Author: prof2020

White Paper-Prof2020

Hypotheses
1) Classes about religion and politics should be made mandatory in public school curriculum in order to better prepare students to be able to speak knowledgeably on the subject and have progressive conversations on such topics.

1a) Religion and politics should not be taught in an educational setting because it’s nearly impossible for the instructor to deliver the information objectively without interjecting his or her own thoughts on the matter which may sway the opinions and the perception of the presented information by the student.

Topics for Smaller Papers
-clarify the differences between teaching religion and teaching about religion
-discuss how the events of 9/11 altered the general view on eastern minority religious in the US
-teaching religion is nearly impossible to do without showing bias. who will this affect the malleable minds of children from religious families?

Purposeful Summary
Even with increased diversity in schools across the nation, America’s public education system fails to properly educate students on the many religions represented in our communities. In fact, in many places, it fails to educate them on the matter at all. Some teachers believe it’s become more controversial than sex-ed. To combat the problem, a small group of school teachers in Modesto, California developed a world religions curriculum for every 9th-grade class in the district. Modesto now requires that every 9th-grader in the district enroll in a semester-long world religions course.

Many oppose this with the argument that a public school can’t teach religion. The loop-hole is that they aren’t teaching a religion, they’re teaching about religion. As long as they don’t show preference to one over another, they stay within state guidelines.

The course opens with a review of First Amendment Rights and the teachers place special emphasis on respect in the class room and creating an open environment. They also learn the proper way to pose a question. The course is highly structured and regulated. Every school reads the same text and watches the same videos which prevents teachers from sliding in their own opinions.

This program is the first of its kind in America so the progress and effects were well tracked by investigators. Students were interviewed immediately before and after the course and again 6 months after the course ended. The over all consensus is that students were more accepting and open to not only different religious stances but other cultures and lifestyles as well. They also felt more and more willing to protect the rights of people of other faiths. Another huge finding was that students who began the course with religious convictions really weren’t swayed in their own beliefs. The fear of many parents is that their family’s faith would be undermined.

This all happened in the school year preceding 9/11. While harassment of muslim students across the country skyrocketed, Across the country, reports of schoolyard harassment against Muslim students escalated in the months immediately following 9-11, “In Modesto, not a single act of harassment was reported against a Muslim student during the 2001-2002 school year.”

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-32-fall-2007/feature/one-nation-many-gods

Current State of Research Paper
I recently changed the topic of my research paper which is why my white paper isn’t as thorough as I’d like but I’m far more confident in my ability to spend a considerable amount of time on this topic than my original topic.

