Simple Google Search Research Articles

Ethnomedicinal and Phytopharmacological Aspects of Vernonia amygdalina (Bitter Leaf) Utilized as a Traditional Medicinal Herb

Vernonia amygdalina Delile, commonly known as “bitter leaf,” is a shrub in the Asteraceae family, widely seen in tropical regions of Africa. Vernonia amygdalina is found to be traditionally used in African medicine. Various parts of this plant, especially the leaves, are utilized to treat ailments such as fever, diabetes, and gastrointestinal issues. Research from multiple researchers has shown a wide range of phytochemical and bioactive compounds present in Vernonia amygdalina; examples are terpenoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, etc., which have contributed to the medicinal properties of Vernonia amygdalina. Vernonia amygdalina has shown its therapeutic and remedial potentials due to the presence of phytochemicals which exhibit effects such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-diarrheal, anti-helminthic, anti-pyretic, and anti-nociceptive effects. In this article, the authors highlight recent progress in using Vernonia amygdalina and its therapeutic effects. Research, review, and case study articles were used to write this review. The articles were obtained from academic websites such as Research Gate, Google Scholar, the National Library of Medicine, African journals online, and Semantic journals, and some articles were obtained through a simple Google search. Articles that discussed the medicinal, ethanopharmacological, and therapeutic properties of Vernonia amygdalina were selected for the review. Search terms such as “Vernonia amygdalina,” “bitter leaf,” “phytochemical properties,” and “therapeutic effects” were used to search for relevant articles on the academic databases. Boolean operators such as “AND” and “OR” were used to refine the search further and ensure a comprehensive selection of articles.

A scoping review to map public-facing websites for non-traumatic wrist disorders with quality evaluation

Introduction Public-facing resources for non-traumatic wrist disorders (NTWD) exist, but care recipients and healthcare professionals alike are uncertain where to access the most useful resources and have raised concerns over the quality of information provided. Previous studies involving stakeholders highlight a need for quality evaluation of these resources. The aim of this study was to identify website resources accessible to UK-based online health seekers and explore their content through quality assessment. Methods A scoping review of public-facing websites was conducted in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and PRISMA-ScR checklist. An a-priori search strategy was performed of publicly accessible websites using lay terms were entered into a simple Google search. The DISCERN tool was used to appraise the quality of health information with additional data charted to pre-determined criteria. Results The 82 websites meeting inclusion criteria scored an average of 2/5 DISCERN. Nine funding categories existed with private service websites were the most common. 18 different diagnoses were found with twenty different management interventions were recommended. Conclusion Considerable variation was found in the quality of websites providing information which people with NTWD are likely to access. Quality and trustworthiness of website information on NTWD are not the preserve of any sector or organisation and we identified potential for improvements across the board.

Handle with Care

An employer has no interest in unionization but, after an election loss, resigns itself to good faith bargaining. A year rolls by and the workers are growing restless. Where is the contract? What happened to those promises they had heard of before the election? A simple Google search allows one of the employees to learn that there are ways to oust a union that is no longer wanted. That employee confides in a trusted supervisor, “We don't want this union anymore, but don't understand how to get rid of it.”

Revolutionizing systematic reviews: the ASReview project's call for trust and transparency in AI-aided screening tools

Revolutionizing systematic reviews: the ASReview project's call for trust and transparency in AI-aided screening tools In today's era of information overload, the number of scientific papers and policy reports on any given topic is increasing at an unprecedented rate, argues Full Professor Rens van de Schoot at Utrecht University. While active learning is an effective tool for screening large amounts of textual data and can save up to 95% of screening time, scholars often develop narrower searches, increasing the risk of missing relevant studies. Looking to ensure transparency and trustworthiness when screening literature for relevant studies – unlike a simple Google search or asking chatbots like ChatGPT a question – Professor van de Schoot notes that systematic reviews are critical for scholars, clinicians, policy-makers, journalists, and ultimately, the general public, but aims for more transparency. To ensure the trustworthy implementation of AI in the screening process, software tools need to be fully transparent. The exact algorithms they use to produce the ranking scores should be known, or even better, the source code needs to be available so experts can check (and adjust) the implemented algorithms. He argues that the decisions made by the AI throughout the process should be transparent for the identification and correction of mistakes made by both humans and machines.

