Columns - The Eastern Echo

Diversity of Obama’s Cabinet is a nonissue

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013

Over the last week, I have heard complaints from the news media about a lack of diversity in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet and inner circle. However, this is just something for the media to complain about in order to fill space in newspapers and newscasts, because it is not a big deal in a practical sense.

Facebook’s Graph Search will not replace Google

By Jodi F. Bullock · Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013

It seems every Facebook announcement is surrounded by substantial buzz, and the latest is no different. On Tuesday, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Graph Search: A new feature that will allow users to search for specific items within their social circle or, in Facebook- speak, “graph.”

People should question value of sports

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013

Ray Lewis is an extraordinary football player who will undoubtedly end up in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Echoer

By Jodi F. Bullock · Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

White House rejects Death Star petition While not the answer they were hoping for—34,435 “Star Wars” fans have received a response to their petition for the Obama Administration to begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.

Snyder can’t claim to be moderate

By James Tatum · Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

There was little to do but chuckle as I came upon a past article by The New York Times, “Michigan’s GOP governor defies easy labels,” a hagiography of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s moderate presence in the state.

Open online classes right move

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

In the modern era, the Internet is everywhere. This is no less true for higher education, where online use is on the rise, with entire colleges testing the digital waters by offering massive open online courses.

Don’t let stress take over your life

By Jumanah Saadeh · Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

As we begin the new semester, there is a lot to be sorted out: Work schedules, financial aid, last-minute classes to add and homework assigned. The start of the semester is stressful and often leaves me wondering if all the stress is actually worth it.

Israel’s ban on thin useless

By Jodi F. Bullock · Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013

Rail-thin women who look as though they barely have the energy to stomp down a catwalk have become the typical face of fashion the world over. In an attempt to change that, Israel recently passed a law banning underweight models from appearing in photo shoots or runway shows.

‘Biggest Loser’ can inspire teens

By Jennifer Kirby · Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013

In its new season, the reality television show “The Biggest Loser” is focusing on three teenagers. The intention is to inspire families, teenagers and children to start getting more active in everyday life. This is one of the best ideas I have ever heard coming from a reality television show.

Steubenville rape prompts reflection

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013

While Eastern Michigan University was on break, national attention turned to a horrifying story unfolding in the small town of Steubenville, Ohio.

US citizens cannot be trusted with guns

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013

After the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., many public figures have come out on the side of expanding gun control. Allowing law-abiding citizens to take affirmative actions in their own defense will do nothing more than endanger the citizens around them, because even the most educated individuals are too irresponsible to make good decisions.

Letter to the editor

By Lois Vasquez · Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013

Every semester since I transferred to Eastern Michigan University, I get angry and vow that I’m going to do something about it and every semester I don’t.

News outlets should brush up on journalism this year

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013

New Year’s resolutions can be an important step to overcoming personal shortcomings—something our twenty-four hour news cycle could certainly use.

Debate on guns needed; more laws a possibility

By James Tatum · Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013

People say you shouldn’t politicize tragedies. But you should. Every mass shooting, like the recent Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., is an opportunity to have a conversation about our gun culture. For it is the rare occasion, despite the frequency of these horrors, that you have the public’s attention.

Apocalyptic predictions fail us once again

By Rose Carver · Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013

It might have felt like the end of the world could have happened on the night of Dec. 21, but it didn’t.

Echoer

By Sammy DeMarco and Jodi F. Bullock · Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

*Good riddance, Julea Ward By Jodi F. Bullock* Four years after it began, eastern michigan university has settled a lawsuit brought by former student Julea Ward for $75,000. Ward was kicked out of the graduate counseling program after she referred a gay client to another counselor because as an evangelical Christian she believes that homosexuality is immoral.

Business tax incentives ineffective

By James Tatum · Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

The New York Times reported Dec. 3 that U.S. auto manufacturers posted sales had risen 15 percent in November. This year there has been plenty of positive news to report on the American auto industry. In January, it was reported that General Motors, which is headquartered in Detroit, repositioned itself as the top auto manufacturer in the world.

Hey NASA, what about Venus?

By Jennifer Kirby · Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

In 2020, NASA is expecting to release a new rover to explore the planet Mars. This will be the fourth rover they have sent. Instead of exploring places we have already been, NASA should push the limits and branch out among the stars by sending high-tech rovers to other planets, like Venus.

Gaza Strip compromise unlikely

By Robert Uldricks · Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

In November, the Israelis and the Palestinians had a little kerfuffle over rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The group Hamas, a militant organization that won power in 2007 through democratic elections, is fond of firing rockets at Israeli settlements.

Education plan worthy

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012

In a Nov. 18 article, the Detroit Free Press announced that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is proposing a massive overhaul of the state’s education system, called the Michigan Public Education Finance Act. Opposition has come from many directions, including public school officials and the American Federation of Teachers.