Ravitch: ‘Miracle schools’ not so miraculous after all

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/ravitch-miracle-schools-not-so-miraculous-after-all/2011/12/07/gIQAP565fO_blog.html (the one Ms. Johnston emailed.)

The only part of this article I felt really strongly about was when the author said, "It's a diverse school in a middle-income community on Long Island (21 percent of its students are African-American or Hispanic)." I'm sorry--21% minority students is not all that diverse. Maybe I'm wrong but I see diversity as even distribution of a million factors (not just race). Also--the entire article is about the correlation between education and poverty but all of a sudden she just throws in minorities, expecting her reader to find that synonymous with poverty? It's slip-ups like this that make me so skeptical of writers. You are supposed to be well-researched and are even making a decent point about statistical interpretation and correlations between economics and education but then you mess it all up for yourself by saying the correlation is also racial. She said the school was in a "middle income community" and then said it "closed an achievement gap." But if everyone is "middle-income" her point is solely based on race. If she wanted to make that her main point she could go right ahead but until she does I am firmly rooted in my belief that student-based educational issues have to do with economics and parental education and NOT race. Obviously there is a correlation between race and those factors but that doesn't make them interchangeable.

How much crazier can Black Friday get? By Chris Hawley Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/much-crazier-black-friday-221456950.html
Black Friday, the day which everyone looks forward at the end of the Thanksgiving. Even before the clocks strikes 12 a.m. Friday morning people are posted around Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, Target, the mall, and many more waiting to get a great deal. What once was a fun day to get bargains on the latest products, has turn into a gruesome shopaholic day. It is understandable to hear about people pushing and shoving to get to the last thing on the shelf, but when does it go beyond the limit. Well in an article called How much crazier can Black Friday get? By Chris Hawley he explains the horrible details of a Black Fridays past, present, and future. In the past people heard about the woman who was killed over a Cabbage Patch Kid®. Now today you get reports of woman and police pepper spraying, to shooting, and stabbing, and even seeing a bloody face of someone in a store. What has happen in people mind to commit such acts? The main sources may be sleep deprivation which can put anyone on edge. What about the atmosphere, “There are so many hours now where people are shopping in the darkness that it provides cover for people who are going to try and steal or rob those who are out in numbers (para 18).” Hence, the man that was shot in San Leandro as he walked to his car with his purchase in hand. The time frame puts people on edge and people at risk. You may ask what well the future behold one person said, “…everybody getting Tasered (para 4)?” All though this may scare some, many others don’t care. They still want to go out and get that great deal. With the article ending like this, “‘If I’m going to get shot, at least let me get a good deal’ (para 26).” What do you think about that?

Donating stem cells = $$$

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/health/policy/some-stem-cell-donors-can-be-paid-court-rules.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Court%20says%20&st=cse

Donating stem cells is an excellent and better remedy to prevent a loss life. This type of work should be rewarded with the awknowledge of saving a life, or simply a great feeling. Honestly, I oppose to the idea that people should be paid from donating stem cells. (I don't want to start a debate here, but it's just a thought.) If someone really cared about saving someone's life, shouldn't they place the economic issue aside? Anyways, the article itself was unsucessful--I felt that it was to dry, or that it didn't go in depth with the issue. The author, in other words, came off boring in this article. Let's just say that if it were to go on depth about the non-profit organization, or the issue itself, it would of been more drawing to the audience, including myself.

Police Find that Dissent on Drug laws may come with a price

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/us/officers-punished-for-supporting-eased-drug-laws.html

I've been becoming more and more unhappy with the United States government these past few months.

Essentially what happened was our own government, supposedly based on free speech, fired a Border Patrol officer for verbally expressing his views on the War on Drugs, to a coworker. Even worse is that the higher-ups from Washington called him unpatriotic and undedicated.

The article was very neutral and unbiased. Perhaps the informative tone lets the reader form their own opinions. However, I'm certain that almost all of the readers would find this punishment for realism very unlawful.

Finding Purpose After Living With Delusion

Finding Purpose After Living With Delusion

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/health/man-uses-his-schizophrenia-to-gather-clues-for-daily-living.html?pagewanted=1&hp

A lot of my thought about this article (about a man with schizophrenia who does community service) resulted from the character the author gave to Mr. Greek. You don’t really think of character development in non-fiction but this article made me hyper-aware of it because Greek was build up to the point of being some kind of hero-savior-god, ironically just like those of his hallucinations. From the first line the article seems so fictitiously invested in and in awe of the character. “She was gone for good, and no amount of meditation could resolve the grief, even out here in the deep quiet of the woods. Milt Greek pushed to his feet.” This is the kind of light Greek is cast in throughout the article and I find it partially amusing, partially distracting. Athens Ohio is full of odd characters and in the absence of real news or connection to the outside world those who live there fall on family drama and, for the professors, their own brilliance. This makes me a little suspicious of his first break-up with his wife. The author of the article is a man and I feel like there may have been a bit more to the story of Greek’s divorce that his ex-wife could say quite a bit about. And the the second wife: some tolerant goddess who worships and loves tending to her world-saving husband. I just can’t help being suspicious of some masculine distortions happening during the interviewing process... I think I feel this way because Greek was so overly set-up as a hero that I started finding the whole thing unbelievable even though normally I would be impressed by him.

Two hundred and fifty-six children

This article didnt really state much. But it did make a few god points. And im happy they finally have data to represent how poverty schools get treated. This article reminded me of freedom writer. The school in this movie was just intergrated And the honor kids rooms were "sparkling" while the minorites had a dirty room with beat down books. This is whats happening in this article, kids with money get better schooling. The government or whoever runs this budget thing is always looking for a way for them to gain money. Kids in public school get teachers that are inexperienced so they dont get as mch money as the other teachers in the middle-class schools; according to the article. We have experts agreeing, vice presidents of programs, secertaries of edfucation and even data thats proving that the district. Pays Less for poor school. I wonder what going to happen, are they. Going to keep cheating public schools out of their money and actually follow the rule of the 1965 elementary and secondary edu. Act, which channels money to educate poor children.

Recalling Days on the Run with Abducted Children

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/nyregion/parents-who-abducted-their-8-children-say-they-feared-adoption-plans.html?pagewanted=2&sq=children new york&st=cse&scp=5

In this article, The Paynes had abducted their eight children. The article states that New York City’s child welfare agency was planning to put the Payne’s children up for adoption, instead of reuniting them with their parents. The author also states that their children had been in foster care for almost three years. The parents just wanted to spend time with their children, like a happy family. “But to the Paynes, that week on the run with their children packed first into a car and then into a van was a respite of sorts.” That was their opportunity to feel like a real family and just be with each other, even if they spent their time “singing along to Michael Jackson hits”. The author is proving to the audience that the parents are finding a way to be with their children and to show that they are better parents. They have gone to anger management classes and have attended, religiously, to parenting, which they were prescribed by officials. The author’s message basically is that even though the parents had done something wrong, it was for a good cause. For them to be reunited with their family and it was for a good reason why they had abducted their children. The communications director for Children’s Services, Michael Fagan, had stated, “After a thorough investigation and careful assessment of the children, they are in the care of foster families, as they were before they were abducted by their parents.” Now, both parents cannot speak to their children on the phone nor be able to visit them either.