connecting the dots

when I was first given the assignment i would say that i felt overwhelmed. But as we talked in class today I thought of how this subject could be linked to my writing. As Preston suggested the question: why do heroes always wear white and villains wear black hats; as an example in class I realized how it could actuality apply to me. Racial profiling and discrimination could be a decent motive for certain actions of a character, and since i like to create entire personalities and understand my characters so this might help me if i study both the history of profiling and the psychology of racism.

The Class and The Elephant

First allow me to begin with a story that i was told a few years ago. In a specific country in Asia (I don't quite remember which one) Elephants are given a special kind of training so that they will not stray from their masters when they are fully grown. You see, when they are young these elephants are taken from their parents and tied by their hind leg to an immoveable object (usually a tree) and left there until they break. For days they are let tied to this tree as they struggle to break free. Eventually they learn that they cannot break their bonds and submit. When their bodies strengthen as they grow older they remember their failed attempts at escaping and, though capable, they remain tied to the tree whenever their master places the rope around their hind leg. The bond that keeps them by the tree is not a physical one, it is the bonds around their mind that keeps them from roaming as they desire. in school i have noticed something similar, we students are forced to obey all school policy without hesitation, and follow a one-size-fits-all program that treats us as if we are all uniformly cut from the same cloth. Though we are all equal we are not the same people, our talents are different. Where I may fail you may prosper, and where you fail I may prosper. The one day a teacher (yes its Dr Preston) comes seemingly out of nowhere and tells us that we can break free, the line can be broken but we have to be the ones who break it. At first, before i entered the class i believed that the phrase "open your mind" was just a catch phrase teachers used to make you pay attention to their lectures. Then I was given the opportunity to do as I wanted, i was given the opportunity to write my stories as part of a group. When i saw this i jumped at the opportunity and i am still writing that book. The point is if you haven't done anything to break free of those bonds that tie you down yet then it's your own fault. I was once told that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react. With that in mind ask yourself what will you do to break the bond that tie you? Now do it.

Seven Times

In Erica's post seven times she discusses the tragic shooting of a thirteen year old child. This child was shot and killed by a police officer because he was holding a realistic looking toy gun. Erica seems to focus more on the emotional shock of the fact that the child was shot seven times before the police officers ceased firing. This is tragic however she does not mention that the toy gun was pointed in the direction of the police officers after they asked the child to drop the weapon. This gun as shown on this site does not posses an orange tip to indicate that the gun that looked like an AK was in reality a play thing. Through the use of her repetition of  of the phrase "Why seven times?" she indicates that the police officers brutally assaulted the child. The police officers told the child to drop the weapon, instead the child turned to face the officers. Understand, being a police officer is a high stress job in which officers are literally asked to potentially place their lives on the line and this child was holding a toy that looked exactly like a real AK. These officers had also been sent to investigate a suspicious person in the area. This was a tragic misunderstanding at the least and the officers will have to live the rest of their lives knowing they shot and killed this child. If a gun were pointed in your general direction would you have been able to do better knowing full well the damage a real gun could cause, and your obligation is to do what ever is necessary to prevent that damage?

Racial profiling lives on

In the article I read today I heard that some citizen's in New york are having their fourth amendment right violated. The fourth amendment is "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." and in New York these searches are being conducted without the support of a warrant. This basically means that the police are searching through other people's belongings without legal permission, and their getting away with it. Police officers are supposed to be enforcers of the law, but that does not mean that they are not subject to it themselves. Though i do not mean to be critical of the New York as a whole, i do believe that those who are violating the rights of the people they are supposed to be protecting should be further educated on the laws that they are both following and enforcing.

vocabulary #9

ultimate- the greatest or most extreme of its kind


interactive- mutually active; requiring the input of a user
the internet is interactive because it requires your input to run programs

principle- a moral that helps you know what is right and what is wrong.
Gambling goes against Mathew's principles

guidance- help or advice that tells you what to do
I try to provide guidance to my friends who find themselves to be lost or confused.

collaboration- to work alongside someone else
Dylan and I collaborated  on our project the other week

Formative- the time in which something is being formed
The early years of an infant's life are the most formative

summative- made up of accumulated parts
My project with Dylan was summative, being made up of a multitude of activities

racism- the act of treating someone poorly because of their race
refusing to provide someone with a job they are perfectly capable of doing because of their face is an act of racism

intelligence- the ability to learn or to deal with new or difficult situations

 unrestrained- to be without control
the unrestrained horse ran rampant through the city

frisk- to check someone for something that is may be concealed within clothing
The police officer frisked the suspect for a hidden weapon,

 consent- to agree to
I had to ask for the consent of the council before beginning my project

impermissible- not allowed or permitted
it is  impermissible to carry a firearm to school

seize- to use legal power to take something
The gaurds seized the intruder

basis- the foundation for an argument, idea or process
The basis of the Constitution of the US is freedom and liberty for all

surveillance- a close observation of something
The video surveillance showed that none of the products had been stolen from the store that day.

doctrine- a set of beliefs set by a religious affiliation

discretion- to act in a way to avoid offending, or revealing information
It is important for a

policing- a group responsible for the detection and prevention of local crime

provision - the act or process of supplying or providing something

Thanks to the provision of a parking-lot by CVS I will be able to conduct a fund raiser.



hyperbolic-marked by a hyperbole


hunch- a gut feeling or intution
the police officer had a hunch that the suspect was carrying an illegal substance

Predominate- to be greater in number or amount

Warrant-  a legal document issued by a court to give the police to do something

Infraction- To break the rules or the law.
Murder and theft are both infractions of the law.

My 30 day challenge

as of November 1 the National Novel Writing Month has begun. In this event i have been challenged to write an entire novel within the next 30 days. Over the course of the month i will be writing my novel. As a beginning writer i think that this will both provide me with a good reason to write and a nice working group.

What I see is all in my head

The brain is a powerful tool, it allows us to process all the events that occur around us, or so we believe. When we focus on one event the others are drowned out. Don't believe me? while you were reading this post did something else happen around you; the neighbors car alarm went off again; the dog is barking at the neighbor's cat, etc. So it stands to reason that through out our lives we will likely perceive the things we want to perceive. As demonstrated in this video  the mind can only perceive one event at a time.