit Nation” initiative to UC Berkeley on Thursday as part of a nationwide health advocacy campaign targeting obesity. Students and expert panelists convened at the Recreational Sports Facility to have an open discussion about health and fitness. Berkeley’s panel featured California’s First Lady Maria Shriver, along with Berkeley Professors Joanne Ikeda and Marion Nestle, Dr. Ronald Krauss of the American Heart Association, and Neal Boulton of Men’s Fitness. Fit Nation’s audience generated ideas on how to make the campus healthier and received feedback from the panelists about putting those plans into action.

CalTV spoke with Dr. Gupta and the First Lady for their take on the obesity problem, and also caught up with audience members at the Fit Nation event.

Hit the “SPEAK” button and let us know what you think about health and fitness. Is it a problem on the Cal campus? What can we do to be a more fit community?

Links
CNN: Fit Nation
Fit Nation Needs Grassroots Efforts

Workers Rights: Paris, Protests, and the CPE

Administrator — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 06:27:07 +0000

A new labor law proposed by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has monopolized French politics and discussion for the past month. The law, First Employment Contract or Contrat Premiere Embauche, CPE, originally stated that it will allow employers to fire workers under the age of 26 without justification or notice within a 2 year trial period. The law is intended to help reduce Frances extremely high unemployment rate and to provide more “equal opportunity” policies. President Jacques Chirac oversaw revisions to the law that would reduce the trial period to 1 year and will require employers to provide justification for terminating the employment of young workers. Although amendments to the law have been made, the law is still not put into action and the specifics of it are not yet confirmed. Also, a lot of people are left confused and are unsure about the future of the law because Chirac has left the law pending although he said it will be promulgated, therefore the future of France’s labor front is still in question.

Suicide Websites Increase Suicide Rates

Administrator — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 07:36:49 +0000

As the world becomes more technologically advanced, suicide websites are becoming more and more prevalent worldwide, therefore making suicide a kind of popular group activity among the young in Japan. These website frequenters exchange suicide suggestions and ideas on the site through blogging or chatrooms, often aiding each other and even planning to die together. These sites have aided to the rise in Japanese suicide rates, and the arguments against the banning of these sites are that the suicidal people will go to overseas suicide sites and that they find comfort in commiserating with each other.

Links
CNN
WHO: Suicide Rates

Barry Bonds: Benefactor of Steroids or Victim of the Media?

Administrator — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 18:55:53 +0000

Excerpts from a book which alleges that Barry Bonds used steroids from at least 1998 to 2002 appeared in a recent edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. Written by two San Francisco Chronicle writers who have been covering the Major League Baseball scandal since 2003, the book bases its allegations on evidence from over 1,000 pages of documents and interviews with over 200 people. The authors insist that this evidence proves that Bonds used an array of performance enhancing drugs, ranging from insulin to human growth hormone, most of which were not illegal in baseball at the time. With the all-time single-season home run champ once again coming under fire by the media with which he has never had a good relationship, is Bonds getting a bad rap for the ills of professional sport, or is it time for Major League Baseball to make an example out of one of its biggest stars?

Is No Child Left Behind?

Administrator — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 07:12:31 +0000

In 2001, the Bush administration passed the “No Child Left Behind Act”. It promised to keep teachers, administrators and schools accountable for the education of our nation. By administering annual standardized tests to 3rd through 8th graders throughout the nation,
allowing states the freedom to set their own standards. Schools that do not meet passing standards or show signs of improvement risk denial of federal and state funding as well as closure. National results show improvement all over the country, but specifically in California,
there is a growing disparity in the results of affluent and poor students as well as between white and minority students leading to
question whether this system is an efficient barometer of accountability. For instance, the Act does not take into account schools lacking in funding, impoverished student bodies, and special needs students. Amongst other school districts, the Bay Area schools are being affected by the law, because of failure to pass these standardized tests. Schools are closing down, crowding other schools in the district while other schools are narrowing down their curriculum to exclude every subject except those tested: math and reading. Is the future of our college population at risk by this tunnel vision teaching or is method the only way to keep teachers and schools accountable for teaching our youth?

Females Shackled During Childbirth: Criminal Behavior?

Administrator — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 18:54:11 +0000

An Amnesty International USA report finds that twenty-three states currently allow pregnant female prisoners to be shackled during childbirth. While this practice may pose risks for the 2,000 prison births every year, state corrections officials contend that the women are prone to violence or may try to escape. Should the safety of hospital staff be compromised for the sake of the inmate’s well-being, or should criminals stay confined to a different set of rights?

Links
New York Times

India-US Nuclear Deal: Blowing it Out of Proportion?

Administrator — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 20:27:45 +0000

India has agreed to separate its military and civilian nuclear plants, and also open the latter to international inspections. US administration officials praise the deal for its promise of better ties with a thriving democracy and reduced competition for world oil. The White House, willing to risk losing ground in the worldwide campaign to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, has arranged a deal with India that could help it counter the rising power of China. At the same time though, administration officials understand that an India that is more prosperous, and well armed, represents a hedge against Chinese military ambitions. Such a counter is an important component of U.S. strategy.

However, Pakistan was refused a similar nuclear agreement by President Bush just a few days after. Being one of the key allies of the US for struggling against terrorism, Pakistan has some nuclear image problems in the world after confessing that an entrepreneur for nuclear weapons in Pakistan sold its nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. This agreement between the US and India may provide an outlet to further harm the already shaky relationship between India and Pakistan. Neither India nor its nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan has signed the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Many experts believe the U.S.-India agreement is likely to convince non-nuclear nations that they can proceed with bomb-building programs in the face of international disapproval, and eventually win back American support anyway.