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The Eastern Echo Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 | Print Archive
The Eastern Echo

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The Eastern Echo

Bin Laden isn’t America’s only terrorist

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In September 2001 Osama bin Laden launched a terrorist attack on the heart of capitalism, when al-Qaida operatives flew passenger airliners into the World Trade Center. That horrendous disaster stunned Americans with more than 3,000 deaths, allowing George W. Bush to grab his chance to start the “War on Terror.”



The Eastern Echo

America and the war on everything: a love story

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America loves war. We may complain about the costs, why we are putting soldiers in harm’s way and even the reasons why we are going, but in the end, our country’s policies enjoy showering the disenfranchised with democracy bombs. Nothing screams freedom like blowing up a country.


	Al Willman can be heard every week on the Eastern Echo Sports Podcast with Sports Editor Eugene Evans. The podcast can be found on SoundCloud or by searching for the podcast on iTunes.

COLUMN: EMU football will rise again

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The Eastern Michigan University football team just fired its head coach, the last thing the fans need are people calling for the team to drop down a division or, even worse, cut the program altogether.





The Eastern Echo

Society must find new ways to ‘do good’

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Ever notice how difficult it is now to do good? Many do what’s politically expedient, or what they calculate is in their own self-interest. But doing good, especially working with others to stop the effects of economic violence on our citizens, can earn a pretty sharp rap on the knuckles from the boss, the police and the media.


The Eastern Echo

American education not providing desired results

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America is facing an education crisis. As a country, our ranking in the world as an educational powerhouse is slowly slipping away. Finland and South Korea are current beacons of educational might. Those two countries produce some of the best students in the world, yet America, one of the most prosperous and wealthiest nations, struggles with the concept of quality public education.


The Eastern Echo

Mayoral power over metropolitan economies

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After the financial crisis, if it was not clear that we live in a worldwide economy, it is clear now. Stories about auto plant closures have been replaced by hysteria over Greece’s debt burden and our own fiscal crises. Local unemployment rates have been put in the context of data from the International Monetary Fund. The whole affair can make local politics seem trivial. And even mayors with considerable renown like Michael Bloomberg of New York, Julian Castro of San Antonio and Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans can seem inert.


	Al Willman can be heard every week on the Eastern Echo Sports Podcast with Sports Editor Eugene Evans. The podcast can be found on SoundCloud or by searching for the podcast on iTunes.

COLUMN: English lost his team's respect, then his job.

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Ron English proved me right. That was going to be my lead for the column I had planned on writing, after the Eastern Michigan University football coach was fired Friday. I was going to applaud his firing, though curiously timed, because I thought it should have been done a year ago.




The Eastern Echo

Ideas from TED talks may be useful for citizens in urban communities

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To stay with the theme of my previous column, published earlier this week, I would like to share a few TED “talks” for citizens of urban communities. The TED (Technology, Engineering, Design) conference series was started in 1984 as a forum for the hard sciences, but quickly became a forum for all innovative ideas in areas like health care, public-policy and finance.


The Eastern Echo

Technology takes away conversational intimacy

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Mark Twain put it best when he was quoted as saying, “Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.” His words emphasize just how powerful personal communiqué is against technology’s inability to properly convey our own complex sentiments and passions.




The Eastern Echo

How can people still trust their government?

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“If you like your health insurance, you can keep it,” President Barack Obama said in 2009 and 2010 as he advocated for the passage of health care reform. That line is now being played over and over in the news media in light of evidence that Obama’s assurances may have been less than truthful.


	This 2012 picture is meant to depict Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. (Courtesy New York Daily News)

COLUMN: Halloween costumes: How far is too far?

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Halloween is a time for expressing yourself, dressing up and having fun. This year, many college students aren’t shying away from wearing costumes that will get their peers talking. But because of this, colleges have something new to be concerned about.

Introducing The Eastern Echo’s newest event and news based podcast, Scoop on the Scene. These weekly episodes will be hosted by the organization’s Digital Editor, Julez DeShetler. She intends to bring awareness to the events happening on an around campus to Echo listeners. 

DeShetler’s goal with the podcast is to encourage students and community members to get involved in an educated, safe and fun manner. She will list various events to choose from in addition to sharing the key details of said events. 

These podcasts can be expected to come out near the weekends and be no longer than 10-15 minutes.

For the week of Sept. 14 to Sept. 20, DeShetler includes events such as sports, a pub crawl, yoga, a movie in the park, Study Abroad Fair and training sessions. 

Be sure to tune in weekly to stay up to date on all the Eastern Michigan and Ypsilanti amusement!

Listen to this week’s episode here: