Members of the media attending games, as well as practices of professional sports teams is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s something that has been done for decades. Those same reporters gaining access to the player locker rooms is even more commonplace. If you want an interview with any of the athletes, whether it be to comment on their performance or the game that has just ended, the locker room is the place to do that.
But, recently, there has been a dramatic increase in female reporters crowding the sidelines during games, especially in football. Most of these ladies are there because the networks that broadcast the sports match-ups are merely trying to cater to the male faction of their audience. Let’s face it, men would much rather look at attractive women down on the field chatting up the athletes than some overweight, washed up, former pro … no offense to Tony Siragusa. While that’s all well and good, I have a problem with those ladies trotting into the locker rooms after the game to interview the players. This very issue is what has had the New York Jets – as well as loud-mouthed athletes like the Washington Redskins’ Clinton Portis – in hot water lately.
Ines Sainz, a former beauty queen who now serves as a reporter for TV Azteca, a Mexican network, was on the sidelines at the new Meadowlands during a team practice, where she was reportedly harassed by some of the players. Not deterred by the behavior, Sainz was on the sidelines again during the Jets’ showdown with the Baltimore Ravens last Monday night. Following the game, the bosomy blond made her way into the Jets’ locker room to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez. Once again, she was harassed by some of the athletes, receiving cat calls and whistles.
First of all, a female has no business going into a men’s locker room, plain and simple. Granted, every person should have equal opportunity when it comes to employment, I think this freedom of equality should be rescinded. Male reporters are not allowed into women’s locker rooms, so why should female reporters have access to a male team locker room? As for the behavior of some of the members of the Jets squad, it’s sophomoric and should definitely not be tolerated.
However, when you look at the attire of Sainz, one would quickly come to the conclusion that that kind of behavior is to be expected. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning sexual harassment, but, as a professional news reporter, Sainz leaves a lot to be desired in the dress code area. There’s no way that anyone would deem her practically painted on pants and short dresses as appropriate for her profession. A true professional would likely be fired for wearing the kind of clothing she does while she’s working. I had a boss threaten to fire me for wearing flip-flops to work, for crying out loud. Sure, there are people out there who say she had it coming, but that’s not really a fair assumption to make. Regardless, she should have known better than to wear what she did.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Mosquing the Pain
Lately, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the concept of building a Cordoba mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center towers in New York City. As an American, my first response was to be outraged. But, in all actuality, I think the entire issue has been blown way out of proportion.
After sitting down and learning more about the issue, I have found myself wondering why everyone is so worked up about it.
First of all, the building will not just be a place of worship. It's a community center that will contain a mosque. However, the mosque aspect of the plans seems to be overshadowing the fact that the building will also contain fitness facilities, an auditorium, a restaurant and a library. Don’t get me wrong, I am not in favor of a mosque being built on sacred ground, but, clearly, that’s not what’s happening in this case.
Also, if you look at a map that shows the proposed site of the Park51 project, you will see that it’s a good two blocks from where the terrorist attacks took place. Believe me, it would be an entirely different story if this facility were being built on the same tract of land where the World Trade Center once stood. Upon further examination, it’s easy to see that there are two churches and a chapel within that same distance from Ground Zero. Obviously, it’s not a matter of precedence to build a center for worship in this particular vicinity.
While many argue that erecting a 15-story community center that contains a Muslim mosque that close to the site where nearly 3,000 people were killed, is insensitive – not only to families of the victims, but to the entire population of the United States – those people need to realize that the building proposal was not made to dishonor the memory of those who were killed by Islamic terrorists. Besides, we can’t punish an entire religion for an attack that only a handful of extremists carried out. That’s not fair. Not to mention, real estate in downtown Manhattan is hard enough to come by as it is without our opposition.
A long-time tradition of Muslim supremacists has been to construct mosques adjacent to or upon other groups’ holy and sacred grounds.
