“Just Noticing”: Observations Of A Blogger
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 25th, 2012
Good morning!
“Just Noticing…”
…I have not connected with any of my readers in days. So here is goes…
Ruth: Love your piece. And so delighted that we have connected again. Thank you for the words of advice. I’m working on it.
Peter: Never feel you are monopolizing my blog. If it is a good vehicle for you to get the word out to your fellow Chamorros, and helps protect your beloved Guam, I am all for it. Hafa Adai.
Carl: An interesting thought, but unfortunately I don’t think it is a low IQ that killed Trayvon.
Ceci: In my opinion, killing almost always affects the lives of others. I realize that you are not a part of what your brother does, but if you are doing nothing that is the part that you belong to: the one third that does nothing. But it doesn’t have to be that way – perhaps you want to do something but are just afraid of him, so you feel powerless to stop him. If he won’t listen then move on and make your voice heard some other way. There are plenty of ways to get involved. You have first hand experience through your brother of how heinous racists can be, and I can see that you are bothered by it. I encourage you to not be the one third that does nothing and do something.
Carla: Aka: a woman a Michelle’s blog – love that. Thank you. I so enjoy it when I read that this blog has changed peoples’ lives. It certainly has changed mine. And it still amazes me how many people learn about America through this blog. I am excited that you are moving your first visit to America to the Bay Area. You will love it – there is nothing like it. And you never know…(Not sure about the “signs” – although I would trip out seeing something like that) perhaps we will run into each other on the street. How cool would that be. Please do stop me and say hello if that happens.
Stacy: Hmm…It touched my heart too. Happy you liked it.
Xhevahire: Your comment was bittersweet. It saddened me to think that and know that women on this planet do not feel important. And yet it brings me joy to know that my blog helped you feel that women can be important too. We definitely are and so are you.
Zen Lill: Awhh…how is that ol’ Elke doing? Give her a pat on the head for me. Lucy has been depressed in this rainy weather. She’s such a summer girl like her mamma.
So..Stu: How about saying just that to dear ol’ dad and mom in the form of a “complaint sandwich“?
Janet: Smart girl.
Nawzad: You’re very welcome. I HOPE you and yours are good.
Readers: That’s a good HOPE for all of us and a perfect exit for me. No topic for today. I’ll leave it up to all of you to decide what conversations you want to come to life. Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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March 25th, 2012 at 9:03 am
COWARD!!!!!!….You can hide all you want, but you will be found out and prosecuted for the crime of MURDER!!!……Matt. 5:21-”Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, “Thou shalt not kill and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment……..COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!
Better to face a judge and a jury, than to face a self-apppointed vigilante!!!
If he did nothing wrong, then why is he hiding? George Zimmerman, come forth!!!
March 25th, 2012 at 10:02 am
Tattoo Medical Monitors
Imagine this. You’re given an electronic sensor system made of an ultrathin, flexible silicon membrane attached to a thin piece of plastic.
You press the membrane onto your skin and dab it with water to wash away the plastic backing, leaving just the membrane of circuits on your skin as if it were a temporary tattoo.
Now, pretend that while this membrane is attached to your skin (you can barely feel it), it’s going to act as a medical monitoring sensor, tracking and reporting the function of your brain, your heart and possibly dozens of other body systems.
If this sounds like technology from another planet, it isn’t—researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created these types of circuits, which are called epidermal electronics, and they can be applied without adhesive anywhere on the body.
But the technology’s potential in medicine is, well, out of this world. To find out more about how these gadgets work, I called John A. Rogers, PhD, professor of materials science and engineering at the university and the lead researcher.
A SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH
According to Dr. Rogers, what’s really new in this technology is that the circuitry is not only very small and thin, but also as flexible as human skin—that’s because it is written on a type of silicon membrane that’s only about 100 nanometers (or 0.00005 of a millimeter) thick.
The membrane can bend, wrinkle and stretch without being damaged and it doesn’t interfere with the motion of the wearer’s skin.
And there’s no glue or tape involved—the membrane stays in place due to the natural attractive forces between atoms and between molecules that are next to each other (known by scientists as van der Waals forces).
This development is exciting, said Dr. Rogers, because he and his team showed that these tattoos can measure heart rate, brain function and other electronic body signals—and the tattoos performed as well as the traditional, bulky electrode monitors that require adhesive gel and tape.
The tattoos were attached to medical monitoring devices via thin-ribbon cables. For long-term monitoring, the tattoos have to be replaced every week or two because the external layer of skin cells is constantly sloughing off (and with it, the tattoos). So engineers—most of whom are at Illinois—
are currently working on ways to make the electronic tattoos transmit data wirelessly and stay attached to the skin longer.
