Author Archives: Aychen Halim

Posts by Aychen Halim

Comments by Aychen Halim

"The problem with school lunches goes even beyond the simple fact that they serve unhealthy food. In addition to this, school lunch programs include ad campaigns that are quasi-propaganda to convince kids that foods with dubious nutritional benefits are good for them. Most of us probably remember the Got Milk? ads from grade school. They featured famous athletes with milk mustaches, purporting the view that milk is good for you. I remember being pressured by the lunch ladies in my elementary school to take a carton of milk with my lunch everyday (despite being lactose intolerant). However, the claim that milk is good for your bones because it provides calcium and vitamin D is likely unfounded (Carroll). In fact, the high fat content of milk, especially whole milk, might do more damage to one's health than good (Carroll). The Got Milk? ads were created by Dairy Management, Inc., a nonprofit organization established by the US government to increase dairy consumption (Carroll). This shows that the lobbyists for major agricultural industries not only influence the foods that kids eat at school, but also misinform children about what is and isn't healthy. Carroll, Aaron E. "Got Milk? Might Not Be Doing You Much Good." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 05 May 2015. ."
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post The Health Problem Facing the Nation: Obesity )
 
"I think your point about stress ties very well into the discussion about preventative care that we had in class the other day. Since stress causes such diverse health problems as irregular heartbeat, depression, overeating, strokes, heart disease, and heart attacks and costs taxpayers $300 million per year, it would make sense for the government to have stronger anti-stress initiatives. Since most stress is related to personal finance/work, laws and regulations such as raising the minimum wage, legally requiring a certain amount of paid vacation, requiring parental leave comparable to Western Europe, etc., could effectively not only reduce stress, but reduce many of the health problems associated with it. Economically, though, I'm not whether the $300 million per year saved by reducing stress would exceed the cost of implementing and maintaining such measures."
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post Public Health Problems and Solution )
 
"I agree that one of the biggest problems facing the wage gap issue is all the misinformation surrounding it. Whenever the wage gap statistic is brought up, people often counter it by stating that women tend to choose to work in lower-paying industries than men. While this is true, studies show that women make less than men even when they work the exact same job and have the exact same levels of experience as their male colleagues. As you stated, part of this is due to the fact that women feel less confident about negotiating their salaries and asking for raises than men. Moreover, since confidence is an issue for women, we have to ask ourselves why women choose to work in lower paying industries than men. Is it because they naturally enjoy certain types of work more, or is it because they are conditioned from a young age to feel intimidated by STEM disciplines? Although I do believe that women should have the right to choose to work in any field they want, I think we need to make sure that they are truly choosing their disciplines for themselves and that social norms aren’t deciding for them."
--( posted on Apr 21, 2015, commenting on the post Gender Inequality Solutions: Working Against the Pay Gap )
 
"I’m not entirely sure what you’re arguing for in your second point. Are you saying that individuals who choose to be full-time parents should receive full salaries or should they receive smaller stipends? Either way, I’m not sure how this would contribute to the removal of gender roles. Women already disproportionately leave the workforce to care for children compared to men. If they are given financial incentives to do so, then I think this imbalance would increase. With these incentives, many families would reason that rather than having two working parents, it is financially better for one parent to remain home with the kids, and in most cases, that parent would be the mom. Not only would this increase the gender divide in the workforce, but it would also cause the workforce to shrink, which would have significant economic repercussions. Furthermore, implementing this solution would be nearly impossible. Finding sources of funding to pay each stay-at-home parent a salary/stipend would be extremely difficult. Also, our nation’s political culture makes it almost impossible for any policy with even the slightest socialist bent to be implemented. Even in liberal New York, I can’t see such a radical bill receiving a lot of backing."
--( posted on Apr 21, 2015, commenting on the post Gender Gap & Economic Growth Solutions )
 
"Interesting that you should mention that boy children are more desired than girls. Numerous studies show that having boys as opposed to girls reduces the likelihood that a couple will get divorced (Newman). Furthermore, mothers with only boys have happier marriages than those with a mixed group of girl and boys (Newman). It is believed that this is because when fathers have sons, they take a more active role in child-rearing than they do with daughters (Newman). This means that with male children, child-rearing responsibilities are more equitably distributed between the mother and father, which makes the mother feel more content than she would in a marriage with daughters, where the majority of child-rearing burdens fall on her. This probably has a noticeable impact on divorce rates, since US statistics show that 73% of divorces are initiated by the wife (Kelly). However, I think the implications of men taking a more active role in child-rearing with their sons go beyond marital stability for the parents. This means that young boys have a leg up over young girls by having two parents that are very actively involved in their upbringing as opposed to having only one. When fathers participate more in raising their sons than their daughters, those boys gain a knowledge and support base at an early age that girls - maybe even their sisters - lack. Kelly, Anita E. "Why Parents of Girls Divorce More." Psychology Today. N.p., 29 Aug. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2015 Newman, Susan. "Are Boys More Desirable Than Girls?" Psychology Today. N.p., 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2015."
--( posted on Mar 31, 2015, commenting on the post Gender and Economic Growth Problems )
 
