Quarter 4 Social Change Preposal

Problem:

• The arts departments (music and visual arts) at our school are do not receive the respect that they deserve, and therefore often have their budgets cut. (The arts department at our school barely gets enough to keep running.)

Change we want:

• To get more money for the arts department at BMHS

Possible solutions:

• Make the Board of Education aware of how the arts helps and affects the students who take it. Bring the importance of arts to the attention of parents, and the ptso
• Write proposals for grants that supports art education.

Ways to make it happen:

• Attend a board of ed meeting and state our case, being sure to mention that we understand that they probably won’t completely rearrange the budget but that they need to stop making cuts in the art department, and discuss ways to gradually change the budget so that funds are better distributed also invite them to the art show we will host
• An art course is required to graduate and many kids cannot take their art class because there are not enough teachers or supplies.
• Hold an art show showcasing student work to encourage people to donate to the arts/vote for Board of Ed members who will support the arts.
• Art show will showcase both art and music. We’ll ask art and music teachers to showcase student’s art.
• Handouts will be provided that describe the importance of art and encourage people to donate

Intended Audience:

• Parents (especially wealthy and involved)
• People in government at the local level (Board of Ed, local Congressmen, Mayor)
• Students that may be interested in the arts
• Grants

Real Audience:

• Brien McMahon’s and Art/Music Teachers
• Students dragged there by friends
• People who believe that the arts are important
• Ms. Parham (and Parham friends)

Genre/Medium

• Devise an art show to showcase student talent and show people the importance of art classes
• Art show will showcase student works of art (some of which may be up for silent auction) as well as singers and musicians.
• Any donations will go to the art and music department at McMahon to help fund supplies that cannot be afforded on our budget.
• Speak with the board of ed about reducing the cuts to the Arts department
• Applying for grants

Barf Blog Review

My first impression when I looked at Barf Blog was that it was simple.  The logo at the top reads “Barf Blog safer food from farm to fork;” beneath the large banner is a bar with the tabs “blog,” “Categories,” “Infosheet,” and “About US.”  There’s a search bar, a donate button, and a side column with the archives and a quick bio on the contributors.  I wasn’t sure if I liked it.  It was simple, yes, and easy to use, but something about it made me feel like the whole website was informal.  This impression was reinforced by the title “Gratuitous food porn shot of the day,” doubly so because I’ve only seen or heard the expression “food porn” on tumblr.

I decided to put my first impressions aside and read a few articles.  The first didn’t bode well.  A quick blurb describing the event preceded the article, and the rest was italicized.  At first I was irritated by the rapid fire barrage of facts (it gave the impression that the writer couldn’t be bothered to present them, and instead chose to just make a quick list of what was wrong).  A video was embedded at the bottom, and I spent about 2 and a half minutes watching the article I’d just read.  My reaction switch from irritation to indignation; I couldn’t believe that they’d really just stick a sentence on another person’s article and say that they deserve to publish it under a new name.  

When I scrolled down a bit, I saw that the next article was the same way.  I jumped up to the about us thinking that maybe it would say there that they were a collection of other sources.  Instead I found a quick paragraph that said they “offer evidence-based opinions.”  I bit my cheek at this claim, as in my quick scan I’d seen no opinions, just other people’s articles.  But I hit the back button, thinking that they deserved at least one more chance.

The next one had no italicized text, which was nice; I looked forward to seeing an article written by one of the writers.  The next one seemed to answer my hopes, although in the end it was more of a general transcript of a radio conversation.  I continued down, and found one (“Raw milk sickened scores despite inspections”) that fit everything I’d expected: it reported an event (raw milk was causing illness in children), stated an opinion (Adults can drink raw milk but don’t give it to kids), and although it did use primarily a news article it was one citing one of the authors of the blog (Doug Powell).  It was, however, rather disheartening that only one in five articles lived up to my expectations for a reliable blog about dangerous food.

Barf Blog ended up being a bit of a let down; it was more of a place for people to post interesting articles they found, rather than forming opinions, researching, and writing their own stories.  The blog isn’t all bad though; it does reference events in places other than the US, and it does make an effort to present the information quickly; unfortunately these good things (in my opinion) don’t make up for the disappointing parts of Barf Blog.

Food and Me (2.0)

Food should be simple. It fills your belly. It gives you energy. It keeps you alive. But it’s so much more than just that. Food is the one constant in your life. It’s the one relationship that will literally last a lifetime, growing and developing as you do. Some people have a more…dysfunctional relationship with food. I count myself in that group of people.
~
I run into the house with years streaming down my face. I am young - 7 or 8 at most. My mother comes running downstairs at the sound of my cries. She pulls me into her arms, and then leads me to the sink. I sniff as tears stream down my face. She gently rinses the gravel from the scrape on my wrist. I wince and struggle, but she holds me firm as she runs cold water over the wound. When she's satisfied she turns off the water and wipes away my tears. She asks me what happened and I get out something about falling from my bike before I start crying again. She shushes me and gives me another hug. She directs me to the couch and turns in the tv. She leaved, and when she returns she holds a big bowl of ice cream. I gladly accept, and the moment I take the first bite, the scrape starts to hurt a bit less.
~
I'm 16 and starting to break under the pressures of school. It's 2 am and I run down to the kitchen after a particularly bad fight with one of my friends. I grab a bowl and some ice cream and sit alone in the dark. The ice cream becomes slightly salty from my tears. I feel better for a bit, but there isn't enough ice cream in the world to make everything ok.
~
Following a dissection in biology I swear off meat forever. For a week, the sight of it repulsed me; I don't see a cut of steak, but rather the baby pig splayed on the tray and oozing with chemicals that give off a nauseating smell. Then I spend the weekend at my friend's house, where her mom confidently asserts that I'll be craving a cheeseburger within a week. Immediately I set out to prove her wrong, and I spend the next 365 days holding to my vow. At the end of the year I feel a sense of achievement; if proved everyone wrong, and now I can go back to eating hamburgers.
~
I walk through a line of desserts with my mother close behind. As I pile up my plate with all kinds of cookies, cakes, and other delightful sweets, my mom chitters behind me- don't take do much good that's too many sweets you'll get fat you'll get diabetes put that back. Finally I grab a massive brownie off of the table. My mom glares at me and begins a "young lady don't you dare..." I stare straight into her eyes as I take a massive bite out of the brownie. She gives me one last glare and stalks away. Immediately my victory doesn't taste so sweet. What I've swallowed feels heavy in my stomach and I head for the nearest trash can. I spit out what's in my mouth and resist the urge to vomit. Instead I drop in the remaining food. To this day, I don't know if I feel bad for defying my mom or if what she's been saying this whole time finally hit me.
~
So yeah. I guess you could say that I have a dysfunctional relationship with food.

Food and Me

Food should be simple. It fills your belly. It gives you energy. It keeps you alive. But it’s so much more than just that. Food is the one constant in your life. It’s the one relationship that will literally last a lifetime, growing and developing as you do. Some people have a more…dysfunctional relationship with food. I count myself in that group of people.
~
I run into the house with years streaming down my face. I am young - 7 or 8 at most. My mother comes running downstairs at the sound of my cries. She pulls me into her arms, and then leads me to the sink. I sniff as tears stream down my face. She gently rinses the gravel from the scrape on my wrist. I wince and struggle, but she holds me firm as she runs cold water over the wound. When she's satisfied she turns off the water and wipes away my tears. She asks me what happened and I get out something about falling from my bike before I start crying again. She shushes me and gives me another hug. She directs me to the couch and turns in the tv. She leaved, and when she returns she holds a big bowl of ice cream. I gladly accept, and the moment I take the first bite, the scrape starts to hurt a bit less.
~
I'm 16 and starting to break under the pressures of school. It's 2 am and I run down to the kitchen after a particularly bad fight with one of my friends. I grab a bowl and some ice cream and sit alone in the dark. The ice cream becomes slightly salty from my tears. I feel better for a bit, but there isn't enough ice cream in the world to make everything ok.
~
Following a dissection in biology I swear off meat forever. For a week, the sight of it repulsed me; I don't see a cut of steak, but rather the baby pig splayed on the tray and oozing with chemicals that give off a nauseating smell. Then I spend the weekend at my friend's house, where her mom confidently asserts that I'll be craving a cheeseburger within a week. Immediately I set out to prove her wrong, and I spend the next 365 days holding to my vow. At the end of the year I feel a sense of achievement; if proved everyone wrong, and now I can go back to eating hamburgers.
~
I walk through a line of desserts with my mother close behind. As I pile up my plate with all kinds of cookies, cakes, and other delightful sweets, my mom chitters behind me- don't take do much good that's too many sweets you'll get fat you'll get diabetes put that back. Finally I grab a massive brownie off of the table. My mom glares at me and begins a "young lady don't you dare..." I stare straight into her eyes as I take a massive bite out of the brownie. She gives me one last glare and stalks away. Immediately my victory doesn't taste so sweet. What I've swallowed feels heavy in my stomach and I head for the nearest trash can. I spit out what's in my mouth and resist the urge to vomit. Instead I drop in the remaining food. To this day, I don't know if I feel bad for defying my mom or if what she's been saying this whole time finally hit me.
~
So yeah. I guess you could say that I have a dysfunctional relationship with food.

An Attack on Character: Normal Proceedings in the Court

JUSTICE KENNEDY: You think Congress can use its powers to supercede the traditional authority and prerogative of the States to regulate marriage in all respects? Congress could have a uniform definition of marriage that includes age, consanguinity, etc., etc.?


