Elizabeth (Betsy) Lublin, associate professor of history at Wayne State University, discusses Pearl Harbor Day and explains why Japan attacked the United States in 1941. “Most students come at it from the perspective of not understanding the reasons why Japan attacked. Part of what I do in the classroom is provide that kind of context, and also explain the Japanese public’s reaction at the time as well as Japanese thinking about Pearl Harbor today,” Lublin said. “They’re surprised – they don’t get that kind of information in high school history classes. The simplest reason (for the attack) is that the Japanese at the time felt threatened. They felt that they had been cornered into a position, for which the attack on Pearl Harbor was the only way to defend their nation. The causes date back to the 1930s; Japan’s expansionism into China, their movement into southeast Asia in the late 1930s early 1940s, very much to get tin, rubber, and particularly oil reserves. Those were absolutely essential from the Japanese perspective to continue to wage war, expand the empire, protect the homeland. In July 1941, the U.S. along with Britain and the Netherlands placed an embargo on all Japanese assets and severely restricted their access to crude oil. That sense of threat led the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor, thinking it would take the U.S. out of the equation…” 

By Mark Satta Mark Satta, assistant professor of philosophy at Wayne State University, wrote an article about a major case in front of the Supreme Court, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, which centers around LGBTQ rights and free speech. The petitioner, Colorado-based web designer Lorie Smith, is looking to expand her business, 303 Creative, by making wedding websites for couples that consist of one man and one woman. She wants to refuse wedding website services to same-sex couples planning to marry. Smith also wants to write on the 303 Creative website that she has been called by God to make wedding websites only for mixed-sex couples in order to promote “God’s true story of marriage.” This would appear to violate the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, a state law that protects against sexual-orientation discrimination in places that offer goods and services to the public. “As a scholar who pays close attention to the Supreme Court’s free speech and LGBTQ civil rights cases, I believe the case could have a significant impact on how federal courts handle cases where free speech rights appear to clash with anti-discrimination laws in the future,” writes Satta, before outlining three key recurring themes in the case.

By Diane Cress  Diane Cress, associate professor of nutrition and food science at Wayne State University, wrote an article about the consequences of vitamin B12 deficiency, and how it is over overlooked by doctors. B12 deficiency is a common problem that affects an estimated 6% to 20% of the U.S. population. Cress outlines the symptoms of B12 deficiency, as well as the absorption process and treatment options.  “One primary symptom of B12 deficiency is fatigue – a level of tiredness or exhaustion so deep that it affects daily life activities. Other symptoms are neurological and may include tingling in the extremities, confusion, memory loss, depression and difficulty maintain balance…” Cress writes. “However, since there can be so many causes for these symptoms, health care providers may overlook the possibility of a B12 deficiency and fail to screen for it…”