"I find the idea that men tend to rise through the ranks faster than women even in female-dominated professions interesting. One likely cause of this is that the stereotypes of what makes a typical man match the stereotypes for a good leader (Goudreau). Interestingly enough, when men enter female-dominated professions, they tend to rise through the ranks faster than they would in a male-dominated work setting, possibly because when they are surrounded by female colleagues, there are fewer competitors among them who fulfill the stereotypical notions of what a leader should be, which makes it easier for men to be chosen for management positions in these types of jobs (Goudreau). I remember in Sheryl Sandberg's TED Talk, she described how women that share identical leadership characteristics with men tend to be perceived as mean for their assertiveness, while men with these same characteristics are simply perceived as good leaders. So while it may seem that women can combat the glass escalator phenomenon by working on their leadership qualities, doing so may actually create another obstacle to getting promoted - being unliked at their job. Goudreau, Jenna. "A New Obstacle For Professional Women: The Glass Escalator." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 21 May 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2015."
--( posted on Mar 31, 2015, commenting on the post Gender Lens and Economic Growth Problem Set )
 
"Your solution to alternate college education with internships reminded me of the vocational school system that they use in Switzerland. Two-thirds of 15 to 16-year-olds in Switzerland choose to continue their education through the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, which combines part-time vocational education with a part-time apprenticeship (Bachmann). This system has apparently proved successful for Switzerland, whose unemployment rate among young people was less than 3% as of 2012 (Bachmann). Although I can't envision vocational training becoming widespread in the United States, whose culture places high value on liberal arts education, I definitely believe that there is a market for vocational training and apprenticeships in the United States, and even if a few universities like Drexel implement these types of programs, I think a lot of students would benefit from them. Bachmann, Helen. "Who Needs College? The Swiss Opt for Vocational School | TIME.com." World Who Needs College The Swiss Opt for Vocational School Comments. Time, Inc., 04 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2015."
--( posted on Mar 17, 2015, commenting on the post Work Solution )
 
"I agree that unpaid educational positions should legally be limited to school settings. I think that banning unpaid internships in business settings will not only prevent the exploitation of interns, but also reduce the current trend of companies decreasing training for new employees and instead looking to hire only people who already have the skills that they want. Decreasing employee training is problematic because it makes it difficult for companies to fill positions because they struggle to find employees with the exact skill sets that they want. It also makes it difficult for people who are new to the workforce and have limited skills to find jobs. Thus, this trend leads to increased unemployment and decreased productivity. I believe that banning unpaid internships in business settings can help reverse this new tendency to reduce employee training because many companies now expect that young people will gain the skills and experience necessary to qualify for their job openings via unpaid internships. If these types of internships are banned, people who are new to the workforce will have no means of gaining the work experience that companies want for entry-level positions. Eventually, as the number of potential employees who have the exact skills that companies want dwindles, companies will have no choice but to go back to hiring people without experience and begin training them themselves."
--( posted on Mar 17, 2015, commenting on the post Workplace Solution – Reimagining Internships )
 
"Companies complain that college graduates lack the necessary experience to perform jobs, but I think that this indicates a shift in the mentality of employers rather than a decrease in the quality of higher education. Liberal arts education has never been about vocational training, and I don't think that colleges should be tasked with teaching students how to operate fax machines. A few generations ago, college graduates did not struggle to find jobs directly out of school. Granted, this was in part due to the fact that fewer people attended college, so having a degree was a distinguishing characteristic among job applicants, whereas today a degree represents the bare minimum qualification for most jobs. However, another factor that I believe contributes to the declining employability of recent grads in the eyes of employers in recent times is that companies have moved away from training newly-hired employees to only hiring those that already have the necessary skills. So, it's not that colleges have gotten worse at preparing students for the job market, but that employers want to shift the burden of training employees away from themselves."
--( posted on Mar 9, 2015, commenting on the post Problem 2 – The Future of Work )
 
"I also feel that workers in the United States do not receive enough time off. I think that part of the reason why the US lags behind other developed nations in terms of the number of days off is in part due to the misconception that more time spent in the office equals higher productivity. In the office where I work part-time, the full-time staff members normally work five days a week, except during the summer, when they have Fridays off. During late August of last year, as the summer was coming to a close, many of my coworkers complained that they should have Fridays off during the entire year, since they were able to complete just as much work during their four-day summer work weeks as they normally completed during their five-day work weeks. I agree with you that instead of requiring employees to spend more time at the office, companies should consider ways to restructure the workplace to optimize efficiency and incentive workers to complete their work faster and more effectively. In my office, employees know that they will only get Fridays off during the summer if they can demonstrate that they can keep up with their work, so they work faster during the summer in order to be done with their work by Thursday."
--( posted on Mar 9, 2015, commenting on the post Future of Work Problems )
 
