Troy Talk
The Governor’s Failing Grade on Transparency
I used to love Sesame Street when I was a kid. I could watch it for hours sitting in amazement at that show. One of my favorite parts was learning what letter or word the show was brought to the viewers by. Taking a page from that childhood classic, today's post is brought to you by the word "transparent".
The dictionary defines "transparent" by using the following words: "easily understood....obvious...open... easily recognized or detected". I must admit that I find myself troubled as to how this seemingly clear definition is turned upside down in Trenton these days.
A Matter of Dying With Dignity
It continues to be one of the most emotional issues of our day. Should a person have the right to terminate their life if they face impending death because of a medical condition? This issue bubbles to the surface as more states begin to legislate or place on the ballot the question of doctor-assisted suicide. It reaches the national conversation and bursts into the public's consciousness when someone becomes a cause célèbre over the issue. We only need to recall the tumultuous reaction to the Karen Ann Quinlan case (d. 1985) and Terri Schiavo story (d. 2005) to know that to be the case.
Obstructing YOUR Right to Vote in Ohio
The U.S. Supreme Court got it wrong. Recently, the court split along political lines, voting 5-4 in an emergency order that would deny Ohio voters access to voting on the Sunday before Election Day. They overturned several previous Ohio rulings by a federal judge and the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals that denied an attempt to close polls as an early voting option.
Hey, You! Don’t Get Into My Cloud!!
In BC time (before computers), if you graduated from college and needed a transcript, you would contact the school, pay a small fee and ask them to send a copy of your grades to a prospective employer, for example.You would usually share some private information such as year of graduation and social security number to confirm your identity. It was simple and it worked.
That was yesteryear. Today, an informational deluge resides with various educational institutions, in everything from grades to health records. And because of technology and the sheer onslaught of record keeping, educational institutions are turning to cloud computing services to maintain, store and protect this torrent of information. The problem is simple. These companies hold some of the most private educational and related information about us, yet few guidelines dictate their use of our data.
Moose’s Legacy: The One Time You DON’T Get A Second Chance
There’s a lot of cruelty in the world.
It’s almost impossible to watch a news show without a rise in blood pressure after hearing someone explain how they’ve been the victims of some cruel act.
However, for most victims of cruelty, they can eventually raise a voice about their plight. Most, that is, except for one group that is always silent, no matter how much they are mistreated: our pets and animal friends.
The “Job” You Never Considered
A common phrase that we hear all the time, especially when we judge those who we look up to, is the term “role model”. We constantly refer to upstanding and outstanding individuals whom we admire from afar and yet are close enough that we believe that they are worthy to emulate in this way. For some, finding these viable role models over the course of our day-to-day life can be challenging.