A Survey of Different Theories of Translation in Cultural Studies

The need for translation for communication between speakers of various language groups makes the statement that translation has been around for as long as language itself seem almost obvious. Since translating is such an essential task, many different ideas and theoretical reflections have been developed to help guide the process. The study of translation theory focuses on the processes involved in identifying the categories that underpin translation and the widest possible variety of texts and materials subject to translation. Any background theory of translation concerned with a text's context may include techniques that ought to be taken to solve issues and challenges in specific challenging texts. The purpose of this research is to provide translators with theoretical guidelines for practical translation by conducting a comprehensive survey of the various theories of translation as its primary emphasis and then reporting the findings within the direction of the premises of the theories and the manner in which they have been applied in practical translation. The study adopts a simple qualitative approach in connection with textual analysis. Data was collected through a simple google search of studies in translation theories. The findings of the study provide an indication that seven primary or categorial theories of translation are prevalent in the existing body of research. These theories include the philological theories, the philosophical theories, the linguistic theories, the functional theories (text-type theory, translational action theory, and Skopos theory), the Sociolinguistic theories (Interpretative theory), the Systems theories (Poly-systems theory, manipulation theory, and aesthetic theory), and the Relevance theory of translation. These theories directly underpin different perceptions and procedural systems in conducting practical translation. It was also discovered that implementing different translation strategies and methods is usually premised on the foundations of some theories.

Cosmeceuticals: A Newly Expanding Industry in South Africa

Africa is counted amongst the cosmetic market contributors; however, South Africa’s remarkable plant diversity is still largely untapped in terms of its potential for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Thus, we aim to provide a critical assessment of the advancements made in South African cosmeceuticals with emphasis towards online local companies/brands that are manufactured by small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs). For the current study, we limited our search of herbal cosmeceutical products to SMMEs with online websites, or products traded in other online cosmetic directories such as ‘Faithful to Nature’ and ‘African Botanicals’ using a simple Google search. We recorded more than 50 South African SMME companies/brands involved in the trade of cosmeceuticals. Skin and hair care were the major product categories widely traded in these online platforms. Furthermore, few patents were recorded from South African researchers and institutions thereof, which is quite alarming considering the extensive research that has been undertaken to study these commercially valuable plants. Based on the increasing number of new products and the wide pool of economically important plants coupled to their associated rich indigenous knowledge systems, the cosmeceutical sector can contribute to the economy, job creation, entrepreneurship skills, socio-economic development and intellectual property generation.

Craig's Quest of the Historical Adam

William Lane Craig has written an impressive apologetic book on the topic of the historical Adam, which like all his previous books, is comprehensive and thought-provoking. The biblical, theological, and scientific data presented in this book are enormous. The conclusions of his arguments can be easily understood through his own summaries at the end of each chapter, but to really deconstruct his arguments and critically evaluate the presented scientific data would be beyond the scope of a review article and my scientific expertise. There have been several book reviews written by other scholars on Craig’s book, but Craig has been disappointed by the fact that some of them have completely missed his point (and appear to have perhaps not read his book!) This is quite plausible given the density of information and syllogistic argumentation that are weaved in this book. His responses to these various flawed book reviews can be easily found online from a simple Google search. Before presenting my critiques, I feel it necessary to provide a brief overview of the book so that readers and Craig himself, if he reads this, can easily point out where I have misunderstood him, should that happen.

Weblinks for the Daresbury Laue software source code and information. Addendum

The weblinks for the Daresbury Laue software source code and information have become hidden from a simple google search. This Addendum makes clear where the software source code and information can now be found.

Teaching in the online classroom: surviving and thriving in the new normal

A simple google search for books on online teaching results in hundreds of choices. Given that for almost a year now, most of the instruction in schools and colleges has been online, it is not a su...

Writing a letter to the editor: tips for success

Writing a letter to the editor: tips for success

Searching for Programme theories for a realist evaluation: a case study comparing an academic database search and a simple Google search

