The New York Times just published an article announcing a study that report that over 1 in 100 American adults are in jail. This year, after an increase of 25,000, 1.6 million Americans are in jail.
For individual ethnic groups the numbers are even worse:
in 2006 the ratio of imprisoned adults are
1 in 26 Hispanic adults
1 in 15 black adults
The large amount of imprisoned juveniles were not factored into this study.
States spend a lot of money on prison costs , on average, 7 percent. Last year, the government spent 44 billion tax dollars on incarceration costs.
The US, unlike other modern countries, resorts to the imprisonment for crimes, while other countries focus on rehabilitation. The recidivism rate for the US is the one of the highest of the wealthiest countries in the world.
The state of the prison system has become ignored with all the other issues of the country, but if this problem becomes exacerbated, then it will become a major domestic crisis.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Google's New Venture
Google plans to store the medical records of the patients in a Cleveland Clinic in a trial of its new program:to create an electronic health profile for everyone in the healthcare system.
I myself would not have volunteered my records for the Cleveland hospital's project. I refuse to give up my right to privacy and open myself up to the possibility of investigation by the governement and I refuse to allow advertisers to gain access to my personal information in a trial venture.
Yes, transferring medical records can be a pain, but unless studies show that such a system can save lives in times of emergency, I put no credence in it.
Doctor-patient confidentiality has been a sacred and honored institution which has preserved the integrity of the healthcare system and the medical profession for years. To open up such a relationship to the uncertainties of the internet creates the opportunity for corruption and abuse.
How much more will people loathe going to the doctor's when their conditions will be coded online?
Yes, they will be protected with passwords, but all internet accounts are protected by passwords, and such accounts placed in the hands of Google, who is already accumulating large amounts of powerful information, and such accounts are subject to breach.
The beauty and the terror of the internet is that it is equal opportunity. People have the capability to accomplish many forms of espionage on the internet, and only after a huge payoff can be proved to justify this move, and after all other technological options have been explored and rules out, would I support such broadcasting of medical records.
I myself would not have volunteered my records for the Cleveland hospital's project. I refuse to give up my right to privacy and open myself up to the possibility of investigation by the governement and I refuse to allow advertisers to gain access to my personal information in a trial venture.
Yes, transferring medical records can be a pain, but unless studies show that such a system can save lives in times of emergency, I put no credence in it.
Doctor-patient confidentiality has been a sacred and honored institution which has preserved the integrity of the healthcare system and the medical profession for years. To open up such a relationship to the uncertainties of the internet creates the opportunity for corruption and abuse.
How much more will people loathe going to the doctor's when their conditions will be coded online?
Yes, they will be protected with passwords, but all internet accounts are protected by passwords, and such accounts placed in the hands of Google, who is already accumulating large amounts of powerful information, and such accounts are subject to breach.
The beauty and the terror of the internet is that it is equal opportunity. People have the capability to accomplish many forms of espionage on the internet, and only after a huge payoff can be proved to justify this move, and after all other technological options have been explored and rules out, would I support such broadcasting of medical records.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
With the end of the writer’s strike, which cost the LA economy 2.5 billion dollars and the average viewer many hours of primetime television, Hollywood will celebrate a “return to normalcy” with its crowning event of the year: the Academy Awards.
Hosted by William and Mary Alumus Jon Stewart, the host of the cable TV parity news show “The Daily Show,” and my personal favorite. Stewart only had 8 days to work with his writers, whom he brought from "The Daily Show," to prepare jokes for on of the most demanding stand-up jobs in the business.
Stewart shared with NY Times reporter Bill Carter his thoughts on how his rather dry comedic style will fit in with the glitz and glamor of the Oscars:
“The thing I always have to fight is I have a tendency to undercut. It’s the comedy of deflation in large amount. That doesn’t necessarily work on the greatest night of their lives. There is a strong tension between respecting these people and somehow deflating them while standing in that room. I like that. I find that tension interesting.”
The big movies of the moment are: There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, Atonement, and Juno. Juno was the only film nominated for best picture to reach 100 million in the box office.
Indeed, this year it is the black horse nominees that bring a gust of fresh air into the established and rather musty figures that attend the Academy.
Nominations like Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild), Ellen Page (Juno), Ruby Dee (American Gangster), and 13 year old Saoirse Ronan (Atonement).
My personal favorite of the year, "Once" the independent film starring singer-songwriters Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova offers one of the most hauntingly beautiful and starkly honest work of the year. The song "Falling Slowly" was nominated from its inspired soundtrack.
