Social Issue: Turn to the Worse
Many people assume that at the time for a baby to be born for being take care of and protected has turn to horror when Alabama baby was contact with meth causing the baby to die. Ada Calhoun shows important social issue to the world about Alabama’s chemical-endangerment law versing a woman who was convicted of killing her son with a chemical. Alabama’s chemical endangerment law was supposed to protect children from being exposed to chemical substance from a “responsible” person. Until an Alabama mother, Amanda Kimbrough was claim to have killed her son who was just been born for 19 minutes, but end up dying by meth. Many of the unions were against Kimbrough except for Emma Ketteringham, the director of legal advocacy at the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, who question the fact that the law is violating the freedom of pregnant women. By focusing on the issue, if you overlook the problem into a deeper understanding to Ketteringham mistake about a baby life was taken.
In Ketteringham’s observation of situation from the death of Kimbrough’s son act was violated under the eight amendment to cruel and unusually punishment. Ketteringham argues that Alabama’s chemical endangerment law was violating the constitutional guarantees. Ketteringham states “violates the constitutional guarantees of liberty, privacy, equality, due process and freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.” In other words, Ketteringham believes the government is not accepting the fact of a person’s freedom of choice and needs to respect it. In Ketteringham’s view, “the law violates pregnant women’s constitutional rights to equal protection under the law.” Ketteringham’s point is that the government is not respecting the pregnant women’s rights to have equality.
Compare to Ketteringham’s thoughts, I think Ketteringham is mistaken because she overlooks that the fact is a child has died from the uses of a chemical. Alabama put that law just to protect a baby from reacts for the worse and possibility more is death. When babies are born they have to get use to the new environment that is why you have to wash your hand to make sure the baby doesn’t get sick. When I had to visit every one of my siblings my parents told me I had to wash my hand because if I didn’t the baby will be infected with “bad” germs that there body can’t go up against just yet. For chemical is no different because Kimbrough’s son died before it could even have a chance to live in life. Alabama made the right choice to put the law up because it is protecting the babies or as in future Americans’ rights.
Ketteringham and Kimbrough may think Alabama is wrong to put a law that goes against their freedom rights, but Alabama put the law to protect babies even if the parents don’t respect their babies’ right. I agree with the unions who convicted Kimbrough killing her son by meth because it wasn’t right to use a chemical when the law prohibit. If Kimbrough didn’t wanted the chemical environment law she should have vote against it, but it was vote by the people of America. So Kimbrough has no choice by to respect the law of the government because laws were made to protect the people including babies who don’t have a voice yet until they are older.This situation has turned for the worse even for the baby who died may he rest in peace.
Education: Lost it’s Way
South Korea’s huge economic cause is from their educational having 96 percent high school graduation rate the world’s highest graduate rate. Compare to America’s graduation rate about 7 in 10 American students get a high school diploma. Andreas Schleicher had this to say “In one way, international education benchmarks make disappointing reading for the U.S.” From Sam Dillion’s article called “Many Nations Passing U.S. in Education, Expert Say” shows how American lost its way in education compare to another Nations. Schleicher claims after World War II, America lost to other countries who are gaining the upper hand on education leaving only New Zealand, Spain, Turkey and Mexico below Unitied States of America (U.S) education level. Mr. Butt observes American children are becoming overentertained and distracted students. Tom Harki, Sentor Iowa, agrees with Schleicher’s observation with the fact the problem lies in kids’ learning before school. Although I agree with Schleicher idea about America education system is bad up to the point, though I cannot accept Harkins overall conclusion that the problems lies in kids’ education before school.
On the Mr. Butt’s view about overentertained and distracted students are true, but it is the students’ fault for being uninterested in school. Mr. Butt states “The blame for America’s sagging academic achievement does not lie solely with public schools, but also with dysfunctional families and a culture that undervalues education Schools are inheriting an overentertained, distracted student” I agree that student are over entertains and distracted however it isn’t their fault that schools can’t make education more interesting and entertain to help the student be success in life. If school made a connection to student interest then they can make a spark on an essay or artwork or more.
Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who leads the Senate Committee, picked up on that comment. “Overentertained and distracted — that’s right,” Mr. Harkin said. “The problem lies with many kids before they get to school, and if we don’t crack that nut, we’re going to continue to patch and fill.”