BackgroundRealist methodologies are increasingly being used to evaluate complex interventions in health and social care. Programme theory (ideas and assumptions of how a particular intervention works) development is the first step in a realist evaluation or a realist synthesis, with literature reviews providing important evidence to support this. Deciding how to search for programme theories is challenging and there is limited guidance available. Using an example of identifying programme theories for a realist evaluation of Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment Instruments in clinical practice, the authors explore and compare several different approaches to literature searching and highlight important methodological considerations for those embarking on a programme theory review.MethodsWe compared the performance of an academic database search with a simple Google search and developed an optimised search strategy for the identification primary references (i.e. documents providing the clearest examples of programme theories) associated with the use of Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment Instruments (PU-RAIs). We identified the number of primary references and the total number of references retrieved per source. We then calculated the number needed to read (NNR) expressed as the total number of titles and abstracts screened to identify one relevant reference from each source.ResultsThe academic database search (comprising CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, HMIC, Medline) identified 2 /10 primary references with a NNR of 1395.The Google search identified 7/10 primary references with a NNR of 10.1. The combined NNR was 286.3. The optimised search combining Google and CINAHL identified 10/10 primary references with a NNR of 40.2.ConclusionThe striking difference between the efficiency of the review’s academic database and Google searches in finding relevant references prompted an in-depth comparison of the two types of search. The findings indicate the importance of including grey literature sources such as Google in this particular programme theory search, while acknowledging the need for transparency of methods. Further research is needed to facilitate improved guidance for programme theory searches to enhance practice in the realist field and to save researcher time and therefore resource.

Pink Filter: Gender Effects in Meaningful and Meaningless Product Differentiation

A simple Google search of the term “Pink Tax” pulls up thousands of results regarding “the cost of being a female consumer.” There is a belief that women’s products are priced more highly than men’s products to reap the benefits of women preferring female-targeted products. We sought to determine the prevalence of these beliefs and the efficacy of such marketing practices. We consider the impact of both meaningful (e.g., different product features) and meaningless (e.g., labelling) differentiation on consumers’ attitudes towards products. We propose that women have become skeptical towards meaningless product differentiation directed towards them. Whereas they respond favorably to products that target women through different ingredients and functionality, they respond more negatively to products that target women purely through packaging. We specifically looked at response to three products: sunscreen, razors, and protein bars and manipulated each product to isolate the effects of product features vs. the product advertising. Results were then measured to determine if different types of gender marketing affected women more strongly than they affected men. The results of this research have implications for product marketing campaigns and for public policy.

“Duck and Green Peas! For Ever!” Finding Utopia in Tasmania

This book's quirky title and strikingly beautiful cover will grab attention on any bookshelf. The image comes from an old watercolor tourism advertising poster, dreamily evocative of paradisiacal pristine lakes and towering mountains. The title comes from a supposed quote by an early nineteenth-century female convict who declared that what would make her life perfect would be “Duck and Green Peas! For Ever!” (2).1There is much to enjoy about this book. It is written in a nonacademic, at times humorous, manner; is well illustrated; and follows a logical format.The book opens with early explorers' fantasies of the lives of indigenous Tasmanians. While some regarded them as debased, not-quite-human, others thought that they epitomized the utopian South Sea native, “happy children of nature,” a common trope in European mythology. Late eighteenth-century French explorers such as Bruni d'Enrecasteaux thought that so-called civilized Europeans “who boast about the extent of their knowledge [could] learn from this school of nature” (7). François Peron, his botanist, who came to know the “natives” rather than just look from afar, came to see them as “the miserable horde inhabiting these lands” (11).2Whatever the reality, their lives were utterly disrupted when Great Britain established a convict settlement there in 1803. The British policy was to make conditions for the convicts so harsh, so dystopian, that they would deter crime in England. In spite of this, some observers opined that Tasmanian convicts lived in utopia. I doubt whether many convicts saw it that way—although the author does quote one convict, Richard Dillingham, “As for tea and sugar I almost could swim in it.” But is utopia the best word?Because Tasmania has a moderate climate and rich soil (at least in some areas), some late nineteenth-century writers thought this to be ideal for yeoman farmers. Thousands of migrants flooded in, and some prospered, but for many there was only backbreaking toil with scant reward. One religious enthusiast “dreamt of growing apples in a Garden of Eden, settling in a land untouched by human weaknesses” (45). The same pseudo-utopian pattern persisted through the first half of the twentieth century, with locations being named “Paradise” and “Promised Land” (73–75).For more than two centuries some people have extolled Tasmania as being an ideal place, if not “utopia.” For some this meant an industrial power based on cheap hydroelectric power and purpose-built worker accommodations such as at the Electrolytic Zinc Works at Lutana and Cadbury's milk chocolate factory at Claremont (86). For others it was the ability to raise (and sell!) the world's finest merino wool (88–90). Some saw the dramatic mountains as an artistic ideal, while others extolled the pure air and water, and bracing climate, as making it the ideal place to live (91–104).Almost from the start of European colonization, there have been many attempts to create utopian intentional communities in Tasmania. Most have failed. Alexander mentions Castra (66–68) and the Southport Settlement (79–80) from the nineteenth century. She touches on several late twentieth-century communal groups such as Energy in Action, Gaia, Illusion Farm, Tagari, Teapot, Waterworks, and Wiiteena, all of which collapsed or exist in name alone (161–69). Unfortunately, she barely touches on Cascade Cohousing, Tasman Ecovillage, and the Hutterites at Rocky Cape Christian Community. In fact it appears that she did not bother to visit these prosperous contemporary intentional communities.Overall, this book is interesting, well written, and informative, with a few quotable quotes: “This is the paradox of utopia: its very desirability eventually destroys the qualities people admire” (180); and “for people who never had enough to eat, plenty of food was utopia” (24). That said, there are several problems. First, the author never clearly defines what she means by utopia. She writes, “I view utopia as a condition of ideal (esp. social) perfection,” but then radically dilutes this to “I see achieving utopia as gaining your heart's desire” (3). Sometimes she uses utopia just to mean pleasant or prosperous.The biggest problem I have, however, is that Alexander appears to be unaware of, let alone building upon, previous work on this same topic. Thirteen years ago I wrote “Utopian Communal Experiments in Tasmania: A Litany of Failure?”3 A simple Google search will find it. Likewise Scott Rankin recently wrote “Tasmanian Utopias,” published in a well-known Australian journal.4 But the author of “Duck and Green Peas! For Ever!” failed to locate, or at least reference, either. This book could have been so much better than it is.But if you have never been to Tasmania, Australia's most dramatically scenic state, then read this book and come visit. But trust me, Tasmania is not utopia!