Visual Rewrite-Prof2020

Don’t Set Yourself Back

  • (0:00-0:01)-The first shot shows a man doing pushups in a dreary, semi-lit room. His hair is medium brown and of medium length but looks clean and well groomed. He is fair skinned and his face is showing some stubble but whether that is done on purpose is unclear. He looks to be somewhere in his twenties but no older than early thirties.
  • (0:02-0:05)-The second shot shows the same man sitting up against a wall in the same room. This picture reveals he is wearing blue jeans, a short sleeved, white, crewneck t-shirt and dark socks. He seems at ease in a relaxed position, throwing playing cards into an empty coffee can. However, his facial expression shows signs of boredom and frustration like he’s trying to pass the time. Why not leave the room? Or is he not allowed to? A doleful song is played on a harmonica in the background.
  • (0:05-0:07)-The following shots show the man staring longingly at two photos. The first is a photo of a really nice, shiny, black, old sports car in a driveway. Is it his? The second photo is of a pretty, dark haired woman with fair skin and a soft smile. She looks to be close to his age. She’s only shown from the elbows up. What’s the relationship between the man and woman? Were they together at some point? Where is she now?
  • (0:08-0:12)-In next few shots, the man is shown playing a harmonica, stacking matchsticks, and crossing days off an empty calendar with a sharpie, after which he drops his head against the calendar in defeat. These reinforce the idea of boredom and loneliness.
  • (0:13-0:15)-He is now sitting on the floor up against what looks like a bed and his bouncing something off the wall in front of him. It’s probably a ball of some kind but isn’t made clear. This makes a thumping noise. From the position and angle of the trees outside the window we can see he’s most likely in a room on an upper floor. The design of the window implies that he’s in a house or apartment, some kind of residential building. The leaves have fallen from the branches and the bark looks light and dry. It gives the impression that it’s also getting colder or coming out of a colder season.
  • (0:17-0:20)-It seems the noise has attracted some attention as an older woman, probably in her forties or early fifties, opens the door carrying a woven laundry basket. She’s dressed in a floral blouse and tan cardigan. Her outfit and the laundry basket imply she lives in the house and his doing some housekeeping. Her hair is dark brown and cropped short. Her expression appears frustrated and she sternly tells the man in the room to “knock it off.” He replies “sorry mom.”
  • (0:20-0:22)-A wider shot reveals this has all taken place in what looks like a teenage boy’s bedroom. There are posters decorating the walls and several sports trophies are on display throughout the room. It’s implied that this is the man’s bedroom. However, we must ask why it looks as if it’s inhabited by a boy about half his age.
  • (0:22-0:25)The man then picks himself up from the floor and promptly flops onto the small twin bed behind him in defeat.
  • (0:22-0:31)As the ad ends, the words “Buzzed, Busted, Broke” flash across the screen with red and blue police lights and a siren blaring behind them. The purpose of the ad is to appeal to people from a financial viewpoint. Being arrested for driving while even slightly intoxicated can result in high fines and legal fees. It’s implied that the man was arrested for “buzzed” driving and had to pay the fines and legal fees which made him “broke.” He’s now living back at home with a woman we presume to be his mother.

https://youtu.be/YImw-XRf2qU

Safer Saw Claims

1) Manufacturer

“The combination of safety, unparalleled design and craftsmanship has made SawStop the #1 cabinet saw in North America.”

According to the manufacturer, the quality and design of StopSaw makes it a safe product but is anything which a blade spinning at 5,000 rpms ever completely safe?

2) Customer

“This was the best table saw on the market and the blade brake was a game changer destined to carve out a big chunk of market share for SawStop.”

Calling something “the best” anything is more often than not a matter of opinion. It also depends on the criteria by which you’re judging.

3) Industry Spokespeople

“They note that under some circumstances, SawStop can stop a blade without skin contact–such as when the blade touches conductive materials like metal or very wet wood.”

This assumes, as well as implies, that the saw operator would be foolish enough to put soaked wood or wood with nails/screws/staples in it through a saw. A seasoned wood worker knows that running materials like that through any saw can damage the blade and mechanism. If the consumer wasn’t aware of that then it doesn’t really matter what saw they use, the probability of being injured instantly becomes higher and they probably shouldn’t be using a saw to begin with.

4) Consumer Safety Advocate

“I believe that if we don’t see a voluntary standard soon, that we should look at making this product a part of our rule making so we can build that in as part of a mandatory standard.”

This quote comes from Inez Tenenbaum, the new chairman at the CPSC. It sounds like he’s assuming that others with the CPSC will agree with him. He’ll also most likely be facing major pushback from saw manufacturers.

5) Injured Plaintiff

“This technology is revolutionary.”

Is it really revolutionary? Is it involving or causing a complete or dramatic change? That you’re no longer at risk for losing another finger? You’re already short one, StopSaw isn’t bringing it back and that is what I’d consider revolutionary.

6) Personal Injury Lawyer

“The CPSC has the power to put an end to those unnecessary tragedies.”

This statement assumes that if the CSPC requires all saw manufacturers to use the StopSaw technology that no one would ever be seriously injured by a table saw again. They fail to take into account all the table saws already in the workshops of consumers. Unless these consumers elect to purchase brand new saws, they are still at risk for “tragedy.”

7) News Reporters

“Within a few thousandths of a second, the blade slammed to a stop.”

The blade did not stop itself, it was forced to stop by a massive chunk of aluminum. The phrasing of this claim is misleading on the amount of damage actually occurring when StopSaw’s flesh sensing technology is called into action.