They’re also curious to see whether the devices could be made controllable by simple voice commands or even by body movements.
There’s still a lot of work to be done before these devices become available to health-care practitioners, acknowledged Dr. Rogers.
But when they do—possibly within two or three years, he said—they might be used not only for conveniently monitoring the brain (such as to determine someone’s cognitive state or level of awareness) or the heart (such as to watch for arrhythmias), but also to track physiological changes during exercise…
to monitor sleep patterns and problems…to monitor babies in neonatal care units…and even, later down the road, to stimulate muscles during physical therapy or help muscles or nerves control the motion of prosthetic appendages.
Dr. Rogers speculated that electronic tattoos could also be used in fun ways—imagine several attached to different parts of your body and acting as video game controllers in a virtual-reality world.
DO YOU WANT AN ELECTRONIC “SECOND SKIN”?
I’m wowed by this technology, although I’m interested to learn more about the potential side effects and privacy issues as more research is done.
(I mean, think about cell phones—they were revolutionary, but now there’s concern that they might cause cancer.) Dr. Rogers agreed that these are issues that are worthy of future study.
Dr. Rogers has launched a commercial enterprise, MC10 Inc., to bring the electronic tattoos to the medical market. In the meantime, he said that he is currently working separately with Reebok on a sports-monitoring product that might be available later this year.
I’ll keep an eye out for that—and also for more studies that show the advantages and disadvantages of this new technology.
Sources: John A. Rogers, PhD, professor of materials science and engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
March 25th, 2012 at 10:26 am
Michelle I couldn’t get in to comment yesterday. I wanted to post this article which shows that racism is very much alive and well here in America.
My child is white and when she came home with this I was appalled.
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Parents are outraged after 139 fourth grade students in Georgia were given a math problem referencing slavery, WAGA-TV reports.
Christopher Jackson, the parent of a 9-year-old at the school, told the station his son brought home the offensive extra-credit question with his homework.
“A plantation owner had 100 slaves,” the question read, according to the station. “If three-fifths of them are counted for representation, how many slaves will be counted?”
While parents told WAGA they were offended by the question, a school spokesperson said the question was meant to educate students on both social studies and math, and that the teacher would not be punished.
The incident is reminiscent of a similar controversy at another Georgia school that erupted in January. Parents at Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Norcross, Ga., were outraged after students were sent home with math word problems using explicit examples of slavery.
“Each tree had 56 oranges,” the first question starts. “If 8 slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?”
The next question went a step further, referencing violence.
“If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in 1 week?”
In response to the controversy and investigation that followed, one teacher resigned from the school district.
Later that month, Camp Creek Elementary Scchool in Lilburn, Ga., stirred similar emotions after a third grade student told her mother about a “slave game” students were allegedly instructed to play.
“It was kind of like tag, but we were slaves and slave catchers,” mother Ericka Lasley said, according to WSB-TV.
After an investigation, the school district determined the game was student-initiated, and no teachers were punished as a result.
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The fact that no one was fired says a lot about the sensitivity whites in Georgia have towards non whites.
Like flying the confederate flag, most whites here want to keep it in their faces that they were once our slaves.
Lois
March 25th, 2012 at 10:38 am
They may not be concerned down South about racism, but sex is still deep on their mind.
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An unnamed teacher at Tallulah Elementary School in Tallulah, La., has been fired after she failed to notice two third grade students allegedly having oral sex under a classroom table, the News-Star reports.
District Superintendent Lisa Wilmore told the paper the teacher was fired because the incident occurred under her watch.
“The principal felt that she was not monitoring the classroom adequately,” Wilmore said, according to the News-Star. “The principal made a decision, and I supported the principal. We have to make sure we have people in these classrooms who are monitoring our students.”
According to WBRZ, the district has also placed a different teacher on paid leave during an investigation of alleged substance abuse while on the job.
In a separate article, the News-Star reported that both students are now undergoing counseling, and that both teacher dismissals are a part of Wilmore’s effort to “change the culture” of the district.
This isn’t the first time activities like this have occurred in the classroom while a teacher was present. In February, two kindergarteners at PS 189 in New York City allegedly took off their clothes and engaged in oral sex-like activities while under the teacher’s watch.
One parent told the New York Post the school didn’t immediately take responsibility for the incident.