At the same time, those who have made the proposal need to respect the fact that the site where the World Trade Center towers once stood, though not necessarily a holy site, has become, in a sense, hallowed ground, what with all those who perished just over nine years ago. Ergo, it should be respected as such. With that, the opposition the developers are encountering has nothing to do with suppressing religion or infracting upon the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Sure, I understand that it could be interpreted as such, but, obviously, that is not the case here.
But, what really gets my goat is the prominent role this controversy has taken in our lives. We have people dying in Afghanistan and Iraq while serving our country, a massive oil spill recovery effort taking place in the Gulf and an economy that is still in the process of rebounding from a terrible recession. There’s just so many other things that should be taking front and center at the moment. Yet, what people are choosing to focus their time and effort on is trying to prevent a building from being erected in New York City. Something just isn’t right here.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
After sitting down and learning more about the issue, I have found myself wondering why everyone is so worked up about it.
First of all, the building will not just be a place of worship. It's a community center that will contain a mosque. However, the mosque aspect of the plans seems to be overshadowing the fact that the building will also contain fitness facilities, an auditorium, a restaurant and a library. Don’t get me wrong, I am not in favor of a mosque being built on sacred ground, but, clearly, that’s not what’s happening in this case.
Also, if you look at a map that shows the proposed site of the Park51 project, you will see that it’s a good two blocks from where the terrorist attacks took place. Believe me, it would be an entirely different story if this facility were being built on the same tract of land where the World Trade Center once stood. Upon further examination, it’s easy to see that there are two churches and a chapel within that same distance from Ground Zero. Obviously, it’s not a matter of precedence to build a center for worship in this particular vicinity.
While many argue that erecting a 15-story community center that contains a Muslim mosque that close to the site where nearly 3,000 people were killed, is insensitive – not only to families of the victims, but to the entire population of the United States – those people need to realize that the building proposal was not made to dishonor the memory of those who were killed by Islamic terrorists. Besides, we can’t punish an entire religion for an attack that only a handful of extremists carried out. That’s not fair. Not to mention, real estate in downtown Manhattan is hard enough to come by as it is without our opposition.
A long-time tradition of Muslim supremacists has been to construct mosques adjacent to or upon other groups’ holy and sacred grounds.
At the same time, those who have made the proposal need to respect the fact that the site where the World Trade Center towers once stood, though not necessarily a holy site, has become, in a sense, hallowed ground, what with all those who perished just over nine years ago. Ergo, it should be respected as such. With that, the opposition the developers are encountering has nothing to do with suppressing religion or infracting upon the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Sure, I understand that it could be interpreted as such, but, obviously, that is not the case here.
But, what really gets my goat is the prominent role this controversy has taken in our lives. We have people dying in Afghanistan and Iraq while serving our country, a massive oil spill recovery effort taking place in the Gulf and an economy that is still in the process of rebounding from a terrible recession. There’s just so many other things that should be taking front and center at the moment. Yet, what people are choosing to focus their time and effort on is trying to prevent a building from being erected in New York City. Something just isn’t right here.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Fruits of Our Labor
Growing up, I had no idea what Labor Day was all about or what it meant to be part of the laboring nation. To me, it was simply another day that I didn’t have to be in school … sort of like a last hurrah of summer before I really put my nose to the grindstone. Once I hit 16, however, it was a completely different story. That’s when I was hired for my very first job. Not so much work as it was a way to pay for the important things in life – car, clothes, CDs, a ticket to Country Fest – I quickly learned the importance of hard work and the value of the hard-earned dollar.
My very first job was as a Jill-of-all-trades at McDonald’s. You see, at those kind of places, you don’t just get to do one thing … you do it all. However, my first few days, I was stuck on French fry duty for four hours at a time. That meant I had to put the frozen product in the deep fryer, pull them up, salt them, box them and do it all over again. Needless to say, I have absolutely hated McDonald’s fries ever since. But after four hours of grease, salt and so many burns I couldn’t even count, I had an entirely new appreciation for people who work at fast food restaurants. Moreover, I sincerely believe that everyone should have to hold that type of job at some point in their life.
