How Soccer Explains the World Post #1

Black Men and Public Space By Brent Staples

Brent Staple's essay, Black Men and Public Space, focuses on the common issue of what it's like to be viewed as a criminal all the time. He provides anecdotes to show how people often fear him, a black man, when crossing paths, especially at night. He doesn't particularly point at any one race due to the fact that it happens regardless of race. When walking at night, if someone sees a black man who isn't in a dress shirt,tie, and slacks, he is thought to be a "mugger, rapist, or worse." He speaks of his ability to alter public space as an inheritance because although he may not be a mugger or rapist, there are some black men who have put fear into society's eyes causing people to view black men as dangerous. He says he has grown accustomed to but not comfortable with people crossing to the other side of the street rather than pass him. He has found that an excellent tension-reducing measure is to whistle melodies of great composers as Beethoven and Vivaldi because people don't think a mugger would know such tunes. This is a sad truth because black men have to try extra hard to not get looked at as dangerous on a daily basis. It reminds me of the movie Crash and how people automatically assume that they are in danger in the presence of black men. Black men have to deal the prejudices of society and negate the stereotypes placed upon them often times prohibiting them from acting on instinct. I enjoyed reading this essay because I can relate to incidents such as Brent Staple's when I've been with black males, family or friends.

Charges filed in death of Angels pitcher By Tony Barboza

Wednesday night, April 8, 2009, marked the last day of the life of three young people: Courtney Francis Stewart, Nick Adenhart, and Henry Pearson. On their way to a nightclub in a Mitsubishi eclipse, they were "broadsided" by a Toyota Siena minivan driven by Andrew Thomas Gallo. Los Angeles Times writer, Tony Barboza, wrote about the the deceased and the charges filed against Andrew Thomas Gallo in his article "Charges filed in death of Angels pitcher", April 11, 2009. Driving the Mitsubishi eclipse was Cal State Fullerton communications student Courtney Stewart, 20, along with passengers Nick Adenhart, Angels pitcher (22), Henry Pearson, a 25-year-old law student, and Jon Wilhite,24, former catcher for the Cal State Fullerton Titans. Courtney Stewart, Nick Adenhart, and Henry Pearson were all killed in this crash while Jon Wilhite remains hospitalized. Andrew Gallo,22, who already had a suspended license at the time of the crash due to a 2006 DUI conviction in Riverside county, was charged with three accounts of murder. As Courtney Stewart drove into the intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and Lemon Street, Gallo exceeded the 35 miles per hour speed limit flying through the red light at 50-65 miles per hour crashing into the Mitsubishi eclipse Courtney Stewart was driving. Gallo left the scene on foot without checking on the victims and was arrested thirty minutes later. He was questioned early Friday where "he was calm and answered clearly." Barboza states that prosecutors decided to charge Gallo with murder instead of vehicular manslaughter because he was 'doing an inherently dangerous act' without regard for the safety of others. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said that "When their conduct is this egregious-high speed, high blood alcohol content, priors- it's more preferable to prosecute as murder." If Gallo is convicted on all counts, he will face a sentence of 55 years to life.


Application: Do you feel that Gallo's charges are appropriate? Is it possible that he was charged with murder rather than vehicular manslaughter because one of the three killed was a professional athlete?

Application: There has been several fatal car crashes recently resulting in the deaths of several people. How do you feel about the penalty for drunk driving? Is it fine as it is or do you think there should be some changes to it?

'Baby Fat' could make for leaner adults By David Brown

Los Angeles Times writer, David Brown, explained in his article "'Baby fat' could make for leaner adults"-April 9, 2009- the studies being done on brown fat-"unexpectedly large and active deposits of a calorie-burning type of fat that bioloists thought disappeared after infancy." The existence and persistance of brown fat may be a potential strategy in fighting obesity. Through the three studies, it is shown that brown fat may play a role in diseases such as Type 2 diabetes where the energy balance is thrown off. The tests also show that: "leaner people have more detectable brown fat than overweight people, brown fat appears to be more active in women than in men, and the safest way to detect brown fat is to stay chilly." Brown establishes credibility by using facts from the expert researchers performing the studies and quoting their opinionated statments. Dr. Sven Enerback, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, says that a drug that stimulates brown fat "is definitely something we should pursue" bacause one day people will be able to stimulate their bodies to get rid of stored energy as heat. The studies were performed in cold environments where brown fat is best detectable, and the latest findings show that "obesity is a consequence of evolution." This is because Homo Sapiens evolved in a world where there was hardly enough food, continuous physical activity and dangerous cold- characteristics of this brown fat keeping the body lean. But now we live in abundance, leisure and warmth. So the question posed from this research is "which would you rather be, thin or warm?"



