Marlow (CRR)

Marlow and Kurtz
In class we are reading the Heart of Darkness and throughout the book I've develop certain feelings for the characters.
The way Marlow obsesses about Kurtz, we almost expect Kurtz to file a restraining order on the guy. (Or, we would if Kurtz weren't already half-dead by the time Marlow meets him.)But it wasn't always like that. When Marlow first hears about Kurtz, he's not "very interested in him" . But when he hears the story about Kurtz turning back to the jungle, his ears prick up he sees Kurtz for the first time"  as a solitary white man among black men. And then, just a few paragraphs later, Marlow is actually excited to see the guy, saying that, for him, the journey has become entirely about meeting Kurtz. The boat, he says, "crawled towards Kurtz.

Weird. What was it about that story of Kurtz returning to the jungle that tickled Marlow's fancy? True, we've already seen that he's kind of obsessed with the jungle and its people. But at the same time he's drawn in by the wilderness, he's terrified by it. It's thrilling but horrifying, kind of like Saw XVIII. (What, they haven't made that one yet?) Kurtz has done what Marlow can only dream of: refuse to return to the luxury and comfort of Europe and choose instead to pursue fortune and glory.

But Marlow's roller coaster of love doesn't doesn't end there. Once he actually meets the guy, he starts to resent him. Africans have for Kurtz turns Marlow's stomach, "He's no idol of mine" . And then he seems to decide that Kurtz is actually just childish—a helpless and selfish man who has ignorant dreams of becoming rich and powerful.

Segregation in New York City’s Schools New York Times Article ( SSR)

The landmark decision that outlawed segregation, Brown v. Board of Education, was handed down 58 years ago. Brown v. Board of Education (1954), now acknowledged as one of the greatest Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century,  held that the racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Although the decision did not succeed in fully desegregating public education in the United States, it put the Constitution on the side of racial equality. School systems undertook desegregation efforts that peaked in the 1980s. Since then, schools across the country have been going through a process of "de facto resegregation" according to the New York Times.  I Efforts over the years to reduce the segregation of schools in New York City  have had little effect.

New York is rank third in the country for most segregated school system. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/05/11/nyregion/segregation-in-new-york-city-public-schools.html?_"The most segregated public schools in the city include Asian-dominated schools in Chinatown, heavily Hispanic schools in Washington Heights and Corona, and one white school in Manhattan Beach. But the greatest segregation is in black neighborhoods.Hispanic Isolation The most segregated Hispanic schools are in Dominican Washington Heights and Central American Corona. Many are high schools, including Gregorio Luperon High School, that cater to Spanish-speaking immigrants. Luperon has a diversity index of 0, with 477 Hispanic students and no blacks, whites or Asians. Asian Segregation Overall, Asians are the least segregated minority, attending schools that are about 62 percent non-Asian, on average. The exceptions are in Chinatown, including the Lower East Side Preparatory School, which has a diversity index of 12 (537 Asian students,12 blacks, 20 Hispanics and 3 whites)."

This is not all but this information is just so compelling. I can relate to this article because my school is predominantly African- American and Hispanic. I have noticed a huge difference between my schools, including high school in South Carolina and  my current school in New York. My high school that I attended in Charleston.  It was way more diverse which help me identify many cultures which was set to prepare me for the future. My current school that I am enrolled in,  is not as diverse, which is not a bad thing ,but  I believe I could of truly benefited socially a more diverse environment. I tend to ask myself "do other students have the same problem?" I believe an individual will seek a better education with a diverse learning environment.

This article has loads of interesting and profound information that every student and teacher should read. To see more information regrading segregation in New York City’s schools, go to:  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/05/11/nyregion/segregation-in-new-york-city-public-schools.html?_r=0

Can Republicans ever compromise??? (FC)

A remarkable thing just happened in Congress. Republicans and Democrats sat down together to work out a budget. This hasn’t happened since 2009. House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan Romney’s running mate, you’ll recall, and the hero of fiscal conservatives told Politico, “Let’s understand what we’re doing here, we’re going back to regular order.This is how the founders envisioned the budget process. We want to get back to that.”
Ryan’s comment is both encouraging and puzzling. Departure from the regular order has left majority of the nation thinking our political system is in decline. It’s encouraging that Ryan, is attempting to make the system work again, we should remember why Congress became so dysfunctional and unwillingly to provide for the American people.

According to New York Magazine "There have been fiscal crises before  17 shutdowns since 1976, now 18. There have been almost suicidal economic policies  fights over tariffs, trade and taxes have been bread and butter issues since Colonial days. Admittedly, the disaster known as the sequester is something new"One reason has been the Republicans determined effort, since the election of President Obama, to undermine the process of compromise. This is not a secret. The result has been to undermine the works of government and the good standing of the Republican Party. It may be that Republicans, following the principle of enlightened self-interest that has been establish since the beginning of goverment, have recognized that no one has all the answers and that compromise for the good of the country. Doing one’s sworn duty  is what they were elected to Congress to do not to put America in a egrectious situation. But I’m skeptical. Especially with the fact that  Paul Ryan voted against a bill that ended the shutdown and both “ultra-conservatives”  the committee that’s supposed to restore Congress to “regular order.”

Meanwhile, this week millions of disabled elderly veterans and children will start to see their food stamps cut. Private charities across the nation are being overwhelmed with demands beyond their control. Yet sadly, Republicans want to make even more cuts. This is wrong. Whatever happened to “We the people”?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The middle ground in Congress has all but disappeared. The founders intended competing principles and interests to check excesses and create a balance in our politics that would benefit “we the people.” Gerrymandered districts and a hyped-up fight-night media offer a partial explanation of why we seem to have neither checks nor balances.

Majority of Congressional Members may need to take A.P U.S History like I did, to get a better understanding on how Congress was made to make America a stable country. With all my being that holding the government of the people as hostage, demanding political ransom, is dead. Maybe at the end of the 2014 election, it will be. Especially if Americans go out and vote for lawmakers that will represent the American people but, not themselves.

Until then, pray, but don’t hold your breath that we’ll return to any “regular order.”