GENERAL VERRILLI: No, I'm not saying that, Your Honor. I think if Congress passed such a statute, then we would have to consider how to defend it. But that's not -­


JUSTICE KENNEDY: Well, but then there is a federalism interest at stake here, and I thought you told the Chief Justice there was not.

~

On Wednesday March 27, The Supreme Court heard the case States v Windsor, in which lawyers made compelling arguments for and against the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.  The justices, on the other hand, did their best to rhetorically manipulate the lawyers to support the justice’s own side.  This is clearly seen in Kennedy’s use of leading questions to weaken Verrilli’s credibility in the eyes of the other judges.  Chief Justice Roberts had asked General Verrilli if the federal government had the ability to give benefits to same sex couples if the state had voted that they could not be married (ie, whether the state’s would lose their rights to decide on the matter).  Verrilli answers no, they would not lose their rights.  Later, when he says that we would have to defend the statutes, Kennedy points out that that means that we have an issue regarding federalism and implies that Verrilli’s earlier response had been a lie.

Kennedy’s audience appears at first to be just the judges in the room, but this isn’t just some case about a divorce or petty theft.  It is a Supreme Court case regarding gay marriage, one of the most controversial social issues of the 21^st century.  Therefore, the people paying attention to the case stretches beyond the court room to encompass many Americans (including Ms. Parham’s AP Language and Composition classes).  And everyone who is paying attention – as well as those who are not – has some sort of a stance on the matter.  This emotional investment in the issue makes it difficult to pull out the warrants behind the claims made in the debate.  Let’s take a look, shall we?

1.    Justice Kennedy’s question here is very pointed; he knows how Verrilli would answer and phrases it so that the warrant (The states constitutionally have the right to regulate marriage; Congress does not have the power to make this decision on a national level) is a fact that must be agreed with. 

2.    Verrilli’s response is rather self-explanatory; he states that if congress passed legislation on gay marriage, it would need to be defended.

3.    This is where it gets truly interesting.  Now the warrant behind Justice Kennedy’s words isn’t just that federalism is at stake and therefore Verrilli is wrong, but rather that Verrilli lied and therefore cannot be trusted.

The section is an ad hominem, an attack on Verrilli’s ethos.  Kennedy’s tone is accusatory as he reminds Verrilli that he’d “told the Chief Justice there was not” an attack on federalism in this case.  

The implication at the end of the section isn’t the only part attacking Verrilli.  Kennedy also uses words such as “traditional authority,” “supercede,” and “regulate marriage in all respects” to slowly and subtly attack Verrilli and his arguments.  “Traditional authority” brings up the scare tactics used earlier to appeal to fear of the unknown, as well as bring up almost a nostalgia that surrounds traditions.  “Supercede” implies that what Verrilli suggests would make Congress an all powerful tyrant, casting aside the opinions of the states.  The final sound bite that stood out to me (“regulate marriage in all respects”) is one that appeals to the complexity of marriage and implies that if the states were to lose the right to decide on gay marriage, they would lose the right for all other decisions regarding marriage.
Verrilli never really regains control during this section of the case; Kennedy successfully makes a case that discredits his ethos, and even denies him the chance to defend himself.  

Verrilli 0 Kennedy 1

Food, My Parents, and Me

                Food should be simple.  It fills your belly.  It gives you energy.  It keeps you alive.  But it’s so much more than just that.  Food is the one constant in your life.  It’s the one relationship that will literally last a lifetime, growing and developing as you do.  Some people have a more…dysfunctional relationship with food.  I count myself in that group of people.
 

                My parents have greatly complicated how I view food in my life (which is at least adheres to the stereotype: I’m a teenager; we’re supposed to blame our parents for everything, no?).  All of my life, they’ve hovered over my shoulder as I select my meal and kept a running commentary: Sarah are you sure you want to take that much that’s a lot of food I really feel that you shouldn’t eat so much we’ve been talking about needing to bring down your weight that really won’t help here have some salad instead.  And, conversely, if I only have one small serving or opt for a salad over fries, their commentary is disgustingly full of pride: wow you’re making such great choices I’m so proud of you you’ll be thin in no time. 
 

                It's a miracle that I don’t have an eating disorder. 

                The vast majority of meals in my life, I’ve walked away with a vague sense of guilt.  My parents’ voices echo in my head, counting calories and chastising me for eating so much. 
 

                Yet, despite all the encouragement of the contrary, food remains the only thing that without fail will calm me down and make me happy if I’ve had a bad day.  The more fattening the food, the better:  Cupcakes with a light and sugary frosting, creamy bars of chocolate, ice cream melting under hot fudge; I have an endless list of comfort foods.  Just the first bite will immediately make me smile.  It’s more than just being comfort; it actually gives me a genuine feeling of calm.  Maybe it’s the placebo effect, or maybe the taste transports me back to a simpler time when I’d get a cookie to soothe a scrape.  (Or maybe my dopamine is just completely out of whack).  Whatever the reason, food consistently offers me a comfort that little else can.
 

