Hey all! Let me take the time to re-introduce myself. My full name is Emmanuel Matthew Clark and I am ecstatic to be here a part of Dr. Crowther’s class again for another semester. Briefly, here are a few things about me:

• I’m currently 19 years young at the time of this post.
• I’m a computer science major.
• I’m was born and raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia (which is pretty close Clarkston, just look out for a big rock).
• I’m the youngest of three (two older sisters).
• All of my immediate family members are also college students (we even have homework nights occasionally).

This is what I look like in case you see me in person:

A few things I enjoy doing/keeping up with:

• Computers and Technology (industry-wide news whether it’s about smartphones, automotive technology, advancements in personal computing technology, etc.).
• Building personal computers (and I’ll post a few of my builds in case anyone is interested).
• Skate Culture (skateboarding to be more specific)
• Car Culture
• Video Games (industry related news and actually playing them).
• Bargain Finding (let’s just say, I’m an extreme ebayer).

Like many others, I’m here at Georgia State Perimeter to get an education and a quality one at best. Luckily for me, the Clarkston campus is close enough to where travel is still convenient. I want to be able to sharpen my talents and abilities and put them to use one way or another. Whether it will benefit me, my family, or even a complete stranger, I believe that this class, as well as other classes, can be the catalyst to a successful future. Writing is an essential part of life, and prevailing the difficulties surrounding writing can help me and other individuals get one step closer to their goal. I’m definitely looking forward to working alongside my fellow classmates again, and I wish everyone the best for this semester.

My research paper will be on the immigration of Central American people to the U.S., the push factors behind their migration, and the question of whether or not these individuals are refugees.

This is what my totally unfinished outline looks like:

Definitely not final but this is just what I have so far.

The article titled Central America’s Violent Northern Triangle explains the ‘why’ behind the violence and other disparities that many Central Americans are currently facing and their reasons for migration to other countries, particularly the United States. The Central American countries El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are the three countries labeled to be part of the Northern Triangle. Hundreds of immigrants, many of which are unaccompanied minors, are fleeing from these countries to seek asylum in an attempt to escape violence, poverty, lack of opportunity and other related issues. These countries have been consistently ranked to be some of the most violent nations in the world. This region houses highest homicide rates than any other region with Honduras being the murder capital of the world.

Primary reasons behind the violence are the proliferation of gangs and U.S. bound drugs. The violence in the Northern Triangle is largely associated with drug-trafficking organizations and organized street gangs. Kidnapping, human trafficking, and smuggling are also actions engaged in this region. Crime also goes unnoticed way too often. The article states that as many as 95 percent of crimes go unpunished in some areas. There is little justice that has been served given that the police and military aren’t very trustworthy and are often involved in illegal activities themselves.

Countermeasures to reduce the violence have been enacted, however, these actions failed to make much of an impact to reduce crimes and may have indirectly increased gang membership. The article states that “In January 2016, amid a new rush of arrivals from the region, U.S. authorities began to round up and deport recently arrived immigrants whose asylum claims had been denied.” However, during the Obama administration, plans were announced to expand its refugee program. It is, however, unknown if this plan will still hold up under Trump’s administration given his stance on refugees.

In Enrique’s Journey, we follow the life of a young Honduran boy and his quest to reunite with his mother who left him at the age of five to search for work in the United States. Enrique’s mother, Lourdes, leaves him and his sister Belky in the care of other family members with the hopes of giving them a better life. While Lourdes is able to support her children through the money and gifts she sends, it is ultimately not enough to replace her absence. Enrique decides that risking his life and leaving all that he knew would be worth finding his mother, so he sets off on his journey. The author, Sonia Nazario uses Enrique’s story as an entry-point to depict the grim realities of immigration in Central America.

One particular issue that came to my mind while reading this book was the sheer amount of individuals attempting to journey up north and the dangerous encounters that Enrique and other immigrants faced. From reading this book, you find that they had to deal with the dangers of riding atop of trains, bandits, gangs, corrupted police officers, immigration officers, the fear of being deported, not having enough money–all very brutal stuff. The amount of courage that these individuals have is immense. They’re not only looking for opportunity but are also trying to escape the persecution from their home countries. Which brings up the question: Are these people immigrants or refugees?

On February 16, 2017, about a month ago, the “A Day Without Immigrants” boycott took place in a nationwide protest in response to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration through his executive orders. It was an effort to highlight how critical immigrants are to the country’s economy and way of life. The movement came about via social media in a similar fashion to how the Women’s March was started. Demonstrations were held in major cities across the United States including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angles, etc. Hundreds of restaurants and shopping centers closed their doors in solidarity with the movement. Many individuals showed their support by staying home from work and school. Several ralliers participated in marches across the country to further the cause.

