International Students

Today I came across an article in the Star Tribune about the increase of international students in U.S. colleges. Over this past year, this article written by Juliana Barbassa, states that there were 583,000 students from other countries that have come to the United States to attend the college of their choice. The government seems to have let go of most of their fears about international students and the impact they have on our country. The government's recent fears about letting international students into our school systems came from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The hijackers entered the country on a student visa that brought on the restrictions against international students. Bush felt that he couldn't take any more chances on students coming here with student visas, which is really too bad.

Barbassa includes a quote saying that companies prefer when students are educated in the United States because then they are better suited to work here. When students go to school here and live here, they are constantly immersed in our culture. They understand how things work in the United States and they know how to get on top. I fully support international students. It benefits American students in that they become more knowledgeable about their international peer's cultures and ways of life. It's a shame that the FBI has to keep such close tabs on international students in case there is any evidence of terrorism, however there have been many lives lost when such measures of security aren't taken so I can see why that remains necessary.

Personally, I think this same issue is different in a high school setting. International college students have already proven themselves as smart and responsible enough to tackle college. I do think however that when public high schools get bombarded with students who can't even speak English, that the benefits become negative for American high school students. In my personal experience, I went to a public suburban high school. American students, at this point, are no longer the majority. This is not a good thing for students in that sort of setting. I felt as though I wasn't being taught at an appropriate level for what grade I was in. American high schools are judged on how well their students are doing academically. Public schools don't have near the funding available to them that they should. When there are students in that sort of setting who don't even speak English, the curriculum is dumbed down so that they will look better to the government and get more funding.

I think international students in a college setting are a very important aspect of college as a whole. I think that during college, many students meet entirely new kinds of people. International students are the people who are going to make American students want to get out in the world and appreciate it on a different level.

Environmentally Trendy

I came across a wonderful student magazine of the University of Minnesota that I wasn’t even aware existed. This fortnightly magazine is called, “The Wake.” The article that sparked my attention was about a new store that just went up in my neighborhood. Every Monday and Wednesday morning I pass this new store when I ride the city bus to school. This store, called Twin Cities Green, is located on 24th and Hennepin. The only thing I knew about this new store, prior to reading the article, “Green for Good,” was that it was an environmentally friendly store.

Pammy Ronnei, the author of this article, addresses a very good point about Minneapolis as a whole. Being environmentally mindful has almost become a trend in many cities. Clothing industries who manufacture popular printed tees are experiencing significant profit in selling t-shirts that say things like “Don’t be a litter bug” or that have a giant recycle icon across the front. Major food corporations have also grasped on to this “trend” to make a profit, by labeling as many of their food items (truth-willing) “organic” and “natural.” Ronnei states that “Truly being ‘green’ isn’t participating in an ephemeral fad or scene; it’s making a lifestyle choice that requires discipline and resourcefulness.”

The owners of Twin Cities Green, Ryan and Tina North, are loyal to their green lifestyle and want to continue to continue to help others adopt this lifestyle, even after the trend has passed. The very interesting thing about Twin Cities Green is that it specializes and prides itself on their selection of furniture. Their furniture is considered environmentally friendly because it is made from recycled and organic materials. The other cool thing about the Norths is that the profit earned from the furniture that they do sell, goes directly to the artists who made the furniture. If you’re interested in seeing an entirely environmentally friendly store (even their floor is made of recycled tire rubber), the grand opening will take place on November 29th from 5-8 p.m.