Polio Notes-Prof2020

– paralysis

– prevalent in areas with bad hygiene

– very easily transmitted

– thrives where society is uprooted and tumultuous

– once eradicated, eradication is permanent

– distrust from those affected hinders mass treatment

– we become complacent with vaccinations for diseases we haven’t experienced

– 1 in every 3 million children vaccinated gets paralyzed, 350/year

– many doctors no longer recognize the symptoms

– many believe vaccines cause autism

– wakefield paper

 

Practice Opening

If getting vaccinated would help to eradicate polio from the earth and result in your permanent paralysis, would you do it? Polio is one of the most easily transmittable viruses in the world. Because of its mobility and that it can take up to ten days for symptoms to begin, the Poliomyelitis virus can be extremely dangerous. Thankfully, a vaccine has been developed with an enormous amount of success. However, a possible outcome of the polio vaccination is paralysis. That’s not all too surprising seeing as most vaccinating products include a weakened or inactive form of the virus it seeks to defend you from. In rare cases, about 1 in 3 million, the viral strain in the vaccination can actually give the recipient the Poliomyelitis virus.

 

Missing Money Paradox-Prof2020

The trick falls in the wording of the problem.

“Now, each of the ladies paid $9. Three times 9 is $27. The waiter has $2 in his pocket. Two plus 27 is $29. The ladies originally handed over $30.”

This phrasing encourages the reader to count the $2 twice.

The $27 includes the money the waiter took and the last $3 was handed back to the ladies. The bill was $25, the waiter took $2 and $3 was handed back to the ladies so there was never a dollar missing. It was simply badly phrased information.

Prof2020’s Proposal

In my research paper, I will be examining the medical rights of children and the liberties given to them in the way of making medical decisions, whether life altering or negligible . More often than not, children are seen as too immature and not knowledgeable enough to make a well informed decision and control over the minor’s health care falls into the parent/guardian’s hands. Of course, there are exceptions to nearly every rule has each case is different and the rulings and details are relative.

Prof 2020’s Sources

1)http://www.americanbar.org/content/newsletter/publications/gp_solo_magazine_home/gp_solo_magazine_index/medicaltreatment.html

Essential Content of the Article:
The American Bar Association offers details of prominent court cases involving children’s medical rights. It thoroughly explains the grounds on which specific cases were filed and the courts’ rulings in each matter. Additionally, it provides opposing and unbiased perspectives on the topic.

What It Proves:
There are exceptions to each side of the argument and the court can’t be expected to give an absolute, umbrella-type ruling.

2)https://www.questia.com/library/controversial-topics/medical-rights-and-children

Essential Content of the Article:
In some states, it is up to the discretion of the state to grant “limited power” to minors when making medical decisions. Some states have implemented the “mature minor doctrine” which offers more control to minors who engage in behaviors typically associated with adulthood.

What It Proves:
Some states have moved beyond the typical stance on the mental and judgmental capacity of minors and are willing to be flexible where the situation calls for it.

3)http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/456472_2

Essential Content of the Article:
There are many different laws that restrict the medical rights of a minor. The vast majority of medical decisions is left to the parent or guardian.

What It Proves:
Parents are often given entire control over the health care of their child. The state assumes that the parent will have their child’s best interest in mind but this is not always true. Many laws make it very easy for a parent to abuse their child or hinder their well being, even when the parent believes they are doing what’s best.

4)http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/01/22/case-sparks-debate-about-teen-decision-making-in-health

Essential Content of the Article:
This article focuses on a teen girl named Cassandra who has been diagnosed with a highly curable form of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. At the time the article was written she was just months away from turning 18 but was forced by the state to undergo chemotherapy against her wishes.

What It Proves:
Forcing a child to undergo treatment against their will can not only harm the child’s psychological well being but may do more to worsen their condition than help it. If a treatment plan is not followed well, it can make the condition harder to treat than it had been before.

5)https://www.bhclr.edu/!userfiles/pdfs/course-materials/Minors%20Rights%20in%20Medical%20Decision%20Making.pdf

Essential Content of the Article:
This article places a particular importance on informing the minor in question of the facts pertaining to their case to help them make a better informed decision than if they had gone without said facts. This is an effort to make sure the patient has a firm understanding of their options and the consequences and possible outcomes that may come with each choice.

