Why body cameras don't solve everything

Recently there has been an increase of civilian videos capturing police using controversial, even deadly, force against minorities. Since the questioning of police brutality has become increasingly viral, there have been many attempts to secure and protect the rights of the people as well as the police. This article explains why people are still skeptical about the implement of body cameras.

While the use of the camera is recommended to be on during all interactions, police are given the option to turn off the cameras in terms of sensitive cases such as minors or domestic abuse. The fact that cameras only show a percentage of the scene, accountability can be lost in the translation of the footage. There is also a concern of how police will act in instances brought up by the possible addition of facial recognition.

Privacy and civil rights advocates worry that the cameras will highly impact communities of color and those living in poor communities. Money being spent on this type of surveillance has been for the use of trial and testing rather then a permanent policy that will be difficult to change.

S.Benyahya
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/03/politics/body-camera-challenges/index.html    

Modern day Poetry

When hearing the word "poetry" the first thing that usually pops into someone's mind is some type of written writing that expresses something without saying it directly. Nouns that might first come into a person's mind might be: Shakespeare, rhymes, haiku, stanzas. The first thing that usually comes into a person's mind about poetry is usually something written, if thinking about it some more people will come up with answers such as music, riddles, and anything spoken expressing some type of feeling without saying it directly. Altogether people tend to think of poetry as something that makes them feel a certain way, think deeper into a subject, or open their eyes to a new perspective that they had not thought of before before.

Comparing now to other time periods, people don't tend to see written poetry as much as they use to. They do not broadcast written poetry on the media, nor do many people look into modern poets. If you were to ask a random person to name a current known poet writer, the chances are they would not know. However, people do tend to hear about musicians in the media and most if not all know a musician. Musicians are regarded as celebrities and they are poets. Matter of fact their is a chance that the first poetry ever created was in the form of music, and many historians believe this to be true. The way these musicians today are treated as celebrities is not unlike the times of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare was also known as a celebrity and rumors of his life were spread around as town gossip (Same as musicians today). 

So why is it that we tend to see more spoken poetry than written poetry? Is it because all poetry is made to be spoken? or is it because of the technology advancement in man-kind? 

Altogether it is hard to say, and the answer will almost certainly be based more upon opinion than facts.

Modern day poets are highly affected by the social and economical situation they encounter during their lifetime, just like other poets during their lifetimes. Like how in postmodernism, the art was started by the living conditions during WWI. Today artists have created poetry in the form of music based off their living conditions and the problems around them; and depending on the artist, very different messages are displayed.

Now has modern day poetry (music) taken away all the complexity of poetry altogether? Some people will argue yes, and others will argue no. However, I believe the answer is based on the poet themselves and the poem they construct. 

Here is an examples of modern day poetry in the form of music:

(THIS IS UNCENSORED, it may not seem offensive to some but to others it might)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsi8ZT_mCn4

This is a link that breaks down the lyrics and shows what the artist is truly saying.

http://genius.com/152239/Lupe-fiasco-dumb-it-down/How-can-i-get-on-a-song-with-you-dumb-it-down

There are many different messages portrayed in different songs. One artist might have a very deep meaning about living conditions and the struggle of a race in one song, and then have another song about him partying and doing drugs. This does not relate to only one genre of music either, every genre of music has forms of poetry. Yet if their music has affected you in any way, then some people might put up an argument saying that this result is the definition of art. 

-Vishal
ENG 112

Cheat Sheet for "Life"

LIFE

Know how to separate emotions from reasons

Have experimental altitude towards life

And mostly be your own motivator

Because Life is challenging so make it a little playground

 

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable

You have disconnected yourself from what you truly want

And all that is life is compromise

Never compromise

 

It's not the strongest of the species that survive

Nor the most intelligent

But the ones' responsive to change

Always say yes to change

 

Your ideas are like diamonds

Without the refining process, they are just a dirty rock

But cutting away the impurities they become priceless

Be priceless

 

Life is your  strong will to win

The desire to succeed

The urge to reach your full potential

That hands over the keys to unlock the doors to personal excellence

 

There's a price to pay if you want to make things better

A price to pay just for leaving things as they are

A price for everything

Be willing to pay that price for what you want.

