Author: anonymous

A05: Proposal+5 – anonymous

For my research essay I will be examining to what degree or if at all race plays in the justice system. This topic of debate cannot and should not be avoided; understanding all of its complex variables is critical in maintaining a functional society. The majority of the African American population (and other minorities) living in the U.S. today believe that racial profiling is as real as any war. Movements such as Black Lives Matter have taken off with incredible force and along with it a very strong influence. Is the brutality focused in on the black community? Or is the media portraying it that way just to get a story?

http://www.americanbar.org/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/human_rights_vol37_2010/fall2010/justice_for_all_challenging_racial_disparities_criminal_justice_system.html

The essential content of the article: This article gives present day statistics related to race and incarceration percentages. This is an extremely important topic of discussion when analyzing faults in the justice. The fact is 1 in 3 African American babies born will expierince incarceration in their life time at our current rates. This is a troubling statistic to hear but it is important to not take every statistic at face value

What it proves: “National surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice find that while African Americans may be subject to traffic stops by police at similar rates to whites, they are three times as likely to be searched after being stopped.” It prove that whether it is done consciously or not there can be discriminations found in earlier stages of the processing of the law.

Critical Reading – anonymous

Is PTSD Contagious?

“Brannan Vines has never been to war. But she’s got a warrior’s skills: hyperawareness, hypervigilance, adrenaline-sharp quick-scanning for danger, for triggers.”

  • Who is Brannan Vines and why is it important that she has never been to war?
  • What attributes really describe a warriors skills? Hyperawareness, hypervigilance, etc.? Or instead a steady-hand, clear thoughts, and adaptability.
  • Why is she being triggered? Is it sparked by situations that are stressful or is she always like this. Perhaps she is just having a rough day and this only happens from time to time. (Personality Trait)

“Like Brannan’s symptoms. Hypervigilance sounds innocuous, but it is in fact exhaustingly distressing, a conditioned response to life-threatening situations.”

  • The author is referring to the disposition of Brannan as a symptom of something. Its then described to be a conditioned response, which means that the cause of these symptoms must have happened countless times.
  • The situations were described as life threatening. What made the situations life threatening? There were no stories to describe the life threatening decisions.

“You can hear the cat padding around. The air conditioner whooshes, a clock ticks.”

  • Descriptive phrases and words help give an eerie feel to the house and make it seem as if their living in a tomb.

“Their German shepherd, a service dog trained to help veterans with PTSD, is ready to alert Caleb to triggers by barking, or to calm him by jumping onto his chest.”

  • The severity of Brannan’s disorder is again stressed now in the visualization of a service dog. Further implanting the idea that PTSD is serious illness and needs to be treated as such.

“Sometimes I can’t do the laundry,” Brannan explains, reclining on her couch. “And it’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m too tired to do the laundry,’ it’s like, ‘Um, I don’t understand how to turn the washing machine on.’ I am looking at a washing machine and a pile of laundry and my brain is literally overwhelmed by trying to figure out how to reconcile them.”

  • The effects of the PTSD encompasses anything and everything. Even day to day tasks are stressful for Brannan and are to the point of being over-whelming.
  • Moments spent on the couch reclining back seem to be few and far between.
  • Normal tasks that require little to no cognitive abilities are now too much to handle.

Stone Money Rewrite – anonymous

Money at its Roots

To me the idea of stone money is strange but curiosity provoking at the least. These huge stones hold value but cannot be moved, transferred, or even hold a practical value. I cannot feed my family with the stone or use it for shelter but to some they were valuable. The same system used by a group of un-civilized tribesman over a hundred years ago bares a striking resemblance to what we use today in modern society; is it not? We walk around exchanging pieces of paper that can easily be ripped or destroyed for goods of value and necessity. It is true that the monetary system we use today is working and has worked for a period of time, but is it really the best way to sustain an economically diverse and often times unpredictable society? After reading the article by Milton Friedman, “The Island of Stone Money”, and listening to the in class lecture I have a new perspective on money and am starting to ask myself these kinds of questions.

Our belief in money is slowly turning into, in a sense, the same sort of values and beliefs religion is based upon. Being that money in today’s society is basically as abstract and meaningless as trading goods in a video game, it is taken on faith that transactions online that produce X amount of zeros come with equal value in reality. For fear of losing the value of their “money” the French asked the federal reserve to convert the dollar value of their assets into gold. Once the U.S. had done this the French were content with leaving those same assets in a foreign territory. Who really keeps track of all this virtual money today? How is the U.S. over 13 trillion dollars in debt if that amount of actual currency doesn’t even exist? We determine the value of labor and distribution of products by dollar signs but the government can’t guarantee that the money you hold today will posses any value tomorrow. As we create more and more physical currency to match the demands of the public the value the world perceives our money at and the value the government says its worth is ever-changing. Decreasing actually. This is the basic premise behind inflation; price of goods increasing and value of the dollar decreasing. How can we hope that this system will continue to work when inflation cannot be stopped? It was surprising to me to find out that the same item you bought in 1913 for 20 dollars now today would cost over 480 dollars. Everything back in those days was so cheap because there was so much less currency in circulation.