“They were trying to say that my daughter was inviting these children to do this to her,” the parent told the paper at the time. “Where were the adults?”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified WBRZ as a local television station in Tallulah, La. WBRZ is a local news station in Baton Rouge, La.
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I often look at my kids and thank God we are white. I can’t imagine the frustration and angst that OTW mothers must have sending their children into the cold racist world of America.
Clara
March 25th, 2012 at 10:40 am
What’s wrong with the nigs? Slavery is part of our history. Can we reverse it by not speaking of it?
March 25th, 2012 at 10:42 am
If that math assignment is NOT a HATE crime, it should be….if it is NOT the epitome or RACISM in the deep south,,,give me a break….and IF it isn’t so SAD that it is the TEACHERS/the educators to our young doing this…how on earth do blacks and whites ever learn to live together with respect?
March 25th, 2012 at 10:44 am
How many mexicans does it take to change a light bulb
March 25th, 2012 at 10:46 am
While I’d agree useing this type of question in a math equasion is questionable, if the purpose was ONLY to relate history, social study, and math to eachother, then good for the effort.But still might not have been the best idea.
If the only reason for complaining about it is raceisim, then let us not forget….Slavery is as old as time….and still active today.
The Roman empire was built by use of slavery….today the drug trade uses slavery daily and is using it as we speak today…sexual slavery of not just women but children too is alive and active all over the world including parts of the U.S. and migrant workers are laboring for pennies per day plus housing in nearly every state all over the U.S.
One must keep in mind in U.S. history blacks were not the only slaves, they were simply the largest sector of salvery.
March 25th, 2012 at 10:46 am
really what is the big deal
March 25th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Much ado about nothing !
March 25th, 2012 at 10:58 am
Michelle, the comment by Raykmond #8 is the point that you and Robert,RT often makes about the one third of my race that condones obvious racist acts by pretending that it either wasn’t racists or they make insensitive remarks that pretend to plea ignorance of the racist act.
Elliot
March 25th, 2012 at 10:59 am
It was extra credit problem. Only the smart white kids got it right.
March 25th, 2012 at 11:00 am
Wow…that’s awful! A more compasionate and modern day question would be: LeBron goes into 7-11 with a dollar in his pocket. He holds up the clerk and later discovers he has 10 dollars in his pocket. How much did leBron make with the robbery?
March 25th, 2012 at 11:02 am
It’s interesting this is only an issue in Georgia, no other area of the Country is exploiting slavery.
There are plenty of other examples to be given to help children solve math problems, Social Studies and History are also a required curriculum to teach the ills of Slavery.
March 25th, 2012 at 11:05 am
So….,we are supposed to remember ”rodney king”…martin luther…..but we are supposed to forget why their beating and rise to fame came about???
we should never forget the bad things in our history…whether it be slavery….racism….gangs…war…rape…murder…unless…its a crutch held by someone for politics or sympathy??? !!
Enough dwelling in the negativity of the past…if you cannot get by on your own…its your own faults!! no more anything to do with race[hiring,firing,promoting,etc] if you dont make the grade…..its all YOU!!
March 25th, 2012 at 11:05 am
the democrats have to keep picking at the scab of racism, opening the mostly healed wound, to keep it open and festering to gain votes in all forums.
Most of us have moved on and integrated, but now they want to go back, because it benefits their agenda. We would have had no slaves, except black people rounded up other blacks and sold them around the world.
March 25th, 2012 at 11:07 am
BL, Don’t blame the “democrats” for the schools using racist, slavery-driven questions…whatever could have made these people think these questions were appropriate? These were math questions…
Teapublicans, and you are obviously one, love to make victims out of the wrongdoers and blame “them progressive liberals and Democrats”…
“We would have had no slaves, except black people rounded up other blacks and sold them around the world”…once again, you are seemingly making the slaveowners into the victims, and the real victims into the aggressors.
Did it ever occur to you, Mr. History, that if there would have been no market for slaves, they wouldn’t have been sold? Or were whites buying slaves to free them from the tyranny of the blacks?
March 25th, 2012 at 11:08 am
the legal age for consent should be lowered… people are more mature at an earlier age now.
March 25th, 2012 at 11:09 am
You all have seen various news stories/articles about certain groups of people wanting to provide sex education to children in public schools as early as kindergarten. And then you act as if you are surprised by behavior such as this? Puleeze.
March 25th, 2012 at 11:42 am
In LA, they don’t have sex ed at all. I live in Mississippi and they started having sex ed courses about 6 years ago. In that six years, teen pregnancy has gone down, as well as the rate of STD transfer.