Nominated for best animated film, Persepolis chronicles the fall of the Shah in the eyes of a young Iranian girl in the haunting style of a black and white comic novel.
Because of the writers strike, the traditional Oscar buzz has taken a back seat to whether or not the Academy Awards will even occur. Fortunately, the stars will be hitting the red carpet this Sunday night and every confirmed movie buff like myself will once again be in her element.
Hosted by William and Mary Alumus Jon Stewart, the host of the cable TV parity news show “The Daily Show,” and my personal favorite. Stewart only had 8 days to work with his writers, whom he brought from "The Daily Show," to prepare jokes for on of the most demanding stand-up jobs in the business.
Stewart shared with NY Times reporter Bill Carter his thoughts on how his rather dry comedic style will fit in with the glitz and glamor of the Oscars:
“The thing I always have to fight is I have a tendency to undercut. It’s the comedy of deflation in large amount. That doesn’t necessarily work on the greatest night of their lives. There is a strong tension between respecting these people and somehow deflating them while standing in that room. I like that. I find that tension interesting.”
The big movies of the moment are: There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, Atonement, and Juno. Juno was the only film nominated for best picture to reach 100 million in the box office.
Indeed, this year it is the black horse nominees that bring a gust of fresh air into the established and rather musty figures that attend the Academy.
Nominations like Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild), Ellen Page (Juno), Ruby Dee (American Gangster), and 13 year old Saoirse Ronan (Atonement).
My personal favorite of the year, "Once" the independent film starring singer-songwriters Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova offers one of the most hauntingly beautiful and starkly honest work of the year. The song "Falling Slowly" was nominated from its inspired soundtrack.
Nominated for best animated film, Persepolis chronicles the fall of the Shah in the eyes of a young Iranian girl in the haunting style of a black and white comic novel.
Because of the writers strike, the traditional Oscar buzz has taken a back seat to whether or not the Academy Awards will even occur. Fortunately, the stars will be hitting the red carpet this Sunday night and every confirmed movie buff like myself will once again be in her element.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Illegal Wiretaping
Recently, an editorial appeared in the Wall Street Journal discussing the "dangers" of not granting amnesty to US telecom companies.
Glenn Greenwald responded to this editorial in his blog, in an entry entitled: "The WSJ editorial page lies about our surveillance laws"
Both articles were clearly conservativist and leftist, respectively, yet Greenwald legitamized his work with facts and . While the WSJ editorial crafted its argument with elaborate description of the attempts that the "leftist" members of Congress are making to undermine The War Against Terror and speculation seasoned with a pinch of fear to flavor.
Ironically, in this rat race for war powers, the WSJ suggests that if amnesty is not approved, that telecom companies will not cooperate and Bush's license to conduct war will be crippled.
The WSJ writer points to the future decisions of Congress concerning Foreign Intellegence Surveillance Act of 1978 as the equivalent of determining whether or not the US wins its war against terror. Greenwald cites this insinuation as an example of the scare tactics continually used by the promoters of extra-constitutional actions to battle terrorism.
Greenwald, a constitutional lawyer, aptly points out that telecom communities who "cooperated" broke the law and should be held accountable, especially since other companies refused to participate in the illegal wiretapping. Moreover, the WSJ manipulated and sometimes outright manufactured facts for the purposes of its story.
Glenn Greenwald responded to this editorial in his blog, in an entry entitled: "The WSJ editorial page lies about our surveillance laws"
Both articles were clearly conservativist and leftist, respectively, yet Greenwald legitamized his work with facts and . While the WSJ editorial crafted its argument with elaborate description of the attempts that the "leftist" members of Congress are making to undermine The War Against Terror and speculation seasoned with a pinch of fear to flavor.
Ironically, in this rat race for war powers, the WSJ suggests that if amnesty is not approved, that telecom companies will not cooperate and Bush's license to conduct war will be crippled.
The WSJ writer points to the future decisions of Congress concerning Foreign Intellegence Surveillance Act of 1978 as the equivalent of determining whether or not the US wins its war against terror. Greenwald cites this insinuation as an example of the scare tactics continually used by the promoters of extra-constitutional actions to battle terrorism.
Greenwald, a constitutional lawyer, aptly points out that telecom communities who "cooperated" broke the law and should be held accountable, especially since other companies refused to participate in the illegal wiretapping. Moreover, the WSJ manipulated and sometimes outright manufactured facts for the purposes of its story.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Resignation of Gene Nichol
Within the microcosm of the small College of William and Mary, a gargantuan movement has been ignited by the students, faculty, and staff against a select group of very powerful people.