Managing Expectations: The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall: Commentary on an article by Danielle Y. Ponzio, MD, et al.: "An Analysis of the Influence of Physical Activity Level on Total Knee Arthroplasty Expectations, Satisfaction, and Outcomes. Increased Revision in Active Patients at Five to Ten Years".

Managing Expectations: The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall: Commentary on an article by Danielle Y. Ponzio, MD, et al.: "An Analysis of the Influence of Physical Activity Level on Total Knee Arthroplasty Expectations, Satisfaction, and Outcomes. Increased Revision in Active Patients at Five to Ten Years".

Utilization of Mobile Nutrition Applications by Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

Utilization of Mobile Nutrition Applications by Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

Ketamine or Ketofol: Do We Have Enough Evidence to Know Which One to Use?

Ketamine and propofol are both commonly used emergency department (ED) procedural sedation agents. Their concurrent administration, often referred to as “ketofol”, is widely used for procedural sedation. A simple google search can lead to a lot of opinions on why we should use propofol, ketamine, or ketofol in a given situation for moderate or deep procedural sedation in the ED, but finding evidence that supports differences these opinions assume is much harder to come by. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Facebook's Acquisition of Whatsapp: The Rise of Intangibles (a)

One of Susan Shaw's interests is investing in the stock market. She has copied some pages of Facebook Inc.'s 2015, 2014, and 2013 financial statements, and the company sure seemed like an investment winner. But as she peruses these financial statements, she notices that in the 2014 financial statements there are some huge differences from the 2013 statement for a number of line items, such as Total Assets, Goodwill, Additional Paid in Capital, Revenue, Net Income, and Net Cash Used in Investing Activities. The reported dollar amounts for many of these items listed on the 2014 balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows, had more than doubled and she wonders if traditional financial statements and reporting conventions were robust and effective in communicating the intricacies and details of deals such as Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp and were all Facebook's assets and enterprise value reflected in its balance sheets. Excerpt UVA-C-2382 Rev. Mar. 31, 2017 Facebook's Acquisition of WhatsApp: The Rise of Intangibles (A) Susan Shaw had a number of diverse interests. In addition to a rising legal career, she loved whitewater rafting, gourmet cooking with friends, Broadway musicals, volunteering at the local homeless shelter, and investing in the stock market. It was the investing pursuit that occupied her attention this cold and rainy Saturday morning. On her desk, she had several pages of Facebook Inc.'s 2015, 2014, and 2013 financial statements that she had had the foresight to print out earlier in the week at the office. She was intrigued with the idea of investing in a company that sure seemed like an investment winner. As she perused the financial statements, her normal starting point for learning more about the performance of a company, the first thing she noticed was that in the 2014 financial statements there were some huge differences from the 2013 statement for a number of line items, including Total Assets, Goodwill, Additional Paid in Capital, Revenue, Net Income, and Net Cash Used in Investing Activities (see Exhibit 1). The reported dollar amounts for many of these items, sprinkled across the 2014 balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows, had more than doubled. “I wonder what's up,” she mused. “I guess I'll need to delve into the details to find out. It sure seems unusual that a company could double in size in just one year—there must have been a merger of some sort.” Indeed, a simple Google search of “Facebook and 2014 mergers” turned up a number of hits. Eight of the first ten search listings referred to the company, WhatsApp Inc. Her interest was piqued, so she poured another cup of coffee and began her methodical review. Facebook, Inc. . . .

