Cold Blooded Murderer

Oscar Pistorius's uncle says Oscar is not a criminal and does not want to be treaded as one. So, what do you call a man who fatally shoots his girlfriend and claims that he did not know she was inside his bathroom??!! The answer is simple - he is a cold-blooded murderer who viciously took the life of a promising young lady. He should never be allowed to leave South Africa to participate in any track and field events for the rest of his life. Quite frankly, this case could possibly signify the old paraphrase that indicates the sins of the father where the lives of the third and fourth generation will be impacted due to the evil doings of their ancestors. Oscar Pistorius is approximately the third generation after apartheid when Blacks were brutally mistreated and required to carry pass books in their own country. So, having all the money in the world will never enable Oscar Pistorius to ever be at peace with himself, and this is evident with his continuous obsession with the need for great security 24/7 within his surroundings since he never feels safe.

Department of Education - No Clue

Major decisions made by the school districts such as those affecting standardized testing are generally implemented by Department of Education leaders and state politicians who are far removed from what actually occurs within local school districts. So, their decisions may be made on what is acceptable in their own well-to-do communities which is certainly not the experiences within schools in minority communities. The FCAT, the standardized test in the State of Florida, is an example of how a state's government, which is located in the rural northern community of Tallahassee, Florida, makes decisions that negatively impact schools in minority communities. The decisions do not take into consideration the unique circumstances that may prevent some students from having an opportunity to give an outstanding performance. For instance, schools in the South Florida community includes a high population of second language learners, so these students would not be successful in passing such a standardized test. What these Department of Education personnel and politicians need to do is to get out of their ivory towers and not only take the time to visit schools in minority districts for a couple of minutes but remain for a week or so as to become familiar with the challenges that are faced on a daily basis. This experience should help them to become aware, concerned, and more knowledgeable as to what to do to help low performing schools rather than ordering their closure or making other negative suggestions.

Americanization of a Developing Country

Social influences from the United States have impacted the way of life in countries such as Jamaica. For instance, American based fast food establishments have become prominent throughout foreign cities as one is bound to see the unmistakable logos as he/she approaches a McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, TGIF, and the list goes on and on. It does not even matter that the cost of meals sold at the foreign franchises is overpriced since even the poor will find a way to purchase that quick meal to show their connection to the United States. Homes have access to cable television services which broadcast programs directly from the U.S. So visitors to the island never miss their favorite program and continue to keep abreast of the happenings in the U.S. On the other hand, the locals are bombarded with the American way of life and are lead to believe that one can only be successful if they possess the advertised clothes, shoes, cars, food, etc. Further, the cable programs that depict violence, drugs, and other crimes have often been blamed for the decline in discipline, moral standards, and the drastic increase in crime rate in Jamaica. To fulfill the appetite for American products, imports from the United States are at an all time high. So, with the misconceived notions that foreign items are better, there is a great desire to possess American products, and this diminishes the desire to produce or manufacture local goods. Further, government programs that could encourage locals to produce and manufacture goods locally are non-existent. This lack of effort to produce locally not only makes the country heavily reliant on products from abroad but the foreign minded mentality promote the blatant employment of foreigners including foreign contractors to work as highly overpaid consultants. Meanwhile, the services of highly qualified graduates from the local universities are overlooked. So, it is no wonder why there is a brain drain of talented individuals who take their intellectual capabilities to, of course, the United States. Countries such as Jamaica will continue to be influenced by life styles in the United States with the locals maintaining the misconceived notion that "everything foreign must be better!"

Mia Love's Absurd Statement

Ms. Love, a panelist on ABC's Sunday Morning show "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" said that she still has family members living in the inner city and the President is not doing anything to help them!!?? Hmmh!! Well, what are these relatives doing to help themselves? Rather, what is Mia Love doing to help those family members since she has been climbing the ladder of politics for some time and should now be financially capable of helping her own relatives rather than passing the buck to, of all persons, the President!! Or, is her adopted lifestyle causing her to forget her Haitian culture and the need to help her family.