True however it does not having to help the fact that children need to learn before going to school however the fact is most parents don’t have time or enough energy since they have to work in this hard. Even my parents before my brother, Giovanni (Gio), went to school they were too busy and too tried to educate my brother. In fact my parents wanted to teach Giovanni to learn new things but they never had a chance. Now that Gio is in first grade my parents tried to help him, but they realized they kept messing up his pronunciations causing him to be confused. My parents are Mexicans who came from Mexico, so it hard for them to teach Gio because English and Spanish are different pronunciations.
America’s system of standards, curriculums and testing controlled by states and local districts with a heavy overlay of federal rules is a “quite unique” mix of decentralization and central control, Mr. Schleicher said. More successful nations, he said, maintain central control over standards and curriculum, but give local schools more freedom from regulation, he said.
“The question for the U.S. is not just how many charter schools it establishes,” he said, “but how to build the capacity for all schools to assume charter-like autonomy, as happens in some of the best-performing education systems.”
Yes he is right about how it isn’t about how school are being made but of how they teach to give schools more freedom. When I was in high school they told us we had to pass Washington Assessment Student Learning (WASL) in order to graduate. However the WASL was never to help students for colleges or anything else because it was to insure all students were equal. Even now the test called WASL has change to Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) for Middle Schools or HSP for High School. Since I graduated on time from my old school district, Federal Way a new grade system created. I observed my sister, Abigail (Aby) over stressing from keeping her grades out. Aby told me that homework never counts anymore only test to me it was a shock to hear about that. I remember they made homework because it was to prove you did work hard and also to catch any cheaters who manage to pass the test which out doing the homework.
teammjb asked: I just wanted to comment on that post you talked about MJB's ad. I just want to say a BIG thank you because that was the BEST response I have read so far on the whole incident. As you know by my name I am a Mary fan and I must say I did NOT view the ad as racist neither did alot of fans I know on her fansite/groups etc. So those 'so-called' fans have issue within themselves to realize it wasn't that deep of a situation and ppl need to stop with the race card- it is getting ridiculous.
Your welcome. To be honest I was kind of nervous there because I don’t know MJB really well, but I have to say she has a great song. I like how smooth it goes. The “fan part” I base on the information of Alize’s letter and now I know there aren’t fans who saw it racism. Thank you for opening my eyes to a different MJB’s fan view of the video. I rewrite it to seem only some MJB’s fans view it as racism. And you are right on about the “so-called” fans! ^-^ They do need to stop being ridiculous because we never get over racism.
Respect others the way you want to be respected
Diversity:Everyone is Different
A number of people who have seen the Burger King’s ads have recently suggested that the Mary J. Blige commercial is consider racism or just being entertainment. However, there were other different Burger King Ads with Blige such as Jay Leno, David Beckham, and Selma Hayek whom has no condemn of being racism videos. On Blige’s Burger King Ads, Blige is interrupting the manager from explaining the new chicken wrap, so the manager decided to let her explain. Blige started to sing “Crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, three cheeses, ranch dressing, wrapped up in a tasty flour tortilla,” with her song called “Don’t Mind.” Blige is ideal model for everyone as known as an “angry women” who fights against something she believes in. In discussions of Blige’s Burger King Ads, one argues issue has been conceding if the video is racism. On the one hand, some Blige’s fans argue Blige’s Burger King Ads was racism. On the other hand, some people claims Blige’s Burger King Ads was just entertainment. My own view is about the video is just being entertainment despite how the people are overlooking what I consider an important point about judging a person by diversity not by an individual.
Some people who saw the video as racism was mostly Blige’s fans. One her fans named Renay Alize wrote a letter to Blige called, “An Open Letter to Mary J. Blige Re: Her Buffoonish Burger King Commercial,” on how she was greatly disappointed of Blige. Even if everyone does loves chicken Blige should not have sang about the chicken. The ad had ruined the song “Don’t Mind” because it reminds Alize about chicken. Alize claims Binger King was so desperate to getting people, so they used Blige, Alize admits Blige made a foolish mistake. The ironic thing is that Blige claims that she “agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence. Unfortunately, that’s not what was happening in that clip. I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you’re a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw go out.” I have to say about Blige message to her fans was quite a misunderstanding because Blige join Burger King for a fun and creative entertainment ad except her fans didn’t saw that.
