Week 6: Reading Response 2

Making a Visual Argument:
Cartoonists Take On Affirmative Action

LESTER/It's GOT to Be the Shoes

Mike Lester's cartoon sends a message that before the Supreme Court decision was made, there was a standard that had to be met before anyone could enter into certain colleges. Then, afterward, if you had certain racial preferences, you were given a step up to enter in. Do all minority groups depict a successful failure? What really brought on this issue? Was the standard unspoken or is it really that bad? I mean minority failure. This cartoonist provoked me to think this way althougth his message may mean totally something else. Oh yeah, can you tell I'm in the minority? What standards are being addressed?

DRAUGHON/Supreme Irony

Dennis Draughon's cartoon where the Supreme Court Judges are depicted and the only black minority Judge is thinking to himself, "The irony escapes me..." sends a message that might prove the issue at hand. Did the Supreme Court really decide such a matter?! Why? The cartoonist does help us to understand what the issue is referencing. The expressions the cartoonist expresses in the other Judges are interestingly nomatic attitudes with a few obviously staunch opponents. Even a cartoon can tell a thousand stories!

THOMPSON/Daniel Lives on Detroit's Eastside...

Mike Thompson's cartoon tells a story about this issue and why it may have developed. A young black man, Daniel, "lives on Detroit's Eastside where he's forced to witness violence, avoid drugs, resist gangs, withstand poverty, suffer racism, overcome substandard schools by studying hard to get into college (with a little help from Affirmative Action)." With a elder white woman depicted in color contrast to the black and white used in the rest of the cartoonist's picture, saying, "Hey, why does he get all the breaks?!" So is this ruling racial? Yes. The white woman who asks the question why reveals that there are other colors to this picture. Or, other concerns that may have not been addressed. Do we not want the best to excel whatever the color, creed, etc. so forth? Don't we all need a helping hand at some point in our life times? This cartoonist helps me understand why this issue should be addressed.

WILKINSON/Admissions

Signe Wilkinson's cartoon helps you to see how some are chosen to enter in colleges. But, leaves a question about whether other potential students may be left aside to meet a quota (I don't know that there is one). Staightforward cartoon that is simple understood and brings out the point that (to me anyway) not to point fingers at the minority because of this ruling. There are other factors to consider as well. Interesting.

CAMP/Pricey

Dean Camp's cartoon shows that with money and the right amount you can speed your way to into certain colleges. And, the ones without money, struggle to meet the finish line. The more money you may have for college the better the college is? And, all I thought was needed, was an IQ.

In my opinion the most effective cartoon relating to the the issue at hand, is Dennis Draughon's cartoon, Supreme Irony. It simple, but with some complex nature depicts the Affirmative Action the best. I can't help but to wonder how the ruling may have been if there were no minority or black Judges serving in this case. I mean, would have other issues, like Thompson's cartoon depicting a white woman wanting the same treatment for her child(ren). These are surely interesting and frustrating times as we move into embracing diversity and away from superiority in race. I have been on boths sides of the fence, I am half American white and half Alaska native. Why do we have these biases?

Week 6: Reading Response 1

HOROWITZ/In Defense of Intellectual Diversity

1. What argument(s) is David Horowitz making? How valid do you find them? Why?

This author was very interesting. At first I thought I would get bogged down in intellectual reading, but was suprisingly pleased with the information and the courage it presented. The argument Horowitz makes is the partisanship in education by some university professionals. Horowitz points are well taken and I do find them valid. However, how does one educate in a diverse system such as ours? Is it feasible to always compare all vantage points? Do the vantage points meet each individual by the way of diversity? The author sends a message to embrace both sides of a story when educating students, and to allow students the right to express without partisanship.

The Academic Bill of Rights helps shed light on this matter, but does it work? Educators who ask you to compare and make your own decision in controversial matters know this is important to do. The educational system though still has a long way to go in the appropriateness of diversity in the classroom. Who, what, where, when, and how important the subject qualifies to these issues discussed will continue to harbor partisanship in the eyes of professionals and students alike since we are diversified in many ways. It's a diverse country, stupid. Those professionals who understand the importance of academic freedom and encourage it - my hats off to you, afterall, "It's the academic culture, stupid." (I couldn't resist using that phrase.)

Essay #2 Draft

Essay #2 Draft – What do Alaska’s Alcohol Local Option Laws do?

My interest in writing this essay stems from my past work as a court clerk in a “damp” community in Dillingham, Alaska, and as a rural shopper from a “wet” community, Anchorage, Alaska. As a court clerk, I accepted court cases for filing such as alcohol related crimes from communities that were “dry.” As a patron, along with many others, waited in long postal service lines in Anchorage to discover additional sender’s address and signature were needed before each mailing. Do you know the differences between a “wet, dry, or damp” community and what they mean in Alaska? Although alcohol consumption is legal across America, Alcohol Local Option Laws in Alaska create additional alcohol abuse crimes because they establish individual violations and penalties, they encourage smugglers and bootleggers, and they impose federal postal regulations.