                There is still another dimension to how I view the function of food in my life: the purest form of rebellion.  It’s right up there with swearing and staying up late streaming shows on the internet (I know; I’m a badass).  My parents have spent so long telling me no no no in response to food, that perhaps the most satisfying thing in the world is my mother’s face as I take that second helping, or another brownie, or say yes to regular soda instead of diet.  Earlier today, we were in Subway and I ordered a foot-long sub because it was dinnertime.  My mother glared at me and calmly suggested that, perhaps, I should just get a six-inch since I don’t actually need a whole sub.  I went ahead, drawing faint satisfaction from her annoyed glare and the tightening of her jaw.  Later, when we got to the car, she looked me dead in the eye and told me to only eat half, so naturally I finished the sandwich. 
 

                I know logically that they’re so restrictive because they worry; they don’t want me to be “overweight” or diabetic later in my life, and they don’t want me to get teased or bullied because of my weight.  But the constant policing of my food has left me with what is almost certainly a distorted view of the act of eating.  I crave a cool, laid back attitude towards food, but I truly believe that that sort of view is something completely out of my reach.

The Dangers of Free Trade

                China is infamous for its factories.  Many people can vividly imagine rows of assembly lines manned by children stretching infinitely into the distance, and do when the topic of “Chinese factories” comes up.  Some people are horrified by this and do what they can to change it.  Others pretend to care but really, as long as their clothes are cheap and the iPhones work they do not really give a damn about who made it.  However, the majority of people cannot do anything about the situation.   So who can do something? 

                Corporations probably could do the most to fix the problems.  Unfortunately, due to little to no restrictions resulting from free trade, many corporations put profit over people regardless of the moral obligation to care about worker. 

                China is the “4^th largest producer of manufactured goods” (Facts).  Eighty percent of the “top 500 companies in the world” manufacture in China (Facts).  One may think that with all this trade, the workers would be well paid. 

                Wrong.

                In fact, Chinese workers are the lowest paid of all, with salaries ranging from less than fifty-five cents to one US Dollar.  Many of the workers hope to save up their pay so that someday they can start a family.  However, with such low wages, how could they ever really expect such a thing?  The pay isn’t even enough to afford a home, and most people live on the factory property, sometimes with as many as “20 workers in 3 room houses” (China Suicides).  With no real hope for the future and terribly living conditions in their daily lives, it’s hardly a surprise that waves of suicides have swept through the factories.  From 2009 to 2011 alone, “18 people” committed suicide at one of Apple’s factories (China Suicides).  

                The deaths in Chinese factories are not just by the hands of the workers.  Much of the blood is directly on Apple’s hands.  There have been reports of multiple explosions, often from the fumes of chemicals used to clean the glass of the products.  A blast in 2011 killed four workers and injured eleven.  Apple had been warned about the fire hazard and done nothing.  

                Deaths and injuries have come from more than just explosions.  Remember the chemicals I just mentioned?  In fact, the chemical is highly toxic.  Apple knows this, but the chemical dries faster than safer options.  Since that means that more products can be produced in less time, it doesn’t matter that “137 workers” have experienced negative side effects from using the chemical (China Suicides).  Apple claims to have followed up on reports, but “many say they were not treated or compensated” (China Suicides).  The dangerous conditions are not solely at Apple’s plants.  According to the article “Reform Stalls in Chinese Factories,” Disney and Dell have also been reported.

                Corporations don’t just hurt those who work for them; they hurt everyone.  The factories spew massive amounts of pollutants into the air with reckless abandon.  In China, pollution levels in the city have been “beyond the measurements used in the US” to determine the quality of the air (Off the Charts).  The number reached 517 (the US scale only goes to 500).  In some areas, readings of “755” have been recorded.  “Over one hundred polluting factories” have been temporarily shut down as a result (Off the Charts).

                The dangers of free trade extend from the individual worker to all who inhabit the planet.  We need to begin to monitor it now, or else we will be left with a broken planet inhabited by broken people.

Barboza, David. "Reform Stalls in Chinese Factories." The New York Times. The New York Times, 

          05 Jan. 2008. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

"China Manufacturing - Facts." China Manufacturing - Facts. Macrotech Marketing Associates,   

          2005. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

Demick, Barbara. "China Pollution Results in Factory Closures, Flight Cancellations." Los Angeles 

          Times. Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

Foley, Stephen. "Apple Admits Human Rights Problem after China Suicides." 

           BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Belfast Telegraph, 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

Hillburn, Matthew. "Pollution in China Goes 'Off the Charts'" VOA. Voices of America, 29 Jan. 

          2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.