Category: SP17 E04: Open Strong

It is inexcusable to think that as far as we have come as a nation, that members of society are still heavily discriminated against. The Justice Department statistics reveal that African American drivers are three percent more likely to get pulled over in a routine traffic stop than Caucasians. There is no place for racism in this country as it is, so why it has been chosen to be enforced on the highway, with legal repercussions potentially following, is . But nevertheless, when analyzing something like this the question that must be asked is, what race are the police officers that are making these traffic stops?

The standardized tests that American children take every year that solely determine their future school success are essentially flawed. Thousands of children fail these tests and fall behind but it may be that the tests themselves are failing these children. Standardized tests unfairly misjudge students by not taking into account several important characteristics such as creativity, motivation, and critical thinking. Many students find themselves in an endless loop of failures that deplete them of any love of education. Standardized tests should not act as a barrier for students and schools because they are biased and flawed. The United States is constantly falling behind other developed nations in terms of education and the intense focus on standardized testing is likely to blame.

Imagine if every person took one test to decide if they will be rich of poor at the age of twenty five. The test would be the same for each individual, despite the inherent differences that exist in every person. If the test is passed the individual will be rich, but if the test is failed the individual will live in poverty. It’s highly probable that most people would be against a situation like this but in reality the above situation is a dramatized version of standardized testing in American schools. For a high school student, one test, the SAT’s, decides whether that student can get into college and pursue his dream career. For an elementary student, one state standardized test decides whether that student will move on to the next grade and continue her academic career with her grade. The pressure is on, the stakes are high, and for many failing results seem inevitable. A standardized test should not be the difference between rich and poor or achieving dreams and failed reality.

Football helmets failed to protect players from getting concussions, yet, players are still receiving them. In recent years, football players have received injuries, mostly concussions. I found a rather out-of-the-box way to lessen the NFL’s concussion rate. I believe the football players should wear neither pads nor helmets. I know it’s a ridiculous to think the no helmet is better than having a helmet. Football player should tackle differently than they do.

Out of all the taxes our government imposes on its citizens, the sales tax is the fairest and not regressive at all. The only reason this tax is not regressive is because it does not apply to basic items that humans need to survive. While the United States of America has no federal sales tax, individual States are free to enact sales taxes. Currently the State of New Jersey may have its sales tax lowered from 7% to 6.875% in 2017 and then to 6.625% in 2018. A tax that only applies to luxury items and not necessities, is not an unfair tax on the poor. So if any tax should be lowered, it should not be the non-regressive tax on the poor.

Using ADHD as an excuse for laziness is belittling the severity of the disorder, and as a result students don’t seek out help for their disability. ADHD is a chemical imbalance of the brain where there is an overabundance of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. There is a medical definition for ADHD and what causes it, but society is under the impression that it is just an excuse for people who are lazy. People with ADHD are burdened with a serious lack of comprehensive ability due to the fact that they are so easily distracted. People tend to refer to these distractions as zoning out however this is not the case. The difference is zoning out implies that a person pays attention to nothing at all, ADHD causes a person to pay attention to everything. When someone is zoning out it isn’t a result of ADHD, it is either their own laziness, or another disorder. ADHD is the most misunderstood learning disability that there is, so much so that it belittles the affect it has on people who actually have the disorder. Creating a mockery of such a serious problem prevents students from seeking out the help the require to be successful.

Opening 1:

Satan, dark magic, violence, and anarchy  are not true defining characteristics of Rock ‘n’roll. The real purpose of the sweet music is to honor and spread the teachings of God and of deities from other religions.  In our culture, it is commonly believed that Rock is entirely centered on the Occult. And while album covers and they way that certain performers behave seemingly confirm this, this belief is not really correct. In a closer look at the genre of music, it is apparent that many popular performers are actually very spiritual, their ideologies seeping into their beloved songs. Moreover, many of the musicians who release what is believed to be Occultist music are actually honoring religion in a counterintuitive manner. This overall idea might seem like it has emerged out of nowhere, but at look at the origins of Rock’n’ roll will show otherwise.

Opening 2:

Rock ‘n’ roll is a way to honor God and the various deities of other religions. Commonly believed as a conduit for Satan and the Occult, Rock is very much the opposite.  Rock performers and their songs are actually very spiritual, sometimes using the appearance of the Occult in a counterintuitive manner. This idea might seem out of the blue and without substantial support, but a closer look into the music genre will provide all the proof needed. And the logical first step in this investigation are the origins of Rock ‘n’ roll, where religion very much played a part.

Some have made the claim that in order to reduce gun related crimes we must have stricter gun laws. However, for the mid west and deep south states they have traditionally found a decrease in gun related crimes with considerably less strict gun laws. Within Illinois, they have been struggling to find a solution to their gun related crimes. However, their neighboring state Missouri has already found a solution by enforcing loose gun laws and as a result they have remained to keep a considerably lower murder rate. Within the confines of America, there has been a noticeable increase of gun related crimes, in states with strict gun laws. In order to reduce gun related crimes, one solution would be to lessen gun laws.

Many people believe in lending a helping hand, until their lives get threatened. In today’s society many countries are getting involved with foreign affairs not realizing what negative outcomes come out by helping. The US, as well as a few other countries, are well known for lending help from wars to economic stability. But on the other side there are many enemies facing a problem as well, the help of foreign affairs. Which leaves us asking should we get involved when it chances the American lives and threatening so many innocents life. When we see a friend struggle we feel bad and wish we could help and in fact may even help. But when you see Syria struggle The US want to help but when we see terrorist involvement is involved it leaves us thinking should we help or stick out of it to prevent an attack on our own national security. In today’s world many 3rd world countries and powerhouse countries fear from the threats of terrorist attacks. Many ask why these threats are happening, but when you look at it many of these attacks happen by getting involved with foreign affairs.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, abbreviated as CTE, in the National Football League, abbreviated as the NFL, is not the leading reason to the amount of deaths so many doctors are reporting it to be. One can compare the hits to an athletes’ head in a football game to strikes to an athlete’s head in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, abbreviated as the UFC. There must be an additional factor that is causing the deaths of football players and not mixed martial artists. On average, each team in the National Football League has 62.5 plays, on each of those plays, approximately 10 players out of the 22 on the field will have some level of contact, and less than a quarter of those hits are to the head/neck area, so approximately 2.5 hits to the head each play leads to 156.25 hits to the head per game. A football game is 60 minutes long, so athletes are taking an average of 2.6 hits to the head per minute. At the moment the average strikes to the head per minute of the top 10 fighters in the UFC is 4.4. The average UFC fight lasts 9.8 minutes, leading to an average of  43.12 strikes to the head per fight. With these statistics and further research one can propose that there are additional factors leading to the deaths of football players, along with the normal hits to the head.

http://www.mmafighting.com/ufc/2012/4/1/2917868/crunching-numbers-mma-ufc-146-heavyweight-cain-velasquez-frank-mir-alistair-overeem-news

http://www.foxsports.com/ufc/stats?weightclass=11&category=ADVANCED&time=2&sort=5

Officer Darren Wilson was proud to pin the badge of the Ferguson Police Department to his dress blues, but since he discharged his Sig P229 pistol on August 9, 2014, the badge reminds him that he mortally wounded a teenager in the line of duty. A nationwide study conducted from 2008-2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that nearly 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who, because of the stigma of appearing weak, have yet to come forward with their symptoms. But when police officers decide to confront their physiological troubles, Kulbarsh found that the men in blue are being deprived of a stable support system to help guide them in the right direction. For years, we have ignored the calls for help from the guardians of our safety who have pledged to protect our nation.