Navigating United Nations data sources

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to direct academic librarians to free data resources that support international relations research. This paper provides technical information so readers can download data from referenced sites for analysis. Proper citation of data sources is emphasized. Design/methodology/approach The resources were compiled from teaching information and statistical literacy to diplomacy undergraduate and graduate students. Data and data sets described are relevant to country research and sustainable development. Findings Academic librarians will help students identify if they are looking for data specific to an agency, indicator, initiative, or general topic. Statistical literacy is also an underlying goal for academic librarians. Key word searching is important for finding sources that may not surface through a simple Google search. Research limitations/implications The free services described may not answer all research queries. Librarians may need to use services such as Political Risk Service’s CountryData Online. Practical implications This is an excellent resource list of secondary data sources for academic librarians in areas that may not be their area of expertise or for those not at Tier 1 research institutions. Social implications Students internationally will have access to this data. This has implications for US college students who are competing with students overseas for jobs and will use data to help future employers make strategic decisions. Originality/value There has not been anything published recently in library literature about United Nations data resources. This article features commentary from two Seton Hall University Diplomacy faculty plus EDUCAUSE and UK researchers.

The African Atlantic: West African Literatures and Slavery Studies

The African Atlantic: West African Literatures and Slavery Studies Taiwo Adetunji Osinubi BOOKS REVIEWED Rebellious Histories: The Amistad Slave Revolt and the Cultures of Late Twentieth-Century Black Transnationalism ByMatthew J. Christensen Albany: State U of New York P, 2012. xiv + 188 pp. 9781438439709 paper. Metaphor and the Slave Trade in West African Literature By Laura T. Murphy Athens: Ohio UP, 2012. ix + 243 pp. 9780821419953 paper. SLAVERY STUDIES, COLONIALISM, AND AFRICAN LITERATURES Within African literary and cultural studies, work on the representations of domestic West African slavery or the historical slave trades across the Atlantic and the Sahara has been sparse. Laura Murphy and Matthew [End Page 149] Christensen address this paucity in two books with strikingly different perspectives and outcomes. Whereas Murphy focuses on metaphorization and veiled communications in representations of slavery, Christensen emphasizes direct contestations of slavery’s meanings and overt appropriations of symbolic narratives and icons that critique enslavement and its legacies of political and cultural dispossession. In his explicitly transnational study, Christensen examines the memorializations of the 1839 Amistad slave revolt in the United States and Sierra Leone as a site of contestation over the meanings of emancipation and political independence. Murphy studies representations of the slave trade in Ghanaian and Nigerian literatures. Both scholars examine texts and events from about the third decade of the nineteenth century to the first decade of the twenty-first century. In reading these contributions together, I frame my observations within an appraisal of the disjunctures among a globalizing slavery studies, African literary scholarship, studies of slavery narratives in the North Atlantic world, and the much researched study of slavery in the Americas. This wide gesture is necessary because as much as these books can be read as studies in African and African American literatures, they beckon toward larger cross-disciplinary conversations about the histories and representations of slavery, colonialism, and capitalism. Hitherto, most of the work on slavery in Africa has been produced outside literary scholarship. Such work, produced by historians, anthropologists, political scientists, legal scholars, and archeologists on the historical and contemporary practices of capture, enslavement, and bondage constitutes the cross-disciplinary field of slavery studies. Although much of the work in the field through the last three decades of the twentieth century was historical, the rise of contemporary slavery studies, the attention to human trafficking, and the increasing recognition of globalized labor exploitation have transformed historical slavery studies into contemporary global slavery studies. Increasingly, the slave trade is recognized as a globalizing force with multiple historical locations and participants. New and forthcoming journals and book series—such as the Journal of Global Slavery or Brill’s Studies in Global Slavery—continue to transform the field. It is thus imperative for scholars to historicize their studies of any form of slavery and slave trade within a larger landscape and temporality of co-extensive practices of enslavement and freedom. The transformations I list above influence my reading of Murphy and Christensen. While a simple Google search will reveal countless conferences and publications on the histories and forms of slavery and bondage in Africa, it will produce far fewer search results on the representations of slavery in African literatures. This disjuncture is historical. Slavery, the Atlantic slave trade, and abolition are acknowledged as catastrophic and traumatic events in Caribbean and American literatures. Hence, scholars studying representations of slavery in the Americas find a ready body of codified literatures overtly addressing its traumatic legacies. There is also a great interaction between scholars of Caribbean and American literatures of slavery and scholars of slavery studies in the Americas. Colonial conquest reconfigured Africa’s internal relationship to domestic slavery and the internal slave trades such that scholars of slavery in African literatures must take into account how colonialism impacted how slavery is remembered and represented. That is to say that all accounts of slavery and slave trade must be provincialized, i.e., taken out of any singularizing (North Atlantic or putatively global) narrative [End Page 150] and rescaled within a local nexus of meanings and historical mechanisms.1 For West African literatures, such provincializing gestures must take account of colonialism and its successor or related projects such as anticolonialism, independence, arrested decolonization...

