Chicago defies forgotten 2nd Amendment

I found an interesting article from the Chicago Tribune online entitled, Chicago defies forgotten 2nd Amendment. The second amendment, which gives citizens the right to bear arms, has caused some dispute lately over whether individual cities and towns should be able to outlaw handguns. Recently, Morton Grove, Evanston, Wilmette, and Winnetka have all repealed their laws banning handguns, but Mayor Daley refuses to do so for the city of Chicago. He is quoted in the article: "Does this lead to everyone having a gun in our society?" he asked after the ruling came down. "Then why don't we do away with the court system and go back to the Old West, where you have a gun and I have a gun and we'll settle it in the streets?" Although he may be using hyperbole here for emphasis, he brings up a valid point: Is the second amendment posing a threat to our safety? Can people really be safe in a city where citizens on the streets are all carrying guns around? Even with the current law in place banning hand guns there were 443 homicides last year in the city of Chicago. The current policy was instated in 1983, and had not been challenged until last summer “when the Supreme Court ruled that Washington's ban on handguns violated the individual right to use arms for self-defense in the home.” Now there has been a lawsuit filed against the city of Chicago by the National Rifle Association. Mayor Daley has refused to make even the slightest change to the handgun ordinance, and therefore has decided to fight the lawsuit. Is this a matter of safety or of individuals’ rights? How should this lawsuit be ruled?

Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity!

I was going through our mail the other day, and I came across a magazine that my mom subscribes to entitled "Real Simple". The tagline for the magazine is "Life Made Easier. Magazine and TV show about simplifying your life. Includes home solutions, meals , special features". I found it funny that in today's world we need a magazine to tell us how to simply our lives. It seemed almost ironic to me that in order to start simplifying, you must add reading the magazine to your routine first to tell you haw to go about doing it. I thought of the quote I had just read in Thoreau: "Our life is frittered away by detail...Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand" (Thoreau 73). Our lifestyles have become so complex, and we are often lead to feel that every tiny detail is of utmost importance. Thoreau would be disappointed that we have to have magazines telling us how to simplify our lives because we cannot do it on our own. The whole point of simplifying your life is supposed to be thinking through your own thoughts, not conforming to what others say to do with your life. However, Thoreau would definitely agree with the morals behind the magazine, that peoples' lives today are far to complex and busy, that they need to real focus on what is important. I tried to take this ideal and apply it to my own busy life, but it is quite difficult. I do not want to cut out anything that I enjoy doing, instead I would rather make more time to do those things, but that involve giving up time that is spent to homework and chores, things that are necessary that I do. In what ways can we follow Thoreau's advice in our own lives?

Health Care Reform

Since several people put down "health care" as an area of our society today that needs to be reformed the most, I decided to do a little research to find out what people are doing to change this area of our society. I found that Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar "is hosting a national summit on health care reform at the University of Minnesota" tomorrow (Article). They are calling the summit "Prescription for Reform," and its main goal is to find ways to improve and strengthen the health care system in the United States. The health care system is under review because with our current economic situation, many people cannot afford health care, especially those who have lost their jobs. What solution will they come up with at this conference? Will it actually be implement into our government? What effect would a change in the health care system have on our society?

The Self-Made Man a Myth?

I just opened my internet browser, and on my Google News homepage, one of the articles caught my eye because of its direct correlation to our discussion today about how Americans idolize those who "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". The article, entitled The Self-Made Man a Myth?, describes the best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell's new book, where he explores the idea of the self-made man through methods of out-of the-box thinking. He come to a conclusion that such a man does not exist. After we described all the characteristics of self-made men in class today and even came up with a large list of specific people, I found Gladwell's argument difficult to believe. Although he give legitimate examples and supports them, I do not think his warrents as described in the article are strong enough to disprove the common-belief in the self-made man. To me, it almost sounds like he is supporting the characteristics we listed on the board today.