On Tuesday morning, Nichol sent an eloquent announcement by email of his resignation in the face of a sixteen month witch hunt conducted by a very limited group of militant alumni, trustees, and government officials (all with an undeniable religious right-wing limp) in response to ideological, progressive, and even controversial decisions. His resignation was prompted by the discovery that his contract, after only a few years as president, would not be renewed by the reigning oligarchs of the campus, the Board of Visitors (BOV).
Within the coterie of college trustees, the College's Board of Visitors, decided sometime last week to not renew Nichols contract, and informed him only after a day of celebration which Nichol himself hosted, Charter Day.
To thicken the plot even moreso, Nichol revealed on his mass email statement that the BOV offered him "substantial economic incentives" to not suggest that his termination was not based on ideology. This offer was made in the midst of a 6% budget cut by the state of Virginia and the promise of more cut. This offer Nichol vehemently rejected.
Here is a highlight of some of the work Nichol has done on campus, which he himself outlined in his email as possible reasons for scandal. Mind you, before Nichol took office, William and Mary enjoyed the reputation for educating a select group of privileged WASP's in classroom run by... WASP's.
1. Nichol removed and then reinstalled in a display case a Christian cross housed in the Wren Chapel, which hosts non-religious ceremonies, with the intent to preserve a separation of Church and State and to ensure the comfort and inclusion of all students of non-Christian beliefs.
2. Nichol has refused to ban several off-colored, student sponsored campus programs, such as the recent "Sex Workers Art Show," because, despite his aversion to such things, refused to violate his students' First Amendment Rights.
3.Nichol has, with a dedication to empowering the low-income students, his Gateway scholarship program, admitted 20% more Pell students (students from families earning less than $40,000 dollars a year).
4. With a passion for diversity, Nichol has doubled the amount of faculty members of color and overseen the admission of the two most recent classes, the two most diverse groups in the College's history.
Student support of the president had been constant and passionate. Buttons that read "I heart Nichol" are a must have accessory and T-Shirts printed by the campus' branch of the NAACP stating "If President Nichol's Not Welcome Here...Then Neither Am I" have become the new mandatory dress.
Last Thursday, students held a vigil in support of Nichol's Yesterday, students, teachers, and staff in front of the school's art museum. On Tuesday, after the announcement, faculty led a rally in the heart of campus, the Sunken Gardens, in which students and teachers united in a forum that discussed the issues which fueled Nichol's non-renewal: the continual ignorance of the appropriately named Board of Visitors to the interest of the true members of College: the students, teachers and faculty.
Tuesday night, another vigil was held in front of Nichol's home (which is also on campus) in which faculty and student leaders spoke, as well as Nichol himself, and about 1500 candle bearing students serenaded him with the Alma Mater. Wednesday, a student-teacher strike began with a sit-in and "Town Hall" meeting in which students and faculty formed a list of demands and broke in to action groups to contact those in power with these demands.
On Wednesday, the strike continued with a student-teacher "Teach-In," in which students and teachers held an open forum for a sort of free-form learning experience.
Since then, petitions and emails have been drafted to members of the BOV and the Virginia legislature, demanding and explanation of Nichol's termination and a guarantee of the continuation of his policies and First Amendment rights to all members of the College.
Every event has been thoughtfully peaceful and judiciously organized.
On Tuesday morning, Nichol sent an eloquent announcement by email of his resignation in the face of a sixteen month witch hunt conducted by a very limited group of militant alumni, trustees, and government officials (all with an undeniable religious right-wing limp) in response to ideological, progressive, and even controversial decisions. His resignation was prompted by the discovery that his contract, after only a few years as president, would not be renewed by the reigning oligarchs of the campus, the Board of Visitors (BOV).
Within the coterie of college trustees, the College's Board of Visitors, decided sometime last week to not renew Nichols contract, and informed him only after a day of celebration which Nichol himself hosted, Charter Day.
To thicken the plot even moreso, Nichol revealed on his mass email statement that the BOV offered him "substantial economic incentives" to not suggest that his termination was not based on ideology. This offer was made in the midst of a 6% budget cut by the state of Virginia and the promise of more cut. This offer Nichol vehemently rejected.
