Editorial Voice

The last few months of 2008 were an exciting time for Americans. The election of Barrack Obama uplifted the spirits of Americans everywhere. The phenomenon of cultural unity was evident during election season, but more importantly, the economy as a whole was strengthened during the holiday seasons, thus ringing in the New Year with hopes of cultural and economic change. This issue carries quite a progressive and radical tone, which makes for this issue to key into the concept of a collective cultural, societal, and political action ploy that many of our young and scholarly writers exhibit in their articles. By far the most intriguing aspect of this issue is the cultural and economic awareness of international countries. Many of us living here in America tend to forget that other people outside of the United States have to cope with cultural and economic strives, but fortunately for the modern age realm of communication, journals like the Culture, Society & Praxis Journal allow for the international voice to speak and enlighten us all. Some of our articles are written by students who attend universities outside of California; more extraordinarily, some of our article submissions are from professors outside of the United States. This dynamic of international voices will offer great insight for many of our readers. Other article submissions were contributed by local students; either alumni’s of California State University, Monterey Bay, or current students, some of which are members of this journal’s publication team! On behalf of the Culture, Society & Praxis Journal, we hope that you find the following articles and art work thought evoking and appropriate for today’s current cultural and economic conditions. Author Shenoa Lawrence starts off this issue by providing a piece that compares the historic Cambodian’s experience with the Khmer Rouge totalitarian governance system in the 1970s to her own life. Lawrence utilizes her own experiences of self culture and class observation to her current status in America, this self realization changed though, and the young Cambodian girl’s self realization of no longer being in the bourgeoisie class changed as well. Cultural awareness is fully evident in the article, Loving v. Virginia and Same Sex Marriage, Mapping the Intersections. Kluttz, takes a historic approach by analyzing the court case, Loving v. Virginia and comparing the stigma that lied behind the court case to the stigma that exists in today’s culture regarding same sex marriage. In the case Loving v. Virginia, interracial marriage is challenged by the Supreme Court, a couple fought for their rights to get married, for marrying someone of another race was illegal during the year of 1958. A cross comparison of the need for freedom to choose is the essence in this article. In States Right to Initiative: Medical Marijuana, Gu analyses the balancing act that state and federal laws have played on the role of legalizing medical marijuana. Federal and state policies have conflicted in the past, but more conflicting are the current citizens who need medical marijuana for health issues. Lloyd provides us with an insight of Forensic Anthropology, Paleopathology, and the Creation of Osteobiographies. The study of human remains is important for archeologists in understanding a site or culture of the remains. Lloyd highlights what exactly the work of such fields entails and how each field can benefit from one another. Cisneros takes the reader back to 1947 when there was a struggle to desegregate Mexican American students in the American school system. The court case, Mendez v. Westminster, is explored further in the article, and Cisneros reminds the readers that the current educational opportunities for Mexican American students are not improving anymore then they did after the 1947, Mendez. v Westminster case. The economy had taken a downfall earlier in 2008, especially in the real estate sector. In Subprime Mortgage Loans: An Overview Analysis on the Loan Process, and Statistics Surrounding the Vulnerable Borrowers in Today’s Economy, Nelums shines light on the act of hasty mortgage lending practices that have stricken the lives of subprime mortgage borrowers. The author hopes that by spreading awareness of mortgage lending malpractice, future homebuyers won’t fall victim to home foreclosures. Babcock, provides an interesting article titled, What Influences the Awareness of Voters. Babock writes about the current media and news sources that students and faculty respond to today. These sources, according Babcock’s self-made survey, show that student and faculty’s knowledge on political issues and election voting habits reflected their voting habits for the past 2008 election. Parsons and William Frick, provide an interactive discussion revolving around professor and student communication and relationships. In the article, Why Professors Hate Their Jobs, both authors include student reviewers from our journal, along with other professor’s experiences regarding the disengagement that lies between students and professors. This is a good read for students who are interested in seeing what professors think about non-communicative students, and vise versa. The journal is thankful for this very special collaboration. Overseas in Singapore, policies have tightened the freedom for film makers to produce their films freely. Victor S.O. Yu, a Singapore native, brings an international awareness for the need of support by the international community. In Singapore, film makers use their films to bring culture unity and communication. This effort however is fading due to political force, maybe we as American movie-goers could aid in some way after we finish reading this piece, titled, Film, Arts and Culture as Community Outreach Tools: Perspectives from Singapore. In her article Inside America: An Analysis of the Capitalistic Domination of Mexican Farm Workers Taj offers a historic and current issue regarding the Americanization process that is forced upon Mexican farm workers in the state of California, specifically in Salinas. Cultural stereotypes and barriers that have barred Mexican farm workers from freely attaining the everyday privileges are compared to Taj’s personal experiences of surviving in America today. Artist, photographer, and California State University, Monterey Bay student, Valerie Brown, has contributed her picture that paints the cover of our journal this issue. If readers take a look at the back page, they can read Brown’s inspirations for taking this picture, and the ambiguous title, Susan, which surrounds this picture just might be better explained as well. On a personal note, I wanted to thank the Culture, Society & Praxis Journal staff, along with this issues contributors. I have had an excellent time working with all of you, my position as a journal manager could not have been a more enjoyable experience without the works and help of everyone whom I have been in contact with. I wish the journal well for its future publications