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The Communitarian Update
Number 22
October 1, 1999
Moral Standards and Values "Very Important" in 2000 Election Sixty-seven percent of
Americans feel that "encouraging high moral standards and values" will be a very
important factor in their vote for president next year, according to a Washington
Post/ABC News poll. This issue ranked above taxes, foreign affairs, the environment,
and others. Ranking above moral issues were education, crime, and protecting
Social Security.
The Budget and the Public Interest
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MI) has included in the proposal for next year's
budget a $1.5 billion (not million) project to build a ship in his home state that
the Navy neither wants nor needs. It may be too much to ask our legislators not to
spend excessively, but couldn't Senator Lott arrange for something with redeeming
merit to be built in Mississippi?
A Y2K Conspiracy?
Most Americans do not believe there is a conspiracy behind the Year 2000 Bug, but
according to the Wall Street Journal (9/7/99), there are 15% who do believe "a
person and/or company is hiding the solution to the Y2K bug." Who is behind it?
Sixty percent of the conspiracy theorists blame Microsoft, and another third hold
the White House accountable.
Internet is Liberating
Singapore, in the midst of an effort to become Asia's e-commerce capital,
is working to provide Internet access to all citizens. At the same time,
the government exercises tight control over the books, movies, and television
programming available there. In the new "wired" Singapore, many people are
able to easily view forbidden material. In order to continue attracting business,
the government has decided on "lighter enforcement" of its censorship laws.
Taking Liberties
In a recent debate on school safety aired on MSNBC, a representative of the Center
for Community Interest asserted that, "classrooms should be as safe as airplanes."
In reply, ACLU President Nadine Strossen denigrated airport security measures,
saying that her friends use fake IDs in airports.
Better Left Unturned
To the extent that the film "The General's Daughter" did not succeed in introducing
people to S&M sexual practices, the new film "Romance" attempts to complete the
job. Newsweek (9/13/99) suggests that the movie's, "brave actors take us places we
haven't been." Do we need to explore everything?
The Limits of Privacy for 50% Off
Amitai Etzioni's The Limits of Privacy was reviewed by Jean Bethke Elshtain in the
September 24 issue of The Times Literary Supplement. Order the hardcover from The
Communitarian Network for only $12.50, a 50% discount. Send orders to comnet@gwu.edu
Watch Less, Weigh Less, Study Finds
A group of 100 students in third and fourth grade who had watched between 25 and 35% less
television than average were found to have gained about two pounds less at the end of the
school year than those who had not altered their TV-watching habits. The experiment was
conducted by Professor Thomas N. Robinson of Stanford. The proportion of overweight children
in the US has doubled, from 10% to 20% in the past two decades.
California Rids School Libraries of Outdated Books
Armed with nearly $160 million, California began a massive program earlier this year to weed
outdated, unhelpful books from its school libraries, and replace them with modern materials.
Among the books to be removed are a science book that predicts that "someday" man will walk
on the moon, and a history book that describes contented slaves happily singing and working
on a plantation. The project aims to update a library system that was termed "the worst of
the worst" by the American Library Association.
Congratulations/Conferences
Robin Stryker of the University of Iowa has recently been elected president of the Society
for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE). Their 12th Annual Conference on Socio-Economics
will be held at the London School of Economics July 7-10, 2000. The theme will be "Citizenship
and Exclusion." For more information, visit http://www.sase.org
The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) will hold its Ninth Annual Meeting
in Arlington, Virginia, February 24-47, 2000. For call for papers, deadlines, and other info,
visit http://php.ucs.indiana.edu/~appe/home.html
New Publications
"The University as Citizen: Institutional Identity and Social Responsibility" (Council on
Public Policy Education, 1999) an essay by Professor William M. Sullivan. American higher
education must reinvigorate its central mission, and regain its place in our society.
The Consensus Building Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Reaching Agreement (Sage, 1999)
the Consensus Building Institute (more than 50 contributing authors). A reference volume
that explains the phases, forms, and how-to's of reaching agreement in a variety of settings.
Character Education: Natural Law, Human Happiness and Success by Dr. Thomas Kelly. Provides an
alternative framework for school discipline. Includes a needs assessment survey for schools
wishing to pursue character education. Download free at http://www.drtomkelly.com
Grants
Research grants of between $2000-$5000 for the social sciences are available from the Irving
Louis Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy. For an application, write: Awards, Horowitz
Foundation for Social Policy, PO Box 7, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553-0007.
The Communitarian Update is compiled by Andrew S. Becker. Send RELEVANT news items to
comnet@gwu.edu. Please consider forwarding the Update to others who may be interested.
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