What It Proves:
It is not unreasonable and to give a child the right to make an informed decision about their life.

6)http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/well/family/when-should-children-take-part-in-medical-decisions.html?_r=0

Essential Content of the Article:
When is a child competent enough to make important decisions? Is there a switch that gets flipped on their eighteenth birthday? Involving a child in discussions about their health care can “foster the moral growth and development of autonomy in young patients.” This will better improve their ability to ask themselves these questions and make informed decisions when the time comes.

What It Proves:
At times, there are more benefits than draw backs when involving a child in decisions made pertaining to their health and well being.

E03: Critical Reading—Prof2020

Is PTSD Contagious?: A Brief Analysis

“Like traumatic brain injury.”

-My only assumption is that this article was not properly proofread before publishing.

“Researchers posit that TBI can make the brain more vulnerable to PTSD, or that it can exacerbate its symptoms of exhaustion, agitation, confusion, headaches.”

-This sentence assumes that there are people researching this problem and different things correlated to it but what researchers? Who are they? Are we supposed to figure that out ourselves or just take the badly written article’s word for it? What credibility does this provide its claims? Even if the this statement were entirely crap I’d be far more inclined to believe them if the supposed researchers had been named.

-It also makes the assertion that you can’t have PTSD without suffering these symptoms. I’m aware they’re often the most common but I was also under the impression the symptoms and their severity vary greatly depending on the person.

“They’re not positive about that, or about whether TBI makes PTSD harder to treat.”

-Wow this is a massive contradiction. In the previous sentence, the author claims that “Researchers posit…” The definition of posit is to assume as a fact or put forward as a basis of argument. Now the author is telling us that they’re not as sure about themselves as they were a few words ago. What changed?

“James Peterson’s post-injection chill-out wore off after a month, faster than it does for other patients—maybe because of his TBI.”

-This sentence bothers me just because of the astounding lack of information. How long are the injections effects supposed to last? Is James one of few or many who metabolize the injection this quickly? It makes the assumption that the reader is already of aware of this information.

“Either way, as for TBI, well, “there is no cure,” says David Hovda, director of UCLA’s Brain Injury Research Center and an adviser to the Department of Defense.”

-I’m not a director of anything, much less UCLA’s Brain Injury Research Center but this is a highly generalized statement and very misleading. Traumatic Brain Injury is not a disease so there’s no antidote. Also, TBI is an umbrella of sorts which includes all severe brain injuries. To say that there is no cure to any of them seems to marginalize those situations that don’t fit this criteria. In many cases, with time and rehabilitation, it is more than possible to return to normalcy.

Stone Money Rewrite—prof2020

Money: Fake or For Real

To some people, money is everything. It’s what they believe in, what they live for and/or what they arrange most of their life around. What baffles me is the incredibility of it all. It used to be that money was backed by items of real value. These green rectangles of paper used to be representative of rare metals and other valuable objects. Now, it’s an entirely faith-based system. Even though the majority of Americans know the government printed too much money for all of it to be properly supported by things of value, we still have faith in the value of our money.

Like Jansen writes in his article, “The Concept of Money And The Money Illusion,” even when entire communities were self-sufficient in making their own clothes, raising their own food and creating a home to exist in, the idea of exchanging one thing for another thing was around. It was such a natural concept that no one thought to take note of it. However, the typical monetary system has changed so drastically and become so abstract that it’s no longer a simple exchange. In order to make the economy more open and accessible, a form of common currency was established to make the system easier to track and regulate. This is also called indirect trade. Having a baseline of value created a more common idea of what something might be worth.

For example, let’s say you raise cows and are trying to sell the milk your cows produce for a profit. Your neighbor wants to buy the milk but without a common currency established, he has no cash. Instead, he wants to pay you in the soybeans he grows in his backyard. However, you have no interest in soy beans. Therefore, the currency he prefers has no value because it’s not worth anything to you. You’re left with milk you don’t need and no cash and your neighbor doesn’t get the milk he wants and now has an excess of soybeans. This creates a stagnant trade system. Thus, the concept of indirect trade was born.

The problem with indirect trade is that the common currency is entirely fake. I understand and agree that the point of the dollar bill is to be a substitute for things of value but what happens when people decide they no longer want to accept the U.S. dollar as a form of payment?

