Featured Nation Associate
Nominate yourself or someone else to be our Featured Associate!
Dorothy Marschak of Washington, D.C., is our Featured Associate.
Dorothy has been on 6 Nation Cruises and is a member of her local Nation Discussion Group. For the last 14 years, as Founder and President of CHIME (Community Help In Music Education), she has promoted and provided music education for Washington, D.C. public school children. Recently, at her Swarthmore College 60th reuinion she was presented me with the Arabella Carter Award for outstanding community service.
If Dorothy could be editor-for-a-day, the story she would assign…
"I would assign a story on why including school music ensembles (especially bands and choruses) in school funding – even as after-school opportunities – yields positive social benefits. Evidence shows participants graduate, go to college, get better jobs, and have lower crime rates than non-participants, and they lead richer lives. This is why so many US communities, as well as other countries, are becoming inspired by the example of Venezuela’s el sistema. Yet, funding for such programs is fast disappearing.
Or I would ask the question: From whom does President Obama regularly request policy advice regarding economic, education and social issues. What opinion sources does he read regularly? I’m interested to know who else besides Geithner, Bernanke, Goolsby or Duncan he seeks out and trusts specifically on domestic policy issues. Is there any evidence he reads The Nation? Or seeks advice from any progressives? Or has a 5-yr Strategic Economic Plan/Policy?.”
Dorothy’s nomination for The Nation’s “Person of the Year”…
“The year’s not over yet! Julian Assange has had a big impact, but “The Arab Spring” is so far the story of the year. I hope it stays that way until the end. Maybe the Tunisian martyr who began it all, in the public eye anyway, should by the eponymous representative person.”
Why Dorothy sticks up for independent journalism...
“It’s our last best hope for the future of investigative journalism in areas censored by the mainstream media because of its fear of losing corporate sponsors or political access. I support The Nation because although it has an overt progressive bias — and I don’t always agree with every article — it covers topics ignored by the mainstream media in a non-strident, fact-based and well-written (not least important!) manner. I also think that the contributors — those I’ve met on cruises — are admirable human beings as well as great journalists. They live what they write. I appreciate that despite losing Art Danto, the Arts and Books Section is still outstanding and The Nation doesn't short change it for the merely topical or sensational which is, alas, all one gets (with rare exception) from mainstream 'news'."
