FDNY drops physical test requirement amid low female hiring rate

The New York Fire Department recently introduced a new physical test requirement after pressure to have more women pass the entry exams from the city council.

Out of 10,500 uniformed firefighters in New York City, only 37 are women, this is roughly  about .04%. In turn, Big Apple has one of the lowest percentage of women of any department in the nation.  “This is simply unacceptable,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, chair of the fire committee. “It is time we break down any barriers that still exist for women to become New York City firefighters.”

However, it’s a non gender-based barrier that applies to everyone. A necessary barrier because when it comes down to it, firefighters have the responsibility of saving the lives of the public as well as their teammates resting in their hands.

The National Firefighter Selection Test has rigorous drills which include the pushing of a heavy tire at least 8 feet, raising a ladder up a wall and breaching holes in a ceiling all while wearing an oxygen tank with a limited amount of air according to the NYpost.

The exam is suppose to be draconian. These are firefighters, their job isn't getting less strenuous. Bodies in burning buildings aren't getting any lighter. Next time I'm stuck and injured in a burning building , am I suppose to just carry myself out to safety because the "firefighter" can't lift 200 lbs? What's next? Blind people doing brain surgery?

Being a firefighter entails a high degree of physical exertion, long or unusual working hours, where there is a chance of serious injury or death if you actually have to do the thing your job title describes. Closing the gap for minorities shouldn’t come at the cost lives.

In Response To Ferguson Protesters Blocking The I-5

The usual story is that they're protesting decades of racial injustice and the Michael Brown incident was just the spark that lit the gun powder.

One thing to keep in mind is that many of these people have heard a very different narrative of what happened, and they probably trust the people who told them that narrative more than they trust the people telling them different. They've got a lot invested in this whole "racist white police officer guns down innocent young black child" thing, and that's not what they're really mad about anyway.

It's a bunch of angry people who feel frail taking their rage out on anything they perceive as part of the establishment. According to ABC10’s reports, “They're mad as hell and ... not gonna take it anymore." There really isn't any greater logic to it than that.

Are they going to accomplish anything? No.

Are they turning their town into a slum that will probably never recover? Yes.

Do they care at this point? Not really.

Until America finally sorts its racial issues out, on both sides, this is just gonna keep happening over and over and over. It's fine to say that these people are careless and they're going to accomplish nothing and feel all smug about how “revolutionary” they are. But in the long run, we're going to have to do something about the conditions that lead to this.

Realizing The Dream: Equality For All

Our world has always been faced with the problem of discrimination. It is one of the most discussed topics nowadays and throughout history. In all countries there is most likely at least one type of discrimination that affects different groups of people. Why can’t we follow the quote, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? There are so many character traits that make up someone’s persona. By the time we get through with all the things that we really appreciate and admire about people, shouldn't what they do in the private life be low on the list?


There are many issues of homosexual discrimination in the workplace, schools, and there’s even discrimination in the home. But why is this still happening in the 21st century? We say that we are civilized, but are we really? We are blind by the things that don't really matter, by things that are slowing down humanity. 

All that really matters is your contribution to the world. This issue is something that needs to be profoundly acknowledged. What if you were judged on your actions, kindness and wisdom rather than your sexual orientation, race or religion. 

I believe that our goal as humans is to get to the point where our world is on par with the world of the Star Trek universe. Where we are acknowledged as one race, humanoids. Where our goal in life is to make the lives of others better. And where we can set aside our differences and team up with aliens to build utopia. However, to reach this goal, we have to take one step at a time. Let's start by treating everyone equally

NASA's Funds

Today NASA receives less than a penny from every us tax dollar, far less than what  the government spends subsidizing the technologies of yesterday. NASA’s annual budget of $17.8 billion is puny when compared to the $41 billion of oil operations.

Its goals for the next ten years has grown increasingly  unreachable. Human space has gone off course. The list of places we want to look gets longer, while the resources to do so decline.

A 1997 poll found that Americans thought NASA represented approximately 20% of the federal budget. In reality, NASA represented 0.9% of the federal budget. The record high level for NASA funding was 4.4%.

Despite that, just throwing money at NASA wouldn't be in our best interest even though they have got us to the moon and back. A better alternative is to have competition and let the best company win by proving they have the best innovations. Space X is a great example of what happens when you regulate a monopoly and spread the money around. Other organizations like DARPA hold competitions to spur innovation and growth.

In addition,  increasing the budget by a zero or two does not make qualified scientists, engineers, or technicians appear out of thin air. More people will consider space-related work if more jobs become available, but momentous alterations in the workforce, especially at the "high end" don't happen overnight.

CP #1: Exposing Hidden Bias at Google

Exposing Hidden Bias at Google

Statistics don’t lie. If you are working in IT, you’re most likely a male. Nearly all of corporate diversity reports show that Silicon Valley is a male dominated industry.

The tech giant, Google, pointed out that this plague is the effect of a shared unconscious bias in everyone’s minds. Unconscious bias happens “naturally” and is not only confined to the work environment but also our daily lives.  These biases are shaped by experiences, cultural norms, and allow us to filter information and make quick decisions. However, we've all been unknowingly skewed by these shortcuts.

Google has always been at the cutting edge of innovation when it comes to technology, employee relations and social issues, Once again, Google has stepped in as a leader by exposing the pervasiveness of unconscious bias. They are attempting to fix this demographic gap within their walls by making the work environment more appealing to minorities such as women. There is a growing body of research surrounding unconscious bias and how it can be prevented from negatively impacting our decision making and hampering the motives of others.

However, this obstacle should be tackled early on in life. The difference of gender roles in society is mainly forged during the childhood of individuals. Programs that specifically target splinter groups ,such as females, to pursue in the science and technology industry should be initiated during the most sensitive period of one's life, K-12. The goal of this is to identify how unconscious bias is affecting our outlook, decisions, and interactions from the get go and prevent it from burgeoning.

ALL HEIL DAVID