Affirmative Action: Good or Bad?

When you walk around the campuses of the top prestigious colleges, what ethnicity do you mostly see? According to “At Top Colleges, an Admission Gap for Minorities” by Josh Keller, a writer for the New York Times, “Roughly 15 percent of public high school graduates are black. But despite the widespread use of affirmative action at elite colleges, only one college with a graduation rate of more than 70 percent has that many black students in its freshman class.” Out of the 4,168 colleges in the United States, it is very shocking to see that only one college (with a graduation rate of 70 percent or more) admits 15 percent of black high school graduates as freshman. The term affirmative action is thrown around all the time throughout the media but what does it actually mean? Affirmative action is an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education; positive discrimination. There are two opposing sides when it comes to affirmative action. There are those who believe affirmative action is needed to level the playing field, which would lead to a colorblind society. But on the other side of the fine line, there are those who believe that affirmative action is a hand out to the undeserving. They feel that they should not be punished for the actions of their ancestors and minorities should not reap the benefits of those that suffered over a hundred years ago. Clarence Thomas, a member of the Supreme Court, stated “Affirmative action placed students in programs above their abilities. I watched the operation of such affirmative action policies when I was in college and I watched the destruction of many kids.” This idea brought forth the theory “mismatch”. Mismatch refers to the idea that affirmative action is actually harming the very same people that it is supposed to help and protect. Minorities are said to have been placed at colleges that are far beyond their academic level. But is that idea not prejudice? To say that minorities do not belong at elite colleges because they are not at the same academic level as the white majority proves how much our society still needs affirmative action.

 There are many success stories that prove that affirmative action is not only a great opportunity for those who do not have the resources but also a great way to make college campuses more diverse. For example, Charles J. Ogletree Jr., an alumni of Stanford University, expressed, “Without affirmative action I would have never have applied to, and certainly not have attended Stanford. We must keep affirmative action-and keep refining it. Affirmative action admissions policies seek to realign the balance of power and opportunity by doing what is, at heart, quite simple: affirmatively including the formerly excluded.” Because affirmative action seeks to level the playing field for minorities with education, college campuses are becoming more diverse and helping minorities get ready for a very competitive world. There are some who take opportunities like affirmative action for granite but not all minorities are just looking for handouts. Whether affirmative action is a good or bad thing is still in question? You decide. Are you for or against affirmative action? Let me know in the comments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/opinion/sunday/does-affirmative-action-do-what-it-should.html?pagewanted=all
https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=43428
 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/07/education/college-admissions-gap.html?_r=0

Free Sulema  

    There was an article that I read yesterday that caught my attention. A woman was arrested by the Santa Monica police for burglary. She was detained and booked. This may seem normal. Someone does the crime they do the time right? But the fact is Sulema is one of the few people on this earth that suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. So, she did not do the crime. She truly believed that that was her house. And think about it what "sane" person would break into someones house and then wait for the police to come. There is evidence from multiple mental institutions which states her mental status. Despite all the stacked evidence about her case of paranoid schizophrenia, the Superior Court of Los Angeles still wants to take her to trial. In her condition, she won't even be able to fully understand the trial anyway. The mental treatment facility which she previously attended wants her to be returned. She can be a danger to her self and others in jail. She is at risk of having paranoia, disoriented thoughts/ behavior, and commanding hallucinations. Sulema should be released from jail as soon as possible because she belongs in a treatment facility.
read this article and tell me what you think: http://freesulema.blogspot.com/2014/04/free-sulema.html

What is the Real Reason Behind Cheer-Related Injuries?

According to a recent study in 2012, cheer-leading is the leading cause of catastrophic sports injuries to females, accounting  for over 65% percent in the past twenty-five years. Also between 1982 and 2007, there was a reported 103 fatal or disabling injuries among female high school students, with 67 of those injuries being in cheer.