In conclusion, I believe there is a serious problem with not only the concept of our monetary system but also the ethics behind it. Government spending needs to be critically monitored for multiple reasons. The first reason, the government is its own entity and has an enormous amount of power at its disposal. The second reason that our system is flawed is that there are not nearly enough organizations that monitor the governments decisions. Behind all the smoke and mirrors our government puts up for us I believe there is a direct answer as to what the permanence of our current monetary system is. At the rate we are currently traveling now there is no way any rational person could say that the system we have can be sustained. In our lifetimes and for a couple of generations maybe, but every great empire in history has shown us prosprerity doesn’t last forever. We need to be thinking about the future, if we don’t who will?

Works Cited

Friedman, Milton. “The Island of Stone Money.” Diss. Hoover Institution, Stanford University , 1991.

Joffe-Walt, Chana . “How Fake Money Saved Brazil.” NPR.org. 4 Oct. 2010. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/10/04/130329523/how-fake-money-saved-brazil&gt;.

“The Invention of Stone Money.” 423: The Invention of Stone Money. This Is American Life, WBEZ. Chicago . 7 Jan. 2011.

Morley, By Robert. “Why the U.S. Dollar Constantly Loses Value.” – TheTrumpet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.

Summaries – anonymous

1.) https://mic.com/articles/110344/14-years-after-portugal-decriminalized-all-drugs-here-s-what-s-happening#.7tNnX4b2w

It seems counterintuitive that a government would decriminalize drugs to put a stop to the pain and suffering drug use, addiction, and distribution causes. Although that is precisely what has taken place in Portugal’s poverty-stricken country since 2001.

Since drugs are so prevalent in Portugal’s society and it was becoming more and more futile to try to stop the trafficking of drugs the bright idea of decriminalizing came about. As ill-fated as this plan seems to be the war on drugs through means of force and harsh prison sentences was just not cutting it. This plan although outside the box was proactive as they come and well thought out.

The view has also shifted from treating drugs as less of a health problem to more of a moral issue. While many critics may take this idea as being too laid back to many others it’s a refreshing and compassionate view on a subject that has effected virtually everyone in some way shape or form. The overall effect of this new ideology has been a positive one, with less expenditures on locking people up there has been a larger budget to get addicts the help they need. There will always be critics and supporters and rightfully so, ideas no matter how thought out are just ideas, they will always be unpredictable and some may end up making things worse. Humanity as whole, I believe, has a responsibility to make advances and this can only be done through trial a tribulation; we owe that to ourselves.

2.) http://www.npr.org/2016/09/21/494749929/player-protests-when-athletes-stand-up-or-kneel-for-social-justice-issues

It seems counterintuitive that a platform like professional sports that shows the prosperity that our nation has acquired, and has fought for, is now being used as a means to exploit our nation. Players like Colin Kaepernick believe they are standing/kneeling for social justice when in fact they are just dividing a country further than what it already is. There are ways to promote a cause as noble as social equality and this is not it. Kneeling for the national anthem is a disgrace to the good men and women out there that are fighting everyday to keep our country safe; foreign or domestic. Negativity is only going to be followed by more negativity, and yes kneeling for a song that has become intrinsically linked to promoting the sacrifices that countless individuals have made for your freedom to play football and all the other amenities this land has to offer is negative. The media is directly contributing to this fire everyday by following only the stories that insight anger and hate. It is difficult to reach out to people who have already decided that the majority is tainted and not fit to protect our freedoms. Should we give up on our justice system that has stood for over 200 years? Why are problems only just now being identified?

3.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUA8i5S0YMU

It seems counterintuitive that trophy hunting for animals like lion, rhino, and elephants could potentially help these animals from going extinct. Trophy hunters although generally looked at as being a threat to an endangered species are linked only to a small percentage of the total death toll of said species. The real threat is the one that cannot be tracked or recorded accurately, they are poachers and loss of habitat.

