They're Watching Us...

The Supreme Court will acknowledge the impact of GPS tracking devices on America’s security today. They will discuss whether or not law enforcement should need to have a warrant before planting a GPS on a person’s car. As of now, the government can track anyone who owns a cell phone…creepy right? It doesn’t matter if you have a smart phone or not, if it is on or off, or if you shut off Bluetooth, you are being tracked everywhere you go. The case they are looking at is U.S. vs Jones, because the police are tracking Antoine Jones’ every movement suspecting that he is involved in drug violations. Jones’ lawyer is stating that the government is violating the Fourth Amendment, “"A person who knows all of another's travels can deduce whether he is a weekly churchgoer, a heavy drinker, a regular at the gym, an unfaithful husband, an outpatient receiving medical treatment, an associate of particular individuals or political groups -- and not just one such fact about a person, but all such facts” (cnn.com). GPS tracking devices allow the government to follow us in our public and private lives. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will rule that warrants are needed, because if they don’t, any “curious police officer, without any judicial oversight” (cnn.com) will be able to check up on us. Personally, I would not want to be watched for no reason. If I am suspected of committing some crime, I would appreciate a warrant before I am followed, watched, taken pictures of, or anything of the like. We trust Police Officers to have our best interest in mind but you cannot trust anyone in this day and age and I would not feel comfortable knowing that any curious government official could watch my every move. It’s really creepy.

The author of this article is biased and seems to not like the idea of being watched either. Catherine Crump, the writer, uses subtle but persuasive words to sway her readers against GPS tracking devices being used by the government. By using the word ‘our’ in the quote,  “Cell phone tracking can reveal our private associations and relationships with one another” (cnn.com), Crump is bringing herself into the article and the argument. She did not say “people’s private associations and relationships with another” she said “our”. This is subtle enough to possibly go unnoticed, but strong enough to make it clear that she has a bias and does not want GPS tracking. She also did not use any quotes, which did not help her argument. I would’ve liked to see a quote from Jones himself to see how he felt about this argument.  

Crump, Catherine. "How GPS tracking threatens our privacy - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/opinion/crump-gps/index.html?hpt=us_t4>.

Drug Use Among Teens 12-17

According to the Archives of General Psychiatry, White, Hispanic, Native America, and mixed-race teenagers have a higher rate of substance abuse and occasional use than African American and Asian teens. Dr. Dan Blazer of Duke University Medical Center wants policy-making individuals to realize that there is a real problem presenting itself and that the problems is not representing itself equally among all ethnic groups. Out of 73,000 teens between the ages of 12-17, 37% admitted to drug or alcohol use in the past year ranging from alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and oxycodone. It is hard to think that one in 1 in 12 teens also admitted to having a substance-related disorder. It is interesting that Native American teens have the highest rate of use of alcohol and drugs. African Americans and Asians have the lowest, which surprises me because Asians make up a large percentage of the population. Blazer is calling this a major public health issue as marijuana is the first most popular drug, with painkillers coming in a close second place. I look around my own school and notice these percentages and statistics in real life. It is true. I wonder how many students in my classes and in the hallways could be using drugs. Will they all survive? When Hope House visited last year, everyone’s saddened eyes looked around the room wondering who from our own grade might end up at Hope House. Hopefully no one will, but these statistics are only out of 73,000 teens. Just think how high the percentages might be if they asked a larger group of teens.

                  The author could have used more rhetorical strategies to help her argument. Instead of just simply stating the facts, she could have used rhetorical questions or more pathos in her article to bring the readers in. This was kind of a boring article and it would have been better if she brought in something like death rates or percentages of grades declining because of drugs. She did use quotes, though, which helped her argument. She could have done more to enhance her article.

Young, Saundra. "Teen drug use highest among Native Americans; Asians lowest – The Chart - CNN.com Blogs." The Chart - CNN.com Blogs. N.p., 8 Nov. 2011. Web. 8 Nov. 2011. <http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/07/teen-drug-use-highest-among-native-americans-asians-lowest/?hpt=he_c2>.

Involuntary Involuntary-Manslaughter

Two-year-old Sky Metalwala of Seattle, WA, went missing after being left in his car seat for about an hour while his mother and 4-year-old sibling went to get help after having run out of gas. When she returned, Sky was gone without a trace. Officials are describing Sky as having, “brown eyes and dark, closely cut hair” (cnn.com). He was apparently wearing a dark green hooded sweatshirt and blue-and-gray striped pants the last time he was seen. Although authorities sent out automated calls urging people to call with any information, no responses were given. At this time they are still doing land and air searches for Sky, but the real question is why any sane and loving mother would leave a 2-year-old child alone in a car seat for over an hour on a stranded road! I cannot even fathom this! I am so angry and saddened to think that any mother would do that. Why did she only take one of her children? How did she pick who to leave behind? WHY COULDN’T SHE TAKE SKY WITH THEM?! An innocent child is most likely dead in the woods somewhere or being held hostage by a kidnapper because his own mother failed to live up to her duty of taking care of him and never letting him out of sight. I am sick and just beside myself that this has happened. I hope that he is found and taken away from any mother that would leave him in an unsafe area alone. In my opinion, this could be looked at as involuntary manslaughter, or, perhaps she meant to leave him.