I feel those same sentiments about my second and third jobs, as well. Before I started working in the restaurant business, I simply assumed that, once you order food at a restaurant, it should magically appear in front of you in a reasonable amount of time. As I would soon learn in my position as a cook and server at a small cafe in my hometown, there is a lot of hard work that goes into those jobs. Before I began waiting tables, I never really understood why we needed to leave tips. Waiters and waitresses make minimum wage, so why do they need extra money, right? Not so much.
In my opinion, servers are the hardest working individuals in the workforce, right alongside farmers and construction workers. I mean, think about it … they bring you food, drinks and are at your beck and call while you’re in their place of work, most are on their feet for at least eight hours a day and they’re doing it all while making less than minimum wage. Servers depend on tips to make a living because, Lord knows, they’d be hurting if they were counting solely on their wages to pay their bills. While I was making my way through college, I revisited my days of working in fast food when I took a job at Dairy Queen. But it wasn’t until I began working there that I really got the feeling that people really didn’t appreciate or understand the kind of labor employees at fast-food joints actually put in.
Not only were most of my co-workers full-time college students trying to earn some extra spending cash, but several were student-athletes, as well. Imagine trying to go to a full day of classes, hitting the gym or field for practice and then coming to work, only to get bitched at by unappreciative customers. While those types of jobs helped mold me into who I have become today, I must admit that I’m much happier not working in the food service industry. So, the next time you go out to eat, whether it be at a fancy restaurant or a fast-food joint, remember that just because the employees may be a little lower down the totem pole, they’re still an integral cog in the labor force of this country.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
My very first job was as a Jill-of-all-trades at McDonald’s. You see, at those kind of places, you don’t just get to do one thing … you do it all. However, my first few days, I was stuck on French fry duty for four hours at a time. That meant I had to put the frozen product in the deep fryer, pull them up, salt them, box them and do it all over again. Needless to say, I have absolutely hated McDonald’s fries ever since. But after four hours of grease, salt and so many burns I couldn’t even count, I had an entirely new appreciation for people who work at fast food restaurants. Moreover, I sincerely believe that everyone should have to hold that type of job at some point in their life.
I feel those same sentiments about my second and third jobs, as well. Before I started working in the restaurant business, I simply assumed that, once you order food at a restaurant, it should magically appear in front of you in a reasonable amount of time. As I would soon learn in my position as a cook and server at a small cafe in my hometown, there is a lot of hard work that goes into those jobs. Before I began waiting tables, I never really understood why we needed to leave tips. Waiters and waitresses make minimum wage, so why do they need extra money, right? Not so much.
In my opinion, servers are the hardest working individuals in the workforce, right alongside farmers and construction workers. I mean, think about it … they bring you food, drinks and are at your beck and call while you’re in their place of work, most are on their feet for at least eight hours a day and they’re doing it all while making less than minimum wage. Servers depend on tips to make a living because, Lord knows, they’d be hurting if they were counting solely on their wages to pay their bills. While I was making my way through college, I revisited my days of working in fast food when I took a job at Dairy Queen. But it wasn’t until I began working there that I really got the feeling that people really didn’t appreciate or understand the kind of labor employees at fast-food joints actually put in.
Not only were most of my co-workers full-time college students trying to earn some extra spending cash, but several were student-athletes, as well. Imagine trying to go to a full day of classes, hitting the gym or field for practice and then coming to work, only to get bitched at by unappreciative customers. While those types of jobs helped mold me into who I have become today, I must admit that I’m much happier not working in the food service industry. So, the next time you go out to eat, whether it be at a fancy restaurant or a fast-food joint, remember that just because the employees may be a little lower down the totem pole, they’re still an integral cog in the labor force of this country.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
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