Cochlear Implant, Superb or Spoiling?

When speaking about disabilities, it always seems like something to be looked down upon. There are always doctors trying to correct these disabilities, and not thinking of the repercussions. Sound and Fury brought a new perspective to the deaf culture with further analysis on the cochlear implant that corrects hearing on the disabled. This film brings in two families from different backgrounds and bearing a deaf child, and they need to choose between giving their child the cochlear implant or keeping them the way that they were born.

The first family was completely deaf, and they were submersed in the deaf culture. When they found out about giving the cochlear implant to their daughter, they were quite skeptical. After visiting numerous public schools and hospitals, it was concluded that their daughter seemed out of touch with the hearing world. She wanted to hear because she wanted to be able to speak to the children that couldn’t use sign language. The public schools only seemed to discourage her and push her away from what was socially normal. Visits to the hospital only seemed to discourage the family and her more. Even if the operation was successful, it would take time to develop because the daughter is at the age of five. The parents of the daughter seemed to be losing interest because after more visitations to families who had gone through with the cochlear implant, they were out of touch with the deaf culture. The family would’ve made their final decision right there, but there were others who disagreed because they would re restricting the child from being able to operate in an ever-changing world.

The next family was fully capable of hearing. When they realized there son was deaf, they wanted to take immediate action. The cochlear implant seemed like a marvelous idea. When you’re deaf, you have limitations. You can only communicate with people that know sign language, and this leaves you out of an entire culture. With the cochlear implant, you would be able to communicate with both the hearing and the deaf world (considering you would learn sign language). Life would be much easier, and you would have a higher chance of success in the business world as well. The family knew the right choice for their six month old baby, but they were being criticized by the deaf culture because the baby couldn’t choose for itself. They wanted the family to wait until the baby could make its own decision, but the longer you wait, the chances of the operation being successful diminish. Most people feel like the baby won’t want to be in touch with the deaf culture after successfully having the implant, and that’s a major reason to why families don’t want their children to have this operation.

The first family decided on moving to a more socially accepting deaf community where the five year old daughter could continue to be deaf and receive a good education in the process. The other family chose to get the cochlear implant for their child in hopes of making his life easier and making him feel included in the world. There are conflicts to both sides, and it’s an interesting and difficult choice to consider when two different cultures rest on the line. I have one question I’d like you to consider though. If someone was blind, it would seem that the proper treatment to fix it would be extinct, but when it’s dealing with deafness the opposite seems to occur, why?

Can't See, Not For Me

It wasn't until recently that I stumbled upon my greatest fear. I was visiting a friend, having a good time and all was well. We decided to watch a film that seemed to be quite frightening: Paranormal Activity. At first, I thought nothing of it. I regarded it as just another ghost story that ends up resolving itself. I was mistaken.

As the end neared further, the characters of the story were being tormented in the most gruesome way imaginable by a demonic force. From being dragged into the darkness to hearing piercing voices while doors slamming shut, the antagonist seemed to be at the upper hand. The characters were just begging for death by the end of it. Ever since then I have always feared paranormal entities and demonic forces. I find myself awake at night trembling at the slightest sound I hear. It's as though these forces touch me at night and that's why I wake up with my eyes bulging right before the television turns off from its sleep timer. An odd coincidence? I don't think so, it never happened before I saw that movie. Why is it happening now? Even during the day I find myself at times searching around the room because my mind says that something is near, something dangerous and feeds off the trembling hands of its victims. Some say these creatures and forces can be summoned by various boards and books such as the Ouiji board. These forces stop at nothing to make you fear everything and everyone until you sit in your room going insane. Communicating with them will only strenghten the bond that is between one and these forces.

I don't see myself ever going as far as insane, but after Paranormal Activity, it seems that I'm one step closer to heading down the path of the protagonists of this film. Dead and never seen again. I also decided not to watch any more for fear that I won't sleep at night and imagine myself in abandoned houses just being dragged down into the darkness by some demon that wants to rip my soul and have if for himself.

Assange, Manning, and Snowden: Innocent or Insane?

The controersy regarding illegal documents is very tacky. On one hand, there is the first amendment which states freedom of speech and press. On the other hand, releasing of sensitive documents could result in an uproar revolts. The choice is between what is ethical and what is right?

Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, is being brought to question after his release of many key documents; however, he and his colleagues believe it is for the safety of the people. An article from the Wall Street Journal entitled "Can the U.S. Bring Assange to Justice?" discusses this dilemma in greater detail.

In the article it was said that the United States law states that it's a crime to disclose secret information "relating to national defense." It was also said that no news outlet has ever been punished for publishing secrets.  Since this is the case, how can the United States possibly try and win this case? Due to the first amendment, it makes matters even worse. Freedom of the press nearly gives all rights to newspapers to publish whatever they feel is right to publish. With this impossible task in mind, the United States needs to try and convince the court that it is in the right of the public that they keep secrets to themselves. If insane ideas got out to the public, then it might cause political instability and throw the country out of spin.

