Articles written by Duane Gundrum - Page 2

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About me - Duane Gundrum

A communications/political scientist from Northern California. Author of the novels "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" and "Thompson's Bounty". My most recently completed novel is a humorous Greek epic called "The Ameriad". I am currently working on a book of

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Computers & Technology > Internet Security & Safety (Other) Should Internet community sites allow complete freedom of speech or should content be regulated for inappropriate material?: 14 of 48
People generally do not understand the concept of "Freedom of Speech". When the Founding Fathers of the United States decided to invoke the concept of freedom of speech, they were thinking of the owners of the presses that would have the ability to make such speech, not the employees or the visitors to the presses. Internet ... More..
Entertainment > Music Business Music piracy: Is downloading music ethical?: 22 of 72
Is it ethical? Well, to quote a previous president, it really depends on your definition of "ethical". The music industry is not making any friends by claiming to have the higher ethical ground when it casts nets that scoop up anyone that might own a computer and then sue someone because of suspicions of potential unauthoriz... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Ethnicity & Gender (Other) Do victims of racism or sexism suffer more?: 8 of 24
One of the most poignant moments in the Civil Rights movement was when women's organizations banded together and decided that their own desire to seek equal rights would wait as they put the weight of their clout behind civil rights for African Americans. At the time, it was believed that when it came time for women to seek ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) Is your personal information really safe with governments and private businesses?: 6 of 18
The reason why personal information would not be safe with government and private businesses has more to do with lack of accountability than process or experience. Simply put, the people who work for the government have historically held to a standard of lacking accountability for personal misdeeds. In the cases involving id... More..
Entertainment > Music (Other) Reactions to the Dixie Chicks' Grammy award wins: 2 of 6
To be honest, I really didn't know much about the Dixie Chicks before they made a name for themselves by criticizing President Bush while overseas. At the time, I was dabbling into the country music market, listening to Toby Keith and Sara Evans, plus a few others that caught my attention at the time. I was not really for th... More..
Education > College Life Is it better to have a roommate during your first year of college?: 13 of 36
When I first went back to school, I decided I was going to get the full student experience and live in campus housing. So through some sophisticated process involving Ouija boards and drunk games of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, you end up with a random roommate. So, after moving in, I kind of wondered what kind of roommate th... More..
Education > Education (Other) Does competition in schools and colleges lead to higher quality work?: 7 of 18
I did my undergraduate work at a highly competitive military academy, but it was not until I went to graduate school that I discovered the ugly distaste that comes from peer competition in an academic environment. Historically, I have always been someone who likes to see those around me do well, believing in the old philosop... More..
Entertainment > Celebrity Gossip & News Commentary: Nicole Richie and her 82 minutes in jail: 13 of 32
What's interesting about Nicole Richie's time in jail and the current crop of entertainers being imprisoned is not that they are getting away with anything different, but that they are actually being held to pretty much the same standards as everyone else. And believe it or not, that is actually the problem. Not because they... More..
Jobs & Careers > Education Jobs What makes a great teacher: 14 of 34
It's easy to answer with something like "a great teacher is one that cares" or any other number of truisms, but rarely does advice go beyond simplicities of explaining how that really works. A few years ago, I was teaching political science at a community college. The instructors were overworked, and they tended to treat stu... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: I Know Who Killed Me: 5 of 12
Okay, I know it is really easy to ridicule Lindsay Lohan for making an atrociously bad movie, and yes, it was an atrociously bad movie involving such endearing moments as torture porn, sex with one legged people, strippers who don't actually take their clothes off, and dripping blood down stripper poles. In a movie done by a... More..