Unsafe At Any Caliber

By Kleinheider Posted on December 4, 2008 at 8:50 pm

Vandy student Katherine Miller likes the Second Amendment and all but she’s not exactly sure she wants the frat boys from up North strapped on campus:

I still have love for the second amendment and have no issues with guns when used and owned by people who respect them. My uncles all hunt, and I’ve shot a shotgun — out in the middle of the farm in Florida in the orange groves. I’ve met plenty of Southern boys who I’d trust to have a gun around for hunting, but I’ve also met too many here from my Mid-Atlantic homeland who have never been hunting and think guns are awesome — not people I want storing handguns on campus. The arguments for concealed carry are legitimate; gun ownership is a right, and personal security cannot be impeded upon. But I’m 5′3 and weigh 120 lbs., and I’ve never felt unsafe on campus; the presence of guns on campus, even legally, might alter that feeling a bit.

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Tags: guns on campus, Vanderbilt, Virgina Tech, Yankee frat boys  

Whose Fault Are Premature Babies?

By Kleinheider Posted on November 17, 2008 at 8:37 am

Aunt B. seeks to take the onus off individual woman and back on society, government, etc. by interviewing Barbara Clinton, the Director for the Center for Health Services at Vanderbilt University :

Three of the explanations for the shockingly high rate of infant mortality (Adolescent pregnancy, Use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, Mothers with less than a high school education) appear at first glance to be related personal choices that women make. However these factors are community and culture driven. For instance, there is research that suggests that young girls with limited horizons, who do not believe they will succeed in education, job, etc, may opt for an early pregnancy because it is a clear and important life role. Their “limited horizons” are community driven in so far as they are linked to inadequate and poor quality adult role modeling and guidance, schools that do not respond to their learning styles, neighborhood crime, etc. In the case of early teen pregnancy, the evidence suggests that it is not uncommon for the other partner (the man) in the pregnancy to be significantly older, raising questions of power and intimidation.

The other causes you mentioned (Maternal infections during pregnancy, Preterm deliveries, Low birth weight babies, and Poverty) are clearly related to access to health care, use of health care, quality of health care, and financial resources.

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Tags: citizen journalism, infant mortality, premature babies, Vanderbilt  

James Yee Tonight At Vandy

By Kleinheider Posted on September 22, 2008 at 7:38 am

From the University:

James J. Yee, Army captain and former Muslim chaplain at the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, brings his story to Vanderbilt. He was arrested and imprisoned in a Navy brig for 76 days in September 2003 after being accused of spying, espionage and aiding alleged Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners. He was held in solitary confinement and subjected to the same sensory deprivation techniques used on detainees in Cuba.

The criminal charges were later dropped and Yee was reinstated to full duty. He tendered his resignation from the Army and received an honorable discharge in 2005 as well as a second Army Commendation medal for “exceptionally meritorious service.” Yee, a third-generation Chinese American who converted to Islam in 1991, chronicles his story in the book For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire.

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Correcting The Record

By Kleinheider Posted on July 29, 2008 at 6:43 am

Vandy grad and Fox News Reporter Molly Henneberg gets called out by Media Matters:

Discussing Sen. John McCain’s criticism of Sen. Barack Obama for not visiting wounded soldiers in Germany, Fox News’ Molly Henneberg asserted that the “Obama campaign originally said the candidate thought it would be, quote, ‘inappropriate’ to visit wounded troops as part of a campaign-funded trip, but later they said that the Pentagon said they couldn’t go without media cameras.” In fact, the Obama campaign did not say that Obama decided not to visit because the Pentagon barred media from accompanying him.

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Tags: Fox News, Molly Henneberg, Vanderbilt  

Republican Strategist Vin Weber Joins Vandy

By Kleinheider Posted on July 28, 2008 at 4:46 pm

From the press release:

Vin Weber, former Minnesota congressman and one of Washington’s most respected political strategists, will join the Vanderbilt University faculty as an adjunct political science professor.

Weber, who has built strong bipartisan relationships across the legislative and executive branches of government and counseled several Republican campaigns and administrations, will be among the professors team-teaching Vanderbilt’s 2008 Elections course. The popular fall semester class will meld rigorous academic research with real-world politics as it focuses on presidential and congressional races.

“The opportunity to have Vin Weber as part of the Vanderbilt community is simply wonderful,” said John Geer, Distinguished Professor of Political Science. “Professor Weber will greatly enrich our class, providing Vanderbilt students unique opportunities to learn about political campaigns and governing. This course will be just the start of a long-term relationship between the congressman and Vanderbilt.”

SEE ALSO: Colby Sledge

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Tags: John Geer, Vanderbilt, Vin Weber