Irene Boachie.

 

Food Allergies/Intolerance Needs To Be Taken Seriously!

   Let me start off by saying that I am biased because I myself have a food allergy.  I triggered my Celiac Disease about 3 years ago.  It has been quite a journey with celiac disease.  I have my ups and downs but at the end of the day I'm blessed for the road that I have taken.   I eat healthier and actually became a vegan because I was used to cutting foods out of my diet. I don't eat meat, dairy, or gluten.

   I have a couple of issues that I wanted to bring to the readers attention on food allergies and food intolerance.

 Given that I have a food allergy, I know the struggle with eating out and being paranoid all the time.  I cook/bake all my own food but there are times when I like to eat out.  The problem with some of the people in our society, not all, is that they feel eliminating food from our diet is a trend.  In some cases it is, but there are a lot of people who have allergies and are intolerant of certain foods.  When these people have their orders taken  taken by a waiter/waitress they sometimes aren't taken seriously.  When a customer says they don't eat a certain food because of allergies or their intolerant they should not take it lightly.  With this said, it's up to the customer to point out their health concern and for the workers to be educated on contamination.
 
   I don't have kids yet but for those who do it's important to explain their children's food allergies or food intolerance's to teachers.  Some may say that teachers already have enough to do than to be on the children's cases about what they're eating.  I disagree with you and here's why.
   There are children with allergies and food intolerance's that react differently if they consume it or merely come in contact with it.  A child with a nut, egg, etc., allergy may have a tingling tongue or hives.  A child that has a severe allergy may need an EpiPen and medical assistance.  There are cases where children have died because of their food reactions.
A child's symptoms differ whether it's external or internal.  For example, a child who's intolerant to gluten may not have their throat close up, but can have a stomach ache.  This isn't just a regular stomach ache though.  Someone who has been diagnosed with celiac disease knows that if you consume gluten, your body will attack itself (autoimmune disease) and kill off some of your micro villi that aids in absorbing nutrients.  Not being able to absorb nutrients means your body is nutrient deficient which overtime can do damage your body.  For any living thing nutrients are important; especially for a developing children.  The time it takes for micro villi to grow back depends.  Often times it takes a couple of weeks to a month, but for adults who have done damage their whole lives it might take years or may never even grow back/be repaired.

   There was an instance where parents were complaining about having to sign a permission form for their child to eat a certain food in class as an experiment.  I respect the teacher for sending out the notice.  Sending out this permission form not only makes the parents aware of what the children are going to be offered, but it allows them to send their child to school with a substitute to that particular food that the class will be eating.  Children don't like being left out of activities.  It can do damage to them emotionally and psychologically.  Children don't always know what's best for them so having a teacher monitor what your child consumes is a big weight off parent's shoulders.  Parents can't always be there to tell their child not to trade foods at lunch or make them understand all the ingredients on labels.




 Picture found: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3015520/Parents-middle-school-students-asked-permission-children-eat-Oreo-science-class.html

Natalie Allen

NEPAL: How can we help?

                            

                          Are we able to help the affected people?

Every year the nature shows its devastating act. Different parts of the world are affected in different ways. Very recently Nepal has been almost destroyed by a massive earthquake. Over two thousand people were killed and millions lost their house and the source of living. The scenario is shown in this video. 

                             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRSe_gRTvPw 

Many of us really feel bad and pray to God to help these people but only a few spreads their hands to 

help them. Fellow countries are showing their generosity and sending different kinds of help to them, but indeed that help is not enough. In situations like this the whole world should take part to re flourish the  country. This could be the condition of any country since no human being has the power to defeat the "Nature". But my question is are we ready to help such countries after such big natural calamities? And what are the best ways to make the help available to them?