Here is a highlight of some of the work Nichol has done on campus, which he himself outlined in his email as possible reasons for scandal. Mind you, before Nichol took office, William and Mary enjoyed the reputation for educating a select group of privileged WASP's in classroom run by... WASP's.
1. Nichol removed and then reinstalled in a display case a Christian cross housed in the Wren Chapel, which hosts non-religious ceremonies, with the intent to preserve a separation of Church and State and to ensure the comfort and inclusion of all students of non-Christian beliefs.
2. Nichol has refused to ban several off-colored, student sponsored campus programs, such as the recent "Sex Workers Art Show," because, despite his aversion to such things, refused to violate his students' First Amendment Rights.
3.Nichol has, with a dedication to empowering the low-income students, his Gateway scholarship program, admitted 20% more Pell students (students from families earning less than $40,000 dollars a year).
4. With a passion for diversity, Nichol has doubled the amount of faculty members of color and overseen the admission of the two most recent classes, the two most diverse groups in the College's history.
Student support of the president had been constant and passionate. Buttons that read "I heart Nichol" are a must have accessory and T-Shirts printed by the campus' branch of the NAACP stating "If President Nichol's Not Welcome Here...Then Neither Am I" have become the new mandatory dress.
Last Thursday, students held a vigil in support of Nichol's Yesterday, students, teachers, and staff in front of the school's art museum. On Tuesday, after the announcement, faculty led a rally in the heart of campus, the Sunken Gardens, in which students and teachers united in a forum that discussed the issues which fueled Nichol's non-renewal: the continual ignorance of the appropriately named Board of Visitors to the interest of the true members of College: the students, teachers and faculty.
Tuesday night, another vigil was held in front of Nichol's home (which is also on campus) in which faculty and student leaders spoke, as well as Nichol himself, and about 1500 candle bearing students serenaded him with the Alma Mater. Wednesday, a student-teacher strike began with a sit-in and "Town Hall" meeting in which students and faculty formed a list of demands and broke in to action groups to contact those in power with these demands.
On Wednesday, the strike continued with a student-teacher "Teach-In," in which students and teachers held an open forum for a sort of free-form learning experience.
Since then, petitions and emails have been drafted to members of the BOV and the Virginia legislature, demanding and explanation of Nichol's termination and a guarantee of the continuation of his policies and First Amendment rights to all members of the College.
Every event has been thoughtfully peaceful and judiciously organized.
The War on Net Nuetrality
Blogger Craig Aaron recently made a post discussing the recent trend in the government's regulation of the internet.
Aaron blames the increasing inferiority of American technology, from internet to cell phones, on the mismanagement of the government and their continued cooperation with the big corporations.
While expressing relief at the failure of Congresses recent attempts to eliminate Net Neutrality, Aaron forebodes a future in which Corporations and Congress team together in smoke-filled rooms to eliminate free speech in most sacred forum of this century.
For all of the opinions out there that claim that the internet is a cesspool of immorality and erroneous information, these developments remind me more of the Chinese internet restrictions than a sit-in of the seventies (or of the College of William &Mary).
Aaron suggests some sort of public forum to craft concepts for the future of the internet, an idea that is very much in tandem with the dynamics of the net, free,unrestricted speech.
While I think that this method in the most extreme form may end of sinking into a quagmire like debacle, I do think that public interest must be represented and discussion must be maintained between the people of America and their representatives in Congress (and of course, the entire process should be so transparent that it should boast a streak-free shine). Moreover, Congressmen/women need to become more educated about the internet and its importance in the present and future.
Aaron blames the increasing inferiority of American technology, from internet to cell phones, on the mismanagement of the government and their continued cooperation with the big corporations.
While expressing relief at the failure of Congresses recent attempts to eliminate Net Neutrality, Aaron forebodes a future in which Corporations and Congress team together in smoke-filled rooms to eliminate free speech in most sacred forum of this century.
For all of the opinions out there that claim that the internet is a cesspool of immorality and erroneous information, these developments remind me more of the Chinese internet restrictions than a sit-in of the seventies (or of the College of William &Mary).
Aaron suggests some sort of public forum to craft concepts for the future of the internet, an idea that is very much in tandem with the dynamics of the net, free,unrestricted speech.
While I think that this method in the most extreme form may end of sinking into a quagmire like debacle, I do think that public interest must be represented and discussion must be maintained between the people of America and their representatives in Congress (and of course, the entire process should be so transparent that it should boast a streak-free shine). Moreover, Congressmen/women need to become more educated about the internet and its importance in the present and future.
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