A handful of these devastating injuries occur because of unskilled coaches, but the leading cause is due to unreformed rules. It was not until 2011 that the AACCA and USA Cheer came together to make reforms to the AACCA's National Cheerleading Safety Handbook. The picture above is of Selby, a high school cheer leader who suffered a concussion while performing a "double down". A double down is a very technical and complicated stunt in which the flyer completes two complete rotations in the air before landing in the arms of his/her teammates. Unfortunately, Shelby was not as lucky and fell on her head. Because her coaches handbook was not up to date and the rules inside were not adequate, she was told to go home and rest. Later, she received another concussion which worsened her previous symptoms. "She was sensitive to noise and light and experienced fainting spells,seizures, anxiety, depression, and excessive drowsiness. Four weeks later Shelby was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. Because her symptoms were overlooked by her coach as well as physicians, Shelby's parents brought this matter to the attention of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In July 2011 the CDC, AACCA, and USA Cheer came up with the "Heads Up" campaign. "Heads Up" was created to teach parents, coaches, and cheerleaders, as well as other athletes how to recognize the symptoms of a concussion and how to prevent concussions. Although Shelby can never cheer again, she will always be known for her help in educating others so the same thing will not happen to them.
http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2002/101_dec04/cheer.h
http://www.livescience.com/2775-girls-dangerous-sport-cheerleading.html
 http://www.headsupparents.org/pdfs/Shelby_Story-a.pdf

The Struggle Between the Youth and Drugs

 

        On a small patch of land in Australia lies a community of the indigenous aboriginal people. Diane is a former resident of "the block" in Redfern, Australia. She was an on-and-off resident for over 30 years, moving to the block when she was 11 years old. "In the 70's and the 80's there was a lot of laughter, a lot of music in the streets" recalls Diane as she reflects, "there was a lot of sharing, sharing of each other problems and helping each other".  According to the article "Redfern" by Creative Spirits, "Once it was a haven and  a modern sacred site for Aboriginal families. But after decades of being ravaged by poverty and low employment, discrimination, drink, drugs,...and negative social media coverage, it has turned into a kind of hell for some residents". This type of hell started for Diane when her own daughter had a tiresome battle with drug abuse. Diane's daughter was first introduced to heroin at the age of 12. It is important, if not necessary for the youth to be involved in extracurricular activities instead of turning to substances. For example, Crystel Carrier-Souberin,  a member of the council  on drug abuse, states "Youth engagement plays an important role in preventing substance abuse among youth. Youth engagement is defined as the sustained and meaningful involvement of youth in an activity focusing outside of him or herself. Positive outcomes of engagement include a decrease in the rate of substance abuse, a decrease in the rate of crime, an increase in academic performance and a more meaningful connection with a youth's community." An example of a youth engagement that keeps youth across the world on the right path is cheer leading. Diane's daughter was never provided with the opportunity to be apart of a youth engagement such as cheer leading, which could have saved her from going down the path of drugs. Diane and her daughter are no longer living on the block but the bad as well as the good memories of the block will stay with them forever.
http://www.sbs.com.au/theblock/#
http://www.creativespirits.info/australia/new-south-wales/sydney/redfern
http://www.drugabuse.ca/how-does-youth-engagement-prevent-our-youth-abusing-drugs-0

  A reoccurring question that I have been asked is "Why do you commit all your time and efforts to being a cheerleader if your not considered an athlete?". This question has been raised in the minds of many people, and I am here to answer it. Cheerleaders are one of, if not the most toughest athletes that I can think of. It takes agility, flexibility, determination, persistence, and amazing strength to be a cheerleader. If that's not an athlete I don't know what is. Most people think that cheer could never be a sport because they think cheerleader are "glorified sex objects, that are there to smile, look, pretty, and entertain the men". I can't name one football player, basketball player, or any player for that matter that can completely shred their ACL and continue playing. Anyone can throw a ball into a hole or run with a ball in their hand but can those same people throw 150-200 pound object (person) into the air and catch it without dropping it. I think not. An article that I recently read touches on this subject. Read it and tell me what you think.

The link to the article is:http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=drehs/040316 

 This is a picture from my first cheer competition. I was so nervous at first but I was satisfied at the end.