Thursday
Memorable: to Say the Least
I have been very fortunate to have traveled to over fifteen countries around the world and eat the food of many cultures, tribes, and peoples. I attribute my passion for cooking to my travels and worldly experiences. However, for my eighteenth Birthday, I was taken out to dinner to one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. The Girl and the Goat in Chicago was a dinner I will never forget. The two month reservation waiting period is more than worth it. The ten course dinner began with one of the most beautiful raw oyster dishes I have ever seen. Atop the small succulent Chesapeake Bay oyster were beautiful fresh vegetables, a flower and some Beluga Caviar. I will never forget the feeling of the Flavor Burst. Nine courses later, I felt full but not uncomfortable. After the dinner I had a personal realization of how truly fortunate I am. This may seem random but while walking to the car to drive home, I couldn’t help but notice the many homeless men, women, and children looking for warm places to sleep on the streets of Chicago. As a person of service and responsibility, I knew I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I talked with a few peers of mine from my temple congregation and although we make lunches for the homeless every other month, they agreed that we need to do it more often. I then came up with a proposal and pitched the idea to my temple’s program director who instantly agreed that more can and needs to be done to help hungry homeless people in the city. I have now helped to organize monthly lunch-making events and get more food out to those who really need it. I have been immensely blessed and have come to realize that it shouldn’t take an elaborate event to open one’s eyes. However, in my case, I believe that not only were my eyes opened to a problem, but a solution as well.
Wednesday
Global Warming May Bring More Lyme Disease
Recently, about a week ago, temperatures soared in Deerfield, IL. I can’t remember the last time the temperature reached 80 degrees in March. In addition to flours and trees blooming early, many insects and animals came out of hibernation. Although we mainly think of only getting mosquito bites in warm weather, recently, ticks have started to latch on to more and more people, giving them Lyme Disease. It was that same hot week that we found numerous ticks on kids during gymnastics practice. After doing a little research, I found many interesting conclusions. It turns out that, “A quarter of all Lyme disease cases are among children.” At the highest risk are kids ages 5 to 17, who are more likely to play outdoors.
In addition, due to the recent temperature highs, overall numbers are on the rise. The number of people contracting Lyme each year jumped from about 27 to 45 of every 100,000 people. Around 15,000 cases nationwide were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the late 1990s. That number is now 30,000 to 40,000, although the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) admits it could be as much as 12 times higher.
Lyme is just one of many emerging infectious diseases that are soaring in North America. Experts say that increasing temperatures and altered precipitation patterns that continue to change are already playing a role in the “spread of zoonoses -- infectious agents that begin in animals and account for an estimated 75 percent of all newly emerging diseases.”
"There are lots of factors that contribute," says Ben Beard, a climate change expert with the CDC, highlighting the influence of international travel, wildlife management and the suburban lifestyle on emerging infectious diseases. "But climate disruption and change clearly have an impact."
In addition, due to the recent temperature highs, overall numbers are on the rise. The number of people contracting Lyme each year jumped from about 27 to 45 of every 100,000 people. Around 15,000 cases nationwide were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the late 1990s. That number is now 30,000 to 40,000, although the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) admits it could be as much as 12 times higher.
Lyme is just one of many emerging infectious diseases that are soaring in North America. Experts say that increasing temperatures and altered precipitation patterns that continue to change are already playing a role in the “spread of zoonoses -- infectious agents that begin in animals and account for an estimated 75 percent of all newly emerging diseases.”
"There are lots of factors that contribute," says Ben Beard, a climate change expert with the CDC, highlighting the influence of international travel, wildlife management and the suburban lifestyle on emerging infectious diseases. "But climate disruption and change clearly have an impact."
Thursday
Is the Action Affirmative?
Regardless of race, all college and university applicants should be treated equally and shouldn't be classified by race. Although socioeconomic backgrounds should be taken into consideration when handing out scholarships, the color of one’s skin should not. It is a universities job to create a positive and diverse learning environment however, not at the expense of well-deserving and truly bright students.
A policy or program intended to promote access to education or employment for minority groups is not the solution. Affirmative action programs give applicants from historically disadvantaged groups an advantage. That in itself is a violation of our constitution do to the fact that a person should not be given an advantage purely based on the color of their skin.