From the Editorial Board Marketing the Future: Rebranding Public Education

From the Editorial Board Marketing the Future:Rebranding Public Education Torrie K. Edwards It is important to discuss the role of higher education and university structures in a journal that focuses on secondary education and research policy because post-secondary changes inevitably shape P-12 education policy. With political rhetoric around the policies for higher education becoming increasingly conservative across many states (in particular, those with notably progressive institutions), it is clear that the political right will gravely impact P-20 public education in two ways: first, by redefining the purpose of schools, thus changing coursework, university and P-12 school structures, standards, teacher preparation, and teacher compensation; and second, by privatizing schools, which—regardless of whether this is intended or not—will exacerbate existing race-based and class-based institutional inequities. Pervasive in the current rhetoric of public higher education is an emphasis on the job market and employability, as well as the repeated use of business language and terminology in program and institutional evaluation. Though current rhetoric emphasizes this neoliberal approach to education, public education has not always been conceptualized only in this way. The purpose of public education has often been understood as a mechanism by which we create civically active and knowledgeable participants in a democratic society. This idea of democratic citizenship is reflected in university mission statements, demonstrating both university and external community members’ moral and political understanding of the role of public higher education. A simple Google search of public universities’ mission statements elicits such examples of university purpose as “community engagement” (University of South Carolina, 2010), “new knowledge that can change how we all work and live” (University of Minnesota, 2014), and “the free and collegial exchange of ideas” (University of Virginia, 2014). These characteristics of higher education are similarly reflected in P-12 spaces. Historically, public education has been conceptualized as the means by which America can “survive as a democracy,” by “arm[ing] people with an intelligence capable of free and independent thought” that “helps people to build common ground across diverse experiences and ideas” (Darling-Hammond, 1996, p. 5). And, although the Common Core State Standards (2010) also emphasize competitiveness, that the standards identify educated citizenship and respect for the experiences of “widely divergent cultures” (p. 7) as important also echoes those university statements of purpose. Looking at these post-secondary missions and our current P-12 academic standards, it is clear that both parts of the public education community share the responsibility to promote excellence, academic quality, and a devotion to community. Despite these qualities of public education, in recent years, conservative political figures across the country have used their executive strength to encourage and supplement legislative policies that limit and change the purpose of public higher education. State leaders like Governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida are attempting to institute efforts to limit and change public education by cutting public P-20 education funding and expanding voucher programs (Bosman, 2015; Kelderman, 2015; [End Page 1] Strauss, 2015). Often leaders who have slashed the public education budget and rearranged education systems have met resistance, and nowhere is the political tension around public education more apparent than in North Carolina, the home state of The High School Journal. In 2013, newly elected Governor Pat McCrory decried the intellectual elitism of North Carolina’s university system. Declaring his lack of support for public funding of liberal arts education in public universities, he argued that the system’s responsibility was to produce employable graduates who could fill the market’s needs; for instance students who wish to participate in liberal arts courses such as “gender studies” or “Swahili language” classes could, according to the Governor, “go to a private school” (Kingkade, 2015). McCrory’s statement, which elicited criticism from students, college professors, and even other conservatives (Kingkade, 2015), flies in the face of the University of North Carolina’s mission to maintain an “unwavering commitment to excellence as one of the world’s great research universities” and extend “knowledge-based services and other resources of the University to the citizens of North Carolina…to enhance the quality of life for all people in the State” (University of North...