However, some viewers like Aisha Harris and I saw the video as entertainment, and should have not been over exaggerating the video as racism. In Harris article, “Mary J. Blige’s Burger King Ad Is Silly, Not Racist,” Harris states how Dave Chappelle, a African American comedian, jokes about eating chicken compare to Blige singing about the chicken. Harris mentions “The Mary J. Blige commercial seems to have prompted a similar reaction from some black observers—without Chappelle’s accompanying self-awareness. As he memorably pointed out, fried chicken is delicious, and it’s ridiculous to feel ashamed about eating it. Should Blige feel ashamed to sing about it?” Harris’s point is that we should accept Blige sings about the chicken wrap, but not judge her base on her race. I agree that Harris is right a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe only black people are the only race that loves chicken which is totally wrong. I am a Mexican and I love eating chicken, but no one ever say Mexican loves chicken. For that reason people believe in the stereotypes when they haven’t explored each individual of the specific group.
In fact, people who viewed this commercial as racism are showing the new generations like me that they haven’t move on. The viewers who claim the video was racism because they were judge it by their past experiences on being diverse. Racism is everywhere even if you try to get rid of it. Racism was created from having different races. When I first watch the ad I thought of it as being funny and interested. I mean by interesting was how the lyrics went with the song when I don’t have skills to do that. I showed my family and they also saw the video as entertainment. The funny thing that happen after watching the video was my sister, Aby, started to get hungry for chicken. When I was a child, I used to think that everyone should be judge as a individual not on their diversity which is groups they came from such as gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, and physical ability, cultural and religious backgrounds. I’ve always believed that we are all equal despite being so diverse because I judge a person by whom they are not by which group they came from.
I realized more about diversity from a guest speaker at my college, Christopher Coleman who is an African American with cerebral palsy. In Coleman’s lifetime was judge base on his appearance that he will never be educated. However, it didn’t stop Coleman at night he reading to himself in bathroom by his sister’s school book. His family doubted him to go to school and a teacher told him he wouldn’t catch up in the intense class. Later on he passed the teacher expectation and made the teacher realized Coleman’s diverse was never going to hold him back. Despite Coleman’s physical ability weakness causes everyone to go against him, but he became the only one who graduated in his whole family. In Coleman’s view about diversity “is the combination and recognition of strengths and weaknesses. Your strength can expand someone’s limitations. Your weaknesses are avenue for someone capabilities.” In other words, Coleman believes don’t judge on someone’s weakness because it could become a strength to overcome any obstacles.
Being diverse is good thing, but it does have some consequences like stereotypes even for Blige’ ad which Blige’s fans claim as racism. However, everyone should respect the fact that everyone is different even inside a group like me being Mexican who loves cartoons instead of opera shows. Blige’s ad is no different because she a wonderful singer who loves to have fun which is the reason why she did the Burger King ad. It’s time for everyone to get pass the stereotypes because we will never achieve Martin Luther King Jr “I Have a Dream” where everyone is equal despite being different races. Being different is a wonderful thing because people don’t like to be the same as another person, so respect others the way you want to be respected when you come across people’ diversity because everyone is different.
Note: Comment if you have opinion about this. I welcome all opinion because I want to see other people views/ ideas about this.
Bury the pain of losing your loved ones…into the arms of your friends.”-Erza Scarlet
It is always sad to part with those whom you love. But your companions will help you bear that sadness.”-Erza Scarlet
Colleges: Make Your Mark (Colleges Worth It?)
Many people assume that college is becoming worse as Andrew Sum, director of Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, states “Simply [to] put [it], we’re failing kids.” John Quinterno, author of “The Great Cost Shift,” explains we are not ready for the “Millennial” generation to go to college because the economy is down causing them to pay more for a college degree. Also according to Nathaniel Penn, author of “Hello Cruel World” and Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, authors of“Are College worth the Price of Admission,” both agree that colleges are not worth it anymore. Hacker and Dreifusstate colleges have lost their way in guiding their students to exploration but instead college became a consumer by taking students’ money away.In Penn’s magazine it shows since the economy decrease student couldn’t find a job with or without a college degree causing them to have student loans. Though I agree with Hacker, Dreifus, and Penn that college is not worth it anymore, but I still insist that we must attend college regardless of the obstacles we face based on my education experience.
Since I came from a background of a father who didn’t passed middle school and a mother who almost finish her degree. When I was little I had a problem to multiply numbers but my parents told me to “keep on going because if you don’t then you have a hard job just like us.” As I grown older I realize more about how my father and my mother’ lives when they were young. My father had to quit at middle school in order to keep feeding his family some food. My mother did go to school, but at the same time she had to cook and clean up the house all by herself. My parents spend the money for me to go to college and I have to respect them for giving me the opportunity they never accomplish. Unlike 19 year old girl, my parents’ friend’s niece, who decide to get marry with her first boyfriend and choose not to go to college and work as a waitress. To me I think she won’t go anywhere based on the economy right now.