Application: According to the article, brown fat could potentially be stimulated to burn off ordinary fat as heat and ultimately help fight obesity. But how do you feel about the question "which would you rather be, thin or warm" posed due to this research? How would you answer that?

Application: If in the future there is a drug to stimulate brown fat, how do you think people's physical activity will be affected? Do you think people will solely depend on the stimulation of brown fat to keep them from becoming overweight?

Natasha's Lesson Helps Save Ohio Girl By Elizabeth Cohen

The death of actress Natasha Richardson has helped many not take the "blunt" head bumps so lightly. After Richardson's tragic death, Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent, wrote that a young girl from Ohio, Morgan McCracken, was hit in the head-right above her left temple- by a line drive baseball hit by her father, Donald McCracken. He and Connie McCracken quickly iced the swelling and it went down within an hour. Morgan went on the next two days acting perfectly normal. But when the McCrackens heard news of Natasha Richardson dying after an assumed to be minor head injury and not handling the situation immediately, they wondered if Morgan was really okay. When they went up to say goodnight, Morgan complained about having a headache so they called the pediatrician. Afterward Morgan was in tears due to the amount of pain she was in. They took her to the emergency room at LakeWest Hospital where docors monitored a CT Scan and then put her on a helicopter to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. Dr. Alan Cohen of Rainbow Hospital immediately took Morgan to the operating room after telling her parents that she was suffering from the same injury as Richardson: an epidural hematoma. The surgery was successful and Morgan made it through. However, Dr.Alan Cohen says that had the McCrackens not brought Morgan in that night, she may not have woken up. This scenario is called "talk and die" because blood flows into the area between the lining of the brain and the skull. Because fluid is building up, it creates pressure and the brain is ultimately the "something" that has to give. If surgery is not performed quickly enough to drain the fluid, deterrioration can happen very quickly. Greg Ayette, spokesperson for the Brain Association of America and a cognitive rehabilitation therapist, and other experts have created a list of actions that must be taken after someone has suffered a head injury: be vigilant-keeping an eye on that person; look for dizziness, vomiting, headache and confusion; look for changes in behavior and symptoms; be especially wary if someone has been drinking alcohol, is on blood thinners, is elderly, or is a young athlete; and if possible, go to a certified trauma center. Such injuries can no longer be taken lightly as we see that "small bumps" can actually mean "deadly bumps". Of course we don't want to panick about everything, but we do need to take the necessary precautions when playing by paying attention to our surroundings; and when riding a bike, skiing, or skating, we must wear a helmet.


Application: My cousin Dominique, a young soccer player, once hit her head on my grandmother's sharp head-board and bagan to bleed. She was fine after she was rushed to the hospital, but in the past year she has suffered from a couple of seizures. Could this new medical issue be related to that bump of the head, but just took a while for severe symptoms to appear?

Application: Do you believe all head injuries require medical attention??

