Preface: In order to understand how the Tarasoff verdict was reached and why it is an example of judicial activism, it is first necessary to be aware of the facts that led to the initiation of the case. In 1969, a man named Prosenjit Poddar began seeing a psychologist named Lawrence Moore who worked for the Cowell Memorial Hospital at UC Berkeley (Tobriner 1976, 2). Poddar … [Read more...] about “Legislating from the Bench” in Tarasoff v. UC Regents
Politics
Casual Labor
“Social participation is the oil of the digital economy.” – Trebor Scholz[1] “The consumer is sovereign in a jungle of ugliness, where the freedom of choice is imposed on him.” – Jean Baudrillard[2] Histories of Play and Labor In his short essay “Money for Nothing: Virtual Worlds and Virtual Economies,” Steven Shaviro traces what he sees as the historical trajectory … [Read more...] about Casual Labor
Accountability on the High Seas: Royal Caribbean and Labor Rights Abuses
A 2008 Royal Caribbean commercial dares the consumer to “cast off conventions of life on land and set sail, free to ask, ‘Why not?’ Why not ice skate on the equator? Sunbathe past glaciers? Climb mountains at sea? […] Or do nothing at all?” Royal Caribbean’s ships are like giant playgrounds at sea for adults and children alike. As the commercial proudly points out, … [Read more...] about Accountability on the High Seas: Royal Caribbean and Labor Rights Abuses
OMT, OMG! Osteopathy Makes It Better
*Note: This paper was written before the implementation of health care reform by the Obama administration in 2010. However, this does not in any way lessen the importance or timeliness of the claims being made. Atul Gawande, endocrine surgeon and author of Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance, has said that it takes a certain ingenuity and innovation to excel in health … [Read more...] about OMT, OMG! Osteopathy Makes It Better
Teach for America
As a teacher-training program for failing public schools, Teach for America (TFA) has become an increasingly prestigious non-profit for graduates from elite universities. However, criticism has plagued the organization from the beginning. When TFA celebrated its fourth birthday in 1994, leading author and educational policy researcher Linda Darling-Hammond lambasted it as a … [Read more...] about Teach for America