Tonight Forge – Grassroots started. Mike Frost spoke around Hebrews and the warning of falling away (5:11ff) with the correlation between ‘slowness to learn’ and our ideas that aren’t completed with action and so cemented or true. I cannot possibly do it justice, but the following you tube clip (Jon Foreman) may express a small sentiment. Thanks to Anne Jackson for sharing the clip.
Month: <span>April 2008</span>
Oh look, I’m going to respond to this post: Gender Imbalance in Higher Education because I can’t help myself.
I will state now that my experience of higher education is Australian based and thus does not rack up the astronomical debts of the American education system (as far as I’m aware) – we only rack up slightly astronomical debts and hey if we don’t earn it later we don’t pay. And as much as I would like free education, it’s probably worth my money.
(go read the article and return)
This is what frustrates me:
“Call me a sexist, but my first reaction is to find that disappointing. Call me a sexist, but I believe that in most cases the husband should be the primary income-earner in the family, and that the wife should be free to stay at home with the kids.”
Since when did we develop this idea? It’s cultural. Long standing. Take a non-western society, I’ve lost the actual location, but there are communities where women do the work, all the work, plus the family raising and the guys just sit on their bum’s or go hunting now and then. Weak argument, but then, the author is kind in suggesting a slightly lighter load for women (oh look, they just raise children and don’t have to work).
Hello?! Of course I am going to call you sexist, because immediately in reading your post, I perceive a higher value on men via my GenY thinking: men choose with what they do with their lives, women do something and then must go have babies. It may seem forward and culturally sterotyped but hey, I’m a 22 year old female in 2008, I’m allowed to be a GenY’er. Golly, by rare standards I’m married already, but because I did okay in school and like expanding my skill set and think that I have something to offer to the world in this way, I’m following a career. Don’t assume I never want kids, beacuse I do. I believe education is worth paying for regardless of how I end up using it. Full-time exclusive motherhood is not my dream.
I am not one the following, and I think the next assumption, however gracious is really wrong:
“And many of the college-attending women may be pursuing lower-cost liberal arts degrees that make them more well-rounded, that give them opportunities to meet their husband, that don’t rack up the debt, that equip them to take on jobs while awaiting Mr. Right.”
What a crock. Regardless of whether I wasn’t yet married, I wouldn’t be going to university to buy my time before getting married. I’d be going to do exactly what I’m doing now, because I am intelligent and worthwhile.
To be honest I don’t care about the stats of more women at university, 50% men vs 58% women is negligent. I think his theory that this stat is concerning – “More men need to be studying to earn money for their families”, is ridiculous.
Can’t we seperate education and gender entirely? It’s a farty old stigma that holds onto the male, female roles in this arena. Regardless of his complementarian non egalitarian stance maybe he could’ve said it better.
It’s fun to be scathing (Especially when your uni tutors get to read it)..
The Eco & Ud House is positively terrifying. As a house of the future we are presented with an eco-friendly, comfort giving, insular module. On the surface the building is thoroughly desirable. Panasonic have created a perfect living environment with the Japanese cultural assumption of a generational home. While maintaining an eco-approach to practically all rooms of the house the Eco & Ud assumes that technologically aided living is way forward. In truth, electronic beds, computerised lighting and imagery are not necessary for everyday comfort and the removal of such items leaves a more simple design for living and consequently a more environmental one.
Domestic life in one sense is enhanced through communal spaces and digital ‘big-brother’ technology, creating a peace of mind for parents and yet life is lost through the reduction of freedom and the unseen constraints presented by an overwhelming level of digital instruction.
Housing in the future should take into consideration the technology available but should strip it back to it’s most simple form. This way true community and relationships can develop through conversation, complication and lessons of life learned through difficulty and hardship. Selfish living, as promoted by this type of house is not constructive for relationships. The people you meet are one and the same, prisoners of their carefully crafted environment. The indoor garden is a pale comparison of the outside green and further prisons the house occupants. The garden makes a strong metaphorical claim that perfect living is simply an illusion that technology cannot buy.
I am becoming a small freak when it comes to sustainability and design… it’s really rather interesting. Hey, hey ethics and design, it’s a happy pair.
So in the event of not clogging my bookmarks with eaisly forgotten and misplaced links, I am starting a new category: Sustainable – creative name hey? I am intending to share links as I go. This way, I keep records, those searching can be lazy and we and the world are pleased.
To kick it all off, here’s a link I labeled fantastic (while researching toothpaste packaging design).