Sex ed has apparently been a good thing, but I believe it should be taught by the schools AND the parents.
The parents still have the option to have their child excused from sex ed by the way, and the course lasts a week. I don’t live in country Mississippi. I live in ghetto Mississippi.
At least half of the girls at my school are pregnant, and even thats an improvement compared to 6 years ago.
March 25th, 2012 at 11:46 am
There is alot missing in this article. I would like to know how many students this teacher had in the class, what activities were going on when this allegedly took place.
What kind of table (clear view of underneath or was it fully/partially covered), what the teacher was doing while the alleged act was going on, and how long these children were engaged in the alleged act.
If you are the only teacher with 30 kids in your class, and are engaging them in an activity that has them out of their seats moving around.
If two of them slip under a table for a minute or two you aren’t going to notice, especially if the table is covered, etc. Do we expect every teacher to notice a pinch/push/hair pull/etc., the moment it happens? Of course not.
Children engage in these activities (though I’ve never heard of 3rd graders engaging in these kind of activities in a classroom) while a teacher has their attention turned to other students, while reading to the students, while their back is turned to write on the chalkboard, etc.
Children can be sneaky and often get away unnoticed with a great many things right under our noses while at home…and none of us has 20/25/30 kids to look after.
March 25th, 2012 at 11:47 am
Wow! When I was in the third grade, oral sex was just kissing. Now that I’m in my sixties, the only oral sex I get now is still kissing.
March 26th, 2012 at 6:06 am
Hi Mischa, I’ll give ol’ Elke a snug for ya, she’s doing well for an old girl, she sometimes stops mid-walk as if she’s stuck in a sudden nostalgic thought and in those moments I think uh-oh but other than that, she’s still happy, a petite Lucy dog is my next sweet pet (or I’ll be hers/his : )
Lara, Elke is part German shepard, part Norwegian Elkhound and she’s big and pretty, her markings make her look like she’s wearing a permanent smile. Not sure why female dogs get so reactive to males as they get older, though just like me she instinctively knows a good one, must be a certain smell they have…
Brittany, I saw Hunger Games, a bad premise though for teens it supposedly shows post-war Amerika ‘hope and faith’ (that’s what a gaggle of 13 yr olds tell me) and the young eye candy was male and female. As far as laws regarding age of ‘coming of age’ hmmm, we don’t live in the wild anymore but once hormones kick in one can only contain our sophisticated chimpanzees (teens) with logic and then urges will be acted upon, sometimes with possible bad outcomes, until that prefrontal cortex takes hold, even then people sometimes make bad decisions. If you get that we are not that far off from our wild friends in terms of basic instincts, sexual and social pecking order (check out the research, we are 97% like chimps) or just try to remember your own teen days, you’ll understand why the laws were put into place, you’ll also understand why you or a ‘friend’ chose to have sex before you were 25 (don’t lie, you know you did the deed well before 25). I’m NOT condoning pedophilia activity, merely stating that nature is nature, like that or not. I’ve seen the research and you cannpt change it, it’s factual, not anecdotal, evidence.
BM, your comment made my day : ) I have to read the whole article about this incident though I can tell you that the boys and girls on my street were playing ‘show me yours, I’ll show you mine’ and when we were 5/6, I would call it natural curiousity though no one was performing orally – and not one of us told our victorian parents, and that was white suburbia. We all reached puberty without indulging in more activity than kissing, though some tossed their virginity early, others waited, it was more out of emotion and opportunity how that went down though (pun totally intended).
…and I’m off for the day again, catch you later, Luv, Zen Lill
March 26th, 2012 at 7:32 am
I understand how the lawyers keep trying to say that Zimmerman isn’t a racist…OK, maybe not openly but his actions as well as the 911 tapes show quite well that he was racially profiling a “black kid” in a hoodie.
So, leaving out “racism” here’s what I think: Zimmerman was a gun toating cop wanna-be. Like many gun owners, especially gun carriers, he was anxious to use his toy. Basically he was a weapon looking for a victim.
He didn’t just see a black kid in a hoodie, he saw a potential oppertunity to use his gun. Heck I would argue that “in the moment” he was hoping Treyvon was a criminal.
SO, seeking the opportunity he persued Treyvon waiting for some kind of sign so he can use his shinny weapon. I’m sure, after the fact, he may feel regret, after all he took a life, but he was unjustified.
The man should, at the very least be charged for being vigilanty and whatever murder charge that goes with that. The ridiculous “stand your ground” law doesn’t apply, since he persued Treyvon. Treyvon was a victim on all counts.