Greater access to minority groups is at the expense of groups considered dominant (typically white men. In addition, I believe the only consideration in choosing between applicants should be merit and other activities. Affirmative action perpetuates racial division instead of maximizing opportunities for those of a minority. In the absence of affirmative action, college admissions rarely are purely merit-based: athletes, musicians, and legacy students are most ways given preferential treatment. This is important because those of ethnic or racial minority have the same opportunities of getting into the same Colleges and Universities as a white American man (considered the majority).
A policy or program intended to promote access to education or employment for minority groups is not the solution. Affirmative action programs give applicants from historically disadvantaged groups an advantage. That in itself is a violation of our constitution do to the fact that a person should not be given an advantage purely based on the color of their skin.
Greater access to minority groups is at the expense of groups considered dominant (typically white men. In addition, I believe the only consideration in choosing between applicants should be merit and other activities. Affirmative action perpetuates racial division instead of maximizing opportunities for those of a minority. In the absence of affirmative action, college admissions rarely are purely merit-based: athletes, musicians, and legacy students are most ways given preferential treatment. This is important because those of ethnic or racial minority have the same opportunities of getting into the same Colleges and Universities as a white American man (considered the majority).
Wednesday
The Wrongful Conviction of Terrill Swift
Terrill Swift was just an average teen living in Englewood Chicago when on one random day, his mother had an unexpected visit from the Chicago police department. They were in search of her son who they thought was linked to the rape and murder of a middle aged white woman. Terrill, who was seventeen at the time, called the police department asking why they were looking for him. He had no connection to the victim or any of the other boys who were suspected of being involved in the crime. After hours of brutal interrogations and mental breakdown, he was told that if he signed a paper, he could go home. Being mentally brutalized, he agreed however, he did not realize that what he was signing was a confessional statement to the rape and murder.
Terrill Swift was a young, innocent, black teenager who was forced to sign a false confession. He was not only wrongfully accused, but served over fifteen years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After years of writing, he finally got help from Northwestern and began his fight for freedom.
Defense lawyers argued that DNA evidence undermined confessions, showing how confessions and eyewitness identifications can be faulty. Although primitive DNA testing before trial excluded the four men as the source of semen found in the victim’s body, prosecutors said the confessions connected them to the murder. DNA from the crime scene matched a man who had a lengthy criminal history that included murder and assaults against women.
After listening to Mr. Swift speak, I am not only inspired to advocate against wrongful convictions and false confession, but I have lost an immense amount of trust in our states judicial system. How can there be over twenty people a year convicted of crimes they did not commit? Our police and investigators need to stop worrying about locking a man up and need to focus on finding the right man to lock up. One is too many.
Mr. Swift has so much strength even after losing over fifteen years of his life. The one thing I did not understand is how he feels no anger towards the Illinois justice system, after all, justice was not served. The officers who took an oath to serve and protect did nothing but the opposite. The locked up a teenager, a young man, who if had been free for the last 15 years could have received a better education and gotten a better job.
I do admire the fact though, that Mr. Swift throughout the years has fought for his rights and his freedom. He knew he was innocent, he just needed to prove it; with the help of a few bright Northwestern students, he did just that. Mr. Swift is a free man now. He lives with his mother and is determined to advocate and share his story with the world. We, the future police officers, lawyers, and judges need to ensure that our corrupt system exists no more.
Terrill Swift was a young, innocent, black teenager who was forced to sign a false confession. He was not only wrongfully accused, but served over fifteen years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After years of writing, he finally got help from Northwestern and began his fight for freedom.
Defense lawyers argued that DNA evidence undermined confessions, showing how confessions and eyewitness identifications can be faulty. Although primitive DNA testing before trial excluded the four men as the source of semen found in the victim’s body, prosecutors said the confessions connected them to the murder. DNA from the crime scene matched a man who had a lengthy criminal history that included murder and assaults against women.
After listening to Mr. Swift speak, I am not only inspired to advocate against wrongful convictions and false confession, but I have lost an immense amount of trust in our states judicial system. How can there be over twenty people a year convicted of crimes they did not commit? Our police and investigators need to stop worrying about locking a man up and need to focus on finding the right man to lock up. One is too many.
Mr. Swift has so much strength even after losing over fifteen years of his life. The one thing I did not understand is how he feels no anger towards the Illinois justice system, after all, justice was not served. The officers who took an oath to serve and protect did nothing but the opposite. The locked up a teenager, a young man, who if had been free for the last 15 years could have received a better education and gotten a better job.