While spirits were high for this movement, it has also caused a bit of controversy. Some criticized the execution of the boycott saying it was more hurtful than helpful. Many of the ralliers who marched in the streets blocked the flow of traffic causing traffic jams through the nation. Children who didn’t attend school that day may have missed important information. Some individuals who stayed home from work were fired from their jobs. In addition to that, many people were not even aware that this movement was going on. Some would argue that the shouts from the marches’ participators fell on deaf ears. ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ was noble and bold, but was possibly still not enough to show the nation and the president how vital immigrants really are to America.

Summary:

The article titled, “Worldwide Prevalence and Trends in Unintentional Drug Overdose: A Systematic Review of the Literature” is a compilation of data carefully selected from peer-reviewed articles with the purpose of recording the worldwide epidemic of unintentional drug overdoses in recent decades. These studies were essentially chosen based on the relevance of their themes regarding accidental drug overdose. The article concludes with a discussion stating that while existing studies give many key solutions to aid in reducing unintentional drug overdoses, more research is still needed to comprehend the discrete causes which lead an individual overdose accidentally.

Paraphrase:

The article begins by outlining its primary objective along with the four main points that would be used as a criterion in selecting relevant articles for this methodical overview on unintentional drug overdoses. According to the authors, “The aim of this study was to systematically summarize the peer-reviewed literature to document the global epidemiological profile of unintentional drug overdoses, and the prevalence, time trends, mortality rates, and correlates of drug overdoses from 1980 until 2013” (Martins et al. 1). The authors selected the US National Library of Medicine’s PubMed database to search for significant articles and used Medical Subject Headings or MeSH terms which are specialized terms used as keywords to aid in refining the search. However, because of the vastness of the topic, the authors restricted the search using only articles written in English and omitted articles that had included children, only focusing the study on adults.

As a result from this search, they were able to find 46 studies that reported on prevalence of overdoses, 34 studies that reported on trends overdosing and changes over time, 53 studies that focused on mortality rates from overdosing, and a few studies that reported on the correlates of overdose. The results were organized in spreadsheets with the intention of being easily compared and some of the observed figures were found to be of great significance. These results suggest that prescription opioids, cocaine, and heroin are the drugs that are most frequently associated with unintentional overdoes. The article also states that while deaths from illegal drug use has decreased, there has been a substantial increase of deaths from prescribed drugs. Additionally, it was found that unintentional drug overdose is not an issue that is limited to urban areas as rural areas have seen a rise in overdoses in recent years.

The end of the article contains a brief discussion that reflects on the findings generated from the selected peer-reviewed articles. It is here where the authors point out several limitations from their study. They note that “…most studies did not collect information on the sources of drug used, which can provide insights into the ways individuals learn about and acquire drugs, and can thus inform prevention opportunities” (Martins et al. 17). Furthermore, they state that “…if we are to identify potential avenues to prevent drug overdose, more concerted investment needs to be made…” (Martins et al 17). From the authors’ arguments, it is apparent that despite the existing collected material, investing in more research is still essential for better comprehension on the topic of unintentional drug overdose. Finally, the authors conclude by encouraging other nations to collect more data in a systematic manner on the worldwide epidemic of unintentional drug overdoses.

This is just a draft, but this particular essay proved very difficult for me to work on given the broadness and complexity of the subject. It uses a lot of professional jargon and statistics that the average person probably wouldn’t understand.

The Flint Michigan Water Crisis is an ongoing issue that started in April of 2014. Flint is a city in Michigan with a population of around 98,000 and is located 70 miles north of Detriot. Until April 2014, Flint’s water source came from the same water source of the city of Detroit which is Lake Huron, but in an effort to save money, the city of Flint decided to switch its water supply to that of the Flint River. Immediately, residents began to complain about the water’s discolored appearance, poor taste, and foul smell. Officials insisted that nothing was wrong with the water even after residents developed rashes, nausea, fatigue. The city has since switched back to its previous water source with Detroit, but the damage had already been done.

The Flint River water was found to be much more corrosive than that of Lake Huron. The corrosive water combined with the city’s aging pipes caused lead to seep somehow into the water supply. A number of class action lawsuits against the city, state, and several public officials have resulted from this crisis causing former President Obama to declared it a state of emergency. 5 million dollars in aid has been authorized to the city of Flint and the Michigan National Guard has been mobilized to help distribute clean water to residents. As of 2017, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality stated that “lead levels in the city’s water tested below the federal limit in a recent six-month study”.

