Letters: As a white teacher, i'm not good enough?

This article is written by a school teacher who disagrees with a previous article about how teachers of the same ethnicity as the students "bring "something special" to the classroom." The teacher is upset when he read about the need for teachers of minority because he believes that "students pay attention and learn if you stimulate their intellect, not because you share an ethnic background with them." I found this article interesting because I didn't really give this issue much thought. Now that the school teacher mentioned it, I wonder whether having teacher of the same race would affect my learning. But in the end, I agree that the teacher's attitude matters more than his/her ethnicity.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/43264342.html

Sliding 76ers no match for mighty Cavaliers

Last Friday, the Sixers played a match against the Cavaliers, and I had the privilege of watching this game at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. As the title of the article suggests, the Sixers did lose, but it was a good game and an awesome experience. It is interesting that the article mentions:

"The fact that the 76ers played before their first sellout crowd of the season at the Wachovia Center - attendance was announced at 20,484 - had less to do with the struggling home team, which had lost three games in a row, than with the last scheduled appearance of the regular season by Cleveland's James, who very well might be the finest all-around basketball player on the planet"

Clearly there were innumerable fans of LeBron James present that night. The woman sitting next to my friend proved to be an avid fan, shouting out James's name every minute (at least it seemed like it). The little boy sitting in front of me wore a jersey that spelled out James. It was definitely an experience in itself watching sports fans in all their excitement. Although the trekkies show that we watched portrayed fans in a negative way, I felt differently about the sports fan that night. I simply can't imagine the game without the shoutings, the mini basketball being thrown around, the jerseys, the painted faces, the victory dance, the high-five's.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/42840942.html

Software to help schools check for concussions

"Twenty-one schools in north Jersey could get software to help diagnose whether student athletes have concussions." The program will partly be funded by Mountainside Health Foundation and the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey. Student athletes will receive a computerized brain test before the season starts, and so if a student is injured, doctors would be able to compare results of the brain scan. A student from Montclair High School , and another from Cliffside Park died from head injury due to sports.

I think that this is a good program to have. Not only will brain injury be detected faster, students would also probably feel more secure playing sports knowing that if they get injured, there will be facilities to examine in depth the severity of the injury. Is it possible that the idea for this program is influenced by the recent tragedy of Natasha Richardson?

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20090331_Software_to_help_schools_check_for_concussions.html?cmpid=41144277

Prison employs dangerous dogs

Idaho State Correctional Institution is the only prison in the states to use snarling sentry dogs to patrol its perimeter. The dogs motsly consist of German Shepherds, Rottweiler, Belgian Malinois, with a few Boxers and Pitbulls. Apparently, since the program started in 1986, no inmates have managed to escape the prison ground. And after an incidence in early 1990's when a dog alerted the guard of 2 inmates trying to escape, no other prisoners have even attempted to run away from the institution. The officers believe that the dogs are more effective in guarding the prison ground that having correctional officers around, or even electric fence.

"The average offender has no problem engaging in a fight with a correctional officer - they're used to fighting with humans. But they don't want to mess with a 100-pound rottweiler who has an attitude and who wants to bite the snot out of them for climbing that fence."

"Most facilities have gone to electronic motion detectors or electrical fencing," said Jay Christensen, deputy warden of security at the Idaho prison. "But technology can be circumvented. We had a guy at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution get through a motion detector system a few years back" by moving so slowly that the sensors didn't pick him up. "

What I find really impressive about this program is that these dogs are actually those that were about to be put to sleep by local pounds because they were deemed too dangerous to be pets. By training these dogs as guards, they are given a second chance at life.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20090329_Prison_employs_dangerous_dogs.html

At emotional hearing, a cop's death retold

About a month ago I read an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about a police officer who was shot. He died, leaving a wife who was 5 months pregnant then. This story stood out to me because I could clearly see the victim myth described by Dr. Lule. The Victim myth is one where tragedy strikes unexpectedly, for instance an innocent man is killed in an airplane crash, leaving behind a wife and five children. The story will then seek to find how loved ones are affected by the tragedy, and as the story progresses, the victim is frequently raised to a hero status.

This article brought officer John Pawlowski back to the attention of readers by capturing moments during the hearing. Pawlowski's wife "took her seat in the front row, where she immediately began crying, dabbing a tissue to her eyes." Pawlowski's partner "nervously testified". It's interesting to see how this piece of news is told as a story because according to Dr. Lule, humans grow up immersed in myths. We subconsciously recognize the myths behind certain news and are drawn to them.

My heart goes out to officer Pawlowski's wife. I hope the guy who shot the officer will receive his due punishment.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20090327_At_emotional_hearing__a_cop_s_death_retold.html

Teen, 16, arrested in S&M killing of reporter

On Monday, Jess posted an article regarding the murder of George Weber. Police found him in his apartment on Sunday, although they believe the murder took place on Friday. His killer has been placed in custody. What surprised me is that he is only 16 years old. John Katehis bound Weber with a duct tape and stabbed him 50 times. Apparently, the two met through Craiglist after "Weber purportedly posted an item last week seeking rough sex". During the stabbing, Weber fought back and injured the teen. Katehis changed his clothes and left the house after the murder. He was place in police custody after a subway conductor "reported a passenger bleeding profusely from his left hand."

This is definitely a terrifying incident. A gruesome and brutal murder, but at the same time, was it also Weber's fault? Here's a link to the article:

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20090326_Teen__16__arrested_in_S_M_killing_of_reporter.html

Jenice Armstrong: A waxing question

Remember my post on the possibility of removing b-wax in NJ? Well, it seems like the women (and a few men) of New Jersey can breathe easy. Although the verdict is not final, it appears that the ban will be lifted. This writer of this article poses the question "Why would anyone endure the indignity of having hot wax smeared across her private parts by a torturer - I mean esthetician - if she didn't have to?" I thought it was quite interesting because she mentioned that the idea of b-wax came from pornography. Apparently it started with gay porn. According to an English professor at Elizabethtown College, after the outbreak of AIDS, several filmmakers thought it was a cleaner look for men. Soon, the trend slipped into heterosexual movies. "TV shows such as 'Sex and the City' also helped popularize the Brazilian wax, which some critics claim is yet another way to infantilize women."

It's unbelieveable how much of our lives are influenced and shaped by the media. We probably don't even notice most of the time. And I suppose I never have thought that b-wax was also derived from media influence. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense; after all, b-wax and other types of waxing are en effort to beautify ourselves.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20090325_Jenice_Armstrong__A_waxing_question.html