Poachers are attributed to killing thousands of indigenous animals in Africa every year and with out our protection how can we hope they survive? This is where trophy hunting can actually help. While it is true one of the animals dies in this scenario it is also true that both the animals of that species and the natives of the land have something to gain. For every animal that is being hunted the hunter is charged a fee, often times a very pricey one. With the help of this money organizations have come together to buy private land and protect these lands so the animals can live in peace. With out the money there is no reason for the locals to care about the animals, but if they know for every animal they protect a cash reward could be gained they will be much more inclined to help. As bleak as this sounds it is the truth, no one will help save these animals unless there is money involved and at the end of the day that is what makes the world go round.

Stone Money—anonymous

To me the idea of stone money is strange but curiosity provoking at the least. These huge stones hold value but cannot be moved, transferred, or even hold a practical value. I cannot feed my family with the stone or use it for shelter but to some they were valuable. The same system used by a group of un-civilized tribesman over a hundred years ago bares a striking resemblance to what we use today in modern society; is it not? We walk around exchanging pieces of paper that can easily be ripped or destroyed for goods of value and necessity. It is true that the monetary system we use today is working and has worked for a period of time, but is it really the best way to sustain a economically diverse and often times unpredictable society? After reading the article by Milton Friedman “The Island of Stone Money” and listening to the in class lecture I have a new perspective on money and am starting to ask myself these kinds of questions.

Our belief in money is slowly turning into, in a sense, the same sort of values and beliefs religion is based upon. Being that money in today’s society is basically as abstract and meaningless as trading goods in a video game it is taken on faith that transactions online that produce X amount of zeros come with equal value in reality. For fear of losing the value of their “money” the French asked the federal reserve to convert the dollar value of their assets into gold. Once the U.S. had done this the French were content with leaving those same assets in a foreign territory. Who really keeps track of all this virtual money today? How is the U.S. over 13 trillion dollars in debt if that amount of actual currency doesn’t even exist? We determine the value of labor and distribution of products by dollar signs but the government cant guarantee that the money you hold today will posses any value tomorrow. As we create more and more physical currency to match the demands of the public the value the world perceives our money at and the value the government says its worth is ever changing. Decreasing actually. This is the basic premise behind inflation; price of goods increasing and value of the dollar decreasing.
Behind all the smoke and mirrors our government puts up for us I believe there is a direct answer as to what the permanence of our current monetary system is. At the rate we a currently traveling now there is no way any rational person could say that the current system we have can be sustained. In our lifetimes and for a couple generations maybe but every great empire history has shown us has its fall. We need to be thinking about the future, if we don’t who will?
Works Cited

Friedman, Milton. “The Island of Stone Money.” Diss. Hoover Institution, Stanford University , 1991.

Joffe-Walt, Chana . “How Fake Money Saved Brazil.” NPR.org. 4 Oct. 2010. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/10/04/130329523/how-fake-money-saved-brazil&gt;.

“The Invention of Stone Money.” 423: The Invention of Stone Money. This Is American Life, WBEZ. Chicago . 7 Jan. 2011.

Morley, By Robert. “Why the U.S. Dollar Constantly Loses Value.” – TheTrumpet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.

Moving Image—anonymous

Think Twice

0:01 The advertisement opens with a group of three men in the woods, one is standing still looking up with a perplexed look on his face. The other two are seen walking out from a path carrying some wood presumably to start a fire. As the two men approach their friend they stop close to him, with a proud/accomplished expression on their face they drop the sticks in a pile where some had already been placed. At this point the two seem to be done with their task and look ready to start the fire.

0:02-0:03 The camera angle then changes to beneath the mans shoulders who was staring upwards. The view is of his head and of the multiple branches that are seen swaying in the breeze above.

0:04-0:07 The camera then goes back to the man’s face who was seen staring up. He is looking at his friends and can be seen saying something to them as his head nods in one direction perhaps signaling them to move to a different location. Camera then pans out onto all of them and the two who got the wood seem to have a disgruntled look on their face.

0:08-0:10 The agitated looks of the two men quickly turn to a face of apprehension. Their vision shifts away from their friend to something behind him not seen on camera. Noticing his friends gaze the man turns around slowly and is met by an imposing figure. A huge creature with brown fur is standing within inches of the man.

0:11-0:16 The next shot is of Smokey the bear towering over the man looking down on him. There is a brief pause making the moment even more dramatic. Smokey then closes his eyes and leans in to hug the man who is in complete shock. The camera angles to just the mans face pressed against the bears furry body. His nervous expression then slowly turns into relief as he puts his arms around Smokey.

0:17-0:30 Smokey then turns and slowly walks back into the forrest, with the camera behind the men watching him walk away. It then returns to a full body shot of all of the men. Their body language seems to still be in awe as they are all very still. After a brief moment one man says something short probably to break the silence and put what just happened into perspective. Just as Smokey is seen leaving the view of the camera the one man in the middle awkwardly waves bye.