SAT: An Attack on Chinese Values

"Is the SAT a tool to impose 'American values' on Chinese students?"

By: Times Staff

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-sat-exam-american-values-chinese-students-20140829-story.html

       The Institute for International Eduation reports that the number of Chinese students studying in the United States has grown by 20% every year for the last six years. In 2010 China passed India, with the largest amount of foreign students sent to the United States, and last year alone, 235,000 Chinese students were accepted into American Universities. College Board announced plans in March to include America's founding documents into the exam, and Chinese officials worry that the SAT will impose the American values of Liberty, Equality, and the Pursuit of Happiness upon its best students. These integral values that America was founded upon is considered threatening to China's communist rule. Author Kelly Yang says "If the new SAT succeeds, it will be the first time America is able to systematically shape the views, beliefs and ideologies of hundreds of thousands of Chinese students every year, not through a popular television show or a politician's speaking tour, but through what the Chinese care about most – exams." Chinese intelluctuals criticize the Governments attempt at forcing Communist ideologies upon students and the finger-pointing towards a foreign exam. Enforcing Communist ideas has become more and more difficult in modern China, due to the internet, and their adopted capitalistic economic system. The newest SAT tests with the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section are planned for Spring 2016. 

       This is an important article as it touches upon key political and social issues that make the United States and China so different. Admittance into America's most prestigious schools is highly sought after, and with the increasing number of foreign students moving to America makes the playing field much more competitive for American students. 

SOAPST for Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat

        The piece of literature, Speech to the Troops at Tilbury was a powerful, and influential speech. The speaker of the speech was Queen Elizabeth I of England. She automatically gained ethos as she has received the title of queen of England. The occasion of the speech was prior to England's battle with Phillip II's "invincible" Armada at Tilbury 1588. The audience of the speech was English Troops who were intently listening to the speech being said by their Queen, Elizabeth I of England. The purpose of the speech was to instill bravery into the troops and to encourage them to fight for their nation and defeat the Spanish Armada. The topic, or subject, being addressed during the Queen's speech is the battle that was soon to begin. The tone of the speech was a powerful one, with words that resonated with the entire crowd, and ultimately led them to their victory in defeating the Spanish Armada. SOAPST is a very useful tool that can be utilized to break down and simplify a piece of literature. It can also be used to uncover many of the layers a piece of literature has. In the end, this was a very effective speech as the English troops were brave and were able to defeat the Spanish Armada, the most powerful navy fleet at the time. Due to her powerful words, her speech resonated with the troops and they were able to defeat Phillip II's "invincible" fleet, and bring victory and glory to England.

Is that the Police or Military?

"No excuse for 'excessive force' by police in Ferguson, Mo."
By: Kathleen Hennessey
Source: Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obama-ferguson-violence-20140814-story.html

         As the riots in the formerly peaceful suburb of Ferguson, Missouri continues to rage on, President Obama made a statement denouncing the unnecessary and excessive force used by the police in an effort to calm the situation. Shortly before Obama's statement, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill made a similar statement saying the "response by the police has become the problem instead of the solution." Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky expressed his disapproval and concern over the rapid militarization of police forces throughout the nation, calling it an "unprecedented expansion of government power." The president has also requested an independent investigation be conducted by the Justice Department and the FBI. The President also stated his disapproval of the arrest and treatment of two reporters on Wednesday night. The topic of race and justice has been a hot-button issue for the President during his second term, and he made this statement in the wake of increased pressure on his administration to become more involved in the deteriorating situation in Ferguson. The President concluded his statement saying that it was the responsibility of authorities to calm the situation, and conveyed his trust that Missouri Governor Jay Nixon would be able to calm the situation and make certain that Justice is done.

      This is an important article as it touches upon two of the main key issues facing modern America today; The treatment of minorities by the Law, and the over militarization of our police. Minorities, especially African Americans, and Hispanic groups are still discriminated heavily by the police, even today. Minorities are more likely to receive the death penalty, be pulled over, or be immediately discriminated by law enforcement than white people. Recently in Ferguson, forces responded to unarmed American protesters donning camouflage gear, driving heavily armed vehicles with mounted turrets, and carrying automatic rifles, pointing them at citizens. This is not the military, this is the St. Louis County Police Department utilizing their newly acquired equipment given to them by the Pentagon. This is a serious menace facing small-town Americans, and is an unwarranted breach of Civil Liberties by the police. This is a result of the War on Terror and post 9/11 hysteria turning American streets into warzones. Military grade equipment has no place on American soil, and should definitely not be used to calm protests.

Police Officer sits on top of Armored Vehicle

Riot Police using equipment given by the Pentagon, confronting protesters in Ferguson

Image Source: Firstlook.org, "The Militarization of U.S. Police: Finally Dragged Into the Light by the Horrors of Ferguson" https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/08/14/militarization-u-s-police-dragged-light-horrors-ferguson/

Act Now for Autism

Few ads make one think like the one above does. This ad successfully incorporates all three appeals to make an effective and easily understandable ad that amplifies the constant isolation that a person with autism faces. Ethos is first established with the TreeHouse and TalkTalk Group logos on the bottom right. These are respected charities and foundations in the United Kingdom, and thus establishes the adverts credibility to the viewers. Ethos is further incorporated with the "talkaboutautism.org.uk" URL on the bottom. Logos is found in the elongated statement running along the wall reading, "The longer a child with autism goes without help, the harder they are to reach." This is an example of logos because the longer we delay help for children with autism, the more difficult it will be to reach out to them in the future. The same statement also includes pathos because it dramatizes the emotions and struggles that sufferers of autism experience daily if they go without help. Effective awareness ads convey the maladies that sufferers of any disease experience, and this ad does exactly that when pathos is further evidenced with the image used in the ad, as it shows a mother reading to her autistic child, but the child is emotionally far away. This appeals to the audiences emotions, especially those of parents, as any good parent wants the best for their child. Every parent wants to be able to easily communicate and interact with their child, but not treating their autism will affect even the most basic of daily interactions. This is a powerful ad that will resonate in the hearts of parents of both healthy and autistic children.

1984; Prophecy or Ploy?

Ask any average, somewhat well read person what book perfectly represents what almost every first-world government is turning into, they will most likely name George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984. No other novel perfectly epitomizes what our world can become if we do not protect our most basic rights, like the Freedom of Speech. Government spying is unconstitutional and immoral, and we as a people must stop it now before it continues and we no longer continue to fight it. Governments will tell us that we must sacrifice our privacy and freedoms in the name of safety, but as perfectly said by one of our most renowned Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." We must fight back against mass surveillance, we must educate ourselves on our rights, and we must protect the most important document in the United States of America, and quite possibly the world, the Constitution. Our brave Founding Fathers spilled blood to win our independence and gain us the rights that we take for granted everyday, and we must not allow them to be trampled on by those who claim to be breaching them in the name of National Security. 1984 is a perfect example of the world we can be living in if we do not wake up. One day we are enjoying our right to speak freely, the next we are in prison for making an unintentional anti-government comment. If we are to fight back against this unconscionable breach of our Freedoms, the time is now. This is why 1984 is and always will be my favorite book.