Is Salt Nature's Antidepressant? Helen Fields for National Geographic

Helen Fields's article, "Is Salt Nature's Antidepressant?" March 17, 2009, suggests that salt can be a form of antidepressant, as salt can make people "happier". She first poses the question, "Could salt be the solution to a sad, empty life?" so she can further examine this question's answer through expert opinions and experiments. Alan Johnson, physiologistof the University of Iowa, has tested and found that sodium-deprived rats do not take pleasure in daily ctivities; whereas when they do have sodium they are considered to be "happy" again. Fields relates this lack of sodium in rats, humans and other land animals, to depression that seems to be fixed once eating more salt- resulting in a happier mood. She then provides another study done by Johnson, which was a study of people with chronic fatigue syndrome. This study found that many of these patients had reduced their sodium intake for health purposes and by inceasing the sodium in their diets, these symptoms were mitigated. Field's describes that "our kidneys adjust the concentration of urine based on how salty the blood is", however, most people eat much more salt than they need to. To conclude, she expresses that "sodim-filled dinners" should not be eaten to cheer one's self up as this study is a fresh connection between salt and depression, yet scientists are certain about the connection between salt and heart disease. Her purpose is to inform readers on the latest findings of salt in a positve sense, but yet express how we should not induldge in sodium-filled foods due to health related illnesses.

Clarification: What did Johnson mean when he said "the brain may continue being happy about salt even when it doesn't strictly need it, in the same way the brain may 'reward' us when we eat too much or take dangerous drugs"? I didn't understand the "reward".

Application: How do studies performed on rats relate to how those experiments will affect humans?

Blog Entry #3 pp. 300-410

As in the previous chunks, Miles Corwin continued to use imagery, anecdotes and statistics to retell the events of the lives of the students, faculty, and parents he interviewed to write this book. In this last chunk we were able to see how the students had progressed and what the result of that progress would be when they received their college acceptance letters. Through the statistics provided on pages 402-403, we are able to see how the removal of affirmative action affected acceptances of minorities and allows us to see that no one is going to just give us our education to move on to have a career. We have to want and strive for an education and fight academically to compete at the top schools. The students Mr.Corwin followed overcame many obstacles and kept their education as a number 1 priority. Some had issues with parents being addicted to drugs, gangs interfering with their education, finances causing them to work long hours, having a baby, the problems Ms.Little had affected their learning and preparation for the exam, or in Olivia's case, being locked up. Knowing their stories is an inspiration for me to always reassure myself of why I need an education and what I need to stay away from.

Upon completion of the many stories within And Still We Rise, I was able to look into my own life and situations with school and see what it is I need to do to excell and go on to do great things. I was able to see that our teachers have a tough job and not just anyone can do it. We should appreciate our teachers because they only want to help us achieve. I was also able to see that the way teachers communicate with their students and how they behave has a major affect on students. Students are in school with their teachers for most of the week, and attitudes that are present in the classroom affect the learning process as it did with Ms.Little's class. The issues that were going on with her and the administraters carried over into the classroom and ultimately caused he AP students to not get the proper preparation for the AP Exam. This situation made me realize that I'm not going to get all the information from my teachers. I have to do some things on my own as well. Since things don't always go according to plan, I must make it a priority to study and revisit things I have already learned to stay ahead and pass my AP Tests. Teachers are there to give us the information, but it is up to us to do something with it. I realized that receiving straight A's won't mean anything if I don't have the passion to learn the information and retain it and do something with it. I have to continue to motivate myself even if others don't because in college I will have to do things on my own.

I was touched by the lives of these students who went to Crenshaw and made the best out of what they were given. Miesha went to USC and majored in management consulting; Sadi went to Clark College in Atlanta and majored in speech communication; Danielle went to Pitzier and majored in sociology and black studies; Willie went to Morehouse and majored in business; Claudia went to Cal State Long Beach and majored in psychology and anthropology; Venola wen to Colby College and majored in Spanish; Princess went to the University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara and majored in communications; Curt went to UCLA and majored in physiology; Naila went to Stanford and majored in medical administrations; Robert went to UCLA and majored in African American studies and history; and Olivia was released in August, went to Northridge, reapplied to Babson, and transferred her junior year. While going to school, each student worked or had other activities going on because of the different groups they were a part of. But they continued to excell. I know that I need to take advantage of everything I am offered in order to do the same thing.

Application: If you were in one of MsLittle's students' situations, and had to deal with parents being on drugs or being completley broke having to work many hours or constantly being in the line of fire from gangs, how do you think you would have handled the situation? Do you think you would have handled it the same as some of these students or what would you have done things differently?

Application: Who from this story can you most relate to and why?

Style: Why do you think Miles Corwin chose to follow Ms.Little's AP English class instead of the students' other AP teachers' classes?