I do admire the fact though, that Mr. Swift throughout the years has fought for his rights and his freedom. He knew he was innocent, he just needed to prove it; with the help of a few bright Northwestern students, he did just that. Mr. Swift is a free man now. He lives with his mother and is determined to advocate and share his story with the world. We, the future police officers, lawyers, and judges need to ensure that our corrupt system exists no more.
Tuesday
Racial Privilege
In the chapter, “Privilege”, Tim Wise explores the advantages and disadvantages of different races in America. Specifically, he tries to find the reasoning for why it appears that whites have an advantage over Black-Americans. Although I do believe there is a “artificial color blindness”, I don’t believe that, given the same economic standing, whites would have more “privileges”. For example, when Wise states that “To be white, is to be born to certain advantages and privileges that have been inaccessible to others”, I could not disagree more with this statement. In all honesty, it could be because I am a white American who has certain “blindness” however; race alone does not determine what resources and opportunities one has. In addition, another quote that Wise states that I could not disagree more with is, “Just as a house or farm left to you upon the death of a parent is an asset that you get to use, so too is racial privilege” The comparison between a house left by a dead family member and racial privilege makes no sense and is a terrible example. This is because, although one might say “racial privilege” was left by our ancestors and past generations, it’s our job to find a solution. Wise poses many interesting points regarding the issues of “racial privilege” however, he gives us no solutions or even things Americans should to differently to combat this problem, if that’s even what “racial privilege is”
One issue that I feel needs not only to be addressed but fixed is the fact that, “Nearly nine in ten teachers in the U.S. is white” Education is what America prides itself in. however, I cannot be proud of a nation where biased views based on race control the future of our country. The white perspective dominates young minds. Not only do there need to be more black teacher, but our text books need to be more historically racially diverse.
I think there is no better answer to the issue of racial privilege then, “if you’re white, you simply will not, cannot, understand race.”
One issue that I feel needs not only to be addressed but fixed is the fact that, “Nearly nine in ten teachers in the U.S. is white” Education is what America prides itself in. however, I cannot be proud of a nation where biased views based on race control the future of our country. The white perspective dominates young minds. Not only do there need to be more black teacher, but our text books need to be more historically racially diverse.
I think there is no better answer to the issue of racial privilege then, “if you’re white, you simply will not, cannot, understand race.”
Wednesday
If I Were a Poor Black Kid
Mr. Marks is right, being successful is extremely difficult, now more than ever in our country and even more so in various economic social classes. However, I do have to question if even the smartest kid in an impoverished area can still be successful when his/her opportunities are extremely limited. There is a certain amount of luck that has to be supplemented with talent in order to make it out of bad surroundings, not knowledge. It helps to be knowledgeable, but it takes luck, talent, and opportunity to be successful. Another important factor to consider is the fact that many of these kids have nothing to eat, no place to sleep, or no running water, heat or electricity. Many kids have responsibilities to care for and look after younger brothers and sisters. If these problems were non-existent in our world today, more kids could focus on “getting straight A’s and Google Scholar”. Although I am speaking from the position of the young, white, middle/upper-class, I have traveled to bad areas around the world, I have seen poverty and I spoke with impoverished, young, black-Americans who openly admitted that at a certain point, it doesn’t matter how hard your work ethic is or how hard you try. What matters to the “poor black kid” is having a dream and no matter the circumstances they were born into, following that dream.
Monday
WWIII: It Is Coming
After reading Whose Water is it? It hit me that one topic in particular was very interesting. In the book, it was proposed that World War III is coming and will engulf America in a "New Age of Warfare". Not only will WWIII be the most costly war, but the most impacting and dangerous. Another interesting assertation that was made was, “By 2020 there is little doubt something drastic will happen” I agree with this statement. As the planet's carrying capacity shrinks, wars over food, water, energy, and supplies will break out. Warfare is one of those things that defines human life. WWIII will be a paradigm shift in human history that will completely alter the world.
Jeremy Grantham is an investor managing $100 billion in assets; his take on the 2008 meltdown is as followed, "Several people saw this crisis coming for years. It has seemed so inevitable and so merciless. Yet the bosses of Merrill Lynch and Citi, even Paulson and Bernanke, haven’t seen it coming”. In the book, I also found it interesting when one writer stated, “Greed blinds us” after thinking this over, I realized how true this really is. I also questioned, Why can't we open our eyes? Wake up before it's too late? Why don't we learn the lessons of history? And then I realized Sadly, centuries of history prove we never change well we do, just when it's too late.
