Throughout the semester, Radius has been exploring a wide range of topics, including housing and gentrification (particularly right here in Cambridge), nuclear non-proliferation, the food supply, prison reform, omnivorism vs veganism, military spending, US government research dollars and how that money is spent in the nation's universities, sexual harrassment and gender issues, gaming, drone warfare, developments in the Middle East, with emphasis on Iran, and many more.  

We do this not because we expect to appeal to all people all the time, but rather to afford the opportunity to provide compelling information in an accessible way.   In particular, we offer our students in our undergrad ethics seminar a broad "menu" from which to choose.  In addition to attending class and writing reflections, students are required to attend three events that have an ethical dimension; we encourage them to attend Radius programs.

As the semester comes to a close, the students have been presenting their final reflections.  These reflections have been eloquent, funny, moving, honest and insightful.  A  common sentiment running through the evening is, "I didn't even know this problem/issue/topic existed and now I'm even more confused than ever!"  We love to hear this.  It means that their world is opening up and they've begun to think more deeply about themselves and the world around them--whether it's where our human waste ends up or where your hamburger comes from.

Over the weekend, the NYTimes broke a story about the plight of nail salon workers.  Yes, the people (mostly women) who do manicures and pedicures.  Years ago, a manicure and/or pedicure was a very special event in which few people indulged. Now, one can get a "mani-pedi" for $20.  On the surface, one thinks, "Oh, how fun and inexpensive! Let's go!". However, the picture is quite dark for these workers. Because of this  NYTimes investigative story, Governor Cuomo of New York, has ordered emergency measures to protect these workers. This is another instance where a seemingly inocuous aspect of life is filled with injustice, abuse and human rights violations. It reminds us that we need to always look both ways and front and back in order to take a true 360 look at our activities and behaviors.