Social media used to support DAPL protest


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If you were on Facebook over the weekend, you probably saw among the Halloween pictures and election posts at least one friend check in at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Most of these friends, however, were likely not in North Dakota. According to the Los Angeles Times, over 1.3 million people have checked in to […]

Unsexy, non-protest work needed to fight DAPL


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I’ve been following the Standing Rock case for several weeks because issues of infrastructure, sovereignty and localism interest me. And I’ve been seeing the innumerable check-ins to Standing Rock, North Dakota, clutter up my Facebook newsfeed, and I have a few things to say to everyone doing that. First off, you may have been bamboozled […]

Violent media fuels negativity


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As the presidential election closes in, the barrage of news detailing the newest scandal becomes all the more rapid. What begins as a scan of your Facebook newsfeed or a few clicks on your favorite website unravels into an inexorable descent. After several minutes or several hours, we finally breach the surface, gasping for air, […]

Dual immersion can improve learning ability


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Proposition 58 is one of the most important education initiatives on this election cycle’s ballot. It would allow school districts to create dual immersion programs. Proposition 58 would replace Proposition 227, which currently mandates that English is the only language allowed to be used in classrooms, besides foreign language courses. Proposition 227 required English Language […]

Trump’s sexist quip mobilizes women


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While this year’s presidential debates have provided plenty of fodder for memes and late night skits, it was the third and final debate that seemed to create the largest trend the fastest. In fact, Forbes claims that an entire economy was created: “The Nasty Woman Economy.” From “wrong” to “no, you’re the puppet,” Republican presidential […]

Ballot voting can protect human rights


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Come Nov. 8, California voters will not only have the opportunity to voice their choice for the president of the United States, but also to influence state legislation. There are 17 measures in total on the ballot in California — each promising something different. Given the barrage of political commentary surrounding the presidential race, these […]

ESSA proposes a better alternative to testing


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Under the No Child Left Behind Act, students, schools and teachers have all been graded by student standardized test scores — despite the fact that studies have not been able to demonstrate conclusively that such a system is effective in increasing achievement. Schools should not measure teachers based on how students perform on exams. As […]

GOP — practice what you preach


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While Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump dismissed it as “locker room banter,” people across social media were quick to call out the dangerous nature of the now infamous Trump tapes, in which Trump, among other things, discusses kissing and grabbing women “by the p—y.” After the tape was released, one Twitter user, first introduced by […]