“The lesson of history is there will always be a temptation to stretch the limits.” (Reinhart and Rogoff). We're addicts, more is never enough, we ignore history lessons. Humans are addicted to greed, success, and wealth. More is never enough: “The lesson of history is there will always be a temptation to stretch the limits.” Leaders always stretch the limits, like gamblers who just can't go home till they lose everything. WWIII is coming. And in 2020 we may wake up and remember we were warned about the disastrous consequences of invading Iraq back during the invasion, warning: “Most great nations, at the peak of their economic power, become arrogant, wage great world wars at great cost, wasting vast resources, taking on huge debt, and ultimately burning themselves out.” (Nixon advisor Kevin Phillips)
The real reason WWIII is coming is because Americans love war; it's in our psyche, our cultural mythology. Deep in our souls we are greedy warmongers. WWIII is coming because America needs a war to prove that we really are still "king of the hill," the world's superpower. That we're not falling second to China and the rest of the world. Forget economics, politics, ideologies: WWIII is an ego thing.
WWIII is coming not because we have terrorists, dictators, and evil men wanting to destroy us; WWIII is coming because we have surrendered our honor, integrity, values, and our moral compass as a democracy. We have surrendered to the almighty dollar. We are at war with ourselves. Committing a national and universal suicide.
Jeremy Grantham is an investor managing $100 billion in assets; his take on the 2008 meltdown is as followed, "Several people saw this crisis coming for years. It has seemed so inevitable and so merciless. Yet the bosses of Merrill Lynch and Citi, even Paulson and Bernanke, haven’t seen it coming”. In the book, I also found it interesting when one writer stated, “Greed blinds us” after thinking this over, I realized how true this really is. I also questioned, Why can't we open our eyes? Wake up before it's too late? Why don't we learn the lessons of history? And then I realized Sadly, centuries of history prove we never change well we do, just when it's too late.
“The lesson of history is there will always be a temptation to stretch the limits.” (Reinhart and Rogoff). We're addicts, more is never enough, we ignore history lessons. Humans are addicted to greed, success, and wealth. More is never enough: “The lesson of history is there will always be a temptation to stretch the limits.” Leaders always stretch the limits, like gamblers who just can't go home till they lose everything. WWIII is coming. And in 2020 we may wake up and remember we were warned about the disastrous consequences of invading Iraq back during the invasion, warning: “Most great nations, at the peak of their economic power, become arrogant, wage great world wars at great cost, wasting vast resources, taking on huge debt, and ultimately burning themselves out.” (Nixon advisor Kevin Phillips)
The real reason WWIII is coming is because Americans love war; it's in our psyche, our cultural mythology. Deep in our souls we are greedy warmongers. WWIII is coming because America needs a war to prove that we really are still "king of the hill," the world's superpower. That we're not falling second to China and the rest of the world. Forget economics, politics, ideologies: WWIII is an ego thing.
WWIII is coming not because we have terrorists, dictators, and evil men wanting to destroy us; WWIII is coming because we have surrendered our honor, integrity, values, and our moral compass as a democracy. We have surrendered to the almighty dollar. We are at war with ourselves. Committing a national and universal suicide.
Wednesday
Catapult Design
Catapult Design is a non-profit design firm that provides engineering and implementation support to thousands of organizations in need of different technologies and products capable of igniting social change. This truly amazing organization is comprised of engineers, designers, implementers, and educators. They design products, introduce technologies, and foster trends that are appropriate, self-sustaining, environmentally friendly, socially responsible and culturally sensitive. Catapult Design is an organization that I not only find immensely interesting and support, but also would love to work for one day. Environmental Studies is a huge passion of mine, specifically water ecology and conservation. I have tons of unique and interesting ideas that I know this organization would benefit from. However, it not the organization per se that I wish to work for, it’s the more than 2 billion poverty-stricken people around the globe whose lives can be dramatically improved through the introduction of inexpensive and simple life-altering products. In addition, Their website is amazing and offers endless resources of educational fun facts.