The safety of children has been a major concern in this crisis. In September 2015, the Hurley Medical Center released a study showing that children who had elevated lead levels in their blood nearly doubled since the city switched its water supply. According to the World Health Organization, “…lead affects children’s brain development resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioral changes such as reduced attention span and increased antisocial behavior, and reduced educational attainment. Lead exposure also causes anemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs. The neurological and behavioral effects of lead are believed to be irreversible. ”

Since 2014, between 6,000 to 12,000 children have been exposed to the lead-contaminated water and are at risk of severe illnesses in the future.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/

Here’s the Introductory Paragraph draft from my Essay:

Imagine America’s education system as a 100-meter track and field event. Students come to line up at the start line, but instead of a traditional lineup where participants are positioned side by side each other, they are instead positioned by their socioeconomic status. The lineup is now completely different. Students from middle-income households are situated at the start line like usual, but students from low-income households are starting 25 meters behind the start line. The race begins, and hurdles are placed in the lanes of the students from low-income households. It’s apparent that this is an unfair race and low-income students have no way of closing the gap. At the finish line is graduation from high school, finding a college, or beginning a career. The middle-income students cross the finish line, while low-income students have to make up the extra distance. This race is just an illustrative example that represents the achievement gap. The achievement gap is a term used to describe the ways in which a person’s race, ethnicity, social class, and several other factors on how they relate to a person’s academic performance or educational attainment. A person’s socioeconomic status, or SES, is one of is one of the highest observed disparities in academic achievement among students. According to the American Psychological Association, “children from low-SES households and communities develop academic skills more slowly compared to children from higher SES groups”(). Justice is an equal opportunity for education and academic success regardless of social class. To obtain equilibrium in America’s educational system, we must consider the needs of the students whose families fall into low-SES.

I’ve written much more since then, yet I honestly still don’t know what my strengths are. Maybe I still need a little more time to realize and see what they are or maybe someone else can see it themselves in the paragraph above. However, I can tell what my weakness. I’ve always had trouble with summarizing very broad topics, so much so that I had to narrow down the subject of my essay to something more specific. I didn’t mind doing this especially since we’re limited to one article.

Another thing I’m still trying to work on are the supporting sentences. While I know in my head what I’ll be writing, about I spent hours on deciding what exactly I’ll be arguing in the essay. I’ve also tried to use the 5 paragraph style essay that we discussed in class, but I’m not so sure it’ll work well with the points I’ve chosen to write about. I probably shouldn’t stress so much over it. I’m nearly finished, and I can’t wait to see what others have come up with. If you’re reading this and we’re in the same class then good luck!

Social Justice is a term that can mean different things to different people. In my essay, I’ve chosen to write about social justice regarding America’s education system. Therefore, social justice in my case is an equal opportunity for education and academic success regardless of socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status, or SES, is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation. It is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of an individual or group.” It is apparent that students from lower SES households academically lag behind students from higher SES households early on in their educational career. Students of low SES, sometimes subjected to poverty, are less likely to have the finances or available time to get the needed academic support. This makes it tougher to score well on college entrance exams needed to get into educational institutions. There is much untapped scholarly potential in these students and they must not be neglected simply because of their social statuses. Info courtesy of the American Psychological Association.

What began as a simple Facebook post quickly turned into one of America’s largest demonstrations. The Women’s March On Washington—a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people in Washington D.C., nationwide, and around the world—occurred on Saturday after the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump. The ralliers came with a clear message to send to President Trump and the new administration about the rights of women and other civil rights matters. This march, although labeled “Women’s March…,” was very diverse and featured individuals from many walks of life, people of different races and ethnicities, different sexual orientations, different backgrounds, varying ages, from children to adults, all coming together as one collective voice. This outcome is from the unfaltering efforts of Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez, and Tamika Mallory, the forerunners of the protest.

Here is their mission statement: “We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families – recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.”

Politicians, activists, and celebrities alike, spoke at the event on Saturday expressing their strong feelings of opposition towards this new administration. Many ralliers at the march believe that there was an unpleasant, unwelcoming attitude against women during the previous election. Several vocal participants didn’t feel like their voices were heard and that issues they felt deeply about weren’t being addressed accordingly. Protesters fear that women’s rights and other civil rights are in danger under a Donald Trump presidency. Some of those rights accommodate reproductive rights, immigrant rights, LGBTQIA rights, workers rights, etc. Many pink hats were worn in response to the misogyny and sexism that played a role in Trump’s Presidential campaign with the motive to “make a unique collective visual statement which will help activists be better heard.”

From their website: “Women’s rights are human rights, regardless of a woman’s race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, sexual identity, gender expression, economic status, age or disability.”

https://www.womensmarch.com/