Category Archives: Make a Difference

Projects that are making a difference, improving lives, and building communities.

Authors A-H, Social Issues

What to do in those moments of rage! EXPEDIENCY on the STREETS – Part Two

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In Part one of this two-part series, “What to do in those moments of rage,” we called out the increases in acts of hate after the recent election. We follow up here with some tips for getting home safely.

But here’s the reality that threatens that goal – “drive by hate” can spring up unexpectedly, anytime and anywhere. And it’s on the rise across the country. Such acts can puncture your comfort zone while crossing a parking lot, walking on campus, sitting in an athletic stand, in cyberspace – anywhere.

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Authors A-H, Social Issues

Our Youth: Responding to Hate Crimes, Hate Speech, and Harassment – By Marc Brenman

As I write this, the United States has very recently elected a President who has been accused of racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, ablism and anti-Semitism. These qualities have been likened to fascism. A number of the groups and individuals who supported the candidate were openly white Suprematist and/or neo-Nazi. Since the election, there has been an outbreak of hate crimes, hate incidents, hate speech, and harassment against those in traditionally discriminated against groups. These range from violent crimes to simple gloating and misapprehension of what supporters voted for. The Southern Poverty Law Center has recorded over 700 hate incidents as of November 18, 2016.

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Education, Levine articles

Legacy of a Chemical Engineering Professor: Dr. Frank Jones – by Deborah Levine

Dr. Frank Jones
UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science faculty honoring Dr. Frank Jones

The room was packed at the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) as faculty, students, and graduates gathered to celebrate the life of one of their own and mourn his passing. Dr. Francis Joseph Jones (1951-2016) was a UC Foundation Professor and the Chemical Program Coordinator at CECS at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The CECS memorial was like an old-fashioned wake with shared stories and heartfelt testimonials for the man that colleagues and family knew as “Frank.”

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Authors A-H, Social Issues

What to do in those moments of rage! EXPEDIENCY on the Streets – by Terry Howard

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(Article is Part 1 of a series) So here we are, and not in some far-flung foreign country either. We’re in America 2016, and hate is popping up across the nation. And as incidents of racist, sexist and Islamophobia harassment continue in the wake of the election, many are asking, ‘what should I do when (not “if”) acts of hate are directed at me or others?’

“God Bless You,” was her seemingly choreographed response to this question I asked my friend and her young black son “Mark”:
“Given the documented cases of hate crimes since the election, how would you respond if haters drove by you and yelled ‘Hey N—-r”, go back to Africa. We’re taking our country back!”
“Uh, uh! If that happens to me, I’m ready to rumble!” said “Mark,” at hearing mom’s response.

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Authors A-H, Books, Holocaust, Social Issues

Broken on the Inside: The War Never Ended – by Simon Hammelburg

HammelburgBroken on the inside – The War Never Ended by Dutch author and journalist Simon Hammelburg is based on 1200 interviews with Holocaust survivors and their children. The book reads like a novel but is based on facts, some of which have never been revealed before, disclosing insights of the psychological aftermath of survivors as well as the post-war generations and the traumas that are passed on for over six generations.

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Authors R-Z, Politics, Social Issues

From Paris: Strategies For The Age Of Trump – By Andrew Scharf

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The world was stunned by the election of Donald Trump. People and pundits alike are debating with each other -How could this happen? – What does this mean for the rest of the world? The answers are as complex as the reasons Trump was selected by the Electoral College. As an entrepreneur living abroad in Paris, France I can tell you that recent events over the past year or so have this place spinning with dread, anxiety, and uncertainty.

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Authors R-Z, Social Issues

Immigrants, Inclusion and the US Military – by Fiona Citkin

Post-election days are filled with heated conversations wherever you go: Starbucks, farmers’ market, grocery shop, or friendly get-togethers—and it seems people just won’t let it go. Immigration and Inclusion are among the hottest topics. In a campaign interview with CBS “60 Minutes” Donald Trump said we are getting the people who are criminal out of the country, “probably two million, it could be even three million.” Campaign over, I wish our new President would be aware of the fact that the overwhelming majority of immigrants, both legal and undocumented, are so eager to earn the US citizenship that their heroism and sacrifices on the battlefield often demonstrate it.

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Authors A-H, Social Issues

President Elect Donald Trump! I didn’t see it coming – by Terry Howard

As we wove our way down Route 15 through rural Virginia on Sunday, I can honestly say that I was unable to “see” past the hundreds of “Trump /Pence” signs posted on well-kept green lawns. I failed to recognize the rural folks and not to be ignored sentiments behind those signs.

Those are the voices who spoke loudly last night!

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Authors R-Z, Go Green

GECM: Ghana Environmental Concern Meter Update

A Study by The Centre for Environmental Research and Policy Analysis (CERPA)

The Ghana Environmental Concern Meter (GECM)  is a scientific and objective assessment of public concerns on various environmental issues and challenges affecting the lives of the Ghanaian people. It is also a detective and reporting tool for environmental problems in communities in Ghana. Further, the GECM seeks to bring these environmental problems to the knowledge of the public to encourage self-help, responsibility, and environmental ownership among the Ghanaian people.

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Authors R-Z, Politics, Social Issues

Asian Americans and Politics – by Jonathan Yao

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There has been a recent and burgeoning trend towards materialism in Chinese cultures, perhaps coinciding with recent economic booms. I witness this anecdotally whenever I walk down 5th Avenue in Manhattan and see a disproportionate number of Chinese people outside luxury retail stores. After perusing through some studies, I confirmed my intuitions and discovered that 68% of people from Chinese feel a lot of pressure to be successful and make money and that 71% of people from China are most likely to measure their success by what they own. Both of these numbers are the highest among all countries surveyed. Chinese consumers have now overtaken Americans to become the world’s largest buyers of personal luxury items.

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