To be in tune with Assange, his main focus is the people. During TED talk, Assage stated that the safety of the civilians was very important. There is nothing worse than a corrupt government making decisions that benefit only them and not the people of the country. Assange is sacrificing his own personal identity and integrity to release documents, and that is very courageous. Whatever he is releasing must be an important document because he putting himself on the line. The same was the case with Manning and Snowden, but does this incredible courage describe them as martyrs?

I believe that the Unites States government should be the winners of this brawl. The article said that the government created their law for privacy and they should be given that. I feel the government is like a person, and every person has the right to privacy that concerns them. Until the releases of the documents are severe enough to cause damage to individuals of the United States, the government should be able to keep the documents they own private to themselves. This way no one will be harmed, and the stability of the country will remain in tact.

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal

Steve Jobs has always been an inspiration to me. He started from scratch and turned himself into an iconic image that everyone knows. While reading this autobiography I learned so many ideas that Jobs perfected and his journey on the way to the pinnacle of his life. Most people just discuss what he has accomplished, but what most people don't understand is all of the struggles that was upon him.

His life wasn't easy. To grow up in an adopted family that live from paycheck to paycheck is something to remember. Steve was very bright, but he often turned that into arrogance and mischief during his childhood. It wasn't until a special teacher turned his life around by offering him challenges that he took with pleasure. When college presented itself, Steve seemed to only want to go to one college, and he was very stern about it. With the help of his family, he got to attend Reed College.

Throughout college he was only interested in what he seemed was worth it. He was aggravated that he had to take other classes that he didn't want to do, and it reflected in his grades; however, he did stellar work in the classes that interested him. This work ethic led him and another friend to finally commit themselves into a technological company after years of meddling around with comical gadgets and working part time jobs at Atari and H.P. The technological industry was on the rise, and it was decided that the company was to be named Apple because it would be first alphabetically and give them a keen advantage.

Jobs proved to be a manager that was completely insane. Everything had to be perfect with his products. I still remember one story that Jobs was told by his father, "If you're making a perfect cabinet and you put an improper board at the very back where no one will see it, then it's not a perfect cabinet. You need to have every single detail perfect in order for it to be a perfect cabinet, even if the consumer will never notice this." With this in mind, Jobs made his employees want to rip their hair out everyday with his precise expectations that were rarely ever met, but when the finished products were complete they were works of art.

Apple was a complete success, and just as everything seemed to be going well, Jobs was fired after people were fed up with his insanity when the Macintosh didn't live up to the expectations that Jobs and the consumers had. Jobs sees this moment as one of the best moments in his life because of what happens after. It gives him the opportunity to set up investments in his new company NeXT and Pixar as well as patch up family struggles that affected him before. It made him realize what was really important.

NeXT turned out to be a slumping business and was later sold to Apple after Pixar astounded the world by, with the help of Jobs, creating Toy Story. Jobs then moved back to Apple where he learned not to be as picky and as anxious of a manager and more got done than ever. Jobs was only paid 1 dollar a year because he didn't want the money, only the health benefits. A lot has changed.

As more and more Apple products began to soar, it seemed Jobs was getting weaker. It seemed like a very weary time until he finally past away and the Jobs era was extinct. It will be an era that will never be forgotten.

This book made me realize a lot of very important ideas. First, you need to do what makes you happy. Jobs spent years on trips and doing different things until he finally realized what he wanted to do. Also, you need to make everything you do the best you can do. Why go through life only doing half of what you got? Lastly, you need to think different. Just like one of Apple's mottos "Think Different," this is what every individual needs to possess. Usually the ones that think crazy and want to change the world are the people that ACTUALLY change the world.

Excerpts and "If Men Could Menstruate"

Before I get into any specific detail, I would just like to say that the excerpts that I read were extremely difficult to follow. I found that after the first sentence I had already circled three words that I didn't know. Also, by the end of that page it had accumulated to nine words. I found myself just losing interest because of how complicated they had structured each sentence. I will; however, try to explain and react to these articles to the best of my ability.

"If Men Could Menstruate" was a very well written article. It was easy to read and comprehend and I enjoyed a good laugh out of it. I find it very interesting how Gloria Steinem turned menstruation into a male thing. It was very funny how she thought men would start to brag about their own menstruation periods and how the army would need women to donate/lose blood because they weren't menstruating. She was really trying to show us that if men were menstruating, it would be a big deal and a time for celebrating. Since women are doing it, menstruating seems like something to be looked down upon. It seemed like she was trying to play on the fact that since a man does it, it's something very honorable because society makes it that way. I completely agree with her. This is exactly the same as women sports. Everyone watches football, soccer, basketball, and golf on television, but when they put on women's soccer or basketball most people just change the channel. It's just what society does and it is very idiotic. Men aren't superior to women and women aren't superior to men even though history has made it seem that way. Steinem has made an excellent point with this article: Just because it's a guy/girl thing doesn't make it good/bad, and it's funny that society is still working like this after so many years.

The Mary Wollstonecraft reading proved to be a challenge. One of the most clinical ideas I got after reading this essay was showing how much things have changed for women. An example would be that we now have schools that are co-ed. Wollstonecraft describes having society as a split between boy schools and girl schools. Even though this still exists, it's good to see that society is changing for women. Another example would be how she was saying that women need men for strength and affection. In todays society this still happens, but it's not expected as it once was.