Alcohol prohibition in America has its own history dating back from an era of 1920 to 1933. “Even before Prohibition made sale and importation of alcohol illegal throughout the United States in 1920, federal law proscribed selling liquor to Natives.” (Berman). In 1933, after the repeal of Prohibition, the Alaska Territorial Legislature was given the authority by the U.S. Congress to regulate the manufacturing and distribution of liquor. To enforce this authority given, the Alaska Territorial Legislature created the Board of Liquor Control. In 1937, under the Board of Liquor Control mandates, the first Local Option Law was established.

Today, under the State of Alaska through the Department of Public Safety the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) is the regulatory and quasi-judicial agency for control of manufacture, barter, possession, and sale of alcoholic beverage. The board maintains a list of communities http://www.dps.state.ak.us/ABC/docs/localopt.pdf that restrict alcohol sales, importation, and possession that the 1980 local option laws allow. The purposes of these laws are to assist with morbidity and mortality especially in the rural areas of Alaska both native and non-native alike. However, the native morbidity and mortality was expressed first. The Local Option Laws empower the local government or established village the opportunity to control alcohol in a manner that meets a traditional lifestyle and a majority preference by its residents.

The Alaska Local Option Laws are as follows:

• A ban on sale;
• A ban on sale, except by a type of licensee listed on the ballot and authorized in statute;
• A ban by sale, except by premises operated by a municipality;
• A ban on sale and importation; and
• A ban on sale, importation, and possession.

Across Alaska, and according to the current ABC Board list of 136 communities that have adopted one or more of the local option laws above, 19 chose a ban on sale, 5 community license only, 76 ban sale and importation, 33 ban possession, and 3 package store license only. If these laws are not upheld in each community, violations and penalties can be imposed on the offenders depending upon the statute. The state statutes vary by the type of violation, for example, how much liquor was smuggled or bootlegged, and how many times the offenses were made. The following crimes, fines and imprisonment time can be imposed:

• A Felony $250,000 0-20 years
• B Felony $100,000 0-10 years
• C Felony $50,000 0-5 year

• A Misdemeanor $10,000 0-1 year
• B Misdemeanor $2,000 0-90 days
• Violation $500 none
  

Smugglers and bootleggers take the high risk of being fined or imprisoned because it is a very lucrative business. The Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team know just how lucrative this business can be. A fifth of hard liquor can sell at $300 a bottle in a "dry" village after paying a mere price of $12 a bottle (D'Oro, Rachel. Anchorage Daily News. 7 January 2008. NewsBank). A "dry" community prohibits sale, importation and possession of alcohol. A "damp" community may allow sale, importation and/or possession in certain quantities. The "wet" community has liquor for sale in grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, bars and liquor stores. This wet community is where the smuggler generally makes purchase for resale, but it also happens out of the "damp" communities as well. The smuggler or bootlegger will use the postal system, commercial and private airlines, and hide their prize products in mysterious and strange ways to cover up their illegal activity.

As a common citizen from one of these bush communities, you can expect to complete an international customs declaration form declaring no alcohol or illegal mailing items are in the packages for these rural residences. A lot of rural residents shop heavily when in the urban communities such as Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau where bulk groceries can be bought for a reasonable bargain price. The declaration form http://www.usps.com/forms/_pdf/ps2976.pdf is actually designed for international mailings, but used for these specific governing communities who opted to control liquor under the Local Option Laws of Alaska. The postal inspection service already regulates http://pe.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm100/dmm100.pdf and restricts the mailing of alcoholic beverages domestically and internationally. It is simple not allowed. The postal inspection division handles all suspicious packages. If illegal activity is suspected these packages are tracked and given to the authorities at hand.

Are these crimes worth punishing in an America where consuming alcohol is legal? The local option laws say, yes. These laws are not new and have been around for many generations in Alaska and across our country in the past. Some communities say, yes too, and believe it is worth the fight to keep liquor under control, whether consuming, sale or possession is concerned because of the detriment alcohol has had and continues to have on many lives. The statistics are not clear or current enough to understand whether or not these laws are reducing crimes, morbidity and mortality. New studies are needed and should be conducted since they appear to be "ripe for research" like how these laws affect social behavior that encompasses, including an ability to rehabilitate, the overall realm the Local Option Laws create in Alaska and its effectiveness.

References:

Berman, Matthew and Hull, Teresa. “Alcohol Control by Referendum in Northern Native Communities: the Alaska Local Option Law.” August 2000. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.
<http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Publications/Alcohol_Arctic.pdf>

State of Alaska. Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs. Alcohol Beverage Control. 9 March 2009.