M. Rocktim

English 112 (307A) 

Adoption From An Adoptee

  Being adopted is not all that cracked up to be all the time. By being adopted myself I have a hard time with it sometimes because I feel out of place in my adoptive family and sometimes with friends. After meeting my biological family, it makes it even harder for me to fit in because I know that I share genes, traits, and other things with my biological parents and siblings. I want to have a relationship with them, but it is really hard because they live in another state and they have their own lives. Also sometimes I feel like I'm betraying my adoptive parents. When people hear that I'm adopted, they ask why and many people's answers can be different from my answers. I think adoption is not all that great is that because I have trouble with my feelings towards my biological family and fitting in with my adoptive family. Also adoption is difficult for anyone involved.
Even though I feel like this, I am truly blessed with both of my families and that I'm adopted, but I would adopt if I had the choice later in life since I want to help a life of a child in the foster system.



Kim C.

A Call for Online Course Reformation

To whom it concerns,

I firmly assert that the penny-pinching, similar course mass-producing ELI (Extended Learning Institute) with instructors as overseers rather than teachers and students as numbers on a spreadsheet, while necessary, is grossly mismanaged and probably underfunded.

* Interjection: please excuse the bi%&ing and moaning in this next paragraph and, if you only want to read about my opinions on the NOVA ELI program, skip to the third paragraph of this text.

I am currently finishing up my AA at NOVA and attempting to attain/retain a GPA of 3.8 or higher for certain honors. To wit, NOVA only requires a 3.8 for Summa Cum Laude. While my UVA application is already submitted and any perspective future employers will likely pay little attention to the honors from my NOVA AA, I feel that due to my absurdly good work-ethic and the ridiculous and non-quantifiable magnitude of my scholastic efforts thus-far, that I deserve the aforementioned "HighEST Honors," rather than simply Magna Cum Laude, or "High Honors."

As I struggle to keep up my GPA toward the end of my NOVA journey, my scholastic struggles are most arduous vis-a-vis my online, or ELI, courses. At present I am under the boot of English Literature 243 via the ELI program. While the syllabus is very straightforward and the instructor is both pleasant and attentive, the overall course grade, to my horror, is comprised of thirty percent writing and analysis (in which I am quite proficient) and seventy freaking percent exams. This is an English course! What the crap?! So, as I deal with tax season, financial aid red-tape, UVA admissions, life outside of academia (forgot that existed, anyone?), and other classes which include my dreaded Achilles' heel -- The evil demon of Math, as I am a Historian and a writer, not a mathematician or scientist...  I must avoid the tangent (or possibly entirely disjoint topic) of the Math and Science requirements for Liberal Arts students... Ugggh! Anyway, as I pour over all of that and more, I must concern myself with finding my way through the abysmal amalgamation of course material that I am expected to know in order to answer multiple choice questions in a testing center followed by two short essays of completely unknown topics. But, these issues are not mutually inclusive to this particular ELI course. As I have now, out of necessity, taken three ELI courses (including this ENG 243), which is four too many, I find myself pondering how and if NOVA's entire ELI system may be reformed. I have come to the conclusion that someone must pick up this sword. I cannot wield it, as my burden in other battlefields of academia is too great in both magnitude and intensity. Someone new to NOVA, a Freshman in any 2015 semester, must organize these and any other applicable issues as well as proposed solutions, begin a petition, attain signatures, and, finally, approach one of the Deans at a NOVA campus. 

Off the top of my head... 

Abolishing the ELI is counterproductive and impossible. The ELI, in-and-of-itself, is a wonderful concept, people need it, and the institution makes mooooooney. Therefore, I spitball the following ideas regarding reform:

ELIMINATE the Discussion Board requirements (keep them as optional, even if no one posts).

ELIMINATE HUGE weight on exams with little or no weight on other assignments.

DEMAND a certain minimum % value worth of extra credit options for any given ELI course.

That's all I have right now...

What do you think? Any reformation ideas?

Thanks for letting me vent,

P.J. Wordsmith