His claim for why certain people were able to achieve great things is because there are things "you simply can't control" such as "luck"that are major factors in determining if one is successful. He gives the example of Bill Gates, somebody who as a class we listed on the board as being a self-made man, among other CEOs of major companiesto be sucessful men he was born in 1955. According to Gladwell, this was the optimum year to be born. The reason these men are sucessful "is not a coincidence. It has to do with the fact that the personal computer revolution happens in 1975 when they were 20 years old and that is the perfect age to be confronted with a revolution. Right? You don't have a family or kids or a mortgage. Your mind is wide open. You've got nothing at stake in the existing order of things and you can embrace some new paradigm."

I agree with Gladwell that these men did have good circumstances for sucess, but I disagree that these are not self-made men. They still were hard working, determined, came from humble beginings, and were risk-takers, all characterics that they instilled in themselves that allowed them to achieve great things.

What is the true definition of the self-made man? Does the self-made exist? Do Gladwell's warrants validate his arguement?

Progress in the World of Video Games?

Although I almost never play video games myself, I see my brothers and their friends frequently head down to our basement and turn on the Xbox. Yesterday, my mom and I were in the kitchen and she started complaining that all the boys ever do is play "Halo", and I began to wonder if video games really were a positive technological advancement, or if they are having a negative effect on people. This article describes some of the negative effects of gaming: the "central physiological systems in the body can be affected when you play violent games without your being aware of it." Video games can be almost anti-social and involve just sitting inactively in front of the television for hours on end. Wouldn't it be better just to play an "old-fashioned"board game or go out side and toss a ball around? Or perhaps have a family-bonding game night or touch football with the neighbors?
The average video-gamer would argue no, that these are things of the past. However, new advances in video game technology has allowed for video games that focus on personal fitness. "Exercise gaming" was introduced to the market through Wii Fit, a popular game that leads you in exercises while you stand on a weight sensitive mat, and then gives you feed back on your level of fitness. This is taking video-gaming in a new direction along with our health-conscious society. Recently EA Games announced that they will be introducing a rival game to Wii Fit in 2009. The EA sports president said of the game, "we have a real opportunity to redefine the home fitness experience with a more Western cardiovascular approach and exercises that will appeal to a diverse audience, getting people off the couch and into shape while interacting with our products in a way never before possible."
Exercise gaming is a very interesting advancement in the world of video games in an effort to incorporate more physical activity into people's lives. Is this progress??? How will the typical "gamer" receive this? Will this movement be successful?

The World's Reaction to President-Elect Obama

While viewing the pictures in class on Wednesday of the crowd's reaction to Obama's speech in Grant Park, words such as "excitement" and "pride" were used to describe the feelings portrayed by the pictures. Seeing the positive reaction of those in the United States made me wonder how the rest of the world received the election of Obama to be the next president of the United States. I found an article that described the world's reaction as "elation". According to the article, "in country after country, elation over Obama's victory was palpable, the hunger for a change of American leadership as strong outside the U.S. as in it." I was not surprised to see that there was such a positive reaction on a global scale. From London to China to Africa, people all around the world are looking to Obama to reestablish the US foreign policy for harmonious relations between the US and the world. Although this is quite a large feat, people still celebrated. I found the celbrations in Kenya, the country of Obama's late father, to be most interesting as described in this article. In honor of Obama's election, the Kenyan President declared Thursday a national holiday, "allowing celebrations to continue through the night and into a second day. " Obama's step-brother that lives in Kenya was carried down the streets with jubilation. Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, commended the President-elect, saying "Obama gave the world the courage to dream." Overall there has been a very positive reaction towards President-elect Obama thus far, and it will be interesting to see if this optimism is retained once his foreign policy is established. Are these countries excited because, in addition to history being made, they believe that Obama will do something to benefit them that has not been done in the past? Are they more excited for how it will affect the US or rather, their own country? Or perhaps both?