<http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/LOGON/offc/offc-alcohol.htm>

D’Oro, Rachel. “Authorities put the squeeze on alcohol smuggling in Bush Alaska – Officers fight a perpetual battle with bootleggers.” Anchorage Daily News. 7 January 2008. NewsBank. Access World News. <http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/11E0D2C1B0C52B20/0D1A2B50CEF50DEA>

Halpin, James. “Bootleggers take law on river tide – Two men arrested: Troopers led on wild chase down the Kuskokwim.” Anchorage Daily News. 7 August 2008. NewsBank. Access World News.
<http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/1226EDFD91102DE8/0D1A2B50CEF50DEA>

Chittenden, Stephan. “Alaska Alcohol: Bootleg Bounty?” 8 October 2008. BBC News. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7658579.stm>

United States Postal Service. “A Customer’s Guide to Mailing.” January 2009. 9 March 2009.
<http://pe.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm100/dmm100.pdf>

United States Postal Service. International Forms. Customs Declaration CN 22 – Sender’s Declaration. 11 March 2009.
<http://www.usps.com/forms/_pdf/ps2976.pdf>

Plagiarism Exercise

I sure want to avoid plagiarism in my essays or other assignments. It is difficult for me to put facts or written material researched in my own words. Because I feel my vocabulary is not broad, I tend to use words that are presented in written material. How can I make sure that I am not plagiarising? Maybe that's why I like to use quotes. Should I cite my draft work with quotes, notes, and other? Or can I wait until I submit a final assignment? I like to use a college dictionary, and thesaurus to help me understand words, the meanings, and to find words that might fit well without using the same language again. I am old fashioned and not keen on computer technology, but am learning fast. I want to be original. Thank you.

Week 5: Reading Response 3

Making a Visual Argument: Public Service Campaigns Use Language to Send a Message
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign

4. Who are the multiple audiences for the "i am my anti-drug" campaign? Whom do they address, invoke, are effective and why?

The audiences the campaign are obviously addressing are the youth of America. The visual argument is well displayed because it uses young adults, and a ruined bicycle tire to help address each of the areas identified on the public campaign. Courage, regret, and i am my own inti-drug subcategories all go along with the visual argument and incorporate the main theme, the anti-drug.

I believe they would be effective because it depicts different racial groups and sends a message of hope. The message of hope infers indirectly or directly that there are opportunities important to do in life, like having a good education, being in sports, or doing things you enjoy. The other side, the regret message, is a strong message that one can have regrets such as relating to someone getting hurt or killed due to bad decision making when using drugs. Also, the visual sends a message to the adults of America that not all kids or youth are drug users and not to label not only youth, but ethnicity as well. The least effective in my opinion is the courage message because at my first glance I thought it was implying to abstinence.

Overall, the visuals were excellent and can relate to how youth interact with technology in our world today, specifically the small "i" used in the message. For example, i phone, etc. I enjoyed studying the visuals argument and reading into each one of the messages it presents.

Week 5: Reading Response 2

Kay Andrews
English
Week 5: Reading Response 2

TANNEN/Can We Talk?

5. What other role relationships inside and outside the family shape your identity and influence the way you use language?

My aunt and I have a relationship somewhat similar to a mother and daughter relationship, however, not as personal, but I may be incorrect. After my mother’s death in 1971, my three aunts gained roles above an aunt unbeknownst to me until my first child was born. I was told then that since my mother was not living, my aunts would be grandmothers on her behalf. This has been a rewarding experience, but not without heart ache. The same kind of digs and interaction expressed in Deborah Tennan’s experience is sobering. Now having grown children of my own, I can relate to what is being expressed in her writing.

The interaction and communication between mothers and fathers to their children is peculiar. There seems to be a different kind of bond between a mother and son, and father and daughter that sets a special kind of a relationship unlike a mother and daughter relationship or maybe even a father and son relationship. I am quick to allow my own son privileges that I wouldn’t let my daughter’s get away with. My relationship emotionally with my son and daughter are consciously separate. The tone I use and remarks or comments are totally different as well. I don’t know why I treat my son the way I do versus my daughters. Perhaps not clearly understanding the opposite sex in this sense makes it easier to deal with conversation.

Week 5: Reading Response 1

Bositis/Skin Deep: What Polls of Minorities Miss

2. What are the challenges of polling minority communities adequately?

Specific reasons given in paragraph 6 and 7 showed that a higher standard is costly because polling per interview is expensive, they make up a smaller proportion of the population, and the population is difficult to reach. Also, an additional effort made to find suitable interviewees and make language translation for respondents adds to the cost of surveying as well. Translation takes time and extra effort in any given situation and is a point well taken.

David Bositis’s point that poll sampling can be misleading on minority populations is very convincing when polling efforts are based on a certain proportion of the population. The variances in and between populations are at best “have large margin of error.” The “argument to convince” is an ethical appeal to “what polls of minorities are missing.” If polls are missing important information, and only surveying people of choice, how are polls accurately represented?

The reading was very interesting. I particularly appreciated the footnotes expanding on the definitions and meaning of words, and groups of words. The oversimplified opinion David Bositis puts forward concerning polls of communities of color or the minorities are evident by the media today. I will look at polls a little closer now, and with pessimism. However, it will all depend on the kind of poll taken, and whether or not it was taken twice. Overall, his message obviously won me over convincing me that poll takers of any kind should do a better job and not stereotype.