Visible Children
The guys who started Invisible Children are not only smart young men, but they had a dream and they continue to pursue justice for others. The amazing organization these three friends created not only raise funds to send to Uganda, but promote their cause through education. The website they created is easy to navigate and fun to find information. The dedication to sharing their stories is immense and beneficial to helping them raise funds. I found it shocking that there have been over 1800 abductions since 2009. Just to put that in perspective, that’s more than every kid in Deerfield High School alone. Although the documentary we watched in class took place in 2003, the war in Uganda has been going on for 25 years. The protection plan that Invisible Children will administer includes setting up FM radio towers that signal out and warn people when the LRA is close. I am glad that the money raised from School Chest will go to build a new tower. I hope that many more children will now feel safer in their homes. I am very impressed with this organization and proud to say that I have made an impact in supporting them.
Is Death Ever Just?
After reading Governor Ryan’s speech, I believe that his decision to abolish the death penalty in Illinois was a right and just. Governor Ryan made the right decision to abolish the death penalty and I support his decision to take any and all inmates off of death row. I don't believe the death penalty is just for many reasons; there is always a chance that the person being convicted is innocent. Ryan mentioned that many convicts who were wrongfully accused and put on death row, were young adults and teens. In addition, I believe that the death penalty is hypocritical. Killing a killer is unjust. The death sentence is no doubt a cruel and unusual punishment that should be illegal in all 50 of the United States. “ In none of the states where the death penalty has already been abolished has the homicide rate increased.” (Gov. Ryan) The death penalty doesn’t increases homicide rates and it doesn’t decrease homicide rates therefore it is a useless punishment.
Ryan also made the argument whether or not a jury should decide if somebody should live or die? “In Illinois last year we had 1,000 murders; only 2 percent of that 1,000 were sentenced to death.” Where is the fairness and equality in that? The death penalty in Illinois is not sentenced fairly. Ryan even questioned, “Who really has the right to sentence one to death?”
You are five times more likely to get a death sentence for first-degree murder in the rural area of Illinois than you are in Cook County. Where is the justice and fairness in that - where is the proportionality?” Ryan shows that there is a geographical disparity with capital punishment in Illinois and the system is flawed. Many people think that capital punishment is the worst possible punishment a person can receive. Keeping somebody in prison for life without parole would be a worse punishment than ending their life. Ryan stated, “Some inmates on death row don't want a sentence of life without parole. Danny Edwards wrote me and told me not to do him any favors because he didn't want to face a prospect of a life in prison without parole. They will be confined in a cell that is about 5-feet-by-12 feet, usually double-bunked. Our prisons have no air conditioning, except at our supermax facility where inmates are kept in their cell 23 hours a day. They can think about their crimes.” Life without parole has been described as “worse than death.”
The last reason I want to address regarding the elimination of the death penalty is, the too many innocent people that have been put on death row. How, in our day and age as a sophisticated and advanced society can a person who is threatened to make false confessions be sentenced to death? The death penalty malleable therefore it is a good thing it has been eliminated. How can we say our justice system is just if over 20 people have been proven innocent after being death row for years?
Ryan also made the argument whether or not a jury should decide if somebody should live or die? “In Illinois last year we had 1,000 murders; only 2 percent of that 1,000 were sentenced to death.” Where is the fairness and equality in that? The death penalty in Illinois is not sentenced fairly. Ryan even questioned, “Who really has the right to sentence one to death?”
You are five times more likely to get a death sentence for first-degree murder in the rural area of Illinois than you are in Cook County. Where is the justice and fairness in that - where is the proportionality?” Ryan shows that there is a geographical disparity with capital punishment in Illinois and the system is flawed. Many people think that capital punishment is the worst possible punishment a person can receive. Keeping somebody in prison for life without parole would be a worse punishment than ending their life. Ryan stated, “Some inmates on death row don't want a sentence of life without parole. Danny Edwards wrote me and told me not to do him any favors because he didn't want to face a prospect of a life in prison without parole. They will be confined in a cell that is about 5-feet-by-12 feet, usually double-bunked. Our prisons have no air conditioning, except at our supermax facility where inmates are kept in their cell 23 hours a day. They can think about their crimes.” Life without parole has been described as “worse than death.”
The last reason I want to address regarding the elimination of the death penalty is, the too many innocent people that have been put on death row. How, in our day and age as a sophisticated and advanced society can a person who is threatened to make false confessions be sentenced to death? The death penalty malleable therefore it is a good thing it has been eliminated. How can we say our justice system is just if over 20 people have been proven innocent after being death row for years?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)