Our economy is built on a series of social contracts. We, as a country, have agreed that our government issued bills will be the intermediary in monetary transactions. Again, this makes our trade system far more accessible and easier to regulate because we have common ground on which to base the worth of certain items. Even though our economy is fragile and balances on a very fine line, it is one of the strongest ad largest economies in the world. Countries across the globe have modeled their financial systems after ours. Whether or not we will continue to stand as an example for the world, I’m truly not sure. However, I believe if recent trends continue in regards to inflation and the decline of the recession, we should be okay for at least a while longer.

Works Cited

Bellis, M. (n.d.). The History of Money. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/money.htm

Friedman, M. (2010, December 10). The Island Of Stone Money. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2011/02/15/131934618/the-island-of-stone-money

Jansen, K. (2016). The Concept Of Money And The Money Illusion. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from https://www.bullionstar.com/blogs/koos-jansen/the-concept-of-money-and-the-money-illusion/

Joffe-Walt, C. (2010, October 4). How Fake Money Saved Brazil. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2010/10/04/130329523/how-fake-money-saved-brazil?gt=

Zaretsky, E. (2015, April 12). The Invention of Money. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from http://www.publicseminar.org/2015/04/the-invention-of-money/

Summaries – Prof2020

It seems counterintuitive that many schools across America enforce such strict dress code policies on their students on the premise of creating “a safer educational environment that increases students’ ability to learn.” There’s nothing wrong with that goal except we must ask who the intended beneficiary is? Almost any school board or staff member will answer that these rules and restrictions are geared towards helping all students.

The problem is that this isn’t necessarily the outcome. Most restrictions in the typical middle or high school dress code policy are aimed at the female students. The most commonly enforced rules include restrictions on how much skin can be shown on the shoulders, chest and legs of a student. Many of these restrictions can be, for lack of a better word, overly restrictive.

More important than that is how female students are treated and punished when they violate these policies. Many are often removed from the class room and made to wait to return to class until a parent or guardian can bring them more suitable clothing. Some are even suspended or made to endure a humiliating punishment. One Florida high school student was forced to wear a large neon yellow shirt which boasted the title “DRESS CODE VIOLATOR” over her policy breaking outfit.

If the intention of a dress code policy is to create a healthy learning environment, then why are so many students pulled from class, given unnecessarily harsh punishment and sometimes made to leave school property? Does this not defeat the purpose of the dress code policy altogether? When is a student no longer considered an intended beneficiary of a school’s policies? Meanwhile, the number of rules pertaining to a male student’s attire is typically far less those which pertain to the female counter part. In addition, a common argument for why girls’ dress codes are typically so demanding is that inappropriately dressed female students can cause a distraction for male students, thus hindering their ability to thrive in a conducive learning environment. Now this concept alone is connected to an entirely different argument as to why there is such inequity in the treatment of male and female students.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/every-reason-your-schools_b_8147266.html

I find it counterintuitive that the best way to make money of a new product is to give it away for free. However, there’s far more logic behind this concept than originally meets the eye. When starting a business or releasing a new product, the biggest issue many entrepreneurs face is building a client base. Building a client base requires a certain level of trust on the clients’ part and salesmanship on the merchant’s. They need to convince the client that the product or service is not only something they want but also something they can trust.

In order for a client to invest in a business, they need to have a level of confidence in seller’s ability to provide what they want at a value they can justify. The hard part is convincing them. So rather than sweet talk the client into parting with a chunk of their paycheck, offer the merchandise, with no strings attached, to the client. This will allow them to freely experiment and enjoy the product  without risk or worry that it wasn’t actually worth their time and involvement. Once a client realizes that the product is something they enjoy they’ll become attached and form a type of dependency on it. This is where the profit gets made. Once they’ve become convinced that this venture is worth their time, money and attention, they’ll pay for the product. Not only will this allow a salesman to form a client base, but also offering something for free will reach a larger audience because who doesn’t like free?