Clearly, the author did a great job of bringing out the readers emotions as I am rips!#t right now. The writer added quotes for validity purposes and did not really have to do much else besides state the facts. I believe in this case, less was more. There was no need to dramatize or emphasize what has happened. It is devastating, and simply just reporting on the facts is enough to make a reader like myself completely engaged in the article.

Wire Staff. "'Unanswered questions' in search for Washington toddler left in car by mother - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/justice/washington-missing-child/index.html?hpt=us_c2>.

Still Fighting For Her Life

Remember Kezia and Saiorse Fitzgerald? The mom and daughter who were both battling cancer? They’re back. Kezia, the mother, is currently in remission! This is GREAT news. Sadly, though, doctors found cancer in Saiorse’s bone marrow and she is currently starting her ninth round of chemotherapy. A usually bubbly and personable toddler, Sairose now wakes up vomiting, is quiet and listless, and has suffered many effects of the chemo. She has partial hearing loss, has had her adrenal glands removed, and will not be able to bear children when she grows up. Saiorse needs help. She needs a cure. Taking four medications a day, her father explains the look in Saiorse’s eyes as, “’Why? Please let this end’”.  Her father has lost his job and they will only be covered by their health insurance for a couple more weeks. I wish there was something we could do to help, but I guess all we can do at this point is pray that Saiorse recovers and survives to live a full and joyful life.

The author uses strong pathos in this article to bring out our emotions. Personally, I was tearing up while reading this. The author also uses quotes to show the validity of her writing. I think that it makes the article better knowing that CNN followed up with the family and kept us, as readers, aware of the progress of Saiorse.

Park, Madison. "Job loss, dwindling finances create new strain in family's cancer battle - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/health/cancer-family-setbacks/index.html?hpt=he_c1>.

Is Getting Evicted Worth Raising Your Flag?

            While many of us will enjoy our long weekend and spending time with family, 70-year-old Edward Zivica of Springfield, OR will be pacing back and forth facing a hard decision. The Army sent him an American flag when his father died in WWII and he has kept it ever since, hanging it outside his apartment every Navy and Veteran’s Day. This year, management has warned him that if the American symbol of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and freedom is yet again hung outside of his apartment, he will be swiftly and forcefully evicted from his subsidized housing project. Knowing that he has nowhere else to live and is short on money, he gets himself to sign a compliance notice. Zivica says, “It’s one of the biggest days of the year for us…I guess we’ll see what happens” (huffingtonpost.com). It is very sad to hear of this man’s dilemma this Veteran’s Day. He should be praised for his courage and bravery, not scolded for trying to do the same for his father and friends.

            The author used no bias in the article and was just simply reporting on an unfortunate experience. He does use pathos, though, to make us as readers think about how we would feel if we were Zivica. I feel horrible that he is all alone and cannot even hang his American flag that represents his father. The author did a good job at reporting this event.  

Staff, Huffington Post. "Veteran Edward Zivica Faces Eviction For Raising Flag." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. N.p., 4 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/oregon-veteran-faces-evic_n_1074465.html?ref=impact&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl7%7Csec1_lnk3%7C

Freak Snowstorm

            Last week our homeland of Massachusetts was hit hard by a powerful and sudden snowstorm. Hundreds of thousands of people were and still are without power, and at least 22 people have been pronounced dead in the surrounding states.

            Four lives were lost due to carbon monoxide poisoning, one lost from electrocution due to a fallen power line, and one lost from a house fire caused by the storm. These six deaths were in our homeland of Massachusetts.

            New Jersey lost eight lives because of the storm. House fires claimed three lives, a fallen branch claimed one, a fallen tree claimed another, and car accidents claimed the remaining three.

            Connecticut also lost eight of its citizens, four from carbon monoxide poisoning. Of Connecticuts 91 shelters and 111 warming centers, all were open, and all are now full.

            Over 831,000 people lost their electricity because of the storm and power companies are working around the clock to restore power and heat to these people. It is devastating to read of the deaths and destruction caused by this storm. Western Mass was hit particularly hard. They have had a rough couple of years with ice storms, tornados, hurricanes, and now, freak snowstorms. I hope that this is all resolved soon.

            The author used no bias and was mainly focused on presenting facts and information to people who were interested in reading. The article was set up in small paragraphs, which made it easy to read and seem very factual. I enjoyed reading this article and I hope to hear more about the storm soon. 

CNN Wire Staff. "Freak snowstorm blamed for at least 22 deaths - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., 4 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/03/us/east-coast-storm/index.html?hpt=us_t2>.