Asthma Control in the Twin Cities

I read an article in the Pioneer Press about students in Minneapolis and St Paul schools with asthma. Students as young as five are learning how to better manage their asthma. This article initially sparked my attention because I too, have asthma. Suzanne Sobotka, the author of this article, informs the reader that this chronic condition affects Minneapolis schools at a high rate of twelve percent and St Paul schools with ten and one half percent. The school nurse at the Mississippi Creative Arts Magnet School, states that initiating a healthy learner progam to young students can be done with other chronic conditions, but since so many students have asthma, that is the condition they're started with. The program invovles more parent-nurse relationship and managment techniques that are easy to understand.
By establishing a better parent-nurse relationship, the nurse knows what the student's asthma symptoms are doing at home. It is also helpful that this information is coming from the parents, especially in cases where the students are in third grade and lower because it results in more straight forward and true answers. Managment techniques that are introduced to the students include different "zones." The green zone means that asthma symptoms won't be troubling, the yellow zone means to take caution, and the red zone means that students are more than likely to need medication.
Personally, I think that this is a great way to teach children, especially at a young age, what signs to look for. I am sure that I didn't know what particular activities would cause me to have worse days then others and I think that it would have been very helpful. I also like the fact that the school nurse is so involved with this program. I can remember feeling bothersome every time I went to see the school nurse at my elementary school. I felt like she never cared. I'm sure many other students (particularily the ones that attended my elementary school) felt the same, which is very disheartening because this means that they too felt too intimidated to go see the school nurse. I was very happy to see that the twin cities is taking a step in the right direction with teaching young children how to manage their asthma.

Asthma Control in the Twin Cities

Downloading Music

On October 5, 2007, I read an article in the Star Tribune about a woman who got caught violating copyright laws by sharing downloaded music files online. Jammie Thomas, from Brainerd, MN used the program Kazaa to download and share music files. She is now being asked to pay $220,000 to six recording companies in the country. This case sounds very normal to many internet users, however it’s the first of these situations to go as far as reaching the federal court system. The jury justified their actions by stating the fact that the law is clear to Americans, as well as the fines. This particular case seems almost outrageous, as the article states that on one February night, Thomas was recorded as sharing 1,700 songs to the 2.3 million Kazaa users who were signed on at that time. That is an extraordinary large amount of songs.

Jammie Thomas denies the actions of which she’s accused of but there are a number of things proving that she’s guilty. One piece of obvious evidence is that her user name on Kazaa was the same as many of her emails and various accounts at other websites. Another is that her hard drive, which was sent in as evidence, proved to be a new model, giving off the impression that she rushed out to purchase one in a panic stricken state.

I think that this article could scare a lot of people who download music. The law is a fact, as are the fines. I do think, however, that unless a case is this bad and this blatantly obvious that action should be taken. Otherwise I think that it would probably be a waste of time and money to go after those who download music, seeing as how the percentage of people who do in today’s world is so large. The way that Larry Oakes wrote this article will give this case a much more threatening effect. I think if I had been reading this article as a person who does download music, I would be much more nervous. My opinion on the entire subject is that if you like a band you should buy their albums because in doing so, you’re helping them out. On the other hand, I do think that artists who are filthy rich (for instance, Usher) should have their music available to download.

The Jena Six

In Tuesday’s issue of the Star Tribune, I read an article about the town of Jena, Louisiana. This story is an example of how racist the U.S. has continued to be. If you take the time to read this story, there’s a good chance you’ll come out feeling sad. The Jena Six is a blatantly racist case that got 6 high school aged boys in deep trouble. There was a fight on school grounds in which a white student got beat up by six black students, which consequently ended in court, where five out of the six boys were tried as adults. However, the fight did not erupt out of thin air. A few months earlier there was an incident where a group of black students were unintentionally standing under a tree where a group of white students regularly hung out. Much to their surprise a day or so after, the white students had hung nooses from the trees, which only resulted in a three days suspension from school.

This story saddens me the most because there are children still be being brought up to think that just because someone’s skin is black, it means that they’re a lesser person. I can’t imagine that it is just the parent’s fault. Half the time kids don’t even listen to their parents anyway. It would leave me disgusted to find out that the children in these schools weren’t being taught properly of all the history of racism and all the hard work and bravery that lead to equality for all people.

The Jena Six also makes me sad because I have come to accept that the term “equality,” when talking about race, isn’t entirely perfect yet. However, I figured that the reason for that was because some of the people who run the country as of now, were brought up to think that black people aren’t as “high up” as white people, which isn’t okay but it is pretty much unchangeable. I had high hopes for my generation to really fix the problem for good. It has become evident that it may not be my generation who tackles this mess in the way it requires.