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/how-to-make-money-by-giving-away-your-product-for-free/

It seems counterintuitive that some parents choose not to vaccinate their children for life threatening diseases for fear of their child developing arguably far less severe problems. Following the publishing of the infamous and fraudulent Wakefield research paper that claimed the development of autism was somehow linked to vaccinations, many parents decided that they’d rather take the risk of their child contracting diseases such as polio or small pox rather than develop autism. Even though the report has been long since discredited, many people still buy into the fear that autistic symptoms are related to vaccinations, which could save a child’s life.

The real trade off is deciding which disease or disorder you would prefer your child develop. Furthermore, not only are you risking the safety of your child but you’re risking the safety of those around you. Many of these diseases are incredibly dangerous and hard to beat, especially considering that many doctors have no real experience with them so an accurate and early diagnosis may be harder than expected.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/searching-for-answers/vaccines-autism?page=1

Stone Money – Prof2020

If someone had asked me several days ago what I thought money was, I would have regurgitated some textbook definition like “money is a form of currency to be exchanged for goods and/or services.” The reality is that most people, including myself, fail to consider the true logic and science behind the concept of currency.

The idea of trading things in exchange for other things has been around since the beginning of time because we’re simply a greedy species. How many times has someone asked you for something and one of your thoughts is “what am I getting out of this?” When America’s economy was first established, it was a small farming economy run by the colonies and over seen by Great Britain. Now, we have the nominally largest economy in the world. Most history books will tell you that our economy was built by hard-working Americans in hope of building a better life. In reality, our economy was built on faith. Banknotes were introduced in 1861 as a way to help finance the civil war. Basically a place holder for things of intrinsic value, they served as an investment in the U.S. Government to help support the war effort. These investments were made in good faith that the banknotes could be exchanged for their worth in something of real tangible value i.e. gold, silver, copper, etc.

Most countries have their own form of monetary system, some more exotic than others. Perhaps one of the most intriguing examples I’ve been introduced to is that of the island of Yap. The Yapese people trade coins of their own design. The coins vary in size, ranging from seven centimeters to nearly four meters in diameter. The larger of the bunch are often too heavy to move so they stay in one place for the long durations of time. Much like our economy, that of the Yapese people is built on faith. Rather than physically hand over their coins in exchange for the things they want, they simply transfer ownership. When a coin is too large to move, it remains stationary but everyone is made aware of who owns that coin. The coin itself has no value. Take the coin from the island of Yap and you’ve simply got a big rock. However, that’s where the faith of the Yapese comes into play. On the island, the great boulders of limestone are considered valuable because they are hard to come by and once cleaned and polished they’re quite beautiful. They hold value because people want them and that’s really all any financial system boils down to.

Modern currency was invented because it is far easier to regulate than just trading goods and services, which usually have immediate benefits but the value varies depending on the people involved. Common currency is also far more universal. If you can only exchange a certain item or service but no one wants it then you’re going to have a very difficult time generating any revenue. However, if the currency you use is more widely accepted you’ll be able to market to a wider audience.

My question is simply who gets to decide what has value and what doesn’t? The inhabitants of Yap found these large chunks of limestone and so admired and wanted after these rare pieces that it became their currency, regardless of what the rock itself can do for anyone. American dollar bills are representative of precious metals and other valuables but why are those the things we consider valuable? What good is a chunk of gold when I’m sick or hungry? It can’t help me unless I exchange it for something else. Now we must ask ourselves, “How different are we from the Yapese from anyone else?” This produces a “which came first” conversation. Do we want money because it’s valuable or is it valuable because we want it?

Frankly, I don’t know enough about how these systems are developed to form a firm opinion on how it’s all carried out. However, I do know I’ll have some new thoughts the next time I swipe my debit card or go fishing for spare dollar bills in the bottom of my bag.

Works Cited

Bellis, M. (n.d.). The History of Money. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/money.htm

Friedman, M. (2010, December 10). The Island Of Stone Money. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2011/02/15/131934618/the-island-of-stone-money
Joffe-Walt, C. (2010, October 4). How Fake Money Saved Brazil. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2010/10/04/130329523/how-fake-money-saved-brazil?gt=
Zaretsky, E. (2015, April 12). The Invention of Money. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from http://www.publicseminar.org/2015/04/the-invention-of-money/