Margaret Fuller's excerpt made me feel very confused at what she was trying to get at. I felt she made assumptions that weren't true such as that all men are privately influenced by women. After reading this at the begin of the essay I felt a little biased on what she said. This made me question her; regardless, I still feel like she was trying to prove exactly what Wollstonecraft was proving. She was explaining how the norm was "woman was made for man," and now the norm is how men and women are equal. It was also explained how if they were to change women's wishes on having a different role in society, things would be drastically changed socially by an attempt to introduce them. I find this true because if women wanted to do what men did, then there would be an empty spot in society that would involve taking care of the children, and who would fill that role?

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Over the past 20 years, technology has been making ground-breaking strides. We have developed computers that can process thousands of bits of information in a matter of seconds and can save vast amounts of created ideas. Computers can also help us search for historic ideas and aid us in creating beautiful presentations to share with everyone around the world. I can assure you that the world is available with one click of a button, but is this what we need?

After reading Nicholas Carr's work, I feel rather intrigued. Carr explained how he (as well as many other people) have lost concentration and ability to read for an extended period of time, and that the internet is to blame. I agree that the internet has helped us find precise information quickly, but we cannot blame the internet for lack of concentration when there is no neurological proof that the internet is promoting this. Although this seems like something to frown upon, if this is true I see this as an opportunity. This century is an environment where everything occurs rapidly. It seems right when we start something new in school we are switching tasks.

Maryanne Wolf brought something very interesting to my attention. In Carr's essay she explained how "we are how we read." I can observe and apply this to my life very swiftly. I'm not an avid reader, but one of my friends is and he can focus on tasks for longer than me without getting irritated. I also see this at school with students who spend most of their time reading. They don't seem to be getting as annoyed with the same task day in and day out, and that's a good quality to possess. Wolf also explained how the Chinese language will make the people who read it interpret situations differently than those who read the language with an alphabet. This will then help to explain different culture differences other than the environment and the people in it.

With this being said, the brain behaves differently because of a lot of different behaviors, and that technology could be a cause, but can't be proved. Carr brought up how with the invention of the clock, people started to ignore their senses of thirst, hunger, and sleep and started to look to the time of when they should do these tasks. This could be true for some people, I find that I still do all these things when my senses tell me the time is right. If it's midnight and I'm hungry, I'm going to eat. Most people would do the same instead of waiting until it's morning until it would be "appropriate" to eat.

Technology can affect our lives. The clock proved it, but to prove if it affects our mental capabilities will be very difficult and won't get a lot of support. The internet has the most controversy to whether this conspiracy actual exists. Google has created the ultimate search engine that everyone knows how to use. You just have to type in what you would like to know and 99 times out of 100 you will find what you were looking for in a matter of clicks. This is perfect for research, but now people are using it for things that they should know. Some people have stopped thinking for themselves and rely on technology for all of the information. With technology still advancing, it will only get worse. People will be getting more busy in this fast-paced world and won't bother to want to look in a book when their answer is a few clicks away. It's a scary thought if technology started to control the world, but I feel if we can create all of these monumental ideas and constructions, we will know how to control them and always keep ourselves in control.

The Ethics of Living Jim Crow

Throughout my academic career we have always talked about the Civil Rights Movement. We have tried to understand what life must have been like for an African American. The struggle of what the blacks had to undergo will probably never be completely understood, but The Ethics of Living Jim Crow was a very powerful essay that gave an insight of Richard Wright's life and what he endured when racial tension was at its peak.

Richard begun his essay by describing his childhood. What begun as a simple game warped into a plethora of stressful feelings and unanswered questions. Richard grew up in a place where the only abundance was cinders. The only vegetation that he could observe was located in the white neighborhood. There were always wars that broke out between the two neighborhoods but after broken bottles gashed Richard and he was punished by his mother, that's when he started to understand that he wasn't equal.

Later in his life he encountered more racial tensions while he was working. When working for two people, he was beaten for not saying "Mr. Pease." He was then driven off in a heartbeat. It amazes me how black people were treated, and how they were punished for little things that wouldn't even matter in the present world. This was only the beginning for Richard.

There were many other scenarios that he encountered such as being beaten for saying "no" to a drink and after looking at a prostitute in the presence of a white man, he was scolded to never do it again. Richard witnessed a women being brutally beaten and then arrested for wobbling from her wounds because she was supposedly drunk. All of these actions were because of the Jim Crow laws. I find these laws incredibly unethical due to the cruelty.

Even though there were many whites that followed the cruel ways of the Jim Crow laws, there were some that aided the blacks in anyways that they could. Richard explained how there was a white man who lent him a library card so he could expand his knowledge. Just these little things can go a long way for people that have very little.

Reading this essay made me feel a numerous amount of emotions that relate to the movement that changed the way we live forever. I'm very glad I had the opportunity to indulge in this amazing read and I recommend this to anyone who wants to see first-hand on how the treatment of blacks were.