"I agree entirely that officers are inadequately trained in psychology and human behavior. I looked at the Police Academy's curriculum while researching solutions to the problem of distrust between the NYPD and civilian communities, and I was surprised to find that new recruits are not required to take any humans skills-related classes prior to graduation ("Police Academy"). The Police Academy tries to fit in a lot of information during five months of training, but many subjects are inadequately taught or overlooked entirely. The NYPD likely lacks the financial resources to extend the training period for new recruits, which has led me to consider the idea that perhaps it should require officers-in-training to pay for their own education. This is the norm with most professions today - if you want to be a lawyer, accountant, etc., you will have to pay for your own training. If new recruits even partially pay for their own education at the Police Academy, the NYPD may be able to raise the funds that it needs to lengthen the training period and provide a more adequate education to members of the force. The extended training time and tuition will likely deter a number of potential recruits from applying to the force, but this may actually be a good thing because it could weed out the people who are not serious about the job and instead view it as easy money. I believe that the perks of the job will still far outweigh this cost. Officers earn over $90,000 after just 5.5 years of experience with the force, far more than what many white-collar jobs that require an undergraduate degree pay (John). Therefore, requiring future officers to pay for their own training should not be a huge deterrent to applicants. Works Cited: John, Ciaran, and Demand Media. "Salary for a Rookie Cop in the NYPD." Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015. . "Police Academy." Police Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015. ."
--( posted on Mar 3, 2015, commenting on the post Policing Solutions )
 
"While I agree that documenting inmates' progress while they are in prison could help their job prospects after they are released, I think allowing prison guards to be the ones who document could backfire rather than foster more positive relations between guards and inmates. Prison guards are notorious for abusing their power. They often blackmail prisoners, which inmates oblige to in order to avoid physical abuse, solitary confinement, etc. Allowing guards to document progress would essentially give them control over inmates' future livelihoods, and they would likely abuse this power by accepting bribes from prisoners in exchange for high scores and blackmailing prisoners with the threat of low scores. In order to prevent abuse and ensure that progress reports are completed competently, professionals such as psychiatrists or social workers should handle the documentation. However, hiring these kinds of professionals would be extremely expensive, making the program unfeasible. As an alternative, I propose a government program that would provide tax benefits to businesses that hire formerly incarcerated people ."
--( posted on Mar 2, 2015, commenting on the post Policing Solutions )
 
"I agree that body cameras can be useful for discerning the truth in cases where it is not clear whether the police officer or the civilian with whom he or she clashed is at fault. Although critics of body cameras claim that it will alienate the NYPD to be under such close scrutiny, sowing deeper distrust in the already stressed relationship between officers and civilians, I think police officers have a lot to gain from wearing the cameras. In addition to being injured or harmed while on the job, officers constantly face the threat of having complaints filed against them by civilians for misconduct. Unless an officer is truly abusing his power, the use of body cameras should put him at ease in the case that a complaint is lodged against him because his camera would provide concrete proof of his innocence. Should the NYPD implement body cameras, I think it should emphasize to its officers that wearing them protects them as well, not just civilians. This would prevent officers from feeling that they are being criminalized and alienated by state and city legislators. Ultimately, I believe that the presence of the cameras would discourage both officers and civilians from resorting to violence."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post Policing Problems 1 )
 
"I forgot to include the source in my previous comment: FBI. FBI, 27 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. ."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post Policing is the Problem )
 
"I agree that it is the police department's job to enforce the law, and that the task of innovating crime prevention strategies should mostly be dealt with by legislators. Law enforcement officials can only go as far as patching crime-related problems. Crime can most effectively be reduced through the legislative process. For example, the introduction of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in 1970 significantly weakened organized crime in the United States. According to the FBI, the provisions of the RICO Act have been especially effective because "they attack the entire corrupt entity instead of imprisoning individuals, who can easily be replaced with other organized crime members or associates" (FBI). The police department alone lacked the strategies to attack the problem of organized crime at its root, since it could only go as far as arresting individuals. Although legislation plays a key strategic role in enacting change, the police department is also essential because it enforces the strategies and laws created by legislators. Laws are meaningless without any means of enforcing them. The issue of police corruption is significant because when laws are not enforced, civilians are left without any safe channels to go through when dealing with crime, rendering them helpless against their oppressors. Criminals are emboldened by the lack of consequences for their actions, making crime even more widespread."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post Policing is the Problem )