Early Voting

After we talked in class about early voting and how voting day is like a deadline, and candidates have until that day to campaign as much as they can, I became interested in how early voting is affecting our current election. I found an article in the New York Times about early voting. Now 32 states allow voters to cast their ballot early without a required excuse for dong so. Early voting has been very popular this year, with 30 percent to 35 percent of voters expected to participate this year compared to the 22 percent of voters that cast an early presidential ballot in 2004. This is due in part to how "user-friendly" early voting has become. Open in some states for twelve hours a day, early voting is available at a variety of convenient locations including at grocery stores and from the windows of their cars, "A.T.M. style". Others chose to vote early because, as one voter put it, "I thought I might as well do this, I wasn’t about to change my mind.” Many people have strong opinions about this election, and at this point in the campaign few things could change their predetermined candidate choice. Early voting is also a way for people to voice their opinion that would not have a chance to vote otherwise due to obligations such as long work hours. Although some view early voting as a "leap of faith" since there has been fraudulent voting in the past, it provides an opportunity for some people to vote whom would not have voted if there was not early voting. So far, more registered Democrats have cast their ballots than Republicans.

IGSS at New Trier

After our discussion yesterday of the strategic plan and intrinsic vs. extrinsic learning opportunities at New Trier, I thought of the new initiative of the Integrated Global Studies School (IGSS) at New Trier. This proposed "school within a school" provides for a smaller learning environment for periods 5-8, and encompasses the disciplines of social studies, English, and science. In lieu of grades, an essay is written at the end of the year by your teachers discussing your progress and achievements as a student, with the option of requesting a letter grade designation. It is decided between the teacher and the student if they are taking the course for 4 or 9 level credit. It is an alternative learning environment to the typical New Trier structure because it allows the student to "direct the path of their own education" according to the IGSS website. Its mission, "driven by individuals whose open-mindedness inspires the spirit of inquiry, whose personal involvement is fueled by compassion, and whose convictions lead them to be responsibly active, both locally and globally, in the world outside the walls of New Trier," puts an intrinsic learning spin on the original mission statement from the strategic plan. Last year IGSS was unsuccessful in launching because there was insufficient enrollment among the class of 2011, so this year it has been expanded and restructured to also allow the class of 2010. This is an interesting attempt to stray from the typical extrinsically motivated learning style at New Trier, and try to instill intrinsic learning values in the students. It will be exciting to see where this goes in the next few years, if it is able to start up. How will colleges react? Will hurt or help a student get into a "good college" ? Will it be more beneficial to students/Will they learn more because they are choosing what they learn? Will it be more or less helpful in preparing them for the "real world"?

Is "Going Green" idealistic or pragmatic considering current economic times?

While reading an article from the Chicago Tribune entitled, Economic free fall may bog down efforts to control global warming gases, top environmental aim, it caused me to consider whether the environmentally-friendly movement is idealistic or pragmatic given the current condition of the economy. The article discusses the proposed idea of legislation, the cap-and-trade bill, that would cap the greenhouse gases that cause global warming through government regulated trading. This seemed feasible several months ago, but “the focus on stabilizing the economy probably will make it more difficult to pass a law to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.” Passing the law is not at the top of the list of priorities for legislators because the “remedy for slowing global warming, a mechanism know as cap-and-trade, could put further stress on a teetering economy.” So is it better to take the idealistic stance to believe that someday our issues of global warming in the environment could be fixed or even solved? Or it better to side with the pragmatists: we have an economic crisis at our hands, consequently there are more important things to be worrying about than fixing the environment? The government seems to be taking the pragmatic approach currently, given that “even supporters of federal regulation of greenhouse gases acknowledge that something has to give given the state of the economy.” But this issue has not been forgotten entirely, just put on hold for the time being; “Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate, and both presidential candidates, continue to rank tackling global warming as a chief goal next year.” Furthermore, other Democrats are taking a very idealistic approach, seeing the cap-and trade-bill as an “engine for economic growth” because “the government revenues it would generate from selling permits.” It will be interesting to see how this one plays out, and if and when the cap-and-trade bill gets passed.