In fact in Penn’s magazine, Noah Rich states, “What can you do with a bachelor’s degree anymore? I’m hoping that the job market will pick up in the three years I spend at law school, because a lot of lawyers are getting laid off.” I think Rich is mistaken because he overlooks on how to use the degree. One of my classmates told the class it is better to achieve two to three career paths right now. My classmate is surely right about having two to three careers now because, she aware on how difficult problem of achieving a degree. My advice to Rich is to follow my classmate’s advice, but also check out websites for job outlook in the future like Wois.org. The Wois.org website changes every year so you don’t need to worry about it being last year job outlook.
As of right now I am attending Highline Community College despite of the economy stress. I could have entered University of Washington (UW) to make my parents be proud of me, but I came to Highline for a reasons. I came to Highline because I was worried that my learning skills were so low, so I want to improve them. Another reason I came to Highline was to save money for my parents. And another one is to get rid of the main courses when I go on to a four year university, but I have making sure the job occupations are open based on the Wois.org website. However, I have a friend named Mary who goes to UW. She tells me about all her experiences at UW. She tells me how the professor speaks to fast and answer only a few questions. Mary told me the UW professors never help when you are in trouble because they are always busy. Even Mary tried to get help in tutoring center, yet she didn’t get much help there either. Mary ends up failing her classes and causing her to have the low GPA.
Unlike me at Highline, Highline Community College gave many different ways to help their students. Like have a conversation with their professors to tutor center who really does help in appointments. Highline seems to me that I am still in high school, but I still need to work harder. Colleges are worth it when you know which colleges will help you to achieving your degree and exploring just like Highline. I also met people at Highline who don’t even know what their careers going to be, but they still go to college in order to find their career. Some colleges are not worth it like UW, but there are still some colleges who care about their students like Highline. Highline’s school officials did everything they could to protect their Highline’s students from paying too much. Despite the obstacles of bad economy some colleges like Highline are still worth for students to going and learn because they are servicing their student to follow or explore careers. As Highline’s motto is to “make your mark” in showing the world where do you stand with the degree that have been given to you.
Is College Worth in the World?
In discussion of college price, one argueable issue has been noticing about college price for student. One hand, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus argues about is colleges’ cost really worth it for students. Hacker and Dreifus wrote about this problem in their article called “Are Colleges worth the Price of Admission?” Hacker and Dreifus claims that colleges are forgetting their main purpose which is to help and care about their students. Hacker and Dreifus agree that college is a place to explore different courses instead of making students focus on their future paycheck. Hacker and Dreifus explain college professors aren’t even improving their own teaching. College professors claimed they don’t have a time to recharge their mental mind to improve their assignments. Hacker and Dreifus states technology are helping student learn, but it proves that classroom instructions needs to improve. Hacker and Dreifus include since the economy is going down the authors recommend donors to donate to colleges who use the money wisely instead of send their money to the wealthiest college or university who don’t use it to help their students.
For donators to donate in hard times like this day and age even when the economic is worsen since the Great Depression. While rarely admit as much, but Nathaniel Penn believes the economic is affecting the students to have no possible chances to get a better job or get a job which often taken granted for in the past. Penn mentions this problem in her magazine called “Hello Cruel World,” where some students comment their ideas about being unemployed also having student loans. In cases like Kristin who is unemployed he states “I have nothing to show for my hard work but $24,000 in student loans. I lost count of the number of job applications that have been ignored…I’m still trying because I have no other choice.” Basically, from Kristin’s view shows how it hard for a teenager to get a job while being educated with a loan. Even when students graduate with degrees they still have problems from being laid off to students trying to survive in the cruel world. A student graduated from college, Noah Rich, his view about the cruel world “What can you do with a bachelor’s degree anymore? I’m hoping that the job market will pick up in the three years I spend at law school because a lot of lawyers are getting laid off.” Rich’s point is to show even if a degree you can go work because the economic times are harsh. To student’s view of the cruel world as Cassie Schupp puts it, “students who’d graduate ahead of me in poli sci and behavioral science that it’s hell out there. You feel doom in the air.” In making this comment, Schupp show us that how hard it is to survive in the cruel world with or without a degree.
L.O.V.E by Ashlee Simpson
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