Ryan ChartrandFocus the Nation is an inappropriate label for what was afflicted upon me last week. Having been to last year’s sustainability lectures, my expectations were already low. Before class, I attended a lecture called Climate Justice. What exactly is climate justice and what does it have to do with focusing the nation?
Climate justice links the effects of climate change to socioeconomics, gender and race. The ideas presented in this hour long lecture were essentially irrelevant to the causes or solutions to climate change. There were four lecturers that were given ten minutes each to present their individual findings.
One lecturer discussed the ideas of risk and vulnerabilities. In his convoluted presentation, the speaker came to the conclusion that everyone is at risk of climate change, which are issues of droughts, flooding, temperature increasing and other related topics.
According to the speaker, uniform risk leads to inconsistencies in vulnerabilities. In simple terms everyone is effected by climate change but not everyone is equipped to handle it, be it lack or money or resources.
Another portion of this debacle dealt with topics of climate racism. At this point I was just infuriated by the shortcomings of the topic.
Not only were most of these statistics dealing with just socioeconomics, but no speaker actually presented an interesting idea as how to fix them or even why these issues are relevant to the audience.
Needless to say I walked out, frustrated that I was misled to believe some form of education would be taking place in this activity.
Ron Assa
architecture senior
To the Anonymous Moat Clearer:
Anyone who has ever parked their car in H12 (behind Campus Market) has had to cross the concrete bridge that connects the staff lot to the general lot.
Unfortunately, during periods of any precipitation, the base of this bridge becomes an uncrossable moat. Many times I have seen brave souls try to cross this barrier. Very few survive.
Just last week, as I approached the bridge in pouring rain, I prepared myself both physically and mentally to cross the moat. To my dismay, someone had drained it. Who knew that a simple drainage trench, carved into the earth with a stick, would change the lives of all Cal Poly students.
So, to the Anonymous Moat Clearer: I salute you.
Lawrence Fong
mechanical engineering graduate student
Peter Pan comic crossed the line into vulgarity
Upon opening the Mustang Daily today, I was appalled to see the vulgar Pop Culture Shock Therapy depicting Peter Pan and Tinkerbell in bed together. Though the frequent articles on sex are offensive, as a reader I have the option not to read them. The cartoon is almost impossible not to view. I know I am not the only reader who cringed after seeing it. This is not the first time Pop Culture Schock Therapy has been distasteful, and I am surprised that Mustang Daily has continued this cartoon. From now on, I will make sure to avoid that page or avoid the Mustang Daily all together.
Brett Thornhill
earth science junior