Dreams and Realities: A Public High School for Gay Students in Chicago

During Advisory this morning in light of National Coming Out Day, we discussed an article that ran in the Chicago Tribune a few days ago, entitled City leaders to recommend approval of gay high school. The main topic covered is the "approval of the School for Social Justice Pride Campus, designed as the city's first school for gay, lesbian and transgender teenagers". After reading this article that attributed the cause of the idea for this high school to be rooted in "studies showing that gay high school students are at greater risk of dropping out because of stigma and fear of violence," I thought of our new unit, Dreams and Realities. The proposed "Social Justice High School at Pride Campus" is idealist in the sense that it would solve the everyday problems of harassment that the students face in their typical high schools. Although the school may have a safer environment among the students enrolled in the school, it may be come a target of violence from outside sources such as the students that were previously targeting these students in school before. The idea for the school is also pragmatic in the sense that something needs to be done for these students that are suffering violence in their typical schools to bring the shocking statistics down. The article also stated that "some gay rights advocates said the school would segregate these students and that the district should work to foster acceptance." The "dream" of this school for gay, lesbian and transgender teenagers in Chicago could become a "reality" for them on "Oct. 22 when the Board of Education votes".
Interview with proposed principle for the new high school

Guantánamo Bay in Recent Days: Parallels to the Perilous Times

With the introduction of the situation at Guantánamo Bay as a parallel to the other perilous times we have studied throughout this unit, I was prompted to check the news for current information on the status of Guantánamo Bay. I found this article from The New York Times that discusses the supreme court ruling that the right "to challenge their detention in federal court." There are currently 255 detainees at Guantánamo in Cuba. Although it has now been four months since this ruling, and lawyers of most of the detainees have filed habeas corpus lawsuits, most cases have been delayed. The main hold up is over an arguement in the Justice Departmant over whether Federal Judges or Milatary Officals should have the power to decide the fate of these wartime detentions. The article says the camp is unlikely to close during the Bush administration. The trials are a long and slow process, and will mostly likely not be resolved until the next presidency.

I came across a very interesting statement regarding the evidence used for the trials regarding the detainees at Guantánamo. It closely parallels the evidence we have seen to be used in trials during other perilous times; "The government is relying extensively on classified information. That is quite likely to raise defense questions about how detainees can defend themselves since they are not permitted to see much of the evidence against them — long a contentious issue in the military’s hearings at Guantánamo Bay." The evidence being used against those being held prisoner is top secret and is too classified to be released for the trial. This resembles the situation with the trials during the Cold War where the "top secret" information was unable to be released in the trial, but was still able to be used against the defendant. Another similar situation is the "spectral evidence" used against the accused during the Salem Witch Trials. A reoccurring theme in times of peril seems to be the abuse of authority in the nation's court system. Evidence that would not usually be legitimate are accepted and used to convict those accused. Analysis of this reoccurring theme leads me to question the court system in times of peril: is it corrupt? Or rather, is it necessary to take such actions since it is a a time of peril?
NPR's take on the issue

Editorial Rhetorical Analysis: Prohibition at Wrigley

I came across an editorial from the Chicago Tribune Online, entitled Prohibition in Wrigleyville by an unlisted author. This editorial addresses the topic of Mayor Daley asking tavern owners around Wrigley Field to "voluntarily" cut off alcohol sales in the 7th inning of Cubs games during post-season play, just as vendors in the park do, to keep levels of mischief and violence down. This author argues that this is not a good choice for several reasons. The audience for this argument includes two major groups: government officials that have a say in this issue and more Cubs fans over the age of 21 that would be watching the post season games from the taverns surrounding Wrigley Field. The author mostly appeals to the second audience mentioned because he demonstrates that he shares values with those readers and understands them, especially in his closing remark "Cubs fans have waited 100 years for a World Series title. Come October, they're going to need a beer to celebrate—or to cry in. They shouldn't have to leave Wrigleyville to find one." He shows that he shares the feelings of those fans by using pathos to appeal to that group of fans emotion of excitement for their favorite baseball making their way towards history.

This author lacks some ethos because his or her background in the subject matter is left unstated. Also, most of the evidence is tailored to writer's agenda and the counterarguments/objections are left mostly unexplored. However the writer does sound trustworthy because the sources used as evidence to support the claim are documented. The evidence used appeals to logos because of the reliable proof of firsthand account quotes cited to be said by Mayor Daley and the Chicago Police spokeswoman.

This argument succeeds in presenting the issue at hand and clearly stating its viewpoint, backing it with supporting details and facts. However the argument is only somewhat successful in the editorial's purpose of persuasion to its viewpoint. Rather it does a better job of informing readers about the issue with a strong bias.

Fear of the Weather

With the record-breaking amount of rain we have been receiving all weekend and the news of Hurricane Ike, I thought of the driving question of our new unit: "What happens to the people in charge in a fearful time?" Although these current weather conditions are by no means a disastrous time to the extent of the events that we will be studying in this upcoming unit, the people of these regions still look to "the people in charge" for guidance and direction. After an reading article about Hurricane Ike relief efforts , I learned that President Bush is planning to travel to Houston on Tuesday to offer sympathy to families that have been devastated by the Hurricane and "lend support to victims." Also quoted in the article were several victims of the storm who evacuated in fear of the weather to come, and also others who feared for the well-being of family members they have residing in Texas because they have not been able to contact them. In addition, the Governor of Texas and the mayor of Houston along with the mayors of the individual towns outside of Houston and on the coast that were effected, are working hard to put their emergency plans into action. They have instated curfews in Houston and are ordering people to evacuate until power can be restored to certain areas. The leaders of this region are displaying their authority over the people that reside there by declaring a plan of action. Many people have not listened to those in authority though, and have tried to ride the storm out. Those who listened to the plan and evacuated were glad they did. Eight deaths have resulted from the storm.
An interesting parallel on a much small scale to Hurricane Ike is the flooding in the Chicagoland area due to the severe rainstorms this past weekend. In an article discussing these rainstorms, it was stated that "Chicago authorities asked Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to issue a disaster declaration after rainfall Saturday." It seems to be a common theme in times of fear to look to the leaders in charge to seek guidance and to ask for them to take control. It will be interesting to see how our driving question is answered during this unit, and what the common themes seem to be throughout history.

Identifying with Ethnicity, Gender, Race, and Religion

After choosing Palin as his running mate, McCain's campaign has gained significant momentum. The most recent polls put him at about neck-and-neck with Obama in the 2008 presidential race. It has been speculated that McCain chose Palin as his running mate to gain the female supporters of the former democratic party candidate Hilary Clinton. This raises the question: do people identify with one canidate versus another based on gender? How about based on ethnicity, race, or religion?

In Reservation Blues, ethnicity plays a big role in determining how the members of Coyote Springs identify with others around them and how others reacts towards the members of Coyote Springs. One of the reasons Thomas is so drawn to Chess is because she is a fellow Native American. Chess and Checkers dislike Betty and Veronica because they are white women. Checkers grows fond of Father Arnold though their sharing in the Catholic faith. People have a tendency to identify with people of their own race, religion, gender, and ethnicity due to the commonalities they share.

With this generalization in mind, are certain people supporting Palin just because she is a woman? McCain because he is a white male? Obama because he is an African-American Christian? In my opinion, people should not support on candidate over other based solely on their race, religion, gender, or ethnicity. Each candidate should be viewed based on their political stances on the present concerning issues.

I found these articles to be relevant to this topic:
McCain Gains Momentum in New Poll
Obama's 'My Muslim Faith' Gaffe Fuels New Round of Rumor-Busting

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